National Writing Project

Imagining the Possibilities: Improving the Teaching of Writing Through Teacher-Led Inquiry

By: Jessica Early
Publication: English Leadership Quarterly
Date: April 2014

Summary: Teachers in Phoenix, AZ improved their practice by participating in a teacher-led inquiry group of Writing Project fellows, collaborating on a curriculum framework for college- and career-ready writing.

 

To gain perspective on teachers' experiences as they work to address the CCSS, I recently supported the implementation of a teacher-led action-research group for teachers at an urban charter school serving grades K–10 in Phoenix, Arizona. The seven participants each teach English language arts or writing courses and are fellows of the Central Arizona Writing Project, a local site of the National Writing Project.

Our work together revolved around the following inquiry questions: How can I use writing to prepare my students for the next stages of their lives? How can I open up my curriculum to include the diverse forms of writing that take place in college, the workplace, and the community? Through our time together, this teacher-led inquiry group came to understand key strategies, resources, rewards, and obstacles for implementing college- and career-ready writing in the curriculum."

About the Author
JESSICA SINGER EARLY, a former high school English teacher, is Associate Professor and Associate Chair of English at Arizona State University, a scholar of English education and secondary literacy, and Director of the Central Arizona Writing Project.

Copyright ©2014 by the National Council of Teachers of English. Reprinted with Permission. Singer Early, Jessica. "Imagining the Possibilities: Improving the Teaching of Writing Through Teacher-Led Inquiry." English Leadership Quarterly (2014): 11–15

Download the Article

PDF Download "Imagining the Possibilities: Improving the Teaching of Writing Through Teacher-Led Inquiry"

Related Resource Topics

© 2023 National Writing Project