Models of Effective Writing Methods in Teacher Preparation: Perspectives and Practice

Introduction

Currently, only one-quarter of fourth graders write at the proficient levels and those scores do not improve in eighth grade or 12^th grade (NCES, 2018). In addition to these low scores, teachers report feeling under-prepared to teach writing effectively (Cutler & Graham, 2008). Low writing proficiency in the United States and low self-efficacy for teaching writing by teachers may be the result of limited exposure to high-quality writing methods in teacher preparation (Hodges, 2015; Myers et al., 2016; Scales et al., 2019). In fact, only 28% of teacher educators indicated that they taught a stand-alone course focused on writing instruction, while the remaining 72% indicated that they taught integrated reading and writing courses (Myers et al., 2016). Additionally, Brenner (2013) found that only five courses across three undergraduate teacher preparation programs focused solely on writing and called for increased writing instruction in teacher preparation.

To shed some light on how writing methods are currently taught in a variety of programs across the United States and build on the work of Scales and colleagues (2019) examining high-quality writing educators, the present chapter presents five distinct models for teacher preparation. These models are the result of meeting state-level standards, national standards through the International Literacy Association (ILA), and core competencies from research, theory, and practice. The course models represent the Pacific Northwest, Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast, showing diversity across the United States. In the present chapter the researchers

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  Present effective models of writing instruction,

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  Provide examples of integrated approaches to research, theory, and practice for writing instruction, and

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  Examine limitations and opportunities within each model.

The goal of the present chapter is to outline these models in the hopes that other programs can modify and replicate models that best fit their unique demographics, needs, and literacy standards.

Stand-Alone Elementary K-8 Writing Methods Course With No Field Experience

In this Elementary Education Bachelor's Degree program that leads to Teacher Certification, candidates are required to take four 3-credit courses in the area of literacy, comprehensive literacy, content area literacy, foundations of linguistics and language acquisition, and writing instruction and assessment. This class is taken mid-program and dedicated to Elementary (K-8) writing. The course does not have an official field placement connected to it, but candidates do visit an elementary classroom one to two times to observe a writing lesson and to conduct a student profile on an individual student. During the learning profile the candidates conduct observations of the student during writing instruction, a student interview, writing attitude survey, and collect three writing samples for analysis in the class. At times candidates have engaged in weekly writing journals with an elementary student. The course content is divided into four sections; (a) Establishing Professional Learning Communities, (b) Knowing Our Subject Matter, (c) Knowing and Assessing Our Students, and (d) Focus on Teacher Practice: Planning and Instructions.