| Many writers believe that it is important for writing instruction to be provided by teachers who are writers themselves. In many of the education courses on the teaching of writing (for example, the Central Virginia Writing Project and the Teaching Writing courses both taught on grounds at the University of Virginia), time is set aside for the teachers to write daily in class, to meet in groups to receive responses to their drafts, and to talk about what they are learning as writers. Also, in these groups, they discuss teaching practices that are grounded in what they do as writers. Even though some education courses focus on the development of teachers as writers, and much knowledge exists about the processes writers use, many teachers flounder.; The knowledge about teachers as writers does not appear to provide much guidance for K-12 teachers. In general, the research on teachers as writers provides overall information, but there is very little specific information regarding teachers' awareness of their development as writers, and how they use this knowledge to specifically inform their teaching.; This study was based on the premise that if teachers acquired more precise self-knowledge about what they gradually learned as they became writers, they would be enabled to create instructional plans based on their continued engagement as writers.; My research questions were What do teachers learn about themselves as writers in an education course on the teaching of writing? and What plans do the teachers create for their subsequent teaching, based on what they learn about themselves as writers?; For this study, I taught a "Writing Across the Curriculum" class, utilizing research ideas so teachers were writing and examining their own writing. I encouraged participants to become aware of their development as writers, and how they could use this knowledge to inform their teaching.; My five findings were: (1) Even though the teachers differed in what they learned about themselves as writers, by the end of the course, all participants held one common belief: They saw themselves as writers. Also, individuals became aware of various preferences and pathways to writing that they used as writers. (2) Plans of the study participants for their teaching were as varied as the many concepts they learned about themselves as writers. (3) Writing groups were important to the growth of the individuals as writers and were used as true writing groups, rather than as teachers as writers groups. (4) The participants appeared to believe in a separation of creative (poetry and fiction) and non-creative (nonfiction) writing, and they appeared to value poetry and fiction writing more than nonfiction writing. (5) The previous education that class members had received about the teaching of writing provided them with many isolated ideas that were not held together by sound knowledge of what writers do.; I documented, in this study, the journey of a group of teachers participating in a summer education course built on the 'teachers as writers' framework. What these teachers learned about themselves as writers and how they used this knowledge to plan their fall writing instruction was the focus of the research. This study refined our understanding of the 'teachers as writers' concept and its practicality for teachers of writing. |
