1st Edition

Becoming a Teacher Researcher in Literacy Teaching and Learning Strategies and Tools for the Inquiry Process

Edited By Christine Pappas, Eli Tucker-Raymond Copyright 2011
    288 Pages
    by Routledge

    288 Pages
    by Routledge

    Designed to facilitate teachers’ efforts to meet the actual challenges and dilemmas they face in their classrooms, Becoming a Teacher Researcher in Literacy Teaching and Learning:

    • provides background information and key concepts in teacher research
    • covers the "how-to" strategies of the teacher research process from the initial proposal to writing up the report as publishable or presentable work
    • illustrates a range of literacy topics and grade levels
    • features twelve reports by teacher researchers who have gone through the process, and their candid remarks about how activities helped (or not)
    • helps teachers understand how knowledge is constructed socially in their classrooms so that they can create instructional communities that promote all students’ learning.

    Addressing the importance of teacher research for better instruction, reform, and political action, this text emphasizes strategies teachers can use to support and strengthen their voices as they dialogue with others in the educational community, so that their ideas and perspectives may have an impact on educational practice both locally in their schools and districts and more broadly.

    Preface

    Part 1: Defining, Planning, and Starting Your Teacher Research

    Part 1 Introduction

    1. So, What Is Teacher Research Anyway?
    2. Creating Your Research Questions—The First Step in Inquiry
    3. Planning Your Inquiry
    4. Writing a Preliminary Literature Review to Inform Your Inquiry
    5. Part 2: Enacting, Analyzing, and Writing Up Your Inquiry

      Part 2 Introduction

    6. Strategies for Data Collection
    7. Analysis—What do the Data Mean?
    8. Writing Up Your Inquiry as an Evocative Account
    9. Part 3: Teacher Researcher Reports

      Part 3 Introduction

    10. Katie Paciga’s Inquiry Paper
    11. Reading, Writing, and Sharing: The Journey to Become Kindergarten Authors

    12. Cindy Pauletti’s Inquiry Paper
    13. Word Detectives: Students Using Clues to Identify Unknown Words in Text

    14. Kristen Terstriep’s Inquiry Paper
    15. Toss Out Your Dictionaries: A Look at More Effective Vocabulary Instruction

    16. Sandra Zanghi’s Inquiry Paper
    17. Letting Their Voices Be Heard: Improving Literature Response Participation during Read-Alouds through Small-Group Discussions

    18. Tara Braverman’s Inquiry Paper
    19. What’s This Word? Helping Sixth Grade Students Use Reading and Vocabulary Strategies Independently

    20. Libby Tuerk’s Inquiry Paper
    21. Let's Read: Motivating Junior High Students to Become Life-Long Readers

    22. Meg Goethals’s Inquiry Paper
    23. "Books that Have Ghetto Feelings": How Reading Workshop Increases Inner-City Eighth-Graders’ Motivation, Engagement, and Comprehension

    24. Dawn Siska’s Inquiry Paper
    25. Challenging the "I Quit!" Going ‘Round and ‘Round with Literature Circles in a Secondary Reading Classroom

    26. Courtney Wellner’s Inquiry Paper
    27. "But This IS My Final Draft!" Making Peer Writing Conferences More Effective for Struggling 9th Grade Students

    28. Shannon Dozoryst’s Inquiry Paper
    29. Using Writing Workshop to Guide Revision

    30. Nicole Perez’s Inquiry Paper
    31. Coaching as a Collaborative Process

    32. Catherine Plocher’s inquiry Paper

    Coaching for Change in a K–8 Urban Elementary School: Building Cultures of Collaboration and Reflective Practices

    Epilogue: Further Reflections and Possibilities

    Appendices

    Appendix A: General Peer Conferencing Form

    Appendix B: Common APA (American Psychological Association) Citing Conventions

    Appendix C: Reminders for Grammatical and Other Language Usage

    Index

    Biography

    Christine C. Pappas is Professor Emerita, Curriculum and Instruction, University of Illinois at Chicago.

    Eli Tucker-Raymond is Research Scientist with the Chèche Konnen Center at TERC.