Effective writing, both academic and creative, allows for not only an expression of the self but is also significant in exercising the voices of the writers to make deeper connections with humans, knowledge, thinking, past experiences, new meanings and learning (Wood & Lieberman, 2000). Different successful Teacher Professional Development (TPD) programs, such as the National Writing Project in the United States and New Zealand (Andrews, 2008; Locke et al., 2011; Pritchard, 1987; Whitney, 2008; Wood & Lieberman, 2000) have shown us that reflective teachers who write themselves are in a better position to teach writing effectively. Considering the limited exposure teachers in India have for developing their own writing skills, the present study aimed to describe and understand the development of teachers’ writing for children during a TPD workshop and explore their classroom practices around writing. Using qualitative, interpretive case study methodology, it collected data from 26 teachers using focus group discussions, narrative accounts and documents and observation. The data will be analyzed qualitatively by research questions using analytic induction. The study hopes to contribute to the field of language and literacy education and teacher education by exploring and describing the writing journeys of the teachers and the appearance (or not) of their learning in action in their classroom practices around writing. Additionally, teachers’ complete written pieces will be published as children’s literature or anthology of narrative fiction and non-fiction to contribute to the domain of children’s literature in the Indian context for use in and outside the classrooms.

Authors:
Sonika Parashar, Azim Premji University, India

About the Presenter(s)
Sonika Parashar is currently an Assistant Professor (Education) at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, India. Her interests and research spans teacher education, curriculum development, language education, inclusive education and arts in education

Connect on Linkedin
https://linkedin.com/in/sonika-parashar02

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

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