Writing for a Change: Boosting Literacy and Learning Through Social Action

Writing for a Change shows teachers how to engage students in “real world” problem-solving activities that can help them to acquire voice, authority, and passion for both reading and writing practice. Written in collaboration with the Center for Social Action in England, the book describes the innovative Social Action process for encouraging students to collaborate on problems of their own choosing—to analyze options, develop action plans, discover solutions, and finally to reflect on their work. Featuring stories by teachers who have successfully used the method, the book shows that first graders as well as high-school students can enjoy this exciting and educational process. Practical guidance for applying the process to any curricular area is provided along with an extensive list of classroom activities.

Table of Contents:
Foreword, Richard Sterling xi Sponsors xiii Preface xv Editors and Contributors xxi ONE Exploring Student-Driven Learning and Literacy Through Social Action 1 PART ONE Social Action in Practice 9 TWO Power Play 11 Paula Laub THREE Lending Student Voice to Curriculum Planning 19 Dietta Poston Hitchcock FOUR The Story of the Youth Dreamers: In Their Own Words 25 Mildred Harris, Chantel Morant, Shanta Crippen, Chris Lawson, Chekana Reid, Cierra Cary, Tiffani Young-Smith FIVE Reflections on the Youth Dreamers 31 Kristina Berdan SIX Community Action in a Summer Writing Institute 43 Chinwe “La Tanya” Obijiofor SEVEN Changing Our World 51 Lori Farias, Critics of Society Class EIGHT Poetry and Power in the Creative Writing Workshop 57 Maggie Folkers NINE Shall We Dance? 63 Connie Ellard Bunch TEN The March on John Philip Sousa 67 Elizabeth A. Davis ELEVEN Social Action and Parent Involvement 73 Mildred Serra PART TWO Getting Started with Social Action 79 TWELVE Learning from Social Action: Reflections on Teaching and Social Action 81 THIRTEEN Principles for Practice: What Is Social Action? 87 Jennie Fleming, Ian Boulton FOURTEEN Recommendations for the Classroom: Before You Start 97 Jennie Fleming, Ian Boulton PART THREE Stuff You Can Try: Activities for Social Action 107 Metro Map 111 Naming the Group 113 Community Vocabulary 115 Devising the Vision 117 How We Behave in Groups 119 Movie Poster 121 Four Faces 124 But Why? 127 Codes 132 Changing Your Mind 134 Sculpts 136 The Three C’s 138 SWOT 140 Ideal Specimen 142 Force Field Analysis 144 Worst Nightmare 147 Now/Soon/Later 149 The Swimming Pool 151 Messages 153 References 155 Resources for Further Reading 157 Index 159

About the Author :
The National Writing Project (NWP) is a professional development program for teachers founded in 1974 at the University of California. Through its nationwide network of teachers and training sites, the NWP seeks to promote exemplary writing instruction in every classroom. Kristina Berdan has been a teacher for eight years and currently teaches language arts to seventh graders at the Stadium School in Baltimore,Maryland. She also works with sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade Youth Dreamers at school and is president of the Stadium School Youth Dreamers, Inc., working alongside youth officers. A National Board Certified Teacher, she is also a part-time faculty member at Towson University and a teacher-consultant with the Maryland Writing Project. Ian Boulton has worked as a trainer and community worker for twenty-five years. He is a partner in The Social Action Company, a group of consultants that use Social Action methods to develop social care and community projects in Eastern Europe. Elyse Eidman-Aadahl directs national programs and site development for the National Writing Project (NWP) at the University of California, Berkeley. A former high school English teacher and university teacher educator, she has been both a teacher-participant and a national leader in a range of teacher learning networks in the NWP and in other professional organizations. Her founding work with the collaboration between the NWP and the Centre for Social Action grows out of a long-standing interest in teachers’ learning from literacy work and youth work in out-of-school settings. Jennie Fleming began her working life as a youth and community worker on voluntary and statutory youth work projects in the United Kingdom. Since 1995, she has worked actively to develop Social Action practice at the Centre for Social Action (CSA) at De Montfort University in England. She has been part of the collaboration between the CSA and the National Writing Project from its inception. Launie Gardner has been a teacher for sixteen years and currently teaches eleventh- and twelfth-grade English, civics, and economics at Truckee Meadows Community College High School in Reno, Nevada. She also serves as co-chair of the board of directors of Rainshadow Community Charter High School, a school that is attempting to integrate interdisciplinary, project-based, and communitybased hands-on learning. She served as director for the Northern Nevada Writing Project and remains involved with its professional development activities focused on Social Action. Iana Rogers is national programs manager for the National Writing Project (NWP) at the University of California, Berkeley. She has been working with the collaboration between the NWP and the Centre for Social Action since 2001. Asali Solomon has been working with the National Writing Project collaboration with the Centre for Social Action since 2000. She is currently assistant professor of English at Washington & Lee University in Lexington,Virginia, where she teaches African American literature, composition, and creative writing and often uses Social Action activities with her students.

Review :
"This informative paperback discusses the development of teacher-facilitated and student-driven social action projects." (Childhood Education, Fall 2007) "This book engages with an integrative framework of literacy acceleration and critical social action." (PsycCritiques, 09/06/2007)