When Teaching Writing Gets Tough: Challenges and Possibilities in Secondary Writing Instruction(Language and Literacy Series)

Writing instruction is a particular challenge because there is no singular, linear solution to teaching students to write well. This book approaches writing as a wicked problem that takes place in complicated contexts. Through both scholarly research and teacher reflection, it examines ELA classrooms and the experiences of writing teachers to identify approaches that have proven effective with adolescents. The book uses wickedity to frame the problems of teaching writing and offers context-specific solutions enacted by teachers. While it addresses the realities of standardized ways of teaching and assessing writing, the book also highlights the deep professional knowledge and practical strategies teachers bring to writing instruction in middle and high school classrooms. Chapters grapple with tensions between testing and authenticity, assessing writing in nuanced ways, and finding enjoyment in the work of teaching writing amid and alongside persistent complexities. Specific topics include students' writing process, revision, students as decision makers, multimodal writing, assessment and writer's notebooks, data-driven instruction, the high school–to-college transition, and teacher professional development. Book Features: Includes examples of how teachers approach specific challenges associated with teaching writing to adolescents, analyzing how and why their solutions proved effective. Focuses on students engaged in writing in classrooms, teachers implementing writing strategies, and professional learning. Offers a range of relevant voices on the topic of writing instruction with authors that include classroom teachers and scholars.

Table of Contents:
Contents Introduction  1 Part I: Wicked Components of the Writing Process 1.  Micromoments in a High School English Classroom: Wicked Problems and Wicked Solutions of Teaching Writing  15 Annamary Consalvo 2.  The Wicked Problem of Revision  26 Denise N. Morgan and Jessica Hrubik 3.  Positioning Writers as Decision Makers  36 Valerie Taylor Part II: Intersection of Wickedity and Authenticity 4.  Overcoming Wicked Writing Formulas With Adaptive Creativity and Design  47 Tiffany Larson and Brett Stamm 5.  Working With Teachers of Writing in At-Risk Schools: The Effects of Professional Development  57 Julie Smit, Lien Nguyen, Narges Hadi, and Lu Guo 6.  Audience and Authenticity: The Wicked Way to Build Motivation and Confidence  67 Garrett Simpson Part III: Assessment 7.  “We Just Don’t Write Like That in Class”: Teachers and Students Take On the Wicked Problem of High-Stakes Writing Assessment  75 Joelle Pedersen 8.  Making Notebooks Institutionally Visible: The Wicked Problem of Assessing Notebook Practices  86 Ann D. David 9.  Handling Wicked Problems Isn’t Always About Solving Them, Is It?  98 Heathcliff Lopez and Candice Mendiola Part IV: Transition From High School to College 10.  The Wicked Problem of the High-School-to-College Writing Transition: Interrogating the Metaphors That Guide Our Practice  109 Amber Jensen, Amy D. Williams, Joseph Wiederhold, and Chanel Earl 11.  Writing Is . . . Meaningful, Independent, Authentic, and Blended: Moving From the Wicked Problems of Standardization and Compartmentalization  120 Lara Searcy and Libby Vance 12.  Writing in the Age of AI: The Wicked Problem of Process Versus Product  130 J. J. Sylvia IV and Elise Takehana Conclusion  141 Index  143 About the Authors  149

About the Author :
Annamary Consalvo is an associate professor of literacy at The University of Texas at Tyler. Ann D. David is an associate professor of teacher education at the University of the Incarnate Word and co-director of the San Antonio Writing Project.