Faithfully following, adapting, or rejecting mandated curriculum: teachers’ curricular enactments in elementary writing instruction

McCarthey, Sarah J.; Woodard, Rebecca

doi:10.1080/1554480x.2017.1376672

Cited by 23 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Enacting a translingual orientation may be complicated in K-12 contexts, where teachers are often mandated to use standardized literacy curricula (McCarthey & Woodard, 2018). However, this study demonstrates how translingual writing might be possible within the confines of a curricular program.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Translingual Writing in a Linguistically Diverse Primary Classroom

Machado

Hartman

2019

Journal of Literacy Research

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Growing numbers of scholars in composition studies support translingual orientations in their postsecondary writing classrooms. However, translingual orientations are rarely extended to elementary school writers, who are often asked to compose exclusively in Dominant American English. Drawing on theories of translingualism and emergent biliteracy, we use case study methods to examine children’s translingual writing in a highly linguistically diverse second-grade classroom. We pay particular attention to students who had not had formal instruction in languages they tended to use orally, documenting the creative and strategic ways in which they wrote. Among other strategies, students repurposed English sound–symbol correspondences in developmental spelling, composed strings of non-Roman symbols, and remixed multilingual environmental print. They also engaged in translingual writing for a range of purposes, such as expressing pride, connecting with audiences, and indexing identities. Our findings suggest the potential of moving translingual perspectives beyond postsecondary contexts and into elementary classrooms.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Translingual Writing in a Linguistically Diverse Primary Classroom

Machado

Hartman

2019

Journal of Literacy Research

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“…Quinn and Kim (2017) stated that the adaptation made by teachers who have the experience of ensuring fidelity to curriculum was more effective; Burkhauser & Lesaux (2017) found that all teachers (experienced and inexperienced) made adaptations to meet curriculum standards and students' needs. McCarthey and Woodard (2018) reported that while 12 out of 20 teachers adapted the writing curriculum in line with their students' needs, four teachers ensured fidelity to curriculum, and four teachers did not accept the curriculum. It was found that teachers who ensured fidelity to curriculum had less professional experience and development, and those who made adaptations were experienced and maintained their professional development.…”

Section: Curriculum Adaptation and The Affecting Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An investigation of curriculum adaptation efforts of teachers working in disadvantaged secondary schools

2022

pegegog

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There is a consensus that the national curriculum cannot be implemented in its original form in local context. Adaptations are made in curriculum due to factors such as school and classroom context, student characteristics and needs, teacher's professional competence and characteristics. This study aims to investigate the curriculum adaptation efforts of teachers working in socioeconomically disadvantaged secondary schools. This study used a phenomenological inquiry. The participants, who were selected using criterion sampling method, included the voluntary eight female teachers who worked in socio-economically disadvantaged secondary schools. Data were collected through standardized open-ended interviews and were analyzed using the inductive content analysis method. This study indicated four main findings: a) Students' family structure is the main factor determining disadvantageousness in socio-economically disadvantaged secondary schools. b) Student and family characteristics, curriculum and curriculum materials are the factors that frequently prevent fidelity to curriculum. c) Teachers made adaptations, such as reorganizing, supplementing, omitting/delaying, completing and reducing/simplification. d) In the adaptation process, teachers were found to experience difficulties associated with planning the instruction process and organizing and presenting the content. They were found to cope with these difficulties by benefitting from their postgraduate education experiences, collaboration with colleagues, and internet sources. Based on the findings from this study, families' awareness could be improved by preparing family education programs. Instructions could be prepared about how and in what situations adaptations need to be made while developing curriculum; curriculum materials could be developed, and professional development opportunities could be increased.

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“…Due to a test preparation focus, US teachers may be less likely to enact creativity, social practices and sociopolitical discourses, especially in low-income schools that tend to focus on skills instruction (McCarthey and Mkhize, 2013). Another major policy affecting writing instruction is curricula, especially scripted curricula offering limited teacher autonomy (McCarthey and Woodard, 2018;Pardo, 2006). Often affecting policies, a systemic issue is a racism, including institutional racism such as disparate suspensions and disciplinary actions, as well as implicit biases teachers hold about students of color being less capable or more disruptive (Meiners and Winn, 2012).…”

Section: Factors Affecting Us Writing Instructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moving to internal factors, Dorman (2012) and Pardo (2006) identified teacher identity as a major factor supporting critical pedagogy. Another factor related to identity is teacher beliefs and researchers emphasize teacher decisions are shaped by beliefs about learning and their experiences (Graham et al, 2002;McCarthey and Woodard, 2018). According to Bauer and Garcia (2002), even when teachers are given a tool designed for interactive, engaging instructional practices, if teachers do not possess a philosophy aligned with such practices, they will not change instruction.…”

Section: Factors Affecting Us Writing Instructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Missing the sociopolitical: examining discourses of writing in a US high-performing, urban middle school

Behizadeh

2020

ETPC

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Purpose This paper aims to examine two teachers’ beliefs and practices on teaching writing at an urban, high-performing middle school to determine: What discourses of writing are being taught in an urban, high-performing US public middle school? What factors prevent or enable particular discourses? Design/methodology/approach Drawing on case study methods, this study uses a single-case design with two seventh-grade teachers at a high-performing urban school as embedded units of analysis. Data collection took place over one semester. Data sources included observations and interviews with the two teachers, an interview with an administrator and multiple instructional artifacts, including unit and lesson plans. Observational data were analyzed using a priori code for writing discourses (Ivanic, 2004) and interview data were analyzed for factors affecting instruction using open, axial and selective coding. Findings Both teachers enacted extended multi-discourse writing instruction integrating skills, creativity, process, genre and social practices discourses supported by their beliefs and experience; colleagues; students’ relatively high test scores; and relative curricular freedom. However, there was minimal evidence of a sociopolitical discourse aligned with critical literacy practices. Limits to the sociopolitical discourse included a lack of a social justice orientation, an influx of low-performing students, a focus on raising test scores, data-focused professional development and district pacing guides. Racism is also considered as an underlying structural factor undermining the sociopolitical discourse. Research limitations/implications Although generalizability is limited because of the small sample size and the unique context of this study, two major implications are the need to layer discourses in writing instruction while centering critical pedagogy and develop teacher beliefs and knowledge. To support these two implications, this study suggests developing university-school partnerships and professional development opportunities that create a community of practice around comprehensive writing instruction. Future research will involve continuing to work with the participants in this study and documenting the effects of providing theory and tools for integrating the sociopolitical discourse into middle school curricula and instruction. Originality/value This study contributes to the field of literacy education’s understanding of internal and external factors limiting the sociopolitical discourse in a high-performing, urban middle school in the USA, an understudied context.

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Faithfully following, adapting, or rejecting mandated curriculum: teachers’ curricular enactments in elementary writing instruction

Cited by 23 publications

References 44 publications

Translingual Writing in a Linguistically Diverse Primary Classroom

Translingual Writing in a Linguistically Diverse Primary Classroom

An investigation of curriculum adaptation efforts of teachers working in disadvantaged secondary schools

Missing the sociopolitical: examining discourses of writing in a US high-performing, urban middle school

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