Transitions into Teaching: Learning to Teach Writing in Teacher Education and Beyond

Abstract

This longitudinal study followed 10 beginning teachers from their last year of preservice education into their first 3 years of full-time teaching. Using sociocultural theory, we describe how these teachers appropriated a set of pedagogical tools for teaching writing. Data sources included approximately 5 interviews and at least 5 classroom observations a year, as well as observations and interviews with cooperating teachers, supervisors, and mentor teachers. The analysis suggests that teachers drew on pedagogical tools introduced during teacher education to develop their classroom practice. Conceptual tools that were buttressed with practical strategies proved to be most influential. The settings in which teachers taught also shaped teachers' developing understanding and practice. Finally, pedagogical tools developed during teacher education were even more evident during the teachers' 2nd year of teaching, as they tried to approximate their goal of good language arts instruction. The results of this study suggest the danger of making claims about what teachers do and do not learn during teacher education based only on data from their 1st year of teaching.