The Disruptive Potential of Critical Writing Pedagogies in Elementary Literacy Methods Courses

Abstract

This chapter shares three portraits of practice from the authors' implementation of a critical writing pedagogy in an elementary ELA methods course. Critical writing pedagogies that acknowledge writing as a sociopolitical act, consider power relations and broad social forces, and position youth as social agents are uncommon in both k-12 and teacher education contexts. In sharing rich descriptions of a theoretically-driven literacy methods courses, the chapter explores how pre-service teachers engaged with and responded to three specific aspects of the course: the course launch, the use of critical reading to support writing, and a critical writing workshop. The authors discuss the tensions they experienced in their attempts towards multiple kinds of disruption and conclude with recommendations for future research.