Abstract
Preservice teachers often enter preparation programs with fragmented conceptions of writing and its teaching. This study examines how their beliefs, instructional strategies, and professional identities evolve through collaborative, field-embedded coursework, including an intentional effort to authentically incorporate more digital and multimodal tools. Aimed at informing the design of teacher education programs, the research is grounded in sociocultural literacy theory, self-efficacy theory, and teacher identity development, offering an integrated lens for exploring how novice educators position themselves as both writers and writing teachers. Using qualitative case study methods, data were collected over multiple semesters of an undergraduate literacy methods course, including classroom observations, reflective writing, surveys, debrief notes, and instructional artifacts. Thematic analysis revealed that while participants gained confidence and expanded their conceptions of writing instruction, many struggled to implement collaborative practices, particularly those associated with the “We Do” phase of the Gradual Release of Responsibility framework. Emerging digital tools, including generative AI platforms, offered support but also posed challenges, often requiring critical scaffolding to foster meaningful, equity-focused instruction. Findings underscore that effective writing pedagogy in teacher education must include confidence-building while simultaneously incorporating explicit modeling of collaborative and multimodal practices, critical digital integration, and reflective inquiry. These pedagogies are especially vital in preparing educators to support multilingual learners and to cultivate writing as a tool for expression, identity formation, and civic participation. Future research will explore refinements to coursework design and implications for teacher preparation in diverse, digitally evolving contexts.
Presenters
Shannon KaneAssistant Clinical Professor, College of Education- Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership, University of Maryland, Maryland, United States Loren Jones
Associate Chair & Associate Clinical Professor, Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership, University of Maryland-College of Education, Maryland, United States Maggie Peterson
Associate Clinical Professor, Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership, University of Maryland, Maryland, United States Kerry Alexander
Assistant Professor, Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership, University of Maryland-College of Education, Maryland, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Preservice Teacher Education; Writing Pedagogy; Digital Literacies; Identity; Self-Efficacy; MLLs
