ERIC Number: EJ1439194
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Oct
Pages: 34
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0007-8204
EISSN: EISSN-1943-2216
Enacting High Leverage Practices in English Methods: The Case of Discussion
Peter Williamson
English Education, v46 n1 p34-67 2013
Though literature discussions are a commonplace feature of English classrooms, we know little about how teachers learn to facilitate classroom talk. Research on methods courses reveals little about how, or if, teachers are prepared to enact the "high leverage" practice of literature discussions. This qualitative study examines an English methods unit on discussion and the practices that the novices later enacted in the field. Sociocultural theory is used to analyze how the novices enacted particular features of discussions and how these activities afforded them opportunities to practice the facilitative roles that teachers play. The findings suggest that the novices had difficulty understanding their roles as teachers in student-centered activities, and that teacher educators must curricularize enactments to help novices learn what teachers actually do when enacting high leverage practices like discussions.
Descriptors: English Instruction, Teaching Methods, Classroom Communication, Discussion (Teaching Technique), Methods Courses, Novices, Student Centered Learning, Learning Activities, English Teachers, Teacher Role
National Council of Teachers of English. 1111 West Kenyon Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096. Tel: 877-369-6283; Tel: 217-328-3870; Web site: http://www.ncte.org/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A