ERIC Number: ED294212
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1988-Mar
Pages: 8
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Collaboration as Community: Outcomes of Conducting Research on One's Colleagues.
Slater, Marsha S.
A series of interviews carried out over a 6-month period investigated: (1) why and how five New York City high school teachers used writing-to-learn across the curriculum, and, (2) the outcome of conducting research on one's own colleagues. Subjects were a math teacher, a physics teacher, and a career education teacher from a high school for limited English proficient students (where the researcher herself taught), and a biology teacher and a health and physical education teacher from a large, comprehensive academic high school in Manhattan. Findings revealed that all teachers displayed a lack of confidence in themselves as writers, and viewed writing as a means of getting students to communicate and clarify their ideas. Also, all subjects changed their classroom management style because of their work with writing-to-learn, encouraging more group work and extensive collaborative learning techniques. The study also revealed some of the positive outcomes of conducting research in one's own school--greater professional interdependence and collaboration, reduced writing anxiety among students and teachers, more awareness of the writing process by teachers, and more confidence in trying out new teaching strategies. Being a colleague/researcher affords a special point of view: a collegial, learning, non-evaluative perspective. (ARH)
Descriptors: Career Education, Classroom Research, Content Area Writing, Interdisciplinary Approach, Limited English Speaking, Mathematics Instruction, Physical Education, Research and Development, Science Instruction, Second Language Learning, Secondary Education, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Researchers, Theory Practice Relationship, Writing Across the Curriculum, Writing Apprehension, Writing Processes, Writing Research
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A