Guests: Steve Athanases and Juliet Wahleithner
Summary: In this clip from NWP Radio, Steve Athanases and Juliet Wahleithner Show describe a preservice program at UC-Davis that incorporates teacher inquiry. The speakers provide a rationale for including inquiry during field experiences in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms as a way to turn students’ attention to what they can learn from careful thinking and observation of students. Useful as an example for those designing teacher inquiry programs, the clip might also inspire activities for NWP collaborations in preservice programs or activities for working with diverse learners. See links to articles with detailed discussions of inquiry processes and rubrics.
Original Date of Publication: September 12, 2013
Listen to the Show
Duration: 56 minutes
Excerpt from the Show
Steve Athanases of University of California at Davis, on the importance of implementing research and inquiry skills at the start of a teacher’s career:
“If preservice teachers can have inquiry become part of their repertoire early on, it can become internalized. They might not realize the toolkit they are developing that is going to be available for them to tap into. It’s an innovation in teacher preparation that can serve the teacher population effectively. It’s challenging and potentially really enriching.”
Download “Responsive Teacher Inquiry and Innovation in Teaching ELA with Diverse Learners”
Read more at Learning About English Learners’ Content Understandings Through Teacher Inquiry: Focus on Writing by Steven Z. Athanases, Juliet Michelsen Wahleithner & Lisa H. Bennett in The New Educator Volume 9, 2013 – Issue 4
Related Resources
- Developing a Definition of Teacher Research
- “Out of Our Experience: Useful Theory,” An Excerpt from Teacher Research for Better Schools
Original Source: National Writing Project, http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/4263