Teaching in Two Worlds: Critical Reflection and Teacher Change in the Writing Center

By Dale Jacobs

Excerpt

I had strategies for getting students to talk in class, but my words always remained at the center of the pedagogical relationship. I laid out ground rules for peer writing groups, but never shared my own writing. I wrote comments on student papers, but never talked with students about their writing. Despite the veneer of student-centered methods, I was engaged in what Paolo Freire calls ‘banking education,’ pouring knowledge into passive students. Working in the writing center radically challenged my approach to teaching and forced me to step back and examine critically my pedagogical location, methods, and philosophy.

Topics/tags:

Teacher as Writer Teacher Inquiry

Writing Centers: More Than Remediation

By Art Peterson

The Concept of a Writing Center

By Muriel Harris

Everyday Advocacy Playbook

Teachers often feel their expertise is ignored in discussions about education policy and curriculum. Everyday Advocacy is an approach that empowers teachers to take small, day-to-day actions to influence the public narrative around schools and teaching. This Playbook provides guidance and examples to help teachers get started with this type of advocacy as part of their regular teaching work.