Writing instruction is a particular challenge because there is no singular, linear solution to teaching students to write well. This book approaches writing as a wicked problem that takes place in complicated contexts. Through both scholarly research and teacher reflection, it examines ELA classrooms and the experiences of writing teachers to identify approaches that have proven effective with adolescents. The book uses wickedity to frame the problems of teaching writing and offers context-specific solutions enacted by teachers. While it addresses the realities of standardized ways of teaching and assessing writing, the book also highlights the deep professional knowledge and practical strategies teachers bring to writing instruction in middle and high school classrooms. Chapters grapple with tensions between testing and authenticity, assessing writing in nuanced ways, and finding enjoyment in the work of teaching writing amid and alongside persistent complexities. Specific topics include students’ writing process, revision, students as decision-makers, multimodal writing, assessment and writer’s notebooks, data-driven instruction, the high school–to-college transition, and teacher professional development.
Book Features:
- Includes examples of how teachers approach specific challenges associated with teaching writing to adolescents, analyzing how and why their solutions proved effective.
- Focuses on students engaged in writing in classrooms, teachers implementing writing strategies, and professional learning.
- Offers a range of relevant voices on the topic of writing instruction with authors that include classroom teachers and scholars.
Contents
Introduction 1
Part I: Wicked Components of the Writing Process
1. Micromoments in a High School English Classroom: Wicked Problems and
Wicked Solutions of Teaching Writing 15
Annamary Consalvo
2. The Wicked Problem of Revision 26
Denise N. Morgan and Jessica Hrubik
3. Positioning Writers as Decision Makers 36
Valerie Taylor
Part II: Intersection of Wickedity and Authenticity
4. Overcoming Wicked Writing Formulas With Adaptive Creativity and Design
47
Tiffany Larson and Brett Stamm
5. Working With Teachers of Writing in At-Risk Schools: The Effects of
Professional Development 57
Julie Smit, Lien Nguyen, Narges Hadi, and Lu Guo
6. Audience and Authenticity: The Wicked Way to Build Motivation and
Confidence 67
Garrett Simpson
Part III: Assessment
7. We Just Dont Write Like That in Class: Teachers and Students Take On
the Wicked Problem of High-Stakes Writing Assessment 75
Joelle Pedersen
8. Making Notebooks Institutionally Visible: The Wicked Problem of Assessing
Notebook Practices 86
Ann D. David
9. Handling Wicked Problems Isnt Always About Solving Them, Is It? 98
Heathcliff Lopez and Candice Mendiola
Part IV: Transition From High School to College
10. The Wicked Problem of the High-School-to-College Writing Transition:
Interrogating the Metaphors That Guide Our Practice 109
Amber Jensen, Amy D. Williams, Joseph Wiederhold, and Chanel Earl
11. Writing Is . . . Meaningful, Independent, Authentic, and Blended: Moving
From the Wicked Problems of Standardization and Compartmentalization 120
Lara Searcy and Libby Vance
12. Writing in the Age of AI: The Wicked Problem of Process Versus Product
130
J. J. Sylvia IV and Elise Takehana
Conclusion 141
Index 143
About the Authors 149
Annamary Consalvo is an associate professor of literacy at The University of Texas at Tyler.
Ann D. David is an associate professor of teacher education at the University of the Incarnate Word and co-director of the San Antonio Writing Project.
