Reclaiming English Education: Rooting Social Justice in Dispositions.

This article addresses the importance of foregrounding social justice in teaching and assessing dispositions for preservice teachers in secondary English language arts. We provide a historical overview of dispositions and their politicization, and we address NCATE’s removal of social justice and its impending return. We conclude with possibilities for assessing dispositions for social justice and reflections on the implications for accreditation and consider what might be in store for the future of dispositions in English education

Preservice Teacher Writer Identities: Tensions and Implications

Because of recent attention underscoring the lack of preservice teachers’ (PSTs) writer identities , the purpose of this manuscript is to learn more about the writer identities of two PSTs, how to uncover the tensions that exist therein, and how they intend to enact that writer identity in the secondary classroom. This multiple case study examines the writer identity of two PSTs from a midwestern university in the United States. Data collection included a visual metaphorical representation, participant generated reflections in class, and participate generated reflections in practicum. The data suggest that contrasting writer identities exist among preservice ELA teachers and that PSTs can have multiple writer identities that are at odds with each other. One focal participant saw the potential harm of a structured approach to writing instruction that challenged her beliefs and values on writing and writing instruction. Another focal participant wrestled with a separate account of a structured approach to writing instruction, understanding the practical needs in an era of standardized testing while recognizing that such instruction can be limiting. This manuscript reveals the importance of identity work in preservice teacher education courses by asking PSTs to reflect on and later to interrogate their writer identities, contrasting their discoveries with the research on writer-teacher education