The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of collaboration among
members of a first grade team as they participated in a state mandated reading initiative. The second purpose was to examine how top-down mandates of state reading initiatives
and collaboration among team members translated into “secret stories” of classroom
instruction for the three focus teachers. The study also considered my role as the campus
reading coach, as I attempted to facilitate the translation of the reading initiative to meet
the diverse needs of the team members, while navigating issues of power among the
campus administration and the first grade team. Qualitative research methods were used
to document and describe (a) the interactions and collaboration of the first grade team
during grade level reading meetings; (b) the formation of micro-groups due to power
issues; (c) literacy practices of the three focus teachers and; (d) the secret stories of members of the first grade team as they navigated the troubled landscape of the second
year of the reading initiative. The first grade meetings were observed and documented for
five months, as teachers completed the reading initiative modules and attempted to
translate those practices in order to complement their existing classroom practices. Each
of the three focus first grade teachers was interviewed and recorded during classroom
instruction. Interviews with students were also conducted in order to gain the perspective
of literacy practices from a child’s point of view. Data for the study included field notes
from observations, student and teacher interviews, digital images of student work and
classroom texts, and digital video and audio recordings of interviews and classroom
instruction. The findings of the study indicate that teachers translated staff development
practices in accordance with their existing beliefs and tended to gravitate toward and
collaborate with those who shared common pedagogical beliefs. The role of the reading
coach was best served when the coaching protocols were transparent to all team
members. The study revealed the inevitability of conflict in an atmosphere of
collaboration as well as the notion that teachers are the true curriculum makers regardless
of the initiative. / text
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UTEXAS/oai:repositories.lib.utexas.edu:2152/6863 |
| Date | 03 February 2010 |
| Creators | Darden, Lora Webb |
| Source Sets | University of Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | electronic |
| Rights | Copyright is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works. |
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