Tracy Botzer Margaret Guajardo Tamie Pratt-Fartro, PhD University of Mary Washington

1. Autobiographical Roadmaps: Pre-service Teachers’ Divergent Paths from Learning to Teaching to Learning Tracy Botzer Margaret Guajardo Tamie Pratt-Fartro, PhD University of Mary Washington College of Education

2. Session Overview • Context of teaching and learning with autobiographical roadmaps • Diverse perspectives of teacher and student • Authentic classroom experiences and examples • Creation of initial personal roadmap • Application to specific content areas in higher education • Issues and implications

3. Conceptual Framework for Autobiographical Reflection “the most important pages we must learn to read and write are the pages of our own lives” (Wolpow, 2004, p. 8) In-service Pedagogy Wolpow, R. (2004). The pages from our lives. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 48(1), 6-9.

4. Promotes self-awareness Relationship between individual’s background and literacy development Engages students in reflective learning Offers understanding of relationship with literacy Strengths and weaknesses Influences Significant experiences Learn about individual differences through sharing Diversity among paths to literacy Purposes for Engaging Students in Autobiographical Work

5. Initial Roadmap Assignment • First assignment; EDCI 509: Adolescent Language and Literacy • Due in 3rd class; physical or virtual (not PowerPoint) • Create a personal ‘literacy history roadmap’ of your literacy development from past to present • significant experiences and influences • Write a narrative reflection extracting an emerging theme or two; include impacts on literacy instruction • Present roadmap to peers

6. Literal approach Utilized brainstorming Earliest memories Influences Strengths Roadblocks My literacy today Reflection Relevance to classroom instruction Physical Literacy Autobiographical Roadmap

7. Virtual Literacy Autobiography Roadmap • Virtual Approach • Utilized Brainstorming • Memory Work • Prezi Experimentation • Prezi

8. Earliest Experience of Being Literate: Inspirations, tools, in/out-of school, perceptions Later Experiences of Being Literate: Perceptions, types of literacy, frustrations, models Literate Today: Uses of literacy, influences, perceptions Create the Roadmap: Symbols (stop/caution signs, roadblocks, lights) Visuals (clipart, photos, descriptive short text) Creating Your Own Roadmap

9. Pondering Emerging Themes • Identifying a Theme (not a summary): • What message is being sent regarding your literacy development? • What examples best support this message? • What/Who influenced you the most and why? • How might this roadmap influenced you to become a teacher and why? • How might this exercise impact your literacy instruction in PK-12 settings? • How could such an experience be beneficial to adolescent learners?

10. Pre-service teachers’ identities impact their in-service practice: Pedagogical choices related to literacy Personal choices related to self as reader/writer Professional choices related to PD Accepting opportunities for mentorship and leadership Student advocacy Duration in profession Others? Implications for Teaching and Learning

11. Cross-Curricular Applications • Student Benefits: • Understand that ‘learner’ is a contextualized term • Unearth beliefs which shape identities • Facilitates deeper understanding of students’ appreciation for sociocultural, economic, ethnic, and familial diversity • Instructor Benefits: • Deeper understanding of individual learner • Learning preferences, needs and purposes for field of study • All: • Builds a positive classroom culture

12. Contact Information Tracy Botzer tbotz1rk@mail.umw.edu Margaret Guajardo mguajard@umw.edu Tamie Pratt-Fartro, PhD tprattfa@umw.edu