(Re)defining Writing Instruction: Implementing an Anti-racist Approach to Writing Instruction and Assessment in the Secondary English Classroom

Author

Emily Wisniewski, West Chester University of PennsylvaniaFollow

Date of Award

Fall 2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

Committee Chairperson

Jason Vanfosson, Ph.D

Committee Member

Emily Aguiló-Pérez, Ph.D

Committee Member

Mary Buckelew, Ph.D

Abstract

The traditional writing workshop model and assessment practices commonly used in secondary classrooms are systematically racist and harmful to the development of young writers. To counter the damaging effects of racially discriminatory practices in secondary writing classrooms, educators must review and redefine their pedagogical approaches to create a safe, anti-racist environment for all students. By centering the scholarship of Felicia Rose Chavez and Asao Inoue, this thesis establishes a model of anti-racist pedagogy in the secondary classroom to help educators dismantle white supremacy in writing instruction and assessment so that students are empowered to find their voices without the fear of discrimination based on their abilities to write within a white supremacist system. To create this anti-racist writing workshop, I argue writing educators need to disrupt the abundance of power teachers possess in the classroom, establish and grow student writers’ autonomy, and evaluate how they perceive the final submission of a student writer’s work. Furthermore, educators need to review their grading practices and consider replacing traditional assessment rubrics with a labor-based grading system to promote inclusion and equity in student evaluation. In the creation and implementation of an anti-racist writing workshop and equitable assessment practices, student writers are encouraged to explore their identities and experiences as writers without the pressure of racist practices infiltrating their learning environment, which ultimately facilitates a growing interest in writing arts for all students.

Recommended Citation

Wisniewski, Emily, "(Re)defining Writing Instruction: Implementing an Anti-racist Approach to Writing Instruction and Assessment in the Secondary English Classroom" (2021). West Chester University Master’s Theses. 223.
https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/all_theses/223