Exploring Teachers as Writers – Creating Education-Related Texts
Teachers and school leaders write a range of professional documents for many different audiences – educational reports, parent newsletters, emails, student learning materials, even school play scripts! However, their writing labour, and writing expertise, is often left invisible in scholarship on professional responsibilities of teachers. This study investigates what teachers write and how they have built professional writing knowledge. The study is ongoing and the questionnaire – open to early years, primary, and secondary teachers/school leaders anywhere in the world – can be found here.
Researchers Involved:
Dr Rebekah Sims
Dr Marie-Louise Molbæk
Dr Anna-Vera Meidell Sigsgaard
Dr Inger-Lise Mourier
Dr Sharon Hunter
Writing Pedagogy and Subject-Specific Literacy in Teacher Education (Skrivedidaktik og Fagspecifik Literacy i Læreruddannelsen)
This project addresses the challenges pre-service teachers experience with subject-specific literacies and academic writing at the Teacher Education program at Copenhagen University College (KP). Based on both international research and local studies, the project aims to develop teacher educators' writing pedagogical approaches that can strengthen their competencies in subject-specific literacy. Focusing on assistant professors, the project uses workshops and mentoring to improve writing assignments and develop subject-specific literacy across different subjects. By enhancing teacher educators' practices, the project aims to strengthen pre-service teachers' subject-language development and equip them to support their future students in schools with subject-specific literacy. The project thus contributes to developing a triple-didactic perspective, where teacher educators become more aware of their subject's literacy and can convey this to pre-service teachers, who in turn can convey it to pupils.
Researchers Involved:
Dr Anna-Vera Meidell Sigsgaard
Dr Marie-Louise Molbæk
Dr Inger-Lise Mourier
Ms Bonnie Hidia Lund Vittrup
Supporting Academic Literacies Development for Mature Students in Scottish Initial Teacher Education
We found that the organising principle for mature students’ PGDE experiences was their ability to bond with other students – to make friendships or create affinity groups. Mature students, especially in large programmes, often felt that they were ‘alone together.’ Tensions also emerged around issues of self-direction and academic agency. Results suggest that because belonging is a mediating factor, ITE programmes may wish to design in more scaffolding for building interpersonal relationships or affinity groups, particularly for large courses. Publications from this project are underway.
The writing profile tool is now free to use and can be found here: PGDE Writing Profile Tool
Researchers involved:
Dr Rebekah Sims
Dr Sharon Hunter
Dr Charlotte Allan
Ms Samara Marta
Project technician:
Mr David Paul
Project Publications:
Sims, R., & Hunter, S. (2026, March 5). Belonging vs. Seriality: How mature students’ bonds mediate PGDE experiences. Nordic Educational Research Association (NERA) Annual Conference.