Wilson, Blady, Kumar, Moorman, Prior, and Willson | Honor Moorman, Lori Prior, Voices from the Middle

Melissa B. Wilson, Shannon Blady, Tracey Kumar,Voices Carry: A Content Analysis of and Angeli Willson
page

Voices Carry: A Content Analysis of Voices from the Middle

lthough we, the authors, have diverse professional backgrounds, it is this journal that brings us together. Voices from the Middle has informed what we do and what we thinkwhether we are in middle, primary, or high school classrooms, or in universities. This is because Voices is a conversation that includes a diversity of speakers with a plethora of experiences, ideas, questions, and concerns. This journal not only informs us, but also engages us in the broader conversations of literacy education.

which, in turn, informs our future conversations about literacy education. We think Jonathan Meserli put it best in the foreword to the book Reading and Writing in the United States: Historical Trends (Robinson, 1977), when he wrote:
Teachers and administrators, who are often bombarded with diverse materials, dichotomous instructional schemes, and a broad spectrum of educational objectives by viewing what has happened in the past, may then be able to place some limitations on their choices for tomorrow. (p. 6)

It is in this spirit that we share with you what we gleaned from listening to your voices.

Methodology: A Listening-in Guide

The method we used to hear the voices and make sense of the past 15 years of conversation is content analysis, which is a flexible research tool for analyzing texts and describing and interpreting the written artifacts of society (White & Marsh, 2006). The content of text data is interpreted through a process of reading, coding, and identifying themes or patterns. Reading in this case refers to decoding what is on the page, as well as reading between the lines. Reading texts also involves making ones own individual, subjective interpretation that is grounded in both the text and the contexts surrounding particular writing. This way of reading texts is heavily influenced by Louise Rosenblatts (1996) transactional reading theory. One reads for oneself while transacting with text, and from this exchange a poem is formed. This poem can be called interpretation. Content analysis acknowledges that each poem is a possibility, and we acknowledge that, while there are many poems that could be

After years of participating in this conversation, we decided to play the whole conversation back again, to read and transact with the journal from its inception until today, as a way to make sense of what the conversation was about, who was talking, and what was and was not being said. In looking at this journal as a 15-year dialogue, we were able to see what changed over time. It was a fascinating endeavor, and we are thrilled to share it with you. Looking at the beginnings of Voices is a useful exercise, as it gives us a deeper understanding of trends in literacy education: reading and writing instruction and approaches to dealing with topdown systemic mandates (e.g., No Child Left Behind). These findings allow us to forge ahead as teachers/scholars with eyes wide open. Replaying the Voices conversations provides guidance, insights, and appreciation of where we have been,

Voices from the Middle, Volume 18 Number 4, May 2011

Copyright 2011 by the National Council of Teachers of English. All rights reserved.

Wilson, Blady, Kumar, Moorman, Prior, and Willson | Voices Carry: A Content Analysis of Voices from the Middle
page

created, we can only share with you our own subjective meaning making. The content analysis strategy we chose was to start fresh, with no preconceived notions of what we would find. To form an interpretive community, we each read the same volume of Voices and then came together to identify and define what we found to be the most salient themes or categories. The categories that emerged were: who is talking (or the authors and their demographics), who is included in the conversation (theorists), what is beLooking at the trends over ing said (themes and approaches), and what is time, Voices authors have not being said (underlybecome increasingly diverse ing world views). In discovering and in terms of gender and constructing these catprofessional roles, and they egories, we were able to interpret and transact have been collaborating with with the conversation of each other more and more. the journal in an organized fashion in order to better discuss these various dimensions, each of which will be discussed at length.

10

sors, 7% were written by a single author, 56% of whom were female and 44% of whom were male. Although 33% percent of the articles written by professors involved collaboration, notably 90% of that collaboration occurred in the latter half of the journals history, beginning with volume 9 in 2001/2002. There have been 33 articles written jointly by professors and teachers working together, with 82% of the professors and 85% of the teachers involved in those collaborations being female.

Where Are the Voices Coming from?

While 97% of Voices from the Middle authors live in the United States, articles have been published by authors from Australia, Canada, China, Jordan, and South Africa. Within the United States, 43 of the 50 states are represented, with the highest distribution of authorship being New York (12%), Texas (10%), and California (9%), followed by Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, and Ohio at 5% each; Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania contributed at 4% each.

Voices: Past, Present, and Future

Overall, the journals authorship seems to reflect its readershipmostly practitioners, mostly women, and mostly American. There is a larger proportion of authors representing the states with larger populations, as well as those on the east and west coasts. Looking at the trends over time, Voices authors have become increasingly diverse in terms of gender and professional roles, and they have been collaborating with each other more and more. The hope is that as the Voices from the Middle conversation continues, there will be even greater ethnic and geographic diversity, along with a continued spirit of collaboration.

Who Is Talking?
In our analysis of the history of Voices from the Middle (see Figure 1), we examined 340 articles published in volumes 118 between February, 1995, and March, 2011. Of those articles, 93% were written by people directly in the fieldprofessionals teaching children or teaching teachers. We found 37% were written by classroom teachers, 44% by professors, and 10% in collaboration between teachers and professors. The remaining 9% of the articles were composed by other professionals, including poets, authors, educational consultants, literacy coaches, writing project directors, students, and retired teachers. Of the 127 articles written by classroom teachers, 85% were credited to a single author 83% of whom were female, while 17% were maleand 15% were written by two or more teachers, most often two female teachers working together. Of the 150 articles written by profes-

Resonating Voices
Among the 240 or so theorists referenced in Voices, the most prominently cited are Nancie Atwell (6% of all articles) and Louise Rosenblatt (4% of all articles). The sheer number of authors who cite Atwell is a testament to her original and lasting influence on literacy educators, for whom her

Voices from the Middle, Volume 18 Number 4, May 2011

Wilson, Blady, Kumar, Moorman, Prior, and Willson | Voices Carry: A Content Analysis of Voices from the Middle

book In the Middle (1998) continues to be regarded as a foundation for teaching middle school language arts. Not only does she present hundreds of ideas for implementing reading and writing workshops, she dispenses practical suggestions on engaging adolescents in their learning. Both Atwell and Rosenblatt are cited in the first issue of Voices and continue to be cited throughout the issues. Rosenblatt is cited in more recent issues of Voices (the most recent reference is in Vol.18, No. 2) than Atwell (the most recent reference is in Vol. 15, No. 4). This shows the longevity of the applicability of her theories, especially her transactional theory of reading (1996). Donald Graves and Paulo Freire are next among the theorists most cited (3%). Both are first referenced in Volume 4 (1997) and continue to be cited through the most recent volume (18). For decades, Graves studied how students learn to write, and from these studies, he was able to elicit several best practices for writing: choice in the writing topics, daily writing, and learning the mechanics of writing in the context of reading and writing. Freire is most known for his critical pedagogy and for his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970). In Voices, the concepts of social justice and advocacy are prevalent. Freire is cited in reference to advocacy for those marginalized in our society, those who do not commonly have a voice. In one such article, George (2002) states, When adolescents gain knowledge that can provide them with a deeper understanding of those who are different, they are empowered by that knowledge and can make a difference in our divided society (p. 40).

11 firmly believes that teachers must model writing; therefore, teachers should be writers themselves (Nagin, 2003). This participation allows teachers to better understand Teachers are encouraged to and value the processes that their students expe- work to build respectful rience. The NWP phirelationships in the classlosophy permeates the pages of Voices. Other room and integrate texts NWP researchers who that highlight the assets of appear in the journal are Ralph Fletcher, Jeff our diverse nation. Wilhelm, and Lucy Calkins. Wilhelm and Calkins are cited in about 2% of the articles in Voices. Theories That Guide the Teaching of Diverse Student Populations
A theory that occurs in many Voices articles is the importance of students funds of knowledge (Gonzlez, Moll, & Amanti, 2005). Teachers must meet all students where they are, considering parental involvement and class participation, from a cultural perspective (Fu, 2004). The knowledge that English Language Learners bring, historically ignored, is championed by this theory and Voices. This is illustrated in an article encouraging teachers to allow students to write in their native languages as a way to show that their unique experiences are significant and worthy of sharing with others (Sumaryono & Ortiz, 2004), Additionally, teachers are encouraged to work to build respectful relationships in the classroom and integrate texts that highlight the assets of our diverse nation (Paige, 2004; Styslinger & Whisenant, 2004).

page

Influences on Voices from the Middle

National Writing Project
Atwell and Graves are highly regarded by the National Writing Project (NWP), a nationwide organization that promotes the development of effective, engaging writing instruction. It employs a teachers-teaching-teachers model and promotes research in this area. The NWP also

New Voices
The turn of the century ushered in a new area of focus for educators and for this journal: critical technology literacy. Voices discusses technology in practice, like how students can be motivated to share their written assignments with an audience by blogging (Read & Fisher, 2006). Many of the articles exhort the need to use technology as a

Voices from the Middle, Volume 18 Number 4, May 2011

Wilson, Blady, Kumar, Moorman, Prior, and Willson | Voices Carry: A Content Analysis of Voices from the Middle
page

12

SIDE TRIp: ThE nATIOnAl wRITInG pROjEcT: IMpAcT AnD AcTIOn The authors in the article look at Voices from the Middle over time and who has influenced the journal. It was found that the National Writing Project was a strong influence. ReadWriteThink.org offers the following resources that show additional examples of the National Writing Project and some of their sites and Summer Institutes. lesson plan weaving the Old into the new: pairing The Odyssey with contemporary works After reading and discussing The Odyssey and a contemporary epic such as Running Out of Summera story that follows the protagonists journey from Atlanta to Santa Monica to attend schoolstudents select one character from each work as the basis for a comparisoncontrast graphic organizer. Then, given a handout with five hypothetical contemporary situations, students determine which of the options best suits both characters. Students must justify the specific reasoning behind their decisions through their use of exact quotations and proper documentation. As an alternative or extension, students can complete the same activities with the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? or another work from the Contemporary Epic Booklist. This lesson plan was developed as part of a collaborative professional writing initiative sponsored by the Kennesaw Mountain Writing Project (KMWP) at Kennesaw State University. http://www .readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/weaving-into-pairing-odyssey-1041.html lesson plan Moving toward Acceptance through picturebooks and Two-Voice Texts Connecting literature to students lived experiences in the school and classroom, this lesson provides an opportunity for students to learn about situations of intolerance and discuss ways to move to a more ideal world in which acceptance is the norm. Starting with the picturebook Whoever You Are, students discuss embracing diversity. The class then compares the ideal to realistic situations that they face in their own school, as well as those portrayed in the books Weslandia and Insects Are My Life. Students then study, create, and perform two-voice texts that show how they can move closer to the ideal of accepting all types of diversity. This lesson plan was developed as part of a collaborative professional writing initiative sponsored by the Illinois State Writing Project (ISWP) at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/moving-toward-acceptancethrough-1138.html lesson plan More than One way to create Vivid Verbs After reviewing specific nouns, students create a two-column list of nouns and ordinary verbs specific to a particular occupation. They then pair a specific noun from the first column with an occupation-related verb from the second column to create descriptive lines with vivid verbs being used in a different context. The trick lies in the fact that the verbs must be used in a new way, having nothing to do with the occupation. Often this approach to writing leads to a natural metaphorical passage as a result. Students refine this writing strategy by rotating through computer stations, each housing a descriptive passage begun by other students, revising and suggesting improvements or just adding lines to the descriptive passages. This lesson plan was developed as part of a collaborative professional writing initiative sponsored by the Kennesaw Mountain Writing Project (KMWP) at Kennesaw State University. http://www .readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/more-than-create-vivid-1008.html Lisa Fink www.readwritethink.org

Voices from the Middle, Volume 18 Number 4, May 2011

Wilson, Blady, Kumar, Moorman, Prior, and Willson | Voices Carry: A Content Analysis of Voices from the Middle

resource to obtain, synthesize, and present information and not merely to support conventional technology standards (Laddo, Place, & Soares, 2010; Oldaker, 2010). Kajder (2004) states that [I]f 15 years pondering the role of technology in classroom learning has taught us anything, it has to be that knowledge does not lie within technology; technology is only a tool that helps to unlock the power and the promise of learning (p. 6). Teachers must also cover critical technological literacy (Rowlands, 2003). In Journey into Cyberspace, J. L. Scott (2000) states that [S]tudents will need to obtain the skills necessary to decipher and analyze data from an evergrowing well of sources (p. 25). The voices that continue to resonate in this journal are from teachers and researchers who understand the importance of transactional learning, collaboration, and differentiated instruction. The theorists voices continue to echo in the classrooms, promoting literacy instruction that goes far beyond curriculum mandates. These educators reflect their understanding of many of the theories previously mentioned. Students learn when they are engaged, when they work in collaborative groups, and when their (technological) funds of knowledge are respected. Voices believes that students should be at the center of instruction, and although technology is prevalent in all of our lives, it should be implemented within this academic theoretical framework.

13 selected reading (Kitagawa, 1994; Shambaugh, 1995; Vreeland, 1998). By encouraging students to participate in service projects and literature circles, these approaches have emphasized the social and relational aspects of learning and have enabled students to bond with other learners. In addition to intrapersonal and interpersonal connections, there has been a great deal of interest in facilitating myriad interdisciplinary learning experiences, including reading circles that incorporate a variety of visual and fine arts as well as the writing of These approaches have science-related and his- emphasized the social and torically accurate poems and stories (Rief, 1994). relational aspects of learning Finally, the approaches and have enabled students explored in Voices, such as writers workshop to bond with other learners. and strategy instruction, have connected students to the skills and abilities needed to achieve excellence in reading and writing. Background Noise: The Unsaid Ideas and Underlying Beliefs
In every interesting conversation, there is the said, but what makes the talk fascinating is what is not said, that is, what is implied. Here, we share with you that background noise. This noise speaks volumes about what was happening in our field over time and has influenced all aspects of research and conversations expressed in this journal through its underlying beliefs and assumptions about literacy education. From the journals onset, its stance has been decidedly open to new ways of defining literacy. What constitutes literacy has evolved over the years, due in part to ever-changing technological advancements. Voices also has historically attended to the delicate balance of creating democratic classrooms with more student choice, while, at the same time, giving the students a teacherstructured environment. And, of course, there is the prevalent notion that all children can learn

page

Approaches to Literacy Learning and Teaching

The approaches in Voices have largely been characterized by a desire to help students form connectionsto their personal interests, to fellow learners, to other content areas, and to strategies and frameworks that facilitate literacy engagement across the curriculum. Within that approach, Voices authors have also sought to capture students interest by helping them to make personal connections to their own lives and experiences vis--vis classroom instruction, and by implementing democratic practices, such as self-

Voices from the Middle, Volume 18 Number 4, May 2011

Wilson, Blady, Kumar, Moorman, Prior, and Willson | Voices Carry: A Content Analysis of Voices from the Middle
page

14

and are capable of high-level thinking given the right circumstances. This stance is undergirded by a social constructivist worldview, which was not always explicitly revealed but rather left unsaid. The unsaid idea that students need to be externally motivated can be read in the articles that include balanced literacy, engagement in reading, exploration, collaboration, and the negotiation of new technology. Yet, also included in these issues are the ideas of explicitly teaching grammar and strategies for reaching the struggling reader. Across the board, authors seem to reflect the existing paradox in education todaythe notion that students learn through social interactions, while school curricula seem to narrow, seeking those one right answers inherent in skillsfocused teaching and standardized-testing ac-

countability. In doing so, they draw on postpositivist assumptions that rely on empirical evidence and observable measurements. The tensions between constructivist and post-positivist stances reflect our present political and educational climate in which there is a struggle to find the middle ground between good teaching and teaching to the test. One teacher shares this internal conflict in her article, Achieving Standards without Sacrificing My Own (Edwards, 2002). She strives to use authentic literacy activities for teaching skills that her students need to pass mandated assessments.

High-Stakes Testing and the Internal Struggles of Educators

From Volume 9 onward, Voices reflects this struggle as the noise we hear seems to be trying

SIDE TRIp: ESSEnTIAl VOIcES In ThE lITERAcy cOnVERSATIOn As the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) celebrates its 100th anniversary, it is wonderful to showcase the many resources that are still shaping the literacy conversation. Voices from the Middle has been one such seminal resource that has given voice to teachers, researchers, students, and others concerned with education at the middle level. The authors of this article skillfully delineate the wide-ranging topics that have been addressed in the journal since its inception over 15 years ago. Issues presented through research, practical applications, or personal experiences have helped to showcase practicing teachers work, prepare preservice teachers, and help us illuminate the importance of middle level education. The current editors have been visionary in continuing this tradition as they focus on issues paramount in educating adolescent children. As the conversation continues, voices such as Nancy Atwell, Louise Rosenblatt, Paulo Freire, Donald Graves, and many others will be heard again and again. Their work highlights for us that, ultimately, our main focus is that of educating young minds and striving to help all children learn to their maximum potential; every child, every teacher has a voice and should be heard. Teachers and others concerned with educating children in the middle are encouraged to join NCTE, where they can have continued access to Voices from the Middle and myriad other valuable resources. Instrumental in educating our students in 21st century classrooms are the national council of Teachers of English (ncTE), the professional organization of educators in English studies, literacy, and language arts (http:// www.ncte.org/), and Read write Think, an organization devoted to developing resources for classrooms, professional development, parents, afterschool programs, and community educational collaborations (http://www.readwritethink.org/). Ruth Lowery

Voices from the Middle, Volume 18 Number 4, May 2011

Wilson, Blady, Kumar, Moorman, Prior, and Willson | Voices Carry: A Content Analysis of Voices from the Middle
page

to create a balance between developing student writers by providing student choice (ChandlerOlcott & Maher, 2001) with careful feedback (Jago, 2001), and, at the same time, emphasizing the importance of developing vocabularies in writing and teaching spelling skills (Templeton, 2002; Richards, 2002; Thibodeau, 2002). As a result, there is an emphasis on authentic curriculum, with extensive conversation on the teaching of reading and writing skills. The talk does reveal a double-sided worldwide assumption reflective of both constructivist and post-positivist views. Therefore, the high-stakes testing ambivalence experienced by many of our peers can be traced in Voices as a restless competition between authentic learning, good teaching practices, and making peace with mandated standards. This ambivalent stance continues in the juxtaposition of the conversations in Volume 12 which is replete with text celebrating Louise Rosenblatts view of reading as a lived-through experience, a pronounced constructivist point of viewand Volume 13which, for the most part, moves in the direction of embracing assessment and encouraging teachers to teach test skills. For instance, Rasinski & Padak (2005) speak about the importance of teaching fluency for improving reading skills and, ultimately, for closing the achievement gap. In addition, Goodman (2005) discusses five strategies to help middle school students triumph and pass tests. This noise expresses the strong push and pull of standardized testing among us. However, while there is no clear solution, Voices indeed represents a truce; uneasy as it may be, it is pragmatic and, at the same time, hopeful and encouraging.

Voices are optimistic, pragmatic, and empathetic toward students and teachers, providing glimmers of hope for a positive evolution in literacy education. Ultimately, we are left with voices that tell us that reading, writing, listening, and speaking are crucial skills for self-expression, synthesis of material, and understanding of the world around us. Most important, they tell us that to make learning meaningful, students voices should always be heard.

15

References
Atwell, N. (1998). In the middle. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook. Chandler-Olcott, K., & Maher, D. (2001). A framework for choosing topics for and with adolescent writers. Voices from the Middle, 9(1), 4047. Edwards, S. (2002). Achieving standards without sacrificing my own. Voices from the Middle, 10(1), 3134. Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum. Fu, D. (2004). Teaching ELL students in regular classrooms at the secondary level. Voices from the Middle, 11(4), 815. George, M. A. (2002). Living on the edge: Confronting social injustices. Voices from the Middle, 9(4), 3944. Gonzlez, N., Moll, L., & Amanti, C. (2005). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities, and classrooms. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Goodman, A. (2005). The middle school high five: Strategies can triumph. Voices from the Middle, 13(2), 1219. Jago, C. (2001). Responding to student writing: Keep peddling. Voices from the Middle, 9(1), 5658. Kajder, S. (2004). Plugging in: What technology brings to the English/language arts classroom. Voices from the Middle, 11(3), 69. Kitagawa, M. (1994). Its about time to talk. Voices from the Middle, 1(1), 2936. Laddo, L., Place, K., & Soares, L. (2010). Fresh perspectives on new literacies and technology integration. Voices from the Middle, 17(3), 918. Nagin, C. (2003). Because writing matters: Improving student writing in our schools. San Francisco: JosseyBass.

The Conversation Continues . . .

We have heard in the conversations from Voices from the Middle what we all believe is important over time for students of middle school language arts. The constants are: all children can learn; all children come to school with their own funds of knowledge; and all children can be taught language arts because of, or in spite of, the federal governments scientific findings. The voices in

Voices from the Middle, Volume 18 Number 4, May 2011

Wilson, Blady, Kumar, Moorman, Prior, and Willson | Voices Carry: A Content Analysis of Voices from the Middle
page

16

Oldaker, A. (2010). Creating video games in a middle school language arts classroom: A narrative account. Voices from the Middle, 17(3), 1926. Paige, M. (2004). Going beyond the book: A multicultural education in the English language arts classroom. Voices from the Middle, 12(1), 815. Rasinski, T., & Padak, N. D. (2005). Fluency beyond the primary grades: Helping adolescent struggling readers. Voices from the Middle, 13(1), 3441. Read, S., & Fisher, D. (2006). Tapping into students motivation: Lessons from young adolescents blogs. Voices from the Middle, 14(2), 3846. Richards, J. (2002). Taking the guesswork out of spelling. Voices from the Middle, 9(3), 1518. Rief, L. (1994). Threads of life: Reading, writing, and music. Voices from the Middle, 1(1), 1828. Robinson, H. A. (1977). Reading and writing instruction in the United States: Historical trends. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Rosenblatt, L. (1996). Literature as exploration. New York: Modern Language Association. Rowlands, K. D. (2003). Alice in web wonderland: Internet resources for middle schoolers and their teachers. Voices from the Middle, 7(3), 4954.

Scott, J. L. (2000). Journey into cyberspace. Voices from the Middle, 7(2), 2426. Shambaugh, K. (1995). Jarreau makes history: Whole class projects as a context for individual literacy. Voices from the Middle, 2(1), 1922. Styslinger, M. E., & Whisenant, A. (2004). Crossing cultures with multi-voiced journals. Voices from the Middle, 12(1), 2631. Sumaryono, K., & Ortiz, W. (2004). Preserving the cultural identity of the English language learner. Voices from the Middle, 11(4), 1619. Templeton, S. (2002). Effective spelling instruction in the middle grades: Its a lot more than memorization. Voices from the Middle. 9(3), 814. Thibodeau, G. (2002). Spellbound: Commitment to correctness. Voices from the Middle, 9(3), 1922. Vreeland, P. (1998). The family tree: Nurturing language growth through all the parts of me. Voices from the Middle, 6(1), 1722. White, M. D., & Marsh, E. E. (2006). Content analysis: A flexible methodology. Library Trends, 55(1), 2245.

Melissa B. Wilson is a lecturer of Early Childhood Education at the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, Barbados. She can be reached at melissa.wilson@cavehill.uwi.edu. Shannon Blady is a fourth-grade teacher in San Antonio, Texas. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching at UTSA. Tracey Kumar is a doctoral student and adjunct instructor in the department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching at UTSA. Honor Moorman is the Dean of Instruction for English and Social Studies at The International School of the Americas, a doctoral student in Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching at The University of Texas at San Antonio, an adjunct faculty member in the Education Department at Trinity University, a teacher consultant with the San Antonio Writing Project, a reviewer for ReadWriteThink.org, and the associate editor for NCTEs Voices from the Middle. Lori Prior has taught in several public school districts in San Antonio, Texas, and is currently a doctoral student at UTSA, pursuing a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching with a focus on reading and literacy. Angeli Marie Willson is principal at Comfort Elementary School in Comfort, Texas. She is currently also a doctoral candidate in Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Voices from the Middle, Volume 18 Number 4, May 2011