Authors in the Classroom: A Transformative Education Process

Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy combine inspirational examples and practical how-to's to create a unique resource for teachers!

Authors in the Classroom: Transformative Education for Teachers, Students, and Families

Thousands of teachers have experienced the awakening of their own creative writing voice through participating in the writing courses and workshops offered by Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy. The rich tapestry of these teachers' voices is a major highlight of this book. In turn, teachers have used their own self-published works to inspire students and parents to write their own stories, and those voices are included in here as well.

In addition to offering a plethora of inspiring examples of works authored by classroom teachers, parents, and students, this book also includes practical, step-by-step activities and a solid grounding in theory. Written in a clear and reader-friendly style, this combination will enable teachers to experience the benefits of this creative approach to building strong classroom communities.

• Includes 10 thematic units, with writing starters and activities for teachers, parents, and children.
• Features sections on facilitating classroom dialogue and unlearning oppression/education for liberation.
• Showcases abundant examples of teachers' self-published books, as well as students' and parents' writing.

“Authors in the Classroom shows us what education can be and should be: a safe environment for intellect and identity to expand and connect with the collective intellectual and cultural accomplishments of our global society. As evidence for its claims about what education can achieve this text provides neither empty theory nor soulless empirical research but rather the voices of teachers, students, parents, and the authors themselves, exploring through writing the limits of human reality and potential.”
Jim Cummins University of Toronto

“I want to start by saying that this is a powerful book which was a joy to read. The book provides a much-needed bridge between theory and practice of Transformative pedagogy. It is what every teacher/prospective teacher looks for: a step-by-step guide to putting lofty ideological ideals into practice. The examples speak for themselves about the rich potential of the model.”
Elsa Auerbach University of Massachusetts—Boston

Alma Flor Ada directs the Center for Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults at the University of San Francisco, and as professor of Education, guides doctoral research in Transformative Education, Social Justice, and Family Literacy. An internationally recognized speaker and widely published author, one of her recent books is A Magical Encounter: Latino Children's Literature in the Classroom. Her books for children have received numerous awards, including the American Library Association Pura Belpre Award for Under the Royal Palms, the Christopher Medal for The Gold Coin, and the Once Upon a World Award for Gathering the Sun. She earned a Ph.D. at the Pontifica Universidad Catolica (Lima, Peru) and was a Research Scholar at Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.

F. Isabel Campoy is the author of numerous children's books, including stories, poetry, theatre, biographies, and art. The anthologies she has researched and compiled highlight the richness of Hispanic culture and bring a heightened awareness of its value to the curriculum. As an educator, she specializes in the areas of literacy and home-school interaction, topics on which she lectures nationally. She is also an internationally-recognized scholar in the field of language acquistion, in which she began publishing in 1973 after obtaining her degrees in English Philology from the Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain, Reading University in England, and UCLA in the United States.

Ada (Center for Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults, U. of San Francisco) and Campoy (a scholar of language acquisition and children's book author) explore the contradictions that exist between what is expected of teachers and the education and support they receive. They offer techniques, accompanied by inspiring examples, on how to teach writing and help teachers experience the power of authorship and develop enthusiasm for the process. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Dr. Alma Flor Ada directs the Center for Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults at the University of San Francisco.She is a leading mentor and philosopher of bilingual education in the United States. Dr. Ada was the founder and First Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE).

F. Isabel Campoy is a scholar devoted to the study of language acquisition. She is the well-known author of numerous children's books in the areas of poetry, theatre, stories, biographies, and art.