Authors in the Classroom, Del Sol Books

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

Author’s Note : This book represents the fruits of eight years of joint efforts of encouraging teachers to dare to experience the joy of writing. It has also benefited from the insights of Rosalma Zubizarreta, Alma Flor’s daughter, who collaborated enthusiastically in the making of the book. While most teachers feel comfortable sharing their enthusiasm for reading with their students, few feel equally at ease in exploring the power of authorship. The process suggested in this book for authoring self-reflecting books, has been embraced by numerous teachers who have found that in writing personal books about themselves, their families, their life journey, and their goals as teachers bring about three distinct kinds of benefits:

1. a greater self-awareness and a possibility to reevaluate their own vocation as educators.

2. greater confidence and strength to guide their students in their own process of discovering of voice.

3. a new relationship, of greater trust and equality, with the students families’ based on shared human experiences.

We are extremely grateful to the teachers, families and students who have shared with us their works to be included as examples in this book and to all those others, whose words have not been reproduced in the book, but who are present in it, through all we have learned from them in the process of teaching “Authors in the Classroom” courses, workshops and seminars throughout the United States and abroad. We know many of you have been anxiously awaiting the publication of this book and it is a joy to let you know it is finally available.

Midwest Book Review : Collaboratively written by Alma Flor Ada (Director of the Center for Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults, University of San Francisco) and F. Isabel Campoy (a children’s books author and language acquisition expert), Authors In The Classroom: A Transformative Education Process is an unusually well written and organized educational guide aimed expressly at classroom teachers seeking to improve their own writing skills. Enthusiastically promoting creative literacy among students, teachers, and parents alike, Authors In The Classroom creatively and informatively explores means for educators to hone their own writing talents, as well as encouraging the students to live up to their fullest potential. An excellent, reflective, “user friendly” guide, Authors In The Classroom is an invaluable contribution to academic Education Studies reference collections.

Reviews : “This book is nearly perfect. It will become a classic.” Stephen Krashen , University of Southern California.

“Jim Cummins : "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.”

Elsa Auerbach : “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.”

Catherine Carrison : Authors in the Classroom: A Transformative Education Process is an amazing resource for today’s teachers. This book, wonderfully well written and organized, guides teachers in the process of strengthening the literacy skills of their students through the strengthening of their voices. In the first part of the book the authors walk the teacher through a discussion of transformative education and the role of creative dialogue in the classroom. The second part of the book is focused on the journey of writing as it reflects areas of exploration such as Recognizing Human Qualities, Strengthening Self-Identity, Building Communities, The Power of Transformation, Understanding the Past – Creating the Future, and Learning to Know. Ada and Campoy vividly demonstrate through the use of beautiful student, teacher, and family examples how the communities of the classroom and home can be merged through the medium of written expression. Perhaps most important, they show us how powerful the telling our own stories can be – how our stories can be shared to create an affirming and fabulously enriched learning environment in our classrooms for students, their families, and teachers.

eHow : Alma Flor Ada, with the author Isabel Campoy, published a book in 2004 called "Authors in the Classroom: A Transformative Education Process." In this book, Ada and Campoy explain a process teachers can go through to empower their students by empowering themselves. This process includes the teacher becoming author and encouraging his students to do the same. Ada believes that through this creative process true learning, liberation and equity can be achieved. Alma Flor Ada Biography : Alma Flor Ada is a children's author who was born in Cuba and currently lives in California. Her children's books are well-recognized and she has been published internationally. Flor has received numerous awards for her children's books as well as her work as a teacher mentor. She is a professor at the University of San Francisco. She has authored several books for educators, among them this one in which she introduces the Transformative Education Process. Tranformative Education : Transformative education refers to a way of teaching that both transforms the teacher and student. Transformative education has been described as both a process and product of education--the process of authentically engaging with your students, and then your content leads to producing positive change. Theory : Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy outline their theory around transformative education as it relates to the teacher as author in her classroom. They believe that by authentically communicating through honest written expression, the teacher has the opportunity to explore oppression and inequity. This exploration can lead to the exposure and elimination of this oppression. This elimination, in turn, can lead to the liberation of students, thus completing the transformative cycle of process and product. Ada and Campoy root the theoretical in the concrete objective: Teachers author their own books for the their own classes, and so encourage student expression and voice. Book Content : The book contains not only an outline of the transformative education process that Ada and Campos believe will help liberate students and teachers, but it is also a valuable resource for educators. It contains writing prompts for teachers, as well as lesson objectives. Ada and Campos call teachers to action while providing them with the tools necessary to take transformative action. Reception : Published in 2004, the book has been well received by critics and educators alike. It is clearly written and maintains an encouraging tone throughout. Because of this, it has gained popularity and favor and will most likely continue to reach teachers and, through them, their students.