Literacy+Action+Proposal

What Makes a Good Action Proposal?

A good proposal for literacy action grounds your project in a particular rhetorical situation: You as a researcher are writing a proposal to convince someone (a funder? A department head?) that you have an interesting proposal, a unique take on that topic, and a way of researching it. In order to be convincing, you need to make clear your question, situate that action within the larger conversation, explain what you will do to research that action, and suggest what might come out of the work.

Here is one way of organizing it:


 * Background/Purpose:** It’s often good to begin with a short background statement that explains who you are and why you are interested in this particular subject. As a teacher researcher, it’s good to explain a little bit of your context.


 * Action:** Name your action succinctly and clearly. Talk about why this action is significant and how it connects to the context in which you teach. What do you hope to learn/accomplish from this work?

Your initial proposal ends here. Your entire proposal also includes the following:

Suggested: eight sources, including any texts already referenced in class.
 * Literature Review:** In this section you should demonstrate your understanding of the larger conversation surrounding your action proposal: who has already written/researched in the area and how what they said applies to your thinking.

less important? If it requires no additional time/ space, explain why. How will you accommodate or resolve resistance from students or faculty?
 * Action:** What changes will affect teachers, curriculum and students? How will this add or subtract from the existing curriculum? If it adds, what will it displace that is


 * Costs**: Include the cost of training or orienting teachers. Include time required, even if no additional costs accrue.


 * Timeline:** Lay out fairly explicitly what you will do when. Explain why the time allotted is necessary.