Disciplinary Literacy
Research has shown there are seven literacy strategies good readers use to make meaning of text: monitoring understanding, making connections, asking questions, drawing conclusions, making inferences and predictions, using mental images, and synthesizing. Furthermore, explicit teaching of these strategies can help students who struggle improve their comprehension (Keene and Zimmerman 2007, Tovani, 2000). However, due to the different nature of subject areas taught at the secondary level, strategy instruction will not look the same in every classroom. Disciplinary literacy is the term that describes the unique differences that occurs between content areas.
Moje (2010) proposes the following questions for teachers to consider when approaching literacy instruction in their subject areas:
- How do members of the discipline use language on a daily basis?
- What kinds of texts do they turn to or produce as part of their work?
- How are interactions with members of the discipline shaped
(or governed by) texts?
- Who are the primary audiences for written work in your discipline?
- What are the standards for warrant demanded by those audiences?
- Are there words or phrases that are demanded by or taboo in your
discipline?
- Are there writing styles that are demanded by or taboo in your discipline?
- What is unique about your discipline in terms of reading, writing,
speaking, and listening?
- How do members of the discipline use language on a daily basis?
- What kinds of texts do they turn to or produce as part of their work?
- How are interactions with members of the discipline shaped
(or governed by) texts?
- Who are the primary audiences for written work in your discipline?
- What are the standards for warrant demanded by those audiences?
- Are there words or phrases that are demanded by or taboo in your
discipline?
- Are there writing styles that are demanded by or taboo in your discipline?
- What is unique about your discipline in terms of reading, writing,
speaking, and listening?
Quotes to Think About:
“Literacy is not something you add to an already overcrowded plate; literacy is the plate.” Irvin, J., Meltzer, J, and Dukes, M. (2007) Taking the lead on adolescent literacy. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
“Disciplinary literacy means, not just accumulating knowledge about the discipline but understanding the discipline’s important theoretical ideas. It means understanding what questions are important to the discipline and how to seek answers to those questions. It also means being able to read and write successfully within that discipline.” Johnson, H. (2011). What It Is They Do: Differentiating Knowledge and Literacy Practices Across Content Disciplines. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(2), 100-109
"Without these specialized literacies, students may be relegated to the position of reading and writing about what others are doing rather than participating in the activities of creation, inquiry, expression and problem-solving.”(p.2) Draper, R. ed. (2010). (Re)imagining content-area literacy instruction. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
“Engaging all students as readers and writers in subject areas is also a matter of social justice. For their own personal development and for effective participation in a democratic society, students need to be able to read with comprehension and critically evaluate the texts they encounter.” (p. 9) Fang, Z., & Schleppegrell, M. (2008). Reading in secondary content area: A language based pedagogy. Annarbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.
“Literacy is not something you add to an already overcrowded plate; literacy is the plate.” Irvin, J., Meltzer, J, and Dukes, M. (2007) Taking the lead on adolescent literacy. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
“Disciplinary literacy means, not just accumulating knowledge about the discipline but understanding the discipline’s important theoretical ideas. It means understanding what questions are important to the discipline and how to seek answers to those questions. It also means being able to read and write successfully within that discipline.” Johnson, H. (2011). What It Is They Do: Differentiating Knowledge and Literacy Practices Across Content Disciplines. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(2), 100-109
"Without these specialized literacies, students may be relegated to the position of reading and writing about what others are doing rather than participating in the activities of creation, inquiry, expression and problem-solving.”(p.2) Draper, R. ed. (2010). (Re)imagining content-area literacy instruction. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
“Engaging all students as readers and writers in subject areas is also a matter of social justice. For their own personal development and for effective participation in a democratic society, students need to be able to read with comprehension and critically evaluate the texts they encounter.” (p. 9) Fang, Z., & Schleppegrell, M. (2008). Reading in secondary content area: A language based pedagogy. Annarbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.