Seamless Acts of Teaching Secondary Content through Literacy: Portraits of Secondary Content Educators using Literacy to Meet Instructional Goals
Location
Literacy Assessment and Instruction - Boston 2/3
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
Statewide changes in curriculum standards and high-stakes tests inspired a renewed interest in disciplinary literacy--using literacy to teach content by guiding students to read, write, and discuss content in the text as experts in that content field. This qualitative study sought to explore eight content-area educators’ experiences with and perceptions of using literacy to teach their discipline.
Using Lawrence-Lightfoot’s portraiture, how these educators used disciplinary literacy strategies to positively impact student learning was the focus. Semi-structured interviews, video-recorded observations, artifacts, and written reflections from each of participant were used as data. Commonalities indicated the power of literacy was prominent and multi-faceted: teachers who viewed themselves as content experts and as readers used literacy to meet their instructional goals more than the other teachers; all teachers used a mixture of content-area reading and disciplinary literacy strategies. Using literacy often came from personal experiences and beliefs and not because the teachers were taught to do this. Lastly, teachers preferred professional development that was specific to their content course, used interactivity, and provided them with resources that they could use immediately.
Keywords
Disciplinary Literacy, Portraiture in Qualitative Research, Secondary Education
Professional Bio
Dr. Christie Wall is the System Literacy Coach (6-12) for Houston County Schools, while Drs. Richard and Lorraine Schmertzing are both professors at Valdosta State University in the Department of Curriculum, Leadership, and Technology. He in Qualitative Research and she in Instructional Technology. Both worked with Dr. Wall on this study as part of her dissertation. All three have an interest in how qualitative research can position researchers to use what they know about the importance of context to shed light on ways to improve the education of students.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Wall, Christie; Schmertzing, Lorraine C.; and Schmertzing, Richard, "Seamless Acts of Teaching Secondary Content through Literacy: Portraits of Secondary Content Educators using Literacy to Meet Instructional Goals" (2019). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 53.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2019/2019/53
Seamless Acts of Teaching Secondary Content through Literacy: Portraits of Secondary Content Educators using Literacy to Meet Instructional Goals
Literacy Assessment and Instruction - Boston 2/3
Statewide changes in curriculum standards and high-stakes tests inspired a renewed interest in disciplinary literacy--using literacy to teach content by guiding students to read, write, and discuss content in the text as experts in that content field. This qualitative study sought to explore eight content-area educators’ experiences with and perceptions of using literacy to teach their discipline.
Using Lawrence-Lightfoot’s portraiture, how these educators used disciplinary literacy strategies to positively impact student learning was the focus. Semi-structured interviews, video-recorded observations, artifacts, and written reflections from each of participant were used as data. Commonalities indicated the power of literacy was prominent and multi-faceted: teachers who viewed themselves as content experts and as readers used literacy to meet their instructional goals more than the other teachers; all teachers used a mixture of content-area reading and disciplinary literacy strategies. Using literacy often came from personal experiences and beliefs and not because the teachers were taught to do this. Lastly, teachers preferred professional development that was specific to their content course, used interactivity, and provided them with resources that they could use immediately.
