Literacy in the Literacy in the Disciplines: Disciplines:

What, Why, When, & What, Why, When, & How?How?

Elizabeth Birr MojeElizabeth Birr Moje

January 28, 2010January 28, 2010

HELPING YOUTH NAVIGATE HELPING YOUTH NAVIGATE FROM EVERYDAY TO FROM EVERYDAY TO DISCIPLINARY LITERACY DISCIPLINARY LITERACY PRACTICESPRACTICES

. . . Or . . . . . . Or . . .

WHAT IS DISCIPLINARY WHAT IS DISCIPLINARY LITERACY?LITERACY?

Question 1Question 1

What is Disciplinary What is Disciplinary Literacy?Literacy?

Uncovering, teaching, and practicing Uncovering, teaching, and practicing the tools of knowledge production the tools of knowledge production and critique, whether rooted in the and critique, whether rooted in the disciplines or in everyday life.disciplines or in everyday life.

““History is layered, and the teaching History is layered, and the teaching of it, like other subjects, involves not of it, like other subjects, involves not only a process of acquiring the stuff only a process of acquiring the stuff of the discipline but acquiring a of the discipline but acquiring a particular rhetorical stance toward particular rhetorical stance toward it.” (Leinhardt, 1994, p. 218) it.” (Leinhardt, 1994, p. 218)

Discipline-Specific Literacy Discipline-Specific Literacy Teaching Teaching

Practices/StrategiesPractices/Strategies How do members of your discipline use How do members of your discipline use

language (oral or written) on a daily basis?language (oral or written) on a daily basis? What kinds of texts do they turn to or produce What kinds of texts do they turn to or produce

as part of their work?as part of their work? Why and when do they turn to or produce such Why and when do they turn to or produce such

texts? texts? What do they do with texts when they use or What do they do with texts when they use or

produce them?produce them? How are interactions with members of the How are interactions with members of the

discipline shaped (or even governed by) texts?discipline shaped (or even governed by) texts? Who are the primary audiences for written Who are the primary audiences for written

work in your discipline?work in your discipline?

Discipline-Specific Literacy Discipline-Specific Literacy Teaching Teaching

Practices/StrategiesPractices/Strategies What are the standards for warrant What are the standards for warrant

demanded by those audiences?demanded by those audiences? Are there words or phrases that are Are there words or phrases that are

demanded by or taboo in your discipline?demanded by or taboo in your discipline? Are there writing styles that are Are there writing styles that are

demanded by or taboo in your discipline?demanded by or taboo in your discipline? What is unique about your discipline in What is unique about your discipline in

terms of reading, writing, speaking, and terms of reading, writing, speaking, and listening?listening?

For example, historians . . .For example, historians . . .

• FFrame historical problemsrame historical problems• LLocate and use residues/evidence ocate and use residues/evidence

from past from past • Analyze and use evidence through Analyze and use evidence through

interconnected practices of interconnected practices of "sourcing, corroborating and "sourcing, corroborating and contextualizing“contextualizing“

• DDetermine significance of etermine significance of evidence and eventsevidence and events

• LLook for patterns in welter of ook for patterns in welter of facts and events and "colligate“ to facts and events and "colligate“ to create a concept that imposes create a concept that imposes sense on that welter of events sense on that welter of events (e.g. “Renaissance”)(e.g. “Renaissance”)

• PPeriodize and/or use the eriodize and/or use the periodization schemes of othersperiodization schemes of others

• RRead others’ historical accountsead others’ historical accounts• PProduce historical accountsroduce historical accounts• Present/publish historical Present/publish historical

accountsaccounts

(adapted from R. B. Bain, 2007)

For example, mathematicians:For example, mathematicians: Ask natural questions” in a given Ask natural questions” in a given

mathematical contextmathematical context Explore and experiment with the Explore and experiment with the

contextcontext Represent the context and Represent the context and

examine the representationexamine the representation Look for organizing structure or Look for organizing structure or

patternpattern Consult with colleagues orally or Consult with colleagues orally or

in the literaturein the literature Look for connections as a result Look for connections as a result

of consultationof consultation

• Seek proofs or disproofsSeek proofs or disproofs• Follow opportunitiesFollow opportunities• Write finished exposition of a Write finished exposition of a

proofproof• Analyze proofs (proof analysis)Analyze proofs (proof analysis)• Present/publish proofsPresent/publish proofs• Use appropriate conventions to Use appropriate conventions to

produce aesthetically pleasing produce aesthetically pleasing resultsresults

(Adapted from H. Bass, 2007)

What is the relationship What is the relationship between disciplinary and between disciplinary and

generic literacy?generic literacy? Key “Generic” Literacy Skills/StrategiesKey “Generic” Literacy Skills/Strategies

PredictingPredicting PreviewingPreviewing QuestioningQuestioning MonitoringMonitoring VisualizingVisualizing SummarizingSummarizing

Most “strategy instruction” attempts to Most “strategy instruction” attempts to develop these strategies/skills in readersdevelop these strategies/skills in readers

Discipline-Specific Discipline-Specific Literacy Teaching Literacy Teaching

Practices/StrategiesPractices/Strategies Previewing like a historianPreviewing like a historian

Who is the author?Who is the author? When was this written?When was this written? What is the context?What is the context?

Previewing like a biologistPreviewing like a biologist What is the problem/phenomenon I’m studying?What is the problem/phenomenon I’m studying? What do I know about this phenomenon?What do I know about this phenomenon? What do I predict/hypothesize about the What do I predict/hypothesize about the

phenomenon?phenomenon?

Now it’s your turn . . . Now it’s your turn . . .

Previewing like a mathematician? Previewing like a mathematician? ???? ????

Previewing like a literary theorist or Previewing like a literary theorist or textual critic?textual critic? ???? ????

Differences across Content Differences across Content Areas: Areas:

The Persuasive EssayThe Persuasive EssayLetter to the Letter to the EditorEditor

Essay or Essay or Poem for Poem for English ClassEnglish Class

Social Social Science EssayScience Essay

Personal Personal opinion or opinion or personal personal experience; may experience; may include include argumentation; argumentation; clear stance; clear stance; language used language used to indicate to indicate personal personal opinionopinion

Personal Personal opinion or opinion or experiences experiences AND logical AND logical reasoning or reasoning or illustrative illustrative imagery; imagery; language used language used to argue a point to argue a point or to convey or to convey images and images and experiencesexperiences

Distanced Distanced stance, stance, evidence to evidence to support stance, support stance, logical logical reasoning to tie reasoning to tie evidence to evidence to claim; language claim; language used to convey used to convey distance and distance and objectivityobjectivity

WHY/WHEN DISCIPLINARY WHY/WHEN DISCIPLINARY LITERACY?LITERACY?

Questions 2 and 3Questions 2 and 3

Why Disciplinary Why Disciplinary Literacy?Literacy?

Disciplinary slicing of middle school, Disciplinary slicing of middle school, high school, and university into high school, and university into subject-areas leads to:subject-areas leads to: Masking of the role that disciplinary Masking of the role that disciplinary

practices play in knowledge productionpractices play in knowledge production Reification of disciplinary differencesReification of disciplinary differences Challenges to coherence for the learnerChallenges to coherence for the learner

Access and OpportunityAccess and Opportunity

Explicit attention to navigation Explicit attention to navigation across multiple discourse across multiple discourse communities provides greater access communities provides greater access to more young peopleto more young people

In the service of enhancing subject-In the service of enhancing subject-matter learning (i.e., to develop deep matter learning (i.e., to develop deep subject-matter proficiency)subject-matter proficiency)

Builds critical literacy skills for an Builds critical literacy skills for an educated citizenryeducated citizenry

HOW TO TEACH HOW TO TEACH DISCIPLINARY LITERACY?DISCIPLINARY LITERACY?

Question 4Question 4

Four Areas of Work to Four Areas of Work to Be DoneBe Done

Disciplinary practicesDisciplinary practices Disciplinary ReadingDisciplinary Reading Disciplinary WritingDisciplinary Writing

Synthesizing Across TextsSynthesizing Across Texts

Academic Academic ReadingReading

Text AnalysisText Analysis

Analysis of Nature of the Text:Analysis of Nature of the Text:   Structure and tone of this text?Structure and tone of this text?

Syntactic (i.e., sentence structure, organization) complexitySyntactic (i.e., sentence structure, organization) complexity Semantic complexitySemantic complexity CohesionCohesion

Organization and flow of ideasOrganization and flow of ideas Density of ideasDensity of ideas Key ideas or conceptsKey ideas or concepts Key words or technical termsKey words or technical terms Density of vocabularyDensity of vocabulary Texts within text?Texts within text? Role of images, charts, or graphs Role of images, charts, or graphs

Reading demands of images Reading demands of images Reading demands in making meaning across the images, Reading demands in making meaning across the images,

other forms, and printother forms, and print

Text AnalysisText Analysis

Analysis of Relationship between Text Analysis of Relationship between Text and Reader:and Reader:

Assumed knowledgeAssumed knowledge Challenges to an adult reader with relatively Challenges to an adult reader with relatively

deep knowledge of this subjectdeep knowledge of this subject Challenges to adolescent readers of this textChallenges to adolescent readers of this text Necessary scaffoldingNecessary scaffolding

Scaffolding necessary for STRUGGLING readers?Scaffolding necessary for STRUGGLING readers? Cultural, racial/ethnic, or gendered connectionsCultural, racial/ethnic, or gendered connections

Text AnalysisText Analysis

Analyzing and Planning for Analyzing and Planning for Relationships Across Texts:Relationships Across Texts:

  How would you select other texts to How would you select other texts to accompany this one?accompany this one?

What connections might you imagine What connections might you imagine students making across texts?students making across texts?

What connections would you try to What connections would you try to help students see across the texts?help students see across the texts?

What do you need to What do you need to address in the text and address in the text and

with your students?with your students? Vocabulary?Vocabulary?

Conceptual definingConceptual defining Vocabulary concept cardsVocabulary concept cards Concept of Definition mapsConcept of Definition maps

DistinguishingDistinguishing Semantic Feature AnalysisSemantic Feature Analysis Morphological analysisMorphological analysis

Simple defining!Simple defining! Text Structure?Text Structure?

Text structuring strategiesText structuring strategies Graphic or relational Graphic or relational

organizingorganizing Prior Knowledge?Prior Knowledge?

BrainstormingBrainstorming PreviewingPreviewing

Preview GuidesPreview Guides Advance OrganizersAdvance Organizers

PredictingPredicting POEPOE Anticipation/Reaction GuidesAnticipation/Reaction Guides

VisualizingVisualizing

Lack of coherence?Lack of coherence? Purpose settingPurpose setting Graphic organizersGraphic organizers Comprehension monitoringComprehension monitoring NotetakingNotetaking

Disciplinary reading Disciplinary reading strategies?strategies?

Previewing/predictingPreviewing/predicting Evaluating data warrantEvaluating data warrant CritiquingCritiquing SynthesizingSynthesizing Applying to investigations or Applying to investigations or

activitiesactivities

History Previewing History Previewing Example:Example:

A Nation of ImmigrantsA Nation of Immigrants If I told you to that we were reading If I told you to that we were reading

a chapter from the book, a chapter from the book, A Nation of A Nation of ImmigrantsImmigrants, what do you expect it , what do you expect it would be about?would be about?

LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK FOR LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK FOR HANDOUTSHANDOUTS

Academic WritingAcademic Writing

State Social Studies State Social Studies Writing RubricWriting Rubric

LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK FOR LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK FOR HANDOUTSHANDOUTS

Task AnalysisTask Analysis

What does the task assume about What does the task assume about youth and/or ask them to do as youth and/or ask them to do as thinkers?thinkers?

What do youth need to know to meet What do youth need to know to meet the task demands?the task demands?

What kind of text does the task ask What kind of text does the task ask youth to produce?youth to produce?

What do we need to do instructionally What do we need to do instructionally to scaffold young people’s thinking to scaffold young people’s thinking before they even begin to write?before they even begin to write?

Scientific Explanation Scientific Explanation Writing: An Iterative Writing: An Iterative

PracticePractice Examination of explanations written by others Examination of explanations written by others Classroom-based, whole-group generation of Classroom-based, whole-group generation of

rubric using models (i.e., comes from the rubric using models (i.e., comes from the students; see next slide)students; see next slide)

Engagement in scientific investigationsEngagement in scientific investigations Writing to explain one’s own investigationsWriting to explain one’s own investigations Peer review (e.g., poster displays, museum walks)Peer review (e.g., poster displays, museum walks) Revision of explanationsRevision of explanations New investigations, new explanations, more peer New investigations, new explanations, more peer

reviewreview And the cycle continues . . . . And the cycle continues . . . .

Synthesizing Synthesizing Across TextsAcross Texts

Synthesis JournalsSynthesis Journals

Primary Source 1

Primary Source 3

Primary Source 2

Primary Source 4

Analysis across texts

(i.e., a history)

Summarizing From and Summarizing From and Synthesizing Across Texts: Synthesizing Across Texts:

Questions Into ParagraphsQuestions Into Paragraphs

Sub-Questions Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 SUMMARY

Adapted from:

McLaughlin, E. M. (1986). QuIP: A writing strategy to improve comprehension of expository structure. The Reading Teacher.

  1. What are the sources of this material?

       

 2. What are the effects of this material in the air?

       

 3. How much of this material is typically found in air?

       

 

SUMMARY:       

Driving Question: What affects the quality of air in my community?Learning Set Question: Is material X a pollutant?

For more information . . .For more information . . .

Or see:www.umich.edu/~moje

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