Preparing Preservice Teachers to Effectively Integrate Literacy Instruction in Secondary Social Studies

• In Event: Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Literacy Across the Curriculum: Preparing Content Area Teachers to Teach Literacy

Abstract

This study investigated to what extent and how secondary social studies pre-service teachers incorporated literacy strategies in their student teaching Work Samples. The study also considered the implications for teacher preparation that seeks to challenge lowered literacy expectations for marginalized students. All pre-service teachers used literacy strategies to varying degrees; the strategies differed by sophistication and context. Classes with higher levels of poverty and linguistic and cultural diversity tended to be taught lower level strategies, and students in higher SES schools were often taught higher level literacy strategies. We are concerned that some of our pre-service teachers are propagating the kinds of low expectations that have been traditionally taught in high-poverty classrooms.

Authors

• Gayle Y. Thieman, Portland State University

• Susan D. Lenski, Portland State University