Transforming Disciplinary Literacy Instruction Through Teacher Study Groups: Case Studies of Three Secondary Teachers

• In Event: Professional Development in English Language Arts

Abstract

This qualitative case study examines the collaboration between three content-area teachers and literacy specialists as they participated in study groups about disciplinary literacy. While content-area literacy has focused on using reading and writing to help students learn content, disciplinary literacy focuses on the literacy practices inherent in the disciplines. We sought to understand how content-area teachers innovated their teaching as they moved towards a disciplinary literacy focus. Content-area teachers had difficulty recognizing that many of the processes and tasks they already engaged were “literacy," however, with the literacy specialists' help, they were able to plan instruction to meet student needs. Teachers reported more student engagement when working on disciplinary literacy tasks.

Authors

• Naomi M. Watkins, University of La Verne

• Nancy T. Walker, University of La Verne