The Case for "Generalist Literacy" Instruction

• In Event: Poster Session 9
  In Poster Session: Understanding Intruction, Motivation, and Learning in Literacy

Abstract

This paper introduces the term “generalist literacy” to describe the interdisciplinary literacy skills necessary for finding and evaluating information, particularly information online. Similar to the manner in which “disciplinary literacy” scholarship researched and identified the literacy practices of disciplinary experts (e.g., Moje, 2015; Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008), we identified expert generalists and their information-seeking skills along with the products, activities, and ways of being valued by the profession. In this paper, we report on research into the generalist literacy skills of librarians and journalists. We identify key characteristics of these experts that could be used as the basis of classroom activities and curricular units designed to promote the generalist literacy in schools.

Authors

• Angela Marie Kohnen, University of Florida

• E. Wendy Saul, University of Missouri

• Danling Fu, University of Florida