Reading With Others in Mind: What Are the Content Knowledge Demands of Teaching the Reading of Literature?

• In Event: How Can We Improve Literacy Education?

Abstract

Content knowledge is necessary but not sufficient for teaching, which requires “more” and “different” knowledge (SCK, Ball, Thames, & Phelps, 2008). SCK has been conceptualized, measured, and linked to achievement (Hill, Ball, & Rowan, 2005). This study contributes to theory of SCK for teaching literature by examining pre-service English teachers’ reading before, during, and after student teaching, a period of learning to “read for teaching” (Alston & Barker, 2014). Participants begin to demonstrate the practices of "reading with others in mind" (ROM): (1) anticipating student engagement, (2) offering meta-commentary, and (3) talking with "students" about text. ROM may be useful for guiding teacher development and interrupting deficit mindsets that can surface when reading with "others" in mind.

Author

• Annie Blais, Ann Arbor Public Schools