Holly Johnson

What It Is They Do: Differentiating Knowledge and Literacy Practices Across Content Disciplines

This study addresses the gap that exists between literacy educators’ knowledge of content disciplines and the literacy strategies often suggested for use in content classrooms. The authors worked with disciplinary experts in mathematics and geography to understand the differences that exist in their conceptions of the disciplines and what it means to be literate in them. Study results were categorized into themes, which include “major understandings of the field,” “literacy in the discipline,” and “practice of the discipline.” Further subcategories include texts used in the discipline; the types of strategies used to become literate in the discipline, and the types of questions addressed within the discipline. Implications for teachers and teacher candidates are also addressed.

The Right Tools for the Job: What’s the Role of Literacy in STEM Initiatives?

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines have the potential to advance secondary school knowledge and education beyond the borders of what is currently known or was believed could be possible. Projects that provide opportunities for interdisciplinary work that cross all the STEM disciplines are especially fruitful, yet knowledge is often taught in isolation, without consultation of how multiple disciplines are needed to create new understandings of the world. There are strategies and skills that might be utilized for bringing these disciplines together, especially in respect to inquiry and discovery. “Tools” of discovery and inquiry are frequently referred to as literacy tools that include reading, writing, viewing, and visually representing. Tools of communication also include speaking and listening. Regardless of the STEM discipline, these literacy tools can hold the STEM disciplines together within particular initiatives.