This article looks at 19 studies and how they compare and contrast the teaching and
implementing of literacy education in pre-service and in-service educators. The article
looks at different views the in-service and pre-service teachers have in regards to
literacy education and whether or not they should/ do implement them in the
classroom. The results were varied amongst the studies. Although the results did point
to a positive correlation between the amount of time and depth studying literacy
education to a positive outlook on using what pre-service teachers learned in their
future classroom. I found this information to be honest and reflective of my experiences
in this class this fall. I came into the class excited for literacy because I know it is
important for students to be able to read well. Similarly to the article, I find that upon
this class coming to an end, I do not feel prepared to teach my future math students
literacy in the classroom. Also, my view on teaching literacy in the math classroom has
not changed. I have however learned that “texts” can be anything from a problem to an
image and thus this has broadened my horizons as to how I can interpret texts especially
in the science class. I find that this article and the studies featured in it were lacking in
longevity. I would like to know how teachers who had been in pre-service literacy classes
had implemented or not implemented their learning in their future classrooms. I would
have also liked to see more content specific statistics if there are any. Using literacy in the
classroom can be helpful to tie all subject areas together and for teachers to better
implement cross curricular studies. I found this article to be useful because it does help me
to see the relevance of this class in my education program. This article also suggests that
“they [teachers] may not know or realize how they contribute to the difficulties their
students face with reading text” (p. 407). I think this is a hard reality for math and science
teachers. I do believe our expectations are higher in these categories and we do not “dumb
down” the content like they would do in English. In math and science we have the same
expectations for all students and reading this sentence, makes me think that that may not
be the best strategy for helping all of my students succeed. This article does not address any
standards out rightly but I believe we can use the following standards in conjunction with
the article to relate the article to the math perspective:
implementing of literacy education in pre-service and in-service educators. The article
looks at different views the in-service and pre-service teachers have in regards to
literacy education and whether or not they should/ do implement them in the
classroom. The results were varied amongst the studies. Although the results did point
to a positive correlation between the amount of time and depth studying literacy
education to a positive outlook on using what pre-service teachers learned in their
future classroom. I found this information to be honest and reflective of my experiences
in this class this fall. I came into the class excited for literacy because I know it is
important for students to be able to read well. Similarly to the article, I find that upon
this class coming to an end, I do not feel prepared to teach my future math students
literacy in the classroom. Also, my view on teaching literacy in the math classroom has
not changed. I have however learned that “texts” can be anything from a problem to an
image and thus this has broadened my horizons as to how I can interpret texts especially
in the science class. I find that this article and the studies featured in it were lacking in
longevity. I would like to know how teachers who had been in pre-service literacy classes
had implemented or not implemented their learning in their future classrooms. I would
have also liked to see more content specific statistics if there are any. Using literacy in the
classroom can be helpful to tie all subject areas together and for teachers to better
implement cross curricular studies. I found this article to be useful because it does help me
to see the relevance of this class in my education program. This article also suggests that
“they [teachers] may not know or realize how they contribute to the difficulties their
students face with reading text” (p. 407). I think this is a hard reality for math and science
teachers. I do believe our expectations are higher in these categories and we do not “dumb
down” the content like they would do in English. In math and science we have the same
expectations for all students and reading this sentence, makes me think that that may not
be the best strategy for helping all of my students succeed. This article does not address any
standards out rightly but I believe we can use the following standards in conjunction with
the article to relate the article to the math perspective:
MGSE6.NS.7a Interpret statements of inequality as statements about the relative
position of two numbers on a number line diagram.
MGSE7.EE.4b Solve word problems leading to inequalities of the form 𝑝𝑥 + 𝑞 > 𝑟 or
𝑝𝑥 + 𝑞 < 𝑟, where 𝑝, 𝑞, and 𝑟 are specific rational numbers. Graph the solution set of the
inequality and interpret it in the context of the problem.
These standards relate the literacy trait of interpreting and understanding the words in math
problems. I believe these standards relate back to literacy and being able to understand what
the word problems are asking for and also be able to interpret them to make sense with the
mathematical content.
problems. I believe these standards relate back to literacy and being able to understand what
the word problems are asking for and also be able to interpret them to make sense with the
mathematical content.
Hi Brittany,
ReplyDeleteGood post. You make a good criticism of the article's limitation on giving useful suggestions. That, however, is appropriate for the content that the author outlined. One of the best parts of reading research is that it can lead you to other research. I recommend that you look through the citations for any articles that might help you find some answers. Also, find communities that discuss this type of stuff: go to math conferences and find literacy sessions, read math journals and look for literacy articles, find online discussion groups and look for literacy discussions, etc. Your time at the university is just the start to how you learn to be teacher, and you must find ways to grow well into your career.
I appreciate your honesty in expressing frustration with how to teach literacy in a math classroom. As expressed in the article, a class like this is a more generalized look at literacy because it has to be broad enough to work for Science, SS, and Math. I too wish that more focused content area literacy classes were taught.
Don't let that deter you. We have explored, practiced, and imagined a number of concrete practices this semester. While they may not be math-specific, I hope you give them a try. There is no such thing as panacea in teaching methods. It is up to us as teachers to learn strategies, adapt them to our classrooms and students, and experiment. So, look through the book, look through the parts of lesson that you and your groups have created in this class, and try them in the future.
On a personal note, you wrote, "I do believe our expectations are higher in these categories and we do not 'dumb down' the content like they would do in English." I am an English teacher. I never saw myself as dumbing down my curriculum for my students any more than you imagine dumbing down content in your hypothetical classroom or any more than I saw myself dumbing down literacy content for my undergrads. This is a divisive attitude to cary into you teaching career that may limit good relationships with fellow faculty. It is good to be intrigued by your content and proud of it, but you should not insult others'.