Disciplinary Literacy in Action: How to Create and Sustain a School-Wide Culture of Deep Reading, Writing, and Thinking

by ReLeah Cossett Lent, Marsha McCracken Voigt

Overview

You wouldn’t tell a heart surgeon to also do pediatrics—so why would we tell content area educators they must “do” literacy? Math, history, English and science teachers are passionate about their specialties, and that’s why authors Releah Lent and Marsha Voight designed a framework that keeps teachers’ subjects at the center of daily classroom life while also helping them pool strengths with colleagues. Based on years of successful implementation, this powerful PL cycle “drops in” seamlessly to any school setting, so teachers schoolwide take on innovative practices of reading, writing, thinking, and doing within their areas of expertise.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781544317472
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	10/01/2018
Series:	Corwin Literacy
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Re Leah Cossett Lent is an international consultant known for speaking, writing, and providing workshops on various topics ranging from literacy to leadership teams. She was previously a middle and high school English, Social Studies, and Journalism teacher before becoming a founding member of a state-wide literacy project at the University of Central Florida. There, she contributed to developing Florida's Reading Endorsement courses and coordinated literacy leadership teams statewide. Her most impactful work stems from multi-day residencies in schools, districts, and consortiums, where she has created numerous professional learning initiatives with positive results in student achievement and teacher leadership. An advocate for student ownership and active learning, Re Leah emphasizes powerful collective efficacy as teacher teams engage in problem solving. She has been recognized with several awards, including intellectual freedom awards from the National Council of Teachers of English and The American Library Association, the PEN First Amendment Award, and the Florida Council of Teachers of English (FCTE) President's Award for her "significant contributions to the teachings of English in State of Florida. "

Marsha Voigt has 30 years of experience as a diagnostician and teacher, working with kindergarten through college-age students who struggled with literacy. She now focuses on professional development and serves as a consultant and literacy coach. In their article, “Growing Leaders from Within,” she and Re Leah describe their first year of working together to facilitate a truly collaborative literacy learning community.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
INTRODUCTION
What to Expect From This Book
CHAPTER 1: DISCIPLINARY LITERACY AND COLLABORATIVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: A PARTNERSHIP THAT WORKS
Literacy Initiatives and PLCs: What Went Wrong?
Collaborative Disciplinary Literacy Learning: A Story of Success
Meet Our Disciplinary Literacy Learning Community
Benefits of Collaborative Disciplinary Literacy Professional Learning
Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
Resources for Continued Learning
CHAPTER 2: UNLOCKING DISCIPLINARY LITERACY
What Is Literacy in the 21st Century?
Content Area Literacy Versus Disciplinary Literacy
Disciplinary Literacy Instruction in Action
Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
Resources for Continued Learning
HOW TO CREATE A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY LITERACY
CHAPTER 3: CREATING A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY READING
Why Read in Every Discipline?
Wide Reading in All Disciplines: There’s No Downside
Reading Strategies: When and How
Vocabulary: The Key to All Content Reading
Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
Resources for Continued Learning
CHAPTER 4: CREATING A SCHOOLWIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY WRITING
Exploring Disciplinary Writing
Writing to Learn in the Discipline Areas
Following the Pros: Disciplinary Mentor Texts
Feedback: From Master to Apprentice
Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
Resources for Continued Learning
CHAPTER 5: CREATING A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY THINKING
Learning to Think in Disciplinary Ways
Curiosity Drives Disciplinary Thinking
Students and Teachers: Thinking Like Insiders Together
Making Disciplinary Thinking Visible
Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
Resources for Continued Learning
HOW TO SUSTAIN A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY LITERACY
CHAPTER 6: BUILDING DISCIPLINARY LITERACY (DL) LEARNING COMMUNITIES
The Problem With PLCs
Fixing the Problem Through DL Learning Communities
Tips for Creating Interdisciplinary
Common Subject Literacy Learning Communities
The All-Important First Meeting
Supporting DL Learning Communities
Moving Toward Collective Efficacy
Sustaining DL Learning Communities
Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
Resources for Continued Learning
CHAPTER 7: WHAT MATTERS MOST IN A DISCIPLINARY LITERACY (DL) LEARNING COMMUNITY
Collective Inquiry
Autonomy and Authority
Meaningful Collaboration
Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
Resources for Continued Learning
CHAPTER 8: FROM TEACHER LEARNER TO TEACHER LEADER
Disciplinary Literacy Develops Deep Leadership
Disciplinary Literacy Leadership Roles
The Power of Disciplinary Literacy Leadership
Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
Resources for Continued Learning
CHAPTER 9: LEADING THE DISCIPLINARY LITERACY CHARGE
Administrative Leaders as Learners
Disciplinary Literacy Coaching: The Glue That Holds It All Together
Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
Resources for Continued Learning
Coda
Appendix A: Disciplinary Literacy in English Language Arts
Appendix B: Disciplinary Literacy in Math
Appendix C: Disciplinary Literacy in Science
Appendix D: Disciplinary Literacy in Social Studies
Appendix E: Disciplinary Literacy in Art
Appendix F: Disciplinary Literacy in a World Language
Appendix G: Disciplinary Literacy in Health
Appendix H: Disciplinary Literacy in Music
Appendix I: Technology or Digital Literacy
Appendix J: Disciplinary Literacy in Physical Education
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

Disciplinary literacy, argue Lent and Voigt, is a process rather than a product. You don't check disciplinary literacy off your to-do list — you engage in it daily, pursuing its paths toward the long-term flourishing of all of our kids. If there is more important work than this, I can't think of what it is. I can't imagine a better or more capable guide for the deep and practical exploration of this work than Disciplinary Literacy in Action. Each page shines with wisdom and research, and every chapter is rooted in what actually goes on in schools. I expect that teachers, teams, and administrators will turn this into a well-worn text.”

Dave Stuart

Much of the professional literature has focused on what disciplinary literacy entails; this valuable contribution explores how it can be implemented in complex school settings. The authors articulate a fresh examination of disciplinary literacy through the lens of professional learning communities. They bring an experienced and savvy perspective to the promises and pitfalls of PLCs and especially appreciated are the teacher voices interspersed throughout the discussion that illuminate collective inquiry and meaningful collaboration in action. This book is a welcome resource that will resonate with teachers and school literacy leaders.”

Doug Buehl

“Disciplinary Literacy in Action provides a balanced, timely, and instructive approach to solving complex problems of practice related to disciplinary literacy. The authors harnesses the power of collaborative dialogue, problem-solving, and reflection and provide authentic, discipline-specific guidance to teachers and leaders about the skills required in reading, writing, and thinking in all content areas. This book provides content area teachers and school leaders with relevant tools about how to structure and use professional learning communities to support classroom-based and school-wide disciplinary literacy efforts. Lent and Voigt honor the role of the content area teachers in making informed decisions about the literacies of their discipline, invite the reader to listen in content area teaching and student learning, and present a call to action about the power of disciplinary professional learning communities to impact teacher, student, and school success.”

Vicky Zygouris-Coe

Disciplinary Literacy in Action is a ‘must have’ resource for all Junior and Senior High Schools. Rich with suggestions, this ‘how–to’ for implementing disciplinary literacy immerses the reader in teacher experiences that paint a picture of how transformative this approach can be. With their call to action that “it is no longer enough for students to memorize material and call it learning”, this book offers guidance on how to sustain a disciplinary literacy culture within an entire school and district. The authors deliver an open invitation to teacher to engage students in content learning as experts do.”

Kim Tackaberry

Disciplinary Literacy in Action by Re Leah Lent and Marsha Voigt offers both practical advice and keen insights about how to engage learners in authentic and meaningful ways across the disciplines. The authors answer the critical question: How do we ensure our students develop the necessary literacy tools to be successful in discipline-specific ways? With the clarity of real examples, readers will find themselves inspired by a blueprint to ensure all students are well prepared for a world that awaits them.”

Judy Wallis

In this detailed and delightful book, Re Leah Lent and Marsha Voigt harness the science of learning into crystal-clear signposts for getting students to read and write, think and problem solve in the ways that mathematicians, foreign language learners, historians, or artists do. A must-read for transformative action in teacher-scholars of all academic disciplines, this book will change how you think about your content area, and how you teach it!”

Wendy Ostroff

In the book This Is Disciplinary Literacy, Re Leah Lent supported English teachers and content area teachers alike with strong rationale and concrete practices for reading, writing, inquiry, and collaboration across the disciplines. Lent’s new book with Marsha Voigt, Disciplinary Literacy in Action, is the next step. This book can serve as manual for individuals and school teams who want to gain even more traction and build a culture of literacy learning and leadership. Learning from hours on site with leaders, teachers, and students who have developed communities of literacy learning, Lent and Voigt share moves that can serve as an apprenticeship for practitioners.”

Lynn Angus Ramos

Lent and Voight’s Disciplinary Literacy in Action is an invigorating tonic for all educators interested in improving instruction and learning. By highlighting the intersectionality of disciplinary learning, literacy acquisition, and professional learning, the authors provide readers with a critical framework to improve instruction that serves as a foundation to prepare students for college, career, and citizenship. Peppered with visual and narrative examples of effective and efficient learning environments, the text can easily be employed to support the professional learning experiences of pre-service, novice, and experienced teachers.”

Enrique A. Puig