So What?

So What?

Adams, A. E., & Pegg, J. (2012). Teachers' Enactment of Content Literacy Strategies in Secondary Science and Mathematics Classes. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 56(2), 151-161.

Purpose:  Adams and Pegg want to illustrate how effective strategies and modifications can improve student literacy in the mathematics and science contents.

What was studied/discussed:  They studied the ways in which teachers incorporate content literacy strategies into their instruction.  The 26 teachers for this study were taken from “high-needs” (pg. 153) schools and taught math and/or science in grades ranging from 6-12.  The teachers participated in workshops and classes pertaining to content literacy, literacy strategies, and “tools to support student construction of content understanding” (pg 153).  The teachers then were observed, their lesson plans evaluated, and asked to reflect on their experiences.  The teacher reflections and discussions were used to “triangulate” (pg. 154) the data collected.

Important terms:  Rehearsal, Reorganization, and Transitional; literacy strategies; Frayer Model;  VVWA (Verbal Visual Word Association)

Results:  All of the teachers incorporated the strategies they learned into their lessons, but they did so in differing manners.  Adams and Pegg found that the teachers were enacting these strategies in either rehearsal, reorganizational, or transitional manners.  The observations also shed light on the modifications of the strategies that each teacher enacted.  Many of the teachers modified the strategies so that they “aligned with their instructional goals and current practices” (pg 158), which resulted in minimal conflict between strategies.  The modifications often resulted in helpful strategies for students.  However, there was not enough data to suggest that the modifications of the tools were used “in ways that enhance student learning” (pg 159).

So What? :  The study may not have come to a clear conclusion on whether the literacy-instructional adaptations are truly helpful, but there are many aspects that would certainly be beneficial for our students.  The article details the Rehearsal, Reorganization, and Transitional approaches to literacy strategies, and I really like them.  I think utilizing aspects of each approach in our math and science classes would most certainly enhance student learning.  The saying goes, “everything is good in moderation,” so what is considered moderation when adapting these approaches for instructional purposes? 

            The rehearsal and reorganizational approaches contain strategies that help students in three phases of the class:  writing, reading, and vocabulary, with emphasis being placed on the writing and vocabulary.  Mathematics education hinges on how well students reproduce the information they have learned and how well they understand the concepts and terms.  We must be able to utilize both approaches, passive and active, and blend them so that our students are challenged and learn from those challenges.  How do we balance between the two differing approaches, so that we are not monotonous to our students?

How can we use these approaches in the near future?  The reorganizational approach is everywhere in Common Core.  Our students are being asked to discuss their knowledge with one another.  This would certainly engage the students, and help them to “construct meaning” and “draw on background knowledge” (pg 158).  The students would be active in their learning, rather than sitting back and memorizing (i.e. rehearsal approach).  The reorganizational approach also promotes technology, which is ever-growing in our society.

How do we attain success?  These approaches are highly adaptable, which is the point of the article.  Teachers must be able to modify the approaches in order to align the goals of the strategy with the goals of the instruction.  The approaches should be modified with goals in mind and incorporated with our student’s knowledge for maximum effectiveness.  And only then can we utilize the tools in ways that genuinely enhance student understanding.