Centering Disciplinary Literacies on Student Consciousness: A Tanzanian Case Study

Abstract

In 2008, Moje pondered responsive literacy teaching to what end, before arguing that disciplinary literacy should provide the answer in secondary school classrooms. Since then, research into literacy within school disciplines has foregrounded the reading, writing, and reasoning of experts within disciplines while backgrounding (or ignoring) worthy problems and student dignity. Using the case study of Neema, a 16‐year‐old Tanzanian student, the authors seek to humanize and pragmatize the answer to Moje’s question, suggesting that disciplinary literacies and responsive pedagogy should be the means to a vital end: the elevated consciousness of students. Only when teaching supports how students develop greater consciousness of their presence in the world and of their inherent worth can teaching be considered responsive.

Scientific Literacy in Human Sciences: Towards a Dialogue

“…This is a challenging issue for critical literacy in human sciences. With it in scope, Wilder and Msseemmaa (2019) begin their reflection by saying that all students deserve educational practices that offer texts and reflections that help them deepen their awareness of mechanisms of oppression and inequalities, and that scientific literacy is a fruitful avenue for this. The study follows a young secondary school student in Tanzania to observe the possibilities of awareness raising from practices oriented towards this.…”

What’s Hot in Literacy: New Topics and New Frontiers are Abuzz

“…The non-academic literacies not learned in school and funds of knowledge acquired must be appreciated and increasingly leveraged. TD Wolsey (personal communication, June 2, 2020) expressed how he learns from his students and sees them as the experts, echoing Wilder and Msseemmaa's (2019) critical questioning of whose knowledge do we value and/ or view as expertise in disciplinary literacy spaces. Sentiments like "What could you possibly learn from us?"…”