Lessons Learned

Abstract

This paper describes a case study of how a middle school literacy coach and a science teacher attempted to improve disciplinary literacy teaching in a sixth‐grade science class. The collaborative inquiry exposed the disciplinary knowledge gap of the literacy coach (a former language arts teacher) and the science teacher's limited knowledge of literacy instruction. These shared disciplinary knowledge gaps necessitated the co‐construction of collaborative practices to ameliorate the tension and improve disciplinary literacy instruction. Through a recognition of individual knowledge and the use of responsive disciplinary teaching, the participants created collaborative symbiosis. To improve disciplinary literacy teaching, schools should recognize teacher disciplinary knowledge and expand participation in discipline‐specific collaborative inquiry.

Foregrounding Collaboration in Disciplinary Literacy: Implications From JAAL, 2008–2017

“…For example, Warren (2013) wrote, As Moje described it, disciplinary literacy is "a matter of teaching students how the disciplines are different from one another, how acts of inquiry produce knowledge and multiple representational forms…, as well as how those disciplinary differences are socially constructed" (p. 103). (p. 392) Similarly, the articles reviewed indicate that disciplines are distinct and that disciplinary literacy focuses on the habits of mind used by disciplines (e.g., Warren, 2013;Wilder & Herro, 2016). However, Warren went on to wonder what role English language arts (ELA) teachers and literacy faculty will play in facilitating disciplinary literacy programs and suggested that they should collaborate with math, social studies, and science educators to emphasize rhetorical reading as a practice that most disciplines employ.…”

“…The possible solution the two authors proposed is to "create and sustain equal, productive collaboration" (p. 629) in which both parties enter the partnership with shared goals and engage in joint planning, teaching, and assessment. Wilder and Herro (2016) offered an example of such a collaboration between a science teacher and a literacy coach who worked together to develop knowledge of disciplinary literacy and to teach from a disciplinary literacy perspective. Authors also maintained that literacy faculty can help content area teachers (a) develop, select, or modify generic content area strategies/practices that will help students learn disciplinary literacy (Brozo et al, 2013;Siebert et al, 2016;Warren, 2013), and (b) "figure out how to plan instruction that includes not only textbooks but the types of texts that are part of the discipline, and to let those texts dictate what discipline-based literate practices are taught" (Hynd- Shanahan, 2013, p. 96).…”

“…First, there are tensions due to the uneasiness of the new roles that both content area teachers and literacy faculty are asked to play to support disciplinary literacy instruction. In some articles, content area teachers are positioned as passive (Gilles et al, 2016), unknowledgeable, and in need of assistance, whereas others (e.g., literacy faculty) are labeled as experts (Wilder & Herro, 2016). Dean (2016) acknowledged this and offered an example of how content area teachers are an important part of the team:…”

“…I have found that the key to doing this successfully with…teachers is that I value their content expertise and build positive relationships. (p. 652) In contrast, literacy faculty are said to lack knowledge of discipline literacies and pedagogies (Ford-Connors et al, 2015;Wilder & Herro, 2016) and lack the needed experience in teaching for disciplinary literacies to collaborate with content area teachers effectively (Ford-Connors et al, 2015;Goss et al, 2016;Wilder & Herro, 2016). As a result, literacy faculty are viewed as unwelcomed, "marginalized disciplinary outsiders" (e.g., Fang & Coatoam, 2013;Hynd-Shanahan, 2013;Siebert et al, 2016).…”

Literacy Coaching With Teachers of Adolescent English Learners: Agency, Sustainability, and Transformation for Equity

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When both members of a coaching dyad are professional educators possessing unique expertise, the potential of bidirectional learning can be realized (Wilder & Herro, 2016). In the state in which this study took place, those certified to teach ELs take courses in linguistics, language acquisition, grammar, culture, and literacy and

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