Secondary Instruction: Does Literacy Fit In?

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to answer the question, Does literacy fit into content instruction in high school classrooms? Information obtained from research with inservice, beginning, and preservice secondary teachers regarding the role of literacy in teaching is reported along with an overview of how teacher education programs address this subject. Implications of the findings from these studies for teaching is discussed. Introduction As we shift into an information-oriented society, literacy expectations for high school graduates are changing. The complexity of choosing instructional strategies becomes more challenging each year for secondary teachers. Are we providing the kinds of learning experiences that will best prepare students to be productive successful citizens in a society rich in literacy events? Though literacy competencies for high school students differ from those for elementary students, there is a need for continued development in the areas of reading, writing, reasoning, and communication. Purpose Approaches to help adolescents learn from text should reflect their individuality and their contributions to the learning environment. Tierney and Pearson (1994a, p. 517) explain that students need activities that will help them explore, discover, and think critically while they are searching for content that they can use to serve their personal informational goals. The purpose of this paper is to answer the question, Does literacy fit into content instruction in high school classrooms? Information obtained from research with inservice, beginning, and preservice secondary teachers regarding the role of literacy in teaching is reported along with an overview of how teacher education programs address this subject. Implications of the findings from these studies for teaching is discussed. A Changing World Schools have been placed in a position to address problems such as drug abuse, teen pregnancy, and violence because such issues are reality for adolescents today. Students' diverse situations outside the classroom along with their maturity levels, interests, and attitudes are factors that influence lesson planning. Teaching students to read critically in our culturally diverse society has become a predominant concern for education in the United States (Readence, Bean, & Baldwin, 1998; Alvermann & Phelps, 1994). Higher levels of literacy competencies become more and more basic for our young people to become successful in today's society. Definitions for effective teaching change and broaden as teachers prepare students to be literate, independent learners in a changing world. The rationale for including literacy instruction in middle school and high school teacher education programs consistently refers to the importance of proficiency in literacy for individuals to meet the demands of daily living (Brozo & Simpson, 1995; Herber & Herber, 1993; Readence et al., 1998). In a majority of the states, teacher certification requirements include reading education for secondary preservice teachers (Farrell & Cirrincione, 1984; O'Brien & Stewart, 1990) Issues dealing with literacy instruction in specific subject areas have been researched from several different pedagogical perspectives. While reading is considered to be connected with instruction as subject matter is presented Alvermann & Moore, 1991), many content area teachers fail to recognize the influence literacy instruction can have on learning in the classroom (Readence et al., 1998). Additionally, secondary teacher education instructors struggle with resistance to literacy instruction, mandated guidelines, and societal pressures on education to produce students with higher levels of competence in literacy abilities. What is Literacy Instruction ? Literacy instruction involves the incorporation of several components of literacy such as reading, writing, communicating, and listening into content teaching. …

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