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Patrick Nobby

RDG Reflection 1

Arizona State University

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Literacy as a whole is a rather nebulous topic, with a myriad of definitions and meanings

attributed to the word. At the most basic level, it is common knowledge that literacy means the

ability to read and write, but once someone has applied the word to a specific field or content

area, the meaning can change drastically to fit the application.

Starting first with the time period as a frame of view, literacy within the 21st century takes

on a different definition. According to the National Council of Teachers of English, “as society

and technology change, so does literacy. The world demands that a literate person possess and

intentionally apply a wide range of skills, competencies, and dispositions. These literacies are

interconnected, dynamic, and malleable” (Definition). Literacy in the modern era is a set of skills

rather than the simple ability to read.

Disciplinary literacy, then, goes beyond this set of skills into another set that is specific to

the content field in question, whether that be math, history, or another. Going into my own

subject field of history and social studies, I have long held the belief that the field is meant to

teach skills like research and critical thinking, rather than information recall. The ideas of content

literacy are similar and uphold this philosophy well. According to International Literacy

Association, content literacy is meant to teach skills. They give an example for history, which is

“High school students use primary and secondary sources to explain why and how Trump-era

nationalism gained prominence in the United States” (International). This practice prompt

showcases the exact skills content area literacy postulates on for their ability to learn. The

importance of teaching, then, is rather simplistic in that it is important for modern students to

learn the skills necessary to thrive in a modern society, content area literacy being the method

through which they are taught. Ramona Chauvin and Kathleen Theodore conclude a similar
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statement with “our increasingly complex workforce and society demand that students have

disciplinary literacy skills” (Chauvin).

Finally moving on from content literacy, there are a myriad of issues faced by students

and educators in special education (not to mention chronic lack of funding). Specifically one of

the main problems is educators refusing to see beyond a student’s disability, and see it as a

problem, rather than something to be worked with. A DSE approach offers the opposite. “Thus,

instead of thinking how to ’fix’ a struggling student, a DSE approach involves not only being

with the students with disabilities but also working with the disabilities” (Collins). This yields a

far better result than the norm.

So the first set of modules covered a wide range of literacy types and how to teach and

utilize them, all for the betterment of our students. They are all highly useful, and necessary for

our future as educators.

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Citations

NA. “Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age.” NCTE, NCTE, 7 Nov. 2019,

ncte.org/statement/nctes-definition-literacy-digital-age/.

International Literacy Association. (2019). Engagement and adolescent literacy [Position

statement and research brief]. Newark, DE: Author.

Chauvin, Ramona, and Kathleen Theodore. “Teaching Content-Area Literacy and Disciplinary

Literacy.” Sedl, SEDL Insights, 2015.

Collins, K., & Ferri, B. (2016). Literacy Education and Disability Studies: Reenvisioning

Struggling Students. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 60(1), 7-12. Retrieved

September 20, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/44011343