Professional Documents
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Unit 4 BENLAC A B
Unit 4 BENLAC A B
Introduction
What is literacy? What are the different types of literacies? All these questions have been
answered in the previous units whose answers will help you better understand your content
area and teaching your content across curriculum to your future learners focusing on its
significant areas and using the appropriate pedagogies and materials.
Unit 4 will help you acquire a better idea on how to become a teacher in the Enhanced Basic
Education Curriculum and later help your learners cope with the new literacies by knowing
the nature of teaching in the content areas and across curriculum. More specifically in this
unit, you will be able to understand teaching in the content area and across curriculum through
a study of the four areas of knowledge required from every teacher: knowledge of the content,
learner, pedagogy and materials.
To achieve the outcomes of the unit, you shall be given readings, activities and class
discussions to understand the concepts in every topic. You shall also be required to perform
inquiry activities to strengthen your learnings on the readings and discussions that shall be
given you.
Work with your teachers, with your classmates and with your materials along with other
stakeholders in curriculum development and become the best teacher in your content area and
across curriculum that you can be.
1. Explain the nature and importance of becoming a teacher in the content area or across
curriculum ;
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the content area, the learners, the content pedagogies and the
curriculum materials integrated with the new literacies across curriculum; and
3. Present a Review of Related Literature and Studies (RRLS) on building and enhancing the 21 st
century literacies as content area or in teaching the content area and teaching across
curriculum.
Activating Prior Learning
1. What was your favorite subject in both elementary and high school and why did it
become your favorite subject?
2. Who is your favorite teacher in any of the following subjects: English, Mathematics,
Science and Social Studies and why? To help you justify your answer, recall how your
favorite teacher demonstrate his/her knowledge of your lessons, understanding of your
needs and preferences in the classroom, methods and strategies of teaching and the
resource materials he/she used in teaching.
3. Choose a pair from your classmate with another favorite subject. Share each other’s
answers in nos. 1 and 2 paying attention to the similarities and contrasts to your answers.
Learning Objectives
Presentation of Contents
According to The Glossary of Education Reform (2013), content area refers to a defined
domain of knowledge and skill in an academic program and now used as a synonym
for subject or subject area among educators. It also refers to the discipline, major or field of
specialization.
Worldwide, the most common content areas in the basic education curriculum, elementary and
secondary, are English (or English language arts), Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies
(or now called Makabayan). In some cases based on DepEd Order No. 31, s. 2012
(www.teacherph.com/), traditional content areas are now combined or blended in the
Philippines K to 12 Curriculum such as:
humanities (typically a blend of English and social studies),
fine and performing arts (a blend of visual art, dance, music, and theater)
STEM (an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math).
In the undergraduate curriculum in higher education or tertiary level during the first years of
the 21st century, the content areas continued to consist of the following subjects based on
CMO-No.20-s2013 (https://ched.gov.ph/ ):
core courses (general education requirements)
major/specialization, and
electives.
The purpose of said curriculum, adopted by most institutions, has been to ensure breadth
through distribution requirements and depth through the major subjects. Such curriculum
design goes along with changes in the goals for learning – from emphasis on knowledge of
disciplinary facts and concepts (what students know) to broadly defined competencies (what
students are able to do with what they know) to ensure that graduates have the skills needed to
prepare them as professionals and in citizens in the twenty-first century.
In both the basic and higher education curricula, content areas are considered by academic
institutions as basis to organize knowledge as well as teaching and academic programming
where learning standards, standardized tests, academic teams, graduation requirements and
faculty departments are often organized according to the content areas.
Advantages to teachers:
On the teacher’s part, the benefits that follow are more than their difficulties:
collaboration with other teachers within and outside their discipline
fostering collegiality through cross-curricular planning because teachers can develop a
deeper appreciation of each other’s expertise
quality of the lessons and management of time and resources are efficiently maximized
where school heads can schedule professional learning communities during curriculum
days and ensure that teachers have opportunities to meet
Due to said advantages for the teachers, their talents are channeled to construct richer lessons
and to provide a high-quality education for students.
Advantages to learners:
Cross-curricular instruction offers the following advantages to students:
increased motivation
improvement of the learning process
genuine teamwork
pathways for further discoveries
Through interdisciplinary studies, students are able to collaborate with one another. Humans,
are social beings; therefore, positive interaction serves as enhancement for acquiring new
knowledge. Teamwork paves the way for new discoveries. It allows the students to share
realizations and new ideas. Group members can experience multiple viewpoints, which lead
to a better understanding of the material and human interaction. By keeping an open-mind,
students can learn to be adaptable—a pertinent skill to have before entering the workforce.
Becoming a Teacher in the Content Area or Across Curriculum
Congratulations for deciding to become a teacher in the 21st century. Your responsibilities as
future teacher are getting more difficult for knowledge will continue to expand. The
curriculum is enriched with more and more topics making teaching tend to adopt a swift pace
thus making learning superficial. In the end, both teachers and learners becoming jack of all
trades but masters of none is a frightening but could become a real scenario.
You have decided to become a teacher in your content area because you enjoy your content
area. Maybe, you are even passionate about it. You are a Language major in either English or
Filipino because you love to communicate in both spoken format as well as particular about
your grammar structure and interested in the literary arts. You are taking Mathematics
because you have interest in numbers, love to solve problems and find mathematics in your
everyday life. You are taking Science because you loved animals in your childhood and
probably became interested with stargazing and tree planting when you grew up into a
teenager. You are taking Social Studies for reading the current news on the papers or posted
on your social media and learning more about the political issues on television or radio are
some of your favorite pastime. You may either be in Technology and Livelihood or
Vocational Education
But more than being engrossed in your content area, you will want to communicate that
content to young people (your future learners). You will hope to interest them in applying
your content area in their everyday lives and probably to interest a few of them in pursuing the
subject as their career (Allan and Miller, 2005). However, as you help them be interested and
be competent in your content area, you need to teach across curriculum to help your students
prepare for the 21st century and on.
Recognizing the need for knowledge in subject matter and in teaching the subject matter
across curriculum, the Carnegie Commission (1986) states:
Teachers must think of themselves if they are able to help others think for themselves, be
able to act independently and collaborate with others and render critical judgement.
They must be people whose knowledge is wide-ranging and whose understanding runs
deep…. They must be able to learn all the time…. Teachers will not come to school
knowing all that they have to know, but knowing how to figure out what they need to
know, where to get it and how to get others make meaning out of it.
Both knowledge in your content area and students in your classes will continually change thus
your teaching also becomes a continuous career learning experience. You have begun learning
your content area subjects and other more subjects in your basic education and undergraduate
preparation, but even as you gain more experiences, you will have to continue learning in
these same areas and more.
Application
1. Read DepEd Order No. 31, s. 2012 and CMO-No.20-s2013 and tell what are the
subjects you find to be common for all level in the elementary, secondary and tertiary
education? Which subjects are considered content area subjects (to be written in Capital
letters) and which are not?
2. Still using DepEd Order No. 31, s. 2012 and CMO-No.20-s2013, what are the subjects
you find to be exclusive in every level? Which subjects are considered content area
subjects (to be written in Capital letters) and which are not?
3. Who of your teachers influenced you in your choice of major or specialization and why?
Specifically describe your teacher influencer and use the table below to present your
description.
Major/Specialization:
Description of My Teacher Influencer
Understanding the
Nature of the Learners
Teaching Strategies
Learning Tools
Use of Cross –
Curricular Instruction
(cite a sample use in
one of your specific
lesson)
4. While training to become a teacher in your content area and to teach across curriculum,
what major preparations are you doing in order to become an effective teacher in your
discipline/specialization? Briefly describe your preparations inside and outside the
classroom.
Preparations in Becoming an Effective Content Area Teacher and Teacher Across Curiculum
Inside the Classroom Outside the Classroom
Feedback
I. Choose the best answer to complete the statements that follow. (5)
1. The terms below tells about the meaning of content area EXCEPT ___.
a. curriculum b. discipline c. specialization d. subject area
2. The ___ recommends the content area subjects in the basic education curriculum.
a. CMO-No.20-s2013 c. DepEd Order No. 31, s. 2012
b. CMO-No.20-s2017 d. DepEd Order No. 43, s. 2002
3. In the Philippines and the world, the ___ are usually classified as content area subjects
EXCEPT___.
a. Social Studies b. Filipino c. Mathematics d. Science
4. When using cross-instructional learning, the BEST benefit to learners in becoming
people-smart is ___.
a. increased motivation c. improvement of the learning process
b. genuine teamwork d. pathways for further discoveries
5. The LEAST benefit of using cross-instructional learning to teachers is ___.
a. collaboration with other teachers within and outside their discipline
b. fostering collegiality with other teachers
c. developing a deeper appreciation of each other’s expertise among colleagues
d. quality of the lessons and management of time and resources
II. Tell whether the statements that follow are true or false. Write A if both statements are
True; B if both statements are False. C if the first statement is True and the second is False
while D if the first statement is False and the second is True. (10)
2. The body of knowledge that your teachers learned are the same with what you need to
learn now as pre-service teachers. Therefore, you have nothing to do but master what
your content area teachers teach you in order to become experts in your discipline.
4. In higher education, the content areas are the major subjects while other subjects are
either core subjects or electives according to DepEd Order No. 31, s. 2012 and even
the orders before and after it.. The subject Mathematics in the Modern World is a
content subject for Mathematics majors while Readings in Philippine History is for the
Social Science majors.
5. The traditional teaching of the content area used to only concentrate on the separate
teaching of the subjects or lessons in English, Mathematics, Science and Social
Science. Now, these content subjects are blended such as the cross-teaching of
Science, Technology, English and Mathematics or STEM.
III. Briefly explain your answer to the questions that follow in only a one paragraph essay.
Your answer, each item, will be graded with the following rubrics: 3 points for relevance of
content, 1 point for organization and 1 point for language use and writing mechanics. (10)
Questions:
1. What is your content area or field of specialization and how do you briefly describe it?
2. How would you synthesize the expectations from you in order to become a teacher in
your content area and across curriculum?
References:
Allan, Karen K. and Miller Margery S. (2005). Literacy and Learning in the Content Area,
Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Carnegie Commission Task Force. (1986). “A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st
Century”. Report of the Task Force on Teaching as a Profession. New York: Carnegie
Corporation.
CMO-No.20-s. 2013. General Education Curriculum: Holistic Understandings, Intellectual
and Civic Understanding. Retrieved from https://ched.gov.ph/.
DepEd Order No. 31, s. 2012. Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum. Retrieved from
https://www.teacherph.com/.
Meaning of ‘Content Area’ from The Glossary of Education Reform (2013). Retrieved from
https://www.edglossary.org/content-area
Learning Objectives
1. explain the significance and the relationship of the 4 contexts of teaching in the
content area and teaching across curriculum; and
2. evaluate a lesson plan using the four knowledge in teaching the content area and across
curriculum as basis; and
3. write a brief lesson plan in a content area taught across curriculum and enhancing the
traditional and new literacies.
Presentation of Contents
Philosophy matters.
Finally, you need to check your principles and values in life as a person and as a teacher. You
should also check on how you view your content area. Although you will have curriculum
mandates and standards to meet, the kind of values you have as a person along with how you
view your content area as a teacher will surely influence the ideas and concepts you will
teach, how you will teach the ideas and the intensity and quality of ideas you will impart to
and imprint in your learners. As future Science content teacher or a BTLEd major who is
anchored on humanism philosophy believes that the curriculum is after the process, not the
product and who focuses on personal needs, not on the subject matter and clarifies
psychological meanings and environmental situations considering learners’ as human beings
who are affected by their biology, culture and environment, you will require varied activities
for vegetable gardening. You will ask the learners where they live – rural or urban to help
them decide on methodologies, what are the vegetables they like eating to help them choose
what to plant and probably their economic status to help them do gardening as a hobby or as
added source of income.
Focus on who your students are in the classroom and even who they will be in the future.
Understanding their diversity in relation to their ethnicity, religion, language, socio-economic
status, gender and sexual orientations and even their special need will help you teach them
learn and understand your content. Considering the diversity in language of your students due
to their ethnicity, the use of their mother tongue is allowed in the kindergarten and in grades 1
to 3. However in grades 4 to 12, the English and Filipino languages are used separately (not in
combination where code-mixing or switching is always allowed) to teach content area subjects
as described in the Bilingual Policy of Education in the Philippines DepEd Order No. 52, S.
1987 (https://www.deped.gov.ph/). The policy states that teachers will only use Filipino in
Filipino subjects as well in Social Studies subject. But in the 21st Century curricula, all
teachers are English teachers and are as responsible as the language teachers in helping
learners learn the traditional and new literacies in both their content area and across
curriculum. Graduating in the secondary and college with proficiency in both Filipino and
English will greatly help your learners demonstrate understanding of their content area and
demonstrate literacy skills that will further help them become life smart.
When your learners’ schemata do not match the new body of knowledge or new literacy
skills, there is a possibility of learning difficulty or even inability to understand the content of
the lesson for them. Today, considering the schemata and preferences of our learners in
relation to their digital technology exposure will also help.
Be open to the fact that students will bring into your classroom learning strategies from
previous school, home and their community. The following strategies, says August and
Hakuta (1998) may be demonstrated by the students and are also influenced by their
diversities:
watch – then – do strategy
learn by trial – and error
cueing into the teacher’s questions
work in cooperative groups
work independently
It is generally expected that your learners, even in the pre – school demonstrate readiness to
learn, anxious to learn or simply resigned to learn. Here are the influences of motivations of
learners according to Schunk and Zimmerman (1997):
beliefs about themselves,
feedback from their peers and adults, and
past and present experiences.
Below is a matrix showing the generation of learners and some of their preferences adapted
from Gomez (2019) with modifications and which you can consider to have knowledge of
their schemata, strategies and motivations for learning:
You can also check on your learners’ Multiple Intelligences according to Howard Gardner at
https://www.verywellmind.com/, Learning Styles by Dun and Dun at
https://www.shmoop.com/, David Kolb’s Learning Style and Experiential Learning Cycle at
https://www.simplypsychology.org/ for further help.
Knowledge of Pedagogy
Pedagogy is often confused with curriculum. The latter defines what is being taught, while
pedagogy actually refers to the method on how we teach – the theory, style and practice of
educating. Read further on the topics teaching theory and teaching styles from Tes Editorial
(https://www.tes.com/).
Pedagogy is the relationship between learning techniques and culture and is determined
based on an educator’s beliefs about how learning should and does, take place (Persaud,
2019).
In bridging your content and your learners, you make instructional decisions, which may be
the same or not compared to other teachers’ decisions, about your teaching tools and learners’
activities that help support and enhance their learning. For example, not all teachers will
similarly teach ‘martial law’. An English teacher will use literary selections – poems, essays
and fiction – to portray the cruelties of martial law and those by the Marcos regime while a
Mathematics teacher may use the number of human rights violation such as the cases of the
‘desaperacidos’ or the death toll of missing people believed to have occurred during the
martial law and on. The Social Studies teachers will teach it as part of the political history of
the Philippines but will use different content pedagogy thus may teach it differently. One may
decide to picture Former Pres, Ferdinand Marcos as a hero of the ‘New Society’ while another
will picture him as the villain that caused persecution and illegal arrest of his political
opponents like Former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. and more. The Science teacher may look into
the substance in the ‘tear gas’ that the police used to disperse street demonstrators branded as
the anti – Marcos rallyists and discover its harmful effects as well as ways to help one to
avoid them.
Improvement of task behavior of learners and quality of work is achieved as the learners
take each task seriously after knowing the purpose of their task and understanding.
Students expand their knowledge base and understand how to use that knowledge in
authentic and relevant real-world scenarios and contexts, as well as connect concepts
from lessons with situations in their own lives and from their own cultural knowledge
allowing the student to reflect more objectively on new concepts, and open their minds
to different approaches.
All your efforts in choosing and using the appropriate pedagogy will not be in vain for below
are the benefits you can possibly get:
Teachers are able to develop multiple strategies to teach the same topic, understand and
identify the misconceptions students are likely to have. Ultimately teachers are better
equipped to teach, unteach and reteach.
Lessons are better planned for the use of appropriate pedagogy considering the learners’
culture and needs increases teacher reflection thus will not stop planning the lesson and
start including focused learning activities which are easier to understand for the learners
and more productive of the desired outcomes for the lesson.
Autonomy in the classroom is allowed and then built. Asking why strategies work will
lead to asking how a teacher can adopt the strategy which will eventually lead to
creating his/her own.
The opportunity for the process of action research is created and increased thus
providing teachers professional development. Rather than sharing anecdotes about your
teaching especially your use of appropriate pedagogies, you can share and discuss
objective data based analysis of the new things you are trying on your classroom.
1. Social Pedagogy
Social pedagogy suggests that education is critical to a student’s social development and
wellbeing, and thus must be understood broadly as a way to support a person’s growth
throughout his/her entire life. Thus, social and educational questions must be considered as
one, since students are, by nature, social beings. But they require education in order to
communicate effectively as such.
The way social pedagogy is approached can vary in different countries, and based on different
social and cultural traditions. In Germany, for example, educators typically view social
pedagogy in the same vein as social work. In Norway, the emphasis is on working with
children and young people.
2. Critical Pedagogy
To engage in critical pedagogy is to break down and deconstruct typical world views about
topics and learning. It often involves more critical theories, and even radical philosophies. The
goal is to continuously challenge learners to question their own thoughts and ideas, beliefs,
and practices, to think critically and gain a deeper understanding. Forget the dominant beliefs
and paradigms – try and figure out things on your own, and in your own way.
The best known popular example of a critical pedagogical method is in the movie Dead
Poets’ Society, where an English teacher challenges the typical methods of teaching, opting
for unorthodox methods to inspire his students to live more freely and ‘seize the day.’
However. You are encouraged to take extra care in the choice of a critical pedagogy and bear
in mind to always properly guide your learners in their analysis and conclusions.
An example of critical pedagogy
Educators can adopt critical pedagogies by asking learners to look for deep meaning and root
causes of everything from religion to war and politics; or to explore and analyze relationships
and issues of power within their own families. They might also look for underlying messages
or biases in popular culture and mass media.
4. Socratic Pedagogy
Following a more philosophical approach, Socratic pedagogy involves a process whereby
learners can develop their social and intellectual skills in order to live more actively as part of
a democratic society. Learners are encouraged to challenge traditional assumptions about
knowledge, look for alternatives, and create knowledge through their own thoughts and
experiences, as well as via meaningful dialogue with others. Thus, curriculum will often
involve collaborative and inquiry-based teaching and thinking as learners test established
ideas against others to open their minds and gain a deeper understanding of concepts.
5. Scientific Pedagogy
Pedagogy is an applied science. At the end of the 19th century, the development of such
scientific fields as sociology and psychology is accompanied by the emergence of pedagogy
viewed as a true science is not so much to describe or explain but instead to guide the process
of teaching and learning. It is a field of science, though not a fully-formed discipline, that
teaches educators how to teach. Today, the debate on whether pedagogy is an art or a science
is no longer necessary. Pedagogy is an applied science geared towards the practical
application of acquired knowledge without ignoring its theoretical side which make it truly
scientific.
Examples of scientific pedagogy
Pedagogies are scientific because they are said to be anchored on theories. The most common
examples of these are the following from Vellas (2020), retieved from
https://lepole.education/:
Behaviourism
A behaviourism pedagogical approach would say learning is teacher centered. It would
advocate the use of direct instruction, and lecture based lessons.
Constructivism
Constructivism is a theory that people learn through experiences and reflection and puts the
learner at the center of the learning and is sometimes called ‘invisible pedagogy’. A
constructivist approach would incorporate project work, inquiry based learning, and might
adopt a Montessori or Steiner method.
Social Constructivism
A Social Constructivism pedagogy could be considered to be a blend of two priorities:
teacher guided and learner centered. Cognitive psychologist, Lev Vygotsky developed
social constructivism, building on the work of Piaget, but argued against the ideas of Piaget
that learning could only happen in its social context, and believed that learning was a
collaborative process between learner and teacher.
The use of social constructivism in the classroom requires you to use group work elements,
but would use smaller group sizes, and limit the choice in topics. You might also use
teacher modelling, questioning, and a mixture of individual, pair, and whole class
instruction.
Liberationism
Liberationism is a critical pedagogy developed by the Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire, the
Director of the Department of Education, and developed an approach of teaching where he
was able to teach illiterate adults to read in just 45 days. Freire focussed on removing the
two barriers to learning: poverty and hunger. Freire was then imprisoned following a
military coup. Once he was released, he wrote a book called Pedagogy of the Oppressed
where Freire wrote about the dehumanisation of learnerss in schools, and argued for
cooperation and unity.
When you use liberationist approach in the classroom, you place the learner’s at the center
creating a democratic classroom. You become a learner yourself and discover the content
subjects together with your class.
Be mindful of interacting with learners in a way that you respects their preferences for
speaking and communication. This might include monitoring for cues like wait time between
talking in a conversation, eye contact, spotlighting, and more. Use real-world experiences to
demonstrate abstract concepts, and link them back to everyday experiences to which learners
can relate and design activities that involve students and their communities, and that will be
meaningful to them.
Once you have created your own pedagogical process for basic education and higher
education, develop course material and activities that are challenging for the learners and that
will assist them in their cognitive development ensuring that they advance their understanding
of concepts to higher levels. With a clear understanding of your pedagogy, your learners will
follow your instruction and feedback clearly and will know what they need to do and how to
do it encouraging a healthy dialogue between you and your students, as well as among
students themselves.
Real-world scenarios and cultural differences are being taken into account, allowing learners
new ways to acquire, construct, and organize their learning. Pedagogy is shifting focus
beyond basic memorization and application of simple procedures to aiding learners in higher-
order learning, including critical thinking skills, effective communication, and greater
autonomy.
Online learning
In a world where new media has taken a significant role in teaching and learning, any modern
pedagogy much account for learners finding, analyzing and applying knowledge from a
growing number of constantly changing sources. This requires higher-order skills like critical
thinking and the ability to learn more independently, as well as in larger groups, both in
person and online.
Learners must be comfortable using technology to help them learn, and to access, share, and
create useful information and gain better fluency in a subject. You can use technology to
enhance course materials and further support their pedagogies through blended learning that
combines classrooms with online teaching, flipped classrooms that provide materials students
can access after class, like videos, lecture notes, quizzes, and further readings, and overall
wider access to sources and experts online.
You can integrate new forms of technology to teach, like videos, animations, and simulations
through sources like YouTube channels, iTunes University, clickers, and more. Even modern
textbooks can incorporate content like video and audio clips, animations, and rich graphics
that learners can access and annotate. All of these content enhance the experience for learners,
and particularly benefits learners who are struggling. It can also reduce spending, since
learners have plenty of valuable, real-time updated information at their fingertips for free.
Social media, meanwhile, allows learners to develop communities to share experiences,
discuss theories, and learn from one another. You can interact with students beyond the
confines of the classroom, too.
Personalizing pedagogies
It is critical that what you are teaching learners that which is relevant and meaningful and
personalized to their experiences. The increase in non-formal, self-directed learning methods
means that learners have more access to over all information. It makes it easier for you to
track their learning through digital activities, but also requires more attention in guiding them
to the right sources, adjustment of lecture contents and approaches based on online activity,
and collaboration.
In the latest forms of pedagogy, there is a power share between you and your learner. They
can learn more on their own versus only following a set course, lectures, and textbooks from
you. And in many cases, learners thrive, while educators can use lecture time more effectively
for discussion and collaborative work.
The educator, then, becomes a critical guide and assessor for students, linking them to
accepted sources of information and emphasizing the importance of accreditation. They are no
longer the only source of information, delivered in chunks via lectures. And this requires an
overhaul of the strategy towards how student learning is achieved, monitored, and assessed.
Pedagogies are constantly evolving. You can develop your own, inspired by common ones
and modified for 21st-century learning. A pedagogy must fit your audience, and focus on
helping students develop an understanding of the material beyond basic memorization and
surface knowledge. Students should be able to relate concepts back to the real world, and even
their own lives.
Taking all of these into consideration makes for a great recipe for a successful pedagogical
approach. The more aware you are of the way you are teaching, the better you will understand
what works best for your learners.
Definition of materials
The terms materials or resources are used to mean all objects used to carry out your lesson
and one aspect of content pedagogy is learning about curriculum materials. The availability of
materials is often a deciding factor on how to teach or even on whether to teach a topic at all.
Teachers are always in search for a more current article, a more accessible primary source or a
new author that will better support the teaching and learning process. As beginning teachers,
you may probably rely on textbooks but you are encouraged to use other sources such as
library books, journals, researches, primary sources like interviews and on-line texts, audios
and videos.
They will gain more in-depth knowledge because they have read widely;
They will remember concepts and important vocabulary because they have met them
repeatedly in different contexts;
They will have an opportunity to explore and practice a variety of literacies strategies as
they learn from different types of texts;
They will learn that they can express their own ideas in a variety of texts; and
They will recognize that authors write for a variety of topics and audiences and they
could too.
Types of texts
Textbooks
Textbooks are usually considered by university and college professors as suitable major
sources of content for most discipline which may have also been the case in your pre-service
education. Getting to know the content in most disciplines through the textbooks is
acknowledged. But remember that textbooks are designed to survey content and present a
synthesis of information thus may present the content with incomplete and static view.
Therefore as a future teacher, you are encouraged to appreciate the coverage and organization
of content provided in your textbooks with a more in-depth analysis and supplement lacking
and/or additional information from other resources.
Trade books
Trade books are composed of fiction, nonfiction or informational books and picture books.
Your aim in the use of a trade book is to entice your learners to read and in the end learn about
the subject/course as well as other facts across other contents. If you are a Science teacher
whose lesson is Astronomy, you can use The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury to achieve
the purpose of using trade books. The book will teach them the content and at the same time
enjoy the strange and wonderful tale of man’s experiences in Mars, filled with intense images
and astonishing visions (https://www.goodreads.com/).
The use of nonfiction books , another type of trade books, is also advantageous because they
provide full discussion of topics and give learners exposure to important content-vocabulary.
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly can be used for Mathematics. This is a nonfiction
for high school students who can enjoy and can dive deeper into the true story of African-
American women whose calculation helped launch NASA astronauts into space. For younger
learners, there’s a young readers’ edition and a picture book version
(https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/54983/10).
Electronic texts
Electronic texts are trade books and other texts in multi-media format and supported by
technology. Electronic environment fosters real opportunities for learners to engage in
meaningful research and inquiry and in interactive and captivating communication situations.
The varied needs of your learners are addressed by audio, video and graphic parts that stand
alone or that accompany the content are parts of hypermedia and multimedia environments.
The many sites are connected to many other links that would explain further the concepts that
your learners need. Further, the learners, according to Wepner, Valmont and Thurlow (2000),
are able to control their own learning pace and the format of the electronic text compared to
printed text. They also pointed out that teachers are able to make adaptations based on their
learners’ needs.
Some of the samples for electronic teaching and learning materials include the following sites:
PBS Learning Media (inspiring collection of free multimedia resources that were
specially made for classroom use)
National Geographic Education: Photos & Videos (outstanding database of engaging
photos and videos that are related to social studies)
Library of Congress (one of the world’s largest collection of online digital resources)
Smithsonian Learning Lab (a treasure trove of Smithsonian resources)
Project Gutenberg (Internet's oldest and one of the largest provider of free electronic
books and classic or unknown texts in many different languages to read on your PC,
Kindle, Sony Reader, iPhone and Macintosh computers too)
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (a public voice of mathematics
education supporting teachers to ensure equitable mathematics learning of the highest
quality for all students through vision, leadership, professional development and
research)
Grolier’s Multimedia Encyclopedia (provide an in depth discussion of a variety of
topics that correspond to many national and international standards of discipline)
However, many learners now tend to excessive and unnecessary use of the Internet thus you
are strongly advised to evaluate the electronic materials before your learners use them to
ensure accuracy, quality of presentation, appropriateness for the learners and curriculum
connections.
Other sources
These materials that enhance content area and across curriculum learning include researches,
journals, magazines , newspapers and student texts found both in school , at home or in the
community of the learners. You are encouraged to use these materials for several reasons:
Students reading an article from a journal or a newspaper in a familiar format sounds
more appealing than reading it from an entire book.
Magazines and newspapers usually contain recent information that support books.
The photos, graphics and illustrations featured in the newspapers and magazines provide
motivation or additional information for reading.
Primary sources are recommended because they can make History, Science and
Mathematics come alive through the descriptions of real life actions and interactions.
Student texts, on print or online, are important sources that can attract learners. Young
audiences like to share notes and experiences which is good for further learning.
Here are some points to consider when deciding on choosing a material for your content
according to Allan and Miller (2000):
1. Readability range
Would you teach the multisyllabic words?
Would you expect your learners to read them independently?
Do the long sentences have too many ideas, or do they really connect ideas?
Do the short sentences seem choppy or clear?
2. Considerate format
Does the table of contents show an orderly sequence?
Does the book contain reader aid such as index, bibliography and glossary?
Does the introduction and subheads clearly represent the chapter’s organization?
Are the illustrative material clear and connected to the text?
3. Considerate context
How many ideas are presented? Is the number reasonable?
Are the ideas explained clearly and explicitly?
Do the examples and analogies match the learners’ background knowledge?
Is an overarching principle evident?
4. Fairness
Do the illustration have a fair representation of race or ethnicity, gender, or class?
Do the illustration have people of nonstereotypal roles?
Do the examples and problems n the text present a nonstereotypal representation of
race or ethnicity, gender or class?
Does the text use nonsexist language?
Application
Directions: Work with at least two of your classmates and imagine that you are now high
school teachers. Decide on a lesson you shall plan and write considering your content area,
learners, pedagogy and materials. Perform the activities that follow which shall help you in
planning and writing your lesson.
Feedback
References:
Allan, Karen K. and Miller Margery S. (2005) Literacy and Learning in the Content Area,
Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Atkinson, Tracy H. (Nov. 10, 2017), Dunn and Dunn Learning Style. Retrieved from
https://tracyharringtonatkinson.com/.
Berger, Ron (January 23, 2010), 10 Benefits for Empowering Your Lessons with Pedagogical
Purposes. Retrieved from http://pedagogicalpurposes.blogspot.com/.
Carnegie Commission Task Force. (1986) “A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st
Century”. Report of the Task Force on Teaching as a Profession. New York: Carnegie
Corporation.
Cherry, Kendra (July 17, 2019), Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Retrieved from
https://www.verywellmind.com/.
CMO – No. – 78 – s. – 2017. Policies, Standards and Guidelines for Bachelor of Technology
and Livelihood Education (BTLEd). Retrieved from https://ched.gov.ph/.
DepEd Order No. 31, s. 2012. Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum. Retrieved from
https://www.teacherph.com/.
DepEd Order No. 52, S. 1987. The 1987 Policy on Bilingual Education. Retrieved from
https://www.deped.gov.ph/.
Gomez, Frederick W.(2019). Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum.
Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/.
McLeod, Saul (2017), Kolb's Learning Styles and Experiential Learning Cycle. Retrieved
from https://www.simplypsychology.org/.
Persaud, Christine (March 1, 2019), Pedagogy: What Educators Need to Know. Retrieved
from https://tophat.com/.
PW, Luis. (August 27, 2016). Second Language Acquisition: Swain's Output Vs Krashen's
Input. Retrieved from http://eslarticle.com/.
Reyes, M. Dela Luz (1992). “Challenging Venerable Assumptions: Literacy Instructions for
Linguistically Different Students”. Harvard Educational Review.
Schunk, D.H. and Zimmerman, B.J. (1997). “Developing Self – efficacious Reader and
Writers; The Role of Social and Self – regulatory Processes”. In J.T. Guthrie and A. Wigfield
(Eds), Reading Engagement: Motivating Readers through Integrated Instruction. Newark
D.L.; International Reading Association.
Tes Editorial (December 10, 2018), What is pedagogy?. Retrieved from https://www.tes.com/.
Feedback
I. Choose the letter of the best answer to complete the items that follow. (5)
1. Being around people from different backgrounds can expose you to new ideas and
inspire creative thinking. Talking and working with them can help you gain new
perspectives when approaching your task. This creative thinking is called ___.
a. communicating c. networking
b. analyzing d. experimenting
2. The ___ is the LEAST skill teachers must focus on to help develop HOTS among
learners.
a. remembering b. understanding c. applying d. creating
3. A teaching strategy to enhance higher-order thinking skills among students according
to Thomas and Thorne include analytical, practical and creative thinking. Lessons
that include practical thinking activities that will help learners become life smart are as
follow EXCEPT ___.
a. invent b. implement c. apply d. utilize
4. Many believe that the student-led or student-centered classrooms are more productive
than the teacher-led or the teacher-centered classrooms for several reasons EXCEPT ___.
a. reduces the negative concept that there are students who are bad or slow in
academics
b. allows mistakes through trial and error
c. listening to and absorbing information
d. encourages learners to rely on themselves even at an early age
5. Applying questions as an important part of learning and using questions that lead to
activities generating further questions or ideas BEST characterizes ___.
e. creative thinking b. inquiry learning
f. higher order thinking d. collaborative learning
II. True or False. Read the paired statements and write before each item the letters that
follow: (5)
A – if both statements are True C- if the first statement is True and the second is False
B – if both statements are False D- if the first statement is False and the second is
True
1. A fitness club opens with 80 members. Each month the membership increases by 15
members. Which equation represents the relationship between the number of months
the club has been opened, x, and the total fitness club membership, y? a. y=15x
b. y=15x+80 c. y=x+15 d. y=80x+15. The sample assessment clearly helps
develop HOTS among learners specifically on the level of synthesis.
2. Howard Gardner identified synthesis (now creativity) as one of the most difficult skills
in his Taxonomy of Cognitive Domain. While creativity is one of the higher-order
psychic functions that differentiates humans from other living creatures according to
R. J. Sternberg.
3. Listening triangles, talk partners, think-pair-share and snowballing are all strategies for
developing collaboration among learners. All, except talk partners, lead to a group
discussion and group collaboration.
4. History shows that many things created today were imagined in the past. Thus
creativity is believed to begin with imagination that requires cultivation.
5. Students are given opportunities to make choices about their own learning and
contribute to the design of learning experiences in a teacher-led instruction. Also
called teacher-centered learning, this does allow students to decide and to become the
authority in class over their teachers and develop literacy through their own creativity.
III. Briefly explain your answer to the question that follow in 3-5 short paragraphs. Your
answer will be evaluated 6 points for content and 4 points for correctness of language use
and writing mechanics (10).
Question: If one of your objectives as future teachers is to develop your learners in becoming
experts and leaders in their content areas or in their respective professions or simply leader
citizens of the future, which one of the teaching methods/ strategy should you use and why?
References: