Hamline University
DigitalCommons@Hamline
School of Education Student Capstone Projects School of Education
Fall 2017
Professional Development In Disciplinary Literacy
Strategies For Middle School Content Area
Teachers
Jodi DubbeldeeHamline University
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Recommended Citation
Dubbeldee, Jodi, "Professional Development In Disciplinary Literacy Strategies For Middle School Content Area Teachers" (2017). School of Education Student Capstone Projects. 109.
PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENTINDISCIPLINARYLITERACYSTRATEGIES FORMIDDLESCHOOLCONTENTAREATEACHERS
By JodiDubbeldee
Acapstonesubmittedinpartial fulfillmentoftherequirements forthedegreeofMasterofArtsinLiteracyEducation.
HamlineUniversity SaintPaul,Minnesota
December2017
CapstoneProjectFacilitator:TrishHarvey ContentExpert:JenniferLacher-Starace
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TABLEOFCONTENTS
CHAPTERONE:Introduction……….……….5
Overview………..5
TheJourney………...………...6
Rationale……….……….7
SignificanceoftheResearch……….………...8
Summary………10
CHAPTERTWO:LiteratureReview………...………...…12
CharacteristicsofMiddleLevelLearners………...……....……..13
Development………..13
PhysicalDevelopment………...13
EmotionalDevelopment……….………...14
SocialDevelopment………...15
Motivation……….……….17
Autonomy,Interest,&Relevance………..17
MotivationAffectsReadingAbilities………20
LiteracyStrategies……….………….…………...20
Modeling………....21
StrategyInstruction………....23
Grouping………....25
LiteracyStrategiesinthe ContentAreas……...…………...………..…………..26
3 Determining Texts………..27 CloseReading………....………28 Writing………...29 ProfessionalDevelopment……….………..30 Methods………..31 Duration……….…31 Collaboration………..32 Summary………....33
CHAPTERTHREE:ProjectDescription………....35
Introduction………35 ResearchParadigm………....….36 ChoiceofMethod………..37 Setting………....38 Audience……….………...39 ProjectDescription……….40 Timeline……….42 Summary………....42
CHAPTERFOUR:Conclusions………....44
Introduction………...……….44
MajorLearnings……….44
4
Implications………47
FuturePlans………...49
Conclusion……….51
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CHAPTERONE INTRODUCTION
Overview
Inordertoimproveliteracyskills,studentsmustspendtimepracticingthose skills,andnotjustintheLanguageArts orReadingblock.GambrellandMorrow(2015) stated“onewaytoencourageandsupportstudents’literacydevelopmentis toviewevery subjectorcontent-arealessonasanopportunitytoteachreadingand writing”(p.21). Literacyskillsareusedineveryfacetofeducation, whichiswhythey needtobetaught ineverycontentareainorderforteachersto seetheliteracygains thatarenecessaryfor studentimprovementandunderstanding.
Thiscapstonefocusesonexploringhowprofessionaldevelopmentindisciplinary literacystrategiescansupportmiddleschoolcontentareateachers.Inthis chapterIshare myjourneytodiscoveringhowcontentarealiteracyiscriticalto studentlearningand howIhavecometobepassionateaboutthistopic.IdescribewhatI hopetogainand learnfromresearchingthistopic.IfocusonhowIcandeveloparesourcethatwill supportandencouragecontentareateachers toimplementdisciplinaryliteracystrategies intotheirclassrooms.Idecidedtofocusontheresearchquestion, Howcanprofessional
developmentindisciplinaryliteracystrategiessupportmiddleschoolcontentarea
teachers?Iamhopingtocreatearesource thatsupportsteacherswiththetextsthey
alreadyuseaswellasprovideadditionalresources thatteacherscanuseineachcontent areathatwillhelpthemteachtheirstudents howtoreadcontentareatextthrough researchbasedbestpractices.
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TheJourney
“Brownbear,brownbear,whatdoyousee?I seearedbird lookingatme.Red bird,redbird,whatdoyousee?Iseeayellowducklookingat me”(Martin,1984,pp. 1-4).
ThisisthefirstbookIremember,and thefirstexperienceIhadwithreading. ReadingBrownBear,BrownBearwasahumiliatingexperienceforme becauseatthe time,IthoughtIwastheonlychildin Kindergartenwhocouldnot read.Lookingback,I amsuremostofthestudentshadthebookmemorized,butIdidnot knowitthen.This negativeexperiencesparkedadeterminationandwillinmyselfthatI neverlost;because ofthismoment,IwantedtolearnhowtoreadandIvowedIwouldbebetteratitthan everysingleoneofmyclassmates.Infirstgrade,IwasplacedinAdvancedReading,and Ineverlookedback.
Ihavebeenaseventhgradereadingteacher atthemiddlelevelforsevenyears, theentiretyofmyteachingcareer.Imajored inEnglishEducationbecauseIlovedkids andIlovedreading.IneverimaginedthatIwouldlandmydreamjob rightoutofcollege –teachingreading.WhatIdidn’tknowthenisthatteachingreadingisnotjustreading booksanddiscussingthemwithkids;itisso muchmore.WhenI begantoseestudents strugglingwithunderstandingtext,andIremembered howaloneand inadequateIfelt backinKindergarten,Istartedtoresearch differentmethodsand practicesforteaching reading.
IdiscoveredNancieAtwellandTheReadingZone(2007)inmy secondyearof teaching,TheBookWhisperer(2009)andReading intheWild (2014)byDonalynn
7 MillerandLayne’s(2009)bookIgnitingaPassion forReadinginmythirdyear.I
becamepassionateaboutgettingtherightbooksintherightstudents’ handsandkindling thatfireforreading.Severalyearslaterand Iamstillpassionateaboutengaged,avid reading,butIfindthatsomethingismissing.The moreresearchIread, themoreIbegan tounderstandhowcomplexreadingis.AlthoughI wasworkingharderthanIeverhad before,studenttestscoreswere notshowingmuchimprovement.
Iquicklylearnedthatittakesmorethan apassionforreadingtohelpstudents improvetheirliteracyskills.Ittakesmorethan onefortyminuteblockofreadingand strategyinstructiontoprovidestudentswithwhatthey needtomakethegainstheyneed. Istartedconducting“readinggroups”wherestudentscouldcomeinfor astudysession withmetolearnhowtoapplythestrategies theylearnedaboutin readingclasstothe textstheywerebeingassignedinotherclasses.Thenithitme,whyarethesestrategies notbeingtaughtalongsidethetextinthatclassroom?Studentshad manycontentspecific questionsthatIcouldnotanswerbecauseIwasnottheexpertinthat area.Forexample,I wasconductingareadinggrouponmitosisonedayandthestudentswereaskingwhya cellgrowsinacertainwayoritreproduces inanotherway.I couldonlyprovidethem withtheknowledgethatwasprovidedinthetextbecauseI havenobackground
knowledgeonmitosisandthestagesofthe celldivision.Eventually,Istoppedthesession becauseIfeltthatIwascausingmoreconfusionthanclarityandIdecidedsomethinghad tochange.
Rationale
8 beingtaughtincontentareaclassroomsforseveralreasons.Thefirst reasonbeingthat teachersarenottrainedinteachingreading;theysimplydonot knowhow.Secondly, manyteachersfelttheydidnothavetimetodevotetoreadinginstructionwhentheyhad somuchcontenttocover.Finally,manyteachers felttherewasnoneedtoaddress readinginstructionwhenthestudentshada separateclassperiod forreadinginstruction daily.
Consideringthatstudentachievementisoneofourmostimportantgoalsas educators,Iknewthatsomethingmustbedone.Inorderforchangestobemade,content areateachersneedtounderstandtheimportanceofcontentarealiteracy, theyneedto understandtheirresponsibilitytostudentliteracyviacontentarealiteracystatestandards, andtheyneedtobetrainedandsupportedinimplementingliteracy instructionintotheir classrooms.Therefore,IdecidedtofocusonthequestionHowcanprofessional
developmentindisciplinaryliteracystrategiessupportmiddleschoolcontentarea
teachers?
Significanceoftheresearch
Asmyschoolcontinuestogrow,wehavecomefaceto facewithmany
challenges:largeclasssizes,limitedclassroomspaceandresources,andstagnantreading scores.Whenthestaffwasaskedtoprioritize whatourschoolvaluedthemost,we respondedthatournumberonepriorityismaintainingthemiddleschoolteaming
philosophy,andoursecondpriorityisreadinginstruction.Theproposalis toimplementa year-longreadingclassateverygradelevel.Whilethisisincredibly encouragingforus asaschool,Idohavesomeconcerns.Ihaveheardteachersclaimthat theydonotteach
9 readingstrategiesbecausetheydonotknowhow.Otherteachersmayfeelitisthesole responsibilityofthereadingteachertoimpartthese skillsorstrategiesonthestudentsand thattheyshouldbeabletotransfertheseskillstoothercontentareas.I amscaredthatif readingisimplementedasaseparateclassat everylevel,contentareateachersaregoing towashtheirhandsofliteracyinstruction. GambrellandMorrow (2015)reportedthat effectivedisciplinaryvocabularyandcomprehensioninstructionshowsanincreasein studentlearning.Inaddition,regulardisciplinarywritingactivityincreasesstudent contentarealearning.Iamconfidentthatevery teacherinmybuildingiscapableof teachingdisciplinaryliteracystrategiesiftheyhadthetoolsandthetrainingtodoso.I feelthatthisinstructionaltrainingwouldgreatlybenefitourstudents,our staff,andour community.ThereforeIbelieveitisimperativeto traincontentareateachersonhowto teachstudentstoreadtheirtexts.Thisunderlines theimportanceoftheprojectIcreated. Ithasthepotentialtobuildcapacity inteachersand thereforeincreasestudent
achievement.
WhenIbeganthinkingofacapstoneproject tocreate,Ihadoriginallywantedto focusonsmallgroupinstructionatthesecondary level.Somanyofmystudentsare strugglingreadersandarenotbeingprovidedwith anyservices.ThenIbegantothink abouttheimpactIwantedmyresearchtohave.Iwantmytimeand myworktotruly makeadifferencetomystudentsandtomy school.SoIasked myselfwhatdoesmy schoolneedtoimproveliteracy?Ofcourseweneedsometype ofinterventionmodel builtintoourschedule,butthatonlyaffectsso manystudents.Whatwe trulyneedisa buildingwidesystemoftrainingandsupportfor ourcontentareateacherssothatthey
10 canincorporatereadinginstructionintotheircurriculums.WeneedaLiteracyCoach. However,thereisnomoneyinthebudgettoprovideforthisposition.So whatcanIdo, asastudentandasateacherthatcould notonlybenefitour strugglingreaders,butalso everyreaderthatwehaveinthebuilding?I knewthatIwanted tofocusonsupporting contentareateachers,butIdidn’tknowhowthatwouldlookandwhatI coulddotobring thattolife.OneofmyHamlineinstructors, TerriChristensenhelpedmeturnmyburning questionsintoapossibility;fromathoughtanda needthatmyschool hastoapotential solution.Idecidedtofocusondeveloping ayear-longprofessional developmentplanto supportmiddleschoolcontentareateachersin literacyinstructionby askingthequestion,
Howcanprofessionaldevelopmentindisciplinaryliteracystrategiessupportmiddle
schoolcontentareateachers?
Summary
School-widecontentareareadinginstructionisimperativetoincreasingthe readingabilitiesofallstudents.Witnessingthestagnantreadingscoresyear afteryearhas ledmetobelievethatstudentliteracyisateameffortthatisin direneedofimprovement. However,wecannotexpectcontentareateachersto knowhowtoplanfor,model,and implementthistypeofinstructionwithoutprovidingthemwithrelevantandtimely disciplinespecificprofessionaldevelopment inliteracyinstruction.
Inchaptertwoofthiscapstone,Ireviewtheliteraturethat iscurrentlyavailable ondisciplinaryliteracystrategyprofessionaldevelopment formiddleschoolcontentarea teachers.Iwilllookspecificallyatthe learningcharacteristicsof middleschoolstudents, thedemandsandchallengesofcontentarea instruction,theneeds ofcontentarea
11 teachers,andthedifferentavenuesthatliteracy canbeembedded intocontentarea
instruction.Inaddition,Iwillberesearching literacystrategiesand howtheysupport learningandimpactstudentachievement,andwhichstrategiesaremosteffectiveand availabletosupportinstructioninthecontentareas.
Inchapterthree,Iimplementedmy methodologybydevelopingaprofessional developmentresourcetosupportmiddleschoolcontent-areateachersinliteracy
instruction.Ilookatwaystoaddresstheindividual needsofeachteacher aswellashow theresourcecansupportthemonacontinualbasisthroughprofessionaldevelopment, whichwouldbeimplementedonWednesdaymornings,duringourgrade-level
curriculummeetingtime.Iconsideredwhatcontentwasprovidedintheprofessional development,whatmaterialsandresourceswere needed,andhowtheprofessional developmentsessionswasevaluated.Icreatedseparate resourcesforeach ofthecontent areas.Theworkthatweneedtodowillbeimportantandcouldpotentiallyimpactstudent achievementgreatly.IbelieveIhavethepotentialforteacherbuy-in,though
implementationwilltakesometime.Iamexcited aboutwhatIlearnedfromtheresearch andtheimpactitcouldpotentiallyhaveon myschool,mystaff,andmystudents.
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CHAPTERTWO LITERATUREREVIEW
Inthischapter,Iread,analyzed,andsynthesizedresearchthataddressedthe question,Howcanprofessionaldevelopmentindisciplinaryliteracystrategiessupport
middleschoolcontentareateachers?Iaddressedthreeveryimportantfactorsthat
influencethesuccessofaprofessionaldevelopment plan.Thefirst topicischaracteristics ofmiddle-level-learners.Thesecondtopicisaboutliteracystrategyinstruction,andthe lastsectionisaboutliteracystrategiesinspecificcontentareas.
Middlelevellearnersfaceuniqueneedsasthey areinaperiodoftransitionfrom childhoodtoadulthood.Animportantfactorformiddlelevellearnersisphysical, emotional,andsocialdevelopment.Howstudentsdevelopinallthreeareas playsakey roleforstudentlearning.Itisalsoimportant tofactorinstudentneedsinadolescent motivationandengagement.Researchhasindicatedkeyfactorsforsuccessinstudent developmentandmotivationinregardstolearning.Someofthekey factorsforstudent engagementincludeautonomy,identity,andrelevance ofmaterialtostudentlives (Compas,Hinden,&Gerhardt,1995).
Secondly,thereareavastamountof literacystrategieseducators canuseto appealtotheirstudents’needs.Thissectiondescribeswhatliteracystrategies areaswell ashowtoimplementthemintheclassroom.Educatorsandreading specialiststalkabout usingstrategiestoimprovestudentcomprehension.Iexaminedhowliteracystrategies supportlearningandwhatvalueusingstrategies intheclassroom addstoinstruction.
