Welcome
Disciplinary literacy uses authentic texts to apprentice readers into each discipline’s specific practices and conventions. To be proficient in each academic discipline, students need to master the specialized language and skills required to read, write, and communicate effectively within that domain. This entails (1) understanding the unique vocabulary, concepts, and ways of thinking used within each discipline, (2) analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating information appropriately for each field, and (3) applying the knowledge and skills to solve problems and create new knowledge.
Time estimate: 2.5-3 hours
Welcome!
Welcome to the Adolescent Literacy series in the Ohio Literacy Library! This is an ever-expanding series featuring modules designed to support educators and other interested stakeholders of adolescents who desire to support their acquisition of literacy in the upper primary, middle, and high school grades. Strong literacy skills are essential for adolescents, as they are required to: (1) read to learn in a variety of disciplines; (2) build their knowledge by working with different text types, acquiring academic vocabulary, and sharing their ideas and impressions with others; and (3) master reading comprehension to take full advantage of instruction in content-area classes (Kamil et al., 2008). These skills are essential for success not only in upper grades, but beyond in the workplace and postsecondary education as well.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this module.
Module Description
The aim of this module is to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of disciplinary literacy and its role in improving teaching and learning in various academic disciplines. You will explore how to develop and teach disciplinary reading, writing, and speaking skills, as well as how to encourage motivation and social learning among your students. You will also learn how a whole-school culture shift can equip educators with the tools they need to foster deep engagement and critical thinking in their subject areas.
These ideas are grounded in research; we have filtered out the myths and fads for you, and we are offering you what’s tested and reliable, what works. We will be candid with you, though, and acknowledge that the research is not complete; we still have more to discover. So, in five or ten years, be prepared to search for more detail and nuance – because right now, new research is being done to give you the answers to questions you will have then. It’s no secret that updating our understanding is what revitalizes our approaches and keeps our work engaging and interesting!
Learning Objectives
Explain what disciplinary literacy is and why it is essential for teaching and learning within different academic disciplines.
Develop and apply effective strategies for teaching disciplinary reading and writing that enhance student learning and engagement within a specific subject area.
Investigate how disciplinary speaking, social learning, motivation, and purpose influence understanding and critical thinking within a discipline.
Evaluate the benefits of a whole-school culture shift towards deep reading, writing, and engagement in the disciplines for promoting disciplinary literacy.
Course Navigation, Design, and Policies
Throughout each course, you will see a Course Outline with a green ribbon and the title of the course at the top right corner of the page. The outline displays every section of the course. Click any section to jump right to it.
At any time you are in a module, you can go back to the Home Module page by clicking the Back to Module button located directly under the module outline.
As you go through the course, you will have the opportunity to click the Mark Complete box at the end of each section. When you do this, the sections you have completed will be crossed off in your outline, and you will be taken to the next section of the course.
Your progress will automatically be saved within the learning management system, and you can view your course progress through the progress bar located near the top of most sections.
Exiting and Resuming a Module
Know that your progress will automatically be saved within the learning management system. If you exit the website, once you log back in you can easily access your courses by clicking the on the My Dashboard button located on the gray ribbon on top of every page.
Note Feature within the Modules
Throughout each module, you will notice some Reflection boxes that provide various prompts. Each reflection will be in a grey box with an image of a pen/lightbulb. A built in feature of each module is the ability to take notes and save them for your future use. This feature can be used within any part of the module, but is especially helpful for the reflection activities.
To access the note feature, simply click on the purple Take Notes button fixed in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. When you click on this button, a Take Notes box will appear. This box can be moved anywhere on the screen. Within the box, there is a SAVE button as well as a Print Button.
The easiest way to print all the notes you take from the entire module is to click View All Notes. When you click View All Notes, you will be taken to a page like the one below.
Click the boxes of the Notes you would like to print, and then click Download Selected. All your notes will be downloaded into one document separated by headers.
All Ohio’s comprehensive learning modules are relevant to any educator working to support students’ literacy development. In each module, you will find in-depth narrative text, linked resources, realistic scenarios, reflection activities, and embedded audio and videos.
Each module is self-paced. The approximate time for completion of the module is listed in the Simple View of Reading Module text box on the home page of the module.
Additional information included on each module’s home page include:
- Required prerequisites for the module.
- A more detailed description of the module.
- Helpful downloadable resources for the module including an outline of the module’s content and supporting resources, a step-by-step guide to assist you in navigating the professional learning modules, and an in-depth information about the purpose and key elements of the Ohio Literacy Library.
Certificates
Professional Development Certificates
are available for each comprehensive learning module. To earn a Professional Development Certificate, you must obtain a passing score of 85% or more on the module post-test. Please note that you are only allowed up to two attempts to obtain a passing score to earn your certificate.Badges
When completing professional development modules within All Ohio, you can earn badges based on your engagement in and mastery of content within each comprehensive learning module. You earn
Achievement Badges when you demonstrate proficiency with module content (i.e., obtaining a score of at least 85%), whereas Engagement Badges are awarded based on your level of participation on the site. Your earned Certificates and Badges will be displayed on your “All Ohio Dashboard.”
If you have any issues with accessing the content or functionality of this course, please email: allohioprojectteam@uc.edu
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Helpful Resources Related to this Module
Module Resources
An outline of the module’s main content and supporting resources.
Welcome & Navigation
Step-by-step guide to assist you in navigating the professional learning modules.