Disciplinary literacy and numeracy
takes a focus on teaching students the specific literacy and numeracy skills
required to understand the texts and knowledge used within a certain discipline
(Shanahan & Shanahan, 2012). The teaching of disciplinary literacy and
numeracy provides students with the strategies to understand subject-specific
terminology and its origins, analyse and break down subject specific texts, be
strategic in asking questions that will help them better understand the
discipline, and provide evidence and communicate in a way that is valued and
accepted by that discipline (Chauvin & Theodore, 2015).
(Hermann, 2018) |
Disciplinary literacy and numeracy
differ across subjects due to the very nature of the subjects themselves
(Shanahan & Shanahan, 2012). As such, teachers within each discipline are
responsible for educating their students on the literacy and numeracy skills
specific to that subject (Johnson, Watson, Delahunty, & Smith, 2011).
Within History, for example, information and knowledge is generally presented
through text books that are written by historians and describe past events
based on different forms of evidence. A disciplinary literacy approach to this
subject would encourage students to think of themselves as historians who ‘fact
check’ the claims made by the author. Students are taught to consider the types
of evidence used and their validity, the political climate, and the author’s
qualifications in relation to the topic they are discussing (Wineberg &
Reisman, 2015). The teaching of these disciplinary skills within History
encourage students to become critical thinkers who are informed about topics on
a deeper level (Johnson, Watson, Delahunty & Smith, 2011). A key disciplinary
literacy skill in History is to source, or look at the background, of a text to
fully understand it (Wineberg & Reisman, 2015). Alongside sourcing,
providing explicit instruction to students on using multiple resources and
perspectives, how to analyse sources, considering the context, and using
evidence to support claims in History are essential disciplinary literacy
skills for the subject (Teaching History, 2018).
(Simpson, 2018) |
History also has its own specific
numeracy skills that students need to master to obtain full comprehension of
the texts. In conjunction with a heavily textual element, historical
information and knowledge can be presented through graphs, tables, data, maps,
and timelines. The Australian Curriculum states that students are required to
use the subject specific numeracy skills of estimation, measurement (clocks,
timelines, and calendars), spatial reasoning (interpreting maps and diagrams),
and recognising and using patterns and relationships (ACARA, n.d.) when
learning about history. Students require the ability to analyse and interpret
the varying forms of texts, both from a literacy and a numeracy stand point, to
have an active, rather than passive, understanding of the information provided.
(ACARA, n.d.) |
In gaining a thorough understanding
of the texts in the learning area of History, students use their language and
literacy skills to critically analyse the primary and secondary sources, the
author’s credentials, and in understanding how to use evidence to support their
claims (Teaching History, 2018). A variety of mathematical skills including
analysing and interpreting data, and reading graphs, tables and maps are used
and nurtured in the History discipline (ACARA, n.d.). Students require these
specific literacy and numeracy skills to interpret information in the discipline
and, importantly, to have an expert understanding of it (Chauvin &
Theodore, 2015).
References
Australian
Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). History. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-and-social-sciences/history/?year=12318&year=12319&year=12320&year=12321&strand=Historical+K nowledge+and+Understanding&strand=Historical+Skills&capability=Literacy&capability=N umeracy&priority=ignore&priority=Aboriginal+and+Torres+Strait+Islander+Histories+and+ Cultures&priority=Asia+and+Australia%E2%80%99s+Engagement+with+Asia&priority=Su stainability&elaborations=true&elaborations=false&scotterms=false&isFirstPageLoad=false
Chauvin,
R., & Theodore, K., (2015). Teaching Content-Area Literacy and Disciplinary
Literacy. Retrieved from https://www.sedl.org/insights/3- 1/teaching_content_area_literacy_and_disciplinary_literacy.pdf
Hermann.
(2018). Books. [image]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/books-education-school- literature-484754/
Johnson,
H., Watson, P., Delahunty, T., McSwiggen, P., & Smith, T., (2011). What Is
It They Do: Differentiating
Knowledge and Literacy Practices Across Content Disciplines. Retrieved from https://lms.curtin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-4969246-dt-content-rid-27010559_1/courses/EDSC1006-DVCEducatio-1707573343/Johnson_Watson_et%20al.pdf
Shanahan,
T., & Shanahan, C., (2012). What is Disciplinary Literacy and Why Does It
Matter? Retrieved from https://crlp.ucsc.edu/resources/downloads/Shanahan%20What%20is%20Disciplinary%20Literacy.pdf
Simpson,
M., (2018). History Timeline. [image]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/karen-kayin-burma-myanmar-timeline-1459679/
Teaching
History. (2018). What is Historical Thinking? Retrieved from http://teachinghistory.org/historical-thinking-intro
Wineberg,
S., & Reisman, A., (2015). Disciplinary Literacy in History. Retrieved from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jaal.410/full
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