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Using Disciplinary Literacy and Numeracy in History

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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