Developing Literacy in MST

Yesterday we used an 11 question anticipation guide to spark discussion on the key topics and concepts we will be exploring during this weekend course. It was interesting to hear the conversations, especially focused on the following statements, because of the opposing viewpoints presented.
• It is the job of all teachers to create lifelong readers. (Agree or Disagree)
• Teaching reading strategies in the content areas will take away valuable teaching time. (Agree or Disagree)
• All teachers are responsible for learning and using Web 2.0 tools for their own personal learning and for classroom experiences. (Agree or Disagree))
• On-line reading requires the same strategies as traditional text resources. (Agree or Disagree)

All of the statements were meant to help us formulate what it means to be literate in our content areas and how we, as teachers, can support and enhance content knowledge and skills through a focused and purposeful approach to teaching reading and writing strategies. The discussions yesterday about these statements reflected personal experiences, both in and out of the classroom.

Let’s expand our personal thinking beyond the traditional approach to content area literacy. Read Angela Maiers’ post, The Changing Rules of the Literacy Club, and her reflection on literacy evolution. Angela writes,

“In an era of new literacies, we are in a simultaneous state of learning to read and reading to learn.”

What is the impact of this statement on content area teachers?

What do these new literacies look like? Read Will Richardson’s post, New Reading, New Writing. Will states,

“But there are skills here that if developed with some intention (read: taught and modeled) can improve literacy in interacting with texts and people in these digital spaces.”

How does this post challenge your thinking about the statements on our anticipation guide? How do you feel about teaching and learning in a digital world?