Exploring Disciplinary Literacy

By Cherron Ramsey, Wayne RESA, and Dr. Kristi Hanby, Wayne RESA   It never fails; year after year secondary mathematics teachers hear the same questions from students: when am I ever going to use this and why do I need to know this?  When we hear this same refrain repeated annually, it’s possible we may come to think of it as commonplace and unavoidable.  But it may be worth asking ourselves what is behind that question. Let’s take this question at its face value and consider its foundations.  What are students experiencing in their own day-to-day lives and why does the mathematical work they are doing in classrooms feel so disconnected?  Perhaps this question continues to be at the forefront of students' minds because they truly don't see the connection or relevance to the mathematics content they are asked to complete.  As mathematics teachers, we may realize the importance of determining if something is proportional or of being able to interpret dat...

by Darin Stockdill, PhD Design Coordinator, CEDER In this post, we’re taking up the following important question: “Why is literacy important in a math classroom?”  One approach I take when considering this kind of question is to immediately flip it on its head and ask, “ Why would literacy NOT be important in a math classroom? ”  Of course, answering either version of the question ultimately depends upon the definition of literacy being used.  In other words, whether or not one thinks literacy is important in a math classroom depends largely upon how literacy is defined.  When many people hear the word literacy , they often first think of reading, and when we think of reading, particularly with respect to learning to read, we often think of reading narratives, especially fictional stories.  Perhaps this is because many people learn to read in school and at home with alphabet and picture books, and then move on to short chapter books.  So our no...

Mathematical Literacy?  Disciplinary Literacy?  We Need and Want Both. By Kathy Berry, Monroe County ISD; Cherron Ramsey, Wayne RESA; Marcus Deja, Kent ISD; Brad Thornburg, Gratiot-Isabella RESD; and Karen Reister, Traverse Bay Area ISD Think for a moment about literacy in the mathematics classroom.  What comes to mind? Do you immediately see word walls of mathematics vocabulary?  Writing in math journals?  Vocabulary strategies?  Or do you think of students connecting ideas from geometry and algebra together to solve and model problems?  Maybe you envision students individually and collaboratively analyzing a problem situation and determining multiple possible solution paths.  For each of us, our own past learning and experiences influence our reactions to “literacy.” It may be helpful to pause and seek clarity around the ideas of students becoming mathematically literate while using the tools of disciplinary literacy .  We want all stude...