Self- Reflection & Pedagogical Content Knowledge | As ED255/452 explores literacies across the curriculum, I invite you to engage in both self-reflection about your lived experiences engaged in literacy practices and to further develop your pedagogical content knowledge of disciplinary literacy as a pre-service educator. Self-reflection is an attribute of professional practice. In this context, self-reflection is the process of constructing meaning by thinking about and interpreting the significance of your lived experiences as a reader. As well, this semester-long project affords you an opportunity to question, analyze and write about these experiences and to transform your beliefs and assumptions about reading and teaching into understanding and professional knowledge.
Reading a Significant Book of Non-fiction | Whether in mathematics, science social studies or language arts, please identify a significant book of non-fiction to read in your discipline. This book is to be read weekly, concurrently with and in response to the assigned readings in ED255.
Perhaps you know just the book you want to read. Is there a book on your shelf that you have been waiting for the right moment to read? Maybe there is a book you are curious about included this semester in a course you are taking in your discipline. Consider discussing what book to read with a mentor or trusted professor in your discipline. Here is a new opportunity for you to read thoughtfully, reflectively and pedagogically.
Two Weekly Blog Entries | Please choose this book with care because each week you are required to make two blog entries synthesizing readings from this book with readings assigned in ED255. (Either two posts or two headings on a single post). On a weekly basis, the length of both blog entries together should approximate 750 words or the multimodal equivalent. (See below).
Synthesize | ˈsinTHəˌsīz | (also synthetize | -ˌtīz | ) verb [with object] make (something) by synthesis, especially chemically: the drug was first synthesized in 1929. • combine (a number of things) into a coherent whole: pupils should synthesize the data they have gathered | Darwinian theory has been synthesized with modern genetics.
For each post, you are to relate concepts and themes from the week’s assigned reading to your selected book. In other words, each week consider your selected book given the reading comprehension topics we emphasized in class that week. The assigned reading is always about reading comprehension and so are both weekly posts.
Discuss your experiences as a reader of this book in your first weekly entry. And in your second weekly entry, from the perspective of a pre-service teacher, discuss how you could draw on elements of disciplinary literacy to design, teach and/or assess lessons, units of study and assignments featuring this book. You are always welcome to introduce additional readings, as you deem necessary.
For example | The Pan, Miller and Anderson chapter is about discussions and therefore, in the context of this reading, your posts need to take on the theme of discussions as disclosed by Pan, Miller and Anderson. As a reader, how do discussions, as discussed by Pan, Miller and Anderson and addressed in class, help you further your comprehension of your selected book? As a pre-service teacher, how would you develop a discussion to support the reading comprehension of your selected book?
Text-based or Multimodal | Through analysis, synthesis and self-flection, I invite you to research and produce a series of blog entries across the semester of yourself as a subject of disciplinary literacy. Your entries can be created in any form and with any media. On a weekly basis, the length of both blog entries together should approximate 750 words or the multimodal equivalent. And, from week to week, you are invited to explore possibilities with different media and to combine them in multimodal fashion.
Due Dates | Following class on Tuesday evenings, blog entries are due every Friday at midnight.
Literacy Across the Curriculum 