Disciplinary Literacy 1

Running head: Disciplinary Literacy

Disciplinary Literacy

Samantha Alvarado

Arizona State University

RDG323: Disciplinary Literacy

Date Submitted: 09/04/2021

Disciplinary Literacy

When it comes to adolescent literacy, it is extremely crucial for it to be taught, practiced,

improved on, and constantly observed. The levels of how this needs to occur depends on the

student, the teacher, the staff, the community in which they are in, the demographics, and other

things that affect them. One thing that needs to be emphasized is the fact that adolescent literacy

occurs both inside and outside of the classroom. Inside the classroom can be as simple as

instruction that applies to the aspect of literacy, and outside of the classroom can be a variety of

different activities such There are multiple methods to how this occurs as well where

collaboration is also utilized within these procedures: “collaboration is paramount, whether

through traditional means (e.g., bringing the outside in to your classroom—people, places,

things) or through the addition of augmented reality, virtual reality, or both” (2019, 2). Through

consistent and constant collaboration processes in different types of ways, adolescent literacy can

thrive and receive more growth that is needed for everyone as they progress in life.

Being a future English teacher in secondary education, disciplinary literacy applies

directly to my content and to what else I decide to teach. English is the first subject that someone

would usually associate the aspect of literacy with. Literacy is crucial in meeting or excelling the

standards that are set in stone for the English subject that are taught. Being as English involves

reading and writing, the literacy process can be achieved and completed through various

assignments, projects, and other areas of work so that the students are able to feel as if they are

where they needed to be. If a student does not feel they belong where they are, it can become

difficult for them to achieve their goals as well as develop a better sense of adolescent literacy. In

an article by the International Literacy Association, they explain that “teachers cultivate these

learning environments through providing opportunities for students to engage in learning;

modeling of high expectations; and requiring that all students be respected and valued, and that

they contribute to these principles” (2019, 2). With these expectations and standards set into

stone and emphasized as a vital component, students can stick by them and follow it to have a

better understanding of they can achieve a better understanding of adolescent literacy.

One of the issues that could be involved in acquiring adolescent literacy is the

relationship between the instructor and the student. When high schoolers are at a certain age and

have a certain mindset, they can often go into school thinking that the teachers have the entire

authority over what they learn and how they’re supposed to learn it. In an article titled, “On

Students’ Rights to Their Own Texts: A Model of Teacher Response,” authors Brannon and

Knoblauch go on to explain that “The teacher-reader assumes…that the student writers have not

yet earned the authority that ordinarily compels readers to listen seriously to what writers have to

say…Student writers, then, are put into the awkward position of having to accommodate, not

only the personal intentions that guide their choice-making, but also the teacher-reader’s

expectations about how the assignment should be completed” (1982, 158). Although this text has

been written almost forty years ago, it still applies to the relationships between the students who

are writing and the teachers who are assigning the requirements for what should be written. This

applies to adolescent literacy as writing is a crucial component to become more literate citizens

of society as well as students spending the most time on their writing skills when in school. If the

relationship to the student and the teacher cannot be established in a positive way, the writer will

not make an improvement or any real progress in their journey of writing and in their

advancement of overall literacy. Part of their solution is to “replace our professional but still

idiosyncratic model of how writing ought to appear, and put in their place a less authoritarian

concern for how student texts make us respond as readers and whether those responses are
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congruent with the writers’ intentions or not” (1984, 161). I feel this can be extremely beneficial

in the progression of adolescent literacy because not only will the relationship between the

student and teacher improve, but it will also give students the opportunity to put more creativity

into what they want to write as well as how they perceive what the understanding of literacy is.

Another issue with adolescent literacy is the culturally responsive and linguistic aspect of

it. Some students are English language learners, which can sometimes not be taken into

consideration. Part of being an effective educator in that area is have lessons and activities that

can apply to the student and help them make connections along the way. Flint, Dollar & Stewart

support this in their article by saying “because a defining feature of newcomers is their language

distinction from the mainstream population, teachers must also consider a teaching style that is

linguistically responsive” (2019, 510). They offer a solution referenced from other scholars

called “translanguaging”, a process in which “multilingual people drawing from all of their

languages to make meaning and accomplish specific purposes, an act in which most bilinguals

regularly engage (García et al., 2017)” (2019, 510). This can easily involve things such as using

culturally related/responsive texts for students to read, having students complete activities

pertaining to their own culture, and facilitating opportunities where students can learn the content

that they can make a personal association with. Using this process allows students to build

relationships between the languages they learn or are currently learning with the content they are

being taught. When more connections are made, better comprehension of the given material is

reached, and a high level of adolescent literacy is achieved throughout their education.

The last issue with adolescent literacy that will be discussed in this paper is the fact that

technology is constantly advancing, especially during these times. When the COVID-19

pandemic had come into effect and forced many of us to attend virtual classes, we had no choice
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but to adapt to these changes and accept that this would be the norm for a while. Now that time

has progressed and we’re still currently in the pandemic, technology has been emphasized more

than ever, and at this point, it is expected of us to have the digital literacy skills required to

achieve adolescent literacy as well due to the amount of technology used in various activities,

projects, assignments, homework, and more. In her article, which was mainly directed towards

English language learners, Black suggests that “Using new technologies for collaborative inquiry

and content-creation activities also provide options for ELLs to use language and other modes of

representation for authentic communication with peers, teachers, and other experts that they may

encounter in their research and explorations…thus extending learning outside the classroom

walls…[it] can support ELL youth in developing identities as powerful learners, language users,

and as producers of their own social, cultural and ideological materials” (2009, 696). Utilizing

technology is already underway in many classes, and I feel it’ll continue on that way. We will no

longer be in a classroom environment where technology isn’t used, so providing those skills

earlier for students so they have a better understanding of how to use it in their advancement will

be beneficial in the long run. For English Language Learners, I think that part of the solution

should be to provide technology for them at all access points, especially for those who do not

have that advantage at home. If they don’t have these necessary skills available for them, then it

will be an overall difficult process to reach digital literacy and adolescent literacy.
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References

Black, R. W. (2009). English-Language Learners, Fan Communities, and 21st-Century

Skills. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(8), 688–697. https://doi-

org.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/10.1598/JAAL.52.8.4

Brannon, L., & Knoblauch, C. (1982). On Students' Rights to Their Own Texts: A Model of

Teacher Response. College Composition and Communication, 33(2), 157-166.

doi:10.2307/357623

Flint, P., Dollar, T., & Stewart, M. A. (2019). Hurdling Over Language Barriers: Building

Relationships With Adolescent Newcomers Through Literacy Advancement. Journal of

Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 62(5), 509–519. https://doi-

org.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/10.1002/jaal.927

International Literacy Association. (2019). Engagement and adolescent literacy [Position

statement and research brief]. Newark, DE: Author.