"Much of the professional literature has focused on what disciplinary literacy entails; this valuable contribution explores how it can be implemented in complex school settings."
—Doug Buehl, Author of Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines
What happens when middle and high school teachers who know their content very well are told they should be teaching reading and writing too? Is there a bit of resistance? A decrease in self-efficacy? An overturning of curricula? In Disciplinary Literacy in Action, ReLeah Cossett Lent and Marsha Voigt show us a better way.
In this sequel to ReLeah's bestselling This Is Disciplinary Literacy, the authors provide educators with what they've wanted all along: a framework that keeps their subjects at the center and shows them how to pool strengths with colleagues in ongoing communities of professional learning (PL) around content-specific literacy.
In each chapter, and with a blend of lively disciplinary literacy teaching ideas and razor-sharp insights on developing teacher efficacy and leadership, ReLeah and Marsha take educators through a powerful PL cycle they can replicate in their school. The authors know it works not just because the research says so, but also because they have spent years refining the model in schools, districts, and regions. With this book, you will be ready for
- Collaborative learning that preserves discipline-specific content yet keeps innovative daily practices of reading, writing, thinking, and doing at the forefront
- Planning by autonomous literacy leadership teams with administrative support
- Implementation augmented by peer and disciplinary literacy coaching
- Reflection that leads to ongoing collective problem solving
In the end, it all comes back to how content teachers can best help students use literacy in all its forms to learn more deeply. With Disciplinary Literacy in Action, you have a proven framework for doing just that. This is the resource to lean on as you work to ensure all students use literacy as a tool to think, create, and communicate in any endeavor.
Industry Reviews
"Lent and Voight's Disciplinary Literacy in Action is an invigorating tonic for all educators interested in improving instruction and learning. By highlighting the intersectionality of disciplinary learning, literacy acquisition, and professional learning, the authors provide readers with a critical framework to improve instruction that serves as a foundation to prepare students for college, career, and citizenship. Peppered with visual and narrative examples of effective and efficient learning environments, the text can easily be employed to support the professional learning experiences of pre-service, novice, and experienced teachers." -- Enrique A. Puig, Ed.D. "Disciplinary literacy, argue Lent and Voigt, is a process rather than a product. You don't check disciplinary literacy off your to-do list -- you engage in it daily, pursuing its paths toward the long-term flourishing of all of our kids. If there is more important work than this, I can't think of what it is. I can't imagine a better or more capable guide for the deep and practical exploration of this work than Disciplinary Literacy in Action. Each page shines with wisdom and research, and every chapter is rooted in what actually goes on in schools. I expect that teachers, teams, and administrators will turn this into a well-worn text." -- Dave Stuart, Jr. "Disciplinary Literacy in Action is a 'must have' resource for all Junior and Senior High Schools. Rich with suggestions, this 'how-to' for implementing disciplinary literacy immerses the reader in teacher experiences that paint a picture of how transformative this approach can be. With their call to action that "it is no longer enough for students to memorize material and call it learning", this book offers guidance on how to sustain a disciplinary literacy culture within an entire school and district. The authors deliver an open invitation to teacher to engage students in content learning as experts do." -- Kim Tackaberry "Much of the professional literature has focused on what disciplinary literacy entails; this valuable contribution explores how it can be implemented in complex school settings. The authors articulate a fresh examination of disciplinary literacy through the lens of professional learning communities. They bring an experienced and savvy perspective to the promises and pitfalls of PLCs and especially appreciated are the teacher voices interspersed throughout the discussion that illuminate collective inquiry and meaningful collaboration in action. This book is a welcome resource that will resonate with teachers and school literacy leaders." -- Doug Buehl "In the book This Is Disciplinary Literacy, ReLeah Lent supported English teachers and content area teachers alike with strong rationale and concrete practices for reading, writing, inquiry, and collaboration across the disciplines. Lent's new book with Marsha Voigt, Disciplinary Literacy in Action, is the next step. This book can serve as manual for individuals and school teams who want to gain even more traction and build a culture of literacy learning and leadership. Learning from hours on site with leaders, teachers, and students who have developed communities of literacy learning, Lent and Voigt share moves that can serve as an apprenticeship for practitioners." -- Lynn Angus Ramos "In this detailed and delightful book, ReLeah Lent and Marsha Voigt harness the science of learning into crystal-clear signposts for getting students to read and write, think and problem solve in the ways that mathematicians, foreign language learners, historians, or artists do. A must-read for transformative action in teacher-scholars of all academic disciplines, this book will change how you think about your content area, and how you teach it!" -- Wendy Ostroff, Ph.D. "Disciplinary Literacy in Action provides a balanced, timely, and instructive approach to solving complex problems of practice related to disciplinary literacy. The authors harnesses the power of collaborative dialogue, problem-solving, and reflection and provide authentic, discipline-specific guidance to teachers and leaders about the skills required in reading, writing, and thinking in all content areas. This book provides content area teachers and school leaders with relevant tools about how to structure and use professional learning communities to support classroom-based and school-wide disciplinary literacy efforts. Lent and Voigt honor the role of the content area teachers in making informed decisions about the literacies of their discipline, invite the reader to listen in content area teaching and student learning, and present a call to action about the power of disciplinary professional learning communities to impact teacher, student, and school success." -- Vicky Zygouris-Coe, Ph.D. "Disciplinary Literacy in Action by ReLeah Lent and Marsha Voigt offers both practical advice and keen insights about how to engage learners in authentic and meaningful ways across the disciplines. The authors answer the critical question: How do we ensure our students develop the necessary literacy tools to be successful in discipline-specific ways? With the clarity of real examples, readers will find themselves inspired by a blueprint to ensure all students are well prepared for a world that awaits them." -- Judy Wallis, Ed.D.
