LiteracyBeat goes to Slovenia, July 7, 2026
Linda and Thomas with Dana discuss notetaking with AI and other digital tools at the 24th European Conference on Literacy in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
View the slide deck: Notetaking in the Digital Age
Link to the survey:
https://forms.gle/9rgPFnmUtYRwk5iD7
Discount for Literacy in the Disciplines, 3nd ed (flyer/PDF)
Filed under: presentation, teacher education | Tagged: AI, Notetaking, Smetana | Leave a comment »
LiteracyBeat goes to Crete, Greece, June 25, 2024.
Linda, Dana, and Thomas present at the 23rd European Conference on Literacy, June 25, 2024.
Feedback on writing is often limited to rubrics even though more is possible. Feedback is one routine with potential to significantly improve student achievement. Nowhere, we argue, can feedback improve learning more than in writing instruction. Research we are conducting suggests that teachers perceive oral feedback to be particularly useful. Other research informs our work that suggests the teacher’s relationship with students may have an impact on the efficacy of feedback.
In general, teachers find useful feedback is easy to provide and believe their students review feedback they offer. Teachers seemed to prefer oral feedback, and nearly 60 percent of teachers believe their students use feedback to improve performance from one task to the next. However, teachers preferred simple (50.3% rank 1 or 2) and complex affirmations (67.75% rank 1 and 2) over other types of feedback.
During this session, we will examine what research suggests are effective practices in providing feedback to foster and to develop effective writing skills with a focus on oral feedback. We examine both tech and non-tech ways to provide feedback in terms of reinforcement (positive and negative) and signals to advance to the next level of proficiency, with the ultimate aim of accelerating learning.
We are grateful to Dr. Diane Lapp and the team at Health Sciences High and Middle College for their support during data collection. #Guilford Press
Also, watch for the 2nd edition of Literacy in the Disciplines with Dr. Wolsey and Dr. Lapp, new from Guilford Press. Preprint copies are available now for professors and professional development leaders (Contact Thomas for details and discount codes). The book is available August 12, 2024 for professional purposes and course adoption.
Do not forget to check out Assessment Literacy by Dr. Wolsey, Dr. Grisham, and Dr. Lenski.
Photos by Zoi Philippakos. Download presentation materials and book promotional materials at https://app.box.com/s/nm93q8joytgib322bq8gy5ee9853iter [Available until August 1, 2024).
Filed under: assessment, disciplinary literacy, Feedback, teacher education | Tagged: assessment, Feedback, Grisham, Smetana, Teacher Perceptions, Wolsey | 1 Comment »
By Thomas DeVere Wolsey
Tomorrow, March 4, I will make the case at INTED for several new or re-emphasized directions in literacies of the disciplines. First we will examine some of the features of disciplinary literacies. These include:
We will look beyond college and career readiness as a rationale for addressing disciplinary literacies including how disciplinary literacies:
• Intersect with the Public Sphere
• Intersect with the Workplace and Professions
You may want to read the preprint of my remarks.
Read the preprint here https://www.academia.edu/113320219/NEW_DIRECTIONS_IN_DISCIPLINARY_LITERACY
And the final paper can be accessed at https://library.iated.org/ once the conference organizers publish the proceedings.
Be sure to check out our interviews and other resources for literacies in the disciplines here. Finally, I want to share the cover of the 2nd edition of Literacy in the Disciplines: A Teacher’s Guide for Grades 5-12 due to be released in the summer of 2024.
Filed under: disciplinary literacy, literacy events | Tagged: Wolsey | Leave a comment »
Explore literacies in the disciplines with Drs. Sroka and Wolsey
By Thomas DeVere Wolsey
I spoke with Dr. Matthew Sroka about literacies in the disciplines recently, and you can find our conversation on this podcast. We explored some of the issues that teachers and professors might have, and we investigated connections to college and career (of course) as well as intersections of disciplinary literacy with professional communication, civic education, and lifelong learning.
Listen here: https://redcircle.com/shows/1e1306fa-ae04-4450-9572-3229a372902d
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment »
Thomas DeVere Wolsey
Literacy in the disciplines aims to help students (and their teachers!) learn how knowledge is constructed in distinct way from one discipline to another (and one profession to another). We may encourage students to write like a scientist or speak like a mathematician. But I started wondering, just what do various experts and professionals write? I decided to do a bit of research using my friend Google.
Here is what I discovered:
| Figure 1: What do Professionals and Disciplinary Experts Write? | |||
| Scientists1 | Doctors2 | Historians3 | Mathematicians4 |
| Journal articles, typically studies Research proposals Lab reports Research reports Scientific posters | Regulatory writing (think Food and Drug Administration) Scientific publications Health information for patients Professional education Promotional information Grant Applications | Narrative history (an account of a time) Analytical & interpretive writing Description of documents including provenance | Short answer calculation Proof Short paper Computer code Abstracts for presentations and longer papers Longer papers Posters for presentations |
| Sources: 1 https://sites.middlebury.edu/middsciwriting/by-genre/ 2 https://blog.amwa.org/what-types-of-medical-writing-are-there 3 https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/historian/ and https://www.svsu.edu/whywritingmatters/abs/history 4https://www.southwestern.edu/live/files/4175-guide-for-writing-in-mathematicspdf | |||
This table contains a list of writing that occurs in various disciplines. This list is not comprehensive; for example, there is no category for authors of fiction, and there is only one profession that draws on several disciplines. The details of format will vary by discipline. Our goal as teachers is not necessarily to have students duplicate what experts write, but to be aware of how experts write. Students may write in other formats, composing a TikTok video or Instagram reel that mimics features of expert writing and addresses the problems or ideas they identify, using the sources of evidence they find.
What disciplines should be added? Which professions might be explored in addition to medical professionals?
Reference:
Grant, M. Wolsey, T.D., & Lapp, D. (2024, Winter). Engaged writing in the disciplines: Let’s talk about it. The California Reader, Winter.
Filed under: disciplinary literacy, Wolsey, writing | Leave a comment »
By Thomas DeVere Wolsey
This textbook serves as a guide for practitioners whose goal is to enhance refugee students’ learning experiences. With millions of children globally in refugee or seeking asylum status, this volume is a must-read for every 21st century educator.
Often, refugee students have missed a substantial amount of schooling as a result of the disruptions in their home countries and transit through refugee camps. Others have never been to school at any time. Refugees enter school with the same hopes and aspirations as other students, but they also confront serious challenges.
Often, refugee students have missed a substantial amount of schooling as a result of the disruptions in their home countries and transit through refugee camps. Others have never been to school at any time. Refugees enter school with the same hopes and aspirations as other students, but they also confront serious challenges.
This textbook helps educators to restore hope through the following topics:
Each chapter includes points to ponder as educators work to apply the principles of restoring hope for refugee students and their families. This textbook also provides practical suggestions and case studies that will help educators to put theory into practice.
Teachers and professors who are passionate about honing their skills will find this book a comprehensive resource when displaced students enter their classrooms. This volume will also be of great interest to teacher-educators, pre-service teachers, educators serving in refugee camps and school administrators.
Teachers and professors who are passionate about honing their skills will find this book a comprehensive resource when displaced students enter their classrooms. This volume will also be of great interest to teacher-educators, pre-service teachers, educators serving in refugee camps and school administrators.
Many thanks to our terrific authors and Springer for making this work possible. View the table of contents and list of contributors at Springer: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-33834-2
Filed under: Refugees, teacher education, Wolsey | Tagged: compassionate pedagogies, higher education, PK-12, resettlement, technology | Leave a comment »
by Thomas DeVere Wolsey
Our chapter in the Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts, 5th Ed. is chap ONE! Thanks to co-authors Ibrahim M. Karkouti, Pelusa Orellana, Cristina Alfaro, John Perry and editors Douglas Fisher and Diane Lapp.
Abstract: This first chapter in the Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts, 5th Edition takes an international perspective on the teaching of English, as English has become the dominant language in the world. The chapter’s five authors, Wolsey, Orellana, Perry, Karkouti, and Alfaro, forecast trends and challenges in teaching English in their native countries of Egypt, Chile, the UK, the Middle East, and Mexico/United States respectively. Readers will discover that, in a transnational context, perspectives and challenges of teaching English are not all that different. The chapter begins with an explanation of the methodology used to select the topics in this chapter, as well as how the authors were chosen.
Filed under: assessment, international, Literacy Beat, Wolsey | Tagged: Chile, education, Egypt, english, language, literacy, Mexico, Middle East, reading, United Kingdom, United States | Leave a comment »
by Thomas DeVere Wolsey
Literacy Beat is in Kenya to talk about feedback with teachers, researchers, and policymakers in Nairobi.
View the draft slide deck here:
Filed under: assessment, Feedback, Wolsey | Tagged: Lapp | Leave a comment »
by Thomas DeVere Wolsey
Definitions are useful as long as they are understood. With V-Tweets, we ask students to consult at least three dictionary definitions they find online, including at least one that is specific to the discipline. They work with a partner to synthesize a definition from the three or more definitions they have found that meets the demands of the discipline. Here are the steps:
In this example, the Tweet is developed from three online definitions, composed to fit the Twitter format, and posted:
V-Tweets are the creation of Literacy Beat blogger Dana L. Grisham and Linda Smetana with a little help from Thomas. The V-Tweet description above is from our book (Thomas DeVere Wolsey & Diane Lapp) in 2016, Literacy in the Disciplines. A second edition will be available later this year. Since that time, Twitter’s format guidelines have changed. For example, in 2017, Twitter changed the character count from 140 to 280. How would that change the nature of the V-Tweet? In addition, Twitter now offers “notes” of up to 2,500 words. What are the implications for V-Tweets with these changes? Could you use Mastodon to do something similar?
Filed under: digital content creation, Grisham, visual literacy, vocabulary, Wolsey | Tagged: social media | Leave a comment »
By Thomas DeVere Wolsey
Traducción del inglés para nuestra próxima segunda edición de Alfabetización en las disciplinas: Una guía para maestros, grados 5-12 disponible a fines del otoño de 2023.
Translation from English from our upcoming 2nd edition of Literacy in the disciplines: A teachers guide, grades 5-12 available in late fall, 2023.
La logística de la enseñanza recíproca también requiere cierta planificación. Los alumnos tendrán que saber qué aspecto tienen las buenas predicciones y cómo plantear una pregunta que pueda ayudar a desarrollar la comprensión una vez aclarada. Aquí entra en juego el modelado. El profesor puede proporcionar buenos modelos, como ha hecho la Dra. Grant en esta página. También aprovechó lo que decían los alumnos para ayudarles a entender que estaban haciendo buenos movimientos cognitivos, como aclarar, por ejemplo. Al principio, puede ser útil planificar con antelación los puntos del texto en los que el profesor o los alumnos pueden hacer una buena predicción, pregunta o aclaración. También puede ser útil planificar momentos del texto durante la lectura en los que un resumen pueda ayudar a los alumnos a cristalizar sus conocimientos.
Sin embargo, a medida que los alumnos van dominando estos movimientos cognitivos, pueden ir asumiendo poco a poco los papeles y, finalmente, realizar esos movimientos cognitivos de forma orgánica y no en puntos de parada predeterminados. El andamiaje de la experiencia de aprendizaje para realizar esos movimientos cognitivos es importante.
La Dra. Grant utilizó la técnica de la pecera: un grupo de alumnos leía y practicaba los movimientos cognitivos, mientras que el otro grupo, más numeroso, se sentaba fuera de la pecera para observar. Más tarde, un grupo diferente podría estar en la pecera. Esta es una buena manera de iniciar a los alumnos y de observar y practicar las actividades cognitivas durante la lectura. A medida que los alumnos mejoran en el trabajo con textos complejos utilizando estas estrategias, pueden resultar útiles otros enfoques.
El Dr. Wolsey trabajó exclusivamente con un grupo para ayudarles a adquirir competencias, y una vez que fueron buenos leyendo el texto y encontrando buenos lugares para hacer las predicciones y demás, se convirtieron en los líderes de otros grupos. Era una especie de modelo de formación de formadores para trabajar con clases numerosas cuando el trabajo cognitivo es difícil. Una vez que los formadores/alumnos son bastante buenos leyendo con estas estrategias concretas, pueden empezar a trabajar también con menos apoyo del profesor. El profesor libera gradualmente la responsabilidad (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983), y los alumnos trabajan ahora en pequeños grupos leyendo en voz alta o en silencio mientras discuten diferentes partes del texto. De este modo, toda una clase que trabaja en pequeños grupos puede estar leyendo y aprendiendo del texto y con sus compañeros. Al principio, los alumnos pueden adoptar un papel concreto asociado a la estrategia. Uno es el resumidor, por ejemplo, y otro el predictor. Sin embargo, es fundamental insistir en que estos papeles son sólo para practicar, y los alumnos deben saber que con el tiempo no los utilizarán.
El objetivo final es que los alumnos puedan leer por sí mismos utilizando las estrategias de predecir, preguntar, aclarar y resumir (además de visualizar) mientras leen de forma independiente. Los alumnos pueden llevar un diario con sus resúmenes, preguntas, etc.; sin embargo, en nuestro trabajo hemos aprendido que detenerse a escribir en un diario mientras se lee es perjudicial para el objetivo general de comprensión. Los lectores que se esfuerzan pierden el hilo de sus pensamientos y a los lectores más competentes no les gusta tener que interrumpir algo interesante que están leyendo para escribir en un diario y demostrar que están utilizando las estrategias. Utiliza el diario con moderación mientras los alumnos leen, pero puede que les guste aprender a hacer anotaciones en los textos.
Eche un vistazo a este gráfico para ver cómo un profesor puede liberar gradualmente la responsabilidad del trabajo cognitivo de emplear estrategias del profesor a los estudiantes.
References
Pearson, D., & Gallagher, M. C. (1983). The instruction of reading comprehension. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 8, 317–344
Image design by Getty Creations
Filed under: disciplinary literacy, Español, Metacognition, reading comprehension | Tagged: Enseñanza recíproca, Reciprocal Teaching, Wolsey | Leave a comment »
Bridget Dalton
berdwyer
Blaine Smith
danagrisham
jillcastek
TDWolsey
Literacy Beat 