Fostering Literacy Practices in Secondary Science and Mathematics Courses: Pre-service Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Authors

  • Anne Murray Orr St. Francix Xavier University
  • Jennifer Mitton Kukner St. Francis Xavier University
  • D.J. Timmons St. Francis Xavier University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20360/G2CS3Z

Keywords:

New Literacies, Mathematics Literacy, Scientific Literacy, Pre-Service Teacher Education

Abstract

A significant number of high school students struggle to read textbooks and other course materials and to write successfully in content area courses such as mathematics and science (Kane, 2011). This paper investigates how pre-service teacher education can provide a strong literacy foundation for content area teachers. A pilot study, undertaken as part of an ongoing longitudinal study, examines how secondary pre-service teachers plan to infuse their teaching of secondary mathematics and science with literacy practices.  This paper inquires into the perspectives of six mathematics and science pre-service teachers who were interviewed after completing a course in content area literacy. Pre-service teachers emphasized their growing awareness of how literacy strategies can enhance student learning in their specific subject areas.

Author Biographies

Anne Murray Orr, St. Francix Xavier University

Anne Murray Orr is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Her current research is in the areas of early literacy, content area literacy, Indigenous language immersion programs, and pre- and in-service teacher education.

Jennifer Mitton Kukner, St. Francis Xavier University

Jennifer Mitton Kukner is an Assistant Professor of Assessment, Literacy, and Qualitative Research Methods in the Faculty of Education at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Her research areas include content area literacy, pre- and in-service teacher education, and teachers as researchers. 

D.J. Timmons, St. Francis Xavier University

D. J. Timmons is a Grade 7 teacher in the Kativik School Board in northern Quebec. His research interests include critical literacy, the history of Japanese Canadian internment and deportation during World War II, and other issues of citizenship, human rights, and social justice.

Published

2014-05-23

How to Cite

Murray Orr, A., Mitton Kukner, J., & Timmons, D. (2014). Fostering Literacy Practices in Secondary Science and Mathematics Courses: Pre-service Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Language and Literacy, 16(1), 91–110. https://doi.org/10.20360/G2CS3Z