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What Work Samples Reveal about Pre-service Social Studies Teachers’ Use of Literacy Strategies. Gayle Thieman, Portland State University Susan Lenski, Portland State University National Council for Social Studies CUFA December 1, 2011. Research Questions.
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What Work Samples Reveal about Pre-service Social Studies Teachers’ Use of Literacy Strategies Gayle Thieman, Portland State University Susan Lenski, Portland State University National Council for Social Studies CUFA December 1, 2011
Research Questions • How do secondary social studies pre-service teachers incorporate literacy strategies in their student teaching Work Samples? • To what extent and under what conditions do secondary social studies pre-service teachers use higher levels of literacy strategies in their Work Samples? • What are the implications of this research for teacher preparation that seeks to challenge the status quo of lowered literacy expectations for marginalized students?
Literacy in social studies (NCSS, 2010) • Sequence events • Differentiate fact vs. opinion • Compare similarities and differences • Analyze cause and effect • Explore complex patterns • Evaluate sources for credibility and validity • Use variety of media to access, create, and present information • Interpret and analyze diverse historical and contemporary perspectives
Literacy Strategies (Lee & Spratley, 2010) • Activate prior knowledge • Build vocabulary • Learn to deconstruct complex sentences • Use knowledge of text structures and genres to predict main ideas • Map graphic representations against explanations • Pose relevant questions • Compare claims across texts • Evaluate evidence and claims
Context • Large Pacific Northwest university that prepares 120 secondary teachers yearly in a cohort-based post baccalaureate program • Fall term prior to student teaching • Content area reading strategies class • Intro social studies methods class • Winter term prior to student teaching II • Advanced social studies methods course
Data Sources • 16 secondary pre-service teachers • 12 Work Sample I • 15 Work Sample II • 27 Work Samples Total • (classroom context, lesson plans, instructional materials, reflections on teaching the lessons, attention to literacy,) • Work Sample I: 2-3 weeks of lessons in ST I • Work Sample II: 4-5 weeks of lessons in ST II
Qualitative document analysis (Altheide, Coyle, DeVriese, & Schneider, 2010) Constant Comparative (Corbin & Strauss, 2007) Read and coded Work Samples individually, met weekly to compare coding, 95% agreement, came to consensus on differences • Generated categories using open coding • Selected categories within a literacy model (axial coding) • Connected the categories (selective coding)
Analysis: What is literacy? First, we had to agree on what is a literacy strategy in social studies instruction. • Used existing literature to develop list of 28 literacy strategies • Applied the strategies to five modalities: reading (digital and print) writing, speaking, listening, viewing
Steps of Analysis • Developed a chart for each work sample • Analyzed each literacy event: specific literacy activity • Summarized literacy activity • label countries on a map • Identified corresponding literacy term • Label map • Decided the DOK level of the literacy activity (1-4) • I Recall
Low DOK levels I Recall • Label map • Define vocabulary • Recall information • Take notes • Draw representation II Skill/Concepts • Identify patterns • Summarize information • Make predictions • Organize information • Compare/contrast • Interpret historical document
High DOK Levels • III Strategic Thinking • Analyze consequences • Evaluate policy proposals • Develop logical argument • Debate merits of proposal • Draw conclusions • IV Extended Thinking • Synthesize information from multiple sources • Create new understanding • Apply concepts in novel ways
Findings: Number of Literacy Events • Number of literacy events increased from Student Teaching I to Student Teaching II • WS I: mean 24; range 11-40 (part-time) • WS II: mean 29; range 10-44 (full-time) • Higher mean of literacy events in the ST II work sample may be due to increased number of lessons or increased experience and confidence in lesson design
Findings: DOK Level of Literacy Strategies • Level 1 strategies decreased a little from WS I to WS II • WS I Level 1 Mean: 26% range 6%-46% • WS II Level 1 Mean: 23% range 9%-33% • Level III, IV strategies increased from WS I and WSII • WS I Level III, IV Mean: 22% range 0-60% • WS II Level III,IV Mean: 29% range 15%-48%
Findings: DOK Level varied with classroom contexts • Some candidates teaching in high poverty schools (>40% FRL) had higher percentages of Level 1 strategies (> 30%) • A few candidates teaching in high poverty schools (>40% FRL) had higher percentages of Level III,IV strategies (>40%) • Most capable graduate students • Higher level literacy strategies were more frequent in WS II • Most candidates teaching in low poverty schools had higher percentages of Level III, IV strategies Candidates who taught younger students used more Level 1 strategies >30%. • Candidates who taught both Work Samples in the same school decreased their percentages of Level 1 strategies.
Implications for Further Research • Develop shared definitions of literacy and shared vocabulary of literacy strategies. • Collaborate on common literacy assignments. • Explicitly teach candidates how to incorporate higher level thinking and strategies, especially with students in high-poverty/high diversity classrooms. • All of the Work Samples included a variety of primary documents and texts. Teach candidates how to match text difficulty with student literacy ability.