Disciplinary Literacy - History and Arts

Synthesis:

Jetton and Shanahan:
The text discusses protocols for reading historical texts. We should want our students to be exposed to and have multiple opportunities to read history texts because it helps us build a deeper understanding of the past. Despite the importance of historical texts, many students find it boring or difficult for one reason or another. In the text, we are introduced to Brad and Ayesha. Brad struggles with "cognitive noise" and doesn't like having to think hard to arrive at an answer. He desires for the answer to be simple and concrete, and does not like broad historical questions. He prefers easier texts compared to texts that are complex and difficult to comprehend. I believe Brad represents a large portion of students today. On the other hand, Ayesha welcomes the "noise" and enjoys reading about multiple accounts and ideas. She waits to form her own ideas until she completes all the reading she can on the subject. She reads each account carefully and evaluates it for its validity. In the life of a historian, Ayesha's way of understanding historical texts is right on target. The focus of teaching should be on historical questions that make our students think.

Chapter 9 discusses literacy in the arts. According to No Child Left Behind, music and visual arts are considered core academic subjects. Music education can include the use of textbooks, but learning usually occurs through the use of non print objects like symbols, sound, musical scores, or interpretations. Instead of reading words, students read music. The notes and symbols are very specific, just like words and punctuation. Students "pick up meaning from notated text and transfer that meaning to their performance" (236). Students that are enrolled in a music class use a variety of literacies that challenge them to think and grow as a person and musician: performance, listening, creating, and contemplating. Music students must use specific skills in class such as notation, improvisation, sight-reading, rehearsal, memorization, intonation, expression, composition, and body movement.
Art education also needs to be a valuable part of the academic curriculum. Children create, problem-solve, reflect, and critique their own art and art of others.
The text suggests using a constructivist approach when teaching to increase student engagement, motivation, and achievement. We must allow students the opportunities to solve problems, with scaffolding from peers and teachers. Modeling is an important component in the teaching process for both musical and visual arts. Also, we need to allow our students to be able to read different types of text and write to respond to the reading and share their thinking.

Hinchman and Thomas:
The text focuses on the struggles of teaching historical texts. We know that reading and writing is an important part of learning history. The challenge is teaching students how to navigate these texts and understand them. But how can we get students interested and teach them in a way that makes sense? The text makes it clear that history is so much more than facts. We have to get away from the idea of memorization and instead focus on meaning making and analyzation. "The main job of the history teacher is not to tell students the information from the history books, but to enable them to make sense of this information in a sophisticated and appropriate manner" (233). We should try to get our students to THINK when learning history and looking at historical texts. When was this written and what was the historical context? What is the author's background and what was he/she trying to accomplish? Are there any conflicting points of view across the texts? Students need to learn about these thinking processes through teaching and modeling to be able to understand their historical texts.

Responses:

(text to self)
I am a person who loves creative arts, and especially music. I can memorize a song quickly and my connection with music is special to me. I loved anytime that my teacher integrated music into a lesson. I wish it would have happened more.

(text to text)
For the last few weeks, we have been discussing the different types of disciplinary texts. We have read and learned about how each discipline is unique and comes with its own challenges. These are challenges that affect student learning and should affect the way teachers teach these disciplines.

(text to world)
I know there is such an emphasis put on testing and academics in schools, but the text reminded me of the importance of allowing students access to the arts. The various arts require students to use many higher level thinking processes that I believe school administrators forget about. Creating, listening, analyzing, evaluating, reflecting, collaborating - just some of the skills students use in music or art class.

Questions:
1.  What are your ideas to better integrate the arts into the classroom?

2.  Do you have any tips to help students "think like a historian"?


Thanks! :)