Worldwide, educators seek best practices to improve second language learners' academic literacy and school achievement. Interdisciplinary research has identified functional aspects, both written and oral, of different subject area literacies (Unsworth, 2000, Schleppegrell 2004, Christie & Derewianka 2010,) and shows the need for a subject-specific focus in pedagogical literacy approaches (Van Dijk 2018). The value of integrating language and content learning has gained hold in schools globally; and consequently, the education of language teachers incorporates content-based language approaches that introduce learners to subject-specific genres and vocabulary and draw on their multilingual resources to construct meaning (Cummins & Early 2010, Gibbons 2014, Echevarria, Vogt & Short 2017,). The preparation of subject teachers, however, has lagged behind. This symposium addresses the issue of subject teacher development by bringing together researchers across disciplines to explore literacy-oriented strategies. We invite empirical studies that focus on subject-specific teachers' roles in developing second language literacy within primary, secondary, and vocational classrooms and on preservice and inservice programs for these teachers. There will be three subthemes: - identification of functional aspects of subject-area literacy and demands on multilingual learners - characteristics of literacy-oriented approaches in specific subjects - teacher development for language and content teachers.
Worldwide, educators seek best practices to improve second language learners' academic literacy and school achievement. Interdisciplinary research has identified functional aspects, both written and oral, of different subject area literacies (Unsworth, 2000, Schleppegrell 2004, Christie & Derewianka 2010,) and shows the need for a subject-specific focus in pedagogical literacy approaches (Van Dijk 2018). The value of integrating language and content learning has gained hold in schools globally; and consequently, the education of language teachers incorporates content-based language approaches that introduce learners to subject-specific genres and vocabulary and draw on their multilingual resources to construct meaning (Cummins & Early 2010, Gibbons 2014, Echevarria, Vogt & Short 2017,). The preparation of subject teachers, however, has lagged behind. This symposium addresses the issue of subject teacher development by bringing together researchers across disciplines to explore literacy-oriented strategies. We invite empirical studies that focus on subject-specific teachers' roles in developing second language literacy within primary, secondary, and vocational classrooms and on preservice and inservice programs for these teachers. There will be three subthemes: - identification of functional aspects of subject-area literacy and demands on multilingual learners - characteristics of literacy-oriented approaches in specific subjects - teacher development for language and content teachers.
Room 1 AILA 2021 aila2021@gcb.nl
Erkan Gürsoy
Björn Kindenberg
Maaike Hajer
Anne Marit Danbolt
Yvonne Foley
Tessa Mearns
Sarah Wunderlich
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