Critical Reflection Guiding Questions:

1. What is your definition of literacy, content-area literacy, and discipline literacy prior to reading the resources in this week’s module?

Prior to the readings my definition of literacy was very basic and to me it just meant being able to comprehend what you read and write. For content-area literacy my definition was just being able to understand the information and concepts for a particular content-area. Lastly, for discipline literacy I didn’t have an original definition for it and this module introduced what discipline literacy is to me.

2. Have your understandings changed? If so, how? If not, why?

After going through the readings I knew quickly I didn’t have the most accurate definitions for the literacies. My understanding of each one definitely changed and I realized that each literacy discussed was more than just a helpful strategy to make learning easier for a student. When I think of literacy my mind automatically goes to reading or writing, but this module showed me it’s so much more than that. Literacy is something that can be used and expressed in all areas not just reading and writing.  Also, I now have a better understanding of what content-area and discipline literacy are and how they differ. How content-area literacy is specific to each different subject in school and disciplinary literacy is also specific to school but is real world applicable as well. After the readings I formed a much better understanding of literacy, content-area literacy, and disciplinary literacy.

 3. What are your initial thoughts after reading the article by Hutcherson (2017)? How could ideas in this article inform your teaching? Or not?

After reading the Hutcherson article I found myself reflecting on my own life and realized I’m guilty of ignoring white privilege. After reading through all of her examples I have observed similar situations and been unaware of what has actually happened. As a potential future teacher it’ important I learn from this article and be aware of situations that could make others uncomfortable or singled out. The ideas from this article can inform my teaching in the aspect of being cautious and aware of all situations in the classroom.

Word Count- 306 (not including prompts)