Welcome to EL Extra. We have designed questions to help you and your colleagues foster meaningful discussions around the current Educational Leadership.
The study guide may be related to a particular article, a group of articles, or a theme that runs through the entire issue. Our questions will not cover all aspects of the issue, but we are hopeful that they will help you generate a conversation around key ideas. Feel free to adapt the questions to be more relevant to your school or school district—and you may even want to think of some of your own. Although you can consider many of the questions on your own, we encourage you to use them in pairs, small groups, or even large study groups.
Reflecting on New Literacies: Numeracy, Science, and Technology
In “Numeracy: The New Literacy for a Data-Drenched Society” (pp. 8–13), Lynn Arthur Steen says that quantitative literacy (or numeracy) “nourishes the entire school curriculum, not only the natural, social, and applied sciences, but also language, history, and fine arts” (p. 9). How is numeracy connected to your subject area, discipline, or curriculum? Can you think of new ways to introduce students to numeracy concepts?
In “Science Literacy for All in the 21st Century” (pp. 14–17), George D. Nelson argues for the need for a science-literate population. What is your school’s or district’s vision for science literacy? Does the idea that the science curriculum is “a mile wide and an inch deep” ring true for your school? How might you deepen the science curriculum without losing sight of state or district standards?
Decker Walker, in “Technology and Literacy: Raising the Bar” (pp. 18–21), describes how future generations will value the ability to use technology as highly as they value the abilities to read and write. Do you agree with his prediction? Do you worry about our increasing reliance on technology, or do you champion the innovative ways in which students are becoming technologically literate?
Old Literacies, New Questions: The Brain and Reading
What can neuroscience tell us about learning to read? In “Learning About Learning to Read: A Conversation with Sally Shaywitz” (pp. 26–31) Marcia D’Arcangelo talks with Sally Shaywitz about new developments in science and reading.
Discuss the different approaches to teaching reading that your school has tried. What professional development opportunities are there for literacy teachers in your district or school? What can schools do to ensure that reading teachers receive the best and most up-to-date training and information?
What does Shaywitz assert about the brain and reading patterns, and do they validate your experience in the classroom?
Do you see any gender differences in the ways that boys and girls learn to read, what they like to read, and their expectations for reading? Relate these differences to Shaywitz’s findings.
