Literacy across the curriculum: teachers teaching teachers about content area reading strategies and their perceptions of the effectiveness of these strategies

Abstract

This study employed a mixed method research design to examine a teachers-teaching-teachers method of professional development for training secondary school teachers to use content area reading strategies and their perceptions of the effectiveness of these strategies. Teachers were trained by the researcher (who is also a teacher) to use three content area reading strategies: one before reading strategy (K-W-L), one during reading strategy (Student-Generated Questions), and one after reading strategy (Learning Logs). The findings revealed that teachers perceived content area reading strategies to be very effective for improving student comprehension. The Duke and Pearson (2002) model of comprehension instruction (and particularly the modeling portion of this framework) was found to be an effective way in which to teach both teachers and students how to use content area reading strategies. This study provides teachers with information they can use to learn more about content area reading strategies. It also provides information for administrators, reading clinicians, resource teachers, and professional development committees regarding effective methods of teacher training.