Science education as a pathway to teaching language literacy: A critical book review

Sara Tolbert

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this paper, I present a critical review of the recent book, Science Education as a Pathway to Teaching Language Literacy, edited by Alberto J. Rodriguez. This volume is a timely collection of essays in which the authors bring to attention both the successes and challenges of integrating science instruction with literacy instruction (and vice versa). Although several themes in the book merit further attention, a central unifying issue throughout all of the chapters is the task of designing instruction which (1) gives students accessto the dominant Discourses in science and literacy, (2) builds on students' lived experiences, and (3) connects new material to socially and culturally relevant contexts in both science and literacy instruction-all within the high stakes testing realities of teachers and students in public schools. In this review, I illustrate how the authors of these essays effectively address this formidable challenge through research that 'ascends to the concrete'. I also discuss where we could build on the work of the authors to integrate literacy and science instruction with the purpose of 'humanizing and democratizing' science education in K-12 classrooms.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)251-263
Number of pages13
JournalCultural Studies of Science Education
Volume6
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2011

Keywords

  • Democracy and science education
  • Integrated science and literacy instruction/science instruction for English learners
  • Multicultural science teacher education

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Science education as a pathway to teaching language literacy: A critical book review'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this