Multiple Voices, Multiple Texts: Reading in the Secondary Content Areas

I chose to read this theoretically-driven approach to teaching reading in the secondary content areas not because of its original cover design (see below for proof that I try hard not to choose a book by its cover) nor because of the first author's first name (someone with the first name of Reade must be a literacy expert!).  Rather, I chose this book because our school, like others across the nation, is beginning to implement the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, and I (like many other English teachers) am excited about the fact that all content area teachers will be incorporating reading and writing into their instruction.  After all, by the time students are in middle and high school, they are no longer learning to read (although they do continue to develop as readers throughout their lifetimes), but are instead reading to learn.

The authors of Multiple Voices, Multiple Texts (1997) approach literacy with "the belief that as readers use written language to understand the world in which they live, they learn more about how to read at the same time" (pp. ix-x).  For them, literacy is best approached through a multi-dimensional, complex process that is best supported through transactional instruction, where teachers are facilitators of independent learning and thinking and the teaching of reading is integrated into the students' lives and mastery of the content itself.  The teaching of reading, thus, has important implications for teachers of all subjects.  In fact, the authors argue that "knowledgeable subject area teachers are best able to organize curriculum and instruction that provides the rich background of content knowledge, language, and experience that allows students to construct meaning in response to a range of written materials" (p. x).  Imagine a world where history teachers were not only experts in World War II, but were also helpful reading instructors.  Imagine a biology class where students were not only taught about osmosis and cell walls, but were also assisted in developing strong scientific reports.  Reading and writing are such an integral component of learning in every field that to deny explicit reading and writing instruction in those areas seems catastrophic!

The Foreword and Introduction clearly outline the authors' approach to literacy: rather than take a phonics-driven, word-recognition approach (behaviorist) to reading, they advocate a whole language, meaning-centered view (social constructivist, psycholinguistic).  They argue that students are best supported in knowledge creation when student writing in multiple genres is encouraged, displayed and celebrated; when students are required to write in ongoing inquiry and problem solving journals and complete I-search papers on specific topics; when students are encouraged to work collaboratively on research projects, learning logs, and creative writing; and when reading for understanding is promoted through daily assignments using multiple texts (popular media, textbooks, young adult literature, scholarly journals) in every content area.