Beginning literacy: links among teacher knowledge, teacher practice, and student learning

Area of Science:

• Education
• Literacy Studies
• Teacher Professional Development

Background:

• Phonological awareness is crucial for literacy, but often misunderstood by teachers.
• Effective literacy instruction requires explicit teaching of phonological and orthographic skills.
• Bridging the gap between research and classroom practice is essential for student success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of professional development on teachers' knowledge of phonological and orthographic awareness.
• To assess whether enhanced teacher knowledge translates into changes in classroom practices.
• To determine if changes in teacher knowledge and practice improve student literacy outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A 2-week summer institute and year-long follow-up provided training to an experimental group of kindergarten and first-grade teachers.
• Classroom practices of the experimental group and a control group were observed over one academic year.
• Student learning was assessed for 779 students across both groups.

Main Results:

• Teachers in the experimental group demonstrated a deeper understanding of phonological and orthographic information's role in literacy.
• Significant changes in classroom practices were observed in the experimental group following the professional development.
• Students of teachers who received training showed improved literacy learning compared to the control group.

Conclusions:

• Targeted professional development can effectively enhance teachers' knowledge of foundational literacy concepts.
• Teacher knowledge gains can be translated into improved instructional strategies in the classroom.
• Elevating teacher expertise in phonological and orthographic awareness positively impacts student literacy development.