title: Beginning literacy: links among teacher knowledge, teacher practice, and student learning.
abstract: Although the importance of phonological awareness has been discussed widely in the research literature, the concept is not well understood by many classroom teachers. In the study described here, we worked with groups of kindergarten and first-grade teachers (the experimental group) during a 2-week summer institute and throughout the school year. We shared with them research about learning disabilities and effective instruction, stressing the importance of explicit instruction in phonological and orthographic awareness. We followed the experimental group and a control group into their classrooms for a year, assessing teachers' classroom practices and their students' (n = 779) learning. The study yielded three major findings: We can deepen teachers' own knowledge of the role of phonological and orthographic information in literacy instruction; teachers can use that knowledge to change classroom practice; and changes in teacher knowledge and classroom practice can improve student learning.
authors.affiliation: Educational Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-3600, USA. mccutch@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McCutchen
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.forename: Laura B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: S Natasha
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Beretvas
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Nina S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Potter
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Quiroga
authors.forename: Audra L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gray
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004493:Education; D004522:Educational Status; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011932:Reading; D014956:Writing