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400
The Alphabet Method
The Alphabet Method dates back to ancient Greece and Rome; it was first developed by the Phoenicians. This method involved drilling and recitation of the alphabet both forward and backward, the use of simple melodies, and letter blocks or tiles to teach the alphabet. (Sadoski, 2004) -
Period: 400 to
Early Roots
"Multiple Sources on the topic suggest that the following theories and models have been central in providing the earliest foundation (prior to the 20th century) for current thinking in education: Mental Discipline Theory, Associationism, Unfoldment Theory, and Structuralism" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M. , 2012). -
Jan 1, 1527
Valentin Ickelsamer
A German teacher by the name Valentin Ickelsamer prepared an introductory reading book called "The Shortest Way to Reading". His book introduced a new reading method that involved having students frist learn to isolate speech sounds, then learn the letters that stood for them.This may have been the beginning of the synthetic phonics method, one of the frist significant departures from the alphabet method. (Sadoski, 2004) -
The New England Primer
These are our earliest reading books in colonial America. The content of primers was dominated by religion. After learning to read with the primer, students would then advance directly to the Bible. (Sadoski, 2004) -
Unfoldment Theory
"In the realm of educational theory, the first serious challenge to Mental Discipline Theory and Associationsim cam with Unfoldment Theory. Rousseau (1712 - 1778), one of the earliest educational theorists to hold the Unfoldment perspective, postulated that children's learning would evolve naturally as a result of their innate curiosity" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Structuralism
"Structuralism, which is usually thought of as the first major school in psychology, sought to explain the structure of the mind through the study of perception. Wilhelm Wundt (1832 - 1920), a German psychologist, pursued the study of perceptual processes by investigating aspects of the reading process such as letter and word recognition, legibility of print, and span of attention" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Period: to
Behaviorsim
"The Dominant Educational Perspectives for 50 Years. Behaviorism is a theoretical perspective of learning htat focuses on observable changes in behavior" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Classical Conditioning Theory
"Classical conditioning occurs when two stimuli become paired, eventually both eliciting the same response. Pavlov created Classical Conditioning Theory as a result of his research studying dogs' digestion in the 1920's" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Period: to
Constructivism
"Constructivism is a theory of learning that emphasizes the active construction of knowledge by individual. Froam a constructivist viewpoint,learning occurs when individuals integrate new knowledge with existing knowledge" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Connectionsim
"Thorndike extended the study of Behaviorism by showing that stimli that occurred after a behavior also had an influence on furture behaviors. Thorndike created the theory of Connectionism and proposed its four laws: the Law of Effect, The Law of Readiness, the Law of Identical Elements, and the Law of Exercise" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Inquiry Learning
"John Dewey (1859 - 1952) was one of the first American constructivists. Dewey's notion of learning was based on the Unfoldment Theory. Incorporating the work of classic philosophers and educators, Dewey emphasized the growth of the individual, the importance of the environment, and the role of the teacher in students' learning. The curriculum emphasizes the development of students' cognitive abilities, such as reasoning and decision making" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Period: to
Theories of Literacy Development
"Theorists working from a developmental perspective attempt to articulate the growth of specific behaviors and abilities across time. There are several different theories of development including Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development, Maturation Theory, Theory of Literacy Development, Stage Models of Reading, and Family Literacy Theory" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Maturation Theory
"Maturation Theory (Morphett & Washburne, 1931) promoted the idea that literacy instruction should be delayed until children are 6 1/2 years old, supposedly the age at which children would be most successful at learning to read" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Schema Theory
"In general, this theory strives to explain how knowledge is created and used by learners. According the the Schema Theory, people organize everything they know into schemata, or knowledge structures. Bartlett (1932) has been credited with the creation of the term "schema" as we use it today in education" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Operant Conditioning Theory
"Skinner called his classroom application of Operant Conditioning Theory "programmed learning," also known as "programmed instruction." In programmed learning instruction is carefully broken down into small, successive steps that are carefully designed to maximize the likelihood of students' success, and to minimize the likelihood of students' frustration and failure" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Theory of Cognitive Development
"Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development, one of the most famous theories used to explain children's overall cognitive development, can be used to help literacy educators understand the learning stages through which students progress as they mature and their relationship to literacy achievement" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Psycholinguistic Theory
"At the core of the psycholinguistic perspective on reading is the assumption that reading is primarily a language process. A central component of the Psycholinguistic Theory of reading is that readers rely on language cueing systems to help them rapidly read text. In 1971, Smith applied concepts from Psycholinguistic Theory to the teaching or reading" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Metacognitive Theory
"Metacognition is the process of thinking about one's own thinking. Flavell (1976) and Brown (1978) studied the development of children's ability to be aware of and control their own cognitive processes, and introdued the general concept of metaognition in the mid-1970's" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Transactional / Reader Response Theory
"Louise Rosenblatt (1978) further extended the application of Schema Theory to he field of reading. Based on the idea that every individual is unique with regard to what constitutes his or her schema in any particular area, Rosenblatt argued that every reading experience is therefore unique to each individual as well" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Theory of Literacy Development
"Holdaway's (1979) Theory of Literacy Development suggested that literacy development begins much earlier, in children's homes, and is based on meaningful learning experiences" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Whole Language Theory
"Whole Language Theory suggests that reading, like oral language, is a natural process that children will acuqire if immersed in high-quality literacy environments and exposed to meaningful, authentic literacy experiences and high quality literature. A major objective of classrooms based on Whole Language Theory is the development of a child's desire to read and write" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Family Literacy Theory
"Family Literacy Theory was first proposed by Taylor in 1983. Family Literacy Theory focuses on the unique role of the home and parens in children's literacy development" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Stage Models of Reading
"Stage Models of Reading (Ehri, 1991; Frith, 1985; Chall, 1983) describe the stages through which children progress in the development of their word identification abilities" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Engagement Theory
"Engagement Theory (Guthrie, 2004; Guthrie & Wigfield, 2000) seeks to articulate the differences between "engaged" and "disengaged" readers, and to provide direction to educators on how to help students become more engaged. Thus Engagement Theory contains the central elements of Metaognitive Theory but also emphasizes motivational, conceptual, and social aspects of learning". (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Emergent Literacy Theory
"Emergent Literacy Theory (Morrow, 2005, 2012) describes a broader set of abilities then do the Stage Models, and explains how these abilities develop from birth onward" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012). -
Mental Discipline Theory
"Mental Discipline Theory was the first major historical theory to provide a foundation for the field of education. Among his many writings on a variety of subjects, Plato developed a theory, later elaborated by Aristotle,that the mind is like a muscle - it's various parts, or faculties, need to be exercised regularly..." (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012) -
Associationism
"This fundamental notion is found first, and in quite definitive form, in the writing of Aristotle (B.C.E., 384-322). Associationism examines how events or ideas can become associated with one another in the mind, to result in a form of learning" (Tracey, D.H. & Morrow, L.M., 2012)
