Chapter 1: Principles 1-4

Principle 1: Effective Teachers Understand How Students Learn

Behaviorism: is a teacher-centered theory

• Focuses on observable changes in behavior.
• Views the teacher’s role as providing information and supervising practice.
• Describes learning as the result of stimulus-response actions.
• Uses incentives and rewards for motivation.

Constructivism: is a student-centered theory

• Describes learning as the active construction of knowledge.
• Recognizes the important of background knowledge. 
• Views learners as innately curious. 
• Advocates collaboration, not competition. 
• Suggests ways to engage students so they can be successful.

Sociolinguistics: is another student-centered theory

• Emphasizes the important of language and social interaction on learning. 
• Views reading and writing as social and cultural activities. 
• Explains that students learn best through authentic activities.
• Describes the teacher’s role as scaffolding students’ learning. 
• Advocates culturally responsive teaching. 
• Challenges students to confront injustices and inequities in society. 

Information Processing: is another student-centered theory

• Compares the mind to a computer.
• Recommends integrating reading and writing. 
• Views reading and writing as meaning-making processes. 
• Explains that readers’ interpretations are individualized. 
• Describes students as strategic readers and writers. 

Schema Theory: Knowledge is organized into cognitive structures called schemas, and schema theory describes how students learn. 

Inquiry Learning: Learners are curious and are constantly creating their own knowledge. Collaboration is more conductive to learning than competition. 

Engagement Theory: Engaged learners are intrinsically motivated and they enjoy reading and writing activities. Engaged learners have self-efficacy, which means they have confidence that they’ll succeed and reach their goals. These theorists believe that students are more engaged when they participate in authentic literacy activities and when they collaborate with classmates in a nurturing classroom community. 

Zone of proximal development: the level between children’s actual development and their potential development.

Principle 2: Effective Teachers Support Students’ Use of the Cueing Systems

Cueing Systems

• The phonological, or sound, system.
• The syntactic, or structural, system.
• The semantic, or meaning, system.
• The pragmatic, or social and cultural use, system.

The systems above make communication possible; children and adults use all four systems as they read, write, listen and talk. 

Principle 3: Effective Teachers Create a Community of Learners

Characteristics of a Classroom Community

• Safety- The classroom is a safe place and nurtures students’ physical and emotional well-being
• Respect- The students and the teacher within the classroom interact respectfully. Students differences are honored and all students feel comfortable and important.
• High Expectations- The teachers set high expectations and want every student to be successful.
• Risk Taking- Teachers challenge students to explore new topic and try unfamiliar activities.
• Collaboration- Students work with classmates on reading and writing activities and other projects. Working in groups often increases students’ motivation to learn.
• Choice- Students make choices about the books they read, the topics they write about, and the projects they pursue within the parameters set by the teacher. When students have a choice, they’re more motivated to succeed and do well.
• Responsibility- Students are responsible for their learning, behavior, and the contributions they make.
• Family and Community Involvement- Teachers involve parents and community members in classroom activities. When parents and other adults are involved in classroom activities, students are more likely to succeed.

Principle 4: Effective Teachers Adopt a Balanced Approach to Instruction 

The balanced approach to instruction is based on a comprehensive view of literacy that combines explicit instruction, guided practice, collaborative learning, and independent reading and writing.