The expertise of literacy teachers: A continuum from preschool to Grade 5

• Published in: Reading research quarterly 2002-04, Vol.37 (2), p.178-206
• Main Authors: Block, Cathy Collins, Oakar, Margaret, Hurt, Nicholas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adolescence; adult; advocacy; childhood; Children; Curriculum subjects: programmes and methods; early adolescence; Educational sciences; Elementary Education; Elementary school students; Elementary School Teachers; evidence; Grade 1; Grade 2; Grade 5; Grade levels; instructional; learner; Literacy; methodology; Performance evaluation; policy; Preschool education; Preschool students; Preservice Teachers; profdev; Reading instruction; Reading research; Reading, writing; strategies; survey; Teacher Characteristics; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Evaluation; Teacher Role; Teacher Student Relationship; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching methods; topic; type; Writing instruction
• ISSN: 0034-0553; 1936-2722
• DOI: 10.1598/RRQ.37.2.4

Research has demonstrated that teaching expertise makes a significant difference in the rate and depth of students' literacy growth, and that highly effective educators share similar characteristics (Block, 2001a; Bond & Dykstra, 1967/1997; International Reading Association, 2000; Pressley, Allington, Wharton-McDonald, Block, & Morrow, 2001; Ruddell, 1997). The National Reading Research Panel (NRRP, 1999) and IRA (2000) recommended that "educators seek out teachers who best exemplify solid teaching, support their work, and consider their successes" (NRRP, p. 20). The purpose of this study was to identify the qualities of teaching expertise that distinguished highly effective instruction at different grade levels. The study occurred in four phases. In Phase I, 647 directors of literacy instruction, in K-12 institutions from seven English-speaking countries, analyzed highly effective instruction in action from preschool to Grade 5 through case study point-by-point Delphi procedures. In Phase II, the resultant 1,294 characteristics of teaching expertise were dimensionalized into 475 categories and interrater reliabilities were computed. In Phase III, 11 prominent researchers from the U. S., Canada, and Australia cross-validated the data. In Phase IV, the authors summarized the five most distinctive qualities per grade level, compared characteristics across grades, and analyzed commonalities and differences between literacy directors' and researchers' rankings. Preschool to Grade 5 literacy teachers were distinguished from one another by 44 indices of teaching expertise. Applications of these data for research, policy, and practice were described. /// [Spanish] La investigación ha demostrado que la aptitud didáctica influye significativamente en la velocidad y profundidad del desarrollo de la alfabetización en los estudiantes; asimismo, los docentes muy eficaces comparten características similares (Block, 2001a; Bond & Dykstra, 1967/1997; International Reading Association, 2000; Pressley, Allington, Wharton-McDonald, Block & Morrow, 2001; Ruddell, 1997). El Panel Nacional de Investigación en Lectura (NRRP, 1999) y la IRA (2000) recomendaron que "los educadores busquen docentes que representen una didáctica sólida, den sustento a su trabajo y consideren sus logros" (NRRP, p. 20). El propósito de este estudio fue identificar las cualidades de las aptituden didácticas que distinguieron la enseñanza efectiva en diferentes niveles escolares. El estudio se llevó a c