Early Literacy

Maturational Theory

Arnold Gesell (1925), the leader of

the maturationist movement, compared
cognitive maturation to physical
maturation. Children would be “ready” to
read, according to Gesell, when they had
developed certain prerequisite skills that
could be evaluated by readiness testing.
According to this theory there is little
teachers and parents can do to hurry the
process of development. Reading
readiness and readiness testing were
central themes of early reading
instruction until well into the 1950s.
Connectionist Theory

Another current theory of literacy

acquisition the connectionist theory
Proponents of this part to whole theory
declare that literacy knowledge is built
on a sequence of skills and experiences.
Children are taught reading and writing
through direct explicit skills instruction.
There is emphasis on mastering the
alphabetic code, reading words,
automaticity of reading.
Social Constructivist Theory

The Basic tenets of this theory are that.

a. Children Knowledge within a socially

mediated cultural context
b. Language is a key component in Children’s
appropriation of knowledge
c. Knowledge is constructed most effectively
when adults scaffold, or support, children’s
development at appropriate levels
d. Children acquire knowledge with the
assistance of adult or more experienced
peer within a continuum of behavior called
zone of proximal development
 Emergent Literacy
The work of Marie Clay, a
New Zealand educator,
heralded changes in the
Marie Clay
way researchers and
teachers viewed early
reading. Her studies
indicated that children
know a great deal about
reading and writing before
they come to school.