The Far Reaching Influence of Early Literacy Education: Beginning Teachers Look to Their Own Early Literacy Teachers as Role Models for Their Teaching

Authors

  • Monica McGlynn-Stewart School of Early Childhood, George Brown College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20360/G2HG67

Keywords:

early literacy, elementary teaching, teacher development

Abstract

This qualitative research study examined how the professional practice of six beginning elementary teachers was influenced by their own childhood literacy teachers. Results illustrate that the participants' early literacy experiences varied greatly as did the ways in which those experiences intersected with their teaching practice. The participants all reported modeling their teaching after one or two specific teachers from their own childhoods. Using these role models as guides, the participants focused on teaching students whose needs were similar to their own needs as students. Implications for preservice and inservice teacher education are discussed.

Author Biography

Monica McGlynn-Stewart, School of Early Childhood, George Brown College

Monica is a professor in the School of Early Childhood at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario

Published

2014-05-23

How to Cite

McGlynn-Stewart, M. (2014). The Far Reaching Influence of Early Literacy Education: Beginning Teachers Look to Their Own Early Literacy Teachers as Role Models for Their Teaching. Language and Literacy, 16(1), 71–90. https://doi.org/10.20360/G2HG67