This study investigated the influence of direct modeling of a supplemental classroom program on the early literacy beliefs and practices of Head Start teachers. Developed by speech language pathologists (SLPs), Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy Instruction (SEEL) was not undertaken with an explicit professional development goal. However, the potential significance regarding professional development became apparent as teachers collaborated with literacy specialists (SLPs) who conducted supplemental literacy activities in the classrooms. Data were collected by interviewing teachers at the end of each year of participation and again two years later. Transcripts were reviewed for relevant themes. Results demonstrate that teachers’ early literacy understanding and practices were influenced by exposure to SEEL as teachers expressed an understanding of key strategies used by the program and made observations of student performance. Implications are discussed regarding the use of supplemental classroom intervention programs as methods of professional development for classroom teachers.
Achilles, J., Yates, R., & Freese, J. ( 1991). Perspectives from the field: Collaborative consultation in the speech and language program of the Dallas Independent School District . Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 22, 154-155.
2.
Bashir, A. ( 1989). Language intervention and the curriculum. Seminars in Speech and Language, 10, 181-189.
3.
Bennett, R. ( 1988). Evaluating the effectiveness of alternate educational delivery systems. In J. Graden, J. Zins, & M. Curtis (Eds.), Alternative educational delivery systems: Enhancing institutional options for all students (pp. 276-301). Washington, DC: National Association of School Psychologists.
4.
Borsch, J., & Oaks, R. ( 1992). Implementing collaborative consultation: Effective collaboration at Central Elementary School. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 23, 367-368.
5.
Brandel, D. ( 1992). Full steam ahead with no prior experience!Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 23, 369-370.
6.
Bredekamp, S., & Copple, C. (Eds.). (1997). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs (Rev. ed.). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
7.
Buttrill, J., Niizawa, J., Biemer, C., Takahashi, C., & Hearn, S. ( 1989). Serving the language-learning disabled adolescent: A strategies-based model. Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 20, 185-204.
8.
Catts, H.W., Fey, M.E., Zhang, X., & Tomblin, J.B. ( 2001). Predicting reading disabilities: Research to practice . Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 32, 38-50.
9.
Christensen, S., & Luckett, C. ( 1990). Getting into the classroom and making it work! Language , Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 21, 110-113.
10.
Christie, J.F., & Enz, B. ( 1992). The effects of literacy play interventions on preschoolers’ play patterns and literacy development. Early Education and Development, 3, 205-220.
11.
Cirrin, F.M., & Penner, S.G. ( 1995). Classroom-based and consultative service delivery models for language intervention. Language Intervention: Preschool Through the Elementary Years, 1, 333-362.
12.
Corcoran, T.B. ( 1995). Transforming professional development for teachers: A guide for state policymakers. Washington, DC: National Governors’ Association.
13.
Coufal, K.L. ( 2002). Technology teaching or mediated learning. Part II, 1990s: Literacy linkages and intervention contexts. Topics in Language Disorders: The Child Language Specialist in a Digital Environment, 22(4), 29-54.
14.
Culatta, B. ( 2004). Systematic and Engaging Literary Instruction: An instructional manual. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University.
15.
Culatta, B., Aslett, R., Fife, M., & Setzer, L.A. ( 2004). Project SEEL: Part I. Systematic and engaging early literacy instruction. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 25(2), 79-88.
16.
Culatta, B., & Hall, K.M. ( 2006). Phonological awareness instruction in early childhood settings. In L. M. Justice (Ed.), Clinical approaches to emergent literacy intervention (pp. 173-218). San Diego, CA: Plural.
17.
Culatta, B., Hall, K., Kovarsky, D., & Theadore, G. ( 2007). Contextualized approach to language and literacy instruction . Communication Disorders Quarterly, 28, 216-235.
18.
Culatta, B., & Kovarsky, D. ( 2004). Project CALL: Contextualized approach to language and literacy instruction (Grant Award No. H32M990066). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
19.
Culatta, B., Kovarsky, D., Theadore, G., Franklin, A., & Timler, G. ( 2003). Quantitative and qualitative documentation of early literacy instruction. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology , 12, 172-188.
20.
Cunningham, A.E., & Stanovich, K.E. (1998). What reading does for the mind. American Educator, 22(1,2), 8-15.
21.
Dickinson, D.K., McCabe, A., Anastasopoulos, L., Peisher-Feinberg, E.S., & Poe, M.D. ( 2003). The comprehensive language approach to early literacy: The interrelationships among vocabulary, phonological sensitivity and print knowledge among preschool-aged children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(3), 465-481.
22.
Dodge, E., & Mallard, A. ( 1992). Social skills training using a collaborative service delivery model. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 23, 130-135.
23.
Dyer, K., Williams, L., & Luce, S. ( 1991). Training teachers to use naturalistic communication strategies in classrooms for students with autism and other severe handicaps. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 22, 313-321.
24.
Elmore, R.F. ( 2003). A plea for strong practice. Educational Leadership, 61(3), 6-10.
25.
Ferguson, M. ( 1991). Collaborative/consultative service delivery: An introduction . Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 23, 361-362.
26.
Fey, M. ( 1988). Generalization issues facing language interventionists: An introduction. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 19, 272-281.
27.
Friend, M., & Cook, L. ( 1990). Collaboration as a predictor for success in school reform . Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 1, 69-86.
28.
Garet, M.S., Porter, A.C., Desimone, L., Birman, B.F., & Yoon, K.S. ( 2001). What makes professional development effective? Results from a national sample of teachers. American Educational Research Journal, 38, 4915-4945.
29.
Gillon, G.T. ( 2004). Phonological awareness: From research to practice. New York: Guilford.
30.
Hulme, C., Muter, V., & Snowling, M.J. (1998). Segmentation does predict early progress in learning to read better than rhyme: A reply to Bryant. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 71(1), 39-44.
31.
Idol, L. ( 1990). The scientific art of classroom consultation. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 1, 3-22.
32.
Justice, L.M., & Kaderavek, J.N. (2004). Embedded-explicit emergent literacy intervention: Background and description of approach. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 35, 201-211.
33.
Kieff, J.E., & Casbergue, R.M. (2000). Playful learning and teaching: Integrating play into preschool and primary programs. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Merritt, D.D.S., & Culatta, B. ( 1998). Language intervention in the classroom. San Diego, CA: Singular.
36.
Miles, M.B., & Huberman, A.M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
37.
Moats, L. ( 1999). Teaching reading is rocket science. Washington, DC: American Federation of Teachers.
38.
National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction (NIH Pub. No. 00-4754). Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
39.
Nelson, N. ( 1993). Childhood language disorders in context: Infancy through adolescence. New York: Macmillan .
40.
Neuman, S.B., Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. ( 2000). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
41.
Neuman, S.B., & Roskos, K. ( 1993). Access to print for children of poverty: Differential effects of adult mediation and literacy-enriched play settings on environmental and functional print tasks. American Educational Research Journal, 30, 95-122.
42.
Nevin, A., Thousand, J., Paolucci-Whitcomb, P., & Villa, R. ( 1990). Collaborative consultation: Empowering public school personnel to provide heterogeneous schooling for all-or, who rang the bell?Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 1, 41-67.
43.
Norris, J., & Hoffman, P. ( 1993). Whole language intervention for school-age children. San Diego, CA: Singular.
44.
Rhine, S. ( 1998). The role of research and teachers’ knowledge base in professional development. Educational Researcher, 27(5), 27-31.
45.
Ritzman, M.J., Sanger, D., & Coufal, K.L. ( 2006). A case study of a collaborative speech-language pathologist . Communication Disorders Quarterly, 27(4), 221-231.
46.
Robinson, S.M. ( 1991). Collaborative consultation. In B.Y.L. Wong (Ed.), Learning about learning disabilities (pp. 441-463). New York: Academic Press.
47.
Scarborough, H. ( 2001). Connecting early literacy and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. In S. B. Neuman & D. K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research (pp. 97-110). New York: Guilford.
48.
Schoenbrodt, L., Kumin, L., & Sloan, J.M. ( 1997). Learning disabilities existing concomitantly with communication disorder. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30(3), 264-282.
49.
Shore, R. ( 1997). Rethinking the brain: New insights into early development . New York: Families and Work Institute .
50.
Silliman, E.R., & Wilkinson, L.C. (1991). Communicating for learning: Classroom observation and collaboration. In K. G. Butler (Ed.), Excellence in practice series (pp. 77-108). Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen.
51.
Silliman, E., Wilkinson, L., Belkin, A., & Hoffman, L. ( 1991). Facilitating collaboration through co participation. In E. Silliman & L. Wilkinson, Communicating for learning: Classroom observation and collaboration (pp. 77-108). Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen.
52.
Siracusa, C. ( 1990). No mail for Mitchell. New York: Random House.
53.
Snow, C., Burns, S., & Griffin, P. ( 1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
54.
Storch, S.A., & Whitehurst, G.J. (2002). Oral language and code-related precursors to reading: Evidence from a longitudinal structural model. Developmental Psychology, 38(6), 934-947.
55.
Throneburg, R.N., Calvert, L.K., Sturm, J.J., Paramboukas, A.A., & Paul, P.J. ( 2000). A comparison of service delivery models: Effects on curricular vocabulary skills in the school setting. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 9, 10-20.
56.
Torgesen, J.K., Al Otaiba, S., & Grek, M.L. ( 2005). Assessment and instruction for phonemic awareness and word recognition skills. In H. W. Catts & A. G. Kamhi (Eds.), Language and reading disabilities (2nd ed., pp. 128-149). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
57.
Wilson, S. ( 2004). A survey of perspectives, experiences, and lessons: Book reviews on professional development. The New England Reading Association Journal, 40, 71-79.
58.
Yopp, R., & Yopp, H. ( 2001). Literature-based reading activities. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
