Initial teacher training in initial literacy. El Salvador

This research looked into how initial literacy was taught to trainee teachers at the Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas in El Salvador. The research is part of a regional study developed by the Red para la Lectoescritura Inicial de Centroamérica y el Caribe [Network for Initial Literacy in Central America and the Caribbean – RedLEI] in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

It sought to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the training, taking into account the evidence emerging from published research on the effective teaching of reading and writing in early school grades. The ultimate goal was to highlight the existing gaps in knowledge surrounding how prospective teachers are trained to teach reading and writing and, on the basis of this, put together recommendations for aligning the current evidence around what teachers need to know and be able to do to teach initial literacy with what their initial training actually involves.

The study concludes that there are three elements that must be balanced. First, the training programme must incorporate all the contents that evidence indicates are fundamental for teaching initial literacy, based on theoretical and methodological approaches. Basic knowledge about how neuroscience relates to initial literacy is currently not included; in other words, teachers are not taught to understand how functional connectivity or networks are established in the brain to support the learning of reading and writing, especially from early ages. Second, sufficient time must be allocated and ensured for practising teaching initial literacy. And third, we must consider, design and implement mechanisms for monitoring teacher trainers who provide training in initial literacy, not only to make sure that practices are being conducted as planned, but also to reflect on them, and support and guide trainers, based on the evidence, in teaching initial literacy.