In this thesis, we will focus on modern constructivist model of literacy, co-created by the teacher as a facilitator of the learning process and by the students, while considering their prior knowledge and interest. We will justify it from the perspective of modern findings of learning and cognitive concepts of teaching, and we will ephasize the role of the teacher in creating an appropriate literacy environment in the first grade of primary school.
In theoretical foundations we will define quality teaching from the perspective of transmission and constructivist model. We will link the important elements of constructivism to the modern definition of literacy and explain the essential aspects of initial literacy in first grade.
In the empirical part we will perform a pedagogical experiment. The control group of students will develop literacy in a systematic way according to the prevailing analytic-synthetic method with workbooks as the main learning material. The experimental group of students will develop literacy in a constructivist oriented way by introducing a variety of activities designed by the teacher and students together, considering students' abilities, prior knowledge and interest. We would like to determine whether transmission-oriented way of teaching and constructivist way of teaching differ in efficiency of developing/acquiring reading and writing skills of students in the first grade of primary school. We will focus on monitoring reading and writing skills of students (graphics awareness, phonological awareness, associative relation voice – letter, reading-writing exercises).
Research has shown statistically that students in the experimental group, who developed literacy in a constructivist oriented way, have progressed significantly particularly in reading and writing skills, such as independent reading and writing, while students in the control group, where transmission-oriented teaching prevailed, progressed in the development of specific literacy skills, particularly in graphic and phonological awareness as well as in associative relation voice - letter. Statistically significant progress in the development of reading and writing skills of the students in the experimental group was justified by the organisation of an appropriate literacy environment and by the individualized systematic literacy process, which began with a realistic assessment of students' abilities and continued flexibly considering skills, abilities and interests of students.
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