I – Why I chose Patricia Cunningham
A - Phonics they use and Classrooms that work with Richard Allington and then the 4-Blocks literacy model
II – Significance of Patricia Cunningham to literacy education
A- Education
B - Teaching Experience
C - Numerous publications
D - Continued work educating teachers
1. 4-Blocks Literacy model
2. Workshops
3. Web site
4. Online chats

I – Why I chose Patricia Cunningham

 I chose Patricia Cunningham for my report on a person who has made significant contributions to literacy education. I was attracted to her work first by the book Classrooms that work which she co-wrote with Richard Allington and then by Phonics they use. In doing some more research to determine whether I wanted to write my report about her, I came across the 4-Blocks literacy model, which has been her life’s work for the past ten years, and I was convinced to chose her.

II – Significance of Patricia Cunningham to literacy education

 Mrs.Cunningham has been involved in literacy education for several decades, both on the practical end and theoretical side. She started teaching in the first grade, then moved around in elementary, sometimes as a reading specialist, before becoming a professor. She currently teaches at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. This body of experience gives her real practical knowledge of students which combines well with her theoretical ideas. Her views have evolved over the years from a strong phonics based to a more balanced literacy approach. She is a prolific writer and has published tremendous amounts of material related to literacy development. Judging from the success of her publications, they are well received.
 Mrs. Cunniningham has continuously furthered her own education. She started with a
B.A. from the University of Rhode Island, received her M.S. from  Florida State University, her Ed.S. from Indiana State University and finally a Ph.D. from the  University of Georgia. I dare say she would have gone farther had there been another step to go, and in effect she has with her continued research and publications. A full list of them would quickly fill the three to four pages of this paper, so I won’t list them all, but I think a summary of them is necessary to truly convey their significance.
 Mrs. Cunningham has presented or co-presented 23 research papers at national conferences, many with Dorothy Hall or James W. Cunningham. She has published research 23 times in journals such as Language Arts, Reading Improvement, Reading Research Quarterly, Journal of Reading Behavior, The Reading Teacher, Reading World, Journal of Literacy Research, and Reading Improvement. She has written 15 chapters in books related to literacy development. She has authored or co-authored 17 books. Most of the recent ones deal with the 4-Blocks model or are support for that. Ones that she is known for are Phonics they use and Classrooms that work. She has given 19 professional addresses at national and international meetings. She has written professional columns in Instructor, Educational Leadership, Reading Today, and The Reading Teacher. She has co-produced two videos on the 4-Block model. She has been on the editorial advisory boards for the National Reading Conference Yearbook, JRB - A Journal of Literacy, The Reading Teacher, and Reading Research Quarterly. In addition, she has served as a consultant to public schools, public school systems, state departments of public instruction, schools of education, and other agencies in Canada and 42 states.
 The above mentioned work could easily be enough for a lifetime, but Mrs. Cunningham has continued working to educate teachers about her ideas through workshops and the internet as well as her publications. In 1990, she developed the 4-Blocks literacy model with Dorothy Hall. They started out with one pilot class. Now there are hundreds, probably even thousands of classrooms and schools around the country using it. The four blocks: guided reading, self-selected reading, writing, and working with words, recognize that different children learn different ways and aim to give all students multiple chances to develop literacy. It has been called a balanced approach. Mrs. Cunningham and Mrs. Hall support this program with a full range of books and materials, a web site, and workshops around the country. Both Mrs. Cunningham and Mrs. Hall have participated in online chats about the program on
Teachers.net. The first one on July 14, 1998 was a pioneering event. Teachers who were  not able to attend a workshop were able to ask questions directly to Mrs. Cunningham. In it, a participant asked Mrs. Cunningham why she thought 4-Blocks was the best method around. She replied, “I guess because it is not a single method. We try hard to give kids 4 different ways to learn each and every day and more children succeed in the end--each block has certain kids for whom it holds great promise.” Every one was very happy with it and Mrs. Cunningham participated in another chat on September 7, 1999. Mrs. Hall has participated in a few as well.
 Mrs. Cunningham’s lifelong commitment to literacy education, both for actually teaching children, and possibly more importantly for teaching teachers to teach children, her prolific writings, and her willingness to share her knowledge truly make her a person who has significantly contributed to literacy education in our world.

References:

A Teachers.Net Chat with Patricia M. Cunningham July 14, 1998
 http://www.teachers.net/archive/
A Teachers.Net Chat: Questions about The 4-Blocks Literacy Model with Patricia M.
Cunningham September 7, 1999
http://www.teachers.net/archive/
Cunningham, Patricia M. and Richard L. Allington. Classrooms that Work:  They Can All Read and Write.  New York: Harper Collins, l994.
Second Edition published in 1999.
Cunningham, Patricia M. Phonics They Use: Words for Reading and Writing.  New York: Harper Collins, l991.
Resume of Patricia M. Cunningham
 Emailed to Scot Stephenson on March 8, 2000 by Patricia M. Cunningham
4-Blocks Website
 http://www.wfu.edu/~cunningh/