The multiple facets of early literacy in the work of Magda Soares: contributions to research, pedagogical practice, and public policies

Abstract

This essay aims to discuss the concept of early literacy in Magda Soares’s work, nearly 40 years after the publication of her article The multiple facets of early Literacy. We believe that in her books and papers, the author deepens her contribution to early literacy research, consolidating the concept developed over more than five decades of publication in the field. We based our work on a careful reading of all her books published between 1986 and 2020, as well as three papers produced between 1980 and 1995. We conclude by indicating that the germ of the concepts of early literacy and literacy can be seen in the article The multiple facets of early Literacy, where the author warned for almost 40 years about the need to view early literacy from different epistemological lenses and not only pedagogical ones. Indeed, the development of a pedagogy of early literacy is the result of a clear epistemological stance and a political commitment to the country’s illiteracy situation, two defining elements in Soares’s career. Her commitment to public schools and the political dimension of early literacy is a legacy that should nourish the formation of literacy teachers and public early literacy policies, not only for children but also for young people, adults, and the elderly.