"The review of research leads to a theoretical model of literacy learning and development as an interactive process. Research supports the view of the child as an active constructor of his or her own learning. The principle of learning is that children are active learners, drawing on social and physical experience as well as culturally transmitted knowledge to construct their own understandings of the world around them."

Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practice for Young Children
Joint position statement from the International Reading Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children