The article presents data from an investigation, having as its objective, a deepening of our comprehension of how psychology is being applied in educating teachers, who are already in service. By examining the São Paulo training program "The Reading and Writing Project, Priority in school" and "The Project, All Power to the First Year", the way children are conceived of, based upon psychological concepts, is analyzed, alongside their learning achievements and initiation into our writing culture in response to projects designed to facilitate this. Because of new ways we have of conceptualizing the learning process, where learning is now considered a consequence of the constructive nature of the young mind, it is pertinent to ask, to what extent these ideas break with previous ones, those belonging to so-called "traditional teaching". To answer this question, some contributions from the history of reading, were reviewed.
Psychology and Teacher Training; Psychology and Literacy