Guided reading is small-group instruction
for students who read the same text. In guided reading, the teacher
provides support for small groups of readers as they learn to use various
reading strategies in a manageable text. Guided Reading has been traditionally
associated with younger readers in primary grades, but it can be modified and
used successfully in all grade levels. For example, in my developmental reading
classroom, my adult students may need to learn how to read an informational
text rather than a story book and guided reading can provide them with the type
of guiding and supporting they need.
Since I started reading my book, I have been
constantly thinking about the differences between teaching children to read and
teaching adults to read. Guided reading can be used with all age groups; the difference
is that in lower grades children are learning
to read and in upper grades students are reading to learn. One of the framing questions for LLSS 538
also deals with the differences between learning to read and reading to learn. Now
I can better define my goal as a
developmental reading teacher, which is teaching my students how to read to
learn. I need to equip my students with the reading strategies to navigate
college study materials and give them access to the information they are
seeking.
How is guided reading different from independent
reading and shared reading? A key part to guided reading is the teacher's
guidance to the student, which includes teacher providing immediate feedback,
correction, and instruction on specific skill development. In shared reading,
the teacher leads the class in reading a text. Guided
reading has many of the same components as shared reading. However, it is
conducted with a smaller number of students and focuses more on the individual
reading needs of each student. In independent reading, students read
books on their own, exploring different kinds of texts and applying new
learning without assistance. It is not
hard to understand that an effective reading program should include all the
above three models.
One challenge with guided reading, according to
Routman, is what the other students should be doing while you are teaching
guided reading groups. I can see this challenge turn into a serious classroom
management issue. Will the students not in a guided reading group be able to do
what they are expected to do? Routman's advice is very simple: you establish
your routine from day one and expect students to manage their own behavior. She
says that in a class where teachers have bonded with students and have treated
students respectfully, students will return that respect and they will
understand how important it is for the teacher to teach freely and uninterrupted.
Of course, you will always want to engage the rest of the students in other
kinds of literacy activities, such as independent reading, literature circle,
book clubs, etc. I am a little worried about whether some of my
students will live up to this expectation because they tend to slack off when
my attention is not focused on them. It
sounds bad, but I have to say that sometimes my adult students do not behave
nearly as well as children, which has always been a challenge to my teaching.
I agree with your statement of learning to read vs. reading to learn. The book I chose actually deals with learning to read for children in K-3rd. I am reading the book to better understand how my son's reading ability developed. He reads below grade level right now. It seems he is trying to transition from learning to read to reading to learn which he is having trouble with. If students in upper grades or even adults do not "get" learning to read they will develop problems with reading to learn. Sounding out incorrectly or assuming words say something just by looking at first letter without looking at the whole word and asking if "it makes sense?" I see these little things or "bad habits" create a wall to comprehension and becoming a better reader.
ReplyDeleteAhhh yes. The age old "what to do with the other students?" It's a formidable task, for sure. One key to this for me is knowing exactly what the other students need and finding tasks that fit those needs. Students can do shared reading with a group, literature groups that are well defined and task orientated, etc. My experience comes from elementary but I feel like I was able to really nail this down. It's important to not turn it into busy work time, but keeping it authentic and, as usual....moving students towards academic language growth, knowledge,etc. It's a great time to have students develop their socially constructed learning and knowledge.
ReplyDeleteIt has to be done right, and Routman is one of the "queens" of guided reading.
I have my students doing Daily 5 rotations. In my blog I talked about Daily 5 and linked to the book. The kids get into their routines and are busy doing their choices while I'm working with a small group of kids. I have also used learning centers. The kids cycle through their centers, and one of those centers in working with me on guided reading. The centers can be individual, pair, group, whatever you're comfortable with and fits the skills you want the kids to practice.
ReplyDeleteIt is totally true that Guided reading is a very valuable strategy. However, I agree with Routman about reading groups and with you regarding the class management. When I was reading your post, I thought about how we use this technique to help the learners to reflect their needs and interests. In addition, how do we sue it with the beginners to pay attention to the spelling mistakes & patterns because we know that reading provides learners with a perfect language input.
ReplyDeleteDo the students read the text out loud in the groups or do they read it on their own and then go to their groups?
ReplyDeleteI sometimes have difficulty with this idea that students should be reading to learn when they are older and learning to read when they are younger. I think when we follow this maxim we do the younger students a disservice by taking away the purpose for reading and the older students a disservice by ignoring the ways in which they still need to work on learning to read.
ReplyDelete