GUIDED READING - INTRODUCTION

I am passionate about Guided Reading; it is a wonderful teaching practice that gives thinking strategies to children to become independent readers, readers for life. As students read and talk they internalize the thinking not only constructing literal meaning but thinking more deeply, for example, looking at a range of perspectives, ‘what could be’.

Reading Recovery is the model. Like Reading Recovery Guided Reading is differentiated learning – you cater for varied learning needs, supporting delayed readers and further, inspiring more capable readers. It is a group activity with a purpose or focus, therefore teachers are not inclined to react to errors; instead new learning builds on the known. Guided Reading ensures developmental, continuous and successful learning.

 
The central principle for a teacher of Guided Reading is that it blends overt instruction with attentiveness; a time for instructing and a time for listening.

 
‘What ultimately counts is the extent to which instruction requires students to think’ (Alexander, 2010 citing  Nystrand et al 1997); giving the students problem solving strategies to lead them to think their way to independent reading and critical judgements. The teacher’s role is to guide the discourse so readers, in a social environment, internalize the process of asking themselves pertinent questions. Rather than comprehension being geared towards answering literal questions, students in Guided Reading share with each other their interpretations of what they have read. A teacher attending to the shared discussions will soon perceive whether readers understanding is occurring. 

Readers are supported (especially before reading) but when children are reading it is private, independent; a time when purposeful problem solving on unfamiliar text happens. It is an approach where texts are carefully chosen with a challenge or two to enable learning to take place e.g., an unfamiliar word where the teacher shows a problem solving strategy; shows how grammatical knowledge helps prediction. Guided Reading is reading, thinking and talking about texts. Guided Reading is children engaging in making meaning, predicting, confirming, connecting, searching, monitoring, questioning - questions that involve recall and clarification and questions that go beyond … speculating about stories and content.

To analyze texts children do not have to be fluent readers; given the right environment young children are capable of articulating their thoughts, opinions and building a case for their argument.

 

To implement Guided Reading teachers:

-          Group readers with the same / similar learning needs (‘zone of proximal development’, Vygotsky, 1978)

-          Have reading material for early, developing readers that is levelled and carefully chosen

-          Have literature (novels and picture books) and more complex non-fiction for early fluent readers

-          Question and prompt in such a way that eventually children acquire and use self help strategies

-          Model the problem solving processes of reading for meaning, including questions children need to ask themselves

-          Encourage children to explore and exchange ideas and learn from each other when sharing responses to the text

Guided Reading, if properly implemented, ensures that students read a new text successfully which helps them develop positive attitudes towards reading; gives students an opportunity to use the features of many different forms of texts. As well Guided Reading provides opportunities for students to develop and practise reading strategies necessary for reading independently and thoughtfully and allows teachers to closely observe the students in the group while they process unfamiliar texts.

During Guided Reading, children explore texts they would not be able to manage independently. They learn comprehension strategies such as visualizing settings, character actions, connecting their life experiences and knowledge to the reading, predicting what the story will be about, inferring a theme, determining the main points. Teachers model open ended questions and discussion behaviours that are appropriate to establish a supportive context for sharing and constructing interpretations of literature.

Most importantly, Guided Reading involves exploratory talk; talk that takes place between the children in the Guided Reading group and the teacher. Constructing interpretations of literature and issues are paramount. Group talk guided by the teacher helps them internalize the thinking processes when they read alone.

Exploratory talk is different from the Q (question) and A (answer) format, although that is probably where you will begin when first taking Guided Reading groups. But as you encourage children to share their interpretations, and attentively listen to each other you will find that rather than you asking another question you will become more an observer or if you do respond to children’s talk you will be non-committal, answering ‘maybe’, ‘could be’, ‘perhaps’, ‘possibly’ which moves them away from you, making them develop their own perspectives - making them feel that anything is possible and it is their responsibility to communicate the possibilities to the group. You encourage children to talk to each other and in so doing they learn to explore their ideas, reflect upon those ideas, clarify aspects they do not understand and challenge each other as readers.

Working with small groups, of course, provides the ideal opportunity for children to use exploratory talk to develop as active, meaning-seeking readers able to learn from each other. As a teacher you will see how this type of interaction has a marked effect on the growth of the mind and confidence of a reader.

Alexander, Robin. 2010. Speaking but not listening? Accountable talk in an unaccountable context. Literacy v.44 no 3 p 106.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind and Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.