Guided reading... I just don't get it!
The title of this blog may be a little misleading. It should read I don't get it yet. I understand that this practice can be very valuable. I recently attended Reading Rocks in Lancashire (which was fabulous) and during the day participated in two completely different sessions focussed on digital literacy and emotional literacy. I anticipated completely separate sessions, with little to no overlap; what I actually got was a crash course (as in 5 minutes) of guided reading training.
I have taught guided reading on placement, albeit not very well. The discussion that took place in the two sessions have enabled me to reflect on the reasons why. I didn't understand the assessment criteria's and how to use them in for planning guided reading. I also didn't, to my embarrassment now, realise how in depth the planning for guided reading should be. However, I am not alone in my confusion and dismay. Fisher (2008) found that the traditional practice of hearing children read was still very much present, and in-depth evaluation and discussion of texts was not prevalent in guided reading sessions.
The key points I picked up from the two sessions were:
Use the curriculum / SATs grading criteria as a starting point for planning and assessment
ALWAYS plan independent reading before session with teacher so that discussion can take place during teacher led session.
Focus on understanding, comprehension and analysis in discussion - the more indepth parts of reading
Guided reading should be structured like a good reading recovery programme
The ethos of the classroom can influence success / failure - of everything!
Guided reading is potentially the key place to develop the skills required in the SATs reading test but in order to develop the key skills discussion must be taking place to enable learning. I have an enormous amount to learn about how to facilitate guided reading, but the more I read, the more I realise how little I know. This will definitely be a focus for improvement in my next placement.