GUIDED READING: THE ROMANCE AND THE REALITY
www.reading.org
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indicates that one-to-one literacy
coaching with a highly trainedand
knowledgeable professionaldeveloper
is very effective.An important
federallyfundedstudy supports
theuseof coaches (Biancarosa,
Hough,Dexter & Bryk, 2008; see
www.literacycollaborative.org for a
summary). Teachers had professional
development and coaching over four
years to implement all elements of a
literacy framework. The research team
gathered data on 8,500 children who
had passed through grades K–3 in 17
schools; they collected fall and spring
Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early
Literacy Skills (DIBELS) and Terra Nova
data from these students as well as
observational data on 240 teachers. The
primary findings showed that:
■
The average rate of student
learningincreased by 16% in the
first implementation year, 28%
in the second year, and 32% in
the third year—very substantial
increases.
■
Teacher expertise increased
substantially, and the rate of
improvement coincided with
the extent of coaching teachers
received.
■
Professional communication
among teachers in the schools
increased over the three-year
implementation, and the literacy
coordinator (coach) became
more central in the schools’
communication networks.
Guided reading was only one
component of the literacy framework
implemented in the schools researched
in the preceding study, but it was
an important one. The importance
of the literacy coach, who conducts
professional development sessions,
models good teaching, and most
importantly observes teachers in
the classroom and dialogues with
them to collegially mentor their
growth inunderstanding and
implementation of effective teaching,
appeared to be paramount in the
process. And even these schools
were only at thebeginning of the
journey. However, the study shows
that achieving substantial schoolwide
growth ispossible if a community of
educatorsare willing to undertake the
journey.
The Beginning
In this article, we have described
somewonderful changes that have
brought teaching closer to students. If
we take a romantic view, we could say
that once we have the book room, small-
group lessons, and leveled booksand
things are running smoothly, we have
arrived in the implementationof guided
reading. However, the heart of this
article is what we have learned from
many years of engaging teachers and
students in guided reading—what its
true potential is, and what it takes to
realize it. That’s the reality.
In the case of guided reading,
facingreality reaps endlessly positive
rewards. Facing reality means that
thereis more exciting learning to do.
Teaching and managing educational
systems is energizing when we are
working collaboratively toward new
goals. The accomplishments we have
already made simply give way to new
insights.
You may have made a very
goodbeginning in using guided
reading to develop your students’
reading power, and that is a
satisfying accomplishment.It is
alsoadevelopmentthat enables
youtohave important insights that
you can build upon. As you look
at your educationalprogram, you
may benoticing some of the issues
we havedescribed here. That can
put youonthe path to work toward
evenhigher goals on behalf of your
students. We hope youare excited
toknow that morechallenges
lie aheadin your growing
professionalexpertise and thatthere
aretools to help you meet those
challenges.
REFERENCES
Biancarosa, G., Hough, H., Dexter, E., & Bryk,
A. (2008, March). Assessing the value-added
effects of coaching on student learning. Paper
presented at the meeting of the National
Reading Conference, Orlando, FL.
Brown, A.L., & Campione, J.C. (1996).
Psychological theory and the design of
innovative learning environments: On
procedures, principles and systems. In
Glaser, R. (Ed.), Innovations in learning: New
environments for education (pp. 289–325).
Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Bryk, A., Kerbow, D., Pinnell, G.S.,
Rodgers,E.,Hung, C., Scharer, P.L.,
et al. (2007). Measuring change in the
instructionalpractices of literacy teachers.
Unpublished manuscript.
Clay, M.M. (1991). Becoming literate: The
construction of inner control. Auckland, New
Zealand: Heinemann.
Clay, M.M. (1993). An Observation Survey of
Early Literacy Achievement. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Clay, M.M. (1998). Different paths to common
outcomes. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
Clay, M.M. (2001). Change over time in children’s
literacy development. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
“Achieving substantial schoolwide growth is
possible if a community of educators are willing
to undertake the journey.”
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