Always Learning…

Today's post is brought to you by Julie Schwartzbauer.

One thing that is so great about my role as a Literacy Leader is that I am always learning new things.  I love reading professional resources and have a wish list three pages long on Amazon.  I work within learning lab classrooms where the teachers are always willing to try new strategies.

As I learn, I realize that there are many things I used to think, but now I know more!  One thing that I have really been building a deeper understanding around is the practice of Guided Reading.  When I first taught Guided Reading I used Fountas and Pinnell as a Resource.

Over the past few years I have read many different professional resources that focused on Guided Reading instruction.  My thinking did not really change until I read a book called Preventing Misguided Reading by Jan Miller Burkins.

After reading this exceptional book, I realized the following:

I Used to Think…	But now I Know…
Guided reading is the only time I really teach reading.	I teach reading all day long – through read-aloud, shared reading, and guided reading.
Students need to read challenging texts in order to become better readers.	Students must spend most of their time reading independent level texts in order to become fluent, confident, and make meaning.
Running records are primarily for identifying instructional reading level and making grouping decisions.	Running records and give teachers valuable insight into students’ reading processes and should guide daily instruction.
The teacher works hard, guiding the lesson and does most of the talking.	The students work hard, assuming responsibility for their learning and reading a lot.

It is the high accuracy, fluent, and easily comprehended reading that provides the opportunities to integrate complex skills and strategies into an automatic, independent reading process.

Expert teaching requires knowing not only how to teach strategies explicitly, but also how to foster transfer from the structured practice activities to independent use while engaged in reading. Richard Allington