The Reading Workshop: Research to Practice

Dr. Frank Serafini

Associate Professor - University of Nevada, Las Vegas

www.frankserafini.com

The Reading Workshop (Defined)

Not a Program or Script to Follow

An Organizational Framework

A Structure to Locate Reading Instruction Within

An Array of Learning Experiences

A Space for Student Interaction

A Time for Engaged Reading

The Reading Workshop (3 Primary Goals)

Change the Way We Think and Talk about Texts and Literature

Expand What it Means to Comprehend

Develop Novice Readers’ Abilities to Manage the Challenges of Reading

The Reading Workshop (Pedagogical Principles)

Readers need TIME to read and discuss texts, ACCESS to a wide variety of quality reading materials, CHOICE in what they read, informative RESPONSE to their efforts, and quality DEMONSTRATIONS of literate behaviors.

Essential Components

A Literate Environment

Reading Aloud

Interactive Discussions

Extensive & Intensive Reading

Explicit Instruction

Reading Assessments

A Literate Environment: Three Considerations

1. An Extensive Classroom Library

2. The Role of the Reading Teacher

3. Classroom Discourse Patterns

Principles of a Classroom Library

Accessible

Balanced Variety

Relevant

High Quality

Authentic

Organized

Inviting

Warranted Assertions: Literate Environment

Few classroom libraries meet the ALA guidelines of a minimum of 20-25 books per child.

Libraries need to be evaluated for their representations (who is omitted or marginalized).

Leveling books has created as many challenges as it has provided support.

Funds used for commercial programs drain resources for classroom libraries.

The Role of the Reading Teacher: Joyfully Literate Human Being

Multi-Literate

Shares Reading Life

Promotes Reading

Conduct Book Talks

Sense of Humor

Enjoys Children

Provides Resources

Serves as Literary Docent

The Literary Docent

Has an Extensive Knowledge of Literature and Literacy Processes

Develops Students’ Interpretive Repertoires

Challenges Readers to “Go Deeper”

Facilitates Discussions and Inquiry

Keeps Current on Research and Pedagogy

Warranted Assertions: The Role of the Reading Teacher

Fewer than 6 states in the U.S. require a course in children’s literature for initial licensure.

Elementary and middle school teachers rarely take a course in literary theory or criticism.

A majority of classroom teachers are technologically “challenged”.

Teachers report difficulties in extending students’ discussions about literature and literary elements.

Traditional Classroom Discourse

Initiate-Respond-Evaluate

Residual of Experience

Default Setting

Authoritarian Discourse

Transmission of Knowledge

Learned through Apprenticeship

5 Principles of Dialogic Talk: Robin Alexander

Collective - teachers and children learn and address issues together

Reciprocal - teachers and children listen to each other, share ideas

Supportive - children articulate ideas freely without fear of reprisal

Cumulative - teachers and children build on each other’s ideas

Purposeful - teachers steer talk with educational goals in mind

Warranted Assertions: Classroom Interaction Patterns

The IRE interaction pattern is still the dominant form of interaction.

Simply asking more Open-Ended Questions will not change the quality of children’s thinking if they continue to think there is only one correct answer

Student Responses are Reflective of the Questions Teachers Ask and The Expectations Set for Discussion.

Most literature discussions focus on literal level of texts and rarely extend beyond the literal to more complex ways of thinking and talking.

Common Sense Reasons to Read Aloud to Children

Reading Aloud introduces readers to new titles, authors, illustrators, text , etc

Reading Aloud provides space for extended, interactive discussions

Reading Aloud provides demonstrations of how to respond to a text

Reading Aloud increases interest in selecting literature for independent reading

Reading Aloud provides access to books and ideas

Reading Aloud provides demonstrations of oral fluency, phrasing and intonation

Reading Aloud provides demonstrations of quality writing

Reading Aloud is an enjoyable experience that can build classroom communities.

Warranted Assertions: Reading Aloud

The amount of time spent reading aloud decreases after primary grades, and shifts from picture books to chapter books.

Reading aloud builds students’ vocabularies.

The amount of time teachers report Reading Aloud has decreased significantly since 2000.

Fictional literature dominates expository texts during classroom read alouds.

Research has focused on the level of “interactivity” during read alouds.

Warranted Assertions: Engaged Reading

Teachers must know readers’ abilities and preferences to ensure manageable challenge (appropriate “levels”).

Must have an extensive array of reading materials to ensure choice, meet interests and provide enjoyment.

Extensive reading reinforces reading strategies and skills demonstrated during explicit instruction.

There is more to Engaged reading than dropping everything or sustaining silence.

Interactive Discussions

Each student is responsible for Articulating their interpretations & ideas to others

The Lines of Communication are from student to student as well as from student to teacher

Readers need to be Active Listeners during the discussion

Meaning is Negotiated during the interactions

Warranted Assertions: Interactive Discussions

As little as ONE Minute of discussion per day can have significant results in students’ reading abilities.

There are important differences between Centripetal & Centrifugal discussions.

There is a fine line between Grand Conversations and “Gentle” Inquisitions.

Without conscious attention to patterns of classroom discourse, teachers revert to IRE patterns throughout discussions.

Effective Comprehension Lessons

Retain an Expanded Definition of what it means to comprehend

Are Focused Demonstrations of literate behaviors

Build upon the Knowledge and Prior Experiences of readers

Call Conscious Attention to what successful readers do

Are based on a Gradual Release of Responsibility Model

Warranted Assertions: Comprehension Instruction

Time to read, access to reading materials, explicit instruction, and time to talk correlate with improved comprehension.

Strategies in isolation are not as effective as repertoires or routines of comprehension strategies.

Critical and literary perspectives have taken a back seat to cognitive strategies.

We need to expand our definition of what it means to comprehend, if we expect our instructional practices to go beyond literal recall and decoding strategies.

Some Concerns…

Reading Aloud & Discussion is being Pushed to the Periphery of the Instructional Framework

Reading Comprehension is too often reduced to Literal Recall and Oral Performance

Comprehension Strategies become an End in Themselves

Lack of Attention to the Quality of the Literate Environment & Resources

Some Additional Concerns…

Limited Choice for Teachers in Instructional Approaches and Texts

Teachers Lack of Knowledge about the Texts they Incorporate in the RW

Overemphasis on Print Based Comprehension Strategies and Lack of Emphasis on Visual Literacies