Introduction
Every school system and institution is faced with the common issue of choosing among literacy programs to implement. While each literacy program has its advantages and benefits, each also has its disadvantages and shortcomings. The purpose of this paper is to critically examine and provide valid and substantial evidence for the implementation of the Guided Reading Approach in schools. The body of this work will include discussions pertaining to the essential aspects of Guided Reading, examples of implemented Guided Reading programs, and finally, a critical comparison of Guided Reading to other reading programs.
Essential Aspects of the Guided Reading Approach
The ultimate objective of the Guided Reading Approach is to promote students’ silent, independent reading in increasingly challenging texts. Like any other approach to literacy, the Guided Reading Approach consists of characteristic components that help to define it. Guided Reading is essentially an approach whereby the instructor offers direct assistance and support to same-level readers organized into small groups. Instructors may ask the students within the group to read aloud one at a time or together as a unit, or he or she may ask the members of the group to read silently. While teachers are working with students in a particular group, classmates may be assigned to read independently, complete cooperative reading or learning activities, or progress through learning centers; however, assigning vocabulary enrichment and writing activities is highly recommended in this instance.
A key aspect of the Guided Reading Approach is the teacher’s opportunity to coach students using viable reading strategies. These strategies factor three sources of text information [which include] meaning cues from background knowledge and text context, cues derived from students’ knowledge of English syntax, and visual information derived from print. With the Guided Reading Approach, the teacher is able to clarify words, themes, and passages that the group as a whole may find difficult. Additionally, teachers have the ability to identify and assess students’ individual progress and group them differently. For example, if a student who typically exhibits mediocre skill sets as a reader is paired with a mid-level group, he can be switched to a more advanced group if he shows great improvement. Similarly, an advanced reader may be switched to a group reading a less challenging text if needed.
As students are reading, it is important that teachers pay close attention to indications that the student may be reading a text that is above or below his or her level. For example, a student that is mouthing the words, pointing to the text as they read, or moving at a far slower pace than the remainder of the group may be attempting too difficult a text; likewise, students moving more quickly through the text than their groupmates may have been assigned a text that is below their ability level.
Examples of Implementation of Guided Reading Programs
Case Study One
Gunning (2012) provides the description of one reading class in which the Guided Reading Approach was implemented. Pat Loden, a first-grade teacher, initially engaged the students in whole-group reading and writing, then asked the class to break into groups of four. While the teacher met with each group, other students carefully charted their progress as they read for twenty minutes independently, then transitioned to journal writing, and afterward, learning centers. While meeting with groups, Mrs. Loden offered a minilesson showcasing the target skill, then required the members of each group to read silently, ensuring that each student read at least one part of the passage to her orally. Group discussions immediately followed.
Case Study Two
Schirmer and Schaffer (2010) describe the implementation of the Guided Reading Approach at a reputable state school for the deaf. Teachers divided students into groups three to four times a week, tasking them to individually read out loud, or “storysign” (Schirmer & Schaffer, 2010, p. 54), as the teacher meticulously noted their level of fluency and proficiency. In these running assessments, teachers noted words that the student stated correctly, words mispronounced or omitted, words used as substitutions, etc. Finally, teachers asked each student to retell the story in his or her own words referencing its “setting, characters, events, and important details” (Schirmer & Schaffer, 2010, p. 54). This process helps the teacher to ensure that students are comprehending a story’s meaning as well as its words and surface features.
A Critical Comparison of the Guided Reading Approach and Other Reading Approaches
Alternative Approaches to Literacy
Reading programs that could serve as alternatives or as complements to the Guided Reading Approach include the Basal/Anthology, Literature-Based, Individualized Reading or Reading Workshop, and Language-Experience Approaches. Each of these approaches has its own set of strengths and weaknesses; thus, many instructors choose to integrate strategies to increase their overall effectiveness in helping students to achieve the goal of literacy.
Disadvantages of Guided Reading
As with all other literacy programs, Guided Reading programs have drawbacks. One of the challenges that a teacher may encounter while working with small groups in a Guided Reading setting is classroom management. While the teacher is working with a particular group, the remaining students in the class must be actively engaged in individual reading tasks, cooperative groupwork, or learning centers. If at any point the other students veer off task, the teacher must interrupt her work with the group at hand to address other students’ poor behavior or lack of productivity.
Teachers must also ensure that the work that the other students is assigned does not too closely resemble busywork, as this dynamic can also create environments where distractions more easily occur. If the teacher has not already firmly established his or her standards and expectations, keeping the other students actively engaged and productive can be an issue. In order to minimize distractions and interruptions to the teaching process, students must be clear about what they should be doing ahead of time; clarity in this matter can be easily facilitated by exemplary modeling at the inception of the lesson.
Another potential challenge with the guided reading approach is ensuring that the other students are actually learning during the time that they are not actively working with the teacher. If students have been instructed to alternate between learning centers during that time, the process must be well-organized and well-outlined for the students so that they can be optimally productive. If the students have been instructed to engage in silent reading, a system to identify challenging words or passages for either immediate or later review must be provided in advance so that the need to interrupt instruction with another group can be minimized.
Advantages of Guided Reading
One of the greatest advantages of this strategy is that readers are grouped with students at similar levels of development in terms of their literacy skills. These pairings allow the instructor to facilitate the reading process and offer additional comfort in the settings where active reading is taking place. The Guided Reading Approach is also highly beneficial for English language learners or students who are deaf, hard of hearing, or learning disabled. Moreover, teachers are able to meet students where they are, and students are able to garner greater confidence at the level where they exist before progressing to more challenging texts.
A key factor that makes this approach effective is the flexibility that it offers to the students as well as the teacher. When implemented well, the Guided Reading Approach offers both students and teachers some flexibility. Teachers have the ability to offer students individualized attention even within small group settings by asking the group to engage in silent reading while one student reads aloud. The teacher can also offer individual attention to students in the group by asking each student questions about the text. This process will help the teacher to assess comprehension as well. The teacher is then able to assess one student’s progress at a time while allowing them the benefits of shared learning.
Conclusion
Although Guided Reading is simply one approach among several, it is a viable and effective one. The contours of the Guided Reading Approach make it flexible enough to incorporate other approaches as a complement or be used exclusively in a class reading program. Guided Reading is an approach that is well-suited for every type of learner, even those with challenges and disabilities. It is essential that the Guided Reading Approach be a cornerstone of any effective reading program within academic institutions.
References
Denton, C. et al. (2014). An experimental evaluation of guided reading and explicit interventions for primary-grade students at-risk for reading difficulties. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 7, 268–293. doi:10.1080/19345747.2014.906010
Gunning, T. (2012). Creating literacy instruction for all children (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Nathanson, R. (2011). Texts for guided reading: Selecting books with an appropriate gradient of difficulty. Mousaion, 29(3), 282-297.
Schirmer, B. & Schaffer, L. (2010). Guided reading approach: Teaching reading to students who are deaf and others who struggle. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(5), 52-58.
