I watched 2 of the Guided Reading videos, the Introduction and Lesson. I thought that the Introduction video gave a comprehensive overview of the program. The overview was organized well because it was separated into 3 main steps: before reading, during reading, and after reading.
I thought that the Guided Reading Lesson video was very helpful. Since I am a visual learner, I like to see concepts put into action, so this video was great. I thought that the "before" and "after" segments of guided reading were extremely helpful. The "before" gave students a purpose for reading. The "after" segment reinforced the guided reading techniques, checked for comprehension, confirmed the purpose for reading and either proved or disproved facts that students already knew.
I had mixed feelings about the "during reading" segment. Two positives were that children were focused on their reading and had a purpose and the teacher was available for questions. One aspect that I didn't like was that the teacher was really engaging one reader and asking him a lot of comprehension questions while the other students were trying to read. I would think that this would be very distracting for other readers. If she needed to focus so intensely on this student, I think she should have pulled him away from the table for further discussion, in order to give the other readers a bit more "silent" reading time. I don't have an issue with her questioning this student, possibly he needed more help, I just didn't like that it was done at the table where the others were trying to concentrate. And if this was her method of ensuring that her students were comprehending what they were reading, she should pull each reader from the table for a few moments while she is doing this. I just thought that it was too disruptive.
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2 comments:
Taran,
Very perceptive analysis.
As I always say, you can pick and choose what works best for you. When you are in a classroom, your guided reading may take a different form. However, the basica concept stays the same.
Great work!
We do guided reading in my school. I think it is quite effective, but if you've never experienced it before, the video gave you a great overview of the program. The before, during and after activities were clear. Believe it or not, students are use to sounds in the classroom and can focus on what they are doing without being distracted. They're use to working in centers on different activities and conferring. I understand why you think it is distracting. This can be difficult for an inclusion child who is distracted very easily, but for the average student, it works. It's a great way to assess each child and for them to connect prior knowledge to personal experience through reading, monitoring and practicing reading skills.
There was a lot of attention given to one particular student in the group. I don't know why. I thought students were grouped according to the same level. I also thought that was a little strange.
But overall, the lesson checked for comprehension, confirmed the purpose and got students thinking critically by proving/disproving facts. The videos were educational and helpful for our understanding of guided reading.
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