Lynette Richau Blog Post 6: Miller Section 2: Why Not? What Works? Why Independent Reading Matters and the Best Practices to Support It

If We Know Independent Reading Is Effective, Why Don't We do It?
Over the course of the past two years I have asked myself this question repeatedly.  For me self doubt played a huge factor. "What if I screw it up? How do I implement it effectively with purpose and meaning?"  The Daily 5 was a huge turning point for me and having the safety and security to be able to learn and apply the knowledge and then learn some more and then adjust my teaching enabled me to grow as an educator far more than I can even convey.  I feel this class has been a continuation of that experience.  I knew Independent Reading was important and that it was effective, I just needed to figure out how to make it effective in MY classroom.  This is a process I am still working on but I know without a doubt it IS effective, even with students that are significantly language delayed.  Why Don't We Do It?   Fear of change? Insecurities? I think it is time to really step back and take an objective critical look at what we teach, why, and how effective it is.  With the new Read to Succeed initiative there is no time to waste.  Literacy needs to be the priority and teachers may have to leave their comfort zone in order to do what is needed to make this happen.  I realized, it's NOT about me, and all about my students.  Every choice I make has to be in THEIR best interest.

This chapter did a great job in helping me to understand how critical the scaffolding portion is to Independent Reading.  It helped to make my role more clear.  The table on page 14 was very helpful as well as the two ah-ha moments: ..."different reading abilities have different achievement patterns...and... different time allocations should be provided for students at different stages of development."  Simple enough but still made me stop and think how this would look in my room.  The guidelines for the classroom library was also very helpful.  One thing I really liked and will use next year was the genre wheel.  This is a great way to make sure students are getting the variety they need.  One thing I need to work on is letting the students share more.  That is one area that we don't do enough of.  Another area I struggle with is appropriate accountability, so that is another area I am working on!

One important factor is continued professional development and support.  I think this is a critical component in fostering effective teachers which will greatly impact students and their achievement.