Why Not? What Works?
The question is raised that if independent reading is successful then why aren't we doing it. Truth is that most of us have been doing it for years but we haven't always done it effectively. We all want our students to grow and thrive as readers so we willingly listen, digest, and experiment with practices that have some validity. Thankfully Miller and Moss' section 2 is practical, encouraging, and challenging enough for us to see what we are doing right, what we need to change, and how to do it. The independent reading practices recommended are practical and doable. For example, the list on page 16 serves us well as a check list for all of the facets that make independent reading time successful. There are a couple of areas that I feel we need more support in but I feel like most of us have the mindset and the framework in place for the fundamentals such as allowing time for reading, encouraging students to make their own book choices, providing a lot of books in a wide variety of genres and levels, etc... However, as witnessed in one of our recent meetings, I could only think of three assessments that I have used in my class to monitor and provide support for reading and only one of those do I feel is truly useful. Are there more? Do I need more?
Another area I've been evaluating in my teaching is one mentioned on this section (pg. 21). I have observed in my conferences with my students that they are overwhelmingly focused on finding "just right books". No fault of their own for this is what we focused on in the beginning. However, the focus on finding books within the range on their library card isn't reassuring me that all of my students are thriving with that mindset. I recently asked several of my students if they thought it would be beneficial for them to reach for the books that are on the higher end of their ZPD. They of course said yes because they are smart enough to know what I was digging for in this conversation. Several of my students are reaching for books right above their ZPD as provided by their Sept. Star score. I hope to see them enjoy reaching higher and growing as a result.
The section regarding what we should be doing while the students are reading is a very helpful section. It is so tempting to respond to an email or prep for the next lesson. It is reassuring to know that sowing the seeds of individual conferencing should reap higher fluency scores. We cannot be on the sidelines and expect our students to stay engaged and grow on their own just because they have a book in their hands and appear to be reading. They need us to actively interact with them to help them "flourish".
Below is a link to a conference form I have used. I'm still tweaking to find my favorite form.
http://www.thecurriculumcorner.com/wp-content/pdf/independentreadingconferenceform.pdf
Thanks for including the link! I've never seen this version of conferencing form. All I could think is how different forms work for different people. The key is to find the form and structure that supports you in your efforts to conference and guide your readers. Whatever we choose, we must be actively engaged in building them up and helping them become the successful, independent readers that they need to be. Yes, there will be temptations along the way, but like any disciplined practice, the rewards will be great if we stay the course.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the forms, Vicky! Finding the "perfect" conferencing record is a mission--it's almost an art form as you create what works for you!
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