Guided Reading: Being mindful of the reading processing of New Entrants in Aotearoa/New Zealand primary schools. Set: Research Information for Teachers, 1, 25-33.

Abstract

Guided reading is an established and important approach in the pedagogical repertoire of teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand. Despite evidence suggesting that a strong foundation of literacy learning must be built before introducing guided reading, early initiation to this most intensive form of reading instruction has become commonplace. This study examined the guided reading practices of three exemplary literacy teachers working with small groups of the most recent new entrants in their classes. We investigated what teachers understand and what they do to support young children to construct effective processing systems for reading. Teachers were observed and video recorded as they taught three guided reading lessons with 5 year olds at entry to school, and subsequently interviewed about their teaching decisions using stimulated-video recall. Running Records of continuous text were administered as a window to monitor children’s change over time in their reading processing. Finely nuanced descriptions and analyses of the teachers’ professional knowledge, pedagogical approaches, and student outcomes have significant implications for early literacy learning and teaching.