curriculum worker - Marie Clay - Reading Recovery

Hello!  My name is Marie Clay.  As  a reading educator I have alway been interested in how children learn, but particulary with children who have extreme difficulty learning to read and write.  My interest allowed me to gravitate toward researching teaching children with difficulties how to read, and to help teachers redesign their traditional delivery of reading instruction to benefit their struggling readers.  I present to you the research based intervention known as Reading Recovery.

 

    ** A Brief Overview **

 

    Reading Recovery is a highly effective short-term intervention of one-to-one tutoring for low-achieving first grade students.  I intend Reading Recovery to be effective by making it available to all students who need it and to work with classroom teachers for supplementation in the classroom.  The goal I intended for Reading Recovery is for dramatic reduction in the number of first grade students who have extreme difficulty learnig to read and write, which would then reduce costs of these learners to the educational systems.  The children who qualify for Reading Recovery are the lowest achieving first graders.  These students do not catch on to the concepts that help them to read and write.  The students who qualify for Reading Recovery benefit from a half-hour lesson every day school is in session for 12 to 20 weeks with a teacher who has had specialized training concerning Reading Recovery.  Once the students meet grade level expectations and demonstrate independence with classroom work they may discontinue Reading Recovery lessons and a new student may be enrolled.

 

   **Outcomes of Reading Recovery**

 

    Approximately 75% of the students who complete the 12 to 20 week intervention can meet grade level expectations concerning reading and writing.  Studies that have been completed on students completing Reading Recovery achieve competency on standardized tests and maintain their growth during their later elementary years.  I feel that this is such an accomplishment for these students.  They must work diligently to make strides where they have begun with a deficit.

 

    Any child that may still be having challenges concerning reading and writing after Reading Recovery has been used are recommended for further support within the school.  The child is not left at this point, but continuing support is constructed with reference to the information gathered during Reading Recovery.

 

   **The Infrastructure of Reading Recovery**

 

    The intervention I developed was one of great thought.  The professionals involved have a continuing support system and many resources for questions and/or problems that may arise.  The Reading Recovery teacher is trained for a time period of one year while remaining in the classroom to implement the intervention.  Part of the training allows for much observation through a one-way glass.  Teachers instruct lessons for others to watch as well as being able to watch lessons.  Discussion follows.  The year that follows the initial training provides ongoing professional development sessions which are referred to as continuing contact.  Teachers continue to teach for colleagues and construct discussion of interventions used.  I believe that this allows for many points of view to be presented and ideas to be built upon for further use with children.  The teachers have teacher leaders to rely on for support in all aspects of Reading Recovery.  These experts also conduct local training programs about the intervention and help to guide teachers to the best instruction for the extreme challenges these children face.  At the third level of the tier of support for Reading Recovery are the trainers themselves.  The trainers are most usually professors based at universities who prepare the teacher leaders, advise about new developments concerning the intervention, provide guidance concerning the issues of Reading Recovery.  As society changes I believe this tier to be important to making the adjustments necessary to guide Reading Recovery programs for the sole benefit of the child.

 

  **Reading Recovery lessons**

 

    I believe that the objective of every Reading Recovery lesson should be to promote accelerated learning so that students may catch up to their peers so that the gap that is hindering them may become null, and the students can once again benefit solely from the general classroom instruction without dependence on others.  Each Reading Recovery lesson is completely individualized, based upon what skills have been shown as needed by the student, as well as to capitalize on their strengths.  Many strategies are used within each lesson, but the teacher must make quick decisions within the lesson to best suit each particular child.  Each lesson includes taking a running record, working with letters and/or words, reading books familiar to the child and reviewing a book read previously, writing stories, reading new books, and assembling stories that have been rearranged.  The Reading Recovery teacher allows opportunities for problem solving with scaffolding taking place so that the correct amount of support is constructed for reading and writing.  Within the activities of each Reading Recovery lesson skills are embedded such as learning about letter/sound relationships (phonemic awareness), hearing and recording sounds in spelling patterns (phonics and spelling), and understanding the text so that the child is not simply reading the words (decoding), but using problem solving skills within the print (comprehension and fluency).

  

Time and time again I have seen success within the program of reading that I have had great influence.  Reading Recovery is utilized in many different countries with the same outcome again and again.  I take such pride in being such a small part of what each Reading Recovery teacher is able to accomplish with their students each year.  I feel no greater purpose for my research than to be able to help children on a daily basis.  I would ask you to consider the reading techniques and/or strategies you have utilized for decoding and fluency as well as for comprehension and meaning making for text.  Which techniques work? Which do not?  Why do you think the techniques work or do not work?  What influences your choices for using a strategy or technique for struggling readers?  I hope that I have given you an opportunity to evaluate your own practices and ponder or revisit the impact Reading Recovery has had on so many children.  Thank you for your interest in a dear topic for myself.

 

Marie Clay