Reading Recovery
Introduction
Establishing Reading Recovery in a school
Reading Recovery teacher training
Case studies
Information for parents of Reading Recovery students
References
Contacts
Introduction
Reading Recovery is early literacy intervention which was developed in New
Zealand by educator and psychologist, Dame Marie Clay. It is the result of
intensive research to explore the extent to which it is possible to undercut
reading failure in an education system through a series of early intervention
lessons.
Reading Recovery has been adopted as an effective literacy intervention in
countries including New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom
and Australia. It was first implemented in Tasmania in 2000.
The key to success
Reading Recovery demonstrates that high percentages of at-risk students can
achieve success. The key to success is intervention with specialised teaching
that will enable students to improve quickly before they are labelled as
failures.
Reading Recovery lessons must occur daily. The power of early intervention to
effect change is diminished if the child is not attending or the teacher is not
available to teach. Principals must protect the teacher's daily access to her
pupils in the interests of achieving the greatest progress in the minimum number
of lessons. When daily, intensive programing is not achieved the quality of the
teaching and the outcomes of the intervention can be seriously affected.
Essential to the success of the intervention is the in-service training for
teachers. These experienced, early childhood literacy teachers participate in a
year-long in-service training conducted by a certified Reading Recovery teacher
trainer.
Establishing Reading Recovery in a school
The school will:
nominate for training, in consultation with the school community,
a teacher who meets the established selection criteria ensure the early literacy intervention is delivered daily
according to Reading Recovery standards enhance their literacy strategy through a team approach involving
school leadership, classroom teachers and the Reading Recovery teacher follow due process for identifying students monitor and support the progress of students beyond their
participation in Reading Recovery nominate a teacher to assist the Reading Recovery teacher in the
assessment, identification, post testing and monitoring of students, according
to their specific educational system's guidelines advise parents of their child's inclusion in Reading Recovery.
Parents of Reading Recovery students are encouraged to work in partnership
with the school by:
Identification of students for participation in Reading Recovery
At the beginning of each year, students in year one who are having difficulty
learning to read and write are identified for Reading Recovery. The Reading
Recovery teacher then administers Clay's Observation Survey to all these students.
Student progress
Reading Recovery requires careful record keeping and ongoing monitoring of
student progress. Evaluation and data collection are therefore in accordance with
recognised international standards for implementing Reading Recovery.
The Reading Recovery teacher
The primary responsibility of the Reading Recovery teacher is to teach
students in the school setting. The teacher also works closely with other colleagues
in the school as well as effectively communicating with the parents of Reading
Recovery students.
Teachers selected have:
recent successful experience in teaching literacy in the early years of
schooling active membership of a recognised teaching service commitment to the program for the training year.
The teacher is responsible for:
identifying students with the greatest need in literacy learning implementing Reading Recovery in a school collecting, analysing and maintaining student data to inform their
teaching and the education system communicating with school personnel and parents.
Reading Recovery teacher training
Reading Recovery teachers are trained over a period of one year by Reading
Recovery teacher trainers (tutors). During this year, teachers:
teach a minimum of four students individually in daily lessons of 30
minutes, five days per week participate in assessment training sessions in systematic observational
procedures participate in scheduled professional development sessions participate in school visits with the Reading Recovery teacher trainer
and colleagues as requested to discuss student progress and improve teaching
practice teach for their peers as required collect and analyse data on students.
Ongoing Reading Recovery teacher professional development
Following the training year, teachers who are continuing to implement Reading
Recovery:
teach daily the required number of students as directed by the school
principal attend scheduled professional development sessions collect, analyse and maintain data on students teach for their peers as required consult with the teacher trainer about students not making satisfactory
progress and other implementation issues take the opportunity to participate in visits to colleagues receive visits from the Reading Recovery teacher trainer submit annual student data to the Reading Recovery teacher trainer for
review and subsequent submission to the nominated coordinating executive office.
Case studies
Reading
Recovery at Latrobe Primary School [Word 34KB]
Reading
Recovery at Perth Primary School [Word 49KB]
Reading
Recovery at Snug Primary School [Word 50KB]
Information for parents of Reading Recovery students
Reading Recovery is an early literacy intervention that provides specialist one
to one teaching for students who have made slow progress learning to read and
write after their first year of school. This catch-up opportunity is designed
for identified students who are in a regular year 1 classroom. With one to one
teaching children make faster progress because the teacher can design the
lessons to suit a particular student's strengths.
What happens in a Reading Recovery lesson?
This intervention is intensive language support with reading and writing. It
involves daily 30-minute lessons, working in a one-to-one teaching situation out
of the classroom. The series of lessons usually run for twelve to twenty weeks.
Each day your child will write a short story and read several little books.
You are welcome to visit your school and sit in on a lesson with your child and
the Reading Recovery teacher. This is best done a few weeks after your child has
begun the intervention. Contact your child's Reading Recovery teacher to arrange
this visit. Parents are also encouraged to contact their child's Reading
Recovery teacher to discuss their child's progress at any stage of the series of
lessons.
How can I help my child?
Your interest and support will be of valuable assistance and will help your
child to make good progress in Reading Recovery. Attendance at school is vital.
Daily lessons are essential for children who have found literacy learning hard.
In Reading Recovery each day's lesson builds on the learning of the day before
so it is very important that your child attends school every day.
Parents are asked to hear their child read a sent home text (which will be of an
easy level) each night. Take an interest in and discuss these stories with your
child. After the first 10 lessons, the child may also take home a cut-up
sentence (of the story he/she has written). It is helpful if your child
reassembles the story at home and reads it.
References
Clay, M. Marie. (2005). Literacy lessons designed for individuals, Parts One
and Two. Auckland: Heinemann Education.
Clay, M. M. and Watson, B. (1981). An Inservice Programme for Reading Recovery
Teachers. Education 4 (19), 22-27. Reprinted in Clay, Marie M. (1982).
Observing young readers: Selected papers. Exeter, NH: Heinemann Educational
Books
Clay, M. M. (2002). An observation survey of early literacy achievement (2nd
ed.). Auckland: Heinemann Education.
Australian Reading Recovery Trainers' Organisation: National Set of standards
for Reading Recovery
Related reading and viewing
Askew, B.J. et al. (2003). Reading recovery review. Reading Recovery
Council of North America.
Clay, M. M. (1982). Observing young readers: Selected papers. Exeter,
NH: Heinemann Educational Books.
Clay, M. M. (1991). Becoming literate: The construction of inner control.
Auckland: Heinemann Education. (Also gives theoretical background to Reading
Recovery).
Clay, M. M. (1998). By different paths to common outcomes. Maine:
Stenhouse (Distributed in NZ by Heinemann).
Clay, M. M. (2002). Change over time in children's literacy development.
Auckland: Heinemann Education.
Koefoed, B. & Watson, B. (2002). An observation survey (2nd ed.).
[Videotape]. Auckland: Heinemann Education.
Koefoed, B., Boocock, C., & Wood, J. (2002). An observation survey the
video: Guidenotes. (2nd ed.). Auckland: Heinemann Education.
Lyons, C. (2003), Teaching struggling readers. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Contacts
For more detailed information please contact:
Elaine Pedersen
Reading Recovery Teacher Trainer
Ph: 03 - 6229 8137
Email:
elaine.pedersen@education.tas.gov.au
Ann Wise
Reading Recovery Teacher Trainer
Ph: 03 - 6229 8137
Email:
ann.wise@education.tas.gov.au
Sally Rowlands
Reading Recovery Teacher Trainer
Ph: 03 – 6424 5310
Email:
sally.rowlands@education.tas.gov.au
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