Reading Apprenticeship

As a wave of towering Seniors from my husband’s high school English class rolls into our room, I am filled with the nervous energy emitted by my first graders now lost among the waves. Gathering the little ones on our carpet, a familiar island, I reveal Pickles to Pittsburgh and a calm washes over us as we fall into the story. Lost, along with the characters, amongst the oversized meatballs and immense vegetables, the presence of the seniors fade from our minds and I’m only vaguely aware of my husband periodically moving to scribble something on the board. Too soon, the story is over and we are jolted back to reality by my husband’s commanding voice. Standing near the board, I can now make out his scribbles. Documented before me, I’m amazed, are my own words and he presents them to his students as reminders of the metacognition prompts they had gone over earlier. Reeling from the excitement and energy my students displayed during the story, I’m reminded of our purpose. Having spent three years in my husband’s class experiencing “Reading Apprenticeship” strategies, the seniors were here to practice their skill by apprenticing my novice readers. “Reading Apprenticeship” is a professional development series that all teachers in all subject areas at Armada High School and Middle School have been trained in and allows teachers to become facilitators of effective reading strategies such as “talking to the text,” deciphering words using context clues and breaking words down into affixes and root words.

We begin to partner off the timid and reluctant readers, one senior to one first grader. Attempting to ease the awkwardness, my husband and I cheerfully introduce students and model interest in the reading material selected by the first graders. Watching the seniors fumble around the miniature desks and chairs, my husband and I guide the overflow of bodies into the hallway. Armed with my camera, I search for an engaged pair of readers. I settle near a pair, only to be interrupted by my husband and a senior who explains the reading material his partner has chosen is much too difficult. Mentally making a note to review the reading material choices before the seniors arrive next year, I scramble to find an appropriate book. Again with video camera in hand, I return to the engaged pair of readers only to find another pair has settled in near them. Finding their discussions difficult to decipher because of their proximity, I search out a pair of readers in the hallway. Here, the background buzz seems to be much less. However, the voices used by the readers are significantly lower and isn’t being picked up by the camera. Frustrated and worried that I was losing precious data, I thrust a notebook at my husband and ask him to take anecdotal notes. With a blank stare he takes the notebook, pauses then asks what he should be writing down. Deciding this was not the time to give a lesson on anecdotal notes, I grab the notebook and thrust the camera into his hands. I implore him to do his best to capture video with audio we will be able to decipher later. With time slipping away, I scramble to find an engaged pair of readers I can perch next to and take notes. Unfortunately, not used to being recorded or transcribed, the seniors clam up when I approach and, taking their lead, so do the first graders. Stealthily moving about the classroom, acting as though I’m not listening, I am able to capture a few snippets of conversation in my notebook. I also include a note to discuss strategies with my husband that will allow the high school students to be more comfort around the camera and note-taking. Finally, as time has run out, amongst moans of protest against leaving new found friends, we lead the classes to our respective shores.

Pining after the data long lost at sea, my students’ exclamations of excitement over the experience drag me back to the present. Before I am able to formulate the thought, a student asks, “Can we write about this?” Marveling at her magnificent suggestion, I pass out paper allowing the class to draw and write about their experience. Sailing about the room on the waves of excited chatter, I record each student’s thoughts in my notebook. Overwhelmingly, the students commented on how they felt while reading with their high school partner. Many students described feeling “nervous” or “shy” at first or observing that their partner was “shy” implying that they felt increasingly comfortable as they “got used to it.” All the drawings depicted smiling faces often accompanied by cheerful conversation bubbles or dialogue. At first, I was surprised that few children sighted the use of reading strategies. A few students noted “sounding out words” with their partner, but it was often connected with the idea that they liked how their partner “helped” them with this strategy. Most students described how much they enjoyed the relationship that was formed during the short time they spent with their high school partner. Students remarked that their partner “was nice,” “was fun,” and “were friendly.” Some noticed that their partner, “love to read with me” or appreciated that “the high schoolers told the teacher that we read well.” While reviewing the students’ drawings and writings along with the anecdotal notes, I was reminded that the focus for my research was not if my students can use reading strategies, but rather it was to examine their confidence and attitudes towards reading as well as the use of reading strategies that I’m interested in.

After reviewing the detailed reflections from the high school students, I was pleasantly surprised to read how the first graders, also, inspired very distinct inspirations in the high school students: altruistic pleasure from being mentors and renewed confidence in their abilities as readers. One student remarked that seeing, “someone learn from you and enjoy that time is really special.” Another reflected that “to share my knowledge to those who are open is awesome.” As to their “reading apprenticeship” skills, many students reflected on how working with first graders and “metacognitive strategies” that were “simplified” allowed them to appreciate their own skills. After expressing awe of his first grade partner’s ability to read and comprehend a Harry Potter book, one student stated, “This activity showed me how often you really do use these strategies. Most of the time I don’t think I really use them, but you really do.” Another student mused, “It, the whole process, actually helped me understand how the use of open metacognition can help anyone learn…It kind of made me want to metacognate and when I did, I saw the light turn on in the child’s head and that only lead me to understand why we do it.”

Clearly, the “Reading Apprenticeship” partner reading activity was a mutually beneficial activity for the high school and first grade students involved. Each group enjoyed the positive relationship formed while reading. Highly skilled and confident, each group felt comfortable using and discussing the reading strategies while also being open to learning from the partner. When reflecting on the activity, both parties felt empowered and expressed enthusiasm for future partner reading experiences. My husband and I agree that the success of this experience depends heavily on the skill level of the participants. Establishing a strong phonics base and reading fluency rate is required along with experience using reading comprehension skills for the first graders. Though tempted, we will not attempt this activity near the beginning of the year when first graders are just learning basic literacy skills. Also, because a certain level of mastery and maturity is required to apprentice novice readers and establish positive relationships only seniors who have had several years experience in “Reading Apprenticeship” in my husband’s English classes will be partnered with first graders.

While our “Reading Apprenticeship” activity appears similar to that described in a case study described by Tisdale (2001), we did not experience any of the negative interactions that occurred during the Tisdale case study. Some “silliness” occurred on the part of a few first graders, but the high school students were able to redirect the behavior or asked for teacher assistance. Still, the Tisdale case study reminds us that negative interactions can occur. My husband and I plan to prepare students in terms of behavior expectations and provide strategies to both the high school and first grade students enabling them to overcome any distracting or negative interactions that may occur. Overall, this was an exhilarating and successful experience that my husband and I are eager to share with our colleagues.

Tisdale, K. (2001). Dissention and distress in a cognitive apprenticeship in reading. Reading Research and Instruction, 41(1), 51-82.