Who's Doing the Work? Thoughts from the Introduction

Who's Doing the Work? How to Say Less So Readers Can Do More by Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris takes a look at reading instruction and small changes educators can make in order to allow students to become readers who can initiate and implement strategies on their own. I have chosen to study this book this year as part of my Professional Growth Plan (PGP). My intention is to read and chew on the text by Burkins and Yaris this year.

As a Remedial Reading teacher, I am constantly working with children who are struggling with reading strategies to some degree. I work with kids each day that come across challenging parts of text, and I naturally want to fill in all the holes for the students in order for them to feel successful with the text. But am I truly helping them become independent problem solvers? What small moves can I make to help my students become proficient readers?

Here are just a few of the statements that had me thinking his week:

• "When people spend time in situations where they have little or no power, they become unable to recognize when they actually do have power." (p. 2) I want my students to know they do have the power to access texts.
• "..we have unwittingly assumed too much of the important work- telling students what to think, when they are having difficulties, how to resolve a problem, and even when to turn the page. Not only that, but in telling them when to do something, we tell them not to act until we prompt them." (p. 3) My readers have learned to look to me or other teachers when they are having difficulties. They have learned that we will tell them how to solve the problem and what they should do. How do I go about retraining myself to allow students to do the work? This might be as uncomfortable for me as it will be for my readers.
• "Next generation reading instruction requires us to scrutinize our lessons through a lens of student independence/dependence and involves identifying places where we are assuming student work that student could do if we let them." (p. 5)  This week I have been asking students different questions when they need my assistance. I've been asking, "What do you think you can do?" I want my students to assume the work that they are capable of doing. 

On page 6, Burkins and Yaris present four questions to guide us towards next generation reading instruction.

1. Can students identify the areas of the work that need their attention?
2. Can students decide the type of strategy they need to use or work they need to do to understand a text?
3. Can students self-monitor their understanding and identify the areas of text that they do not understand?
4. Can students share their thinking about the strategies that work for them?