What Do Teachers Do? Classroom Activities in the Initial Teaching of Reading

Abstract

There is currently very little systematic description of the way that reading is taught in primary classrooms in England. The aim of the research reported in this article is to describe the teaching of reading in terms of classroom activities and practices. Information was collected from 121 reception to Year 3 class teachers through interviews, questionnaires and diary records, and from interviews with their headteachers. Analysis of the data revealed that the majority of teachers engage children in a wide range of reading and writing activities, and that there is a gradual shift in the balance of activities from reception to Year 3. Class teachers allocate a relatively high proportion of the time available for the teaching of reading to hearing children read and reading to them. While in the majority of schools all class teachers are extensively involved in developing the school language curriculum within the framework of the National Curriculum, in some schools involvement of this kind is minimal. It is argued that comment and policy on the teaching of reading needs to be informed by a comprehensive and valid account of how reading is taught.