RESPONSE‐BASED INSTRUCTION: AT‐RISK STUDENTS ENGAGING IN LITERATURE

Abstract

In a naturalistic study, I explored how diverse response‐based approaches to teaching literature might promote at‐risk students’ engagement with text. Participants in the case study were 3 at‐risk, 16‐year‐old boys in a junior English class. In an 8‐week time period, the boys read two novels, the first by an author specified by me and the second chosen by them. Mini‐lessons designed to teach the boys to read aesthetically, study groups, teacher‐student conferences, and peer conferences were the instructional strategies used. Data were fieldnotes, transcriptions of audiotapes of group sessions, and students’ response notebooks. Results revealed a significant change in reading behavior for the boys, who progressed from avoidance of all reading tasks to almost total engagement with texts by the end of the study.