Effective use of guided reading in the EFL classroom

Abstract

This workshop will give practical suggestions on how guided reading can be used with young EFL learners. Guided reading has become a mainstay of English classrooms in the UK, USA, New Zealand and Australia. A guided reading session involves a teacher working with a small group of students of a similar reading level. As they are of similar abilities in reading, the teacher can focus on their specific needs while scaffolding them to make progress in their reading. Guided reading has become increasingly common in EFL classrooms in Hong Kong. During the workshop, the facilitator will demonstrate the stages of guided reading: • Before reading – the teachers guide students to access their prior knowledge and build schema. • While reading - the teacher monitors students reading and support their decoding and comprehension strategies. • After reading - the teacher engages students in discussions around the text, checks understanding and evaluate the text. Follow-up activities will also be suggested. Participants then get the opportunity to work in groups to develop a plan for a guided reading session and conduct a guided reading session for themselves. The facilitator will also give suggestions on classroom management, book selection and how to arrange students into appropriate groups.