What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction - International ...

Working Your Way Through
What Research Has to Say
About Reading Instruction:
A Session-by-Session Guide
The Initial Meeting
SESSION 1
Your initial group meeting should focus on a discussion of the topics
highlighted in the preceding “Welcome to Study Groups!” section
of this guide. At this session, you should clarify the purpose of the
group, explain the procedures and routines you’ll be following, agree
on roles for participants, finalize your goals, and clarify how you
will report to school administrators and whether participants can
gain credit for PD points, clock hours, or other requirements for
professional development activities in your school or district.
You should review student data, your school’s improvement
plan, and your state or district teaching and learning standards for
reading, writing, and English language arts. You should also question
participants to make sure they are familiar with critical policy-related
documents that affect teaching and learning—for example, in the
United States, the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act and
adequate yearly progress, the report of the National Reading Panel,
and recommendations for Response to Intervention (RTI) included in
the reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.
Finally, if your study group is large and members do not already
know one another, you should spend a little time with ice-breaker
activities. Ask participants to introduce themselves and share a little
personal information so that the group atmosphere will quickly
become relaxed and comfortable.
You can then begin delving into the book in session 2.
From the Professional Development Edition of What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction
(3rd ed.), © 2009 International Reading Association.
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