- What they are reading during that session
- What they have been reading at home
- Whether they have found it hard to find time to read and why
- Whether there is a book they can recommend to me (if they have read more than one book since I last saw them)
The data gathering is fast and furious. We have codes that we use in our notes to record the data and then I transcribe the data before we forget the interaction.
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We stealthily move throughout the reading couches with our clipboard, taking down the student ID number, and the reading observation notes for the sessions. We can get through 28 students in a 40 minute time period, if there are no interruptions to the session. The teacher's role is to get the students sitting and reading and then if they wish, model reading themselves while maintaining a bit of classroom control.
I have tried to do this task on a tablet and/or laptop, but the distraction that the technology causes often outweighs the benefits. The clipboard has a printout of a record of what they have read, so questions can be asked about whether they continued to read a particular book or if another student is reading their book.
We are slowly learning names as well, so for some students I don't even have write down an observation because I see them at the circulation desk borrowing piles of books and we have conversations when they return their books.
Transcribing the notes takes about 20 - 30 minutes per class. Sometimes I check to see if students are borrowing anything as well to confirm whether they are or are not engaging with our collection.
In terms of time release, it takes us the equivalent of 0.2 (or a class) to manage, transcribe and work with a wider reading class.
In terms of time release, it takes us the equivalent of 0.2 (or a class) to manage, transcribe and work with a wider reading class.
