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Maxine Burton

EFFECTIVETEACHINGAND LEARNING:DEVELOPMENT PROJECT REPORT

Oral reading fluency for adults

Oral Fluency 6/9/07 13:41

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EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING

ORAL READING FLUENCY FOR ADULTS

3

Contents

Introduction 4

Our aims and methods 4

What we did 8

Findings 9

Conclusion 12

References 13

Oral reading fluency for adults

Maxine Burton

This is one of several linked publicationsarising from the five Effective PracticeStudies carried out by the National Researchand Development Centre for Adult Literacyand Numeracy (NRDC) from 2003 to 2007.The five studies explored effective teachingand learning in reading, writing, numeracy,ESOL and using ICT.

NRDC has produced three series ofpublications from the Effective PracticeStudies: the research reports, published inFebruary 2007; the practitioner guides,published in partnership with NIACE inAutumn 2007; and the development projectreports, published in Autumn 2007. For titlesin the first two series, please see the backcover.

These development project reports focuson specific elements of effective classroompractice in these areas:• Oral reading fluency in adults• Collaborative writing• ‘Bestimation’: Using basic calculators in

the numeracy classroom• Using voting technology for assessment• Reflection and action in ESOL

EFFECTIVETEACHINGAND LEARNING:DEVELOPMENT PROJECT REPORT


Introduction

This paper reports on a small-scale pilot project ondeveloping oral reading fluency, a teachingstrategy rarely seen in any of the 59 adult literacyclasses observed for the NRDC Effective PracticeStudy in reading (Brooks et al. 2007).

Research from the US (Kruidenier 2002) suggeststhat oral reading fluency is an effective strategy foradults and indeed it is widely used there both inschools and in adult education. Practice in this hasbeen shown to assist reading comprehension andimprove confidence. There seems, however, to besome reluctance on the part of teachers in Englandto put their adult learners under this kind of‘pressure’, usually on the grounds that it mighthave inappropriate school connotations or simplybe too embarrassing for them. In most cases,these fears proved unfounded, and the strategyturned out to be popular with both teachers andlearners.

In this paper we describe: • how the project was carried out• methods and materials • outcomes from the perspective of the teachers

and learners.

Our aims and methods

We wanted to introduce the strategy of oral readingfluency into a number of adult literacy classroomsduring the autumn term of 2006 and ascertain itsimpact. This was done by recruiting adult literacyteachers, training them in the strategy and askingthem to use it with their learners for a proportion ofthe class time each week. Class observations werecarried out, weekly reports were sent in by theteachers, and monthly team meetings were heldwith all the teachers for feedback and discussion.At the end, evaluation questionnaires werecompleted by both teachers and learners. Therewas no formal assessment of the learners’progress.

The teachers and settings

Six adult literacy teachers were recruited inSeptember 2006, four based in Sheffield, one inLeeds and one in Liverpool. One teacher worked ina LEA Adult Education Centre; the remainingsettings were FE colleges. Their basic skillsteaching experience covered a range from 3 to 25years. Only one of the teachers had previously usedthe strategy on a regular basis.

The learners

Over 40 learners in 9 different classes wereinvolved. Their ages ranged from 16 to 60 and thefull range of ability levels, Entry level 1 to Level 2(as reported by their teachers), was represented.The teachers chose which of their learners shouldparticipate, but these learners were fully consultedfirst about the project and about the strategy. Onlyone learner was reported as refusing to take part.Further characteristics of the 33 learners whocompleted feedback questionnaires are reportedon page 11.

4


DEVELOPMENT PROJECT REPORT

‘Oral reading fluency’ means reading

aloud to one or more people in a rapid,

accurate and expressive way, with the

momentum unbroken by the need to

decode.




5

How to use oral reading fluency: a reference

list of suggested methods and materials with

guidelines

Paired

reading

Choral reading

Repeated

reading

Modelled

(echo) reading

Performance

reading

The learner reads with a teacher/assistant or another learner at ahigher level. They start reading thetext together until the learner signalsthat she/he is happy to read alone.

For a full account of this techniquesee: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/fedsoc/research/projects/trwresources/

A group version of the above. It takespressure off the individual learner butthere can be problems if people read atdifferent speeds. An enlarged text witha pointer might resolve that difficulty.

Individual learners can signal that theywish to read alone; if they falter, theagreement (negotiated beforehand) isthat everyone else will then join inagain.

The same passage is read again andagain over the course of a few weeksso that faultless fluency is achieved. Itis important not to underestimate thetime required and not to move on to a

different text too soon. Also keep sparecopies of passages for repeatedreading for when they go missing orare left at home.

Here the teacher reads aloud first andthe learner repeats. Expressivemodelling is important and should notbe of too long a piece of text – no more

than a phrase or short sentence at atime.

Preparing for a ‘performance’ worksparticularly well with a play script,with learners taking the individualparts (and the teacher perhapsreading the stage directions).

Reminding learners that professionalactors do not always get it right andsometimes end up ad-libbing, canprovide reassurance and indeed be

liberating and confidence-boosting.Arranging time for learners to practisetogether is also important.


6



Suggested materials

Film, TV and

play scripts

Newspaper

articles,

including those

in the Metro and

other free local

papers

Plays can be obtained for free (oftenwith supporting teaching packs) fromtheatres. It is possible to downloadTV scripts (e.g. soaps such asEastEnders) and film scripts from

sites such as www.scriptcrawler.netand www.script-o-rama.com There are also short, simple playsavailable in the LIVEWIRE seriespublished by Hodder Education.

Local and national interest articleslend themselves particularly well toclass discussion with a wide range oflearners before and during thereading. Long articles may requiretoo much reading stamina for some

learners. Newsprint in justifiedcolumns can also be hard to readand can be adapted.

Books

Audio books

Learners’ own

writing

The well-known Quick Reads series.Other suitable books can be foundthrough First Choice Books(www.firstchoicebooks.org.uk) and

for easier books aimed at beginnerreaders see New Leaf:www.newleafbooks.org.uk (thesuccessors to Gatehouse).

These are available to accompanytexts, such as New Leaf, and ClipperEmergent Reader Programme withQuick Reads www.wfhowes.co.uk/cerp. For further information seewww.vitallink.org.uk. Recordings canprovide useful extra practice. Somecommercially-produced audio books

go too fast for emergent readers(although New Leaf CDs offer slowerreading versions as well as fasterlistening speed ones). Teachers canalso record short items at anappropriate level and speed for theirlearners.

This would provide a familiar text andcould be used within a languageexperience approach (wherebylearners are helped to transcribe

their own words). (New Leafpublishes books written by learners.)




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Performance reading

The Stand By Me film script,(based on a Stephen King book)was downloaded free from theinternet and successfully usedwith a group of five learners(Level 1–2) from a class of 16-19-year-olds. As a ‘coming-of-age’ story it seemed aparticularly good choice.

They had practised over theprevious weeks, and read withvarying fluency, but with goodexpression and at times quiteconvincing delivery. They werevery supportive of each otherand peer correction took placespontaneously. The teachermade a recording of this‘performance read’ with thelearners’ permission and then,at the request of one of theother learners in the class,played it back to the whole

class afterwards. (Note: hadthere been enough film scriptsavailable, this would have beenan excellent opportunity for thewhole class to have practice infollowing the text whilelistening to the recording.)

Reading a play script

An excellent integratedactivity involved a visit to alocal theatre to see aproduction of To Kill aMockingbird, discussion of theplay in class and performancereading of a three-pageexcerpt from the play script(obtained free from thetheatre). One learner (Level 1)found the experience ofreading aloud very upsettingas it evoked bad memories ofschool, but with teacher andpeer support she achievedfluent and expressive reading.

Reading the play scriptinspired such enthusiasmamongst these learners thatthey suggested a ‘dramagroup’ could be set up incollege.

Repeated reading

This was used by a teacherfor a group of Entry level 1–3learners. Suitable passageswere selected in consultationwith each learner and readseveral times, both silentlyand one-to-one with theteacher, culminating in a‘performance read’. Thepassages read by Entry level 1learners were no more thansix lines (maximum fivewords) and were in a largefont and contained a pictureillustration.

Reading speed

If a learner reads too slowly, meaning will be lost.Timing a learner’s reading and increasing thespeed by restricting the time allowed for reading aparticular text aloud is a suggestion from a usefulAmerican teaching manual by Susan McShane(2005), which devotes an entire chapter to ‘ReadingFluency’. However this needs to be used with careas not all learners find this a helpful challenge.One of the teachers discovered that timed readingwas particularly helpful with one learner and evenhelped to speed up his subsequent silent reading,

but that it put other learners under too muchpressure. This serves as a reminder, that whateverthe technique being used, ‘instructions’ should notbe followed too slavishly and should be adaptedappropriately.

(See Chapter 5 of Applying Research in ReadingInstruction for Adults: First Steps for Teachers.http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/html/mcshane/chapter5.html)

Reading fluency in action


8



What we did

Phase 1: September to October 2006

At the first meeting with teachers in September2006, we shared information and suggestions forsuitable teaching methods and materials anddiscussed any reservations about giving adultlearners practice in oral reading fluency. The firstphase was a pilot stage. Teachers wereencouraged to try out a range of methods andmaterials, and to report back briefly after eachclass on what they had done. All the suggestedmethods, except for reading along with audiobooks, were tried. At the second team meeting, theteachers’ initial reactions to the strategy werenoted and incorporated into guidelines on usingoral reading fluency. They noted early on that:

• When the principles were explained thestrategy was enthusiastically received by mostlearners.

• Any anticipated embarrassment about readingaloud turned out to be minimal in the majorityof cases.

• It can encourage learner autonomy whenlearners correct each other, assign their ownparts for script reading, etc.

• Fluency appeared to improve; words which hadto be prompted on a first reading wereremembered second time round; and whencomprehension was checked that too seemedto improve.

• It provided a welcome opportunity to sit downwith their learners.

Phase 2: November to December 2006

For their classes during November 2006, theteachers were asked to build on what they hadlearnt from the pilot trials and use the particularmethod(s) they thought would work with theirlearners for at least four consecutive sessions.They were asked to fill in more detailed reportforms. These showed that the length of timedevoted to reading fluency practice ranged from 10minutes to 1 hour, representing proportions ofclass time varying from 7 per cent to 40 per cent(classes were of 2 or 2.5 hours’ duration).

Observations of one session in each of sixparticipating classes were carried out andobservation notes taken of the reading fluencysection. Where possible, the learners were askedinformally about their experience of taking part inreading fluency. It was difficult to judge howrelaxed the learners were about reading aloud, asbeing observed could have put them underadditional pressure. The following behaviour wasobserved.

• In one class, the learners were all very keen toread to the observer and ‘show off’ their skills(in reading passages they had practisedbefore).

• A class of 16- to 19-year-olds were reluctant todiscuss their reading but showed obviousenthusiasm when doing their performancereading of a film script.

• In another class, the learners showed littleapparent enthusiasm, and were also reluctantto talk about the experience of reading aloud.However, just as the observer was about to go,one learner actually volunteered to read outanother passage (a familiar newspaper article)and seemed very proud of his achievementwhen he had reached the end.


At times, when reading was done withoutexpression and there was no discussion orquestions asked, it was difficult to judge the extentof comprehension.

Pride on the part of the learners in theirachievement marked every instance of readingaloud.

Findings

What the teachers thought

At the final meeting at the end of November 2006,the teachers filled in a detailed questionnaire,evaluating their experience of using the strategy,the effect on their learners and their plans for thefuture. It is important to remember that thetimescale was very short, seven weeks in all, withthe first three weeks devoted to discussion with thelearners and trying out different methods. Themain questionnaire results were as follows.

• The effects on their learners overall werejudged to be very positive with regard to theirenjoyment and engagement in class, theirconfidence and their ability to workindependently.

• Two teachers thought that learners’ ability toread with fluency and expression, and readingmore widely/for pleasure were unaffected; theothers saw improvement.

• All but one considered that the strategy had aneffect on comprehension.

• Three teachers felt that the benefits wereattributable entirely, or almost entirely, to thestrategy of reading aloud, three thought thatthe learners’ informed participation in theproject also played a part in their progress.

• All six teachers intend to continue toincorporate oral reading fluency into theirclassroom practice.

• The most popular methods were:- repeated reading aloud (with modelling by

the teacher)- performance reading of plays (the choice of

five teachers)- one teacher favoured paired reading in

learner pairs. • The most useful materials were:

- Film/play scripts - newspaper articles.

Peer correction and support was regarded aseffective and valuable but did not always take placespontaneously; reluctance may have been due togender/age issues – younger learners werethought to be more prone to embarrassment – orother aspects of the classroom dynamic.

The teachers were asked if the strategy wasunsuitable for any types of learners (and it isinteresting that two of the teachers reported thatthey had used reading aloud before, primarily withLearning Difficulties and Disabilities learners). Atthe start there had been doubts about thesuitability of some classes for this (e.g. largeclasses, multi-level, mixture of disabilities, etc).After trying it out, three teachers concluded it wassuitable for all learners, provided they had beenconsulted beforehand and had agreed to it.

The teachers were also asked to consider anydrawbacks and problems encountered. Tworeported no real problems when using the strategy.



9

The strategy proved suitable for a wider

range than anticipated, and the teachers

wished they had included more of their

learners in the trial.


The others mentioned factors such as: • Problems ‘managing’ the rest of the group

when only some learners were reading aloud;• Shortage of time to listen to everybody;• Logistics – lack of space in the classroom for

reading activities;• Lack of interesting reading materials at Entry

levels 1 and 2;• Intermittent attendance making practising play

script reading difficult;• Classroom dynamic needing to be taken into

consideration;• It could provoke emotional traumas and crises

of confidence in an important minority ofcases. In such cases, using the strategy can

involve an unreasonable element of ‘risk-taking’. (However, for a striking example ofrisk-taking justified, see ‘To Kill A Gremlin’ inBurton 2007)

Their main advice to other teachers involveddialogue with the learners from the start:• Be ‘open and honest’; • Explain and negotiate so they are in control of

the process as much as possible; • Check what the learners feel ‘comfortable’

with;• Be prepared to try different methods and

activities.

10



30-year-old female,

currently Entry level 2.

‘18 months ago CS was a non-reader, she couldn’t alwaysrecognise her own name. Shehas grown the most inconfidence of all my readers, isnow reading fluently and with thecorrect intonation.’

Male, early 60s, Entry level

2–3, who has ‘increased self-confidence and motivation. Heis a learner who has beencoming to classes for severalyears and I feel this hasrekindled his determination tosucceed’.

Female, 18-year-old,

Level 1. ‘She told me shenever read books, but fromreading the play, really wants toread the book. Her SupportPlan states that she shouldn’tbe asked to read aloud but shehad no problems with readingaloud, accepted peer supportand appeared to enjoy it!’

21-year-old female,

Entry level 2.

‘This student often “pretends”she has completed a task but therepeated reading brought herback to the same words whichshe has practisedconscientiously. She enjoyed

reading a short tale to the groupand leading the discussion. Thishas encouraged her to read therest of the series.’

Learners of different ages

and reading abilities seem to

have benefited. One teacher,

however, considered that

learners around Entry

level 3 gained the most.

When each teacher was asked to nominate one learner who had benefited most from

practising oral reading fluency, some said they were ‘spoilt for choice’.

Their success stories included:


What the learners thought

At the end of the reading fluency trials, thelearners who had participated were asked to fill ina questionnaire, asking for some backgroundinformation and about their experience of readingfluency in terms of confidence and reading habits.This questionnaire was administered in class bythe teachers and had been devised in consultationwith them.

A total of 33 completed forms were returned bylearners, more than half of whom were women (21)and with an age range from 16 to 60. All but ninewere white, and all but two had English as theirfirst language. The full range of levels (as suppliedby their teachers) from Entry level 1 to Level 2 wasrepresented, with a fairly even split betweennumbers of those judged to be at Entry level 1–3and Entry level 3 to Level 2. The completedquestionnaires showed the following.

• More than half the learners (23) reported atleast a small increase in confidence in readingaloud after taking part in the project. The restreported no change except for two instanceswhere there was an apparent decrease inconfidence.

• Thirteen learners said they would be happierreading to one person than to a group. A smallmajority (19) reported the same level ofconfidence in reading to a group as to oneother person. One learner claimed to feelmore confident reading to a group.

• All but five (plus one ‘don’t know’) said theywould like to do more reading aloud.

• Reading for pleasure was reported ashappening mainly ‘sometimes’ with ninereading ‘often’ and only one ‘never’.

• Reading aloud outside class happened mainly‘never’ (19) and ‘sometimes’ (11) but threelearners reported doing it ‘often’.

There seemed to be no correlations between thelevel of the learners or any other characteristicssuch as gender or ethnicity and either theirconfidence or frequency of reading practices.

Thus, although no formal evaluation was carriedout, practice in oral reading fluency proved apopular strategy with nearly all the learners.



11

Despite the teachers claiming that a one-

to-one situation would be less threatening

for their learners, over half the learners

themselves seemed to find reading to a

group no more of a problem than reading

to one other person.


12



Conclusion

Oral reading fluency proved to be a popularstrategy with both teachers and learners,increasing learner confidence, enjoyment andability to work independently. It also had widerbenefits which our teachers helped to identify. Itprovided:

• Valuable opportunities to focus on reading,with a dedicated time for each learner.Recent research (Besser et al. 2004, Brookset al. 2007) has highlighted the fact thatactive reading tuition and focused readinginstruction in general only take up a smallproportion of class time.

• Opportunities to identify ‘hidden problems’;

to understand the area of difficulty and giveimmediate feedback. (Silent reading doesnot offer this insight.)

• ‘An important part of the learner/tutorrelationship’.

• The stimulation of ‘taking risks’ andproviding new challenges.

Conclusions from a small-scale project can onlybe a starting point and our list of suggestedmethods and materials is by no meansexhaustive. Further research, using othermeasures of assessment, must continue to buildon these findings.




13

References

Besser, S., Brooks, G., Burton, M., Parisella, M.,Spare, Y., Stratford, S. and Wainwright, J. (2004)Adult literacy learners’ difficulties in reading: anexploratory study. London: NRDC.

Brooks, G., Burton, M., Cole, P. and Szczerbinski,M. (2007) Effective teaching and learning: Reading.London: NRDC.

Burton, M. (2007) Developing adult teaching andlearning: Practitioner guides – Reading.Leicester/London: NIACE/NRDC.

Kruidenier, J. (2002) Research-based Principles forAdult Basic Education Reading Instruction.Portsmouth, NH: National Institute for Literacy.

McShane, S. (2005) Applying Research in ReadingInstruction for Adults. First Steps for Teachers.Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy. The entire publication can be downloaded from:http://www.nifl.gov/partenershipforreading/publications/html/mcshane/ where you will find links toall of the chapters.


Notes

14




Acknowledgements

The guidelines in this paper could not havebeen written without the help and commitmentof our six practitioners: Rachael Burrows,Claire Cooper, Karen Kennedy, Judith Mayer,Jan Wainwright and Lynn Wise.

Every stage of the project was carried out inclose consultation with them. In return, theywelcomed the encouragement and support to‘take risks’ and extend their practice beyondthe familiar; they would urge otherpractitioners to do the same:

‘Try out different methods – even those types

of activities you might have avoided in the

past’.

This report was peer reviewed by:Yvonne Spare, freelance consultantJanet Whitfield, Warrington Collegiate


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website: www.nrdc.org.uk

NRDC is a consortium of partners led by the Institute ofEducation, University of London with:• Lancaster University• The University of Nottingham• The University of Sheffield• East London Pathfinder• Liverpool Lifelong Learning Partnership• Basic Skills Agency at NIACE• Learning and Skills Network • LLU+, London South Bank University • National Institute of Adult Continuing Education• King’s College London• University of Leeds

Funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities andSkills as part of Skills for Life: the national strategy forimproving adult literacy and numeracy skills.

Other publications from the NRDC Effective Practice Studies

The research reports – available in full or summary formats from www.nrdc.org.uk/publications

Effective teaching and learning: ReadingEffective teaching and learning: WritingEffective teaching and learning: NumeracyEffective teaching and learning: ESOLEffective teaching and learning: Using ICT

The practitioner guides – available from www.niace.org.uk/publications

Developing adult teaching and learning: Practitioner guides - ReadingDeveloping adult teaching and learning: Practitioner guides - Writing Developing adult teaching and learning: Practitioner guides - NumeracyDeveloping adult teaching and learning: Practitioner guides - ESOLDeveloping adult teaching and learning: Practitioner guides - Using ICT


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