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ERIC Number: EJ1013751
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Feb
Pages: 36
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0034-527X
EISSN: N/A
Portraits of Practice: A Cross-Case Analysis of Two First-Grade Teachers and Their Grouping Practices
Maloch, Beth; Worthy, Jo; Hampton, Angela; Jordan, Michelle; Hungerford-Kresser, Holly; Semingson, Peggy
Research in the Teaching of English, v47 n3 p277-312 Feb 2013
This interpretive study provides a cross-case analysis of the literacy instruction of two first-grade teachers, with a particular focus on their grouping practices. One key finding was the way in which these teachers drew upon a district-advocated approach for instruction--an approach to guided reading articulated by Fountas and Pinnell (1996) in which students are instructed in small groups based on reading level--as a resource for their sense-making. Analysis indicated that the two teachers enacted the practice in distinct ways based on their experiences and personal characteristics. Findings further suggested that, reminiscent of research on ability groups conducted mainly in the 1970s and 1980s, instruction and materials in both classrooms were qualitatively different between lower groups and higher groups. Although we do not implicate the practice of guided reading per se, we call for closer examinations of modern manifestations of ability-grouped practices and explorations of alternatives to such practices. (Contains 1 table.)
National Council of Teachers of English. 1111 West Kenyon Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096. Tel: 877-369-6283; Tel: 217-328-3870; Web site: http://www.ncte.org/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 1; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A