Changing traditional reading pedagogy: the importance of classroom interactive talk for year one Malay readers

Changing traditional reading pedagogy: the importance of classroom interactive talk for year one Malay readers

The ability to read is one of the most crucial survival skills a person can possess. Besides being necessary in everyday life it is well established as the best predictor of future educational achievement. However, learning to read is a complex task and even in the new millennium education systems across the world continue to face the challenge of meeting targets for literacy acquisition. Current practices in Western education settings draw upon decades of research that emphasise the importance of developing children’s language and phonemic awareness and the adoption of a an eclectic approach. They recognise reading as a process that requires thinking and metacognitive skills. In conjunction with this researchers have also shown that the quality of classroom interactive talk exerts a powerful influence on children’s literacy learning success. This research examines the application of this contemporary practice in the context of teaching reading in Malay language (L1) to year one children in Brunei Darussalam. It compares a trial of a balanced reading approach with the traditional approach that has long pervaded the current system in Brunei. As a qualitative exploratory study data were collected through classroom observations in three classrooms across two schools over two terms. This included transcribing the classroom interactive talk of reading lessons. The results provide insights into the value of the study of interactive talk as a window into the quality of literacy and reading pedagogy, and why students may be experiencing difficulty in learning to read. Recommendations are made for teacher professional learning and changes to resources to increase teaching effectiveness and to enhance young children’s beginning literacy experiences in their first language of Malay.

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