Literacy @ Magdalene - Four Roles of the Reader/Reciprocal Teaching

Four Roles of the Reader/Reciprocal Teaching
Luke and Freebody described the skills that effective readers have and use when using different kinds of texts. The skills readers use is code-breaking, constructing meaning, text using and text critic practices. These skills are essential in all Key Learning Areas.

Code-breaker

The code-breaker role involves the reader decoding printed text and working out what the words say using cue systems to construct meaning (Woolley 2008; Winch et al., 2014).

The four cue systems can be described as:

Semantic: Prior knowledge of the topic, vocabulary and meanings.
Graphophonic: Information relating to printed words on the page and their corresponding sounds.
Grammatical: Information relating to how language works.
Visual: Visual elements in addition to text that help construct meaning.

Effective readers combine all four cue systems to maintain meaning as they read and make sense of the text. An important part of this role is the reader being able to recognise when they make a mistake so that they can correct it and not lose meaning (Winch et al., 2014).

Text-participant

The text participant role refers to the how the reader participates in constructing meaning from and with the text by accessing the literal and inferential meaning (Winch et al., 2014). Literal meaning is the actual text on the page to help the reader make sense of topic (Winch et al., 2014).

Inferential meaning is the hidden meaning within the text and is what the reader believes the writer may be implying. For inferential meaning the reader needs to activate prior knowledge of the topic and of the vocabulary contained within the text (Freebody & Luke et al., 2003, as cited in Luke et al., 2011; Winch et al., 2014).

This text participant role also considers the skills and strategies readers use to extract meaning (Rennie, 2011). The emphasis of this role is on the reader's social and cultural connections to help them to construct meaning (Woolley 2008; Luke et al., 2011).

Text-user

The text-user role practices the way a reader uses text to achieve a specific purpose (Woolley, 2008; Luke at al., 2011; Winch et al, 2014). The text-user understands the structure of different texts and how they can be applied in different social situations (Winch et al., 2014). For example, a person may read a recipe for cooking a cake or use instructions to build a model car.

When readers participate in activities that involve text it links to a specific social behaviour (Luke et al., 2011). “Text-users are self-directed readers who make effective use of all kinds of texts in their daily lives to get things done and for communication, learning, work and recreation” (Winch et al., 2014).

Text-analysis

The text-analyst role is an essential role to assist readers in thinking critically. In this role, the reader is looking for underlying and unstated assumptions made within the text. A text-analyst uses their own knowledge and judgment to critique what the author is saying and how the text is persuading the reader to think a certain way (Winch et al., 2014). A text-analyst must also consider the language, images and other design features that are used (Woolley 2008; Winch et al., 2014).

for a handout that can be used with your students.