Darnell Wynn is the education officer responsible for literacy in Bermuda (and my former English Teacher). She has been spreading the word on literature for more than a quarter of a century, and making sure that all our children can read for a decade. Vejay Steede for The Royal Gazette recently caught up with her to discuss the finer points of the highly successful Reading Recovery Programme.

Q: What is your background in education and literacy?

A: I have worked in education for more than 27 years, teaching English Language and Literature at the High and Middle School levels. I am a qualified Reading Specialist and a Literacy Trainer and am currently responsible for the Reading Recovery programme in all Government Primary Schools. I train and certify teachers for the Reading Recovery program. I also consult with principals and parents about reading.

Q: Are there any specific success stories of note from the Reading Recovery Programme?

A: Reading recovery produces measurable results in weeks, not years. It is a highly successful short-term intervening service for the lowest-performing primary two students. Students receive 30-minute daily lessons taught by specially trained teachers. After just 12-20 weeks, more than 80 percent of these lowest students reach grade level standards. This means students in the program make accelerated progress that permits them to catch up to their peers and continue to learn in the regular classroom environment.

Furthermore, results from the first study of program efficiency are showing that even three years after finishing the program, 78 percent of Reading Recovery students continue to read at or above grade level.

Q: Are there any specific methods that parents can try to help their young child read?

A: Absolutely! Reading begins at home. It is critical for parents to engage their children in active oral language (conversations that require more than yes/no answers). Reading Recovery is an extensive language-based program, in that the teacher is engaged throughout the lesson in conversation with each student in order to expand vocabulary and language structures, which help students make sense of their reading. The more children are actively engaged in oral language the more able they are to decipher when something they read does not make sense (in the spoken language) and fluency becomes a natural flow in the reading.

Books, magazines and newspapers must be as normal as the television sets in the home. Children need to see the significant adults in their homes reading and writing as a natural part of life (just as eating and sleeping). Literacy is not a school-only related event.

Q: Does this program foster a life-long love of reading, or is it more for functional purposes?

A: Reading Recovery students learn very quickly that reading is about gaining meaning and that text must always make sense. We use authentic books (not phonetically controlled texts) and students write every day. We make the learning supportive and match students very carefully to books that they will experience success in. We teach them how to problem-solve through texts, keeping in mind that the text must be 'just right for them' to read-'not too hard and not too easy.' If you set up reading experiences like this for children, you will develop a love of reading because the clearest message they receive is that reading should be easy if we are to get meaning from print.

Q: Can this program be used at a later stage of development — Middle or Senior levels? Is it adaptable to older students who still have difficult?

A: The instructional strategies of Reading Recovery are very adaptable for older students. Reading Recovery training gives a teacher the foundation of reading theory and practice. It helps a teacher understand what is needed at the foundation to prevent reading failure. With that knowledge and the instructional methods, a teacher can work with an older struggling reader. However, the longer a student is left to struggle in reading, the longer it will take to develop proficiency. The key is knowing what the difficulties are at the foundational stage and work from there, individualizing the tutoring to the students needs.

Q: What does the future look like for the Reading Recovery program?

A: Reading Recovery has a solid future. In Bermuda, Reading Recovery has maintained its registered license for ten years and has shown year over year success. Parents and Reading Recovery teachers value the importance of early intervention and one-on-one teaching for struggling readers that focuses on the individual child. Reading Recovery helps struggling readers catch up to their peers rather quickly, which means students are back in classes learning alongside of their peers. No longer do we have to see all students being pulled out of mainstream classes and going 'down the hallway' never to emerge out of remedial programs. Reading Recovery makes a difference at the earliest possible point of learning.