Is 'Questioning the Author' older than we think?

Francis Matisi, a teacher at Saint Mark's School in Dingley, was teaching at a Catholic primary school in Brunswick around 2002, just as The Lord of the Rings movies were about to be released. The majority of her students—about 95%—came from an English as an Additional Language (EAL) background. Wanting to engage her students with literature, she decided to share The Hobbit with them.

Challenges in Teaching 'The Hobbit'

Francis would read The Hobbit aloud just before lunchtime or recess. However, she quickly realized how much explanation, pausing, and discussion were necessary to help her students understand the text. Little by little, she saw that bringing the story to life took a significant amount of time.

She frequently interrupted the flow of the story, stopping every few lines to ensure students could establish meaning and make connections. Initially, she employed a "think-aloud" strategy, verbalizing her thoughts on what was happening in the story and explaining particular words and phrases. This approach helped her students connect with the text’s meaning.

Developing Student Engagement

As students became more familiar with the characters and events, Francis transitioned from think-alouds to prompting queries and discussion points. She invited students to respond in an organic and spontaneous manner, fostering a classroom environment where discussion and interpretation were key components of reading comprehension.

By the end of Term Two, after 20 weeks of reading The Hobbit for about 10–15 minutes each day, Francis reflected on the process. She told her students:

"Look, everyone, I think this book is too hard for us, and we should probably stop because I have to explain so much. It's going to take almost the whole year to finish."

To her surprise, the students strongly objected. They were passionate about continuing the book, despite the frequent pauses, discussions, and explanations. They loved the text and were determined to see it through to the end.

Perseverance and Success

Many students could not read the text independently, nor could they engage with it meaningfully without the frequent discussion points. Because of their enthusiasm and commitment, Francis persevered, and the class finally completed the book well into Terms 3 and 4 before the final act was done.

A Powerful Teaching Approach

From this experience almost 25 years ago, Francis discovered a unique method of interspersing shared reading with discussion—an approach echoed in the research of Questioning the Author by McKeown and colleagues. She found that when students encounter complex texts beyond their independent reading abilities, they can still engage deeply with the material through teacher-led queries, pauses, and discussions.

This approach not only makes reading enjoyable and engaging but also allows all students to access the deeper meanings of the text. Over time, students take more control in responding, making predictions, and offering their own interpretations, while others benefit from hearing these discussions unfold.

Reflections on Teaching Comprehension

This story exemplifies how powerful shared reading and discussion can be in teaching comprehension. While some might wonder if this is a new method, Francis does not see it that way. It seems to be a technique that many teachers have naturally discovered, as they prioritize the text itself and use meaning-making discussions to drive the rigor of their lessons.

I want to thank Francis for sharing her story. I look forward to hearing whether this sparks similar discussions with you or your colleagues at your school.