"It looked like one thing but when we went in more depth, it turned out to be completely different": Reflections on the Discourse of Guided Reading and its role in fostering critical response to magazines

This article explores the discourses of power prevalent in classrooms through considering the nature of critical response and the role of reflective group talk in negotiating meaning in children's magazines. It shares the findings from a small-scale research project, which explored the potential of guided reading to develop critically literate response to text and reports on a case study involving two groups of pupils from broadly similar primary schools. A critique of guided teaching is offered and it is argued that while on some levels the model seems an effective vehicle for fostering critical response, its inherent power structures bring into question the validity of its role in facilitating independent critical thought.