Students commonly dread the possibility of a whole class reading, a boring book, annoying theme, uncomfortable topic, or even the reading of the book itself. It is one of the defining traits of high school English class. There’s always a group who hate on the book, and another, usually smaller, group that praises the book. But what is the validity of teachers using this strategy to teach students? It’s not an easy question to answer.

According to a study within the National Reading Conference Yearbook conducted by Kamil, M. L., & Rauscher, W. C., whole-class readings do work, quite effectively, with the use of teaching time. All students are able to hear the same information, garner the same knowledge, and receive the same instruction. It lessens the amount of variance from group to group, making sure that students are not left out of the group and are able to recall the same facts as other students.

This is not to say small groups do not have their uses. Small groups can be incredibly helpful, whether on the same or different books. Smaller groups allow students to discuss a topic in depth, keep each other accountable for progress, and receive unique instruction from the teacher. Teachers often enjoy small groups for their ease of use and the possibility of doing other teacher affiliated work while students continue learning. 

Commonly, students also prefer small groups. It gives them a chance to connect with fellow peers with the autonomy the student body craves so much. However, small groups have one massive disadvantage. Teachers are unable to use their instructional time to the fullest effect. Small groups require the teacher to split their time by how many groups they have created. If there are six groups, a teacher must divide their time evenly among them, not accounting for transition time, which decreases the amount of time the teacher can commit to their students by a large amount. 

Whole class readings come with their own disadvantages. Oftentimes, students can be left out of instruction, fall behind, or miss chances to be able to interact with the reading material. In our large class sizes, one teacher cannot effectively involve all of their students when faced with a class reading. Combined with student personalities, the ease of faking having read the book, and the discomfort of lectures, whole class readings can make for ineffective teaching over book analysis if these issues are not dealt with. 

Because of this, I hold the opinion that whole class readings are the best way to introduce a book to the class and get them started. Afterwards, the class can occasionally break into small groups, giving the teacher the ability to give better feedback, work on future lesson plans, and allow the students some room for autonomy. Whole class readings will keep the class on track, while the occasional small group discussion can allow students for insightful conversation and thought.

So yes, whole class readings do work great, but it is important to note and implement small groups to encourage student discussion over the book they are meant to analyze and garner knowledge from.