The Responsive Teacher: An Exploration of Teachers’ Dialogic Behaviours Throughout Their Gradual Release of Responsibility-Inspired Reading Lessons

As standardised, scripted reading lessons become more prevalent, an important issue has arisen: what flexible, contextually responsive, student-centred affordances of teaching instruction may be lost if teachers feel compelled to restrict their teaching to scripted practice? To establish a baseline for evaluating the dialogic flexibility of such programs, this study presents a thematic analysis of the unscripted behaviours of three Australian primary school teachers across different grades (Foundation, Year 4, and Year 5/6) during their Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR)-inspired reading lessons. Findings revealed distinct variability in the application of modelled, shared, and guided reading, showing that teachers adapt their micro-moves in response to student interjections and real-time needs even when using the same instructional approach. These results highlight the inherent flexibility of unscripted GRR lessons and provide a framework for teachers to reflect on their own (or colleagues’) responsive practices.