ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests Lev Vygotskian interpretations of Reading Recovery as a system of social interaction organized around the comprehension and production of texts that demonstrably creates new forms of cognitive activity in the child. For all children, the larger the chunks of printed language they can work with, the richer the network of information they can use. Teaching should dwell on detail only long enough for the child to discover its existence and then encourage the use of it in isolation only when absolutely necessary. During the first two weeks of a Reading Recovery program, the teacher does not try to teach the child anything new but initiates activities that allow the child to use and explore further the repertoire of behaviors he or she already controls. A new book is both carefully selected and carefully introduced. What may seem like casual conversational exchanges between teacher and pupil are based on deliberate teaching decisions for a particular child.
