Abstract

Primary classrooms are under two very distinct spells of reading, the spell of transformation and the spell of silence. The spell of transformation appears in a confident way, taking hold of teachers through levelled books, diagnostic testing and prescriptive steps to sucessful reading. This way of living with children and books presents itself in confident and seductive ways, taking books, children and teachers out of the landscape of reading. The second spell emerges in a much quieter way, inviting students and teachers into reading by participating in conversations together using books as the focal point of the horizon. But it is curious to note the places from which both of these spells have emerged and how they play out in classrooms. Much of this work is informed by Gadamer and a hermenutic approach to research.