BC TEAL is proud to present our 2025 Annual Conference: Disruptive Educational Practices: Strategies for Transformation.
Educators shine in times of change to face unexpected challenges. This is when creativity flourishes by combining proven practices with fresh and innovative ideas. These times call for transformation which can be rooted in tradition or experience, or it can arise through unexplored approaches. The synthesis of old and new ideas drives meaningful progress. Join other insightful and creative educators as we flourish within the power of our community.
This interactive workshop introduces Academic Reading Circles (ARC) as a collaborative approach to reading instruction in English language teaching. Unpacking Seburn's (2016) framework, this session demonstrates how ARC transforms traditional teacher-centered reading practices by empowering students through structured co-working and role-based exploration of texts. By the end of this session, participants will understand the five core ARC roles and their implementation, examine ARC sample work from both student and teacher perspectives, and develop strategies for implementing ARC in their specific teaching contexts
This workshop is grounded in sociocultural learning theory (Vygotsky, 1978) and draws on research demonstrating the effectiveness of collaborative reading approaches in academic contexts (Seburn, 2016; Daniels, 2002). The session shows how ARC transforms traditional reading instruction by distributing cognitive load and fostering deeper engagement with texts.
The session will begin with an overview of the ARC framework and its transformative potential followed by a demonstration including a brief modeling of each role (Leader, Visualizer, Contextualizer, Connector, Highlighter), a guided ARC simulation using a short academic text, and a discussion on role implementation and classroom management. The end of the session is dedicated to implementation planning and guided development of implementation strategies. Practical components include role templates and guidelines, sample texts and activities, assessment strategies, troubleshooting common challenges, and adaptation strategies for different levels.
Participants will leave with practical tools for implementing ARC, understanding how this approach can transform traditional reading instruction into a more engaging, student-centered learning experience that develops both reading comprehension and academic discussion skills.
References Daniels, H. (2002). Literature circles: Voice and choice in book clubs and reading groups. Stenhouse Publishers.
Seburn, T. (2016). Academic reading circles. The Round.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Nathan Hall is an English language / TESL educator with over 19 years of experience. He is passionate about pedagogically-sound uses of technology for education.
