How do Norwegian second-grade teachers use guided reading? The quantity and quality of practices

This paper documents how teachers use guided reading practices in Norwegian second-grade class-rooms. In a two-part study consisting of teachers’ self-reports (Study 1) and video-observations of guid-ed reading sessions (Study 2), we analyzed the frequency and characteristics of guided reading practic-es. Findings from Study 1 indicate that guided reading is a common practice of Norwegian second-grade teachers and that discussing word meaning, text, and pictures are the most frequently addressed liter-acy components. Findings from Study 2 illustrate that the teachers regularly make optimal use of the before-reading phase, while the after-reading phase is relatively lacking. The observational data also indicate that teachers are more likely to simply check students’ understanding of word meaning rather than to work in-depth with vocabulary. Likewise, teachers were more likely to supply help in the de-coding process rather than scaffold students’ decoding with strategies. In sum, the data indicate that teachers may not fully use the benefits that guided reading instruction can afford. We discuss how to help educators use more of the potential of guided reading, arguing that the benefits of guided reading can be strengthened by (1) more in-depth planning, (2) greater use of strategies, and (3) routines for observing and assessing.publishedVersio

Hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia - a diagnostic challenge. A report of two atypical cases

Objectives: The authors describe 2 atypical cases of patients with hypoglycaemia, suspected for insulinoma. Methods: The 2 reports are accompanied by a concise review of the literature. Results: Patient 1 had a distal pancreatectomy performed for suspected insulinoma, and was diagnosed with a glucagonoma and beta-cell hyperplasia (nesidioblastosis). To the authors’s knowledge, co-existing glucagonoma and nesidioblastosis had not been previously reported. Patient 2 was diagnosed with a benign insulinoma and 5 years later with metastatic disease. Conclusion: The authors conclude that insulinomas are rare entities which often present a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. In such cases, patient referral to tertiary multidisciplinary centers is recommended