Effective Literacy Practice - Part 1

As some 'in house' Professional development, the Junior school teachers are looking at 'Reading' this term, and we're doing our readings from the

Effective Literacy Practice - in years 1-4

(otherwise known as the ELP).

Many, if not all Teachers will have read through the ELP at some point. 

I know that we used it a lot at university, and over my last few years teaching, it's been referred back to, but i'm looking forward to going more in-depth with it, and having the chance to have professional discussions with my colleagues about what we have read, and how that relates to our own classroom practice. 

We started with page 12, looking at

'The Dimensions of Effective Practice'

Through pages 13-15 the ELP breaks down the different segments, the segments are also broken down on the TKI website.

Going through each segment (in no particular order), this is what it means to me/what I have taken from reading the ELP/TKI website...

While I did say that they are in no particular order, this one is.
For all of my classroom practice I believe knowing the learner is paramount. Everything else has it's place, and are all needed equally, but without the knowledge of your learner, you're missing a vital key. 
In regards to reading, it's about knowing what gets my students engaged, what makes them WANT to read and WANT to learn more. 

One way we do this in class is through making our own class books based on what we've been reading as a shared book, or what a group has been reading during their guided sessions.
Here is an example of a book we made based on the 'Ready to Read' book
"Smile!" Said Dad

I'm also finding that a part of engaging is helping the students to realise what they already know. If they know what they know, they can more readily transfer their knowledge of how to sound out new words in writing, to new words in reading (and vice versa!)

My next steps for engaging my learners is choosing more non-fiction texts that we can use to extend our knowledge of the world around us, and really link them into our interests and questions about the world around us. 

If I  don't believe they are capable, then they're not!

All my students have potential, all my students will achieve their goals and all my students will make milestones in their learning.

With this learning though, all my students will be taking their own paths, and they all will be starting at different points along the road. They all have their own goals.

My biggest expectation  for all my student sis that they will be risk takers in (and outside) the classroom.
Always willing to try something new, and 'give it a go', without any worry about failure.
My desire is that i'm creating a safe environment where the culture of risk taking is expected and praised. 

What tools from my belt am  I going to use today?

The teaching hours in our days zip by, which can be scary sometimes! I have my students for an drop in the pool of their education career, so i need to be deliberate and planned with my teaching.

Having a clear WALT (We Are Learning To...) is a basis of my instructional times, but also being fluid in this. When planning is done a week in advance, who knows how fast, or how long it will take to achieve some WALTS, but having the base gives direction.

Modelling provides a basis for all instructional lessons, giving a time to work along side my students to breakdown what we're learning for the day and recap or teach the strategies we need

This has definitely come with time, and I will continually be growing in this area.

I look back on my first year teaching, and realise I really did start with nothing, and filled my kite of knowledge throughout the year which I am continually filling.

Oh I wish I knew then what I know now!

I have been privileged to work along many experts, teachers who have been teaching many years, across many levels and with lots of different training behind them (i.e. ESOL and Reading Recovery).

Learning from these people has definitely shaped my practice, and i'm looking forward to all the connections I am going to continue to have in my teaching career, and what they will bring!

I have already touched a bit on partnerships in the one above, and really find that they help me so much to inform my teaching.
Partnerships aren't just with professional colleagues, but the partnerships I have with outside agencies, Whānau, the students themselves and their peers.

The more effective, active, planned and dynamic my relationships are with the people in my students lives, the more informed my teaching is.