Effective Literacy Practice - Part 2

Shared Reading

ELP pages 93 to 96 or on the TKI website

I completely agree with the ELP beginning the section on Shared reading by saying that it's an essential component of the daily literacy program.

I realised that I agreed with this when I was teaching New Entrants and my first lot of students turned 6 and had their 6 year check. I had been doing shared reading, but hadn't really realised the importance behind it. When I had the teacher doing the 6 year check told me that nearly none of my students could show a word or letter, and many didn't realise when a sentence was mixed up, I knew it was completely reflected back on me, I hadn't taught it... but I didn't know that was what I had to teach!

I soon after got my hands on a 6 year check form, and added into my Long Term Plan for shared reading all the different aspects that were checked for... 

In covering all of this, what I must never let go of is making sure i'm always modeling the love of reading.

For my shared book times with the class I choose a book that we use for the whole week, reading it daily and doing different tasks and activities with it throughout the week. That book always goes in the student library corner, so that they can read it during free choice reading time (and they love reading from the big books!).

Shared reading is always a fun time, I enjoy all the laughs when I flip the book around the wrong way, and the loud 'NOOO', when I start reading from the wrong page or muddle the words up.

It's great reading through the ELP. It re-focusses me on what good practice is, but it also gives me a 'pat on the back' reading through and seeing strategies I implement in my program that are listed as effective.  

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. 

Good People in Good Places

Sometimes there are people that have good ideas, but don't do anything with them.

Sometimes there are people who have good ideas, but don't know how to implement them.

Sometimes there are people who have good ideas, and know just the right way to implement them and follow them through.

Here is a very good article on a good man who is making a positive and informed change in education. 

Stuart McNaughton and some others from the Woolf Fisher research center have been researching Manaiakalani, and while I was in a Manaiakalani school I was able to listen to and be a part the research.

Stuart is a change maker, and change is something that is ever present in the education sector, sometimes being something that accelerates us forward, and sometimes making us stop and reflect on what we've been doing.

One research feedback session that I want to left a particular impression on me, it was all about effect size.

As many teachers know, with some kids, the National Standards are over here, and the students are over there.

There is so much to teach and so little time to teach the students in to try and get them to this bar. 

BUT in our teaching we need to think about how we're teaching and using our time.

We'll never reach the bar if we're taking lots of little steps, we need to  take large steps with purpose. Covering lots of ground faster, but more intentional. 

When I'm planning my lessons I try and keep this in mind.

Am I planning for lots of little steps?

or am I planning for strides?

It's time to be a change maker!

Having a GROWTH MINDSET

My current school has a focus on having a 'Growth Mindset', here is a youtube video which was shared with us, titled

A Study on Praise and Mindsets

by Carol Dweck 

What I find interesting about this is the enormity of praise... especially with looking at them in the categories of 'intelligence' vs 'effort'. 

it definitely gets me thinking, HOW DO I PRAISE?
(and give feedback in class...)

At my last school we did an exercise where we observed another teacher with an instructional group, and noted all the verbal comments and tones used. It would be interesting to do that  again, with a 'growth mindset'... especially as I learn more about this.

Here are some screen shots which I think sum up what I particularly took away from this short video...

Students were tested once, and given feedback either based on their intelligence or their effort.
When they were given the option of what to  do for the second test, the students who were praised for their intelligence gererally chose the easier and safer option of the test. Those who were praised for effort nearly ALL chose to challenge themselves and choose the harder option. 

Carol explains this by saying...

(click on the pictures to enlarge them)

 So in short...

I need to keep this in mind with every interaction I have.

I am investing in future leaders... and I definitely want our future leaders to have Growth mindsets!

Finishing one chapter and beginning another

Time flies!

I have now finished my time at Tamaki Primary school.

It was an amazing two and a half years of teaching, learning, building relationships with; parents, students and colleagues... and fun.

I was blessed with an amazing farewell assembly, full of kind words from students and colleagues, with many (MANY) cards and a lovely DVD full of encouragement and memories.

When one chapter ends it's a great time to reflect on what has been the most influential parts of the chapter (& who!), and what learning has been done through it.... BUT the great thing about being in a new chapter is that the unknown is before us, but the previous chapter is what all the new is pinned on, and you can always flip back to it.  

Riccarton Primary School will be an awesome new adventure, with new excitements and new challenges, i'm looking forward to traveling this new chapter.

Link to original comic strip

Teachable moments...

The math lesson is planned (...and it's going to be awesome).

I have my group on the mat, they are all settled and engaged for the warm up, we get to the knowledge check... and... blank.

My wonderful lesson on 'before numbers' to 20 hit a brick wall when I realised nearly all the students in the group had at least one misunderstanding of a number when counting backwards - either orally or visually.

This is where I have the choice... to continue with my awesomely planned lesson or backtrack and teach the knowledge.... and of course I backtracked.

We pulled down the calendar numbers from the wall and got other number sets to 20. 

We put them in order backwards together, as a group race, on our own, we danced while saying our numbers, we said them in silly voices and then we cut and paste 20-9 in the correct order (Lucky we have awesome people in the office who can make a quick change of plan possible!)

The next day... voila!

All the students had also practiced at home, we started with our knowldege check, and all the students could order the numbers backwards with the cards, and also say it without the visual prompts... so I could continue on with the lesson from the previous day. 

YAY for celebrating successes! 

It's all about the students. What they need and when they need it.

It excites me the more and more I learn about teaching and how my kiddos brains work. Being able to engage them in meaningful activity's, and knowing when to change a plan and being able to run with it makes teaching so much more meaningful and .

Bring on the last week of term 2!