Teacher Inquiry - RPI Strategies

My teacher inquiry question for this year is : 

Will implementing the RPI strategies have an impact

on reading comprehension? 

This year I am a part of the Manaiakalani Reading Practice Intensive.  It made sense to me for my teacher inquiry question to relate to what I learn and take away from this course.  

When I began planning for my teacher inquiry question, I was first prompted to reflect on the my class' strengths and gaps according to their Term 1 test results and compare it to my own strengths as a teacher.  This was useful to consider which areas I may need to develop and strengthen in my teaching practice.  I chose reading as my area to focus on as it is a cluster and school wide focus to accelerate reading especially.  Here is a link to the document with my reflections that led to the selection of my teacher inquiry question.

24 Hour Digital Footprint - Cybersmart Facilitation

During this week's Cybersmart session, I observed Mr Matt Goodwin teach a lesson about understanding the concept of a "digital footprint." The learning intention for the lesson was to help tamariki (students) comprehend the significance of their online presence.

The lesson began with watching a video, followed by a class discussion on the idea of a digital footprint. Matt drew upon everyday analogies, such as footprints in the sand or walking through mud and then entering a house, to help the akonga connect to this idea that their online actions have an impact. He also connected the concept to sponsorships and advertisements that people want to see, emphasising the importance of promoting ourselves in a positive way when we blog or share our work.  I found that the analogies especially engaged the boys in this group.

Matt made effective use of getting students to "45" their screens between giving instructions and modelling.  I realised I tend to forget to model things like making a copy of a document or "45ing" my screen because I assume the students will do so without being told to, so that is something I will be keeping in mind going forward.

The tamariki were instructed to open their browsing history from the past 24 hours using the shortcut Ctrl + H.  This allowed them to reflect on what their online activities revealed about them. They were provided with a template to make a copy of, they then began the task of putting icons to represent the different websites they had been on in the last 24 hours.

I feel that this lesson invited my akonga to become active participants in their online lives. It also highlighted the significance of understanding and managing our digital footprints. By incorporating relatable analogies, encouraging self-reflection, and promoting positive online presence, Matt reminded the tamariki of the tools they can use to navigate the digital world responsibly. This lesson will become one I can refer back to when talking about cyber safety to the children.

Here are some links to students' blog posts after the session :

• Valencia
• Amarley

Planning a Reading Programme - RPI

Day 5 of the Manaiakalani Reading Practice Intensive saw us delve into the intricacies of planning a reading programme.  

Mrs Burt started us off by discussing how “ubiquitous learning” is the idea that students should be able to access their learning.  She led into how our web page for reading should adopt the key design affordances of any other learning area, including : 

• Organisational efficiencies
• Navigational ease (user friendly)
• Multi modal engagement factors
• Visible learning
• Rewindable instructional design

Key features in reading site design should include :

• Groups
• Engages interest (the hook)
• Multimodal
• Learner and whanau friendly
• Instructions
• Current learning on top
• Historic learning accessible
• Teacher notes

Then the actual learn create task part should include : 

• Learning intention
• Texts 
• Learning activities
• Reference material

Some of the key things we went over today were teacher timetabling (‘rules of thumb’), timetabling to empower learners, digital reading apps, reading like writers (and other high expectation activities.)

Here is an image of my current reading timetable.  I will be working to adjust my timetable to encompass what I have learnt in my RPI sessions so far.

Reasons to timetable : 

• Management of your space while you are teaching
• Enables learners to have choice
• Enables learners to collaborate
• Fits in all the other important ‘bang for buck’ learning experiences
• Empowers learners to be active participants in the learning process

One of my highlights from the session was when Naomi discussed the powerful connection between reading and writing. We learned how reading can be leveraged to improve writing skills and ignite our students' passion for written expression.  Naomi introduced us to the concept of "writing like readers" and emphasised the importance of exposing students to exemplary writing to inspire their own creativity and style.

During the session, Naomi introduced a technique using a 'writing frame.' We were encouraged to imitate a part of the story we had just read, tapping into the stylistic features of the author's work.

Above is an image of what my end result was from the activity.  This is a task I am looking forward to introducing to my learners.  At the moment, I have different students for reading and writing and I feel that I have been using this as a reason not to integrate my reading and writing programme.  As Jesson and Hawthorne put it, "Texts are woven from other sources... Therefore, teachers need to support students to use their reading as a resource for writing."

I also appreciated the skill builder session where the focus was on inference and how we can teach it to our learners. This is a big work on my students have this term and is also something I discuss lots with my mentor teacher.  What I learnt from this session that I will be taking forward with me : 

• Explain inference for learners in a student-friendly way and model examples (e.g. default inference vs reasoned inference)
• Use the metalanguage (e.g. implied, implicit, inferred; local; global; reasoned)
• Explain why authors and thinkers use inference
• Balance direct instruction and authentic encounters
• Well crafted question-answer practice has been found to be as beneficial.

A small gem I also found today was "the learning pit." We quickly discussed how it may be beneficial to teach students that it is a very normal thing.  

Today has also given me a very clear next step.  I am now working towards consistently tracking and monitoring how far my learners get in their independent activities.  Thank you to the RPI team for today - I am excited to implement what I have learnt today especially in terms of integrating reading and writing, as well as making use of the extensive features of digital apps like Epic and Literacy Planet.

Guided Reading - RPI Day 4

 Day 4 of the Manaiakalani Reading Programme Intensive (RPI) focused on the practice of guided reading and its impact on student learning.  Here are some of my key takeaways from the session :

Regular and systematic guided reading is an important part of any successful reading program. It offers dedicated time for students to engage in comprehension activities and develop their reading skills. The RPI presented research that is very clear : explicit teaching of reading matters, particularly for struggling readers. By providing consistent opportunities for students to read and learn about reading, we empower them to become confident and proficient readers.

Guided reading, credited to the influential work of Marie Clay and further developed by Fountas & Pinnell, offers a structured framework for instruction. It involves carefully selecting texts and tailoring instruction to meet students' needs.  We explored the importance of preparation, introducing texts and their purpose, observation, fostering meaningful discussions, identifying teaching points, engaging in word work, and promoting consolidation and independent follow-up. These steps can create a well-rounded guided reading session that supports student growth and comprehension.

As teachers, it can be very effective to evaluate how each guided reading session provides targeted learning opportunities for our students. By building on previous sessions, observations, discussions, and feedback, we can tailor our instruction to meet individual needs. It is important to resist the temptation of addressing multiple teaching areas at once, as this can overwhelm students and hinder their enjoyment of the text. Instead, we can keep additional teaching for subsequent sessions or incorporate it into shared reading experiences.

Guided reading allows students to develop reading proficiency and comprehension skills. Through thoughtful reflection and implementation, we can create a structured and engaging learning environment that fosters a love for reading. 

*I left the RPI Day 4 meeting early due to flooding in Auckland.