Create in Reading - RPI Day 4

Today saw the 8th session of the Manaiakalani Reading Practice Intensive (RPI) course. The primary focus of the day was to delve into the "Create" aspect within the Manaiakalani pedagogy—an area I've been eager to learn more about.

Dorothy's introductory session set the stage by emphasising the role of creativity within the Manaiakalani pedagogy. She stressed the importance of fostering student empowerment through creative contributions rather than passive consumption. The resonance of James Gee's quote underscored the significance of nurturing creativity to foster critical thinking and innovative skills. “You don’t empower people by just being consumers. Teaching people to read and not write, teaching people to play and not design is the way to make customers and consumers and not producers and creative thinkers” 

I also learnt about the concept of 'SiSoMo'—the amalgamation of sight, sound, and motion —and how it is used to capture the essence of creativity. This concept highlighted the potential that lies in student responses. Our exploration extended to AI tools such as Craiyon.com and Adobe Firefly, demonstrating how technology can facilitate swift yet meaningful creative projects that lead to deeper insights.

Naomi's session highlighted the beauty of collaborative learning, both 'outside' and 'inside' the create. This approach opens doors for peer co-authoring and co-constructing, nurturing a sense of ownership and pride in their creations.

We got to try out an example of a Create task we could set our students to complete which was creating a 'Book Trailer.'  Here are the instructions we received. I chose to reference the text 'Treasure Island' by Robert Louis Stevenson.

We also created our own visualisation of the poem 'Te Marama' by Kelly Joseph which you can find in the blog post prior to this one.

Before today's RPI session, during my most recent talanoa with my mentor teacher Robyn, we discussed ways I should start teaching reading "deeper" and "wider."  So when we began focusing on teaching and learning over units today - I was pleasantly surprised!  We were shared examples of Google Sites that teachers had created to do a whole novel study.  Instead of viewing my reading sessions as isolated lessons week by week, this approach emphasises continuity and depth.

This approach encourages students to make connections between different concepts and ideas, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.  As students progress through these units, they have the opportunity to build upon their prior knowledge and apply it to new contexts. This method not only promotes in-depth learning but also nurtures critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and the ability to see the bigger picture. Overall, teaching and learning over units, modules, and concepts provides an engaging educational experience that equips students with both knowledge and the skills to connect and apply that knowledge effectively.  I am looking forward to creating opportunities for myself and my students to learn across units in the near future.

Here is an image of the Padlet we as a cohort created to indicate what we felt we needed to work on.

I am looking forward to implementing some new 'Create' tasks into my reading sessions, as well as teaching and learning across longer units. Ngā mihi to the Manaiakalani RPI team for today!