Thursday, 10 March 2016
Wednesday, 2 March 2016
Coming back down to earth
So it's not all about me....
Of course I know this, but when I began thinking about my professional teacher inquiry for this year, I thought about all the things I was interested in doing. In my past life, I have really loved all things creative so my immediate ideas were around how to increase creativity and independence in literacy activities.
However... I came back down to earth when I was reminded that my teaching inquiry must be based on the actual needs of my class.
When I looked at my reading data from the end of last year, I could see a group of students who sat around the blue-green level, who I had found very difficult to move. This year I have a number of Year 2 & 3 students at this same level, who I would like to focus my inquiry around to see if I can make a significant shift with them.
Firstly I will look into decoding strategies for this level, and then get into word work. I will talk to reading recovery teachers and an RTLit to get advice, and construct Explain Everything projects to reinforce the learning done during group direct instruction.
Any ideas are more than welcome - this is not something I am an expert at!
Sunday, 24 January 2016
Data Analysis
Right at the end of 2015, I went through a personal journey which took my thoughts and energy away from school. I did my job, loved my students and sent them off at the end of the year with my mind elsewhere. I completed some of this data analysis at the end of last year, however due to the aforementioned circumstances, it has taken me until now to think about how to present this information on my blog.
Reading Data
I analysed the reading data of my class and my team, looking specifically at how much progress each student had made. As a team leader, I was pleased with the general trends and progress of our students. However as a classroom teacher, I was saddened to see the lack of progress of some of my students. Still, the real value in looking at data is thinking about the story behind each class, each teacher, and each student.
As a team, 54% of our Year 2 students achieved AT or ABOVE the National Standard for reading based solely on their Running Record score. This is promising, but still something we would like to work on. I believe that we will have more success at this in 2016 as less time will need to be assigned initially to teacher and student learning of iPad skills and routines.
In my own class 40% of students achieved AT or ABOVE the National Standard for reading. I did not get acceleration from the number of students who I would have liked to see accelerate. Three students made more than 1 year of progress from December 2014 to December 2015. Next time, it would be interesting to include progress from February to December in a single year.
Impressively, one teacher in my team achieved acceleration from 13 of her 24 students (54%). This is something to be celebrated. Looking at this difference in acceleration, I believe the largest contributing factor to this was the difference in special and behavioural needs between our two classes.
I wrote earlier in this blog about my realisation (with the help of a friendly observation from my Principal!) that I was trying too hard to extend my students' learning (using creative tasks, changing tasks frequently, having very high expectations of them). While I will always continue to believe these things to be important, I think I lost sight of the value of repetition, consistency, and independent learning.
My class in 2015 had a number of special needs students who took a lot of time and energy. I loved them dearly and wanted to give them the best chance of educational success as possible. However, looking at the class as a whole, I think it is also very important to be cognisant of how your time is spent - are you using it wisely? Are all students getting a fair deal?
In 2016, I plan to be more aware of how my time is getting spent and which students are using the majority of it. I want to create tasks which build upon one another, so that the learning is not always new and unfamiliar to them. If I have Team Leader Release timetabled in the morning, I would like for my core programme to carry on with the release teacher, rather than have a completely different programme.
OTJ Data
My OTJ data from my reports shows good steady progress across the class. Each individual story needs to be told, however, to fill in the gaps that the data can't present.
My class data:
A number of the students who were still WELL BELOW the National Standard at the end of the year have special learning needs. These students have had individual learning programmes, as well as specialist support and teacher aide support. In 2016, I want to prioritise the students who are just below the National Standard in reading, writing and maths to see what kind of shift I can make with them. Furthermore, I would like to focus more too on the top groups of students in each area to see how far they can be extended.
Year 2 data:
Reading Data
I analysed the reading data of my class and my team, looking specifically at how much progress each student had made. As a team leader, I was pleased with the general trends and progress of our students. However as a classroom teacher, I was saddened to see the lack of progress of some of my students. Still, the real value in looking at data is thinking about the story behind each class, each teacher, and each student.
As a team, 54% of our Year 2 students achieved AT or ABOVE the National Standard for reading based solely on their Running Record score. This is promising, but still something we would like to work on. I believe that we will have more success at this in 2016 as less time will need to be assigned initially to teacher and student learning of iPad skills and routines.
In my own class 40% of students achieved AT or ABOVE the National Standard for reading. I did not get acceleration from the number of students who I would have liked to see accelerate. Three students made more than 1 year of progress from December 2014 to December 2015. Next time, it would be interesting to include progress from February to December in a single year.
Impressively, one teacher in my team achieved acceleration from 13 of her 24 students (54%). This is something to be celebrated. Looking at this difference in acceleration, I believe the largest contributing factor to this was the difference in special and behavioural needs between our two classes.
I wrote earlier in this blog about my realisation (with the help of a friendly observation from my Principal!) that I was trying too hard to extend my students' learning (using creative tasks, changing tasks frequently, having very high expectations of them). While I will always continue to believe these things to be important, I think I lost sight of the value of repetition, consistency, and independent learning.
My class in 2015 had a number of special needs students who took a lot of time and energy. I loved them dearly and wanted to give them the best chance of educational success as possible. However, looking at the class as a whole, I think it is also very important to be cognisant of how your time is spent - are you using it wisely? Are all students getting a fair deal?
In 2016, I plan to be more aware of how my time is getting spent and which students are using the majority of it. I want to create tasks which build upon one another, so that the learning is not always new and unfamiliar to them. If I have Team Leader Release timetabled in the morning, I would like for my core programme to carry on with the release teacher, rather than have a completely different programme.
OTJ Data
My OTJ data from my reports shows good steady progress across the class. Each individual story needs to be told, however, to fill in the gaps that the data can't present.
My class data:
A number of the students who were still WELL BELOW the National Standard at the end of the year have special learning needs. These students have had individual learning programmes, as well as specialist support and teacher aide support. In 2016, I want to prioritise the students who are just below the National Standard in reading, writing and maths to see what kind of shift I can make with them. Furthermore, I would like to focus more too on the top groups of students in each area to see how far they can be extended.
Year 2 data:
Wednesday, 21 October 2015
Agony Aunt Session
We have just had a very productive discussion in our inquiry group about things that we need help with.
Zac started us off thinking about how to encourage discussion in the classroom and how to step back as a teacher. I remember hearing that we as teachers talk about 90% of the time in the classroom. This is shocking when you think about it. We are working towards dialogic classrooms where students lead discussions, however we very rarely give them the time to do this. Rob and I shared some scaffolds that we have used in our classes to guide discussion and keep it focussed.
Rob brought up the age old question of maintaining order (quiet) in the classroom when addressing the whole class. He told us that this is particularly difficult after assembly on a Friday when routines are different. We talked about how, in junior classes, we bring the students down to the mat to give whole class instructions. Many of us put tape on the floor to condense the mat area, for the same reason that Rob might want to bring his kids from their desks down to the floor - it keeps them tight and more focussed.
I have been wondering how to extend students' vocabulary and use it in multiple contexts. I have been addressing vocabulary that comes up in reading books during guided reading time, however as we often read a new book every day, there is very little recycling of vocabulary. This means that we are getting quantity but not quality, or assurance that the new vocabulary is really sticking. Khismira and Zac suggested using shared books for the your main vocabulary extension. This can flow into writing and can give multiple contexts for the same vocabulary. This is a great idea and one that I will start investigating.
Jocelyn was wondering how to develop independence in writing. We talked about different strategies for developing this independence - Khismira talked a lot about how she combines ideas about guided writing from Gwenneth Phillips and the gifting of vocabulary from Jannie van Hees.
It was a very positive, productive discussion that lead to some tangible things for all of us to go away and try.
Zac started us off thinking about how to encourage discussion in the classroom and how to step back as a teacher. I remember hearing that we as teachers talk about 90% of the time in the classroom. This is shocking when you think about it. We are working towards dialogic classrooms where students lead discussions, however we very rarely give them the time to do this. Rob and I shared some scaffolds that we have used in our classes to guide discussion and keep it focussed.
Rob brought up the age old question of maintaining order (quiet) in the classroom when addressing the whole class. He told us that this is particularly difficult after assembly on a Friday when routines are different. We talked about how, in junior classes, we bring the students down to the mat to give whole class instructions. Many of us put tape on the floor to condense the mat area, for the same reason that Rob might want to bring his kids from their desks down to the floor - it keeps them tight and more focussed.
I have been wondering how to extend students' vocabulary and use it in multiple contexts. I have been addressing vocabulary that comes up in reading books during guided reading time, however as we often read a new book every day, there is very little recycling of vocabulary. This means that we are getting quantity but not quality, or assurance that the new vocabulary is really sticking. Khismira and Zac suggested using shared books for the your main vocabulary extension. This can flow into writing and can give multiple contexts for the same vocabulary. This is a great idea and one that I will start investigating.
Jocelyn was wondering how to develop independence in writing. We talked about different strategies for developing this independence - Khismira talked a lot about how she combines ideas about guided writing from Gwenneth Phillips and the gifting of vocabulary from Jannie van Hees.
It was a very positive, productive discussion that lead to some tangible things for all of us to go away and try.
Sunday, 13 September 2015
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Love of reading
Somewhere in the excitement, frustration and enthusiasm of starting up my class of 1-1 iPads, I have forgotten something which is fundamental to children's success and enjoyment of reading.
I have forgotten to be an enthusiastic reader myself.
I used to read often and widely, however life has taken over that time for me and I very rarely sit down to read a book for enjoyment. While I may not be able to grab that time back at this stage of my life for my own personal enjoyment of reading, I need to continue to explicitly model this to my students.
My inquiry has edged away from what my iPads offer me, and it has focused back on what I do as a teacher. Here are my current foci:
Read to my students, at least once a day. Read quality picture books that extend vocabulary, engage the students, and take them on a journey.
Encourage my students to read silently or in a quiet whisper voice from Level 15 and above. Allow them to read at their own pace without always having to wait for others. Instigate discussions around the book where learning is extended beyond that one story.
Foster a love of books, reading, writing, and listening.
Already, my students read to big buddies once a week. They come in to the class in the morning and read to one another. We read in small, guided reading groups almost every day, and share big books or picture books with the class.
Reading should not be a chore - it should be passtime which gives us pleasure and furthers our thoughts, interests and ideas of the world.
I have forgotten to be an enthusiastic reader myself.
I used to read often and widely, however life has taken over that time for me and I very rarely sit down to read a book for enjoyment. While I may not be able to grab that time back at this stage of my life for my own personal enjoyment of reading, I need to continue to explicitly model this to my students.My inquiry has edged away from what my iPads offer me, and it has focused back on what I do as a teacher. Here are my current foci:
Read to my students, at least once a day. Read quality picture books that extend vocabulary, engage the students, and take them on a journey.
Encourage my students to read silently or in a quiet whisper voice from Level 15 and above. Allow them to read at their own pace without always having to wait for others. Instigate discussions around the book where learning is extended beyond that one story.
Foster a love of books, reading, writing, and listening.
Already, my students read to big buddies once a week. They come in to the class in the morning and read to one another. We read in small, guided reading groups almost every day, and share big books or picture books with the class.
Reading should not be a chore - it should be passtime which gives us pleasure and furthers our thoughts, interests and ideas of the world.
Monday, 3 August 2015
My teaching has been changing and evolving during the year. It has been influenced by the professional development we have received as a staff. However the biggest influence has been the children in my class.
Helen Timperley reminds us that when we make pedagogical change, we must make sure that the changes are based on evidence. We must look at the factors that make a difference in acquisition of learning, and the shift in progress of the child. We can get caught up in new ways of teaching and assume that they are making a difference when in fact sometimes they are not.
I have come from an Year 4 extension class who were independent and motivated. They worked confidently with GAFE to learn, create and share. This year my class of Year 2 students have some high learning and behavioural needs. My expectations for them have consequently been very high, but this has at times caused tension between what I expect of them and what they are reasonably able to produce.
In many ways, these students have taken like ducks to water with the introduction of iPads. However many activities that I have diligently created to extend their learning and help achieve accelerated progress have been too difficult for an independent task.
I have found a tension not only with my expectations of the children, but a tension between the desire and need to give the children activities that are highly cognitively engaging and the absolute necessity to have some quiet time to teach my groups.
Consequently, I have been spending a lot more time teaching with the Explain Everything activities. This has changed the way I teach as I am spending more quality time on the follow up activities. This has become part of my micro teaching programme.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)