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Powerful Learning Conversations

11/29/2016

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This second half of the year our team has been focussing on developing the skills for powerful learning conversations within our inquiry teams. The type of conversation in which we are able to be vulnerable in sharing our struggles and where our colleagues are able, through skilful open questions, to provoke us into deeper thinking and even sometimes to turn our thinking around.  There many sessions of theory, but I didn't find these very helpful. They went too fast with too much information. However, what I did find extremely helpful was engaging in powerful learning conversations with colleagues and leaders at the school. Here are a couple that were very impactful on my practice.
1). Although an experienced teacher, I am new to modelling books. They are not just an expectation but a requirement at my school. Initially I was all gungho, but overtime, I struggled to integrate them into my small group lessons. I was OK with the whole class modelling book for writing, it was maintaining modelling books for each reading and maths groups that I couldn't do. I found the setting up so repetitious and time consuming. Additionally, using them during the lesson, I found they interfered with the flow of the lesson and my ability to differentiate. 

During a learning conversation with my dean she started out with simple open ended questions. "Tell me how have tried to use them? Why do you think they are getting in the way of good teaching?" She brought me back to research data about their effectiveness to clarify lessons and to enable students to take ownership of their learning through modelling book. She reminded me that I already practiced all the skills for a successful modelling book, but I did it orally and through the whiteboard table.  However, at the end of the lesson it was all erased. We explored together the pages of my books while I explained why I was frustrated by them and how I had felt restricted by them, as if I was teaching to the modelling book not the the students in front of me. I wanted a model that allowed me to be flexible and responsive in the iterative moment of teaching, to be able to differentiate for each student in providing rigour in complexity or quantity. I was able to field some possibilities with her, test out ideas for how I structured the book, its set-up etc.  
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I went into the conversation determined to justify my decision not to use modelling books. I left convinced I could do them in a way that would be effective for student learning. The second half of term 3 and term 4 have been a time of exploring this. I am much more a piece with the modelling book and in certain lessons have found it an invaluable resource. Students have already started to take ownership of it, asking for it during their activity time and adding their own additions as they work, especially in the reading book. This was a powerful learning conversation that completely turned my thinking around and gave me the tools and confidence to move forward successfully. 

2). The second learning conversation that still resonates with me is one I had at the very end of term 3 with our DP. It centred around a discussion of my use of Reciprocal Teaching with my guided reading groups. I had struggled to find the right introductory, support and follow-up material to use with the students as everything I had come across was designed for use with upper primary or higher. In the end, I designed my resources and launched into teaching these powerful strategies to the students. My DP's simple open ended question was, "Has it been as effective as you had hoped?" This launched me into a discussion about the students' struggle to comprehend the function of seeking clarification. Too often they used this when actually all they really wanted was support to decode the word. Once the word was decoded they often knew its meaning and were satisfied to move on. I realised that I needed to make these two functions, decoding and clarification, much more distinct for the students. I also realised that in focussing on comprehension WALHTs I was removing a focus on decoding that these very young readers still needed. I decided to review all the Reciprocal Teaching strategies in the fourth term, but to also run a generic secondary WAHLT every week of WALHT use a mixture of strategies to decode tricky words. I brainstormed with them the many strategies they already knew and these become our success criteria. Then I encouraged them to self-select strategies in combination to solve tricky words. Once a word was decoded, if it was still unknown, that was when we moved it through to our Clarification page. 

​PTC 1 - establish maintain effective professional relationships focussed on the learning and well-being of Akonga.
PTC 4 - demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional ;earning and development of personal professional practice.
PTC 12 - use critical inquiry and problem-solving effectively in their professional practice.
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Pedagogical Dilemma

6/30/2016

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Through the end of last year and over the school holidays, I have been ruminating over an area of cognitive dissonance that our teams collaborative goal to raise reading achievement buts uncomfortably up against. 

I want to believe that I am powerful and necessary as a teacher. That the very personal act of connecting with a student and actually causing new learning is an act of humanity, of caring in action. I want to believe that I CAN do this and even more that I NEED to do this for the good of the student. 

However, last year, I had an intake of New Entrants (5 years old) that comprised a large group who had very low levels of developmental skills. Oral language was around 2 years below norms. They had no fine motor control, and almost no understanding of books or the concepts of print. 

I wasn't the only one. The other NE teachers had a similar experience. Try as I might I struggled over 6 months to build the missing foundations for these students. I worked collaboratively with my colleagues to regroup students and try to create a more developmentally appropriate programme. 

At the end, these children really hadn't moved anywhere towards the national standards, which now just seemed cruel and inappropriate. They were fairly oblivious to letters, didn't know any HFW and had no 1:1 pointing. In all ways they were still operating at the pre-reading level. ​On the flip side they had settled into the routines of school and formed friendships, they sat well on the mat, came to group teaching and played well with their peers. 
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Academically though, I finished the year feeling that I had failed these students, but also angry at a national standard that doesn't recognize just how varied student learning pathways were. I felt that these children were not developmentally ready for the early reading and writing programme of school. They need 2 years more in the sand, construction and the dress-up boxes. 

On the other hand I felt there was a huge professional and pedagogical danger of just blaming developmental readiness. Doesn't it give us the perfect excuse for a student's failure to achieve. This is just victim blaming and at the end of the day, they are only 5, and I am the experienced and trained educator, so the responsibility for their progress or not is all mine. The research above has spurred me to accept my responsibility to engage in deliberate acts of teaching that cause learning. 
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ILE Inquiry - Term 2, Week 9

6/28/2016

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PMI Reflection Chart

Positives
Mostly good results for weeks 5-8 teaching. Collecting data this week. 
M - up 2 levels to level 8

A - up 1 level to level 7  - struggling with retelling and comprehension. Language processing disorder is affecting outcomes.
S - up 2 levels to level 8
J - away on extended leave
A3 -  up 3 levels level 6

Interesting
After the big jumps earlier in the term a number of children appear to be consolidating - I need to be vigilant that this is the case and that it doesn't become stagnating. Looking for that next deliberate act of teaching that will move students forwards again. 

Minus
M3 - not progressing with sight words
L - new student, very immature, been away a lot already
D - not establishing concepts of print, especially around words, 1:1 correspondence or HFW. Developmental delay. Letter-sound knowledge growing but it is arbitrary, not connected to letters in context but seem to be just rote triggered i.e. the beginning of the word. 

Next Steps:

Thinking about Comrehension Strategies & Fluency as next terms goal ​
Research Comprehension & Fluency strategies - possible Reading CAFE and Reciprical Reading. I like the focus of 4 key strategies only. Keeps it simple as children still so young. I think Reciprical reading will marry well with Read to Partner expectations from Daily 5 which I want to get established well.

Meeting with Principal booked for Appraisal - Term 3, week 1
  • Ensure I have links to all documentation prior to our meeting
  • Bring examples of student learning from target group and 3 other students (Analsyed writing samples, running records and BSA data)
  • Bring any other relevant information/learning examples/student voice/agency (Collect student voice about reading, workbooks)
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ILE NE Inquiry Goal - Term 2

5/2/2016

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How can I increase retention of early HFWs and beginning sounds to accelerate reading achievement. 

Intended Deliberate Acts of Teaching
  • Daily flashcards for beginning sounds in guided reading sessions
  • Daily use os target sight words (colour wheel) in guided reading sessions
  • Early words book - unison reading, one word a day
  • Early words follow-up
  • Teach onset and rime through  word family poems
  • Introduce new HFW games to reading and writing rotations
  • Introduce use of PM readers on the class computers
  • Introduce reading games for sight words and alphabet sounds on the iPad
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ELN Professional Development - Knowing Our Students

2/18/2016

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Teaching as Inquiry
The purpose of inquiry is not to 'do' an inquiry. It is to improve practice, to lift student achievement, to better meet the childrens' needs. It is a safe way to try a new approach with a safety net around. It is really helpful to improve teachers' professional development.  There is no single way to do an inquiry.

ZOOMING OUT!
  • Can children describe what they are learning and why it is important?
  • Can they demonsrate their learning?
  • Can they self manage? 
  • Do they and we know their strerengths, passions and interests? 

Scanning: '"Know thy learners"
We are currently at the "Scanning Phase"... Being curious and inquiring. (Like when you are taveling and on holiday... You wonder more). Knowing your learners and their families etc. "What's going on for our learners?"
What do you know about your learners?
  • ​Gathering assessment data
  • Prior Knowledge; know family, have I taught them or siblings before 
  • Attendance
  • Past Behaviours
  • MOE data 
  • Resilience, in learning or in relationships
  • Confidence & Engagement 
  • Eager to come to school
  • Motivations
  • Interests
  • Strengths and weaknesses

Working with data: Seek triangulations.
  • Performance - Can be misleading if done stand alone.
  • Observation - What you feel in your bones of being a teacher?
  • Student Voice - What helped your learning, what do you need help with?
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    Renee Stewart

    Forever curious, always learning, deep thinking teacher. I am a Year 5 teacher this year and am enjoying the transition after 3 years with New Entrants.

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