This is my first, and last, post for 2020! What happened??
Well, of course, COVID happened during Term 1, which was when I would have been writing my first post. But that didn't happen. I can tell you that the plan was for my Inquiry to be around using ENGAGE games to increase Writing output. This was my beginning of the year plan:
ENGAGE suggests that 30 minutes per day be set aside for learning and playing the games - this can be 3 x 10 minutes, or 2 x 15 minute periods. I envisage doing 2 15 minutes sessions daily.
I will gather data/evidence of three or four students’ initial ability to focus and manage themselves (using video), and will revisit making another video later in the year (perhaps the end of term 2). This should show an increase in each student’s output of Writing.
It was a good plan. But, alas...not meant to be! No video. No blogpost!
By the beginning of Term 3, once things were back to 'normal', it was decided throughout our school that there be a change to our inquiry plans, mainly because the threat of further social distancing meant it might not be possible to track and gather data/evidence around our initial plans.
Unfortunately I was not part of those discussions, as I had elective surgery which meant I was absent from school for 8 weeks. I returned to school 10 days before Term 3 finished - none the wiser about the changes. In that week the teachers got together in groups to share where they were in their inquiries. I, obviously, had nothing to share, but listening to what the teachers in my group had to say was really good.
So - at the beginning of Term 4 I began to assess my teaching of Reading, and have spent the rest of the term reflecting on how I'm doing....and let me tell you - it's not pretty! (Well, it usually is - but not this year!).
It's been a bit of a challenging term.
At Pt England School we focus on using Gwynneth prompts to help raise the Reading Levels throughout the school. The hope is, that if everyone (from Year 1 to Year 8) are using the same language, student's don't get confused with different messages from different teachers. We all know there are a lot of ways to say 'You need to focus on the letter at the beginning of the word'. Here's a few.
'That wasn't right.'
'Look at the first letter. What sound does it make?'
'What? Go back and try that again.'
Gwyennth Phillips says.....
Cover up the word they just said i.e. horse. Say
You said ‘horse’ what would you expect to see for horse.
(Accentuate the first sound so that is the sound they are focussing on.)
The child has to think what letter matches that sound. Uncover word to confirm that, no, that's not the letter there, or yes they were right.
If all teachers are using that same strategy ' You said....what would you expect to see for....?' kids would know exactly what was being asked.
The other challenge for me was allowing all kids in the group to just read at their own pace while I monitored how they were going. I found (and still find) this really difficult. There's a whole lot of noise going on at once, and I find it hard to focus on what's happening! So, I've recently begun to focus on just two students, while I let the other two just read (or not. I'll get to them later!). And that's working a lot better. Once I've watched, listened, challenged and supported the first two, I let them carry on reading while my attention goes to the other two. I need a lot more practise at this, but it's something I'm looking forward to honing in on in 2021 (lockdown-free, hopefully).
My other challenge is actually to get through a Reading session on time! I don't know how other teachers are doing, but I'm not making it, this term. So much of my time is spent managing the behaviour and follow-up tasks of the other students, that my 1 hour Reading time, is easily 1 hour and 45 minutes. And that's far too long! I'm bored. The kids are bored! It's not good! So for 2021, I plan on beginning the year putting into place some self management strategies and skills (that where those ENGAGE games will come into play), so that when I'm ready to begin a well-planned Reading session, I can get through it in record time, and then everyone's a winner!
