Teacher Inquiry 2023

What achievement challenge are you considering as an area of focus in 2023 and why? Include in your WHY both evidence and your own passion/expertise

The achievement challenge that I am considering is achievement challenge number 3 - Lift the achievement in reading for all students, with a particular focus on boys and Māori students (both genders) years 1- 13.

I am a proud and passionate junior school teacher. I have worked with our new entrants at Glen Innes School for the past 5 years. I have a strength and dedication to design learning for my tamariki that gives them a strong foundation to achieve success as readers and writers.

This year I have completed the Better Start Literacy Approach Micro-credential, an approach to teaching early reading, writing and oral language in year 0/1. I have also explored the use of other structured literacy resources and have complimented BSLA with the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Programme and the Sunshine Decodables.

After three terms of BSLA, I have seen a positive shift in my tamariki’s literacy abilities. ALL of my tamariki made progress. I began the year with 14 children. These 14 children all completed the BSLA baseline assessment and the BSLA 10 week assessment, after 40 teaching sessions. I observed my learners experience literacy success and as a result grow in confidence as readers and writers, especially the boys in my class.

As a cohort my learners have become more skilled at identifying the initial phonemes in words, their letter/sound recognition scores have increased and a majority of my learners are now able to blend sounds together to make words, something none of my learners were proficient at when they completed the baseline assessment.

10 of the 14 tamariki made the expected or better than expected progress after 10 weeks of BSLA sessions and 4 children were identified as needing extra support. I worked with these 4 children in class through a Tier 2 programme (provided by the BSLA) and after another 10 weeks of teaching they had begun to make the expected progress.

All of the assessment data collected through the BSLA assessment site is analysed by the University of Canterbury. A finding that caught my attention was that early research is showing that BSLA is having a positive impact on Maori and Pasifika learners.

What learnings from the 2017 - 2022 CoL teacher inquiries have informed or inspired your thinking.

Attending the Burst and Bubbles event last week, I was inspired by the passion and expertise in the room. I was excited as I listened to junior school teachers like Tania (from Glen Taylor) and Emma and Jesscia (from Stonefields) present their findings about the use of a structured approach to literacy in their classrooms, and the positive impact it was having on literacy achievement.

After listening to the CoL teachers share, I went and had a read of their blogs. I could relate to a particular blog post that Emma shared earlier this year. She shared the need she saw for a change in her literacy practice and the lack of knowledge she had as a teacher to implement a SL approach in her classroom. I can really relate to this feeling. I was inspired by the way she used the experts in her community, her SENCO and RTLit alongside building up her own knowledge by reading about the science of reading. I thought the way that she created a SL programme that best fitted her learners and their needs was innovative - and an approach I could adopt for my 2023 inquiry.

How would your work support Manaiakalani pedagogy and kaupapa?

My work would support the Manaiakalani kaupapa of empowering learners. It is so empowering for our five year olds, and their whanau, to experience early literacy success. I have observed this positive start to reading and writing in my classroom this year with BSLA and witnessed pride in whanau as they see their tamariki succeed as readers and writers.

My inquiry will follow the learn, create and share pedagogy as I dive deeper into the science of reading, create a structured approach to literacy that best meets the needs of my tamariki and share this teaching inquiry with my colleagues at Glen Innes School, and the wider Manaiakalani CoL.

Which elements of the extensive Manaiakalani research findings inform or challenge you as you think about this?

I explored Edpotential and read the Junior School Literacy report for Manaiakalani cluster and the Manaiakalani programme.

With my teacher inquiry in mind, I had a look at the shift in achievement between the SEA data and the Six Year Net data. I noticed that our tamariki are making progress when you compare these time points BUT on average our tamariki are scoring below the national average.

I am curious to see what impact a SL approach might have to close this achievement gap. Within Glen Innes School, we have begun to see a potential shift in our 6 year net data post beginning a BSLA, but keeping in mind that these 6 year olds have only completed 3 terms (or less of BSLA) before completing their 6 year net assessment.

A second observation I made while looking at the Junior School Literacy report was that the number of tamariki participating in a SL programme (in the wider Manaiakalani programme) is growing.

How would you like to be supported in 2023 as you undertake this inquiry?

I’d love for my thinking about teaching early literacy to be challenged and grown as I undertake this inquiry in 2023 and I am looking forward to engaging with the Manaiakalani team, and other CoL teachers in professional conversations about early literacy. I’d love to be supported to explore the research, the science of reading, further in 2023. My inquiry this year has been supported by our management team, and I am looking forward to this support continuing for my 2023 inquiry.

How would you plan to support your colleagues in your school with THEIR inquiries and/or teaching in the area you are exploring?

I am looking forward to mentoring a beginning teacher starting at our school in the new year. She was my student teacher this year, and I have supported her to implement the BSLA in our classroom. In 2023 will be supporting her to use the BSLA (for year 2) and Liz Kane’s The Code to support her year 2 tamariki.

I am very open to sharing my classroom practice with other teachers, the success and the challenges. I have invited other teachers into my classroom to observe and take part in our BSLA lessons this year. I plan on sharing my teaching inquiry at syndicate and staff meetings as we begin to implement a structured approach to literacy at our school.