CoL Teacher Inquiry - A summary of my inquiry so far!

I have spent the last term looking widley at literacy abilities and the gaps of the tamariki in my classroom (and more widely at our junior school and the Maniakalani Kahui Ako). I thought, being the start of the term, it was a good time to pause and summarise my CoL teacher inquiry so far! 

Identifying valued learning outcomes:

I have chosen to focus my inquiry on 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.

Here is the inquiry question I have chosen is:

What strategies and methods can I utilize, based on the science of reading, to lift my students achievement in literacy? 

I have chosen to explore the topic of literacy, rather  exploring reading or writing separately, is this is a reflection of how these two areas are taught together in my classroom. 

Profiling:

I have completed literacy assessments, spoken with my school leadership, our SLT, looked at the Maniakalani Kahui Ako data and explored research and professional development in the area of 'the science of reading'. I have explored this profiling in depth in my previous blog posts. 

Hypothesis generation: Developing a Hunch

• If children have a strong foundation of phonological awareness, then they will be able to identify and manipulate the sounds in words leading to improved literacy achievements. 

• If children are taught the alphabetic code in a systematic way, then they will be able to decode unfamiliar words more effectively, leading to an increase in reading fluency.  

• If children are taught vocabulary through explicit instruction and exposure to rich language, then they will be able to comprehend texts and draw more meaning from what they are reading (or is being read to them). 

• If children experience success in their early literacy learning, then they will be set-up to succeed as readers and writers in the future. 

Academic readings/professional development that have supported my hypothesis generation:

• GEM literacy webinar: An Introduction to the Explicit Teaching of Vocabulary - The Bridge to Language Comprehension
• Teaching Phonemic Awareness in 2022: A Guide for Educators
• Structured Literacy: An Introductory Guide by the International Dyslexia Association
• How the Brain Learns to Read: by Prof. Stanislas Dehaene

Testing the hypothesis:

I have written blog posts over the past term as I have collected data about my tamariki's success' and gaps in the area of literacy. 

I will be completing their second 'Phonological Assessment' and their 10 week BSLA assessment in the coming week and this will provide more detail to inform my intervention. 

I'd also like to take the time to gather some student voice. These will all provide a baseline of data that will be repeated to monitor and assess the success of my intervention. 

Here is the list of the assessments I will/have been using:

• Liz Kanes: Phonological Awareness Assessment: Beginning of each term (as recommended by Liz Kane)
• Better Start Literacy Approach Assessment: Baseline assessment at school entry, 10 week assessment, 20 week assessment (for Tier 2 children only) and end of year assessment for all children. 
• E-Asttle writing: Termly (as part of our in school assessment schedule)
• Student voice (repeated using the same prompts)

As it is the King's Coronation today this quote from Queen Elizabeth seemed appropriate. Seeing change in my own teaching practice and in the achievement of my tamariki takes time. It's often the little steps in the right direction, rather than giant leaps that bring about the most change for our tamariki. 

Thankfully, over the past term, I've had the opportunity to make a few of these small steps in my classroom practice. I have explicitly taught phonological awareness strategies (like syllables) and began using a strategy called connected phoenation. I look forward to diving deep into the academic readings and professional development (mentioned above) and beginning to dream up innovative ways to lift my tamariki's achievement in literacy! 

Nga mihi nui!!