Where to next - The Journey After EasTtle

Where to next - The Journey ...

Above - results from the beginning of my Inquiry

September 2018  - (easTtle - recount post)

SE1 - 1A

KA2 - 1A

HA3- 2A

NO4 - N/A

DR5 - 2P

KA7 - 2A

EA8 - 3B

Interesting looking at these results. This was a challenging recount and I don't think it showed their best writing. Trying to accelerate these students through a range of different activities was a great way to excite the students. Students made improvements through incidental and writing sessions throughout class time but when it came to a 'test' and a given topic students became stuck and were unable to write. 

Most of these students spent the first 10 mins looking around the room trying to work out what other students were doing. Ideas didn't flow and the topic challenged them. 'Write on a special time that you spent with family or friends.' If they would given free choice - would this have better results? As Murray Gadd states, "students wrote because they had something to say (which they had decided on) and the text type to be utilized emerged from the topic rather than the other way around.."

Effective Writing

Effective Teaching and Effective Writing

Throughout my writing inquiry changing things to suit the students has been something I have feel I have continued to develop this year. I have had many interruptions but when I have worked with these students, we had had lots of fun, students have been engaged and keen to learn.

I have reflected and changed my learning expectations and 'learning goals.' After listening to a teacher present her inquiry to the staff, it made us as a staff think about WALT's and what they do to students. How do these words change students opinions about learning? If we change these to 'I wonder ... 'what would happen?

Scaffolding and front loading students learning has made them become the expert. I noticed that students are surrounded by students that always attempting and then there are students that sit on the rim wanting to have a go but aren't quite sure. Having high expectations for these students were very important for them to succeed. In the past maybe students haven't had the chance to hold and communicate with the teacher/ have topics that interest them and develop learning goals that challenge them. Writing has to excite and writing needs a purpose. As Murray Gadd states 'effective teachers select writing topics carefully and strategically so as to engage, motivate and challenge students...."

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LOElVmPV6hTY_O08U06alw6jIZv7d_LDgDTkOXhG9J4/edit

What excites students

Having fun with students is the key to getting students engaged in their learning. Finding out what 'sparks' their love of learning and creating learning experiences for these students. Fine motor skills, selecting words and spelling have been areas that have been holding these students back. Getting rid of 'writers block' and as Daly & Miller, 1975 from Motivation to Learn - integrating Theory and Practice page 205 - D. Stipek discusses writing anxiety. That there is anxiety in writing and low expectations for success and writing quality. They have also found the anxiety in writing is higher for boys than girls. We can already see this with my students in my group - a high majority of these students are boys. How can we change this? Through my writing groups students have been working collaboratively, having props to support their ideas (books/ cards/ bookmarks), brainstorming with a buddy. Taking writing out of the class, hiding under the stage, looking at the clouds, blowing bubbles, finding pictures/ books/ videos etc that will excite/ engage students.

Below are a few examples of what I have been working on with my target group.

Reading a book that we have been reading helps students to develop their ideas. Students are able to 'copy' and develop these ideas. Writers supporting writers.

Working Collaboratively:

Hiding in the stage was exciting, scary and motivating. Students can up with so many ideas that they developed. Here are a few examples:

Darkness under the stage!

 Developing sentences from brainstorm of ideas shared at the beginning of the session. Having time with these students to develop their ideas/ being successful has power for young reluctant writers.

"Teachers who what to enhance learning in the classroom have a variety of motivation systems to engage. ... Extrinsic rewards maximizes alternative systems of motivation..." Chapter 11 Maximizing intrinsic motivation, academic values and learning goals.  

Motivation to learning - D. Stipek

Six Sentence Challenges - Sheena Cameron - short narratives making students think about how simple sentences can make a powerful stories - it doesn't need to be pages long!

 Sheena Cameron 
Warm Ups : great way to motivate students with their writing. Writing examples below:



















The  dark moon  was by the castle. There  were tall trees surrounding the castle with beautiful flowers rolling down the windows of building. Next to the castle there was an antique bridge with flowers curling over the handles.

The little boy with a red and blue biny wanted to explore the outer jungle. So he creaked out of his oled he wanted to start a new life.He scrabiled  into his backyard

 The mudy house had brick walls that had mucky moss on them. It was a log shed with a humongous fire.  The clouds covered up the sun, rain started to pour down onto the roof of the house. You could hear the pitter patter of the rain and see the rain emerge through the holes.

The tiny little robot with white and red metal zoomed down the humongous spaceship. While pulling a cotton candy scent around the rusted old staggered robots,  he ran because a giant wave of water was occurring. Suddenly his wheels zoomed at 2000 kilometers per second to the escape pod and he leapt into  the front door to the escape pod however the pod dropped onto the wrong planet!!!

There was lightning one night there was a robot could mr robot some lightning went bang boom right   next to him and BAM BOOM


Trying these ideas were very successful for their structure and deeper features. I did find that these took a while to get off the ground because of everything else that is happening. I have learned that conversations are extremely important to develop idea and not to rush students through their learning. BUT we often do this and I find this myself rushing through a reading lesson to get to a writing lesson and so on - this should be a literacy hour where both are happening at the same time. How does this look and how do you do this in a MLE ? These pieces show what can be achieved when you take your time and have fun with learning. After attending a Sheena Cameron & Louise Dempsey conference, I left thinking that things in my programme need to change and stop and allow students to think, converse and talk...

"Talk can externalise the thinking process involved in being a reader, enabling children to internalise cognitive strategies, and articulate their thoughts, feelings and ideas."

C Warner - Talk for Reading.

'...Students need to learn the skills of reading and writing, they also need to express themselves orally, in a fluent manner. when students have mastered good oral language skills, they become more fluent readers and writers.'

Jill Eggleton - Lighting the Literacy Fire

Readings to do:

Keep reading: http://leading-learning.blogspot.co.nz/
Find the book: The Passionate Reader.
Keep reading - Successful writing programmes (US study)

Reading to do:

• Collaborative Inquiry
• The Agile Learner
• Leading change
• The Essentials of Appreciative Inquiry

Learner Agency

Learner agency in a traditional school setting - Tim Gander

http://edtalks.org/#/video/learner-agency-traditional-school-setting

Key ideas discussed:
What does student agency look like for students ?
How can we have student agency in the classroom?
Focusing on student agency and boys within the classroom.
A strong ed talk about boys and student agency.

Boys are keen to learn but often sit at the back. How can we communicate with this students?  Sharing their learning with the communities.

Empowering the learner and letting them have their say and engaging that learner voice. Discussion about 'hacking' the curriculum and breaking it down for students to understand. I have done this with the class on many times through writing. Students looking at examples/ brainstorming ideas and discussing ideas with a buddy, group (think, pair, square - see Sheena Cameron Oral Language book) and also with the teacher.  Sharing these documents empowers student's voice and ignites their learning and purpose.

Can you op in or op out of student agency? Is this a benefit to the students? Student agency allows students to follow their passions and allows freedom about what learning is. 

I can see that through my workshops, this supports their thoughts but some still don't get it and make it even more confusing for themselves. We need to look at what we as teachers are trying to achieve and empowering students to have control through their learning.

I'm going to try and target boys and playing with things that interest them. What do they want to write about? How can I get the best writing through students agency? Boys need to talk about what they are doing through play - could this be Incorporated in my inquiry? Read Jill Eggleton - Lighting The Literacy Fire 

Successful Writing Programmes

Successful Writing Programmes and the ways teachers use assessment information and data to enhance student writing - L.M Campbell 
Discusses how writing is a complex process and skills in writing are built up in time. Writing needs to be modeled by teachers, peers and other examples of writing (bks that they enjoy)

Campbell discusses what makes a successful writing programme and how this is different for different people. What are the writing strategies, what are the traits of writing, what is a writing workshop (what this looks like), what is the process of writing.

Through this article I can see how and why I need to make changes - but it also might be an idea to look at writing in different settings/ schools. I will keep reading this and share with my team to discuss further.

How to Stop Killing the Love of Reading

How to Stop Killing the Love of Reading - Pernille Ripp
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/stop-killing-reading/

What are we doing to our students through reading, that is 'killing' that love of reading?
Do we need quizzes, follow up, sheets to show a love of reading? Are we allowing students to love reading -how are we doing this? Allowing students to read for enjoyment - book shopping through daily Five/ Library time. An interesting read that makes you think about your reading programme and what we are promoting/ enhancing and losing!

A little off topic for my inquiry but a food for thought as to what reading looks like in the classroom and how we can change our practices because we need to allow students to read for enjoyment.