Dorothy's Spiel:
Harnessing tools to enhance the power of text selection. Digital texts can eliminate the problems of not enough texts and allow for ubiquitous reading. It's not about one being better than the other. It's about equitable access.
Apps don't teach kids to read, they're an add-on and can be effectively used for independent time. Teachers are skilled practitioners... that is how learners learn to read.
As a teacher in the modern age, we don't have the time to be doing everything. We need the kids to be doing the heavy lifting on how kids keep track of what they're doing.
For example, Using Stepsweb, have a Google form...take a screenshot of what they have achieved
Can use a simple Google Doc and use Voice Typing.
Training kids to do their own Running Record as a template for reading mileage. They can use the "word count" as well.
Getting formative assessment! Learning to record themselves. They can see and hear their own progress.
Have groups using the same text and comment on the same doc.
Set up a Google form for learners to recommend Texts. Have it on the site with the form on one side and the sheet on the other.
A toolkit that Gifts you the prompt that allows the whole diverse class to access the same text.
Use a table with the varying levels on the same doc, so the same text is rewritten for different levels. Original at the top (to make it aspirational) and other levels below.
Choosing Appropriate Tools
When choosing appropriate texts we're thinking about the whole reader.
How do we tap into what they enjoy reading? What can we change in terms of barriers etc?
Aware that we are extending options and choice text to learners.
Stretching out learners' vocab.
Find the anchor text, then balance it out with the texts that surround that.
How can we build synergy and marry our curriculum coverage as well as our text coverage.
When choosing texts... Windows and mirrors (and 'sliding glass doors').
As well as thinking about the whole learner, we need to be paying attention to the different kinds of texts we want our learners to have exposure to.
Texts they can identify themselves within... as well as Texts that not only open them up to the world around them, but also the world of their peers.
Stretching out learners' vocab.
The whole point is variety!
By using the Teacher Workbook, it's a really effective way to track what text types are being covered (whole class and groups). It's easy to see what is being missed etc.
***Look at text selection sheet.
Grouping Learners
When might we do each?
Low level decoding skills, but higher thinking themes.The balance of the load can go to the thinking rather than the decoding.
**insert flexible grouping video.
It's about being intentional about the choices being made.
**The challenges that are brought by team teaching/collaborative teaching spaces and differing philosophies or understandings of "best practice".
Selecting Texts for Groups
Find the anchor text, then balance it out with the texts that surround that.
Take a step back and think about the efficiencies. We can find anchor texts that fit, ahead of time. Cross Curriculur topics and events that are in the calendar etc.
Journal Surf
Using Journal Surf, type in the high-level topic term, for example "Rugby".
Can also be looking to TKI too.
Grouping according to interest or Learning Intention. LI's can sometimes be loosely grouped roo.
Consider ways to leverage up.
Tier 1 words are words that we use in everyday usage, in conversation on the playground and at home.
Tier 2 - where we ant to be hitting. These are the types of words we might not necessarily be using, but could be included. It's going to come out of text more than everyday conversations. WHat are the words that are going to enrich their vocabulary.
You know your learners so you know what they may or may not know. We need to hone in on leveraging them up.
Planning and finding texts for your group.
How might we release some of that control as a teacher selects the texts?
Are we covering different types of texts?
When our learners get to NCEA, they are expected to read across a range of multimodal text types.
Creating a Text Set
We need to ensure our learners can interpret visual and verbal meanings of texts.
Are our learners represented? Are their peers represented? How do we use a set of books to show the windows and mirrors at the same time?
Here is a text set based on "Rugby". It has a range of levels covered and helps kids to dig deeper into a topic.
If we do this well, we can integrate better.
Introducing the Skillbuilder Toolbox, which gives us a Matrix to explicitly teach Summarising.
Check out The Grammar Project!
It has resources, Scope & Sequence etc.
So... what next?
- I am going to plan ahead for next term's Unit on Tukutuku panels. I will use the cross-curriculum Inquiry template, along with the Tukutuku unit from Digital Kete. I'll add in other resources, Text sets and math units, along with aligning it to our localised context.
- Getting the learners to do the legwork with some accountability. Use a Google form for learners to submit a screenshot of what they have achieved, for example in StepsWeb. Have it visible on the site, with the form on one side to submit, and the spreadsheet on the other. Timesaver for the teacher to see it's done.
- I'm adding a "Media" file to Hapara for our learners to save things to.
- I'm looking forward to using the LTP in the workbook to plan topics and anchor texts for later in the year. (Thinking smarter, not harder.) Matariki, King's Birthday, Anzac etc./
- Need to have a discussion with my co-teacher, about Group Combinations. I'm going to insert my lower group within my other groups and leverage them up.
- Create a hefty National Library book order for KR.
Explore...
- Accountable Talk - Mats with question starters. Learners can tick them off once used. "I notice..." "I agree..." "I disagree because..." Based around a picture.
- School Talk - A set of progressions sitting inside a system to choose the next learning steps etc.
- Resource cupboard
- Go back and look at the Manaikalani Multitext database. It's been quite a few years since I looked at it. This could be more utilised by myself and our other teachers.
- The Grammar Project. I look forward to checking this out.
Hey Mel,
ReplyDeleteLoving your detailed reflections, both on the day and on your future learning! Thank goodness for the holiday so you can sort it all out!!
I like your thinking around using google forms as a management tool, to get that accountability in place. It makes a difference when we can get our learners working as hard as we are, and managing as much of their learning as they can. I am also interested to hear how your tukutuku planning goes, thinking about text coverage, variety of texts and text sets.
Hope that the holidays give you a decent amount of time to have a break, as well as think more about grouping, planning, and tweaking practice so that you can see that acceleration happening in your space!
Georgie