Professional Reading #3

 Title of Book/Reading/Study Programme

The Reading Book

Author/s or Lecturer/s or Speaker/s

Sheena Cameron & Louise Dempsey

Synopsis

• Explicit teaching of Reading is important at all levels
• Reading for pleasure, Reading to support Writing, Reading to Learn
• Work to ensure students develop a love for a Reading and a love for Oral Language and Vocabulary
• Do a lot of Shared Reading with Year 7 & 8
• Reading Process - Critical Thinking, Cracking the Code (Decoding), Comprehension
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Motivation

• This Reading Book has helped re-ignite my passion for teaching Literacy. It started from the PD (beginning of Term 3) and since then, my planning for literacy has improved. It makes sense, I am more motivated to teach literacy and I have implemented changes into my planning and my teacher practice.
• I am CONFIDENT that with the changes/interventions I have in place, that my students will make great progress, come end of year assessments. I have more structure to my planning, I have goals in place and have belief that it's working in my class.

How will it help me? How has it helped me?

• This book has been a pivotal tool in my change of practice in literacy, particularly in Reading. In Term 3, I introduced a structured reading programme that includes modelled reading, shared reading, guided reading and independent reading.
• I have seen engagement from students that were disengaged from reading and hated the subject. Two students in particular would always claim they couldn't read any material whatsoever and would often ask me to read it for them. From Sheena's book + PD, she encouraged using song lyrics as a resource and use it to teach inferencing. I'd introduce the goal (WALT) through my shared reading lesson and continue it in the guided lesson. The inferences made by these students who claimed to not be able to read, was astounding. I highlighted parts of the lyrics for each student to infer. Responses from our discussions were recorded in the modelling book.
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So What?

• Having a structured reading programme and following it consistently has been very effective. If this is the result from having changed my practice a term ago, I can't wait to see the difference it continues to make over time.
• Yes, having a structured programme has been a positive change, but I believe including Pasifika cultural competencies in my practice has contributed to the success also. For example, demonstrating awareness of my learners identities, cultures and languages underpins the way they think and learn. Having positive and respectful relationships enhances learning and well-being for my Pasifika students. Inclusion of effective pedagogies for my Pasifika learners such as Talanoa, celebration of language weeks, authentic learning experiences such as making an 'umu, roasting a pig on the spit or making a hangi are moments in time the learners' will celebrate and remember forever.

Blogpost #7 - Plan and conduct detailed inquiry...

Plan and conduct detailed inquiry into specific aspects of your current teaching that are relevant to the hypotheses you identified in the literature.

Prior to lockdown, I decided to implement the Daily 5 reading programme in my class. It took me 6-7 weeks to set-up before launching it. It's been a success so far, the students enjoy the independence of selecting which daily 5 task they complete and in which order, in addition to the blocks I will be working with them.

However, I still felt like something was missing. I wasn't clear myself on what I wanted to see. But personally, I didn't feel the spark or the connection between my inquiry, what I had implemented and my students learning progress. I decided to approach other teachers in the CoL cluster for some insight, they suggest implementing dual language texts in my sessions, did that. Yet, I still felt the same.

Current Strengths:
After seeking some feedback from colleagues and other CoL teachers on planning, implementing an integrated curriculum and inquiring into a different approach for teaching literacy, I've identified the following aspects as strengths in my practice

- Being culturally responsive to my learners
- Inclusion of student voice
- Planning format changed (Merged aspects of ALL intervention + A balanced Reading programme by Sheena Cameron & Louise Dempsey)
- Clear learning intentions - student speak
-Respond to student voice and ideas
- Try something new - having a clear structure for my reading programme
- Integrated curriculum (cross-curricular approach) - ie. Celebrating events that provide authentic learning experiences for the students (Our Samoan Language Week, Ancient Egyptian Studies, Matariki - refer to slide below for evidence of work created by the students)

To date, I am pleased with the progress my Literacy Champs have made, especially during and after lockdown. I have seen an increment in engagement and student output. Although guided sessions have been minimal, I am still looking for a structure or proper reading programme to follow. Yes, Room 11 follows The Daily 5 reading programme, but I know and feel there is room for improvement.

From the literature I've read, I plan to continue adapting the method of TALANOA. I believe it creates unique opportunities for my students to engage, interact and communicate in a way they familiarise with, including talanoa in their first language. Taking into consideration my target students ethnic background, the group consists of dominantly PASIFIKA and MAORI students. The Pasifika way is spoken rather than written, based on oratory and verbal negotiation which have deep traditional roots in Pasifika cultures. Talanoa for Pasifika inquiries and researches will make available more valid and authentic information than other methodologies (Vaioleti, 2006)

Areas for Development: 
I hope to provide my students with more opportunities to recognise the vocabulary of literacy success. I also plan to have video recordings of a typical literacy lesson in my class where talanoa takes place, in hopes it captures students learning new vocabulary while in dialoague, or when completing follow-up tasks or independent activities.

I'm on the look out for a structured programme that is effective, easy to follow and makes sense to me. Right now, DAILY 5 feels like its only one piece of the puzzle. I am currently looking at the Reading Book by Sheena Cameron for some ideas. So I hope that provides me with the other piece to the puzzle i'm looking for.

I also plan to continue my talanoa with other CoL teachers who are working on the same achievement challenge and have a conversation about strategies that might be working well for them.

Professional Reading #2

Title of Book/Reading/Study Programme
Talanoa Research Methodology
Author/s or Lecturer/s or Speaker/s
Timote M Vaioleti
Synopsis
Author Timote argues that TALANOA is a personal encounter that enables peoples to story their issues, their realities and aspirations, allows more mo'oni (truth, pure, realities) information to be available...Talanoa can be referred to as a conversation, a talk, an exchange of ideas and thinking whether formal or informal. In a good talanoa encounter, noa creates the space and conditions, Tala intermingles the researcher/teacher and participants/students emotions, knowledges and experiences. This alliance leads to an energising and uplifting of the spirits, and to a positive state of connectedness and enlightenment (Vaioleti, 2006).
Motivation
This reading reinforces the importance of ensuring I know how to best communicate with my Pasifika learners. Taking into consideration my target students ethnic background, the group consists dominantly of Pasifika and Maori students. The Pasifika way is spoken rather than written, based on oratory and verbal negotiation which have deep traditional roots in Pasifika cultures. Talanoa for Pasifika inquiries and researches will make available more valid and authentic information than other methodologies. 
How will it help me? How has it helped me?
What I enjoy about talanoa with my students is the fact it removes distance and provides presence and a face they could connect to. It's a technique where the nature of the questions has not been determined in advance, but will depend on the way in which the Talanoa develops. It is a respectful, reciprocating interaction. The reciprocity embedded in the talanoa will raise the expectations that teacher and students have of each other, promoting mutual accountability, which adds to the trustworthiness and quality of the learning.
So What?

I'm going to encourage the talanoa methodology more effectively in my literacy lessons. Rather than having semi-structured comprehension open/close ended questions, give time and space for a talanoa to take place. Encourage the students to talanoa because research says that this particular methodological framework is more appropriate when inquiring or researching about Pasifika peoples (ie. my Pasifika learners).