Zooming in on Reading Data

As I zoom in and reflect on the changes I have made with instructions across our curriculum program I have the challenge of locating some diagnostic data. The interviews I have done with students have all been positive and largely in favour of the introduction of new digital instructions sitting alongside the more traditional methods of classroom visuals, dot to jot and teacher modelling. There is need for both and it has made me stronger in my inclusive practice to ensure the right instructional strategies are used for the right tamariki.

There have been significant shifts within some students PM reading levels, which is a huge celebration but I can’t establish that this shift is amplified by the introduction of different instructional strategies as this cannot be quantified in raw diagnostic data. 

I have  however identified a shift in their learning  behaviours, attitudes and students seeing themselves as successful learners resulting in them being empowered to drive their own learning. 

This data shows shifts in PM benchmarks reading curriculum levels of my target groups.

Super proud of this cohort of students, they have worked hard and it has payed off.

Some of the results in this cohort are;

• An ESOL student who came to our team with little English has move from PM level 10 to PM level 26

• A severe dyslexic student who was stagnant at PM level 10 for 2 years has shifted to PM Level 12. Digital tools and the use of a multi modal platform has opened up his learning experiences.

• An ASD student who had shifted from PM level 22 to PM level 24 and has become more confident with joining in group discussion allowing further understanding and development with comprehension.

As a kaiako, many of us are quick to reflect on what didn't go well and improvements needed for next time rather than celebrate what did. I think teachers are the hardest working of many professions. We are driven by the love of what we do and the many beautiful smiling faces that pass our classroom doors. I know I need to celebrate the little successes more often, especially as those aren't reflected in our school wide data.

Next Steps

After our recent adventures in the Cook Islands I'm still on a high. Time to bring myself back reality and reflect on my Inquiry. 

Where am I at? 

Time to; 

• Review recent data and compare to last data collection. 
• Does it show a shift in academic learning with the changes I have made during this Inquiry.
• Re-interview the students to gather student voices? 
• What are the differences? What has helped? 
• What tweaks can I make to support this particular group of learners? 
• What evidence have I gathered to support my findings during this Inquiry so far? 
• Continue to build  a curation of resources on my Google Site 
• Get feedback from colleagues on Google Site, is it easy to navigate?
• Create and insert a Google Form into my Gsite for other educators can add to the collection of resources. 

Still a lot to do... better get busy! 

Data Collection

I was left pondering what data I could gather that would show the impact of how giving  clear instructions to students can ensure that they fully comprehend what is expected of them in order to achieve.

I pulled our school data apart particularly focussing on years 5 & 6. Raw data shows us patterns, areas of strengths and weakness but it doesn't tell us the whole story. I dug deeper in order to understand the needs that suit behind the numbers. 

Looking at the students individually paints an informative picture. With a range of diverse learning needs in this cohort of senior students it showed the many barriers they have to overcome and highlights the need of explicit instructions to support their success.

This also started me on a journey of looking at other ways to collect data. With our team still early in it's collaborative journey (16 months) and with the challenges Covid-19 provide in 2020 saw the use of a digital platform become the main portal for the delivery of our curriculum program. By creating this digital platform for all curriculum areas it provided a transparent, rewinable environment for tamariki and whānau to engage in. So the best place to start is always with the tamariki...

Types of data I am in the process of gathering is;

• Student voice - interviewing students
• Whānau voice?
• Student & Teacher observations
• Google Form Survey questionnaire to teachers across schools 
• Google Form Survey Questionnaire to RTLB, LSC, SENCO

Once I have gathered and received a wide range of data I will create a continuum to show my findings from the surveys and display the student voice in a Google sheet.

The gathering of student voice in my own team has been reaffirming and heart warming that we are providing consistency across the team and that students enjoy the Digital platform to support their learning. 

Next steps... 

To look in to Dr Rebecca Jesson research. Dr Jesson is the Associate Director, Woolf Fisher Research Centre, Faculty of Education. Her focus is on designing, with teachers, innovations that will improve the literacy outcomes for students. 

To collate the data and record it's findings.

To observe other teachers across different school settings and talk to the tamariki about what type of instructions helps them the most. 

To have a korereo with whānau about the use of our digital platform to see if they feel their child has  engagement and  helps them understand their tasks? 

Google Sites - Week 5

Week 5 sees us exploring Google Sites and the importance of visible learning and teaching. 

Today's session started with a grateful chain. In these uncertain times it was lovely to hear from others what they are grateful for. It really is the little things in life that make all the difference. As we experience life in level four lock-down, for many of us this is our first time experiencing a loss of freedom, free choice and restrictions. Thanks Maria for a great activity to start our learning day. 

Visible learning is not only essential to the success of our tamariki but adds to the growth and professional development of ourselves.

Visiblity A few notes from this session;

- using your site where all links are on this site, easy to access and keeping it simple for tamariki

- Hapara teacher dashboard was designed for the manaiakalani program so that the learning would be visible for the teacher. It is now used around the world.Their is a parent portal part on the teacher dashboard.
Need to learn about this and set it up for our whānau.  

I enjoyed extending my learning within Google Sites. A highlight was working in our small groups with Michelle, Sarah, Julia and Cheryl creating a reading slide and site.

Here is my finished reading slide.

This was inspiring idea and I look forward to adapting and implementing this into my reading program. I will be messaging our team to set up a Google Hangout next week to review our team site. It is in it's early stages of conception so not a lot in it, our main area is around our cyber smart mahi with our Manaiakalani facilitator Amie. The tamariki are really confident in following the steps of each weeks task. Now it's time to extend this in to other learning areas.

Multi Modal

Some key points from Kerry's session about how to use your sites;

- Hook

- Engage

Use the site to create visual interest so the tamariki are enticed to explore more. Using the home page with all the bells and whistles, one- three links to go directly to where you want to them to, keep it simple!

I enjoyed the You tube clip she shared 'looking at a shop window'. Thinking of our site like a shop window helps put it into perspective. I have made a note of slide 20 as it has some good examples that will be handy to use in the future as I fine tune my multi modal skills.

Blogger Tips

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Multitext Database -  (sample) or T shaped learning, T shaped literacy explained 

Main text, complementary text, scaffolding and challenging text. This is a great idea... already my brain is thinking of ways to adapt my current program and create something similar to suit my learner needs. Cheryl shared with us today a site called EPIC which looks fantastic. This is what I love about collaboration and visible teaching. Everyone has so many great ideas, tricks or sites that they use. Its so great to leave a sessions feeling inspired to implement new ideas for our learners.

Embedding Google Forms into my site, last week I had a bit of trouble with

this. Amie shared a video with me showing me the steps.

Thanks Amie!