The nature and extent of the student challenge

I have been inquiring into reading for two years now and have learnt a lot about the challenges students have with reading. There is always the notion that boys struggle with reading but I have also found that girls struggle with reading too.

I believe some of the challenges students have with reading are as listed below:

Students not connecting with texts 

Through my career I have gone through many trends in teaching reading. From using materials I was told to use when teams planned together, to using materials I thought would benefit my students and dare I say it using materials which were readily available. In other words using materials because they were easy to access at the time I needed them. Text selection in my experience is a process which teachers have to take into consideration when planning learning for students. Successful lessons I have taught in reading have occurred through careful selection of texts by reflecting on the learning needs and interests of students. 

Students not engaging in meaningful conversations about reading materials

I reflect back on the my professional development opportunities I have had and reflect on a saying I have always used a mentor teacher to beginning teachers. "If you don't plan for it, it won't happen". When we plan for meaningful and rich discussions, they will happen in our teaching. If we don't then learning conversations about reading materials will be random opportunities with no real direction towards the goal of the discussion and the lesson. Planning for rich and meaningful discussions about reading materials relies on the teacher having a goal in mind for the lesson and knowing the reading materials well enough to pin point main ideas for discussions. 

Schools need to have strategic plans to raise the achievement of students

A report released by ERO in 2018 identified that strategic and successful schools had a long-term commitment to improvement through deliberate, planned actions to accelerate student progress. Our school motto for this year is He Waka Eke Noa. We are all in this together. The statement by ERO emphasises the importance of strategic planning in schools for accelerated progress for all students. Five capabilities that made a difference in schools’ effectiveness in accelerating student progress were:

1. leadership capability 
2. teaching capability 
3. assessment and evaluative capability of leaders and teachers 
4. leaders’ capability to develop relationships with students, parents, whänau, trustees, school leaders and other teaching professionals 
5. leaders’ and teachers’ capability to design and implement a school curriculum that engaged students

Data collection is valuable in tracking progress and making changes

Early this year I presented our school data to our staff. In that presentation I emphasised the saying that "Numbers tell a story". When we collect up to date and valid data, we can use data to analyse if what we are implementing is making a difference to the students' learning or not. Data is a valuable source of reflection for change. The way we collect data also needs to be reliable. Student voice is valuable but it has to be collected in a way where students are free to say what they feel. I often feel when students are interviewed, they will often say what they think the interviewer wants to hear. That is why I prefer to use Google Form to collect student voice or to collect student voice from a group interview. Summative assessments are also valuable sources of data as well as formative assessment and student work. The blogs I have found have been a reliable source of data collection as it can track what the students have been working on for as long as they have had their blogs.

Teachers are THE SILVER BULLET   

I believe this is the fine line for changes for accelerated progress. The teacher! As a reflective practitioner myself, I know that the most effective tool I can use in my teaching is to utilise my skills, knowledge and passion into changing my own teaching style to cater for the needs of my students. Being educators, we are very fortunate to have many professional development opportunities and within the Manaiakalani cluster we are part of a very strong and progressing Kahui Ako. When we as teachers take hold of what is available to and use them to strengthen our practice, then our students will benefit. However, if we are passive participants in professional development opportunities and not gather new knowledge and skills for our own kete, then we will stay in the same position we are in. The sad cost will be our students and their learning. 

Reference

Keeping children engaged and achieving in reading. ERO. (2018). Retrieved from http://visioneducation.co.nz/welcome/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ERO-Teaching-strategies-that-work-Reading.pdf