Our goal as a group was to accelerate the learning of our akonga in reading. We also wanted to change the way we teach so we were all on the same understanding as to what an effective reading programme is. It is fair to say we have not completely achieved the goal of identifying what an effective reading programme looks like in the classroom but we have certainly made a good start.
What happened this year?
Collaborative planning - we had a lot of korero/talanoa about our understanding of what an effective reading programme is. What we currently do in our practice which works and what we could add
Using the Planning Fala (Manaiakalani Effective Reading Practices Survey (2022). Analysis of teacher responses by N. Rosedale (Literacy Facilitator) for the Reading Design Group) - this was a core element of my teaching as inquiry. The Planning Fala incorporated aspects of a reading programme which I wanted to incorporate into my teaching as inquiry and much more. We have added certain parts of the Planning Fala to our planning and teaching but need to incorporate more next year.
Interpreting assessment data - as part of my teaching as inquiry, I interpreted the PAT reading data for our senior school from the term one assessment and also analysed the term four data. I strongly believe data is an integral part of any teaching as inquiry. As a teacher, data can inform our practice and challenge us to make changes or to keep doing what we are doing if the data shows acceleration. The qualitative data I collected from my sample group gave me a lot of insight about the strengths and needs of the teachers I worked with this year.
In class observations - as part of my inquiry, I also observed teachers in their classrooms teaching their own target learners. From the beginning of my intervention, I highlighted that my role was to work alongside our group. The observations were for teachers to receive feedback and feedforward through post discussions about their teaching practice in reading. I do understand that observations can be daunting for some teachers but I relied on our connections as teachers, team members and friends to eliminate this feeling.
End of year data collection
My data set for the end of my teaching for inquiry for this year is a survey completed by my sample group in Term 4. The survey was sent in a google form and I have analysed the data using the qual analysis method Naomi Rosedale taught me.
