A journey of learning
- 1. A Journey of Learning Teacher Inquiry – A systematic, intentional study of my classroom practice.
- 2. Data Collection Gathering summative information – e.g PAT results in reading comprehension and vocab., Running Records using PROBE, STAR Test results, Spelling Levels including SAST (South Australian Spelling Test), Writing samples Inquiring into reading habits and attitudes via reading survey and discussion Gathering anecdotal information
- 3. Identifying the Target Group – evidence based A group of 6 Year 7 & 8 learners who; Achieved stanine 4 on the STAR test – just below expectation Were reading ‘at’ their chronological age, but had lower than 80% comprehension – especially in literal, inference and evaluative questions Scored below expectation in their comprehension and vocabulary PAT’s Spelling ages were below expectation in both tests Expressed a dislike for reading Seldomly read for pleasure at home or school
- 4. Making Changes – based on new understandings What could I do in my classroom that would impact on my teaching and the learning of all students – especially the Target Group? What new classroom practices would I employ to address specific needs? What were my explicit acts of teaching? What resources would be essential? What was my ongoing monitoring?
- 5. Sharing Findings - the professional dialogue In-school observations Cross school observations Videoing own practise for reflection TLC meetings Professional Development Quality professional facilitators
- 6. Putting the Puzzle Together- Outcomes for learners and future practise Over the year, the learners were exposed to a variety of text and strategies to develop their comprehension and critical thinking skills. Positive results and improvements were evident in the class as a whole. I was disappointed with the results from some of the target group as they showed little or no movement in some of their summative results. They did however make gains in other areas of literacy, specifically their attitude and motivation towards reading. As a target group, I felt I cannot use them to gauge the overall success of the class, as many more in the class made greater gains than the target group. The more important outcome of this case study is that I’ve developed my pedagogy as a teacher of reading and have learned many great strategies to implement in my future reading, and classroom programmes.
- 7. Celebrating Success- from Teachers’ perspective “ As classroom teachers the ITP has been a powerful tool. We were given time in TLC to reflect and modify the ITP and did so. There were opportunities to re-visit and modify the ITP during the year, adjusting it to accommodate student and teacher learning!” “ All PD has been excellent. Classroom observations in other classrooms was useful learning, especially to get feedback on my own practise. Videoing was excellent for revealing areas in need of improvement” From this inquiry teaching, we (teachers), not only have played a critical role in student achievement, we have also enhanced our own professional growth & pedagogy and ultimately the learning journey of our students”