RPI Session 1: Reading is Core to Learning

 RPI Session 1: Reading is Core to Learning

Connecting with Manaiakalani

Focus of Reading is a founding part of the Manaiakalani Learn, Create, Share pedagogy. Manaiakalani has made making a difference in literacy a priority over all the years. We recognise that the gap of non-readers to access the curriculum (especially at higher levels of learning) needs to be condensed. It is so essential that our students experience acceleration (more than one year progress) in order to allow for that learning gap to continually shrink (and not grow) from year to year.  It is important to recognise that teaching reading is an art that is necessary in order to understand and access the curriculum across all subject areas. Using the Learn, Create, Share pedagogy along with effective teaching practice, students will make accelerated progress on average of 1.5 years in Reading (and Maths) and 2 years in Writing. It is very important to remember that this is NOT about using a digital device.

What characterises a good reader?

We were provided with 2 minutes to come up with our list. The red and yellow highlights are what I added after our two minute brainstorming session. 

• Checks for understanding while reading 

• Actively makes meaning when coming across unknown words/phrases and across many different texts

• Makes connections between the text and things they already know in order learn about a topic

• Good readers are confident readers who continually grow in their own self efficacy. 

• Participate in a community of readers for enjoyment (newly added in the curriculum) and are impacted by the emotions we are experiencing while reading. 

• Reading for a variety of purposes: Organise ideas and information for learning, Acquiring and using information from reading to inform and acquire knowledge from informative texts. 

• Good readers use strategies: predict, visualise, connect, monitor, questions, clarifies, evaluates

• Students who read more widely, are more likely to be making progress in their reading and overall learning. 

Being a Role Model: Teachers as Readers

What do you do as a reader? Do you share this with your students? What am I doing as a teacher to share/recommend books with my students?

Reading Across the Curriculum

Reading is a core part of all areas of the curriculum and we need to ensure that we are directly teaching how to read for understanding in each subject area. Our learners need opportunities to learn about things and make connections. For example, linking the topic culturally, scientifically, extending the ideas they already have and making sure that it makes sense when integrating the curriculum into reading specifically. It was great to take some time to look into the teaching practice of Robyn Anderson from Panmure Bridge School and how she was able to increase student engagement and self-efficacy when presenting them with a cross-curricular experience that led to student ownership. Robyn stated on her blog, “If we are to develop reading for pleasure habits in students we need a collective and collaborative approach that allows our tamariki to see role models at school and at home who value reading.”

The Importance of Discussion About a Text

First of all, establish ground rules that are explicitly taught protocols for talk. Perhaps have a “toss and talk” session, after establishing ground rules, where students are asked a question that also includes a response “My name is…” or “My favourite book is….because….” and step it up as time goes on by giving a provocation “Dogs are better than cats. Do you agree or disagree and why?” Students know that they only talk when they have the ball. It is important to emphasise that students should be able to use the language from the text when sharing. 

How to Grow Good Readers: The Manaiakalani Reading Model

What goes into designing learning with the end in mind to be sure that we are doing the best for our students? The teacher needs to plan for ambitious outcomes and to use diverse texts to provide our learners with a diverse view of the world. Working with our students to delve into and question what they are reading, that will allow the students to design rich create tasks that showcase their learning that they are excited to share with others. It is important to note that planning for ambitious outcomes is incorporated into each area of the Reading Model. 

Investigate Research

After reading the The National Reading Panel Report -  by Shanahan - “Practical Advice for Teachers“, we were asked to designate a direct quote that resonated for us. The quote from the text that I chose was, “"Finally, it should be noted that in most studies,  these reading comprehension strategies were  taught with a substantial amount of intensive  instruction. If students were being taught  to summarize, summarization was the focus  of daily lessons for several weeks with  plenty of explanation and varied practice." My personal take home for this quote is simply that higher level reading strategies are not something that is learnt after one lesson...consistency is key.

Pulling it all together

It is important that we think about the pillars and how we are actively implementing each of them into our planning. 

Overall Reflections: 

Today was very enjoyable with a lot of information shared. It was a great reminder of things that I know I need to include in my reading programme. It was also a great morning for building personal self-efficacy in my own teaching practice of reading. One thing I would like to do better this year is incorporating more opportunities for my students to read across the curriculum, especially those who are reading at or just below grade level.  I think it is important to share with the wider school community the notion that it is ok (and evidence proves to be best practice) to cover a reading strategy for a number of reading sessions until you ensure that you students have a good independent grasp of that topic as I learnt when reading the article during our “Investigate Research” session.  I would love to start back up our reading tuakana teina programme with the year 1 students as we did last year, and maybe see about having some of our students read with the Year 2 students as well.  However, on the flip side, it would be fun to have some of our Year 6 or ⅞ students do some buddy time with our year 4 students in the library as well (or even getting them to read with our Year 4 students who are still well below grade level in reading).