Term 1 Update - 2019

This term has been one of trial and error to see what is going to work and what might not work so well in my class. I have been bouncing ideas off some of my colleagues and have worked out where I would like to go next. I would like to observe a reading support session to see what my students are experiencing to try and compliment this incredible experience for my learners back in the classroom. While I was looking at my next steps for my inquiry and my learners I decided to have a look at the running record data for my 7-9 year old readers over the last 3 years. I found that some of them have been stuck (for lack of a better word) in the levels for one or more years. This has made me rethink my own teaching and how I focus my guided reading sessions. I have found that just focusing on comprehension for some of these students is not helping with achievement. I need to focus on learning to read as some of my students are still grappling with this concept. 

My next steps are to trial some of my ideas in the classroom and see if they are successful. I would also like to test these learners with a running record in the next week so that I am able to have further insight into the gaps in learning. I am hoping to have a lot of these ideas in my reading sessions next term and find out what works, what doesn't and what I might need development on. I am excited to see this roll out into action. 

Term 1 Inquiry Update

This year my focus is on how to get my learners to use and understand mathematical vocabulary. I have had some interesting moments this term where I have assumed that my students know something and moved on to the next stage. Is this where the holes are creeping into their learning with my teacher assumptions? I have thought about this over the course of the term and has been something that I have had to work on as a teacher and make sure that I am knowing where my learners are with their vocabulary and making sure that it not the only thing holding them back from succeeding. 

How will I measure this? 

This is somewhat still a question that I am asking myself at the moment and trying to think of some creative and successful ways to measure this and see that it is working otherwise what is the point right? Some ideas that I have so far is a test before the we have completed the strategies and then after to see if the constant use of vocabulary has worked. I did find last year during our school space inquiry that my learners picked up information very quickly about the planets with being able to see the information displayed on the posters on the wall. They were able to tell me information that we hadn't even discussed in class which is why I am trying to use the word wall in my class and hope that will make an impact as well as discussing it further. I think I have managed to create a class environment where the learners are gaining confidence in being able to ask me or the class if they come up with a word they are unaware of. 

Where to next? 

I will continue to use my word wall in class and make sure that I am directing my learners attention to it when they are stuck for a word. I will also make sure that my learners are exposed to this language in their word problems so that it is something that they are hearing and seeing more in the class. I will also continue to keep getting my learners to explain what the question is asking them so that they are thinking about the vocabulary and what is actually being asked of them. 

2018 Maths Inquiry

This year I will continue to inquire into my mathematical teaching and how to improve in my own practice so that my students are getting the best out of their teaching time. This year my focus question is: How to get my learners to use and understand mathematical vocabulary. I have found from the beginning of this year that there are many terms and vocabulary words that my learners are still unsure of in year 6. 

 

I want to focus on ensuring that my learners are getting all of the vocabulary they need in maths in order to succeed. I am going to set up a maths vocabulary word wall so that all of the new terms that we come across and discuss as a class will be accessible to my learners at all times. I also want to make sure that my classroom is a space where my learners aren't afraid to ask questions when they are unsure of the terms that I have used in my teaching. We have been working as a whole class to make sure that we are asking questions if we are unsure and also when answering mathematical questions we are referring back to the items that we are using in our problems so that they have more meaning and the knowledge will hopefully stick.