Inquiry Project

I have nearly finished my Inquiry Project...yay! I am looking forward to putting it into practice  and am keen to see if it makes a difference to my students comprehension. I am still slogging through running records, which take forever and I am still seeing a lack of comprehension compared to fluency and accuracy when students are reading. What are they thinking about when they read? I can understand students who spend most of their energy on decoding, losing the meaning of the text but fluent readers who automatically know the  words! Perhaps that is another research project.

Inquiry Project

I am about to start my Inquiry project and am thinking of looking at improving reading comprehension through using a web based programme called "Readtheory". I have started running- records to collect data for our reports at the end of the term and have noticed quite a few students have read accurately but have little comprehension of the text. I discovered Readtheory at the beginning of the year but have only used it as an activity in my reading rotation. The programme assesses the right level for the student to begin on then progressively moves up levels as the reader consistently answers the comprehension questions at the end of short texts. As my students tend to rush their reading activities, (prior knowledge, read, read to someone, vocabulary, comprehension, reread/complete prior knowledge sheet and finally Readtheory) in order to get on a computer, I thought it would be a draw card to have them working on computers for their reading and in doing so improve their engagement with reading. 

I am also thinking about "Growth Mindset" as this is my bedtime reading at the moment and I have been asking myself some tricky questions. As I went to school in the 60's and 70's I wasn't brought up to believe I could improve my IQ so after all that brain washing, do I have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset? I like to think my students can do anything and I tell them that but do I believe it about myself??? 

The other thing I have been thinking about is resilience...Are my student displaying the grit they need when they struggle?

Literature Research Done!

About to send off my literature research, yay! It has been a long process, with so much reading. I do however have research to back my pedagogy around the use of digital technologies to engage learners and improve achievement. I am now more aware of the factors that influence the successful use of using digital innovations in my programme. Now for the teacher inquiry.

Catching up with other Students

Last night seven of the Nelson Mind Lab students got together to talk about our literature reviews. It was helpful hearing about how others were coping and what their research topic was. We can now share resources we come across. I felt quite pleased with my own progress and it was great listening to feedback and giving some as well. I am sure we will all get together again over the next few months.

A Big Day on the Literature Review

Sunday has been a huge day working on my literature review (5 hours), but I feel like I am almost there! I have learned a lot about the factors that affect student engagement around the use of digital technologies for learning. The statistics surrounding Maori are a little depressing but there is evidence of improvement, which gives me hope. As a descendant of the Taranaki Iwi, I can see the inequality of our education system as it stands and feel quite saddened by the research, but I can also see how changing pedagogy will benefit all students including Maori. It also makes me look at my own practice and my preconceived ideas around Maori. Working along side students and sharing the the teaching and learning has to be better than the traditional classroom of the all powerful teacher at the front. As a student myself, I did not enjoy school and couldn't wait to leave. It is bizarre that years later I became I teacher myself!