Charlotte Verity Professional Learning (School Based)

I was interested to learn from Rowena's expertise in reading instruction for shared reading (whole class) and a guided session with a level 18 reading group. The group’s current focuses: read-on and re-read; prediction; chunking/blending unfamiliar words. I asked Rowena to give feedback on how I could improve my use of prompting, modelling and questioning in the guided session. Notes from Rowena: * I linked to students' prior knowledge by scanning pictures and discussing the story with the group before reading. * We discussed the text features, and made predictions through-out reading. * Factual and inferential questions were asked. * Reading on and re-reading was modelled as a strategy for unfamiliar words. Full notes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BxdNc5F9bYO1ek1CeG1DR19BUXc Suggestions (my next steps): * Use a modelling board / book with cloze exercises to help children choose the best word, e.g. Dad picked up a brush/broom/bucket. Dr...

We began by discussing and deciding definitions for key terms, including: Dialogue: share ideas Discuss: debate ideas Pause: wait, without talking Inquirer: questioner, explorer Advocacy: support or represent ideas (persuasive) Paraphrase: briefly recap and most important for me, listening set aside s: the things to stop doing when listening/talking! * Judgement * To do lists * Autobiographical stories * Solution finding * Unrelated information We practised having 'challenging conversations' with colleagues, using the process below (e.g. challenging conversations may be sharing an issue with a parent; discussing differences with a colleague): 1. Prepare and plan  your words 2. Converse Name the issues  Focus on evidence Clarify importance: impact and consequence Identify your contribution 3. Invite and listen to others' response and perspective 4. Open the conversation for mutual negotiation and resolution: decide action 5. Follow ...

Progress to date One student may achieve the standard for After One Year at school. The other children are working at a 1B level. However, the group have made huge personal steps: * All students now plan and start their stories independently. * 2 of the students include initial and end sounds in words. 3 children consistently use initial, middle and end sounds * 4 students write and re-read their stories independently. 3 make corrections as they re-read.  * 3 of the children include conjunctions, and consistently write 3 or more sentences.  What remains challenging? Letter formation causes 2 students to work very slowly (and they see writing as physically taxing). Developing letter formation causes two other children to have problems when re-reading their work. The group would benefit from correct high frequency word spelling, and could add more details to their responses.  My next steps as a teacher * Continue to offer writing experience activities in rea...

Feedback and Next Step Planning for Writing Instruction WHAT TEACHERS AT BECKENHAM ARE GENERALLY DOING WELL WHERE AM I AT WITH THIS TEACHING STRATEGY? Analysing students’ writing and identifying teaching points Continue to do, especially for more advanced writers. For these students, we could look at using varied sentence starts; using speech; wow words; adding details; using varied sentence structures. Being clear about what you want students to do (task) and achieve (goal) within the lesson Picture success criteria, suggested by Murray, has been brilliant for this. Give strong and explicit direct instruction through active modelling Continue to be clear on the goal, task and success criteria Taught or reinforcing skills in context (i.e. using students’ work and ideas) Using students work in modelling book is highly engaging and purposeful Using questioning and prompt...

Background: observing colleague with 4 students, who have been at school for two terms. Modelling focused on using sound words (roar, crash etc) and the picture book, Demolition , as stimulus. My colleague was interested in helping the children add detail to stories and use think alouds . Students all used sound words, used finger spaces, were actively re-reading and sounding out words. Some children also added detail. There was a positive climate; colleague praising students' effort throughout; writing was truly  co-constructed  between students and teacher ( kids encouraged to have a go!). There was explicit teaching, repeated throughout modelling e.g. stretching out words 'like chewing gum' and modelling knowing/looking words. Strengths colleague demonstrated / Next steps for me: * Clear reading-writing links made by teacher, often using questions, 'What would our readers want to know?' 'How should we read it?' * Model varied starts for sent...

Progress so far One student is on track to achieve standard.  Three of the five students are now saying, writing and re-reading as they write. Four of the five include initial, middle and end sounds in their words. All children will aide ideas with teacher prompting/questioning. Three of the five children include spaces in their work, and two include full-stops. My next steps as a teacher * Continue to offer writing experience activities in reading and writing to build formation - tracing, bead threading, write around the room, labelling, list writing * Sent home tracing booklets * Trial small group teaching for the students most at risk - using Early Words resources - AA, TP, IG, KRL, RMC, LR * Modelled sessions on using spelling aides in the room, and on capital letters * Continue to have students say their story and then re-read to self and to me * Have clear purposed based writing e.g. to make a book, a letter etc * Try sharing progress (written vocabular...

As part of my current University study around Curriculum Leadership, I have conducted an action research project on my mentoring strategies. The research involved a literature review of writing strategies for NE children, and two conversations with a colleague. The colleague and I collaborate on planning and teaching our classes. I was particularly interested in finding out her thoughts on what helps our students: * Engage in writing * Develop independence in writing Our conversations and the literature review helped me to realise that our N.E. students most need: * Writing experience activities to build fine motor strength and letter formation * Purposeful tasks, to give them both the motivation to write, and to help them realise the varied uses of writing in their lives. Examples that we discussed and have set up included letter writing, labelling, writing / copying environmental print, scaffolded sentences and mini-books * Engaging tasks, relating to their interests * Qu...