PLD 2023

 As usual Panmure Bridge School always encourages us to do as much PLD as we can.  This year I have participated in PLD in person and online.

Sheena Cameron and Louise Dempsey: Online                                                                Supporting Students to become Competent and Confident Spellers

This was a 3 hour online PLD that was held of 2 days.  It was looking at how to use simple high-frequency words to build onto to give the students confidence to use those words spell new words.

I used aspects of this PLD in my Teacher Inquiry this year.  Connections to the sounds, words, using the spelling rules as a tool. The use of their spelling tools will be part of my literacy program going forward.

Maori Achieving Success as Maori: Webinar

This was PLD on how, in our schools and the education sector as a whole we can think how we look at ways Maori is Achieving Success and how we can work together to ensure this happens. 

What is it like when you engage in Maori - it's like the pieces fit together!

School should reflect both worlds - that has to be the place we start - where we get to see their worlds. 

This webinar really made me think about how I think and teach and how even with the best intentions that maybe I am doing a disservice to my students. One of the main points I got from this webinar was you have to really understand where the student is coming from and that they need to know that you respect that place and you are trying to ensure that they feel relevant and heard.

T-Shaped Literacy: Online

This has been ongoing PLD with the University of Auckland. This year we looked at 6 units as follows:

• Mood and Atmosphere
• Characterisation
• POV/perspective
• Great Beginnings
• Genre
• Features
• Symbolism

This has been a big learning curve in my thought process and teaching practice. Breaking down a text and looking at an individual unit over a number of texts, exploring it deeper and deeper has been a revelation to not only myself but my students. I am fortunate to have the expertise of my teaching partner Robyn Anderson (PLD on a daily basis) to discuss ideas with, especially when I have trouble understanding the unit or struggling to find a text set to work with. Sometimes the most unlikely texts make the best examples for teaching. Through doing T-Shaped this year the biggest take away for me is to ASK FOR HELP if you need it.

Giving Effect to Te Tiriti of Waitangi: Online

New Zealand School Trustees Association - Board Matters

As the staff rep member for the BOT of Panmure Bridge, I took on this PLD as a matter of being prepared for and understand Te Tiriti of Waitangi when it came up in board matters. Having previously done a webinar Maori achieving success as Maori, they both spoke the same message. Listening to Maori, understanding where they have come from and where they want to go and how they are going to get there. It comes down to equality and equity and how we present that to our community, parents and students.

 

Teacher Inquiry 2023 Reflection

 

Inquiry Question: Will a focus on spelling conventions foster an environment where word consciousness strengthens connections to the learning?

Outcome 1: Increased awareness of vocabulary

Outcome 2: To approach new learning with confidence

Outcome 3: To understand spelling conventions

Intervention:

• Students to complete spelling test (term 1/ term 4)

• Use steps for consistent spelling tasks online.

• Teacher modeling conventions so students see me modelling what I want to see them doing.

• Create an word consciousness list that is visible.

• Timetable opportunities for word consciousness with specific skills.

• Introduce LS2 to specific designed conventions - teacher lead

• Co-construct conventions lists and follow up activities - Listen to and act upon student voice

• Encourage the use of new vocabulary when discussing familiar words.

• Strengthen vocabulary connections to the area of learning 

• Use visual clues to remember the conventions. 

The darker highlights indicate that I feel I have meet these interventions to a good level, where the lighter highlights show that these interventions needed more consistency or more explicit teaching. I found that I didn't leave enough timetabled lesson time to effectively cover the interventions I was hoping to achieve higher outcomes in.

Teacher Learning:

• Analysis spelling test (T1 to T4) - What has changed as a result of our intervention? What do we still need to do?

• Professional readings to strengthen my connections to research findings.

• Strengthen word consciousness by tabletiming opportunities for students to complete steps tasks.

• Create scaffolds to show spelling conventions in a visual sense.

• Co-construct with the learners a list of conventions

Here I have ticked all the boxes but I feel that I have not ticked them as many times as they needed to be. 

• The testing was successful - my target group either stayed the same or increased their spelling, however they got some words wrong in the T4 test that they got right in the T1 test and vice versa. Maybe going through the test itself after it has been marked will allow the students to see where they are going wrong - sometimes its missing out by 1 letter or 2 letters around the wrong way. 
• When it came to Professional Readings, some of the articles made me more confused than I was in the beginning, they just didn't seem to fit with what and how I was thinking. The outcome of this is the more professional readings I do the more they will align with my thinking and vice versa. 
• Timetabling is something that happened but not always when it was meant to or how long it was meant to.  To change this I need to make sure everything is extremely prepared in both my mind and resources so no time is wasted.
• Co-constructing with the learners was an integral part of my inquiry. Listening to what they had to say and discussing how that would work which was valuable.

Student Learning:

• To attempt to use other vocabulary when writing.

• Revisit and repeat the same spelling test to see if our word consciousness has made a difference.

• To participate in the steps program

• To participate actively in co-constructing a conventions list

• To confidently use new vocabulary in their writing.

• To understand the spelling conventions when writing unknown words.

My target group along with the rest of my students were amazing in taking on new learning. I think the biggest win was the conversations we had about words and how different words can come from words and how in some cases words from other languages even have close to the same sounding/spelling so they could also make that connection.

Measurable Outcomes:

• Increased achievement between time 1/time 2 data 

• Analyse changes in student responses in writing survey

• Understand the spelling conventions.

• Increased engagement in timetabled steps opportunities 

• Increased confidence in using their new knowledge of spelling conventions in their writing.

My target group all increased in their writing and one has significantly increased and I believe that this is from the use of new vocabulary and her willing to show confidence in spelling this new language. Increasing their Steps usage has helped with their understanding of words and how they are used. As their teacher I need to change how to include more structured learning when it comes to the spelling conventions.

I feel the main thing is when I look back on my Teachers Inquiry is to ask for help when things get too overwhelming or when you just don't know where you are going or how you are going to get there.