My question was -
Does talking about topics and noticing Language chunks in reading help students to recycle their learning into writing?
My inquiry was not just about my students but about me as well. I believe that I have learnt more than what my students would have. I shared my inquiry with my learners and told them that We all were in the same boat and needed to reach the shores without drowning. We had stir our boat sometime gently and sometimes really vigourously.
Now heading towards the end of the my inquiry I can say with pride that out of the 5 boys in my target group - 1 has moved 4 sub levels and the other three have moved 3 sub levels and fifth one has moved 2 sub levels.
Not only did their writing improve but their reading improved as well. Their comprehension levels went up more than one to one and half year. Their vocabulary bank increased and now they can use better words both in their oral and written language. They use complex sentences to describe and explain their ideas.
The best bit was that the rest of the rests in the class had improved too. On assessing them I found that every child had make some progress and no one was at the same level as at the beginning of the year.
The evidence for this is highlighted on my blog. - these are in the form of my reflections, class blog and Google Class On Air Episodes and day to day observations.
What did I do to make this happen?
Changing my classroom climate was a key to my inquiry. I had to change myself to be a good listener as well. What I had noticed was that these children were - intelligent students but were bored of writing and did not know how to be successful at writing. This would have been also because these students had not experienced success in writing in their previous years of schooling.
what I would like to say to the teachers here is - read as much as possible to your children.
discuss new language in text , show them how to notice new words and language chunks, and give them lots of opportunities to recycle their new words. Talk to them using new words. And last but not the least, make a big deal about little achievements and celebrate these. Intrinsically motivate your students.
What next ...
I will continue to do what me and my students have continued to do this year right from day one next year.
I would like to thank Jannie, Rebecca, Aaron, Russell, Dorothy, Anne Sinclaire, Pat Sneddon and many more mentors and facilitators whom I would have missed on this occassion.
Most of all I would like to thank my students without whom this learning journey was impossible.
Most of all I would like to thank my students without whom this learning journey was impossible.
No comments:
Post a Comment