CoL Teaching as Inquiry- Testing Each Hypothesis and the Evidence That Will Support It

Developing Inquiry Hypotheses

The hypotheses were formed through a process of exploring possibilities into why the data looks as it does and possible changes of practice that could take place. Below I discuss the reading, discussions and learning opportunities that lead to the development of hypotheses.

Hypothesis 1: A collaborative inquiry across the junior school (Years 1-3) will grow professional capital across the school. The shared inquiry will allow all students across the junior school to benefit from the effectiveness of changed practice and allow teachers to learn from and with each other. It will hopefully also enable an effective changed practice to become sustainable.

Collective capacity building to develop a common knowledge and skill base across the learning community is a powerful learning opportunity. Social capital, the quality of the group is more powerful than human capital, the qualifications of individuals (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012; Fullan & Quinn, 2016). This approach to professional development replaces fragmented traditional professional development programmes, workshops or presentations that aim to fix the individual. As collective capacity builds, it increases momentum involving more people and reinforces the strategy for change towards a collective purpose. However, it is important to be aware that a supportive climate is needed to ensure teachers feel safe to take risks and build capacity through learning from each other (Fullan & Quinn, 2016). As Hargreaves (1994) points out, in a collaborative culture teacher’s values and purposes, failures and doubts are shared, discussed and disagreed over. This exposure of vulnerabilities should take place in a supportive environment.

Hypothesis 2: Developing oral language through short high-interest topics and real-life experiences, with a focus on intensive oral language acquisition, will create an environment of language in abundance. 

In order to find an appropriate tool to measure oral assessment, I sought out the help and expertise of Dr Jannie Van Hees. Jannie came and talked to the team about the use of the combilist and value of creating an intensive oral language literacy programme that focused around high-interest topics and experiences.

Hypothesis 3: Utilising the student's strengths in their first language, working in bilingual and multilingual ways, creating Talanoa, and working in partnership with families will help build students English language and literacy.

PELP focuses on working in partnership with Pasifika families, building on the strengths of the students first language, culture and identity through bilingual and multilingual teaching practices and the use of bilingual resources. Having the opportunity for our teachers to learn through participating in this project will embed cultural responsiveness within the inquiry.

CoL Teaching as Inquiry: Tools, Measures and Approaches To Gain An Accurate Profile Of My Students Learning

To gain a more detailed and accurate profile of my our student's learning in relation to Learning Challenge 2; Lifting the achievement for boys' writing Years 1-10, I am using a range of tools, measures and approaches.


The Combilist- Dr Jannie Van Hees (2013)

For students entering school oral language is measured using JOST, in which our school data shows our students entering school with low levels of oral language. However, I wanted to a tool to delve deeper into the specifics of oral language development of students in Year 1-3, and that could also measure progress in the development of oral language to support my inquiry. The Combilist (2013) developed and used by Dr Jannie Van Hees measures significant factors involved in language development.

These include:

• Willingness to communicate
• Communication with teacher/adults
• Participation in discourse
• Contribution to the discussion or discourse
• Benefits from feedback

This tool can be used as a measure when taken prior to intervention, during the intervention and post-intervention.

All teachers across Years 1-3 will use the tool to measure individual students language development.


Pasifika Early Literacy Project (PELP) Assessment Data

Tamaki Primary is lucky enough to be participating in PELP. The PELP Project supports teachers to utilise dual language books and bilingual approaches in primary schools. It supports teachers working in bilingual and multilingual ways to open up the learning opportunities for our students.

A requirement of the project is to measure student progress to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching in linguistically and culturally responsive ways.

The data that is collected through the Pasifika Early Literacy Project (PELP) will also be useful indicators of the effectiveness of changed practice through Teaching as Inquiry. This data will add a deeper level.

PELP requires us to collect data through three methods:
Running Records (June and October)
Record of oral vocabulary- one on one, 2 minutes in English 2 minutes in the student's first language
Record of written vocabulary completed as a whole class, 5mins, per language.

Although PELP requires us to just assess Pasifika students, the assessment we will include Maori boys as they are target students within our inquiry.

Collecting Data Through Connecting With Whanau; 
Finding Out About Students Language, Culture and Identity.

Are the records we have at school a true representation of home language and culture. My hunch is that they are not. Far too often we use this data to inform our teaching without having conversations with whanau to better understand their cultures and identities. Genuinely connecting with the whanau, getting to know our families, as opposed to superficially, would give us a better understanding of how best to meet the needs of our students. The box on etap that indicates the students first language is filled in at school entry and may or may not be a true representation of the diversity of language used outside of school. Secondly, what other information other than the first language option indicated on etap records, do we need to teach in culturally diverse ways? Fono with families will help us to gain information about students language, culture and identity, the information vitally needed for linguistically and culturally responsive teaching practice to take place.

Student Voice

A sample group of students will be used to collect the student's voice. Who better to ask about students' learning than the students themselves. Gathering student voice will help me to build rich knowledge of the learner and an understanding of how to make learning accessible to them. It gives students a chance to say what school is like for them and will enable me to take their views into consideration when implementing change.

The questions/prompts asked will relate to students oral language, progress in literacy and student/teacher relationships

I am good at reading/ writing - yes/sometimes/no?

When I can't do something it is easy to ask my teacher for help- yes/sometimes/no?

My teacher makes it easy to understand things- yes/sometimes/no?

My teacher listens to my ideas - yes/sometimes/no?

Do you like talking about your ideas? Why or Why not?

What makes learning hard/ easy at school?

What makes learning hard/ easy at home?

Do you feel okay to talk in your own language at school? Why or why not?

What do you want your teachers to know about you and how you learn best?

These questions will hopefully give me valuable insight into students perspectives.