PELP - Retelling the story in my first language

The book 'Locked Out' was a guided reading book the students had been working with previous to this lesson. The students were very familiar with the story. As this book was one of the titles available as dual language copies I thought it was the perfect opportunity to have a play and explore using the dual language books with my students. The group of students I was working with were Tongan Samoan and Maori.

Day 1- The students were shown the Samoan, Tongan and English books and were asked what do you notice about the books. Is there anything different about them? Is there anything the same?
Students explored the books and after I read the title of each book to them they discovered that they were in different languages.
Students were each given a book in their first language and asked in small groups to retell (talk about what happens in the book) the story in language using the pictures.

Each group naturally started talking in their first language with parts of their dialogue in English the English parts being well-known phrases from knowing the English text. The older students naturally took the lead within the group (I teach a Year 1-3 class).

Day 2- We listened to the audio in Tongan and stopped it every now and then to talk about the story. The students told me what some of the words and phrases meant and I repeated them.

This was a beautiful session. All the students were engaged in listening to the text and were excited to be my teacher and correct my pronunciation. 

Day 3- The students listened/read along to the audio version of the story accessed through our class site as an independent reading activity. Then as a follow-up activity, they were given a sequence of pictures, and text, from the book that they had to put together and sequence.

Even though the students couldn't read the text in their first language they were looking carefully at the print to match it to the picture. The discussions they had around the retelling and sequencing of the story was brilliant and most of it done in their first language. They worked in groups with students with the same first language. I added that it was a competition to see who could get it correct which took it to another level of excitement.

Day 4- This book is now going home along with a set of pictures and matching text and a note to parents with ideas on how to use the book at home.

I'm excited to hear feedback from the parents.
My Maori students decided it wasn't fair that there was no book in Te Reo so connected with some of our older students to write their own Te Reo version using explain everything.

Getting Started With PELP

Excited to get started working multilingually with our students.
This week's reading site for our learners to explore during reading independent activities or at home with Whānau.
Our site will be able to be shared with families at our fono this week.

CoL Teaching As Inquiry; The importance of a shared vision focusing on change

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.

The importance of a shared vision focusing on change

One of my first questions is how do I get our Junior team to paddle this waka with me so that all our students benefit from changed practice, change is sustainable and effective practice is shared?

Teachers need a desire to change their practice (Hargreaves, 1994), desire being "the basis of creativity, change, commitment and engagement (Hargreaves, 1994, p12)". A desire to change connects teachers to their practice. This desire drives 'exceptional and creative teachers' towards excellence in their practice and strong relationships with students. Pink (2009) talks about being able to see the purpose underpinning the learning and giving value to it in order to surpass the bare minimum of what is required. Hattie (2012) acknowledges that expert teachers are passionately engaged in teaching and learning, both inspired by student learning and inspiring students to learn. Teachers need to be intrinsically motivated through autonomy, mastery and purpose to change their pedagogical ideas.

In order for cohesive change to occur all participants, including families and students, need to be connected and committed to a shared moral purpose. Teachers need to align their beliefs with a shared vision, building capacity through working together in a purposeful doing, within a supportive change climate. (Fullan & Quinn, 2016).

Therefore, teachers need to understand the need to change. Assessment information highlights this need along with the data gathered from Welcome To School: A Study of Conditions of Disadvantage on Entry to School in the Manaiakalani Kahui Ako (2017). It is important that we look at this data together during the 'Learn Stage' of the inquiry to understand the status quo and to release the need to change our practice to accelerate student learning. 

Teachers need to see and value the purpose underpinning the learning in order to be intrinsically motivated to change their pedagogical practice. The 'Why' behind the change becomes incredibly important. Teachers need to understand and value the theory and 'why' behind pedagogical interventions to see the purpose underpinning the learning. If this doesn't happen will teachers being intrinsically motivated to change their practice? 

For the cohesive change to occur we need to be paddling the same waka. Successfully conducting a collaborate inquiry will mean aligning our beliefs with a shared vision, having a shared understanding of pedagogical interventions and working together in purposeful doing supporting each other along the way. 

CoL Teaching As Inquiry; Student Voice- Pre Intervention

Student Voice

This is the student voice collected from Year 1 students within my Target Group (Maori Pasifika Boys). Student 1 (S1) and Student 2 (S2) are Tongan, Student 3 (S3) is Samoan, Student 4 (S4) is Cook Island Maori/Maori.
Initially, I was going to use survey monkey to create a survey for students to answer, however, due to the fact that students have low oral language and can read yet I opted for students to answer questions through an informal discussion with a teacher.

I am good at reading/ writing - yes/sometimes/no?
S3- ”Sometimes I don’t do well because I'm tired.”
S1-” I’m good I write on the word.”
S4 - "I write my sister’s names.”
S1- “I can write it good, my pirate one. I could write so many words.”
S4- “I need the word card.”

When I can't do something it is easy to ask my teacher for help- yes/sometimes/no?
S1- “Ask 3 people before the teacher, ask your friend then you go ask the teacher.”
“Ask your friend (repeated by all 4)”

My teacher listens to my ideas - yes/sometimes/no?
S2- “Everyone always talking, she picks the people who are listening, who get to talking.”

Do you like talking about your ideas? Why or Why not?
S1-” Yes so you can get smarter.”
S3- “You know what the answer is and you put your hand up.”
S4- “I sit quietly because I want to listen.”
S2- “I want to sit nicely at mat time.”S1j- “I like reading so I can learn.”
S4- “I like reading cause it's my favourite.”

What makes learning hard/ easy at school?
S1- “People block. (Hard)”
S2- “I like writing the ABC.”
S3- “Maths and learning.”
S4- “Writing on ABC card.”
S1- “Word work games so I can learn my words.”

What makes learning hard/ easy at home?

S2- “I practice my word, I practice my sounds on my iPad.”
S4- “I write on my iPad.”
S3- “I use my letter card at home.”
S1- “I read my book.”

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

S2- “No I want to practice my language at home, I have to learn it from my mum. It is hard to write in Tongan. I would like to talk more in Tongan at school.”
S1-"No because people are Maori. People keep saying Maori to me.”
S3- “I speak Samoan with my friends.”

What do you want your teachers to know about you and how you learn best?
S2- “Tell my teacher about at writing, about pirates”
S4- “I like maths, soccer, cooking.”
S3- "Bikes”
S1- "I like to cut coconuts.”

First Thoughts After Listening To Student Voice

All the students say they help each other with their learning. They mentioned ‘See 3 before me’ which is a management strategy I use while taking guided reading groups. This could mean that they feel unable to ask the teacher for help which means I need to ensure there are opportunities for students to approach me for the help they need, or it could also mean that getting help from their peers helps them with their learning. If the later is the case ensuring that there is always opportunities for students to work together and talk about their learning is important. Also to me, Tuakana Teina and creating opportunities for students to learn from and with their peers within a shared learning space is important.

Students are aware of classroom resources that help them with their learning e.g. word cards, word work games.

I thought it was interesting that mat time was mentioned as a time when you sit and listen. Put your hand up if you know the answer and that people talk and the teacher picks people that are listening. How could mat time become a powerful opportunity for open conversations to take place? What culture needs to be built so ‘teacher talks and asks questions and students listen and answer with a hand up’ is replaced with student talk in abundance.

It is easy to assume that students do most of their learning at school, however, I was surprised by the clarity in which the students could talk about the learning they did at home and how this learning happens. All the students talked about how they learn literacy at home. This instantly made me consider the powerful influence strong home/school partnerships could have on student learning and the amazing possibilities that could happen if we share more openly with whanau, share resources and work together.