Definitely a day filled with lots of 'THINKING'. I am always so impressed with the people in my group and how quickly they complete the planning activities set throughout the day. I always need a bit more time to go over things and plan out exactly how I see it working in my class and with my students.
I will definitley be going back and looking into the resources that were shared today about 'higher order thinking'. Currently my students discussions in their reading groups are still very limited and at the literal level. I am looking forward to trying out my provocation (All zoos should be shut down) to try and encourage some higher order thinking and extended discussion.
I plan to use the hoax website 'The Tree Octopus' to show my students the importance of thinking critically about information. We have been creating our own animal fact files so this links in nicely. I will get my students to complete a small research task using the site and then reveal that it is fake. I am also going to share the image below with my students and see how they interpret it first without any input from me. I will then talk about the importance of going beyond the surface meanings and how important it is to always question things rather than just taking what is presented as a given.
'Teaching learners to read beyond the superficial, and below the surface level of meanings, is an issue of equity'
I am yet to introduce the 'initiator' and 'builder' roles to my reading groups so I need to make time to do this as I think it will really help with the quality of discussions in our groups and encourage more interpretative and evaluative thinking.
We have made a start on our word wall (synonyms for 'boring' words) which has the title 'looking for a better word?' We identified boring/overused words and in small groups they looked up synonyms. It is still a work in progress and we will continue to add to it as we identify other words that are overused or just a bit boring.
Kia ora Stacey
ReplyDeleteThank you for your many contributions to the breakout group discussions on Friday and particularly for your insightful reasoning during the provocation around Jump! Some of the questions you offered, ‘turned’ the course of the discussion in the direction of weighing up more than one perspective.
Taking your time to be thoughtful and measured in your approach to planned learning is the sign of a reflective and considered practitioner. Yes, some of your RPI colleagues may get onto things quicker, but as you say, you first reflect on how you “see it working in my class and with my students” which is evidence of your responsiveness.
It’s encouraging to hear that the hoax website examples align well with your current focus on creating animal fact files and that you plan to discuss these in relation to the deeper reading (iceberg) image. As you say, a provocation can offer learners an enticing opportunity to respond and contribute their reasoning about a value proposition.
I love your “looking for a better word” idea, particularly if you plan for interaction so that learners are contributing to the words and you are affirming their use!
All the best with your practice implementation and do touch base if you want to discuss anything further.
Nga mihi
Naomi R.
Literacy Facilitator - Manaialkalani Reading Practice Intensive
Kia ora Stace, I love going into your classroom and seeing all the new learning Te Wairere are doing. I loved how last week they were given a task to complete while I was in there, yet most of them wanted to complete their reseach and were very articulate when telling me about what they had been learning and why. This work relates nicely with our assessment for learning and collaborative learning. Keep up the great mahi.
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