Digital Fluency Intensive Session #5

The DFI session #5 started off with Dorothy talking about visible learning. An important message I got from this is that learning for students should be "Accessible, Available and Advance students" A reminder that our teaching, our sites and everything students learn and do should be visible.

Learning about making a new Google site was very useful. Thanks Clarelle. I am going to try my hand at creating a school site.
Using new Google sites to create actually looks way easier than the classic Google sites creator that I am used to.

Finding multimodal texts around a topic for students, and making a unit plan of teaching was a learning experience worth spending time on.

Engagement starts with the teacher. Multimodal engagement is the way to go. We want our children to be active, future focused learners (NZC).

Some important links I will share with my colleagues:

Visible

Multimodal 

some multimodal learning Sites

Google Sites

A very productive session in which I learned a lot. Thanks Gerhard, Dorothy and Clarelle.



My Gardening site

Digital Fluency Session #4 My reflection

Digital Fluency Intensive Session #3 Reflection

My Pepeha

Digital Fluency Intensive Session #2

Our group's video of the hangout we were involved in. 

Hangouts #1.mov

2019 Digital Fluency Intensive PLD session 1

Teaching as Inquiry 2018 - Last presentation to staff

• My Inquiry questions:

With target group from Rm 7

‘Will teaching students strategies to craft their sentences in their writing, improve the quality
of their writing and their achievement level?’

With target group from Rm 10

‘Will reading and writing links provide students the awareness of how to craft sentences
to improve their own writing as authors do?’

Changes I’ve made to my practice:

• Linking reading and writing
• I now make sure students are aware of the audience for who they are writing and the purpose for their writing.
• I discourage students from writing every detail, rather encourage students to hone in on a few ideas for elaboration.
• I ask students to point out which language features they used in their writing e.g. using noun phrases, adjectives, adverbs, compound and complex sentences, complex Interruptors, zig-zag sentences etc
• This makes the students more aware of how they craft their sentences
• I have encouraged students to give peer feedback to each other and respond to peer and teacher feedback / feedforward
• Invited a first time author to come in and explain the process he used to write, edit, proof read and publish his story
• Got the target group to review the first time author’s book and provide feedback and ideas for his next book (The author finished his second book and has requested the group to review it)

• Impact of changes either positive or negative and your thoughts on reasons

Assessment data

- Teacher OTJ at the Beginning and End of the year (Rm 7)

Student	Year Level	Beginning of 2018	End of 2018	Impact of changes
Student 1 An	7	4B	4A	Moved up 2 sub levels
Student 2 Da	8	4B	5B	Moved up 3 sub levels
Student 3 De	8	4B	5B	Moved up 3 sub levels
Student 4 Lo	8	3A	4A	Moved up 3 sub levels
Student 5 Ma	7	3A	4P	Moved up 2 sub levels
Student 6 Te	8	4B	5B	Moved up 3 sub levels
Student 7 Tr	8	3P	4A	Moved up 4 sub levels

- Teacher OTJ Mid year and End of the year (Rm 10)

Student	Year Level	Mid year 2018	End of 2018	Impact of changes
Student 1 Ana	6	3A	4B	Moved up 1 sub level
Student 2 Can	7	3B	3A	Moved up 2 sub levels
Student 3 Fran	7	3B	3A	Moved up 2 sub levels
Student 4 Jus	6	2P	3P	Moved up 3 sub levels
Student 5 Nga	6	3B	3A	Moved up 2 sub levels
Student 6 Ty	7	-	3A	Improved

The TAI is still on with the target group in Room 10. The writing of these students has improved
and they do have an idea as to how to craft sentences. The number of sessions this group has
had with me is far less compared with the target group I taught in Room 7

- Student Voice

- Anita

- Davarni

- Dekorah

- Loto

- Maya

- Telesia

• Ideas for inquiry next year:

Work with groups of students from years ⅚ and years ⅞

Continue to inquire into

• Whether linking reading and writing will improve achievement in both reading and writing
• Responding to peer and teacher feedback / feedforward - will this improve the quality of writing and achievement levels?

I enjoyed inquiring into my practice in teaching writing. I am eager to continue working with students and accelerating their progress. 

This term the students in the group are writing recounts and explanations to revise the genre structure and language features, how to craft sentences for effect, grouping ideas in paragraphs, linking paragraphs appropriately using AAAWWUBBIS, writing compound sentences using FANBOYS, using zig zag sentences and complex interruptors in their writing. This is to jog their memories after the holidays and also as a preparation for e-asttle writing assessment.

3 students are writing a recount of an event they participated in and are proud of themselves.
3 students are writing an explanation about why we need to be sun smart.

Can't wait to see if these students will write interesting recounts and explanations using the knowledge of how to craft their writing.