The catalytic aspect of student learning my inquiry focused on this year was raising reading comprehension through expanding the vocabulary of students
I identified this as my focus when I noticed that only 20% of my class was reading at stanine 5, with not a single student achieving beyond that.
To build a rich picture of my students’ learning I used PAT reading and vocabulary data, lesson observations, running records and anecdotal notes.
The main patterns of student learning I identified in the profiling phase were that students had limited life experiences and therefore limited vocabulary.
The profiling of my own teaching showed that I had strengths in using ESOL strategies but that my students would likely make more progress if I developed my pedagogy in vocabulary acquisition and use.
The changes I made in my teaching included doing more whole-class texts. This made it more inclusive, easier to discuss as a class and to elicit prior knowledge and vocabulary. We used the chunking strategy together with deep-diving and transcripts accompanied by videos. Students were encouraged to read the text into screencastify with the chunks in place. This enhanced both meaning and fluency.
The literature/expertise that helped me decide what changes to make was Dr van Hees as she modeled deep-diving and chunking and did observations of my teaching, followed by feedback sessions. I also used the book by Dr van Hees and Dr Paul Nation, ‘What every primary should know about vocabulary’
The easiest and hardest things for me to change was to stop using vocabulary maps. It was easy because after speaking to Dr Jannie and getting feedback from students I realised they were of very little value. It was also the hardest thing to change as it was one of those activities that kept students occupied for long enough for me to work with another group without interruptions. This meant that I had to further inquire into my own practice to find truely engaging activities that had real educational value.
Overall I would rate the changes in student learning as extremely encouraging with 80% of my focus group making progress and 60% making accelerated progress.
The evidence for my rating is the end of year PAT scores. I now have to look closer at the learners in my target group and compare their progress to the norm, data from last year, and other comparative learners in school.
