CoL Meeting #2

This afternoon we were reminded by Russel that summative assessment and classroom observations alone do not give us access to good practise. This is something that can be shared by our COL teachers as they inquire into into own practise this year. It is this sharing that will help prevent our learners from continuing to fail. It is important to remember that teaching is an intervention, and it is our inquiries that will inform and shape the interventions we use to help move our learners beyond the level they will naturally develop to.

Update from Rebecca Jesson and Aaron Wilson (WFRC):

To carry out a robust inquiry we need to be able to articulate our theory of action and explain how each link in your proposed chain of events relates to the next. Any intervention you design will (consciously or not) be based on a causal chain you have in mind - this is your theory of action. A causal chain is when a cause leads to an effect and that effect becomes the cause of another effect (A leads to B... B leads to C... C leads to D).  The links and steps in a causal chain are based on unspoken assumptions when we theorise how one thing leads to another. It makes inquiry stronger and allows you to systematically test whether or not outcome was successful.

Articulating how and why what is proposed will test the theory is called theory testing. This is something researchers do on a regular basis. You need knowledge to know what to look at to formulate a causal chain and build your inquiry. Did what you do work and was it because of the reasons you thought or others? Talking about your thinking (theories) strengthens your knowledge of how effective it was. Identify measures that will give rich information about each link in your chain of events. Remember that critiques help us learn.

My next steps:

• Create my visual backward map 
• Capture changes in efficacy - (e-asTTle attitude responses)
• Measure shift against cluster writing - (e-asttle writing data)
• Capture how a connection to content words has changed student output 
• Capture changes in my teaching - What did I do? Reflect - change

Update from Jannie Van Hees:

Language is a stream of words. Where will you put the lens? Think about what is a major difference maker not a minor difference maker. Be explicit! It is important that the learners play their part. Teachers set conditions. when linked to effort students should be asking 'Am I digging deep enough or am I just doing the bare minimal?' It is important to learn from and with each other - notice and focus. Focus and notice... knowledge is everything - ‘wondering and asking opens up possibilities to know’

Context relevant - Language domains of learners need to be opened. Everyones brains start the same, the difference maker is how the knowledge is fed through and accessed - language in abundance.

• Talk... Read... Talk - use pics with vocabulary to do this (use visuals to make it real). 
• Repeat learning availability - repetition without boring.
• Use words on image then just image without words - encourage talk
• Image - where in the world are they… use clues… is it like NZ… how is it the same/different
• Gift learners the gaps of what they don't know - notice and focus…Eg: papuan dance - watch video - notice and focus what leader does - can you work out the dance pattern - T gifts point of focus sentences/vocabulary for children to build on
• Notice and talk…. Notice and focus… read the text to get the details
• Our students have limited vocabulary knowledge framework - we need to expand knowledge base and work in more grammatically complex structures

My takeaways:

• Ask my learners why is it important to be able to write?
• Pay explicit attention to vocabulary
• Gift my learners the gaps of what they don't know
• Introduce practise of focus and notice... notice and talk