Observing another educator

11.06.18

I have recently visited Paparore School and observed a Year 5 -6 teacher during literacy. I have since changed my literacy programme to best suit the needs of my students. My groups now consist of a Level 2 group, and two Level 3 groups. My goal is to scaffold and teach the students at the level they need to be at for their year. I differentiate the learning for each group, based on the learning needs of my students. For example, Level 2 reading: the goal for this group is focusing on vocabulary and summarising - a skill they have not mastered. I have two Level 3 reading groups, one group is highly scaffolded and focuses on vocabulary, making connections and summarising, while the other Level 3 group is focusing on inferring and evaluating. While I am using the same Level 3 text for both groups, the needs of the groups are different and therefore the teaching and learning differentiates.

As we are part of the Manaiakalani cluster, I have created a site for our class. The students are able to access previous learning via their devices and this minimises teacher dependency and increases student agency. Models are provided and students have access to some learning tools online. This has made for an increase in engagement in my classroom, particularly during literacy.