What is my Teacher Inquiry for 2023?
Teacher inquiry goals are an important part of teacher practice. TKI states that "The purpose of teacher inquiry - It provides an opportunity to focus on identifying successful approaches for improving learning outcomes for all learners, in particular those that may be target students." Term 1 has been a busy term and I have not given myself time to really think about my teacher inquiry. Since things have started to slow down, I have had time to really think about what I want to look into for Teacher Inquiry for 2023. Typically my goal changes throughout the year but for this year I would like to stick to my inquiry. My teacher inquiry for 2023 is to see -
How I can help improve reading and writing engagement with my Year 9 students through creating mixed ability groups within my Year 9 class. There are two groups who I have in mind with my inquiry:
My Level 2-3 Reading Group (x6 students):
- V.F - L3
- H.L - L3
- A.F - L3
- J.R.V - L3
- N.M - L1
- O.P - L2
Maori students (x7 students):
- T.M - L3
- T.R - L2
- T.C - DNS
- M.D - L4
- K.P - L5
- K.T.O.M - L4
- M.C.N - L3
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| 9TKl in action during Hybrid Learning on Monday (Term 1) |
The purpose of this inquiry is to see what I can do in the classroom to help my akonga (specifically my Level 2 - 3 Reading Group + Maori Akonga Group) engage with writing and reading. 'Engage' is defined as 'to participate or become involved in'. In talking with my akonga - across the class in 9TKl - I have found that most of them only engage with reading and writing when they are in class because 'they have to' and because 'it is a requirement'. Furthermore, they do not see or understand the value in literacy particularly reading and writing. I hope that through my teacher inquiry I can help my akonga enjoy writing and reading and even more so, see themselves as capable and competent readers and writers. Strategies that I want to implement that will help support my teacher inquiry
Student Profiling (teacher directed)
Our COLS shared their teacher inquiry for 2023 at our Staff PLD in Week 9. A huge part of their inquiry was student/akonga profiling. We do this already in the English Department through our tracking sheet system. With my inquiry I hope to use the tracking sheet in a way that will help me understand my akonga well.
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| My tracking sheet for 9TKl |
For my Level 2 - 3 students and Maori group, I want to add columns in my tracking sheet that links to the student's own reflection on how they view reading + writing (in the form of an informal letter etc), links to their cultural connections (beyond nationality - what is their iwi, nu'u or kolo). This information will help my lens on who my students and understanding what they bring to the classroom.
Akonga Learner Profile (student directed)
TKI states 'A LEARNER PROFILE GIVES STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO: Learner profiles are created by the student, often with the support of those that know them best. Through creating a learner profile, students develop a deeper understanding of who they are as learners – reflecting on what motivates and challenges them when learning." I have used a few resources (shared from colleagues + ones that I have created) where I get my students (mainly Year 9 - Junior English) to reflect on their learning and what their goals are.
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| STAR Reading Reflection (from Mrs Suipi-Latu) |
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| Term Academic/Personal Reflection |
This has been helpful in that the students understand where their journey is and what they need to do to get to their next step. This is a heavily scaffolded activity and one where I get the students to reflect and write independently then we have a discussion (one on one discussion) to go through their learning journey and goals for the term. Going forward (with my inquiry in mind) I will revamp the reflection documents so that it is tailored to writing and reading specifically.
Reading + Writing Groups (teacher + student directed)
I started grouping my students into reading ability groups in 2021 and 2022. I did this because I found that the students felt comfortable discussing and reading in groups that were reflective of their reading ability and level. I am going to continue doing this with my focus class. I will group then according to their PAT Reading levels - the readings will be the same across all reading groups but the comprehension and response to text work will be tailored differently for each group. I saw the benefits of this last year with the student engagement increased during our reading intensive weeks.
I look forward to seeing how my teacher inquiry unfolds for 2023. I also look forward to posting about this!
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