Week 4 Term 1 - Literacy Project 2022: Department Self-Review (Feb 21 - 25)

SELF REVIEW: Self-review is the method of self-evaluation. It is a procedure to observe, analyze and calculate the worth of efforts contributed by an individual by the self. To self-evaluate means that people explore and evaluate their own professional work. When an employee or an individual self evaluates, it helps him/her to become more aware of his performance and helps in exploring new ideas to work efficiently. A self-evaluation is a great opportunity for employees to honestly and objectively consider and document their performance.

Self review is such an important part of teaching. As teachers, we are encourage to reflect on our current practice in the hope that we can identify good practice and also see where the gaps are. Scrutinizing our practice can meaningful if we see these 'gaps' as an opportunity to improve. I have started to introduce the Literacy Project 2022 to the English Department before we roll it out to the rest of the learning areas and the first point that we are focusing on is the Department Self-Review for Literacy. As a Department, we understand that Literacy is one of the core pillars in our subject area, so discussing and reflecting on how we practice literacy and what our next steps are is crucial. The English Department started the Self-Review for Literacy in Week 3 (focusing on what our current practice for literacy looks like) specifically for data use and management, kaiako pedagogy and akonga action plan. Here is a excerpt from our department discussion around our current practice with literacy. 

Where are we at with Literacy in the English Department?

What do we currently do with Data Use + Management?

• For now, I’ve had a look at my Year 9’s PAT results and it’s not where I want it to be, but it prescribes a starting point at least. Once all have sat the test, I’ll review it properly to help me target learning needs
• Individual learning pathways (using NCEA Kamar and customizing the plan for akonga)
• Using testing results to plan for classes, texts being used, seating plans
• Tracking Sheets have made life easier in terms of accessing data (adding data/assessments/work etc.
• We have PAT/Asttle Testing
• We have NCEA Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 English data but we cannot explore this data as the time frame around NCEA assessments does not allow for it (time poor)

What do we currently do with Kaiako (teacher) pedagogy for literacy?

• Understanding NCEA better and the upcoming changes, adjusting to NCEA being like it was prior to Covid-19
• We need time to understand the new literacy + numeracy changes. More time to plan and discuss within departments is a need.

What do we currently do with akonga action plan for literacy?

• Individual learning pathways (using NCEA Kamar and customizing the plan for akonga)
• Sitting together and discussing literacy and strategies
• My Year 13s and I have been having discussions about skills based learning, and it’s longevity and usefulness rather than focusing on the numbers count for Level 3. I don’t know how to quantify this lol but it’s a start.
• Departmental planning (on-going)
• Some individualized planning for students across each department

There is a mutual understanding that whilst there is good practice with literacy in our department, we know that we can do better. Individually we are doing great things with and for our akonga, we are unpacking the data and using it as a springboard for our teaching and planning. However we want to tighten how we focus and use data (PAT and Asttle in particular), have more time to plan and discuss literacy (also work with experts in literacy and we are totally open to more PLD - specific to literacy) and we would like guidance and direction on what akonga action plans for literacy looks like and how we can design our own. 

Now that we have discussed our current situation, let's look at possibilities and opportunities that we have with literacy!

What can we do better with Data Use + Management for Literacy?

• Make time to go through the data as a department and to unpack what it means for us and our planning.
• Make time to go through the data with our students so that they understand where they are at and what the next steps are for them.
• Understand the data, when sharing with students and/or families, we know what the data means and how to explain it in an easier way
• Unpack and understand
• Share results with students
• Look at areas that need developing
• Forward steps

 

What can we do better with Kaiako (teacher) pedagogy for literacy?

• Prioritize time as a department to discuss (in depth) our literacy practices and see what we are doing, learn from each other.
• PLD specific to Literacy.
• PLD on literacy, seeing how other schools especially D1 schools implement literacy in the classroom, observing peers within the Dept

 
What can we do better with Akonga (student) action plan for literacy

• This starts with unpacking and understanding the data. If we can do this, we can design an action plan fitting for our akonga - in the hope for a better outcome.
• Involve students with next steps
• Target learning needs
• Involve students in the process

What could you learn about your ākonga and their passions, strengths, and experiences that might help you to identify situations to explore through literacy? How could you learn about these?

• Find out what they enjoy - are they into anime? Using this as a text to get the students to engage.
• Year 9 survey - to feel befriended and to make a comment on certain things (what they like and do not like, what they find tough)
• Understand how they learn best e.g with Music, on their own, with their friends etc?
• We’ve got a lot of students that are multilingual - maybe some sort of translation exercise could be good for vocab/cultural concept literacy
• Metacognitive awareness - learning to learning and why, is a vital tool to engage learners. Learn to learn.
• They might want to incorporate the concept of Le Va (from a Samoan perspective) - looking at a text and bringing a cultural literacy perspective into it.
• Understand their strengths and motivate them to achieve success through it.
• Trans-language - it is about bringing your own cultural perspective as a lens at whatever is at hand. Cultural inclusion is relatively easy, if you open spaces that are frequent where they are given space to share, they see it through their lens of family and culture. It is so enriching for kids to think about where they think about their lens is
• For Juniors - it would look like peer sharing in the class. Look at the character - three angles - would you approve or disapprove of that character, is there anyone from your culture that relates to this character. Taking the focus of control out of the teacher's hand and giving it to the students.
• a prompt could be like ‘when you write adjectives to describe character, setting’ you could write any word you want but you have to explain it (it could be their own language)

The possibilities are exciting and refreshing. I sense from the department that there is a collective want and desire to do better for our akonga. To provide a service that will nurture and support our akonga's literacy needs and celebrate the literacy skills that they bring to our classrooms. "A self-evaluation is a great opportunity for employees to honestly and objectively consider and document their performance" - it can be confronting and challenge to discuss your truth. For our team, I believe that it has been confronting but meaningful. Meaningful in that we understand and appreciate where we are at in our literacy journey and we can see that there is an opportunity to grow and learn with our akonga.