Week 5 Term 2 - Teacher Practice: Inquiry 2023: Reading Groups + Tailored Writing Activities (May 22 - May 26)

Over the first three weeks of Term 2, I have made some progress with my inquiry for 2023. My inquiry focus for this year 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. I have written two reflection posts on this so far  - defining what my inquiry is for the year (see Alby's Blog Post Entry - 02/04/23) and what I have done so far (see Alby's Blog Post Entry - 06/05/23). I have really enjoyed the journey so far and I am encouraged by the student's positive response and efforts. Here is my reflection on what we covered in Week 3 and Week 4 of Term 2. 

READING GROUPS: 

In the first three weeks of Term 2, my focus class (Year 9 - 9TKl) have been put into their reading groups according to their Term 1 PAT Reading data results. There are four groups which have been identified as a color (for now, eventually I would like to rebrand/name the group to something that is more localized and relevant). We have the: 

• Green and Grey groups (Level 1, Level 2 and lower end of Level 3 stanine reading group)
• Pink group (Level 4 stanine reading group)
• Yellow group (higher end of Level 4 and Level 5 stanine reading group)

Grey Group working Dear Ex Dad reading log/questions

Green group working on their reading logs

The students have responded well to the reading groups and they have started to feel comfortable and settled in the new grouping system. We have covered the following texts in class so far this term. 

• P.O.W (Alicia Keys)
• Sometime I Cry (Tupac Shakur)
• Dear Ex Dad (Jillian Sullivan)

For each reading, we have read the texts together as a class and we have had a whole class discussion around the text. The students have also discussed certain aspects of the text in their groups and they have fed back to the class in a wider class discussion. At first, the students were shy to share to each other in their groups because they were not used to each other. However, once we started the discussion for our first text (P.O.W) the students were comfortable to share when we moved onto our next two texts (Sometimes I Cry + the short story, Dear Ex Dad). 

Yellow group completing their questions

Pink group peer checking/editing each other's reading logs

The small group discussions were awesome as they were able to share freely in a smaller group setting and they were able to bounce ideas off each other. The Green and Grey group's discussions were facilitated and supported by myself and our teacher aide Mrs Jenson-Jones. Also, with the reading of the texts, students had turns to read the text to the class and also amongst their groups. 

TAILORED WRITING ACTIVITIES: 

In week 3 and 4, I started to differentiate the writing and reading comprehension tasks for the four groups. For our third text, Dear Ex Dad, we read the text together as a class (we did 2 rounds of reading of the text) and then we discussed the text in small groups and in as a whole class. From here I gave the four groups different sets of questions to answer. All questions were designed for each group based on their comprehension skills. 

Group questions for Dear Ex Dad

The Green and Grey group had the same set of 5 questions which took them just over three periods to complete. The Pink group had 7 questions to complete and the Yellow group had 7 questions to complete which took them both two periods to finish. This activity was good as the students were able to work together in their groups, discuss the questions, craft their answers together - deep diving into the texts. The differentiated questions were good in that they were able to specifically hone in on that specific area in their groups and they were able to talk about it amongst each other. 

The students then had to complete a reading log. They had to choose ONE of the texts that we have covered so far and write a reading log for that text. The reading is broken up into three phases (essentially three paragraphs). Like the reading comprehension questions, I designed a specific reading log template for each group. Each template had similarties for phase one and phase two. However the third phase (paragraph 3) was different for each group. 

Green + Grey group Reading Log Template

Pink group Reading Log Template 

Yellow group Reading Log Template 

The students responded really well to this activity. With most of them completing their first draft of the reading log in one session. Students in the Green and Grey groups responded well, as they had spent time unpacking the texts and they were able to transition confidently into the reading log where they had to talk about the text. The students will use the first two sessions in Week 5 to complete their final draft of their reading log. The students have chosen either P.O.W or Dear Ex Dad as their chosen text for their reading logs. 

I am encouraged by how well they have responded to the group set up and also to the texts. They have done extremely well so far and I am looking forward to the next part of our learning journey. I think if anything, building a safe and positive culture around literacy is a priority for me. 

Next steps: 

• The students will read their final text for this unit in Week 5 - A short story (NZ Writer)
• They will go their another set of group questions
• We learn about the conventions of how to craft a text
• The assessment task: Creative Writing
• The students will write their own short text + complete their final draft on the app Book Creator 

Week 4 Term 2 - Totara House: Understanding our House Values (May 15 - May 19)

Nothing is more important when building a structure than a strong foundation. Poor foundations make for unstable buildings 

Year 12 Totara House students leading assembly Term 1 2023

Creating a healthy and safe culture in the classroom is something that takes time and that requires preparation and good intent. Creating a healthy, safe and nurturing culture across year levels - in a House system - requires not only preparation, good intentions but also vision and direction. Since the beginning of the full House system was introduced in 2021, Totara House have come up with their own set of values. The purpose of this is to give our students and house overall, a sense of identity and purpose. I wrote a reflection on how the students came up with our House for 2023 (see Alby's Blog Post Entry - 27/03/23). 

Totara House Values 2023

The values for 2023 are 'Integrity, Leadership and Gratitude' supported by the House quote created by the House leaders - which encompasses the values - Together we will lead, show no greed, do what is right, Totara Unite. Since then, we have used the end of Term 1 and the first 3 weeks of Term 2, to talk about the values and what it means to us. Over the last 4 weeks, we have explored each value and what it means and how it applies it us. I wanted to use this time to go through each value and what can look for our house and more importantly, what it can look for the students individually. 

I believe that it was good for the students to understand the values and to see what it means for them as a collective. At our most recent assembly, the some of our Year 10 students shared what the values meant to them. The questions that the student's were given to help them for their presentation on our House Values were: 

• What does the (value) mean to you?
• What does the (value) look for Totara House?

The purpose of getting the students to do this was to get them to share their understanding of the values and how they want the House to understand or action the value. The students respond well and listen well when they are lead by their peers. 

Y10 - Omid Hessari - presenting on Integrity

Y10 - Benjamin Kava - presenting on Leadership

Y10 - Papiloti Pita - presenting on Gratitude

Some highlights from the sharing was "Leadership to me means to maturely contributing to anything to help out and also doing things your own way" (Benjamin Kava), "Integrity for Totara House means that we should try and be honest in everything that we do, even if we do the wrong thing, be honest about it and take responsibility for it" (Omid Hessari) and "Gratitude is for Totara House is doing things with a grateful heart" (Papiloti Pita). This was an awesome opportunity for the students to reflect and lead. Leadership is a value that we have being exploring this term, with our Year 10 students leading assembly to our Year 12 students preparing the House for Samoan Language (week 6) - we are excited to venture out and delve into what these values look like for our whanau group. 

Week 3 Term 2 - Teacher Practice: Inquiry 2023: The journey so far... (May 08 - May 12)

 At the end of Term 1, I finalized my teacher inquiry goal for 2023. I wrote a reflection on this (see Alby Blog post entry - 02/04/23) My inquiry goal for this year is to How I can help improve reading and writing engagement with my Year 9 students through creating mixed ability groups within my Year 9 class. In this post, I am going to share on what I have done so far this term with my inquiry goal. 

READING GROUPS

My plan for Term 2, was start with grouping my Year 9 students into their reading ability groups. My focus class is my Year 9 English class (9TKl). I have gone through the PAT Reading data for Term 1 and I have had look at the reading levels across the class. I have organized my students into 4 reading ability groups. The 4 groups are based on the reading levels from the class (Level 2, Level 3, Level 4 and Level 5). I have allocated a color to each group (green - Level 2/3 group, grey - Level 2/3 group, pink - Level 4 group, yellow - Level 4/5 group) 

Inquiry focus class: 9TKl - 4 reading groups

I spoke to my students about the groups and why I have placed them into their respective groups. I wanted to make it clear that this approach is to help them work in their individualized ability group and to encourage collaboration and safe discussion around the learning and texts that we we will cover this term. The student's response to the groups has been positive, we also have our awesome Teacher Aide - Mrs Jenson-Jones, working with us this term (in particular with the green and grey groups). 

TEXT FOCUS + ASSESSMENT FOR 9TKL - TERM 2

This term, our focus is a short text study where we will look at different short texts - poetry, short written texts, short films. The theme that we will look at is 'Our Voices' - looking at how writers and creatives use their voice to express their opinion in their respective art form (performance, written and oral). The hope with this thematic study is that will give the students across all reading levels the opportunity to explore different types of texts and to learn how to identify the writer or creator's voice - identifying what language features they have used. The hope is that the students can use the same language features when they craft their text. Ultimately, I want to expose different types of texts to all the reading groups and give the students the opportunity to study them in their groups. 

Some of the short texts that 9TKL will cover this term. 

The focus CAT (Common Assessment Task) for this term is Creative Writing. The students will craft a text (creative writing) - a short story - producing a short text online book via the app Book Creator. 

We have started to look at the poem and spoken word performance of 'P.O.W - Prisoner of Words' by Alicia Keys. The students have spent time watching the performance (as a class), we have read the text together and they have started to look at the following features of the poem:

Pronouns - identifying what the pronouns are, where are the pronouns in the poem and what is the impact of using them in this poem?

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

• For our first text study of P.O.W - The students will then choose ONE stanza/verse from the poem and write their own version of the verse. They will write it individually, share it amongst their group (feedback session) and then create a poster for their verse via the app CANVA. 
• For our next short text 'Sometimes I cry' Tupac Shakur - I want to read the text as a whole class and then provide different 3 level guide questions for each group (according to their ability). I will get the students feedback to their groups about the text. 
• For text 3 I will mix the groups up. The purpose of this is to encourage collaboration and learning across reading levels. 

Week 2 Term 2 - English Department: TOD: Planning for NCEA Level 1 English 2024 (May 1 - May 2)

Preparing for the new changes to NCEA and the curriculum refresh is a focus for the English Department. For our most recent TOD, we used this time to focus on the changes to NCEA Level 1 English program and to continue our discussion around the new achievement standards. We spent time revisiting the new achievement standards that we covered in 2022 and also explore the new external assessments that are on offer. We were able to do this as well as flesh out a draft plan for our new NCEA Level 1 English program 2024. Change can be challenging thing if one is not prepared, so using this time to prepare for next year and to discuss what we want to do with the new program was exciting for all of us. I am going to reflect on how what we covered and what our next steps are. 

English Department TOD May 1 2023

Our journey so far (NCEA Changes 2024)

We started our journey towards the NCEA refresh in 2022. Over the course of two TOD (Term 2 and Term 4) we looked at the two out of new achievement standards. I reflected on this last year (see Alby Blog Entry - 08/24/22 & Alby Blog Entry - 13/11/22). During this time we were able to unpack two achievement standards (internal assessments) - 1.1/1.2. As a department, we spent each session going through both assessments and unpacking it focusing on five areas which we have documented and kept on file as we are starting to create new resources and unit plans for the achievement standards. The five areas that we focused on and explored were: 

What is the assessment?

Key words and concepts from the assessment

Opportunities

Potential barriers

Next steps

Focusing on each area allowed us to understand the assessment more. We were able to flesh out what the assessment and look at the opportunities namely connecting what we are currently doing to see if it fits under the new umbrella of assessments. We spent some time to revisit the two internal assessments that we covered in August 2022 and November 2022, to see what we have done and what our next steps are. It is important to reflect and look back on what you have done, especially when you are preparing for change, to appreciate the journey. Here is a summary of what we have covered for both new achievement standards - 1.1 and 1.2. 

1.1: Demonstrate understanding of how context shapes verbal language use (5 Credits)

Texts:

• Extended Text Study: Of Mice + Men (John Steinbeck)
• Local iwi stories

Assessment:

• Formal Writing: Response to text essay, Text review
• Create a visual text: Slideshow presentation on the text
• Speech: Oral presentation that coincides with the slideshow

Other:

• Genre study - look at texts that fall into the same genre as Of Mice + Men (connect to assessments above) 
• Reality context - look at other texts relevant to student experiences (cultural) and connect to the assessments above

1.2: Create a verbal and visual personal response to an independently studied text (5 Credits)

Texts:

• Visual Text Study: Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton)

Assessment:

• Formal Writing: Response to text essay, Text review
• Create a visual text: Slideshow presentation on the text

Personal Responses

• Creative Writing + Create a Visual Text: Write a sequel to the text etc (creative writing) and use book creator to make an actual book to accompany (create a visual text)

Other:

• Teacher to teach 4 texts
• Students to choose ONE that they want to study
• Students to complete an assessment (multi model)

Unpacking the new external assessments: 1.3 and 1.4

The English Department spent Week 1 Term 2 unpacking the new external assessments (1.3 and 1.4). We used to TOD to feedback about the external assessments. Much like what we covered last year, the department looked at the same five areas when unpacking the assessment - 

• What is the assessment? 
• Key words and concepts from the assessment
• Opportunities
• Potential barriers
• Next steps

The department were broken up into two groups - each group looking at the new achievement standards (1.3 and 1.4). I will provide a summary of what each group shared for the new external assessments. 

1.3: Mr Spruyt, Mrs Williams + Mr Hoosein

This is an external assessment worth 5 credits. The assessment will run in Term 3 assessment. We are encouraged to use Term 1 + Term 2 to prepare the students for the external (use 1.1 to help prepare the students) 

Assessment:

• Writing Portfolio - Write two essays - response to two texts (studied texts, articles, speech poetry, etc) based on two prompts
• Teacher gets the prompts @ the beginning of Term 3. Offer prompts to students and they work on it during T3 
• Students work on the assessment for 8 weeks and submit their final two pieces (350-500 words) in week 9

1.4: Ms Latu, Ms Kolo, Mrs Harde + Mrs Ahmed

This is an external assessment worth 5 credits. The assessment will take place in Term 4. 

Assessment: 

Integration of two externals - unfamiliar text - 1+ 2 sections AND Studied written/visual text essay - x1 Essay
2 hours to sit two sections (under exam conditions online) tagged for literacy
The assessment will take place in Term 4. This assessment echoes the current external assessment that we currently do.

This was a great session as each member of the department shared their understanding of the assessment and what it can look like for us. 

Planning our NCEA Level 1 English Program 2024 (first draft)

Once we revisited the internal assessments and shared information on the external assessments, we started to plan our first draft for our NCEA Level 1 English program 2024. We reviewed the four new achievement standards and had a look at what we covered so far. 

Summary of the new achievement standards

From here we discussed and planned for 2024 with the new achievement standards. We discussed where each standard should be placed, what text we want to study and what approach we will do in terms of the assessment with our akonga. 

Draft Schedule for NCEA Level 1 English 2024

This was a great session as we were able to collaborate and plan our year for our NCEA Level 1 akonga. We were had a good discussion around the texts that we want to cover. Initially I wanted to use the same texts as we already have the units in place. However, it was clear in our discussion that the new achievement standards needed new texts that not only supported the assessment but more importantly aligned with our akonga and community. 

Next Steps: 

• We are going to look for appropriate written texts for 1.1. There was a discussion around changing the text focus (we are currently using John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men'). Our homework over this term is to find a text or texts (collection of short texts) to use for 1.1. We are going to read through The Platform: The Radical Legacy of the Polynesian Panthers - Melani Anae and see if this the right text for 1.1.
• Our next lot of homework (next step) is to watch the film Muru. We will discuss the film @ our next department meeting (Week 4) to see if this film is suitable for 1.2. 
• We want more time to plan our units for each new achievement standard and specifically for each text. We have requested for time to do this during Term 2. We want to refine our plan so that we can lock in the final details at our next TOD (slated for Term 4). 
• The new literacy requirements are around the corner as well. We are going to do a pilot of the new literacy standard with a select group of Year 10 students in Term 4. We would like to use the time during our hybrid learning day (Monday) to work with this group and prepare them for the literacy standard. We have selected students who are at the top end of Asttle Writing Level 4 (4P - 4A) and lower end of Asttle Writing Level 5 (5B). 

Week 1 Term 2 - English Department: Term 1 Review + Plan for Term 2 (April 24 - April 28)

Term 1 was a busy, full on, challenging and rewarding time for the English Department. I would firstly like to thank the team for their work, commitment, support and awhi that they have shown to our akonga in Term 1. The work and time that you have invested into your akonga and into your teaching has set the tone for 2023. I am very grateful and humbled to work alongside you, thank you!

Term 1 was another full term. With the implementation of Hybrid Learning on Mondays, we knew that we had a short window to get through the learning program with our Year 10, 11, 12 and 13 English students. We enjoyed our Staff PLD sessions on Monday, we particularly enjoyed our time with Dr Rae Si’ilata and listening to our COL teachers. We were not able to meet as regularly as we would have liked but managed to find time during Hybrid Learning on Monday, to meet and check in with each other. I would like to acknowledge Ms Anahina Latu for her leadership this term especially when I was away, she stepped in and took care of the department. I would also like to acknowledge Ms Amber George, Mr Marc Milford, Ms Vivienne Jenson-Jones and Dr Jannie for their work and support for the English Department this term.

This term we were able to achieve the following things:

1) Complete our teacher inquiry, goal setting and plan for our Professional Growth Cycle - it is always exciting to see what each department member’s inquiry is going to be for the year. I am excited to journey with the team through their individual inquiries and goals for 2023.

2) Establish + implement our Junior and Senior English Program - We have collaborated and agreed on a program for both our Junior and Senior English students. We have implemented the program and so far so good. We have also implemented our plan for our Term 2 which we will put into gear after the school holidays.

3) Asttle Writing + PAT Reading Junior English - We completed our Asttle Writing and PAT Reading tests with our students. There are a few students who did not complete the Asttle Writing, we are hoping to see that number decrease with follow up/catch up sessions with Mr Milford.

4) Close Viewing Assessment (NCEA Level 1, 2 + 3 English) - We are almost at the end of completing our first internal assessment with our Level 1, 2 and 3 students. We have a few students across our senior school cohort who have completed the assessment successfully.

5) External Moderation 2022 - We were really pleased with the results from the external moderation for our assessments (91478 - Connections - Level 3 + 91480 - Close Viewing - Level 3). Our external moderation was successful and this highlights to us that our marking, critique and moderation process is on par nationally. Well done team!

We will now review our Term 1 Junior and Senior English program.

JUNIOR ENGLISH TERM 1 REVIEW: 

Term 1 Junior English Program

Our focus for Year 9 and Year 10 English was extended text. We spent the term going through our first text study for 2023. Some of the texts that were covered this term were:

• Roald Dahl’s - Boy (Year 9 English)
• Andy Mulligan’s - Trash (Year 10 English)

Following the novel study, our students worked on our CAT (Common Assessment Task) Formal Writing. The formal writing tasks varied - from response to text type essays to text review essays. The students were engaged with the formal writing CAT and we are pleased with the results. We are hoping to close the loop with students who were not able to complete it during the first week of Term 2.

Below are some examples of the formal writing from our akonga. Their understanding of the text and their opinion on how they felt about the text are things that we really appreciate in their writing.

Student exemplar 1 - Formal Writing Tamaki College Term 1 

Student exemplar 2 - Formal Writing Tamaki College Term 1

SENIOR ENGLISH TERM 1 REVIEW: 

Senior English Program Term 1

Our focus for Term 1 for our NCEA Level 1, 2 and 3 students was the visual text study accompanied by the Close Viewing Assessment. For our NCEA Level 1 students, the visual text study we focused on was Tim Burton’s ‘Edward Scissorhands’, NCEA Level 2 the visual text we studied was James Napier Robertson ‘The Dark Horse’ and for our NCEA Level 3 student’s we looked at Ron Howard’s ‘A Beautiful Mind’. 

The focus assessment for our Level 1, 2 and 3 students for Term 1 was Close Viewing. We knew that we had a short time frame to get through the assessment especially with Hybrid Learning impacting our face to face time with our students. We found the Wednesday timetable (7 periods) useful for us and our Year 11 students as we see them three times on a Wednesday. We made sure to maximize our time with our Year 11 students on Wednesdays. 

Given the interruptions to Term 1 and all the demands that our Year 11, 12 and 13 students have with extra curricular activities (school closure due to the flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle, Polyfest etc) we knew that we had to change the goal post for our internal assessments. We set out for Week 10 to close the loop on our internal assessments. We have now agreed on moving the deadline to the end of Week 1 Term 2, to give our senior students time during the holidays to complete their assessments. S

• NCEA Level 1 Close Viewing Results - 24 completed/passed as of April 6 2023.
• NCEA Level 2 Close Viewing Results - 27 completed/passed as of April 6 2023.
• NCEA Level 3 Close Viewing Results - 3 completed/passed as of April 6 2023.

We are aware that this term had its fair share of interruptions. We are aware of the gap that these interruptions have created and we know what we need to do to plug that gap. We have moved our goal post to the end of Week 1 Term 2 - for our students to complete their term 1 assessment. We are hopeful that the extra time during the holidays will give our students the best opportunity to complete their assessments.

Student exemplar 1 - NCEA Level 1 English Close Viewing Term 1

Student exemplar 2 - NCEA Level 3 English Close Viewing Term 2

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT GOALS TERM 2

As a department, we like to discuss what our priorities and goals are. Sometimes our priorities change as we journey through the term but we try to stick to our goals as best as we can.

Below are some of the goals that we would like to work towards in Term 2.

Literacy Strategies - We spent a significant amount of time throughout 2022 working on delivering effective literacy strategies to our Year 9 and Year 10 students. We hope to continue this partnership with Dr Jannie and Mr Milford, hopefully venture out on our own and share what we have learned to our junior students.

Unpacking new Literacy Standards/NCEA changes - We have started to unpack the new NCEA Level 1 internal assessments. We hope to continue looking at the new literacy standards and hopefully do a trial run with our Year 10 students this year. I would like to see us unpack and start planning 2024 for our NCEA Level 1 program as the changes will impact our Level 1 English program. The hope is to start this journey when we have our TOD in Week 2.

The outline of our TOD for Wk2 T2. 

Closing the gap with internal assessments - We have made a good start with our senior akonga. We want to continue to get our students over the line with their internal assessments. We know that a lot of our content needs to be driven this term and we are hopeful that we will be able to get our students through their internal assessments.    

We know that our goals will change as we go throughout the term. For now, our focus is to develop and implement our literacy strategies for our Year 9 and Year 10 students. We also want to continue in developing our plan for the new NCEA Level 1 changes which will be fully implemented next year. 

JUNIOR + SENIOR ENGLISH PROGRAM TERM 2: 

The Junior English Program for Term 2 is centered around a short text study (short stories, poems, songs, sonnets). The common assessment task that will accompany the short text study is creative writing and create a visual text. We also have our mid year junior exams that will take place at the end of the term. 

Junior English Program Term 2

The Senior English program for Term 2 is centered around the extended text study. We will reading the text from Week 2 - Week 5 across our Level 1 - Level 3 classes. The assessments associated to the extended text study are our major written assessments (Creative Writing, Formal Writing, Connections Report and Reading Responses). We want to ensure that our students complete the extended text study and assessments by the end of Week 10. 

Senior English Program Term 2

Week 10 Term 1 - Teacher Practice: Inquiry for 2023 (April 3 - April 6)

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 

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. 

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. 

STAR Reading Reflection (from Mrs Suipi-Latu)

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! 

Week 9 Term 1 - Totara House: Refining + Defining our House Values for 2023 (March 27 - March 31)

Since 2021, Totara House have always been driven by their own set of values. The reason for this is to give the student's agency, a sense of purpose and identity in being a part of Totara House. I wanted the students to feel like they are part of something and it is something that they can see themselves in. In 2021 our House values were Teamwork, Confidence + Unity. 2022 our values were Family, Respect and Resilience. I believe that student voice, buy in and agency helps to create a culture that is positive, empowering and mana enhancing. In the context of the House system, I believe that this approach helps to build this very culture and it helps to give the students a sense of identity and vision. 

Totara House @ COS 2023 (Term 1)

As stated in a blog from 'A Principal's Reflection' "Student agency is about empowering kids to own their learning (and school) through greater autonomy. It is driven by choice, voice, and advocacy." The whole idea around the House values and how we (as Totara House) define what our values are is centered in student agency. I understand the power that student voice has in shaping culture in the classroom and I know this has a positive impact in how I want to shape the House I look after. 

Totara House Assembly Term 1

Student feedback (face to face) has been the approach that we have taken in Totara House. The same approach that the student leadership team took in 2021 is the same approach that the student leadership team has taken in 2023. During Term 1, the House leadership team (Anika, Christian, Mario, Alo, Kosini and Danny) visited the 6 classes in our House (9TKl, 10TGu, 10TNi, 11TPt, 12TKh + 12TTt) during Week 4 and Week 5. The leadership spent time in each house during the morning mentoring session and asked them "What do you want Totara House to represent?" This is the same question that we have used in 2021 and 2022.  

Totara House Student Feedback 2023

The leadership used the time during the mentoring session to talk to the students about what they want Totara House to represent and this was also an opportunity for the leadership team to introduce themselves and get familiar with their House. This time is important for the leadership team and the students as it is a chance for them talk about what their vision, hope and goals are for the House. It gives them a sense of responsibility, accountability and belonging to the House. 

Some of the Totara House Leadership Team leading chant practice

From here the leadership team and I met and spoke about the feedback. We went through the feedback and looked for the common values across each House. Across our Year 9 to Year 12 classes, the values that were a common thread across the classes were gratitude, integrity and leadership. The leadership decided to create a quote that encompassed the meaning of all three values. The team decided to share the three values and the quote at our most recent House Assembly - to show the students what they did with their feedback and to bless their new goal and values for 2023. 

Totara House Values 2023

Our goal from here is to focus on the values through our House Assemblies, mentoring sessions and house activities. I look forward to reflecting and documenting how this goes our Totara House whanau. For the end of Term 1, we will be focusing on the value of Gratitude and hopefully we will use the rest of the year to explore our other values. As we have done over the last two years, our house values become our reference point and pillar that we lean into. It helps to give all involved - our mentors, students, leaders - a focal point to work towards. I am excited to see how we use and express our House values for 2023.