My Final Inquiry Blog Post of the Year
As we wrap up the year, it’s a good time to reflect on the journey my learners and I have taken, especially within my literacy programme. This year’s inquiry pushed me to try something completely new, and it has genuinely reshaped the way my students discuss, think, and interact with texts.
Below are the key questions guiding my inquiry and what I discovered along the way.
What was my inquiry purpose or problem?
At the start of the year, I noticed something consistent across my reading groups:
🔹 My students weren’t engaging in discussions.
🔹 Their confidence was low.
🔹 And, most importantly, many didn’t feel they knew enough to contribute.
After looking closely at their Probe test results, it became clear that the biggest challenges were in Inference, Evaluation, and questions requiring prior knowledge. These areas demanded deeper thinking and richer discussions, exactly the areas where students were holding back.
From this, my inquiry question emerged:
“How might podcasting support the development of my learners’ ability to engage in extended, meaningful discussions about a text?”
What practice changes did I apply?
To tackle this challenge, I shifted my programme so that podcasting became the Create task in my reading rotations.
The goal was simple:
➡️ Students would have structured, meaningful discussions about the texts, even when they weren’t with me.
I introduced a 2-week / 1-week cycle:
📘 Two-week rotation
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Students read 3–4 different texts connected to a wider non-fiction topic.
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They completed follow-up tasks.
They had extended discussions with different provocations.
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They created a podcast episode discussing the texts — making predictions, sharing opinions, explaining ideas, and agreeing/disagreeing respectfully.
📘 One-week rotation
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A regular reading week.
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Vocabulary focus.
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Follow-up tasks.
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More direct teacher-led discussion practice.
Non-fiction topics worked best because they allowed us to go wide and deep, exactly what extended discussion thrives on. We also did this so learners wouldn't get bored of doing podcasts.
What measurable outcomes were there?
I began hearing extended, thoughtful discussions during reading rotations every day. Students were beginning to predict, evaluate, explain, and bounce ideas off one another. The confidence shift was noticeable, not only in their voices but in the quality of their thinking.
To support this further, I also created Gemini-style Probe practice tests, which we used as a class to break down questions together.
But the most powerful evidence came from tracking long-term student growth.
What might I take into next year?
This is just the beginning.
For 2026, we will:
✔️ Continue podcasting as part of our literacy programmes
✔️ Keep the 2-week/1-week rotation structure
✔️ And… introduce something new that we’ve been working on behind the scenes (dropping early next year 👀)
Watch this space!
BUT, The big question… Did it work?
To measure long-term impact, I tracked 12 students who have done extended discussions and podcasting in my literacy class for two years.
The results were huge.
Below is a clear summary of the progress each student made:
📊 Progress Over Two Years
| Progress Made (Years) | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| 1 year | 1 |
| 1.5 years | 1 |
| 2 years | 5 |
| 2.5 years | 2 |
| 3 years | 1 |
| 3.5 years | 2 |
| 4.5 years | 1 |
This means that 10 out of the 12 students made at least two years of progress, and several made significantly more.
Final Thoughts
Podcasting didn’t just help students talk more, it helped them think more deeply, make connections, and approach texts with confidence. It turned reading from a quiet, individual task into a shared, engaging, meaningful learning experience. The best thing of it all, IT IS SO MUCH FUN!!!!!
