RPI - Session 1 - Reading is core.

Wow what an amazing first day of learning.  Firstly want to say just how grateful I am to be a part of this programme.

What makes a good reader?

This was the first question given to us, I had written down; asking questions, critical thinking, comprehending a text, making predictions and having fluency whilst reading.  The image below is what we were shown after we had noted down the ideas we had.

This was really interesting and we were able to go into our smaller breakout groups and discuss these in further detail.  I'm finding that my learners aren't enjoying reading as much as they could be.  After reading about Robyn Andersen's inquiry about getting her learners to enjoy reading it has motivated me to try some of the outcomes she has had.  I have an intermediate class and think it would be a fantastic opportunity to buddy up with a junior class and go with them to the library so we can read them books about a range of genre and/or get the juniors to choose the books that will engage them.

Reading Across the Curriculum

This is a very important aspect that we were learning about today.  Richard Johnston (Panmure Bridge Principal) spoke in great detail about how reading is never going to be just in a 40 minute block eachday.  It's the core of everything.  It is used in every subject area and allows you to experience a wide range of genre.  Robert Wiseman (Team Leader) has implemented the Task Boards into our Reading, Writing and Maths programme which has really helped me with planning a range of genre each week and reading across the curriculum.

Pillars of Practise

I really enjoyed spending time discussing this aspect of Reading, I loved the idea of learning with the end in mind, it got me reflecting on my own progress and thinking about what I want my learners to know after each week, and be explicit with my learners about these WALTs and Success Criteria.  At the start of the year I did the 'Reader profile survey' with my learners and was really interested at the outcomes, these results will be shared in the above blog post.  Doing this survey really gave me a head start on knowing my learners.

Reflection

What did I learn that could be used with my learners? 

One thing that I was shown today, this another one of Robyn's gems, was the Reading Challenge's she does with her kids, these are simple to complete, and there is competition to go along with it.  I'm sure this will be a hit with my boys that can struggle in engaging in follow up tasks from time to time.  We want our learners to be confident in their ability to read.  When thinking back to task boards and engagement, I need to be choosing themes and texts that are going to engage my learners, making sure they are reading a range of genres each week. 

In my class I currently have 'Epic'(Online Book Library) as a reading rotation, my learners love this, however, this is something that I'm not tracking.  I think Robyn's book bingo will be great for my learners as they navigate through the different genres of texts.

Day 1 was incredible, the slide/image below sums up my journey so far.  Teaching reading really is like rocket science, it's such a hard thing to do, however, i'm sure after i've finished this course I will have a greater understanding about incorporating this into my teaching to give my students the accelerated progress they are capable of.