End of Term 3 Update

How's my target group going?

My target group is interesting, they didn’t test particularly well in the mid-year PROBE assessments, but despite that, they are showing great progress in other areas. They are developing confidence and skills in extended discussions and podcasting. Within this group, some are naturally talkative but need to deepen their ideas, while others are quieter and are learning to contribute more regularly.

What change/s have you made to your practice?
I’ve introduced podcasting as a tool to create authentic discussion opportunities. This has included giving students real-world models (like our Podlab visit), teaching discussion moves explicitly, and using Vosaic to reflect on my own questioning and facilitation. I’ve also shifted from teacher-led questioning to encouraging students to ask each other questions, creating more peer-to-peer dialogue. I've started looking into Ad-Lib podcasts, giving students a chance to have more authentic discussions.

Alongside this, I’ve implemented a weekly reading task where students are given a single text with 5–6 questions. These tasks are designed to strengthen inferencing skills and encourage connections to the wider world, helping learners prepare for richer class discussions and podcasts.

Some observations about progress

• Even though their mid-year PROBE results weren’t strong, students are showing clear progress in their ability to think critically, make connections, and express themselves in discussion.

• Students are showing growth not just in how much they talk, but in the quality of what they say — linking ideas, giving evidence, and building on others’ contributions.

• Students are producing great, engaging podcasts about a range of different topics.

• Quieter students are beginning to contribute more regularly when the purpose feels authentic (e.g., recording for a podcast).

• My Vosaic reflections showed improvement in my use of open-ended questions, though students still need more scaffolding in developing their own questioning.

• The weekly reading task is beginning to build a stronger foundation for inferencing, which students then carry into wider class and podcast conversations.

Where to next
I want to continue developing student-led discussions by teaching explicit strategies for questioning each other. I also plan to give students more ownership over podcast topics and formats, so the motivation to participate comes from them. Finally, I’ll keep using Vosaic and peer feedback to refine my own practice, especially around balancing when to step in and when to let students sustain the talk (54 - 46 percentage Teacher Talk- Student Talk).

Dorothy also suggested trying the Mic Drop podcast idea as a reading activity. This would mean students recording conversations about random topics, giving them the chance to practise being more comfortable talking about a range of ideas with different people. This could be a powerful way to build fluency, confidence, and adaptability in discussion, which would then transfer into their more structured podcasting and text-based conversations.

PodLab Trip!

 

How Might Podcasting Support Meaningful Discussions in Our Classroom?

This year my inquiry question has been:
“How might podcasting support the development of my learners' ability to engage in extended, meaningful discussions about a text?”

This week Room 1, Dorothy Burt and myself had the absolute privilege of visiting Jay Jay and Jazmin at their Podlab studio to learn more about the art of podcasting. They gave us a full tour of the studio, from the editing software, to the lighting setup, to the microphones they use. The students were buzzing with excitement seeing what goes on behind the scenes!

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The Visit

This week we had the absolute privilege of visiting Jay Jay and Jazmin at PodLab. They welcomed us into their studio and showed us:

• The microphones and lighting setup

• How they edit podcasts

• The tools they use to make their shows sound professional

The students were so engaged and curious,
it was inspiring to see the behind-the-scenes world of podcasting!

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Recording Mic Drop 🎙️

The highlight of the visit was recording our very own podcast, Mic Drop. Every student had the chance to:

• Be the guest, talking about a topic of their choice

• Be the interviewer, asking questions and keeping the conversation flowing

Jay Jay got us started, and Jazmin kindly edited our episode. You can watch it now on our KPE blog!

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What I Noticed

Recording the podcast gave students the opportunity to:

• Have rich, extended conversations

• Share ideas about things that mattered to them

• Practise listening and responding thoughtfully

It was so exciting to see the students move away from short answers and really begin to build conversations together.

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Next Steps

At the moment, most of our class podcasts are 100% scripted. Moving forward, I want to:

• Give students more opportunities to ad-lib

• Encourage a greater sense of authenticity in their conversations

• Support them to ask questions and develop ideas naturally

This experience showed me just how powerful podcasting can be for oral language growth.

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Thank You 🙌

A huge thank you to PodLab, Jay Jay and Jazmin for giving us this amazing opportunity. Thank you to Mrs Burt for joining us on this amazing trip. We would love to come back again in the future!

Using AI to Reflect on My Reading Lessons

Term 3 Teaching Inquiry Update: Using AI to Reflect on My Reading Lessons

This term, I have been exploring new ways to reflect on my teaching practice, particularly in relation to my inquiry question:

“How effectively am I engaging my learners in extended, meaningful discussions about a text?”

To support this, I trialled Vosaic, a platform where I uploaded recordings of two of my reading lessons. The unique feature of Vosaic is that it uses AI to observe, analyse, and give feedback on my teaching. I also provided the AI with my inquiry question as a prompt, which meant the feedback was directly aligned to what I wanted to focus on.

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Lesson One Feedback

The AI feedback highlighted several strengths in my teaching:

• Encouraging Participation: I invited students to share their prior knowledge, such as asking “Who can tell me what they know about Area 51?” This gave students an open platform to contribute and set the tone for discussion.

• Clarifying Concepts: By unpacking terms like “conspiracy theories” and “reconnaissance,” I ensured all students had the vocabulary needed to participate meaningfully.

• Facilitating Critical Thinking: Questions such as “Why do you think the government kept Area 51 a secret for so long?” pushed students to think more deeply.

• Setting Ground Rules: I established discussion expectations, such as listening respectfully and asking questions, which supported a productive dialogue.

• Encouraging Diverse Perspectives: I prompted students to consider arguments for and against government secrecy, helping them see multiple viewpoints.

• Reflection on Goals: At the end, I reflected with the group on how well they engaged and what they could improve, encouraging ownership of the learning process.

Areas for Growth in Lesson One

While the feedback was largely affirming, two areas stood out as next steps:

• Extending Discussions Further: I could build on students’ answers more deliberately with probing or follow-up questions to deepen their thinking.

• Students Asking Each Other Questions: At this stage, most questions came from me. A next step is encouraging learners to ask questions of each other during discussions, which would shift ownership and create more authentic dialogue. This could be supported through strategies such as discussion roles, question stems, or modelling student-to-student questioning.

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Lesson Two Feedback

In my second lesson, I continued to explore strategies for building extended discussions. The AI observed:

• Encouragement of Participation: Open-ended prompts like “If you were allowed to visit Area 51 for one day, what would you do and why?” encouraged personal connections and expression of opinions.

• Building on Prior Knowledge: I linked back to previous discussions, such as conspiracy theories and Neil Armstrong, helping students connect ideas.

• Clarification and Definition: Again, I ensured all students understood key vocabulary, which allowed for more meaningful contributions.

• Encouraging Critical Thinking: Questions about government secrecy continued to drive reflective, analytical conversations.

• Setting Ground Rules: I reinforced expectations like “let everybody have a turn of talking” and “look at both sides of the topic,” which supported inclusivity.

However, the AI also identified areas for growth:

• Inviting Responses: While participation was encouraged, I could do more to explicitly draw in quieter voices. I acknowledged this in class, but I need to more actively implement strategies for it.

• Follow-Up Questions: After students shared ideas, I sometimes moved on too quickly. Asking further questions (e.g., “What do you think aliens would be like?”) could have deepened the conversations further.

The overall feedback suggested that my methods are effective but could be refined to create even richer discussions.

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Reflection

Using AI for feedback has been an interesting and valuable experience. The analysis affirmed the strategies I already use to foster extended, meaningful discussions, while also pushing me to think about areas I can improve, especially around inviting all voices into the conversation, encouraging students to ask questions of each other, and extending discussions with follow-up questioning.

As I move forward, I want to be more deliberate about drawing in quieter students, supporting student-to-student questioning, and practising deeper questioning techniques to extend their thinking. This inquiry continues to give me valuable insights into how I can create more engaging and meaningful literacy discussions.

2025 - Inquiry!

 

Term 3 Update: Deeper Dives and a Brand New Studio!

Welcome back to the blog! As we head into Term 3, I'm incredibly excited to share some of the shifts and new developments happening in our classroom's literacy program. Last term, we focused heavily on using podcasting to analyze non-fiction, and the results were fantastic. This term, we're building on that foundation and asking our central question:

How might podcasting support the development of my learners' ability to engage in extended, meaningful discussions about a text?

I believe the answer lies in the unique combination of planning, performance, and authentic audience that podcasting provides. It's not just a book report with a microphone; it's a platform for transformative conversations. Here’s how it works:

• It Demands Active Listening: To have a real conversation, you can't just wait for your turn to speak. Podcasting forces learners to listen intently to their peers' points, so they can respond, challenge, or build upon them. This creates a dynamic where ideas are co-constructed in real-time.

• It Provides an Authentic Audience: When students know their discussion will be heard by someone other than their teacher, the stakes are raised. They are motivated to articulate their ideas with clarity, provide strong evidence from the text, and make their reasoning transparent. They're not just "doing school," they're creating a product for an audience.

• It Encourages Going "Off-Script": While planning is crucial, the magic happens in the moments of spontaneous interaction. A well-placed question from a co-host can spark a new line of thinking that wasn't in the notes, pushing the discussion from a simple summary to genuine analytical depth.

• It Makes Thinking Visible (and Audible!): Podcasting captures the entire process of grappling with complex ideas. Learners can hear themselves and their peers working through ambiguity, refining their thoughts, and making connections. This metacognitive practice is invaluable for developing robust conversational skills.

Our Focus for Term 3

Building on this, we have a few key goals for the term ahead:

1. Connecting to Wider World Questions: We'll be moving from the "what" of a text to the "so what?" I’ll be scaffolding this by providing learners with essential questions that push them to connect themes to their own lives, society, and universal human experiences. The goal is to foster more robust, critical conversations that extend beyond the four corners of the page.

2. A Shift to Narrative: After a fantastic term with non-fiction, we're diving into the world of stories! Narrative texts offer a rich landscape for discussing character development, author's purpose and plot structure. I can't wait to hear the learners debate a character's motivations or predict a complex plot.

Watch This Space: Exciting News!

We have two major developments that are going to take our podcasting work to the next level.

• New Studio Alert! Our little storage room has been cleared out, revamped, and is currently getting a fresh coat of paint! It's being transformed into our official, dedicated podcasting studio. Having a professional space legitimizes the students' work and provides them with a fit-for-purpose environment to create. Watch this space for the grand reveal!

• An INCREDIBLE Opportunity! And for the biggest news... I am absolutely thrilled to announce that our class has been invited to collaborate with the amazing Jay-Jay Feeney and her company, Podlab! Our learners will have the chance to visit a professional studio and work with industry experts. This is a money-can't-buy experience that will connect our classroom learning directly to the real world. A huge thank you to Jay-Jay and her team. Watch this space for updates on this amazing partnership!

It’s going to be a massive term of growth, conversation, and creativity. I can't wait to share what our learners produce. Stay tuned!

Podcasting for Deeper Conversations: An Update on Our Learning Journey

Kia Orana!

It's been a busy and incredibly rewarding few months here at Pt England School with ERO, Samoan Language week and Camp, I'm excited to share an update on my teaching inquiry:

How might podcasting support the development of my learners' ability to engage in extended, meaningful discussions about a text?

Before I dive into our podcasting adventures, a quick shout-out to our fantastic KPE (Korero Pt England) blog! It's been absolutely buzzing with comments from our Manaiakalani staff and Pt England students. Your engagement and thoughtful feedback have been great. We sit down and read these comments together, and it's a joy to see our learning community so actively involved. We're doing our best to post as regularly as possible, sharing insights and reflections from our classrooms. 

Our next big step? We are signing up for 'Tuhi Mai Tuhi Atu' – ready to connect students all over New Zealand and share our learning with them.

Unpacking Our Mid-Year Progress: Where We Shine, and Where We Grow

Recently, we completed our mid-year probe testing, and I was so impressed with my students' progress! They demonstrated a strong grasp of the texts, excelling in answering literal, reorganising, and vocabulary questions. It's clear that our dedicated work with the word wall is really paying off – a huge win for building foundational comprehension!

However, the data also highlighted some key areas where our learners can grow even further, particularly when it comes to moving beyond surface-level understanding. The questions where students need more practice are those requiring evaluation, reaction, and relating to the wider world. These are the questions that ask them to bring their own perspective, make connections, and think critically, rather than simply finding the answer directly in the text.

This is precisely where our inquiry into podcasting comes into play!

Podcasting as a Catalyst for Deeper Thinking

My hypothesis is that by giving students a platform to voice their interpretations and engage in authentic dialogue, podcasting can be a powerful tool to develop these higher-order thinking skills. Instead of just "finding the answer," students will be prompted to:

Evaluate: Form their own judgments about characters, themes, or events.

React: Share their personal feelings and responses to the text.

Relate to the Wider World: Connect the text's ideas, characters, or messages to their own lives, current events, or broader societal issues, drawing on their prior knowledge and experiences.

The beauty of podcasting for this purpose is that it encourages extended verbalization. It's not just a quick answer; it's about articulating a viewpoint, supporting it, and potentially responding to others' ideas. This process naturally fosters more meaningful and sustained discussions.

In our upcoming podcasting sessions, I'll be explicitly providing students with questions designed to target these areas. The focus will be less on rote recall and more on encouraging them to use their prior knowledge and personal perspectives to build a richer understanding of the text.

I'm incredibly excited to see how this podcasting journey continues to unfold and the impact it has on our students' ability to engage in truly extended and meaningful discussions. Stay tuned for more updates as our KPE podcasting studio gets into full swing!

Please leave a comment with feedback or advice.

Term 2 Update

This term we have got the ball rolling with our podcasting already! This terms focus is Our Solar System, we have lots of excited learners with great questions about space, make sure you watch our podcasts! This is our new KPE (Korero Pt England) blog, please have a look and comment on our blogs.

I've been wondering a lot about how I'm able to assess my learners throughout the year without having to probe them every second week. I remember a workshop I went to with Gabriel Hughes, he gave us a prompt that you can put into Gemini/Chat GPT, this gives you a text relevant to the students' reading age, and multiple different questions for them to answer about a small text that is created. This is the prompt you put in below.

"I would like an article on the topic of the race to the moon. Use language that is appropriate for students reading at 12 years old.

Based on this text, I need you to create follow-up questions for my students. I would like 2 questions that target vocabulary, 3 questions which target comprehension, 3 which require inference, and 3 questions which connect the text to the wider world."

I'm going to do this with my learners this week. I will score them on vocabulary, comprehension, inference, and connection to the wider world. Once I've done this, I'll graph the results and see what comprehension questions I need to focus on, I can add these questions to our podcasts we are creating.

This can be a summative assessment I can do with my learners a couple of times a term, to see where they're at and what our next learning steps are.

In my podcasts I'm finding that it's taking my learners to long to create the questions for each other in the Non-Fiction texts, I have either been giving the questions to them or co-constructing these questions in our small groups.

Will be back soon with my results!