Strategies to overcome the physical barriers when using ICT for Reading Groups

Our group discussed the difficulties that the infants classes were having when they were trying to set up laptops etc to be ready for reading groups each day. One of the problems was having to pass the laptops on to the next class. This did not allow teachers to be 'ready' before their class. Another problem was 'trouble shooting' with staff not feeling confident in dealing with 'hiccups' that had a technical basis.

A solution we are going to trial is to swap some of the infants laptops for desktops from the library. With two desktops available & ready at all times in each class it is hoped that this will ease the pressure for the teachers as up to 4 students in the group will at least be able to start while the teacher sets up the laptops for the other couples. As reading groups consist of a number of small groups, with only one group using the computers, this should make things easier.
We keep reminding ourselves that our aim is to have the students reading and interacting with print FOR THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF TIME in these groups. We'll see next week how this strategy works!

Picture Image: 'Vaio meets apple in the kitchen'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70321513@N00/132754339

Engagement & Responsibility in Reading

1.Key Focus:

• Develop a bank of activities suiable for reading

Strategies:

• Look at the 5 essential elements of reading
• Discussion / brainstorming
• Internet search
• Reading theory

Indicators of Success:

• We will have produced activity banks suitable for infant and primary reading groups
• Create a list of theory websites for further P.D

2.Key Focus:

• Develop and list strategies to make students more accountable for their learning

Strategies:

• Research small groups to see what structures work best for reading groups
• Discussion / brainstorming

Indicators of Success:

• Children can report back on their learnings to the class
• Students will be on task and engaged

Visible Thinking Meets Comprehension!

Gary and I were having a discussion around the ideas of Visible Thinking. He showed me the a website and I thought about how it could give us some real structure around our research of comprehension within the school. What do you think? 

Toni

Assessment of Comprehension

Much of our discussion has been generated around what difficulties the students are having with reading comprehension. We haven't really directed our thoughts to what our teaching instruction of comprehension looks like. The 5 Big Ideas tells us that:

Text comprehension can be improved by instruction that helps readers use specific comprehension strategies

I found this website which may help us to refine the strategies being used for the teaching of comprehension. It has a load of information but I particularly liked the Reading with understanding running record - it seems to take retelling a story to that next level. I plan to base my action research on this.

Toni

ICT and Reading Instruction

We looked at how we use ICT now and how we might use it in the future to improve student outcomes in Reading.
KEY FOCUS
Our key focuses were to

• explore the available ICT products available within our own system and beyond (learning objects and 'Storybox' resources were included)


• set up some sort of 'folder' , accessible to all, that lists useful websites etc


• work out ways to use the available tools effectively-working out logistics and practicalities

STRATEGIES
Our strategies will be to

• have a weekly focus each week – Looking at ICT resources etc in areas such as phonics, comprehension, vocab and skills of the future


• Sharing with grade partners


• Setting up simple instruction sheets to help with the logistics of using laptops etc with classes for reading

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

• Beginning of a framework of resources


• ICT being used more during reading instruction


• Establishment of workable processes that help us determine what is being used, what is useful and what is not!

Already asking questions ...

Reflection and individual thought are wonderful things as they allow us to broaden  and challenge our own thinking on particular topics. Our group has already begun to question our own conversation from the meeting on Wednesday leading to two of us distributing a 'memo' and asking us to take our level of thinking one step further ...

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

The questions that we began to ask ourselves were:

• Assessment procedures are already in place eg: Benchmarks Torch etc
• Identification has been made that students are not achieving good / comprehensive results in these assessments
• Question: Should we be looking at the procedures of the assessments or rather the skills the students are bringing to the assessment?
• Does this then impact on the strategies being employed within the reading group time?
• Are students being taught explicitly to retrieve information, to skim texts, to locate key words?

Food for thought! ... Until we meet again ...

Assessment & the '5 Big Ideas'

Our group generated some great discussion around assessment. We are going to investigate effectively teaching the 5 Big Ideas for reading and develop some evaluative comments around how this impacts on assessment and, in turn, reporting. 

The strategies we are going to use are:

• Trial and error: unpacking the 5 Big Ideas and using the support material as a guide
• Choosing a group of students to work wit in order to implement the effectiveness of the strategy i.e: assessment
• Choose a big idea, target the best way to assess the idea, backward map as to how to get there
• Develop a timeline of student progress referencing First Steps (WA)

Indicators of success:

• Project: Taking on an aspect of the big idea and working towards effectively teaching the concept. Monitoring student growth
• Benchmarks: Mechanics of reading Separating Reading and Comprehension