My Inquiry .. My scanning .. My hunch

Scanning

I have been visiting classrooms and talking to teachers and reviewing current assessment practices in the mainstream classes from new entrants to year 7 and Sommerville Special school classes year 1 - year 11. There are several incidences of students who struggle with reading who fail the current assessments and do not meet National Standards.  The difficulty being faced by some teachers is that the currently used assessments gauge the students as having failed and give no indication of next steps and current skills. Teachers are left with limited information and are therefore continuing with more of the same strategies that have been unsuccessful.

Hunch

By using a range of assessments that focus on fine grained steps and achievements in reading, teachers will be able to use the information to create appropriate programs and goals for students who are currently failing in their reading. If teachers use this information well then reading levels should improve for those students.

Questions

Will using fine-grained assessments improve teacher capacity for setting appropriate goals for students who fail to register on standardised tests?

Risk taker - trying something new!

After listening to Graeme Aitken at the Manaiakalani leaders PLG I have been reflecting on my willingness to take action and try something new based on my hunch and research.

Teachers need to work through their teaching inquiry and develop some hunches, gain some new knowledge, but most importantly be willing to take action.
What new learning or teaching strategy have you tried or implemented? Have you taken any action this year ?

Are we inclusive for all students?

Inclusive education is about the full participation and achievement of all learners. In fully inclusive schools, children and young people with special education needs are engaged and achieving through being present, participating and learning. 

The ERO has an evaluation indicator framework to help schools evaluate how well they are doing in supporting students with additional learning needs. 

What is an inclusive school?

At an inclusive school, all students are welcome and are able to take part in all aspects of school life. Diversity is respected and upheld. Inclusive schools believe all students are confident, connected, actively involved, lifelong learners and work towards this within the New Zealand Curriculum. Students’ identities, languages, abilities, and talents are recognised and affirmed and their learning needs are addressed.

This the dream! But, is it a reality for all our students?

How Inclusive is your classroom? How inclusive is your school?

What changes can we make to create a better environment for all our students to learn and experience success?

Love this statement from TKI site

As each student brings unique and diverse experiences, needs, and strengths to their learning, education systems need to be flexible and responsive to this predictable diversity, rather than expecting students to fit around a fixed system of teaching and learning.

Just another interpretation .