“Framing your theories and beliefs as hunches (a feeling or guess based on intuition rather than fact) enables you to subject them to scrutiny (the careful and detailed examination of something to get information about it) ..."
For this, I have to make a hypothesis. A hypothesis is an assumption, an idea that is proposed for the sake of argument so that it can be tested to see if it might be true.
Formulating a hypothesis (a tentative answer to a research question that has yet to be tested) in teaching as inquiry is essential for creating a structured, focused, and evidence-based approach to improving teaching practices and student learning outcomes. It promotes reflective practice, facilitates data-driven decision-making, and supports continuous professional development.
So, while a hypothesis might be "wrong" sometimes, the process of formulating and testing it is a valuable learning experience in inquiry-based teaching. It will equip me with essential thinking skills and a deeper understanding of my teaching as an inquiry.
When investigating whether an emphasis on using precise vocabulary (such as adjectives, nouns, and verbs) at the draft stage leads to improved writing proficiency, several hypotheses can be formulated:
Impact on Overall Writing Proficiency:
Hypothesis 1: Students who emphasize precise spelling/ vocabulary in the drafting stage will demonstrate significantly higher overall writing proficiency scores compared to those who do not.
Specific Vocabulary Use:
Hypothesis 2: Emphasizing precise adjectives, nouns, and verbs in the drafting stage will lead to more varied and sophisticated word choices in students' final drafts.
Clarity and Coherence:
Hypothesis 3: Focusing on precise vocabulary during drafting will result in clearer and more coherent writing, as measured by teacher assessments or rubrics.
Grammar and Syntax:
Hypothesis 4: Students who concentrate on precise vocabulary in their drafts will produce fewer grammatical and syntactical errors in their final writing.
Engagement and Interest:
Hypothesis 5: Emphasizing the use of precise vocabulary in the draft stage will increase students' engagement and interest in the writing process, as indicated by self-reports or surveys.
Revision Quality:
Hypothesis 6: Students who focus on precise vocabulary during drafting will make more effective and meaningful revisions in subsequent drafts compared to those who do not emphasize vocabulary precision.
Audience Awareness:
Hypothesis 7: Emphasizing precise vocabulary in drafting will enhance students' ability to write for different audiences, as evidenced by improved scores on audience awareness in writing assessments.
Writing Fluency:
Hypothesis 8: The emphasis on precise vocabulary at the draft stage will lead to greater writing fluency, as measured by the quantity and quality of words produced in a given time frame.
Peer Feedback:
Hypothesis 9: Drafts that emphasize precise vocabulary will receive more positive peer feedback in terms of clarity, engagement, and readability.
Teacher Perceptions:
Hypothesis 10: Teachers will perceive an improvement in the overall quality of student writing when precise vocabulary is emphasized during the drafting stage. (OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT)
These hypotheses can guide the research and inquiry process, helping to determine whether focusing on precise vocabulary in the drafting stage has a measurable impact on various aspects of writing proficiency.
My Year 3 and 4 learners are classified as COVID-19 learners. They have missed a lot of learning since most of them missed school or did not attend any online lessons at all. Most of them have this huge gap in their overall learning and writing is been one of them.
By focusing on the hypothesis listed above, I came up with three hunches from what I have learnt so far about my students and their learning environment:
If I encourage my students to learn spelling words, then they will feel confident while writing.
I am teaching them how to form correct letters
I have also set up a word wall and I am going to continue working on it.
I have also got an individual Spelling Book and a Handwriting Book.
If I teach my students how to sound out words, then they will be motivated to spell.
I am also teaching them how to sound each letter/ Jolly Phonics.
This is because most of my learners are scared of taking risks such as sounding out words and giving a go at writing. When I noticed this, I brought it up with the management and they have asked me to take on The Code programme with RTLit so I can teach learners the alphabet and letter sounds. I am also going to start Heggerty programme from Term 3 as well.
Using The Code Book, I have made a poster for the Heart Words.
If I focus on teaching the nouns, verbs and adjectives, then the students will start using them in their writing.
With lots of encouragement and motivation, I am still in the process of getting my learners to produce a structured piece of writing with lots of detail.
I also have to aim at achieving, Year 3 and 4 level or Curriculum 2 standard writing.
While I am doing that I have also introduced and taught my learners what are nouns, verbs and adjectives. There needs to be constant revision with lots of various activities so that my learners can remember the difference between nouns, verbs and adjectives and how they can use them in their writing to make it sound more interesting.
Reference:
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (July 11, 2024 version) [Large language model]. Retrieved from OpenAI platform.
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