Below is the final result of my inquiry research question:
In this blog post, I will describe the shifts from what I planned to do to what I did: What monitoring, recording and tweaking took place - and what did I find out?
Apart from motivating the learners to produce a better piece of writing, I learned how to teach using ‘The Code’ and ‘Heggerty’ to the class. The Code and Dictations + Blended Review" is a comprehensive resource that delves into the intricate relationship between phonics instruction and literacy development. Liz Kane meticulously outlines the importance of a structured and systematic approach to teaching phonics, particularly through dictation exercises that reinforce learning.
Learned and taught Heggerty to the learners. Heggerty provides phonemic awareness skills that assist learners in writing by sounding out words.
I also discussed and asked the parents if they could monitor and assist their children in producing at least 3 pieces/pages of writing per week (one topic per page). The children had the choice of the topics they wanted to write about.
I explicitly taught the structure of recount and narrative writing.
With the class, we produced a few sample pieces of writing for the learners to refer to.
I also printed the sample writing as a hard copy as visuals.
I even attached the link to my planning page as a rewindable learning so the learners can refer to it whenever they want.
Once I noticed that the learners had picked up the speed with their writing, I introduced the writing process, which is:
- Brainstorming/planning,
- Drafting
- Selfcheck/Editing,
- Peer Conference,
- Teacher Conference
- Publishing/Sharing/Blogging
Monitoring:
I observed the learners in class.
I checked their work and gave them individual feedback on the spot.
Term-end writing assessments
Apart from term-end assessments, I always assessed learners on paper, which I call midterm writing assessments.
I monitored if the learners were sounding out words and letters when they were stuck in their writing.
I monitored if the learners were making use of the word wall in class.
I monitored if the learners were making use of the spelling board in class, that is, if they needed some help with spelling the words.
I monitored whether the learners were producing 3 pieces of writing (1 page) per week as discussed with them and their parents.
I monitored what my data revealed so far about my selected study group.
I monitored which learners were taking their writing seriously and who were not. If learners took their writing seriously, then why and if they were not too serious, then why?
If the learners are following the structure of writing?
Do all the learners know what nouns, verbs and adjectives are?
Are the learners using the nouns, verbs and adjectives in their writing?
Does their writing sound interesting and engaging after they have used the nouns, verbs and adjectives?
Recording:
I collected the data from Terms 1, 2 and 3, where the learners used their devices to do the assessments. Also, as of daily practice, learners use their devices to do writing. The focus group only used voice tying if they were stuck, otherwise, they just typed.
When it comes to the whole class, 3 of my learners are fully reliant on voice typing. Now the problem I have noticed is that just because we have accents, the learners are saying/voice typing something and the device hears something else. Now when the learner and I sit together to have a student-teacher conference, then the learner replies by saying, ‘I didn’t say that’. I have noticed the frustration on learners' faces and one even cries when he is unable to use voice typing.
Tweaking:
I assist those kinds of learners; I have provided them with options such as:
The learner sounds the words as he/she types.
I have given them the Butterfly Alphabet Card to help them write.
Use the word wall and ask peers to spell/ write words on the spelling whiteboard.
I have asked those learners to pair up with a buddy when they are doing writing.
People with accents, the artificially intelligent speakers can seem very different: inattentive, unresponsive, and even isolating. For many across the country, the wave of the future has a bias problem, and it’s leaving them behind. (Washington Post, 2018)
“These systems are going to work best for white, highly educated, upper-middle-class Americans, probably from the West Coast, because that’s the group that’s had access to the technology from the very beginning,” said Rachael Tatman, a data scientist who has studied speech recognition and was not involved in the research.
At first, all accents are new and strange to voice-activated AI, including the accent some Americans think is no accent at all - the predominantly white, nonimmigrant, nonregional dialect of TV newscasters, which linguists call “broadcast English.”
The AI is taught to comprehend different accents, though, by processing data from lots and lots of voices, learning their patterns and forming clear bonds between phrases, words and sounds.
To learn different ways of speaking, the AI needs a diverse range of voices - and experts say it’s not getting them because too many of the people training, testing and working with the systems all sound the same. That means accents that are less common or prestigious end up more likely to be misunderstood, met with silence or the dreaded, “Sorry, I didn’t get that.” (Washington Post, 2018)
Moncada, the Colombian-born college student, says they feel like they’re self-consciously stuck in a strange middle ground: understood by people but seemingly alien to the machine…. “The device can do a lot of things. . . . It just can’t understand me.” (Washington Post, 2018)
Apart from term-end assessments on the device, I have always tested my learners on the paper and I call it mid-term assessments. The reason why I do this is to find out what my learners can solely do on paper. I do print and file all the digital and paper copies of their tests. I also allow the learners to go through their assessments and compare their work per term, both what they can do digitally and on paper. Some are surprised to see the difference. So, I carried on doing it this year as well.
While writing, some learners do have ideas in their heads, but then they can not spell. So they tend to spend a little or more time sounding out letters and words. This makes them feel that they are stuck. Also, while spending time thinking, they tend to lose the main idea or the flow of their writing.
Tweaking:
I have taught them that they need to apply what they know, have learned and are learning when I teach them i.e. from ‘The Code’ (explicit and systematic teaching of phonemic awareness, the alphabetic principle, spelling and morphology) and ‘Heggerty’ (explicit and Systematic Phonological and Phonemic Awareness). I always encourage my learners to sound out words, write and carry on rather than being stuck.
What I found out:
I have noticed that some learners have figured out the correlation/connection between ‘The Code’ and ‘Heggerty’ and how it helps in our writing. Some still ask others to spell the words and they make use of the spellingboard in class. This encourages and motivates them to write rather than be stuck. But before they get someone else to spell/write on the spelling board for them, I at times ask them, “Have you tried sounding the words yourself and add on by saying - that's what we are learning when I teach The Code and Heggerty. So for some, it's still sinking in.
Dictation provides students with the opportunity to apply their new and developing knowledge of the alphabetic code at sentence level and is a bridge to independent writing. (Kane, n.d.)
Heggerty, n.d. Indicates that reading and writing present a cognitive hurdle that speaking and listening do not…there is nothing in the child’s normal experience with spoken language that necessarily acquaints him with the fact that words have an internal structure…Yet it is precisely this fact that must be understood if the alphabet is to make sense, and if its advantages are to be properly exploited. (Alvin Liberman, 1988).
As for producing 3 pieces of writing per week, it worked for about 2 weeks and then some learners started giving excuses such as:
- I did only halfway and I need more time.
- I only wrote a few lines.
- I left my book at home and I’ll bring it tomorrow.
- Some books have disappeared slowly. Out of 24, there are only 18 books left.
Tweaking:
To overcome this problem, the best solution I have thought and applied is to give the whole class 10-15 minutes of quiet writing time in the mornings. I created and named the document Power Writing, where learners make a copy and write on the decided given topic or, at times, a personal choice of topic (i.e. if I allow).
What I found out:
When I compared Term 1 end and Term 2 end data, I noticed that everybody has progressed. Apart from one of the girls, she went backwards. The reason I gathered was that:
- She is in Year 3; however, other 3, Year 3 learners have made progress. She may progress as time passes or things will suddenly start making sense to her.
- In saying so, I constantly have to remind her to stay focused in class and she gets easily distracted.
- She lives with her grandparents, who are quite old so there is not much support at home.
- Her attendance is not that good either.
- Her behaviour can be an issue now and then.
- She acts childish, especially in front of trainee teachers and visitors in the classroom.
Tweaking:
To assist her:
- I have swapped her seat and she is sitting very close to my desk. She started doing well but still with a constant reminder. A few times I have made her sit very close to me, facing the other way so I can see what she is doing on her device. These days I have noticed that she swaps her seat and goes and sits with her friends without even taking permission from me. Her behaviour has improved to some extent but still she needs lots of guidance.
To assist her further, I would remind her about the expectations, such as that in 5 minutes at least she should produce 2 lines of writing. She is a capable learner but would ignore me; however, I continued reminding her and working hard with her. Seamer, 2023 indicates talking with your reluctant writers before the lesson and making clear what you expect. If you are going to sit with them and support them to get started, tell them. This lets the student/s know that they aren’t going to be on their own and may prevent some of those off-track behaviours.
Good news…
When I tested the whole class towards the end of Term 3, I found out that all my learners had made progress. As for the girl whom I was concerned about, she has moved from Curriculum Level 1P to 2P. She has outshoned a lot! I have acknowledged and congratulated her in class and the school assembly by giving her a certificate and a book prize.
What I found out:
Most of my learners are taking their writing seriously and some still need some support and guidance to develop interest in their writing. For those who are making progress, I have noticed that they continuously go back and look at the electronic but mainly the hard-copy samples to guide them. Most of my learners know narrative writing and recount writing structure by heart. Most of the learners tend to sound out words lots more than what they were doing in terms 1 and 2. Another good thing about my class is that some learners confidently ask for help when they can not spell certain words. That’s when the spelling whiteboard is used by those who know how to spell and they quickly go and write the word(s) on it.
I even use lots of motivational words and praise my learners a lot. It works wonders. With that, I also use Class Dojo, where I go and give learners Dojo points. I also give my learners a Caught Being Good card, which they take home. However, at times I do get busy and not that consistent with giving the Class Dojo points and writing my learners' Caught Being Card to take home. I need to be more consistent and efficient with that.
PS: One of the learners who achieved Level 2B towards the end of Term 2 achieved 1A towards the end of Term 3. She was unwell as she had doctor appointments; a few times she stayed home, and sometimes she either came to school late or left school early.
From the Google Questionnaires:
From the two Google Questionnaires (Term 1 and Term 3), I have learned that most of the learners have learned what nouns, verbs and adjectives are compared to what they knew in Term 1. They also apply the nouns, verbs and adjectives in their writing as well. As for the whole class, most of the learners are doing the same. They can give the definitions of nouns, verbs and adjectives and use them in their writing as well. In saying so because I do have a composite class (Years 3 & 4), some learners are still learning to understand the words, their definitions and how to use them in their writing. Some have learned the definitions but when it comes to writing, they tend not to apply.
To maintain progress, I, as a class teacher, need to be consistent in teaching nouns, verbs and adjectives to my learners. Nouns, verbs and adjectives need to be included in planning my writing lessons.
A Better Way to Teach, n.d. suggests three ways we can teach grammar:
“You can choose mentor sentences from what you’re reading as a class, or you can choose from books the students are interested in; by using familiar texts for the mentor sentences you study, grammar will not be isolated.”
“Give students quick writes, but require them to craft at least one sentence in that quick write response.”
“Give short quizzes to determine that they are understanding the concepts, but make most, if not all, the questions ones in which they must write at least a sentence.”
I, as an educator, need to practice writing with my learners and, when appropriate, give feedback on their writing so their use of nouns, verbs and adjectives will improve.
Bibliography:
A Better Way to Teach. (n.d.). A proven way to teach nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in high school. https://abetterwaytoteach.com/blogs/news/a-proven-way-to-teach-nouns-verbs-adjectives-and-adverbs-in-high-school
Kane, L. (n.d.). The code. Liz Kane Literacy. https://www.lizkaneliteracy.co.nz/the-code
Heggerty. (n.d.). Which is better: Phonemic awareness with or without print? https://heggerty.org/blog/which-is-better-phonemic-awareness-with-or-without-print/?srsltid=AfmBOoo_J-CREIxbM-XRsvDRc_FXsehUrpAUhAcBeVKJ5OOJP7U2keEO
Seamer, J. (2023). Engaging reluctant writers. Jocelyn Seamer Education. https://www.jocelynseamereducation.com/blog/46902-engaging-reluctant-writers
Washington Post Staff. (2018, August 23). Alexa, Siri, and other voice assistants don’t understand your accent. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/business/alexa-does-not-understand-your-accent/?noredirect=on
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