RPI Day 5 Reflection

What did I learn that increased my understanding of the kaupapa and pedagogy of the Manaiakalani Reading Programme?

Reading through different class sites helped increase my understanding of the kaupapa and pedagogy of the Manaiakalani Reading Programme. I learnt that equity is at the centre of everything we do and that teaching should be visible and accessible for all learners. The priority goals of the class sites are engagement, personalised learning, accelerated achievement, and empowerment. I also noticed the importance of having a clear and organised class site that is easy for learners and whānau to access without passwords or usernames. Using tools like Muzify also seemed interesting for supporting group learning while ensuring all learners have equal access.

What did I learn that could improve my capability and confidence in teaching reading?

Planning a reading programme helped me think more carefully about how I structure my reading programme. I learnt the importance of having a mix of print and digital texts and making planning realistic by focusing on the important features. I also realised that reading learning happens across the whole curriculum, not just during reading time. The discussion around teacher and learner timetabling also showed me how important consistency is.

What did I learn that could be used with my learners?

I learnt that guided reading follow-up tasks and independent activities should have a clear purpose such as building comprehension, vocabulary, discussion, engagement, and learner empowerment. We also explored skill builders like inferring and looked at useful resources to support this. One thing I found really useful was learning that with Epic, Sunshine Online, and ReadWorks, I can give assignments to my students, which is something I would like to start using more in my classroom. I have also created an account on ReadWorks and invited my students, so I will start using it from next week. I also liked the idea of teaching students to read like writers and write like readers.

What did I learn that could be shared within my wider community, with either colleagues, or whānau/aiga?

Strategies for reading difficult words is something I think would be useful to share with colleagues and whānau/aiga so learners can also be supported at home. We also talked about structured reading, digital reading apps, and ways timetabling can help empower learners, which are all ideas worth sharing with others.