You really need to try whole class teaching of literacy

Well, it has been a little while since I actually sat down to write a blog post so I thought it was about time I got back into it.

For those that have been following my journey, you will know I started whole class teaching for literacy in 2023.  It has been one of the best things I have ever done as a teacher and I want to urge others who may be considering it, to leap in and give it a go.

You can read back over my blogs, but the main reason I started whole class teaching for literacy (had always done so for maths) was that I felt I was spread to thin across my class, that I was not having a positive impact on all of my groups and it was impossible to deliver any extra support for those that needed it, I just did not have the time.  Sometimes, I would find myself, with the end of the day looming, squeezing in a reading group, just so I felt better that I had seen them that day.  Value added = 0.

My main concern about whole class teaching was the broad spread of abilities within my Yr1-3 class, I struggled to get my head around how an earth teaching whole class would be beneficial for everyone.  I started out thinking it was about reading, but over time I have come to see literacy as everything and understand now that the boxes we create for reading and writing, are just that, boxes constructed within as system that needs to finally acknowledge that all areas of learning are connected.  By teaching in a connected way, we do our ourselves and our children a huge benefit.

When I started my journey into Structured Literacy I worked hard to get my head around everything, to really understand the evidence and enact that into practice that actually worked in a real classroom.  However, I was tied to my reading groups and it wasn't until I let these go, that the real magic started to happen.

If you have read my other posts, you will know I started writing my own sessions, then tried UFLI and then, last year, felt confident enough to again write my own, this time, truly incorporating everything into our class sessions.  You will also know that my connected texts were an overwhelming success, something I am very proud of.

The intention of teaching whole class, is to ensure that everyone gets everything.  We know the main difference between how children learn, is in how many repetitions and what level of support they may need.  Like everyone, I had children that needed one repetition and others that needed multiple practices.  

Whole class teaching ensured these repetitions happened, while still introducing them to parts of the code, that had they sat in a group, they may not have worked with until much later on.   What I found with whole class literacy teaching was that children made more rapid progress within the stages they were consolidating, but also, because they'd been working with parts of the code I may not have previously introduced, they didn't stall, in fact, they started to read and spell words I would never have expected them to read or spell.  In essence because they were not assigned to sit in a group and largely move with that group, they consolidated learning more quickly, developed an understanding of the code outside of what they would have worked with in a group and experienced a huge amount of success, which in turn lead to increased motivation and engagement.  In essence,  success bred success and success bred independence.

For those children who required less repetitions, they still benefitted from the repeated practice daily, but also consolidated more advanced elements of the code more rapidly and started using these elements in their independent reading and writing because they had so much stored in their long-term memory, that they in turn had the cognitive bandwidth to apply to new areas of learning and develop extra skills I may never have introduced them to before.  

Rather than 'holding them back' the opportunity to engage in a lot of repetitions of learning did the opposite, it propelled them forward even faster.

So, how, when there is such a wide spread of levels, do you decide where to start, and what is included?

This is the big question isn't it.  Where to start.  

What is included, changes over the year, the sessions start out quite simply and then get more developed as the year goes on.  Learning within these sessions includes:

*Retrieval of sounds

*Handwriting

*Teaching of new sound

*Apply that by reading and spelling words associated with that new sound

*Irregular words, retrieve those known and learn new

*Word chains - spelling

*Dictated sentence

These sessions evolve as I get better at designing them, but here is a link to a very simple one from the beginning of Term 1.  Basically, I look at the whole class, decide what sounds the class have consolidated as a whole, put those in our retrieval deck and then start teaching from there.  

This is a link to one of our slides from the beginning of Term 4, you can see that it has become much more developed.

The slides do follow the same flow from week to week, but different aspects may be dropped or added depending on our focus.  The slideshow is used for the whole week.

My connected texts had a big role to play here and you can learn more in this video about those.

This vide also explains more about these texts

Children all read these connected texts, which go from very simple, to quite complex over the year.

Decodable books are used for independent practice and used with Tier 2 children that need it.   My Tier 2 children benefit from the class session and an individual or group session, meaning they are getting the extra practice that they need.

I still check in every fortnight with my children individually, just to track their progress and keep a record of where they are up to in the scope and sequence, this allows me to see where there are common areas of need that I need to focus on.  

What Have I Noticed?

*Because this is literacy and everything is integrated, children are building stronger foundations.  Spelling and writing has greatly helped their reading and comprehension.

*I have more time to focus on explicit teaching, children are getting more, rather than me being spread to thin.

*Tier 2 children benefit greatly from practicing at their level, but also participating in the class sessions, they have often acquired understandings further up the code, meaning that when we get there, they need less repetitions.

*Children all become very capable readers and those children we would class as natural readers really skyrocket.  

*Because within the reading we initially focus on sentence level fluency, I noticed the whole class had much better fluency by the end of the year and in turn, their comprehension was better.

*Children feel successful, they enjoy it and do really well.

*I am not so stressed trying to plan for groups throughout the week.

*Children benefit from practicing from decodable texts, while still being about to benefit from less controlled texts.

If you are still on the fence about whole class teaching for literacy, just leap in and give it a go, I promise, you will not look back!

Sunday Vlog - Explicitly Teaching and Understanding the Component Skills

 This vlog talks about the importance of understanding what lies beneath the learning outcome that we see.  It has been one of the biggest learnings for me and I hope this thinking is useful for you too.

Welcome to the world of the upside down...

We are currently experiencing massive changes in education here in Aotearoa. As someone who has embraced evidence-based practice, I should be fairly content with the intent of these changes. However, I am not. Why? Simply put, our current government is trying to impose 'accelerated' changes on a system where most of us are just struggling to keep our heads above water.

While there is no denying that we desperately need to address certain aspects of literacy and math teaching, achieving this is nearly impossible right now without first implementing some long-overdue changes.

Teachers are overwhelmed; they are dealing with behaviours not seen even five years ago, facing massive levels of need with little to no support. The stories I hear about the number of schools needing to teach children basic skills like using the toilet are overwhelming. Many children come to school with a developmental age of two or three, unable to speak in full sentences. Many teachers and leaders are experiencing parent behaviours that can only be described as bullying, and they are full of anxiety as they enter each teaching day in a system that essentially expects them to tolerate it.

Teachers are desperately trying not to apply deficit thinking. They work with the children who come to school each day, try to form solid relationships, and manage the rest of the class when a child in a dysregulated state, who does not qualify for a Teacher Aide (TA), is having an emotional meltdown, intent on tearing up the classroom, or worse. Moreover, some children come to school hungry, tired, or in no emotional state to engage with learning.

Schools are financially strained, simply trying to provide enough support for the children who desperately need it so that classes can maintain some semblance of calm. Leaders, like myself, can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but right now, it is not sunshine and rainbows peeking through—it's a train hurtling at lightning speed toward us.

Do we need changes in literacy and math? Undeniably, yes. I have spent the last seven years learning all about it, but there are shifts we must make first to ensure that teachers are in a position to embrace these changes.

We don't expect our children to engage with learning when they are stressed or overwhelmed. We change the environment and expectations until they are ready and able to do more. Why are teachers not afforded the same level of empathy right now? Instead of expecting teachers and leaders to embrace changes that require more cognitive energy than they have, significant shifts need to be made now.

Firstly, children do well if they can, so all schools need time to learn about trauma-aware, developmentally informed, and neurodiverse-affirming practices.

Additionally, all schools need to have a TA funded for each class, no questions asked. If we want teachers to meet specific needs through evidence-based practice, they need support in the classroom.

Learning support funding also needs to be addressed. Many schools have given up applying because there are too many hoops to jump through, and children who desperately need support are missing out because they are not "bad enough." This is a crucial step, in my opinion, if we want schools to be in a position to embrace change, because right now, the system is a joke.

Schools also need funding for at least one to two teachers above their Full-Time Teacher Equivalent (FTTE) entitlement. This would allow more teachers to be free to support in classrooms and deliver effective Tier 3 support. Having these extra staff to cover when teachers are sick would also reduce significant stress and mean classes wouldn't have to be shared out or asked to stay home due to a lack of relievers.

All schools need a skilled Learning Support Coordinator.

Right now, everything seems upside down. Teachers are incredibly hard workers with huge hearts who want the best for their children. I know they will do their best to embrace change, but sadly, right now, much of that change will be surface-level unless we get the circumstances right.

We seem to have a government intent on pushing change through at the speed of light without any understanding of what a real classroom looks and feels like each day.

We know we need change, but the conditions must be right for that change to have any real impact on our children.

A little bit about leadership

This vlog focuses a little on leadership and a little on PLD,

 

Sunday Vlog - My Shared Texts

 This vlog post is about my class shared texts that I started writing when I launched into whole class literacy teaching.  Next to my scope and sequence, they are the most rewarding aspect of my practice right now!

Sunday Vlog - Building Oral Language

 This vlog is all about language.  Language development, in my opinion, is the most important thing we need to be talking about right now.  Get it right and so many things fall into place.

Sunday Vlog - How we weave 'structured learning' into our play

 This is a short conversation about how we weave the more 'structured learning' times into our day.