My Inquiry - Creating a class culture of learning.

An update on my TAI:

How has implementing this writing programme gone?

I tried the 3 writing groups. Implementation was a bit tricky, as they are still learning to work independently. The level of work was much better. The children were more engaged than previously, and the lesson felt a lot more organised. There are some strategies that I need to introduce to assist independent work more e.g. word cards/charts. And a buddy system. The children are still very much dependant on me, especially the lower two groups. I felt a little like a chicken without a head dividing my attention between the groups. And the children that don't have the confidence to write on their own, keeps yelling out "Miss how do you write...." and if I don't respond fast enough, they just yell louder. 

Have you seen shift in their engagement and learning?
Engagement was a lot better, but not perfect yet.  The fact that the lower group were only 3 at a time, and was writing for a only a few minutes, kept their attention. They did not feel anxious or pressured which kept the behaviour easy to manage.  And they were able to go back to an activity that they enjoyed after their writing. 
So yes, I have seen a shift, especially in my lower group. There was a slight shift in my top two groups, as they were a lot more settled, and engaged in their work, but there's is still room for improvement. 

So what? 

I have learned that grouping in writing, as well as clear and reasonable expectations are crucial. Setting achievable goals for my children, will set them up for success. Having systems in place to support independent work, is very important. Behaviour is influenced by the level of work. If my work is either too easy (boring) or too high (hard), then the children's behaviour plays out. The secret is in knowing your children, having the correct data in order to create groups and present work on the right level. 

Next steps: 

* Set systems in place to support independent learning more. Word cards in a central place available at all times. Do PB4L lesson around how to use them and care for them. Possibly look at personal dictionaries. 

* Find out what writing prompts I could use for my lowest group, especially as they are pre-writers. 

* Organise my modelling books better. Teach the children how they can use the modelling book to help them. 

* Practice a buddy system. Find out if I should allocate buddies, have a leader per group or let them choose a buddy.