Skip to main content

Reading Intensive Programme - Session on Vocabulary & Decoding

 

Yet again, another very busy but well-constructed session from the Research Team at Manaiakalani. 

Vocabulary is the key to learning.  We kicked off by having a korero from Dorothy Burt on vocab growth being directly related to achievement.  Many of our learners start school on the back foot.  As schools, we have. the job of each child learning 8-10 new words a week, 700 a year and being able to use and understand these words in context. 

We cannot leave the teaching of vocabulary and decoding to chance.  It needs to be planned for.  Students need to learn how to explore words - one exposure is not enough.  We need to raise children's (and our teachers) lexical bar and find the Goldilocks zone - just right to give some stretch and challenge to their learning. 

There are four approaches to explicit vocabulary instruction.  These are:

  1. Build word consciousness
  2. Deliberate, robust teaching of words (affixes, base words, contexts)
  3. Skills for cracking unfamiliar words
  4. Morphology - the study of base words & subject related vocab
Make teaching direct, playful, interactive and do a
follow-up!

Yes, we did cover off some aspects such as onset & rhyme, phonemes & multi-syllabic division as students need to strengthen their phonological awareness and skills - to be able to recognise, sound and manipulate words. 

Morphology is the study of morphemes - this includes affixes (new word for me today) and root / base words.  Teaching morphology supports the following:
Vocabulary comprehension
Chunking (or reading words aloud)
Spelling
Overall reading comprehension

Students can learn to find the smaller, known words inside bigger words e.g. un-afford-able.  The root word carries the meaning.

We need to start planning for this learning ASAP.  Yes, it can be incidental at times.  
Here's a nice thought to finish with:
Teaching students meanings of common affixes and strategy use to infer word meanings plays a big role in vocab development. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DFI Session 1 The Principal Becomes the Student

The Principal Becomes the Student I've previously dabbled with the Google suite of apps and used Google Drive out of necessity in my professional life but to be honest I still feel more at ease and in control using Microsoft Office products to create.   Today's first DFI (Digital Fluency Intensive) session had moments "Whoa! Can I keep up?" and "Yeah, I've got this!"  I have to say that in this first session I have learned truckloads & today's day out of school has not felt like a chore. Here's a few of the things that Dorothy Burt, aka Mrs. Manaiakalani, has put me (and my esteemed colleagues) through in our very first DFI session: 1. 'Marie Kondoing' our google drives.  Yes, these are in desperate need of a tidy up and reorganization.  It will make life simpler, faster & easier.  Make folders, colour code & have calendar years on them.  Simple!!! 2.  Useful tips and tricks.  This included keyboard short ...
4 comments
Read more

Reading Programme Intensive: The Pilot Group # 1 Reading is Core to Learning

Our awesome design team at Manaiakalani are working on designing a common practice reading model.  Although I am part of the pilot group who is critiquing and reviewing the content and experience I am completing this reflection as if I am a teacher - moreover, a newbie teacher. Our WHY for doing this is equity for learners, especially those from disadvantaged homes, to increase teacher effectiveness and accelerate learning outcomes.  We want to grow reader self-efficacy - to have a big push on learner engagement and motivation.   Today we had a mini dive and overview into the Manaiakalani Reading model.  We covered the background & findings from longitudinal research that led to this being developed.  The model is a cyclical plan that is ambitious and it begins with planning and finishes with sharing. In terms of building my capability and confidence in teaching reading, I now realise the importance of being ambitious in my planning.  I also need t...
Post a Comment
Read more

DFI Session 8 Media

Today I arrived a wee bit late after having flown back from a Manaiakalani Convenors' Meeting at Grey Main School in Greymouth.  Before boarding my plane from Wellington to Gizzy I completed the WWW in prep for today's session on Media & then flicked through Dorothy's slide deck on empowerment.  The whole Manaiakalani kaupapa of empowerment really resonated with me - especially when as a school leader I want education to empower not just our students but also our whanau - to give them rangatiratanga!! Being connected with digital technology, having visible learning & being ubiquitous (anytime, anywhere & global) empowers our tamariki.  This brings agency and also helps our students create their digital footprint and supports them to collaborate.  This is true for teachers too - utilising the kaupapa to empower them (us) too! I've had some new learning on using the Google Draw tool.  The wee animation above is an image I created on google draw...
7 comments
Read more