Modelled and Independent Reading in an Online Environment

Transcript 

Welcome to recording 8 in a series of recordings that have been specifically designed by Bastow to assist teachers in the delivery of high-quality teaching and learning to students in the remote learning environment we find ourselves in. Specifically we are targeting teachers in the F to 2 level with our focus being reading.

This recording has been designed to demonstrate to you how you can use some of the very basic online tools to create a modified version of a modelled reading to target explicit reading skills or strategies that you're introducing or building for emergent readers in F to 2. This professional learning has been developed to offer teachers guidance on how to deliver effective and engaging reading instruction for emergent readers, so while the way in which we deliver the curriculum has changed, at the moment in this remote learning space the pedagogy behind our practices remains the same.

Teachers will need to be able to create lesson resources that will facilitate the delivery of differentiated instruction, which is in line with the Victorian Department of Education's best practice. This is structured around the four statewide priorities that have proven to have a strong bearing on the effectiveness of a school - excellence in teaching and learning, professional leadership, positive climate for change, and community engagement in learning. We are all working towards improving student outcomes and as we deliver lessons in an asynchronous learning model, it requires us to think about how our learning, our practice, our curriculum planning and assessment, and our best practice can be applied in the remote space. And we know that HITS is nothing new, so as we refer back to the HITS through these recordings, we are always linking the most effective and proven teaching strategies that will drive student progress via high-quality teaching practices.

When conducting modelled reading and allowing for independent reading that is linked to the readers workshop model, we are drawing in differentiation, lesson structure, as well as worked examples through the modelled reading component. HITS becomes the tool by which we can ensure we are using evidence-based practice in the remote learning space. The resources listed here are all the tools and resources that can be drawn upon throughout the remote learning environment. Take advantage of the many rich resources and tools that are available to you. While many schools are paying for a range of platforms and resources, we hope to be able to demonstrate some tools that are available to you via the Department of Education and Training or are available free of charge.

Throughout this recording we will be guided by three questions - how do we create our own reading resources online for learning, how do we tailor lessons to individual students or fluid student groups, and finally, how do we provide timely and authentic feedback to students learning and reset learning reading goals. All four phases of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Framework are necessary if we want students to learn deeply, think critically and creatively and to be able to mobilise learning strategies. Even in this remote space, we need to find a way to deliver the four components of this model. Focused instruction is crucial.

As many parents may be willing to help their children, many of them are asking that teachers give their child focused instruction on topics as they do not have the skill set to teach their child. We know that mentor texts work to provide students with access to rich, authentic literature that allows opportunity for many teachable moments in modelled reading. Applying the mentor text to specific learning goals for your students allows for those teachable moments to be authentic and engaging.

As you model and think aloud, students naturally learn the skills they need as a good reader to analyse the text. So select an appropriate text, introduce the students to the text, discuss the title, the content, the author, the illustrator, and the concepts of print. Provide an enjoyable reading experience for students. This may provide an opportunity to focus on various literacy needs of the students, including but not limited to comprehension, fluency, phonological awareness, phonics.

After reading, you may invite students to respond to the text themselves. Discuss what students have heard, providing an opportunity for students to extend understanding and link their prior knowledge to new concepts and information presented in the text. When using the strategy of modelled reading, the responsibility for reading is with the teacher. When reading to students, the teacher might model strategies used by efficient readers and demonstrate adapting reading strategies to gain meaning from different text types. They may think aloud about the text, creating predictions and links with prior knowledge and experiences. They'll ask questions of the text, commenting when answers become apparent and when predictions are confirmed or need to be modified. They'll use self-correction strategies.

As you model, teachers should always be demonstrating fluency. You can make it more efficient by using a template of prompts that will guide you through your lesson. To the right of this slide you will see a template which can be used to guide your modelled reading. A copy of this is available for download at the end of this slideshow. You will note that the four components of this mini lesson outlined here are in direct correlation to the Gradual Release of Control Framework we discussed earlier.

Essentially using prompts allows you to be to the point about what you want to teach and to try to allow you to stay focused on a specific skill you are teaching. A modelled reading lesson is short and so you need to plan what you are going to say as you read, always bringing it back to the learning intentions. We teach the skill and demonstrate how to apply it to the text as we model. Students then practise the skill and have a go themselves. Finally, we link the lesson to the children's independent work. As they read, they can apply this new skill and are encouraged to have a go. They can also apply other skills and ideas to their reader response as they emerge as a reader and develop their ability to respond to a text. In an asynchronous mixed learning environment students may not be able to interact directly with their teacher during the modelled reading component of the lesson. However, opportunities do exist for students to collaborate in smaller groups, online to discuss the text, or they can provide individual reader responses based on the learning intentions of a lesson in their independent reading component. Here they can practise the skill modelled during the modelled reading and apply it to the just right text of your choice. So how long should a mini lesson be in this remote learning space we're in?

There are differing views on exactly how short videos should be from those who say it should be 2 to 9 minutes and those who say 6 to 12. Either way, the advice conveniently fits with what we've been trying to achieve in the classroom for quite some time in the mini lesson component. It really shouldn't be longer than 15 minutes. And when we're considering the F to 2 space, we would probably need to consider shortening that. Anything longer than this and the student will either not watch the video at all when participating in the courses. If they go for too long, they'll just drag their mouse across the video and try to stop to the bit that might be relevant to them. In order to film yourself conducting a 10- to 15-minute mini lesson or recording yourself orally, which could include modelling think aloud or demonstration, it will have to be super focused. 

Focus is also about having a clear purpose for your instruction. If you're taking the time to film yourself doing a read aloud, you need total clarity on the purpose, what are you wanting the students to get out of it? What is your learning intention, what is the purpose - is it to model decoding, is it fluency, or are you trying to develop comprehension strategies? Is your method serving your purpose and should you use another method such as think aloud instead? And a final reason to focus is critical on teaching is because it is directly related to effective feedback. Loom is a screen recorder that provides a link once the video is complete to share with the students you want to see the lesson. Loom currently offers a free pro subscription if you nominate you are a teacher at the Department of Education and once you download the app, you're ready to go.

Other platforms include recording over PowerPoint, slideshows and Screen-O-Matic. PowerPoint requires quite large files to be sent and received, so for this recording we are demonstrating a lesson using Loom, the screen recorder, which provides you with a link that the student can access to watch the mini lesson. Once you've selected your mentor text, you can scan your text to a PDF or use an online text if you like that has a full screen. Remember you're going to be recording your screen and you can actually jump between software packages. You can jump from the Loom back to your PowerPoint or to a PDF and the screen will record all of that. I recommend you use the script from a couple of slides back, particularly in the first few instances of doing a modelled reading, and when you script you're much less likely to make an error and it becomes more efficient in the recording process. Please don't worry if you do make mistakes as you read aloud. In the classroom environment a teacher often needs to repeat or clarify what they meant as they adapt and adjust their thinking to suit the needs of the class.

As you become more confident in recording your modelled readings, you will find that your mistakes are less frequent, but please don't give up if on the first mini lesson it takes you a while to record. Teachers have demonstrated throughout this remote learning journey that they are very adaptable and can learn new skills at a very fast rate.

Now we're going to pop into practice the modelled reading and we're using a text here for an F to 2 early years text picture story book "The Rabbit Listened" by Cori Doerrfeld. Now we're going to pop into practice the modelled reading and we're using a text here for an F to 2 early years text picture story book the rabbit listened by Cori Doerrfeld. Here is an example of what could be done after a reading of "The Rabbit Listened". As part of the gradual release of control, we can move students into a "we do" component of the reader's workshop. So students can complete a reader response and apply the skill that was demonstrated during the modelled reading or mini lesson. Planning for and encouraging independent exploration of text allows children to experiment with emergent reading behaviours without adult support.

Through independent reading, students have the opportunity to practise explicitly taught skills, including comprehension, fluency, phonological awareness, and phonics. Students will use independent reading to practise their individual reading goals. Alongside their goals, they are also looking for timely feedback to be provided to the students through various means, including one-on-one discussions online or written or verbal oral recordings. We know that by linking the explicit teaching in the mini lesson you will automatically be encouraging the student to apply it during their own independent reading time. In fact, during remote learning, this modelled skill and reader response will be a guiding light for many students and parents. It's important to remind students that when they are doing their independent reading they also focus on their own individual reading goals. Providing reader responses to reflect evidence of strategies being used is still an essential component of the reader's workshop.

This evidence that they need to provide is around their thinking as they read. F to 2 space will require assistance for students as they become more independent in their reading. They will need to use the text available to them via the remote learning setting and the access that they have to these texts will differ from home to home. Many teachers are using Epic, A-Z Reading, PM Online and Sunshine Online to access readers and texts online. So finally we're going to show you how you can provide audio feedback that will help students to set new learning goals as they provide the evidence you need to move them further along the learning continuum.

This stop and jot has been completed by a grade 2 student. The student has read "George's Marvellous Medicine" as a class text the previous term. The teacher has drawn on the skills that were modelled and practised in the video mini lesson to demonstrate their ability to find inferred and literal meaning in a text. By using the Google Jamboard, the teacher can speak to the reader's response and address the reading goal.

A protocol of two stars and a wish is applied to structure the feedback and offer suggestions for improvement. In a synchronous model this Jamboard, which is a whiteboard, an interactive whiteboard online which is free to use, can be used - you can use this whiteboard via a Google Meet or Webex and have a one-on-one conference with students. In an asynchronous model of learning, you would have the teacher record their screen via Loom talking as to the reader response and sending the link to the child.

We would like to thank you for listening to this recording and wish you all the very best of luck as we continue on this remote learning journey. This recording was made possible due to the work of many literacy leaders. Specifically in recording 8 we thank Cathy Buchanan-Hagen, Amy Crawford, Felicity Curnow and Nieta Manser.