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Prompt 4

Prompt Four 2018 PLACEMENT REFLECTION. Now it is time to reflect on placement and the literacy happening in the room you were in. If you were not on placement recently you must write about a good, and not so good, literacy experience you have had in a classroom. Those who were on placement have the same task, tell us what you liked and what you did not like when you were on placement and try and discuss reading and writing at least once. It would be wonderful if you could include an image of something you saw during placement, but we understand that many of you will be reading this after placement, see how you go. A photo of the school would also be very interesting to your assessor, PLEASE DO NOT include the images of children and their faces. And it would also be great for you to share what the kids were reading, what are the popular classroom novels in our schools. From all of us, we do hope you had a rewarding and challenging round and hope you are more determined than ever before to complete your studies and become a great teacher. Regards from the ECL310 team! #teachingrounds

I have not been on placement so I have reflected on the senior levels at this school, (which is also my work). When I first began here, I was surprised at the popular horror, mystery novels such as Five Nights at Freddies, written by Cawthon and Kira Breed-Wrisely. It was not the genre that surprised me as much as the acceptance of teachers. I have learnt that literacy teaching changes when comparing a rural school to suburban. Attached is an image of the grade 5/6s’ class novel, 1836 Do You Dare?. This may be inappropriate to suburban schools as it involves gun violence. I believe some rural schools allow ‘gun talk’ due to the commonality of country lifestyles. For example, every Monday, a grade one student tells his class all about the weekend hunt! I admire these teachers in that their values for reading are not towards the book choice – please refer to meme attached. Reflecting on the literacy block every morning I see evidence of several Victorian Curriculum strands in progress. Their day begins with a well-structured routine, focusing on phonological awareness. I like that this approach benefits reading, writing AND speech all in one. However, I dislike the time frame allocation. It seems to be rushed and not does allow students to understand the concepts. I think I would prefer to facilitate for quality over quantity structure when I teach literacy.

#teachingrounds

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Prompt 3

Prompt Three 2018 This week we would like you to reflect on the current state of handwriting in schools today. It might be asked of you in an in a job interview; ‘will you teach handwriting in your classroom?’ Or, ‘how often will you practice handwriting with your students?’ Have you heard teachers on placement discussing handwriting, are you aware of parent opinions, do you have you strong thoughts of your own? We would like to read your thoughts, actually, we would like to read your handwritten thoughts. That’s right, please submit this reflection, in your own handwriting. #handwriting #ecl310deakin

Reflecting on the current state of handwriting in schools today, I feel as though time and effort is not as dedicated to the writing styles which is resulting in a great decrease of neatness. I discussed this topic with my grandfather; he informed me that back in his day, they would get a ruler to the wrist if they did not get each letter in the correct formation. In this day and age, it is unheard of teachers taking such action. I also believe that the emphasis on writing style has been compromised by the ever-growing Victorian Curriculum. In saying this, I would not think to vanish from handwriting. Ever? No matter how immersed our society is in technology, I always believe in a solid foundation of writing and it should continue to be compulsory in schools. Connections between handwriting and other literacy areas are proven to be positive and relevant, ‘when children learn how to form the letter m, they can also be learning its sound’ (Spear-Swerling 2006). During my work experiences, I have not heard teachers speaking of their students’ handwriting, nor have I heard of a teacher complaining about their child’s writing. However, I have noticed some teachers’ prioritise handwriting more than others. The grade 5/6 teacher practises cursive writing every morning as a part of their literacy block. I do not remember learning cursive writing when I was in school. I do remember though, pen licences. I remember both in and out of school being taught how to hold the pencil correctly. I believe this is greatly helpful to writing skills. I notice the way people hold pens or pencil nowadays and don’t understand how they do that, thinking that it is ‘not right’. My future literacy practices will be implemented with thought to past (and future) experiences such as the importance of handwriting, the way to hold a pen, impact technology has on physically writing and preparation of concerned parents. 

Attached are memes that I feel relevant to this prompt. See the attached file for the handwritten version. #handwriting #ecl310deakin

Reference: Spear-Swerling, L 2006, The Importance of Teaching Handwriting, LD OnLine, retrieved 27 July 2018, <http://www.ldonline.org/spearswerling/The_Importance_of_Teaching_Handwriting>.

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Prompt 2

Prompt Two 2018 POSTERS. Thank you to all of you who have posted or replied to the week one prompt. As usual, many of you shared experiences with Enid Blyton books, and this is a great memory for me as I read the Magic Faraway series to my girls when they were tots. This week we would like you to make a poster that could be used in a classroom. It should be literacy-related and could be similar to something you have seen in a classroom. It should reflect something in literacy that you think is important in a classroom you will one day teach in. Another thing you could do is take a photo of an existing classroom display, one that is teacher-made, as in handmade, and share that with us! Your own poster can be digital or made with materials, scrapbook style, hand-drawn - be creative #readingcomprehension#classroomposters

 I decided to create a literacy poster which could prompt reading comprehension, social work and independent work. My anchor chart belongs in a classroom that cultivates cognition and understanding. Questions are displayed in a fun way on the poster for students to refer to. The questions are aimed at promoting their thinking about what they are reading, rather than just reading. This question prompts can be used as connections to initiate conversations with other peers, practising their listening and responding skills. Investigating such questions present several opportunities for students to engage in their text. Furthermore, promoting comprehension of textual focus such as setting and characters. #readingcomprehension #classroomposters

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Prompt One 2018 When I was in grade three I remember my teacher reading to the class Charlie and The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. We sat in silence absorbing every word, it was fantastic!. The teacher read Roald’s next book Charlie and The Glass Elevator as well and it was also a big favourite. Years later I was lucky enough to be teaching my own grade 3 and 4′s when the Harry Potter series came out. Once again a class sat in silence absorbing very word as this time I read the novel to the grade. For your reflection this week we would enjoy discovering your memories of being read to. Preferably this would come from your own classroom experiences, otherwise, it can be a reflection on what a parent read to you, or if that doesn’t fit, you can share what you would like to read to a class when you have the chance. All of the ECL310 team look forward to sharing in this, be creative, make a video, a Wordle, a sound recording, a cloze activity, anything you like! And here is a youtube assisting us in promoting the importance of adults reading to ALL children! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBuT2wdYtpM Good luck! The ECL310 team!

I experienced uneasy and ashamed sprouts of emotions as I first read and interpreted this prompt. I could not believe my lack of remembrance to what seems so significant to others. I thought through each of my grade levels. Starting with sixth and fifth grades. This was not helpful, I began to wonder whether we even had a class book. I reflected upon my grade four year. Again, no memory of a chapter book. Then to my two years of grade two and three composite. I vaguely remember one teacher reading a chapter book during these years. However, I cannot identify whether it be grade three or grade four, nor can I remember the actual book! This stunned me. I kept thinking. During this process, I found myself thinking about why I could not remember what are meant to be moments of imagination - without limits - creating magic. I concluded on three significant points. Firstly, the book choice was obviously of no relevance to me. Secondly, the expression and passion through teacher voice. Lastly, arguably most important, the teacher never finishing a book. As a student, I must have caught an insight to the teacher’s inconsistent habits. Therefore, pertaining no purpose of curiosity to the books the teacher read. After realising how off track my thinking was, I attempted to embark on the prompt request. I sat and pondered (for a long time), in an attempt to reminisce on a certain book that totally engaged me through primary school. Suddenly, it came to me! My grade one class, we loved the teachers reading The Magic Far Away Tree, Enid Blyton. Which, incidentally, coincided with my family home reading. I believe I recall this specific book due to the alignment of my Dad’s night-time reading. This reflects the difference that reading aloud, not only during school time but at home, can truly make! If it wasn’t for this one book experience, I highly doubt I would have a memorable chapter book which was read aloud at school (for enjoyment). It is because of The Magic Far Away Tree, that I have developed a sincere understanding of reading for enjoyment. Reflecting and sharing on my experience has assisted me in acknowledging the importance of reading appropriate and relevant books to students with passion and genuine expression. Moreover, I acknowledge the importance of obtaining persistent reading habits, e.g. completing books once begun.