School

A New Chapter in Reading Instruction for The Harbour School

By Jen Crickenberger Prep Teacher and Prep Literacy Coordinator The Harbour School

Personalized learning is a buzzword tossed around frequently in education but what does it actually mean? Personalized learning refers to adjusting the content and intensity of study to an individual student’s needs, abilities and goals. At The Harbour School, teaching teams plan and work together so all students can master their individual objectives and continually progress. We have supercharged our Prep and Primary literacy curriculum with the addition of a new model of instruction for reading to boost individual readers.

We have recently adopted Teachers College Reading and Writing Program’s Reading Units of Study. In August, teachers from Prep through High School received professional development training with Beth Keat, owner and educational consultant of Keat Literacy based in the United States. Teachers have already been using the workshop model in writing, so adding the reading units of study seemed like a natural complement. From unrolling effective mini lessons in the younger grades to effective written feedback in the high school, teachers gained new tools to begin this school year with a fresh perspective.

Beth Keat explains the benefits of reading and writing workshop:

“The workshop model is specifically designed to differentiate for all readers- no matter how advanced or how struggling. Reader’s workshop prioritizes small group and individualized instruction by its design and structure: a short whole class lesson and an extended independent work period where students read books at their own levels, at their own pace, and teachers deliver specialized instruction to individuals and small groups.” The Reading and Writing Units of Study are designed to support readers and writers with exactly what they need every day. We know that reading is so much more than simple recall. Students should be actively checking for understanding, self-monitoring, and rereading as needed. We want readers to also be able to retell the story and make valuable connections with what was read. But most importantly, we hope that we instill a love of reading that will last a lifetime.

One of my favorite parts of working at The Harbour School is the Orang utan with baby willingness of teaching teams to differentiate instruction to suit the diverse learning needs of their students. Every child is challenged at their level by a teacher who understands them as a unique person. During reading workshop, teachers and co-teachers work in harmony through mini lessons, individual and partner conferences and guided reading groups to practice explicit reading strategies. The routines are predictable, so the class can dive into authentic learning experiences with ease. Students are given individualized feedback daily. Both readers and their teachers know what goals they are working on and have next steps in mind to achieve them. Wei Wei and William are partner reading during Reading Workshop in Jen Crickenberger’s Prep class.

EARCOS wishes to recognize and offer sincerest gratitude to members of the inaugural cohort of mentees and mentors currently engaged in leadership development in our region. ELM certificates was given last ELC2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

EARCOS Leadership Mentoring 2020 Update

During the recent ELC 2019 Dr. Chris Jansen conducted a pre-conference workshop designed to examine the current EARCOS Leadership Mentoring program(ELM), with an eye to streamlining the program. Twenty participants engaged in activities and discussion around the positives and negatives of the existing program. The resulting suggestions are being incorporated into a revamped process with less focus on the training modules, which seemed to create a time burden on those interested in participating in the program.

The revised EARCOS Leadership Mentoring(ELM) program is now open to those in leadership positions such as heads of school, principals, learning leaders, etc. wishing to become a mentor, be mentored, or to develop a peer-to-peer mentoring relationship. Details of the programme can be found in the revised ELM Handbook. (https://tinyurl.com/swetfxw)

Those interested in being involved in the program as mentors or mentees are invited to complete the registration and preference ELM questionnaire. Please register your interest by February 1st 2020. (https://tinyurl.com/tae2jqz)

The goal is to collate, approve and match applicants during March 2020 in order to initiate the mentoring relationship by April, although registration will remain open throughout the year. An online platform exclusively for use by ELM members will be established as a site for posting resource articles and videos and for communication among members.

Once paired, the mentor and mentee will be asked to develop and sign an agreement outlining their commitment with respect to time, confidentiality, and opt out mechanism.

In September a survey to ascertain the effectiveness of the program will be sent to participants. A one day pre-conference is planned for ELC 2020 to provide an opportunity for pairs to do some face to face mentoring and further training.

Any queries please contact Bill Oldread boldread@earcos.org or Chris Jansen chris@leadershiplab.co.nz

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EARCOS-CIS Institute on international Admission & Guidance

Date: 18 - 19 September 2020 Location: Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

The two-day event includes general sessions and fairs for both universities and schools. This is the perfect opportunity to connect and build international relationships that will support students’ search for the best-fit university. www.earcos.org | www.cois.org