5 minute read
A renaissance in reading ability, Dolores Elliot-Wilson
A renaissance in reading ability
Dolores Elliot-Wilson answers questions on a new project to assist young learners
Committed to accelerating learning for all, Renaissance believes that everyone can be successful, and that empowering teachers is integral to this success. Dolores Elliot-Wilson, Chief Librarian at Sunmarke School Dubai for instance, is currently using its data-driven and personalised reading practice, Accelerated Reader, alongside its digital, cloud-based assessment suite, Star Reading. Here, Dolores responds to a number of questions relating to use of Accelerated Reader, and Star Reading.
How do you start to create a learning plan for students?
At Sunmarke School, we have a diverse range of students, with around 50% being English language learners. The challenge was to create a literacy development programme to help guide these students and improve their English. The Star Reading assessment test is important in understanding the precise level for each student. Once we know their initial score and reading range, we can create the learning plan coupled with Accelerated Reader, to improve reading practice.
How have students taken to Accelerated Reader?
We have found that students are much more engaged in the library with Accelerated Reader. We have seen substantial growth, with some students having made a year’s worth of progress in just a few months. Once students have done one or two quizzes, you’ll see a growth in independence as they continue to use the programme.
What is the primary objective of Renaissance?
Renaissance creates assessment and practice solutions that put learning analytics to work for educators, saving hours of prep time, while making truly personalised learning possible. Schools use the company’s solutions to analyse students’ abilities and guide high-quality instruction. Put simply, Renaissance helps teachers to teach better, students to learn better, and school administrators to lead better, resulting in improved academic outcomes.
Do you have any tips for Renaissance customers?
My advice for teachers would be to get involved and encourage the project from the beginning! Don’t restrict children from reading, but instead try and encourage them to read suitably challenging books from within their recommended reading ranges. Also, try and regularly look at the Diagnostic Report and see which students haven’t taken their quizzes. You may find that some children are nervous to start with, but once they have done one or two quizzes, you’ll see a growth in independence as they continue to use the program.
Renaissance is based at 189 Marsh Wall in London, UK
Website: www.renaissance.com Email: international@renaissance.com Facebook: @renaissance.int • Twitter: @RenLearn_int
Why quality environments matter in Early Years
Phil Armstrong, Head of Regional Development Early Excellence www.earlyexcellence.com
Do your Early Years’ classroom spaces truly reflect your vision for learning? Have they come together by accident or been carefully planned to offer rich, meaningful and joyful experiences for young children?
In the Early Years, young children learn through a wonderful mix of dynamic, hands-on learning experiences supported by highly-skilled adults who have a thorough understanding of child development. The Early Years curriculum is continually delivered through the many experiences provided for children – the resources they use, the interactions that we build into their play and the moments of ‘direct teaching’ that occur throughout the day, every day.
This means that the learning environment is inextricably linked to how and what children learn and can be valued as a ‘teacher’.
Securing The Development & Progression of Skills As well as encouraging children’s independence and nurturing a wide range of learning behaviours – a well-planned and carefully resourced environment supports the acquisition, development and progression of skills and competencies. Therefore, it is important to consider: How can the space I have available offer the best opportunities and conditions for learning? How can I create a space in which children feel secure, empowered and joyful? Promoting Mastery Learning Creating spaces that are appealing, continually available and familiar to young children enables deeper learning - as children return to, repeat and extend their ideas over time. This promotes mastery behaviour as children are introduced to and supported with the use of carefully selected high-quality resources.
Each resource needs to be chosen to not only connect with children’s interests and their natural curiosity to investigate but also with its purpose in mind. We always need to know why we have a particular resource or area of provision and critically, how we keep using it to support learning across the curriculum.
Offering Core Learning Experiences It is these decisions that form the planning for what becomes our continuous provision – the core learning experiences we consistently provide for children each day as they enter the classroom.
If a curriculum aim is to develop independent learners, then the intelligent classroom provides accessibility – empowering children to lead their own learning.
Resources are carefully organised to make them visible to adults and children – not hidden away but valued and celebrated! They should also be presented in ways to make them not only appealing to use but also to support incidental learning, e.g. using labelling and shadowing to reinforce early literacy and numeracy.
Creating Delightful Corners of Curiosity Alongside continuous provision, creating delightful corners of curiosity enable us to introduce inspiring enhancements to bring new learning to our classrooms – enriching language, deepening understanding and providing opportunities to embed prior learning in new and diverse contexts.
If we consider the words of Maria Montessori, then we truly have the opportunity to create classrooms that become an effective and inspiring ‘teacher’.
Early Excellence Inspirational Learning
Equip classrooms with specialist furniture
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“Working with Early Excellence has been an amazing experience, from the initial order, shipping and installation. Our classrooms are filled with high quality equipment which has truly taken the children's learning beyond our expectations. Current and prospective parents comment on the quality and uniqueness of the learning environment.”
Sarah Harley Assistant principal, Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong
Enrich learning with high-quality resources
Planning to revitalise your early years? Explore Early Excellence today
To find out about Early Excellence and gain help to equip your early years classrooms visit earlyexcellence.com/getequipped
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