Reflection

Successes

Student engagement and participation every day
Student self-confidence in their answers without fear of making a mistake
Student recognition of vowels and words without my insight or reference
Reading level increase
Fluidity of the day because of a consistent routine

Challenges

Meeting all needs during whole group instruction
Students receiving speech services or reading interventions missing whole group instruction
Wondering if students were confusing English with Spanish or if they truly did not know English
Explaining all of the different rules of English without confusing or overloading students at one time

Teacher & Student Growth

As a first year teacher I feel my growth as an educator and individual surpassed what I hoped or even envisioned. I was amazed by the effort and interactions my students put forth. I was learning English grammar rules I had forgotten alongside them. I caught myself having 'ah-ha' moments frequently, verbalizing to my students to show them we are always learning, regardless of our age.

After changing the way I taught and analyzed words I started to view them differently. Now, I notice spelling patterns and words inside of words. I find it fascinating. After I tried a new strategy or activity, I asked students what they thought; did they like it, did it help them, do they want to do it again? I took into consideration their responses for future teaching. I want students to be interested and enjoy what we are doing to ensure they are motivated to be resilient when it gets hard.

I learned how to incorporate letter knowledge practice, vowel identification practice, and sight word practice all together while making learning fun and energizing. Going forward, I will be able to use these strategies earlier in the year to help students make connections and build their English foundational knowledge to ensure they make adequate growth throughout the year.

Impact on Learning & Future Changes

The impact this study had on my students was immense. Students gained self-confidence in their work and in themselves. Students who barely spoke during the beginning of the year were quick to participate and share their opinions leading up to the end of this study. Their reading improved by knowing 1st grade sight words, using decoding skills, and noticing punctuation at the end of a sentence to adjust their tone of voice. The skills they acquired translated into all other content areas. They noticed spelling patterns in our math, science, and social studies lessons. They were excited to share the connections they made and were bummed with loud sighs when someone else shared what they noticed first.

The impact this study had on me was also immense. I learned how to be more systematic and specific in my teaching and feedback. I learned how six and seven year olds think, which changed the way I thought. I realized each minute and conversation I had with every individual mattered. Time is so limited which led to me being exact in my planning and questioning. Everything I did began to have a purpose. Everything I will do moving forward will have purpose.

Future changes I would make would be to add more partner-talk and partner-work. I think students learning from each other is vital in learning social skills and respect for others opinions. I would connect word work activities with writing in challenging students to use every word in a sentence or story every week. Planning precise movements for each word to help with meaning making, rather than thinking of movements on-spot would be an additional change I would make.

Remaining Questions

Although my students made progress and grew as a result of the strategies I used, I have questions lingering in my mind.

Which strategy was the most effective?
Since I used a variety of strategies, I may have reached each student with a different strategy, therefore I question if I use every strategy going forward in my teaching?
I wonder where my students would have ended if I had implemented these strategies sooner?
Will the strategies I taught them stay with them throughout their life?
Are they able to use these strategies when they are learning and furthering their Spanish?
Did I build a strong enough English foundation or will they lose everything they learned during the summer, away from school?

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse