Managing self - Key Competencies

As my inquiry is related to increasing my students managing self skills i wanted to look more closely at the Key Competencies to see where they fit, i will readdress this later in the year to see where they have progressed using the Key Competency pathway. By linking my inquiry to the Key Competencies it has enabled me to identify my next steps and track my students progress throughout my inquiry.

https://nz-curriculum.wikispaces.com/2+Approaches

Oliver : He struggles to follow instructions when it is a non-preferred activity. This becomes challenging when it is time for work as he will show signs of refusal (lying on the floor or throwing his work), it has been difficult to see where his current reading skills. His behavior is a barrier to his learning, with the help of first / then visual supports we have seen his behavior decrease. 
Current Skills: KCI 4 / Manage my behavior : Attend to adult led activities with support
Next Steps : KCI 5 / Manage my behavior : Show awareness that actions have consequences

Conner : He has anxiety about joining in with unfamiliar groups, he will now join in group activities with out class but when we join with other classes he walks off and observes from a distance. Occasionally he refuses to come back to the classroom when we are outdoors but generally he listens well. 
Current Skills: KCI 5 / Take Risks : Use acquired skills in a familiar group
Next Steps : KCI 6 / Take Risks : Use acquired skills with an unfamiliar person

Benjamin : He needs to be familiar with a routine in order to remain on task and do what is expected of him. if the routine/environment is unfamiliar then he will walk away, run to a different activity or cry.  
Current Skills: KCI 4 / Persevere : Participate in a familiar activity that has been set for me with support
Next Steps : KCI 5 / Persevere : Anticipate and follow the next step in my learning programme that has been set for me

Alternative testing techniques

In special education we learn to get creative with how we deliver our teaching and test our students. I have a group of students in my class who i have struggled to formally test. I have used many different techniques to find out if they know their alphabet. For a teacher who has a student who is non-verbal it can be challenging to find out what they know.
Usually i would get them to choose out of 3 cards "show me ___" however what if they cannot yet make choices or don't understand the task? What if they cannot respond to simple instructions like "point to", "show me" or "give me"?
I have a student who i have attempted to test 8 times, ive tried everything from building alphabet towers and getting them to find the correct alphabet block to using  letter stencils to make letters in play dough.
Benjamin (part of my focus group) works well with technology however i couldn't find an app or game that was suitable. I have access to a smart board in my classroom so i made a game where Banjamin had to pop the balloons with the letters on them.
I used peer modelling initially to teach him the task. I used a student who had good alphabet knowledge and as i read out the letter, he would pop the balloon. When it was his turn he completed the task correctly, i was astounded that he knew all his lower case alphabet. I tested him twice to ensure that my data was correct and managed to capture some evidence on video to show his family.
Now that i have found a method to test him, i look forward to finding out what else he knows.

Focus Group 2018

I currently have 8 students in my classroom, all with varied skills and strengths. When choosing the students in my focus group I wanted to choose students that were showing signs of being ready to read (can sit for a short period of time, attend for the length of a story) but needed strategies to be put in place to be able to progress further.

Here is a brief outline of the students i have chosen in my focus group. 

I am currently completing assessments to have baseline data, i am in the process of finding the most suitable assessments to suit my students needs as well as how to assess them (I often need to get creative to assess my students).

Oliver : Age 5 yr, 1 mth, speaks and understands both English and Chinese, speaks using 1-3 keywords, very social and interactive but reliant on adult support as he likes 1:1 attention, has difficulty with compliance with non-preferred activities, good receptive language skills and understanding, minimal alphabet recognition, weak fine motor skills due to low muscle tone

Conner : Age 5 yr, 4 mth, excellent communication skills both verbal and receptive, he is very social and can initiate a conversation with others, he has difficulty joining group activities however this is improving, he can struggle at times to attend to a task when he wants to do something else,  he can recognise all upper and lower case letters and most letter sounds and he has instant recognition of many high frequency words

Benjamin : Age 5 yr, 3 mth, has some words but not using them yet appropriately to request items or comment. He has difficulty following instructions, sitting for extended periods of time and completely non-preferred activities. I am still in the process of working out what letters he can recognise. He doesn't show an interest in books and is unable to sit for extended periods of time. 

I have already started implementing strategies for all the students in my class - mainly around independence and managing themselves day to day in the classroom (unpacking their bag, sitting for increasing periods of time, using the first - then visual sequence, following routines). I am looking forward to working on specific strategies for each student and their learning needs. 

Watch this space!

Learning Intentions for Shared Reading

Having a clear learning intention prior to every lesson is important for students of any level. Visuals are a great way of sharing what it is you are wanting them to learn. 

We are fortunate to have received training at Sommerville from Sally Clendon. She teaches that having specific learning targets shared prior to a lesson means that your students only have to focus on one aspect of the lesson rather than trying to retain information about everything you are reading. 

I had great success in my last classroom by writing down on the whiteboard what they were learning that particular day. In my new classroom I have had to adapt the way I teach and deliver content. I made these learning intention boards which i have printed and laminated to use during shared reading. For some books i will make specific learning intentions to go with that story, Eg: we are learning to find out what happened to the mouse.

For each book i make a activity core board which has language from the story in visual form so that my non verbal students can answer questions about the story. 

Here are some examples: 

Letter of the Week

Like most classrooms, my class has a huge variety of learners with differing skill levels. It can be challenging to build individualised programmes to cater to their needs.

Here is how i have planned my alphabet and phonics programme to suit my students:

- introducing letter : what does it look like, feel like (tactile letters are great) and sound like. A Colleague of mine has made excellent smart board resources which she has kindly shared with me. I use them as an introduction to our letter of the week. They have to find the letter and when they press the letter a video will play.

- Sensory tubs :  finding the letter of the week letters in sand, rice etc and matching them on a alphabet board

- Magnetic letters :  finding the letter of the week

- Dot to dot letters (link to worksheets below): students can color the letters in stickers (excellent fine motor activity), bingo dabbers, fingerprints, crayons

http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/12/a-z-do-a-dot-worksheets.html 

- letter sound sorts (link is below)

https://www.themeasuredmom.com/free-sorting-mats-for-learning-consonant-sounds/

- Feely bag :  put objects that begin with that letter inside the bag and students can pull them out to find objects. 

- Alphabet books (link is below)

https://www.themeasuredmom.com/free-letter-books/

- Can you find ....? :  Have large printed letters on the floor or wall (I write the letters with chalk on the carpet or concrete), students to throw the mini bean bag at the letter of the week. 

- Cut and paste sound sorting activities (link is below)

https://www.primarytreasurechest.com/teachingresources/category/phonics-letter-sounds.html