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Ways forward for practice and pedagogy in initial teacher training.

Learning from research into preparing effective teachers of Literacy and early reading.

Helen HendryBishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln

Becoming effective teachers of reading

• How do trainee teachers construct their identity as teachers of early reading and what influence does this have on their practice?

• Which aspects of teaching early reading cause trainee teachers concern or difficulty and why?

• How do trainee teachers combine pedagogical content knowledge with interaction to respond flexibly to the needs of their pupils?

• What changes happen to teaching in practice and perceptions about the effective teaching of early reading as trainees become NQTs?

Context is everything• Current context in ITT and Primary education inevitably

influences the teachers, students and teacher educators.• At policy level the Systematic Synthetic Phonic agenda has

replaced a deeper knowledge and understanding of the nature of learning to read

• And the nature of effective teaching and learning• Experiences in America suggest that focusing on one

model for reading without looking at teaching more holistically may do nothing to raise standards (Moss et al. 2008, Dillon et al. 2011)

• The focus on accountability in ITT may mean a shift back to a list of what needs to be covered rather than considering the complex nature of teaching

What do we know about effective teachers of Literacy?

• Include explicit phonics teaching in a broad and rich language curriculum with clear opportunities for practise/purposeful and motivating application

• Use varied resources and a Literate learning environment• Give direct instruction and modelling/ ensure clarity of learning

objectives and success criteria• Build positive relationships• Use AFL and differentiate creatively and rigorously• Used engaging and targeted teaching approaches and resources• Spontaneously intervene and feedback/adapt teaching• Enable children to self-correct and take responsibility/motivate as

learners• Have solid foundations of PCK• Maintain appropriate pace(Hattie 2009, Mohan et.al.2008, Pressley 2006, Louden et al. 2005, Hay Mcber 2000, Wray et al 2000, Riley 1996)

Trainee views of effective

teachers

Personalised learning

Differentiation

knowledge of different learning

styles

Organisation Planning

KnowledgeSubject knowledge

Progression

rapport

RelationshipsBehaviour

management

Engaging

Persistent

Teacher characteristics

flexible

What is needed to be an effective teacher of early

reading?

ArticulationSubject knowledge

and model

Other strategies for children who cant

use phonics

Pace

Variety of approaches

What do we know about what trainees find difficult?

• Enough opportunities for children to practise/make links across the English curriculum (Phonics agenda likely to make this worse)

• Flexibility to respond to misconceptions or encourage children to apply the skills they had.

• Insufficient modelling or opportunities for children to interact • Confidence with SK-terms and skills e.g demonstrating

segmenting and blending.• Maintaining focus on learning objective and success criteria• Building in assessment-and acting on this quickly-see above• Planning for extension and differentiated questioning• Balancing pace and engagement with questioning and

involvement!

Difficulties

exceptions to rules

applying knowledgeoutside of

phonics

regional accents

using Phonics to spell

explaining split digraphs

children who struggle to blend

children with a different strategies

pace

The role of pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman 1986, 1987)

• Excellent teachers of literacy provide skills and strategies instruction

• Model decoding and comprehension• Intervene and scaffold to support• Link reading skills to purposeful and engaging contexts (Riley

1996, Wray et al 2000, Fisher 2001, Pressley 2006, Mohan 2008). Parallels with areas of Maths knowledge identified by Rowland etal.(2009):• Foundation- own knowledge of maths• Transformation- ability to communicate it to others• Connection- making links between areas of maths/concepts• Contingency- ability to respond flexibly

When interviewed, early years teachers highlighted that their teaching decisions about reading took several factors into account simultaneously: the organisational needs of the class, the social needs of individuals, as well as the next steps needed to advance their cognitive development for early reading (Fisher 2001).

In order to become effective teachers of reading trainee teachers need to combine, pedagogical content knowledge and the ability to reflect upon and adapt practice to meet the needs of pupils during and after teaching.(Moon, 2005, Hagger and McIntyre 2006, Loughran 2006, Rowland et al. 2009).

Questions

How do I focus points for guided reading what sort of

questions should I use?

What should I do about the child who rarely contributes

during guided reading discussion

How can I revisit independent tasks in

guided reading when time is so short?

How do you differntiate in such a short session?Dont children get left

behind?

Should a child have completed AF 1,2,3 etc before you can award a

secure level?

How do you ensure learning is fully embedded

and not just rote memorised?

The school culture and ‘tethered learning’• ‘future teachers do learn what they are taught’

(Noe 1994 in Dillon et al. 2011 )• Although trainees want a supportive comfortable

mentoring relationship where they receive feedback, mentees expect that mentor teachers will provide opportunities for learning and that they themselves will make use of these opportunities (Ambrosetti 2010)

• Trainees need opportunities to feel ‘legitimate’ and move beyond mentor’s practice ( Rajuuan et al. 2010 ,Cuenca 2011)

• Mixed profiles of mentor and trainee might be most useful for learning (Rajuuan et al. 2010 )

• Trainee dispositions change little during training and influence their journey enormously (Mutton et. al. 2010, Ripski et. al 2011)

• Learning by experience very different depending on individual students

• Knowing oneself is key (Loughran 2006)

Early reading

Effective literacy

teaching

Effective teaching

Individual barriers

Individual

Partnership

Course

Next steps

• Video observe and discuss reading lessons with trainees

• Track changes in trainee beliefs about effective teaching

• Track trainee difficulties and how these change in different schools

• Consider PCK and how it is manifested through planned and spontaneous AFL and questioning

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