Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Best practice in the teaching of Best practice in the teaching of initial readinginitial reading
Key issue addressed by the studyKey issue addressed by the study The study examined the practice of 12 The study examined the practice of 12
successful schools to illuminate effective successful schools to illuminate effective practice in teaching children to readpractice in teaching children to read
Keys to the schools’ successKeys to the schools’ success All 12 schools All 12 schools
– were passionate in their belief that every child were passionate in their belief that every child can learn to read can learn to read
– used an intensive and systematic approach to used an intensive and systematic approach to teaching phonicsteaching phonics
– provided consistent, high quality teachingprovided consistent, high quality teaching– developed their pupils’ oral language skillsdeveloped their pupils’ oral language skills– assessed pupils’ progress regularly assessed pupils’ progress regularly – had effective leadership and management of the had effective leadership and management of the
school and literacyschool and literacy
A common approach to teaching phonicsA common approach to teaching phonics
The key features were The key features were teaching childrenteaching children– letter-sound letter-sound
correspondences in a clearly correspondences in a clearly defined incremental sequencedefined incremental sequence
– to blend phonemes in order all to blend phonemes in order all through a word to read it through a word to read it
– to segment words into to segment words into phonemes to spellphonemes to spell
– that blending and segmenting that blending and segmenting are reversible processesare reversible processes
High quality teaching of phonicsHigh quality teaching of phonics
In all 12 schools both teachers In all 12 schools both teachers and teaching assistantsand teaching assistants– knew the sequence in which knew the sequence in which
sounds should be taughtsounds should be taught– knew the ways different resources knew the ways different resources
should be usedshould be used– observed and assessed children’s observed and assessed children’s
understanding and progress understanding and progress minutelyminutely
– ensured active participation and ensured active participation and productive, enjoyable learningproductive, enjoyable learning
An example of quality phonics teachingAn example of quality phonics teaching
One teacher One teacher – used a toy donkey to introduce the ‘h’ sound – she used a toy donkey to introduce the ‘h’ sound – she
said he was puffing /h/h/h/h/ because he had been said he was puffing /h/h/h/h/ because he had been running and jumping running and jumping
– asked the children to say the sound (huffing on their asked the children to say the sound (huffing on their hands) and draw it in the air (explaining how)hands) and draw it in the air (explaining how)
– asked the children to help her to sort a bag of items asked the children to help her to sort a bag of items into those beginning with ‘h’ and those notinto those beginning with ‘h’ and those not
– noticed when a child focused on the ‘s’ sound at the noticed when a child focused on the ‘s’ sound at the end of ‘horse’ rather than the ‘h’ sound at the start and end of ‘horse’ rather than the ‘h’ sound at the start and helped him to hear where the two sounds occurredhelped him to hear where the two sounds occurred
The importance of developing the The importance of developing the children’s oral language skillschildren’s oral language skills
Because the children often Because the children often started nursery with poor oral started nursery with poor oral skills and vocabulary, staff skills and vocabulary, staff invested time in developing invested time in developing these skills toothese skills too
Staff, for example, asked the Staff, for example, asked the children tochildren to– match the sounds of instrumentsmatch the sounds of instruments– join in with the rhyming words join in with the rhyming words
when reading aloud from bookswhen reading aloud from books– discuss the meaning of words and discuss the meaning of words and
think of alternativesthink of alternatives
Forms of assessment and monitoringForms of assessment and monitoring Assessment and monitoring Assessment and monitoring
took many forms, includingtook many forms, including– ‘‘reading milestones’ (identified reading milestones’ (identified
through teachers’ experience) that through teachers’ experience) that children needed to achieve by children needed to achieve by certain points in order to be on certain points in order to be on track track
– ‘‘objectives sheets’ used to set objectives sheets’ used to set targets for pupils and for teachers targets for pupils and for teachers to teach toto teach to
– assessment tools provided by assessment tools provided by published schemes which fed into published schemes which fed into planningplanning
The outcomes of assessmentThe outcomes of assessment The principal use of The principal use of
assessment was to form assessment was to form teaching groups based on teaching groups based on attainment or to inform attainment or to inform accelerated promotionaccelerated promotion
All the schools recognised the All the schools recognised the importance of identifying pupils importance of identifying pupils falling behind early on and then falling behind early on and then supporting them in small groups supporting them in small groups or individually in order to get or individually in order to get them back on trackthem back on track
The importance of quality school The importance of quality school leadershipleadership
All the headteachersAll the headteachers– made the teaching of reading the made the teaching of reading the
core purpose of their schoolcore purpose of their school– appointed an effective literacy appointed an effective literacy
subject leader/managersubject leader/manager– built cohesive teams and confident built cohesive teams and confident
staff staff – led through demonstration, led through demonstration,
monitoring and dialoguemonitoring and dialogue– invested heavily in training and invested heavily in training and
CPD for teachers and teaching CPD for teachers and teaching assistants in phonicsassistants in phonics
The importance of staff training and The importance of staff training and developmentdevelopment
All 12 schools felt staff All 12 schools felt staff training and development in training and development in phonics teaching promoted phonics teaching promoted accuracy, consistency, accuracy, consistency, knowledge, skills and knowledge, skills and understandingunderstanding– training was in-house and often training was in-house and often
included peer observationincluded peer observation– some staff were sent for some staff were sent for
training by the provider of the training by the provider of the phonics scheme they were phonics scheme they were usingusing
Quality leadership by the literacy Quality leadership by the literacy co-ordinatorco-ordinator
The best literacy co-ordinatorsThe best literacy co-ordinators– were knowledgeable about the school’s reading were knowledgeable about the school’s reading
and writing programmeand writing programme– knew the strengths and development needs of all knew the strengths and development needs of all
staff involved in teaching phonicsstaff involved in teaching phonics– tracked individual children’s progress in reading tracked individual children’s progress in reading
and writingand writing– monitored implementation of the phonics monitored implementation of the phonics
programme through focused observations programme through focused observations – provided feedback on the observationsprovided feedback on the observations
Who were the children in the study?Who were the children in the study? Children in nursery, Foundation year, Year 1 and Children in nursery, Foundation year, Year 1 and
Year 2 classes at 12 schoolsYear 2 classes at 12 schools The school populations represented a spectrum The school populations represented a spectrum
in terms of ethnicity and socio-economic in terms of ethnicity and socio-economic backgroundsbackgrounds
How was the information gathered?How was the information gathered?
HMI inspectors visited 12 schools during HMI inspectors visited 12 schools during October 2010 and observed over 100 sessionsOctober 2010 and observed over 100 sessions
All 12 schools had been judged previously as All 12 schools had been judged previously as outstanding and had achieved above average outstanding and had achieved above average results in reading results in reading
The schools set the agenda for the visits – they The schools set the agenda for the visits – they were simply asked to show how they taught were simply asked to show how they taught children to readchildren to read
How can teachers use the evidence in How can teachers use the evidence in this study?this study? The study showed the importance of ongoing The study showed the importance of ongoing
professional development for enhancing teachers’ and professional development for enhancing teachers’ and teaching assistants’ teaching of phonics, of which peer teaching assistants’ teaching of phonics, of which peer observation played a partobservation played a part
Could you and a colleague get together to observe each Could you and a colleague get together to observe each other taking a phonics session and give each other other taking a phonics session and give each other feedback on it afterwards regarding, pace, level of feedback on it afterwards regarding, pace, level of challenge, the approaches used (e.g. mini whiteboards challenge, the approaches used (e.g. mini whiteboards and paired work) and the effectiveness of them etc?and paired work) and the effectiveness of them etc?
Could you involve teaching assistants in observing and Could you involve teaching assistants in observing and giving feedback on phonics sessions?giving feedback on phonics sessions?
How can school leaders use the How can school leaders use the evidence in this study?evidence in this study? The study showed the importance of assessing The study showed the importance of assessing
children’s progress in learning to read and children’s progress in learning to read and identifying those who are falling behind early onidentifying those who are falling behind early on
Would your colleagues find it helpful to work Would your colleagues find it helpful to work together to produce a series of reading together to produce a series of reading milestones by which to assess their children’s milestones by which to assess their children’s progress?progress?
Could you set up regular team or whole-school Could you set up regular team or whole-school staff discussions to help staff identify rates of staff discussions to help staff identify rates of progress and consider how they could best help progress and consider how they could best help those children who are falling behind?those children who are falling behind?
Follow-up readingFollow-up reading
Study reference: Ofsted (2010) Reading by six: Study reference: Ofsted (2010) Reading by six: how the best schools do it how the best schools do it
The report is available from: The report is available from: www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/Reading-by-six-how-the-best-schools-do-it
FeedbackFeedback
Did you find this useful?Did you find this useful? What did you like?What did you like? What didn’t you like?What didn’t you like?
Any feedback on this Research BiteAny feedback on this Research Bite
would be much appreciated. Please emailwould be much appreciated. Please email
your feedback to:your feedback to:
