24.2.26

Knowing your learners 

Knowing your learners as readers is the first step in understanding how to support them to be better readers. The “What kind of reader are you?” google form helped build this knowledge for me with my 2026 class. 

Summary

57% like reading at school  and 67% like reading at home

81% are currently reading a book for enjoyment

76% think reading helps them be smarter or more relaxed

70% like comics and graphic novels/  60& funny books, 60% like chapter books, 33% fantasy 

90% thought they were good at reading 

88% thought their teacher and whanau thinks they are good at reading

My survey results were actually better than I expected with regard to reading enjoyment and their perception of themselves as readers. Around 60% like reading at school and 70% like reading at home.  80% are reading something for enjoyment which is great. I can identify the learners who are not. My learners clearly love comics and graphic novels (70%) and funny books (60%).  Only 30% liked reading non fiction which was interesting. And pleasingly, 90% thought they were good at reading and 88% thought their teacher and whanau think they are good at reading. 

I do have a group of 7 learners working below in the class. A couple of these love reading and  always have a book in their hand but their comprehension is very low. In discussion (using ground rules for communication) with learners about these results, they were mostly interested in the types of books each other likes to read. Some very popular ones were Wimpy kid/Dogman/Harry potter/Treehouse/Geronimo Stilton. They were keen to set up an “I think you would like this book because “ book chain. Using a reading challenge board - see below - may help achieve another class goal of bringing some variety to their reading.

76%  of my learners think reading makes them smarter or more relaxed. 

Teaching as Inquiry

 

Below is an overview of the of the labels for each stage of the TaI Framework

LEvidence	Learn - Gather Evidence	CPlan	Create - Make a plan	SPublish	Share - Publish
LScan	Learn - Scan	CTry	Create - Try new things	SCoteach	Share - Co-teach
LTrend	Learn - Identify Trends	CInnovate	Create - Innovate	SModel	Share - Model
LHypothesise	Learn - Hypothesise	CImplement	Create - Implement	SGuide	Share - Guide
LResearch	Learn - Research	CReflect	Create - Reflect	SFback	Share - Feedback
LReflect	Learn - Reflect			SReflect	Share - Reflect

RPI Day 1 on Feb 13th, 2026

I am excited to hear about practices that will lead to better outcomes for my learners. I like how in RPI there is time to implement in class before the next session and that we have mentor catchups for support. I am hoping to build skills that will support learners to read for pleasure, read a wider variety of book, and increase their reading stamina.

I am also interested in what the RPI feels are the best evidence based practices. I lean towards a structured approach with all my teachingthis has evolved over the years since I started teaching 4 years ago, mainly through my own personal knowledge building and trying things in the classroom. These practices were reinforced more recently with MOE PLD in literacy and maths, and seen in the success we have seen in our structured approach to maths last year.  to accelerate reading for learning and enjoyment, and how I can implement them in my year 5/6 MLE.  

Good readers

The “ Good reader profile “ and understanding the reader through the google form will be interesting. It was good to see an example of an inquiry using this knowledge to effect change. I need to make sure they answer the questions authentically, so I may need help or do it in small groups. 

Ground rules & extended discussion

Learning about extended discussion and ground rules was fantastic, as was practising it ourselves in breakouts. I will co-construct and implement ground rules straight away including the self assessment part. I would like to build this as a solid skill that learners can use across all subjects and eventually independently eg in a book club or a critical discussion. I will encourage this as a shared practice across the team

To increase sustained discussion using the ground rules, I will start with toss and talk and build up. We have a lot of shy learners with soft voices.  I will look into talk roles leading to self managing groups later in the year.

Pillars of practice

Looking at the pillars of practice, I identified sharing by collaborating, for example buddy reading, reading communities, recommending texts, and co-responding to texts as areas I want to improve on.

Self efficacy document

I found this quote from a research document on self efficacy interesting.

Mastery experience occurs when a child evaluates his or her own competence after learning and believes their efforts have been successful. Mastery experiences increase confidence and willingness to try similar and more challenging tasks. In addition, studies have also found that social experiences play a powerful role in the development of self-efficacy. The beliefs and behaviors held by teachers and peers are important in building the self-efficacy of all children in the classroom” .

In my classroom, I would like to ensure my learners feel their efforts lead to success every day - which means I have to pitch the lesson right and give the right feedback at the right time in the right way. In conjunction with this, if I can improve the class ‘reading culture’ (The beliefs and behaviors held by teachers and peers )  this will also help build all learners’ self efficacy.

Taskboards

The” early in year taskboard 

Teacher as a reader

I need to work on having a wider knowledge of the books they read so I can recommend more genuinely, as well as share my own enthusiasm about books.