The Road Ahead: Boys’ Literacy Teacher Inquiry

Project and Report A three year multi-school initiative

Supported with funding from the Ministry of Education

Barbara Bodkin Grant ClatworthyDirector of Continuing Education PrincipalOntario Institute for Studies in Education Hawthorne Village PSUniversity of Toronto Halton District SB

Ontario Education Research ConferenceFebruary 2009

WHY TEACHER INQUIRY?

“We must find a way of bridging the traditional divide between educational theory and professional practice.”

Jack Whitehead as cited in Action Research Principles and Practice, by Jean McNiff

The Boys’ Literacy Teacher Inquiry Project

What did we learn?

Successes, challenges…Some surprises…Some confirmations..

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? ChallengesWHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? Challenges

• Time• School structures• Staff changes• Development of a focus• Disseminating ideas and promising practices• Validity of test results• Limitations of technology• Funding

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?About Boys’ Literacy Teaching PracticesAbout Boys’ Literacy Teaching Practices

• The power of teaching with a wide variety of reading materials

• The social nature of literacy learning• The power of talk• Listen to student voices- boys need choices!• Clearer assessment practices leads to precise

teaching using differentiated approaches• Let them be active and games and competition can

help drive motivation• Technology is a powerful ally in the classroom

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?About CollaborationAbout Collaboration

• Working together for building shared accountability• Dialogue and discussion to develop clarity• Planning processes that further aligned with other

thrusts• Refinement of inquiry processes • Teaching that was deprivatized• Encouragement of a more positive school climate

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?About Teacher Inquiry ProcessesAbout Teacher Inquiry Processes

OISE team provided support in the : • Development of a common language and understandings of phases of inquiry• Teacher Inquiry is possible!• Use of classroom data and other school-wide measures• Narrowing of the scope and sometimes the sample, for teacher inquiry• Balancing of qualitative and quantitative data• Alignment of data collection to the essential question and the determination of conclusions from analysis

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?Impacts of Boys’ Literacy Teacher InquiryImpacts of Boys’ Literacy Teacher Inquiry

Increased:• Respect and understanding for boys as learners employing a wider definition of literacy in elementary and secondary classrooms

• Growth of data literacy strategies

• Targeted and frequent feedback for boys “assessing for learning”

• More precise differentiated teaching

• Fostering of community networks and parent/guardians – reading in the lives of adults

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? About Data LiteracyAbout Data Literacy

• Use of a wider range of data tools and strategies• Extensive use of student surveys, inventories and

focus groups- listen to boys!• Public display of student achievement data for

collaborative analysis• Targeted and frequent feedback to students which

enhances their engagement with literacy • Adjustments in mid-course

A KEY DIMENSION: A KEY DIMENSION: Leadership Leadership •Role of formal leadership

•Growth of distributed leadership

•Development of learning networks

1.Development of teacher and collective self-efficacy

2.Academic press

3.Effective planning for transitions and changes

4.Growth of skills related to working collaboratively and using them successfully

Boys’ LiteracyImprovement

Focused Instruction & Assessment Practices

Teacher Inquiry Processes

LeadershipDevelopment Deepened

Enhanced School Culture

Coherence & Alignment

Sustainability

Personalization

Precision

Next StepsNext StepsSupport materials : funding and development

Teacher professional learning

Extend teacher inquiry projects and processes

Support for resource Acquisition

WATCH FOR:WATCH FOR:

• Research Report and Inquiry Teams Reports

THE ROAD AHEAD: BOYS’ LITERACY THE ROAD AHEAD: BOYS’ LITERACY TEACHER INQUIRY PROJECT 2005-2008TEACHER INQUIRY PROJECT 2005-2008

• Sequel to Me Read? No Way!

ME READ?ME READ? AND HOW!AND HOW!

COMINGCOMING

2009

One School Inquiry Team: One School Inquiry Team: Hawthorne Village PS Halton DSBHawthorne Village PS Halton DSB

“There is no doubt that my students are more engaged when I incorporate one or more of the arts into their programs. They seem more excited about their learning and now ask if we will be able to act it out or draw their interpretations of text.”

One School Inquiry Team: One School Inquiry Team: Hawthorne Village PS Halton DSBHawthorne Village PS Halton DSB

Why Teacher Inquiry?

•Provided a focus on literacy

•Linked to other curriculum initiatives

•Integrated the arts

•Built professional learning community within a new school community

One School Inquiry Team: One School Inquiry Team: Hawthorne Village PS Halton DSBHawthorne Village PS Halton DSB

What did we learn about teaching boys?

•Shared reading as part of instructional model improved engagement and achievement

• Student opinion surveys shaped our teaching and selection of reading materials

•Using a wide array of arts- visual, dramatic, music encouraged a wide variety of boys’ and girls’ responses before, during and after reading

•Community networks and involvement strengthened our school

One School Inquiry Team: One School Inquiry Team: Hawthorne Village PS Halton DSBHawthorne Village PS Halton DSB

How did teacher inquiry help?

Built our capacity for data literacy1. A cohort of boys became a targeted sample2. We used and customized assessment tools

Encouraged us to work together1. In a new school this project brought us together2. By collegial discussion we made our assessmentpractices more consistent for reading comprehension, fluency and motivation

One School Inquiry Team: One School Inquiry Team: Hawthorne Village PS Halton DSBHawthorne Village PS Halton DSB

What evidence demonstrated the impact?

• Over 70% of the cohort group (mostly boys) indicated they preferred to demonstrate reading understanding through the arts. The most preferred art was drama (acting out!) Writing was 45%!

• The greatest area of reading improvement was in fluency (linked to the shared reading strategy). There is a correlation between fluency and comprehension.More teachers indicated they integrated the arts in their language program

It is teachers, who, in the end, will change the world of school

by understanding it.

Laurence Stenhouse

Where to find materials?Where to find materials?Visit the Ministry of Education Web-site:

Videos and support booklets

Search “ Boys Literacy Teacher Inquiry”

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/

VOICES FROM THE PROJECT…VOICES FROM THE PROJECT…

A teacher remarked…

“ it is important to distinguish the difference between collegiality and collaboration. …where we thought common ground was in place related to various teaching strategies and practices for assessment, it became obvious there were differences in interpretation. Early agreement seems to have more do with comradeship and slowly a more collaboratively evolved explicit understanding of teaching practices developed.”

Our Lady of the Valley Catholic, Kenora CDSB

A teacher from a cross panel project remarked…

“For the [first] time in a long time, instead of being60 staff captains directing our own ships, we actually sailed together.”

A. Y. Jackson Secondary School & W.O Mitchell Public School, Ottawa Carleton DSB

VOICES FROM THE PROJECT…VOICES FROM THE PROJECT…