Inquiry into formative practice in reading.

In reading, I have noticed how some learners do not take part in discussions during guided reading. I feel that dialogic discussions are so important in reading, as it reflects the learners' understanding of a text and their skills in using the key competences of the New Zealand curriculum:

Think

Using language/symbols/texts

Managing self

Relating to others and Participating/Contributing

The observation around dialogic discussion was made at the start of the year. It made me wonder why some of our learners do not contribute/ participate in these discussions. 

Some of my first thoughts:

• Learners' require more confidence so they feel their ideas are going to be listened to and valued.
• Unfamiliar - new class/ new teachers.
• My teaching - what do I need to do to ensure my learners are engaged?

This has led to my inquiry focus: use formative data to determine next steps to focus on in dialogic discussions during guided reading.

To do this, my first step is to test a focus group of learners, using Probe. This focus group is one which is showing the characteristics which I have observed in terms of dialogic discussion in reading, and which will hopefully demonstrate whether my inquiry into my teaching is having an effect on their learning. As Probe breaks down reading comprehension into different areas, I hope I will gain some insight into the area(s) which learners are having particular difficulty with, so I can therefore have this as a focus for group discussions around texts.