applying objectives

Well-planned teaching must be based around objectives. Successful completion of these objectives can only be achieved with curriculum planning. To apply reading and language objectives through our curriculum teachers must create innovative classroom plans.

Collaboration of planning amongst teachers may ease the burden of creating appropriate material for classrooms. With this in mind teachers should aim to collaborate at the upcoming curriculum planning meeting to share ideas. Until then three simple suggestions to begin implementing reading and language objectives are as follows:

Worksheets: Worksheets may help teachers in applying specific indicators to a task such as those stated in the Queensland Studies Authority Literacy Indicators.

Individual exploration: Individual exploration encourages students to source, study and interpret information independently and enable them to absorb the content in a way that they can comprehend.

Collaboration: students receive an array of perspective by broadening the information they receive and diluting bias.

I am sure you have all already implemented these in your classroom on other tasks but it is sometimes beneficial to get a refresher course.

Worksheets

Worksheets such as those I have created in my introductory post are a fun and interactive way to introduce new topics and promote learning. A worksheet can assist in implementing a structured plan to a range of diverse students and can be as broad or as precise as you decide to make them. The basis of a worksheet can be set around a specific indicator from the Queensland Studies Authority literacy indicators and upon completion teachers can be certain they have made a satisfactory attempt in achieving the set syllabus. Using worksheets to achieve the indicators can be especially efficient in promoting on task behavior amongst students. Students have clear set goals to achieve and a formula by which to work by. The content of the worksheets can be sourced from many resources such as http://www.love2read.org.au. This particular resource provides multiple starting points for teachers to begin their reading and language objectives.

Individual exploration

Encouraging students to source, study and interpret information is an invaluable way of helping students learn. Students who source their own information are more likely to reinterpret the knowledge in a way they understand and so absorb the content more easily.  Using individual exploration can be used to fill in time between tasks or when your attention is otherwise engaged (with other students etc). Individual tasks can also be set for at home study. Students may find that they can set their individual exploration of a topic at their own pace and therefore not fall behind as they may in a more regimented form of study. Encouraging students to source information for themselves also begins what will hopefully become a regular tendency when students need to begin independent research. It may also aid in making reading a habitual act. Allowing students to research independently ensures they are adhering to the reading and viewing indicators set by the Queensland studies authority. Students will be able to use their own text processing strategies, which will in turn ensure they reach the correct comprehension of reading and viewing set in the literacy indicators.  

Collaboration

Equally as important as individual exploration, group work can help students in comprehending new information. Setting group tasks engages students with their peers and can broaden the information they receive. Allowing group based work dilutes bias when sourcing information and encourages students to experience new ways of sourcing information that they might not have discovered in individual exploration. Using collaboration is also a great way to incorporate ideals from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages, Queensland syllabus P-10. Teachers can use collaboration with the indigenous community to forge respectful relationships and improve students’ language and communication.

These three tasks may be used as aids in applying year of the reading within the school. I have tried to incorporate all three within the worksheet in the introductory post but I’m sure you will think of many more effective ways of using them within your classroom. These three suggestions can easily be applied to your classroom curriculum plan whilst adhering to you own pedagogical philosophy. To remain certain that you are adhering to your pedagogical philosophy it is important to ensure Teachers regularly analyze and Asses the tasks they set, adapt when necessary and reconstruct the tasks that aren't working.  By ensuring your classroom remains on focus within these tasks you give your students the best chance of success with reading.