I joined Cohort 21 to have dedicated time and space to dig deeper into some goals around literacy. I am excited to be joining alongside a colleague, Dianne, who is working on these goals collaboratively. Some of our goals include drafting a reading scope and sequence that is framed around the 5 pillars of reading. We will build out the details under each pillar as the year progresses and break it down by grade level as well. Alongside this, we are also interested in looking into writing and how to best document and track the writing progression across grade levels. We may start with text types and begin researching some writing continuum to help us build out a more robust framework. Another big goal is to take this work and see where reading and writing work together to support development, as well as areas where it could be better leveraged for student learning. I’m looking forward to connecting with anyone else in Cohort 21 who would be knowledgeable in this area, as well as connecting with our Literacy Consultant at the school.
The Pedagogy, Belonging and Wellbeing (JK-6) strand most resonates with me. I feel this is urgent and important because it is currently an area we strive to improve and better document. It also has important implications for students’ learning and allows for more cohesive and cumulative instruction to occur across a student’s experience from grade to grade. I wonder how the project may shift and change in response to what is uncovered and what is deemed to be the most essential and beneficial thinking ahead.
Melody – this sounds so interesting! I think and it’s great that you’re being flexible as things do tend to shift while going through this process you might be swayed in a completely new direction – either way it sounds amazing! I’d love to hear more about it at the next F2F!
Thanks for sharing, Melody. Interesting considerations your posing around literacy, long term progression and how to track it along with their development. I have two people to suggest 1) Lisa Weldon @lweldon – past C21 participant who has a wealth of knowledge around this and 2) @ckirsh Celeste Kirsh – another past C21 expert who is now doing their PhD work on similar work. Celeste’s podcast is also a great resource – https://open.spotify.com/show/751lsc8mCu30yxnvekQ1Jl?si=6af82c423fad4cf4
Hope those help – looking forward to hearing more!
Hi @mthompson – thanks for presenting some of the collaborative big goals that you and @djojic are looking at exploring this year through your action plans. I think these goals are each worthy in their own right and think you will enjoy the scoping we delve into at our 2nd F2F.
The part that resonates the most with me from your areas of interest, all of which I think are important and meaningful, is that of the development of writing – an area I am passionate about myself! When you consider writing progression, and the documentation of that progression across the K-6 realm, I am immediately curious about the text types and continuum research you mention being keen on exploring, and would be interested in learning more about it when we connect next in person.
Your post also sparks a wondering in me around the merits of learning cursive writing (either before, or in conjunction with learning to print), which is where my brain goes first when thinking about your goal of supporting development through reading and writing, but I will admit it is largely based upon my own set of experiences (around motor skill development, the ability of folks to draw a rough circle with more ease than a square and so on). Regardless of the case by experience, happy to chat more if it is something you are considering within your scope!
@mthompson
To ensure you receive personalized feedback on your Action Plan process, we invite you to post the following to your cohort blog before the 3rd face-to-face, by Monday, January 27th.
Please include the following in your blog post:
1) Your HOW MIGHT WE QUESTION…. (this should be the subject of your blog post)
2) A reflection on how your thinking evolved and shifted during the 2nd face-to-face session
3) Insights into your Action Plan and the steps you will take between now and June
4) What support you need, and what questions you still have?
5) Optional – Need further help? Click here for your AI Coach and post the conversation to your blog – https://app.flintk12.com/activity/design-thinking-9134f3/session/new