Reflection of my RPI journey

Looking back over the 9 sessions, I feel this PLD has changed the way I think about my role as a reading teacher. I have always valued reading in my classroom, but these sessions have made me think more carefully about why I am doing things and how they help my students become better readers. One of the biggest things I have taken away is the importance of knowing my learners as readers. I am now thinking more carefully about their interests, experiences, reading behaviours and the types of texts I choose for them. I want students to see themselves in texts, while also being exposed to different cultures, experiences and perspectives. The sessions on small-group reading, vocabulary and higher-order thinking have also influenced my teaching. I want to be more intentional about building background knowledge, explicitly teaching vocabulary and asking questions that make students think beyond what is directly written in the text. I have also changed the way I think about what happens after reading. The ideas around Create and Share showed me that reading does not have to finish with comprehension questions. Students can use what they have learnt to create, discuss and share. For example, after reading Bak Choy, my students created a skit recreating the scene where Jacob fell into the water and interviewed the bystanders. This showed me how students can demonstrate their understanding in different ways. Overall, these 9 sessions have helped me become a more intentional reading teacher. I am thinking more about how my texts, teaching, questions, activities and assessment all connect. Moving forward, I want my reading programme to give students more opportunities to read, think, discuss, question, create and share. Most importantly, I want my students to see reading as more than just a school task. I want it to help them learn about themselves, understand others and explore different worlds.

Create put into practice

After putting the “create” ideas into practice, I could see how much more engaged my students were when they had the chance to use what they had learnt from a text. We read Bak Choy, and instead of just answering questions, the students chose to create a skit based on the part where Jacob fell into the water. They decided to recreate the scene by acting as different characters and interviewing the bystanders about what happened. I really enjoyed seeing the students take the text and make it their own. They had to think about what the characters may have said, how they would have reacted, and what information from the story they needed to include. It also gave them a chance to work together, share ideas and be creative. I noticed that some students who are usually quieter during reading discussions were much more involved when they were acting and creating. It showed me that students can sometimes demonstrate their understanding in ways that are different from simply writing answers. This has encouraged me to continue using more “create” activities in reading. I will still make sure the task has a clear purpose and is connected to the text, but I want to give students more opportunities to choose how they show what they understand.