7.++Integrating+Theory+and+Practice

The classes observed ranged from Prep to grade 2 and it appears that each school approached the delivery of their literacy program in a different way. All followed the same principles noted in the Hill text and in our lecture and tutorial notes but each had their own unique method of delivery to ensure that their students remained engaged, on track and improving their skills and knowledge. The following are the range of teaching approaches that integrated the theory that we have been learning about into practice; and were used within the classes that were supervised by our group.
 * INTEGRATING THEORY AND PRACTICE**

Each session utilised the whole-part-whole approach for literacy development. Each class began as a group for the big book and then while some classes were separated into literacy learning centres noted in Hill pp. 83 for a variety of different tasks relating to the big book, other classes (Prep classes) remained together for a little longer for another whole group session to reinforce their early literacy development.
 * Whole-part-whole approach**

All teachers started the morning session with the big book and modelled reading for the students concentrating on a particular literacy focus for that session. The literacy focus for each class was very different, not only because of the range of age groups (Prep to year 2) but also because each school approached literacy development in a different way.
 * Modelled Reading**

The big book was used in each instance as the shared reading experience for the literacy session. Each teacher would use a variety of different interpretive, inferential and literal questions before, during and at the conclusion of the story to ensure comprehension and to also reinforce the literacy focus for the session.
 * Shared Reading**

In some instances guided reading in small groups was a focus for the teacher when the children were broken into smaller groups. I noted that in the class that I observed the teacher made a point of ensuring that a particular group of students had a daily guided reading session to "bring them up to the level of the rest of the class" (Kirton, 2011) While some of my peers may see this as ostracising a particular groups students, it was done in a way that enhanced their learning and also enhanced the literacy focus for that session with a relevant book chosen.
 * Guided Reading**

There was only one instance where independant reading occurred and that was at the school that I visited. Between 9am - 11am each student was allocated time to read aloud to a parent helper, while this is not entirely independant reading it was certainly reinforcing the students reading fluency and confidence. Durig this time teh children were also encouraged to read texts at their independant reading level..." (Hill, pp. 83)
 * Independant Reading**

Modelled writing was used in some classes to reinforce the literacy focus for the session and to assist the students with their writing fluency, spelling, grammar and sentence structure.
 * Modelled Writing**

Again shared writing was not used in all classes but was apparent in some literacy sessions and was done in different ways in each school. One teacher ensured that she made spelling mistakes and got the children to assist with the correction, another teacher modelled the words for the week on the board to ensure correct spelling by the Prep students.
 * Shared Writing**

This technique was used within the Prep grades to help them get used to writing letters and words and is also used within the higher grades for the same purpose. As well as using work sheets and tracing of words and letters guided writing can also be done in small groups copying work from the white board or smart board.
 * Guided Writing**

Independent writing was only seen in one of the observed sessions and the children were given thank you letters to write to the special people who had visited their school the previous day. Whilst I did not see this on the day of observation I have noted this on many occasions during my first teaching practicum. The students that I am working with are learning how to write narratives and in one of the sessions that I took I got the students to write alternate endings to fairytales for the independant writing session.
 * Independant Writing**

This approach was utilised by the teachers of the Prep students as they were not yet ready to to work independently and utilised shared and guided reading and writing to give support to the students whilst still challenging them.
 * Scaffolded Teaching Approach**

Literacy learning centres were taking place in some of the schools as a way of reinforcing the literacy focus for the week and ran as a part of the whole-part-whole approach for delivery of learning. The students were split into smaller groups and given an extension activity to complete and at the conclusion were brought back to share their work with the rest of the class. By doing this the teacher could distribute work to complete that was at the level of the students in each group.
 * Literacy learning centres**

Look, cover, write, check was a technique used by one teacher to improve spelling and this is a well utilised approach that is used in most schools. The students look at the word, cover it up, write it down in their spelling book and then check the accuracy when complete.
 * Look, cover, write, check**

Share time was used to bring the whole group back together and to focus on the achievements of students in their literacy learning centres. This approach not only gave the students a chance to show each other what they had been doing but it reinforced their learning and contributed to building their confidence.
 * Share Time**

This literacy program was only used by one school but was extremely effective and gave teachers a clear structure for literacy development. It is a week by week program that uses sound description, literacy rules, sight words, sound processing, decoding and encoding words and each literacy session concludes with a game that reinforces the literacy focus for the week. This also uses the whole-part-whole approach and allows students to not only learn together but to also be given tasks to complete in literacy learning centres.
 * DIPL Program - Doorways into practical literacy**

In conclusion what I have found is that it did not matter which school was observed every teacher based their teaching methodology on the content of Hill and what we have come to learn throughout this semester in our tutes and lectures. It does not matter how you deliver and what your focus is it seems that there are some valuable guidelines to follow when integrating theory into practice. Always utilise the modelled, shared, guided and independant reading and writing in your literacy sessions and remember the value of the whole-part-whole approach as this also allows students to utilise their own funds of knowledge and share their learning with others thus, reinforcing their own learning. And always reinforce the literacy focus again and again and again, repetition seemed to be one of the keys to unlocking literacy development in children.