Rolfe’s Model of Reflection (Otago Polytechnic, n.d. )
This model is simple to follow and could easily be used by my students to reflect on their own learning. I like the fact that there are three main questions with supplementary questions to guide my thinking.
What?
I introduced the 15 minutes of speaking te reo Māori only to my class in Week 1 after completing a whole class survey and oral assessment. I have been timetabling this from 9.15 - 9.30am each day to coincide with our morning mihi.
So what?
Although my class are not confident speakers most of them have embraced the challenge of attempting to communicate in te reo Māori for 15 minutes each day. The most relevant aspect of the inquiry so far is that students are interacting almost exclusively with me and not amongst themselves. Since the idea was to encourage everyday conversation I need students to be actively communicating with each other. Much of the research cited in Enhancing Student Interaction in the Language Classroom shows findings that peer interaction is integral to language learning (Adams, 2018). One of the benefits discussed in the article is that students are less anxious when communicating with each other, they can be more playful and relaxed without the pressure of being assessed.
In my class, I don’t think anxiety is the issue. As I am also learning the language and making plenty of mistakes I am modelling to my students that it is safe to take risks. I think the situation has come about because I have directed students to talk without a clear agenda. It would probably have been more successful if I had asked them to pair up and provided a topic for discussion. This could be based on what we are currently learning in our scheduled te reo Māori lesson e.g. descriptions of people. Ernst and Richard (1994) recommend books as a way to provide a shared experience, basic words and phrases, and the opportunity to hear and process language. Repeated readings of the book will increase competence and the desire to communicate. Fortunately, my school is well resourced for big shared books in te reo Māori so I can choose one each week and incorporate it in my shared reading programme.
Now What?
When I started this inquiry I was unsure about my own abilities to use te reo Māori exclusively in class. Starting in an unstructured way has given me confidence and allowed me to identify the experts in my class and the vocabulary we need for our morning routine. Although I have not made any real progress towards achieving my goal yet I have no regrets about starting the way I did.
When we return to school for Term 4 I will use a more structured approach by reading a shared book to the class and then pairing students up to talk about the book together, using vocabulary and sentence structures modelled in the text. This will move the conversation away from me and I will be able to take on the role of facilitator. As the students’ vocabulary increases they will be able to converse about a range of topics.
References: Ernst, G., & Richard, K. J. (1994). Reading and writing pathways in the ESL classroom. Reading Teacher, 48(4), 320. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=9412222461&site=ehost-live
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