My Positive Aha moment at the end of our 15 Oct session by Ow Yeong Wai Mang https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt Made with a deep reflection en-us 2021-10-14 17:17:55 UTC 2021-10-16 00:42:53 UTC hello@padlet.com Norsara https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818839088 Everyone presented very well today. I think the experience of presenting through zoom is very new to me as I am used to presenting face to face thus coming up with a presentation that is engaging was quite a challenge. It was interesting to see how other groups made their presentations engaging. 

For the presentation on reading fluency, they went through a strategy called Reader's Theatre. I was surprised to hear that we are able to use this strategy throughout all subjects which is very interesting. Having students read aloud a certain topic that we are going through will not only build on their reading fluency but as well as their comprehension. By incorporating Reader's Theatre in our lessons, we can give students their script in advance and have them practice at home with their parents. From this, we are pulling other stakeholders to work together with us to improve the students' learning.

For the presentation on vocabulary, the strategy that stood out to me was semantic maps. I find it to be a very useful tool that allows students to expand their knowledge in many different areas. From definition to examples and non-examples, there are many different areas that students will have to think deep and come up with words that are associated with the main word.

On to the next presentation on comprehension, I agree with Saiful when he said that the strategies that the group introduced are systematic as there are outlines in the template itself that the student can follow. These strategies will be useful for students with learning needs as it allows them to construct their thoughts properly which leaves them more memory capacity to comprehend the text better. 

For spelling, I was very impressed with the ICT tools that they use. I did not know about the annotation that is available on zoom. This is actually very useful currently where HBL is becoming more of a norm. Doing annotation allows students to try which will lead to a better understanding of the skill. Other than that, they introduced how music can be incorporated into spelling. I can vow that music is a very good way of ensuring that the content sticks into your students' minds. I can still remember one particular math equation because my teacher introduced it to us by using math.

For the writing presentation, Sui San did not disappoint us with the amazing start of her song. Her energy is one that I wish to have as it will definitely perk up my students' energy when I teach them with high energy. I find the strategy Show, Don't Tell is very interesting as it breaks down writing into many types of methods. Writing as we all know can be done in many ways. We can use dialogues, flashbacks and many more. By using this strategy, we can teach students how to use different types of methods to write. This strategy put students into the character's shoes and think of how the character will feel and the actions they would do due to what the character feels.

Overall, language and literacy is not easy to teach students as there are many components to it. However, with the many resources available online, it will assist us to make the process of learning more engaging and easier for students to comprehend and apply. ]]> 2021-10-15 04:01:48 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818839088 Saiful Adnan Ashraff https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818861839 First of all, great job everybody!! You guys presented very well and with so much enthusiasm! The sharing/presentation today was very insightful and I learned so much that could be applied when I eventually get posted out.

I felt that most if not all groups managed to make their lesson and strategies taught very interactive and interesting for the student to use. There were multiple aspects such as the use of songs, pictures, wheels, and diagrams for example. This is very different when compared to the classic typical class where the teacher just teach/present and the students just listen. By making the lesson interesting, it actually creates a more active classroom, and having these strategies make students more interested in learning which will help them understand the concepts better.


]]> 2021-10-15 04:17:44 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818861839 Giin Yang https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818866206 To suit diverse learners, educators can as much as possible adopt a multi-modal approach while teaching. Other than visual aids, the experience to taste, feel objects can further deepen understanding of a word or description.

Activating prior knowledge and making learning relatable is more effective than memorizing content. Initial process of modelling should explicitly show students how to organise their thoughts. 

Educators should familiarise with technology to facilitate teaching during HBL. With the increase likelihood of frequent HBLs in curriculum, LBS should be proficient in using multiple IT tools. 


Energy and positivity shown during introduction of lesson is instrumental in engagement of students. This is shown by the perfect performance done by Sui San during her group presentation. Interest and curiosity of student is sparked, and it lured us into paying attention. Although not all of us can be like Sui San, the energy shown can still be elevated to engage our learners. 

]]> 2021-10-15 04:20:54 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818866206 Surbhi https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818875849
My key takeaway from everyone's presentation:

Vocabulary
  1. Cannot be done in isolation 
  2. highlighting contextual clues
  3. error correction during mistake is made
  4. find appropriate e-dictionaries, denotations and terms may not always be helpful. Create deeper meanings 
  5. Whatever has been worked with student, use that as a hint for themselves when they are learning to review

Word reading 
  1. engagement 
  2. scaffolding done well by Haley and Sara 
  3. Planning of removing the scaffold should be done 
  4. Blending wheel will be a good resource to use  during playtime or even during lesson. Always make and keep one. 

Reading Comprehension 
  1. CSR method 
  2. Click-and-Clunk 
  3. Sometimes previewing it would be good 
  4. Ensure that the strategies that have been taught are generalised to worksheets. Students should know how to use them in class or exams etc. Teach the generalisation as well. 
  5. Link to what has been shared

Spelling 
  1. Music (especially what is in) can be used to teach, which makes learning so much more fun! Makes content a lot easier to remember as well. 
  2. Great use of zoom annotation feature :) 
  3. I-do, We-do, You-do well displayed! 

Writing 
  1. tedious skill 
  2. important to see how we can make it a fun activity, use imagination, write as though experiencing 
  3. Equip them with skills like strong verbs, idioms, how to write dialogues
  4. Create experiential learning for them, such as how Hong You got us to close our eyes and imagine 
  5. Do not teach in one go, scaffold by components as understanding each strategy or component well is much more important than teaching them as many writing strategies 

Everyone did a great job in informing us on how each strategy can be modified for differentiated instructions. I can see how all of us put in so much effort into today's presentation! #TG1RAWKS 




]]> 2021-10-15 04:28:25 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818875849 Hongyou https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818877432 AHA Moments:

1. Other than a wide range of strategies, I have seen everyone use an equally wide range of teaching methods. Role play, videos, songs, annotations on Zoom, quizzes etc. It reminds me that we should always be open and to consider using a variety of pedagogy when helping our students. Eventually we will find something that works.

2. The theories and methods covered by all groups today just scrapes the tip of the massive iceberg that is language. Many of these skills are related to each other and it is not entirely possible to teach them singularly. A lot of the strategies can be applied across different needs and contexts and it is up to us to find out what works best to tackle such a complex system.

3. Above all else, it is important to understand the student needs. This helps to build the rapport with the student and helps with the buy-in.]]> 2021-10-15 04:29:35 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818877432 Joshua https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818888626 Shared Reading
As someone who is weak in Chinese, I like how this strategy can be applied across languages. It is a strategy that I can use for students who use either Mandarin/English as a 2nd language.

Vocabulary
Emphasising connections and helping students make (multiple) meanings of the words were impactful points in this presentation as it reminded me that words/meanings should never be taught in isolation. Students should always be taught and encouraged to use their words.

Reading
I really love how the picture embedded method works. Both the modified orthographic as well as the orthographic mapping method will be something that I will definitely use in the future. It was so engaging and I didn't even need to read the word to understand its meaning!

Reading Comprehension
I like how the student was given autonomy when it came to his/her learning. I will be mindful in ensuring that my student is engaged in active learning and that he/she is continually encouraged/taught to make use of schemas and contextual clues. I also like how it maps cause and effect clearly as well as how it provides an opportunity for teachers to clarify a student's understanding

Writing
Once again, Sui San reminds us how a teacher's energy impacts a student's attention to the class. I was immediately drawn to the slides. The mnemonic - FANBOYS are very helpful for students as it helps them remember multiple conjunctions with relevant ease. It is extremely useful during examinations where it is pertinent for the student to apply skills independently.


 ]]> 2021-10-15 04:38:07 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818888626 Priya https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818891605 Great job everyone! 

Today’s session was very enriching as we were introduced to many new strategies.

The first group shared on reading fluency. I like how the Shared Reading approach can be used for students of different age groups. 

The second group presented on vocabulary. I feel that the Semantic Map is a good tool for visual learners and young learners. As for the Context Clues, this is a good way to teach students vocabulary as they are taught how to look out for hints in the passage and make connections. 

The third group presented on word reading. The Picture-embedded Method Strategy is new to me. It was interesting to know how pictures can be included into the word itself thus making it easier for a student to draw connections to the word. I feel that this method can be used for even very young students and it will be easy for them to learn the new word. As for the blending wheel, since this is a multisensory tool, it makes it engaging for students.  

The fourth team presented on reading comprehension. All along I thought Story Map can be used only for writing. Today during the team’s presentation, I have learnt that Story Map can also be used for reading comprehension. I like how Story Map taps on the I do, You do, We do method to teach this strategy. As for the Collaborative Strategic Reading, I like how students are given roles. I feel that letting them take ownership of their learning will enrich their learning further.

The fifth group introduced the Multimodal Strategy and Rule-based Strategy to teach students spelling. I like the Multimodal Strategy as it taps on the five senses thus making learning fun. Personally, I feel that students will learn better this way as it is fun and engaging.  I like the way the group used the nursery rhyme to teach the spelling as I feel that children will instantly be able to connect as nursery rhymes are very catchy and they will be able to remember the spelling better with the repetitions. The second method that they introduced was the Rule-based Strategy. This method is probably more effective for older children as they will be able to understand the rules better. 

On the whole, I have learnt many new strategies today which are very efficient. I liked how these strategies can be modified to suit the needs of students with learning needs. 

]]> 2021-10-15 04:40:24 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818891605 Hang Chi https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818902076 It is always interesting to see how a common strategy is modified to suit different learning profiles. From all the presentations, there are wonderful customisation that caters to our students. 

I personally love the blending well and picture embedded method. Reflecting on how I teach my own 5YO to read words, I used to buy flash cards from Shopee but my boy always ended up looking at the pictures instead of learning the accompanied words. Picture embedded method helps to solve this problem as it integrates the words with pictures. 

I would like to try the multimodel strategy to teach spelling. As a visual learner myself, I use alot of images when teaching. It is interesting to include music, actions and games in the lesson too to increase engagement. 

Today's presentations are really rich! Having learnt all the strategies, the next important step is to focus on generalisation and putting the strategies into classroom learning. ]]> 2021-10-15 04:48:11 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818902076 Boon Ee https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818920118 Everyone's presentation was so impressive. Although I had seen many of these strategies being used in the classroom before, it is very interesting to know in-depth about the theories behind them. It will definitely make me more aware of my rationale and objectives in using a certain strategy in the future. I like how almost every group had a demonstration of how the strategies can be used and particularly enjoyed the one on semantic mapping. I have used this countless times...the strategy is good but sometimes it is also how it is being carried out that will determine its effectiveness, so I really appreciate seeing how Hang Chi demonstrated it with Saiful. I've reflected on how to make my use of semantic mapping better after watching them.

I also enjoyed Hayley's group's presentation of the Blending Wheel and Picture-Embedded Word strategies. I have seen pictures of these strategies on the internet but have never really understood how to use them until her group did a very clear and detailed presentation on it. 

"Show, Don't Tell" is a writing strategy that both primary schools and secondary schools employ, but to be very honest, from what I see in schools, it is still difficult for struggling writers to use this strategy well because in the first place, they lack better vocabulary to express themselves. But I've seen teachers teaching the weaker students to not worry too much about it and create their very own similes and metaphors instead of memorising what is already created by other people. And to a certain degree, I think it helps liven up the stories of weak writers even if they use simple words for their creations. It is more important to use words and phrases in the correct context than to memorise big words and inserting them in an unnatural manner when writing.   ]]> 2021-10-15 05:02:20 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818920118 Haley https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818924754 Overall, I learnt that although there are so many different strategies, but the underlying basis of all lessons should always encompass presenting information via different modes or mediums, incorporating features that are of interest to the learners, and making sure that learners understand the rationale for specific strategies so that they are better able to make the relevant connections and be more motivated to use them. It is important to not introduce worksheets so early on, as it may cause learners to be more reluctant to try out the strategies. We must also make sure to plan for removal of scaffolding.

In my teaching stint, I encountered instances where the students were not able to remember certain sight words although we went through several lessons covering the same word. When the strategy on the semantic map was introduced, it gave me an aha moment, and I realised that I can do so much more than just introducing a relevant sentence/phrase to the word I’m teaching to aid in their recognition and retention. 

The breakdown of context clues was also resonated well with me. I used to teach a primary 4 student who has a lot of difficulties in multiple choice questions, so the examples given provided me with a better understanding of how to implement this strategy with students of a similar profile. 

I was also very amazed by how the Collaborative Strategic Reading was tested on a real-life case study, and from the work samples we could see that the strategy was a strong scaffold in helping him to answer comprehension questions on his own. 

The music component of the spelling strategy was engaging, and I see that it can be a very appealing strategy to use with lower-primary students especially. The 1:1:1 double the final consonant rule was really helpful for me as well. A key difficulty I encountered when teaching was explaining word rules to the students. So all of the spelling rules that I’ve learnt through the different presentations in the past few weeks (e.g. FLOSS), have been very insightful for me in learning how to explain clearly to students. 
]]> 2021-10-15 05:06:11 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818924754 Vaani https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818926280 Today's sharing was indeed very informative.  I could visualize how I can incorporate some of the strategies with my students in the future. 

Vocabulary:
The use of a semantic map is a good way to make meaning to what they have known. This strategy allows the educator to scaffold and elicit responses from the student.

Word Reading:
The use of the blending wheel to teach students to decode is very interactive and engaging for the students as it is multisensory. Will definitely create one for myself :)

Reading Comprehension:
Story Mapping can be used by students with varied needs as it adopts a systematic approach to categorize and acts as a visual tool, with information laid out in a concise manner.

Spelling:
I love the way ICT was incorporated to make the lesson interesting and interactive. The use of music (nursery rhyme) to capture students' interest to learn to spell is an effective way as young students will be able to resonate with the rhymes. Getting the student to spell out the words repeated will allow the student to retain what he/she has learnt.

Overall, great job everyone.




]]> 2021-10-15 05:07:25 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818926280 Siti Khadijah A.R (Dee) https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818929396 For all the caffeine shots and a job well done for today's presentation - each and every one of us deserves Bubble Tea.

Shared Reading:
- Strategy shared can also be used in other subjects.

Vocabulary:
- Cannot be done in isolation
- Need to create a deeper meaning to words as available denotations may not always be relevant

Word Reading:
- Blending wheel is an excellent tool to engage students

Reading Comprehension:
- Need to ensure the strategies are generalised in other settings

Spelling:
- The music aspect will definitely help students in memorising

Writing:
- A long process and skill to acquire
- Needs to be creative in teaching else it will be dry

You guys did awesomely! Well done, TG 1!


]]> 2021-10-15 05:09:47 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818929396 Stephanie https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818930016 A job well done to all the groups! I was very impressed with all the presentations, in terms of how comprehensive the information was and the different methods of engaging our attention!

My main takeaway after learning about all these different literacy instruction strategies is that we, as educators, must know how to present these strategies to our students in ways that make sense, and teach them to apply the strategies with easy-to-understand examples. The group that presented on writing strategies gave very clear and interesting examples of how FANBOYS and Show, Don't Tell are used in writing, making it easier for me to know how to apply the strategies. So purely knowing about these strategies is not enough; we should also consider how we would teach students of different ages and learning profiles.

I think we all gained a good variety of strategies for our teaching toolbox today, so I'm very grateful to all my TG mates :)]]> 2021-10-15 05:10:17 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818930016 Sui San https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818953440 Reading Fluency
Reader’s Theatre, I love. Students get to see the other side of learning the English language. Fluency is taught through actions, voice, not just the reading of scripts. It can be fun and engaging for the students.

Vocabulary
Merely going through the dictionary did not help me much either. Only after putting back the definition in context, would the word stick in my mind. And not just that, we have to find opportunities to use it. 

Word Reading
The idea of making flashcards using Picture Embedding caught my attention. It is a freshing method to get our students to learn as most of them are visual learners. The Blending Wheel appeals to students who learn through sounds, sight, touching and movement. I thought Dr Liz's feedback about making this into a game is a good idea. To the student, he is having fun while for us, it is a way to review if the student has learnt.

Reading Comprehension
Story Mapping helps break down passages into smaller components to allow understanding. CSR caters for secondary school students of different profiles such as ASD, AHDH and Selective Mutism because it has scaffolds with routine steps and allows for checking of understanding. 

Spelling
Most students would know the tunes of nursery rhymes so tapping on what the student already know allows the child to feel more confident and would have the buy-in to learn. Great revision for the phonics test!

As an educator, it’s important to have many strategies and tools to cater to our students who learn in different ways. Today’s session was very enriching indeed. 

Thank you, Dr Liz for your pointers and summary of learning.
Thank you, TG1, for providing me with a safe environment to do what I like. (TCS rejected me.)
Thank you to the Writing Team for indulging me in my need for drama. Always ready with a listening ear and words of encouragement, you have made the assignment season more bearable. 

]]> 2021-10-15 05:30:39 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818953440 Shajutha https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818988215 Thank you Dr Liz for giving me the opportunity to do a research-based strategy and I’m exposed to different types of learning. Every group presentation was awesome as an eye-opener for me to be connected to my practicum next year. One of the common pre-requisites of learning is the student's prior knowledge which is important in the intervention of these strategies. 

Reading Fluency:
I learnt how to teach different age groups with differentiated learning. 

Word reading:
I would like to try using the blending wheel for reading a word. Blending wheel divided into three circles, smallest circle (initial consonant), middle circle represent the vowel and biggest circle (final consonant).

Reading Comprehension:
Story map - more structured and divided into 3 parts of components. I find this strategy is useful to use for learning disability students such as ASD, ADHD and Dyslexia. 

Collaborative Strategy Reading - connected to the same strategy taught on vocabulary using semantic and contextual clues.

SPELLING:
Multi-modal strategy
  • Gives students more than one way to make connections and learn concepts
  • Using rhymes
  • Repeating the spelling words by using rhymes makes the students remember better
  • It’s also applicable for home-based learning

Rule-Based Strategy
  • Doubling rule
  • 111 rule
]]> 2021-10-15 06:02:31 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1818988215 Marhamah https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819001513 Today’s presentation was engaging, and I learnt to much from everyone and all the tech tools that were used. Here are my takeaways.

Reading Fluency

The strategies showcased are not only for students to read aloud, but it is a chance for them to practice their social skills when doing collaborative learning. There is also no pressure as there is no memorizing needed and just read from the script. Students get to exercise reading and listening skills as it helps prepare for oral examination.

Vocabulary

I liked Semantic Map to be used for students who are struggling coming up with ideas and the tool helps with categorizing and creativity. Learning vocabulary is best when combining the words and associate them with their prior knowledge.

Word Reading

Picture-embedded strategy is particularly good for visual learners especially if pictures are in colours with their favourite characters printed. Blending wheels is a creative tool to teach visual and kinaesthetic learners. It is not limited to proper words but also nonsense words that can can be taught prior to reading multisyllabic words. I can combine both picture-embedded and blending wheels to suit various student profiles.

Reading Comprehension

Story mapping is especially good for students who struggles with understanding the flow of a text. The graphic organizer is structured and helps student organize their ideas systematically. It can also be used for writing strategies.

Spelling

The music is pretty much stuck in my head right now. And that is what we want for our students - to be able to remember what they have learnt. The 1-1-1 rule reminds me of the FLOSS rule where the use of a table is used so that students don’t miss out on any components.

Thank you to my group members for the great camaraderie and for supporting each other in sickness and in health.

By now my toolbox are filled up and it will be useful when I need to fish out a suitable strategy to use.

Well done everyone!

]]> 2021-10-15 06:13:19 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819001513 Jean https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819165212 I have learnt so much from everyone's presentations. Not only the literacy component content, but also different interpretation of the same information, as well as presentation styles and IT aids. 

It felt somewhat like a refresher of our past presentations with a twist! New strategies were shared and new. personal anecdotes too. 

Hang Chi's point about being made to memorise the dictionary in her growing years, was something that resonated with me. I had teachers who made us pick out 5 words that start with letter "M" and made us memorise their definitions without any context or without any application. 

For word reading, I loved how the group shared about picture embedded method emphasising that the image has to be related to the word itself. 

I have also learnt a new word today, "Clunk"!

Using songs to teach spelling may work really well with lower primary students! It is also a fun way to learn something that can be daunting or confusing.

Combining sentences using the F.A.N.B.O.Y.S acronym is really easy to remember and the team did a great job explaining with clarity what each of the words are and how it fits into the new sentence.  

Thank you and well done everyone!!! We appreciate your hard work!! :D ]]> 2021-10-15 08:14:39 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819165212 Edwarxd https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819178075 Key takeways

Reading Fluency:

Shared reading

This strategy anchors on social skills and build on collaborative learning. It also incorporates strategies that are used in other strategies for eg. Reciprocal Teaching using prediction. Students might find it less daunting and will be participative as it can be a small group activity and will be in their comfort zone initially. Has elements of fun.

Vocabulary

Like the semantic map very much. Semantic map stimulate thinking process as it requires students to give more examples and non-examples. This is a very powerful tool to help students to recall the meaning of the word when they come across it the next time.

Word Reading  

Picture embedded helps with the students to associate the word with the pictures. Pictures to be embedded part of the word and is good for beginners of spelling. Need to plan for fading out of the picture as time goes on to ensure the child can now read the word as not just by looking at the picture.

Blending wheel is a very versatile manipulatives to be used as part of my teaching of spelling. By adding more circles or removing, teaching spelling can be simple or more complex. It also has multisensory elements that students would love to put their hands on.

Reading Comprehension

Story map – collaborative learning that relies on systematic approaches. It also a visual tool on uses the I Do, We Do and You Do teaching principles. 

 CSR – many steps in this process of teaching. Will be more useful for Secondary school. Also secondary students are more likely to participate as this requires interaction.

Writing

Writing is a very tedious task. Lots of scaffolding is needed over here. Use of FANBOYs will certainly help to improve the students quality of writing by using other alternative words.  

Show, Don’t Tell

Learn new strategy on how to write interestingly by shifting the focus to a setting but not losing the message that it wants to out across. More useful for creative writing. It can be used across all student profile. 

Overall, it was a good sharing session. That was a lot to learn here. Thanks to all the group! 

]]> 2021-10-15 08:23:31 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819178075 Dear Everyone, https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819315634 First and foremost, a GREAT JOB WELL DONE! I saw the amount of hard work, sweat, and effort that everyone put in for their own presentations. I am really heartened to be part of a group that is so willing to share. As I reflected on what was seen, heard, and also felt this morning, my aha moment came from the group that presented on Learning Vocabulary. 

I love how they used resources like the vocabulary MCQ and the cloze passage to do their demonstration for contextual clues. These worksheets can be found in our schools, but they strategically added in pictures for their student who is a visual learner and also sound, for their auditory learner. It made the usually MCQ and cloze passage worksheets more vibrant and it would definitely ease the student in. This is differentiated instruction right there. Kudos to Shajutha and Radhiana!

The sharing on semantic mapping by Hang Chi and Saiful really resonated with me as I find it hard to understand dictionary meanings as well (what more our students with learning needs!). It was really ingenious of them to show both examples and non-examples so that the student knows what are the words relating to the new word and what are antonyms. The end product of the sentence encompassed the meaning of the word, yet at a level that even young students can understand. Even though it might take a bit of practice in categorising the different words, but it stimulates and allows the student to think of how these words are related and form stronger associations. 

This can also be a good entry point for students who lack prior knowledge and can be used to encourage them to explore the world more by reading, asking, and experiencing. I would definitely try this method with my students if the opportunity comes.

On a side-note: A shoutout to my group, thanks for being such good support, putting up with my fussiness with the slides, and for the hours spent on rehearsing 😊 To my TG1 mates, thank you for being such a delightful audience, it was a joy presenting to you all. And Dr Liz, I really appreciate that you were patient with us, despite our technical difficulties and nervousness. Thank you all! Group presentation down, onward to Microteaching!

Lots of Love, Clare
]]> 2021-10-15 10:04:08 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819315634 Jason https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819476308 Thanks everyone for a great presentation. So much to show means we have so much to learn and teach the students!

Vocabulary
- learning about teaching the antonym, punctuation, synonym which can be very useful when they provide clues to the answers

- Semantic mapping is easy and fun to use which can be learning from prior knowledge

 
 Word Reading
- The picture embedded method whereby drawing pictures into letter works which uses and teaches phonemic awareness and phonics skills.

- Blending wheel was an eye opener and will definitely be one great tool to for learning and engaging students
 
 Reading Comprehension
- Learnt about chunks which are unfamiliar words and also it is good to explain the steps of reading comprehension

Spelling
- The multi model strategy which involve the touch and senses rocks! Music part will surely help students in remembering and enjoy the lesson

- and of cos the spelling rules and games will be helpful and easy to learn as well.
 
 Writing
- Interesting introduction. Teachers should have some element of fun in teaching writing as writing creatively is a tough skill. Having the different method is acronyms can help them remember well.

]]> 2021-10-15 12:14:11 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819476308 Amalina zailani https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819615524 Good job everyone for the amazing sharing and presentations.
Definitely an eye opener for me as there are various method learnt during the presentations.
I noticed how each groups have different styles in presenting and exploring with different teaching methods. It was such an engaging experience!.
I personally love every groups presentation and i do have my own takeaways from each group. 
It is definitely a great sharing that can be used during our school posting in future. 
Once again, great job everyone!]]> 2021-10-15 13:23:37 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819615524 Siti Nur Fatimah https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819646513 The multi-modal strategy using music to teach spelling really captures me. This strategy will be useful because student can remember how to spell as they follow the rhythm. I can apply this strategy in the future.

For vocabulary, using dictionary and combining it with rote memorization does not work for me. Memory retention occur when there is deeper meaning in the words itself. Note to self is vocabulary cannot be done in isolation.

I love the usage of blending wheel for word reading. The 3 circles are represented by consonant, vowel and consonent. 

The Aha moment is when students learn without realising that they are learning because they were busy 'playing' with the tools. Engagement is crucial for learning to take place.

]]> 2021-10-15 13:36:52 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819646513 Siti Radhiana https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819673909 Well done everyone for the super engaging and rich presentation today. I really learnt a lot from all of you.

The various teaching strategies are really new to me having not teach English before during my time as an AED T&L. Therefore, today's session was really something that I can takeaway and use in the future.

I love how Yus's group used music to teach spelling of the numbers. It makes learning more fun and less boring especially in learning spelling. 

I really would like to try making and using the blending wheel. I am sure the students would love using it especially the visual and kinaesthetic learners. It is a useful resources to have. Thanks to Surbhi for the sharing on how to use the blending wheel. 

Thank you once again everyone for the great sharing! :)]]> 2021-10-15 13:48:20 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819673909 Chee Bing https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819673958 Today presentations taught me various strategies of teaching. 

I found that Story Map used in breaking down passage into smaller bites.  It is easier for student to understand the passage. Multisensory teaching is a good stretegy for most of the students as it involves various methods of teaching.

]]> 2021-10-15 13:48:21 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819673958 Sofian Adnan muhammad_sofian_bin_adnan https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819677964 My takeaway is more of a reflection. Everyone had put up their best efforts into their presentation. There is so much information on the strategies and concepts to teach vocabulary, word reading, comprehension reading, spelling writing. All these are components of the English language.

As an AED LBS, we have to be knowledgeable with many repertoires of strategies. When a student with special education needs, has learning difficulties in English lessons. We have to work closely with the English teacher to analyse and identify the root of the problem. For example, why he cannot read? Is he unable to decode the words? What is the strategy or intervention we can adopt and adapt for the student? Will it work? If not, did we miss any information that can help the student? What other strategy we can do?

Things will be not as straightforward when helping students with SEN learning the English language. With this many strategies out there, we must be motivated to help them. Fit the right pieces of the puzzle for them. Even it is one piece at a time. The important is to keep trying and always learned from experiences.

Thank you for sharing all. I will go through all the presentation slides again.]]> 2021-10-15 13:50:03 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819677964 Yus Azizah https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819815823 Today was WOW! I’m overwhelmed with plenty of great resources!

Vocabulary 
  • learning new words is made more interesting when we include synonyms, antonyms, context clues, and punctuation clues! Tap on school’s worksheets or revision paper to teach pupils.
  • Semantic Mapping is a great way to learn a new word in-depth though it could be time-consuming. 

Writing 
  • FANBOYS. Helps writers to write longer sentences through conjunctions
  • TAF. Thoughts-Action-Feeling. A different way to describe a situation.

Word Reading 
- Picture embedded method is good for pupils who like to draw. Tapping on their strength!
  • Blending wheel! A tool for pupils to manipulate while forming words!

Reading Fluency 
- Readers’ Theatre. Something new I learn. Another tool I can apply to pupils who love to drama! 
- Shared reading. A strategy that I have personally implement. Very practical and pupils can relate to class learning.

Reading Comprehension
  • Story Mapping. Good for visual learners. 
  • Collaborative Strategic Planning. Learning log is good as pupils get to stay focused while look for information.

Spelling 
- Using trend songs to learn spelling? Sounds interesting. Good for musical-inclined pupils.

Yeay! We settled the first assignment!
]]> 2021-10-15 14:48:01 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819815823 Nur https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819892301 Well first and foremost, everyone did a very great job, so much effort was put in. 

My "takeaways" are definitely from Group 2's sharing. The sharing of semantic mapping and context clues reinforced my own learning because those are the two things I presented as well. The two strategies resonated with me the most because they reminded me of the time I was an AED (T&L). Then, I conducted a few lessons with a Primary 6 class because the English teacher was away for a few days. As I was AED(T&L) attached to the class I was also considered the second teacher. I used semantic mapping for starting a new comprehension text and also for composition writing. Now, I see this as an opportunity to craft out a mini one for a withdrawal session, let's see how that goes. 

Another strategy that caught my attention was perhaps the word reading, picture-embedded method. I certainly did not know there's a term for it and it's based on a decoding theory, Paivo's dual coding theory. I would think it would be something that I would be using in the future, although the resources are something that would need some time in preparing, hmm... we'll see...

Anyway, thank you to Dr. Elizabeth for the comments, I feel the comment that you made about interaction and getting data should be something that we need to work on. You left food for thought for me there. I certainly brought it up with my group because of the rubrics, but my personal reflection of it was it allowed me to have a measurement of how my presentation was. But definitely food for thought. ]]> 2021-10-15 15:23:18 UTC https://padlet.com/elizabeth_owyeong/8kl9s6ut8m83jwxt/wish/1819892301