LHypotheses

Hypotheses about Teaching

Develop a set of hypotheses about patterns in your teaching that could be changed to more effectively address the student learning focus.

1) Learning Environment (out of class feature):

Learners have sound understanding and ability in their L1 for oral communication, reading, and writing. 

Hypothesis about how my teaching contributed:

My teaching cannot use this strength to help ELLs in my inquiry group in their learning of English as their second language. (except for Tongan students - my knowledge of the Tongan language).

Hypothesis about actions to take:

Using the learners’ first languages would help ELLs in my inquiry group increase 

their reading comprehension.

2) Learning environment (out of class feature)

Limited exposure of ELLs to English in their first language environments as well as the limited time they have had in their second language environments (ESL) which is now New Zealand - evidence from student interviews.

Hypothesis about my teaching contributed to the learning problem:

Because of these ELLs’ limited exposure to English as their second language, this means they have not been exposed enough to ‘comprehensible input’ in English where they can listen, read, or speak in order to acquire or learn aspects of the language, such as decoding skills, vocabulary knowledge, or language comprehension. This is an out of school practice and experience which may contribute to why these ELLs are well behind their peers who have grown up in an  English speaking environment.

Hypothesis on actions that might be taken to address the learning problem:

With more and more time for ELLs in my inquiry group to be exposed to ‘comprehensible input’ in English through listening, reading, speaking, and writing, they will acquire and learn aspects of English more and better.This will help increase their English reading comprehension. 

If I increase this exposure to ‘comprehensible input’ through extensive and intensive reading at school, ELLs in my inquiry group will increase their English reading comprehension. 

3) Teaching feature

Learners in my inquiry group are unable to read and identify the purposes, ideas, structures, and language features used in different types of written texts or genres - indicated by low achievement in PAT & STAR reading comprehension tests.

Hypothesis about my teaching contributed to the learning problem:

Because there is no clear pedagogical plan to teach features of different written texts or genres in my reading programme, learners are not able to identify and understand them when they listen or read different texts or genres. When learners read different text types of genres, they are unable to use their knowledge on those  features to fully comprehend what they read.

Hypothesis on actions that might be taken to address the learning problem:

If I develop a focused-teaching approach on different text types or genres and their features, this  will contribute to increase the English reading comprehension among ELLs of my inquiry group. This will be an important element of my intensive reading programme in class.

4) Teaching feature

Learners in my inquiry group are unable to effectively use reading strategies to help comprehend what they read - indicated by low scores in:

- making local & global strategies, retrieval skills, authors’ craft, other strategies in PAT & STAR reading tests.

Hypothesis about my teaching contributed to the learning problem:

I have been aware of the importance and need to teach and develop learners’ knowledge and practice on using  reading strategies, but not very consistent enough to ensure that students understand. To some extent, I start teaching them but no assessment  to see whether my students know how to use them well and effectively. Because there hasn’t been any consistency in teaching and assessing these in my reading programme,  students are not equipped to comprehend what they read.

Hypothesis on actions that might be taken to address the learning problem:

If I develop a focused-teaching approach on different reading strategies, this will equip learners in my inquiry group to increase the comprehension of what they read. This will be an important element of my intensive reading programme in class.

5) Teaching feature

Increase vocabulary knowledge

The low % in learners’ performance on 1000 & 2000 frequency words assessments contributed to the lack of their ability to understand what they read. THis is especially true of students 1 & 2 in the inquiry group.

Hypothesis about my teaching contributed to the learning problem:

I have had the knowledge and been fully aware of the important role of vocabulary knowledge on increasing reading comprehension for English language learners. However, I haven’t had a definite clear plan on teaching and exposing ELLs for the development of their vocabulary and any consistent way of assessing their success. Because of that, the increase in their vocabulary to help their reading comprehension was hampered. 

Hypothesis on actions that might be taken to address the learning problem:

If I develop a focused-teaching approach on the vocabulary development of ELLs in my inquiry group, this will help  increase the comprehension of what they read. This will be an important element of both my intensive and extensive reading programme in class.

6) Teaching feature

ELLs in my inquiry group lack interest and love for reading and that might also contribute to the lack of their exposure to ‘comprehensible input’ in English thus impacting their low reading comprehension - evidence from questionnaire show  they'd rather watch TV, clean their rooms, or play rather than reading.

Hypothesis about my teaching contributed to the learning problem:

In the plan of my teaching, I did not contact or work closely with whanau at home to ensure they establish strategies to engage learners on reading when they come back home from school..

I engage them at school on an extensive reading programme (AR) as a reading programme but needed more on cultivating interest and love for reading. AR was implemented but needed more consistent follow up to ensure that students do read. 

Hypothesis on actions that might be taken to address the learning problem:

If I develop a focused-approach on extensive reading for ELLs in my inquiry group, where they will engage in increasing their ‘reading milage’, this might contribute to the development of their interest and love for reading, as well as their learning of aspects of English language. This will help increase their reading comprehension.

7) Teaching feature

Emotional and social challenges at home as well as  anxieties in learning English as a second language and doing reading in classes - Evidence from interview show ELLs in my inquiry group were shy, scared, worried to speak read in English because their reading and knowledge of English were not good.

Hypothesis about my teaching contributed to the learning problem:

My lack of knowledge and sensitivity on the ‘affective filters’ of my learners made me do practices that increased their anxiety and that did not help their learning and acquisition in English.

I did not consider my as part of my teaching to deal with this issue of how these ELLs feel about their reading. I focus on teaching them how to read rather than considering their emotional feelings and perspectives on who they are English language learners. Eg. while doing intensive reading with them, I forced them to read and not realising that that increased their anxiety about using of English.

Hypothesis on actions that might be taken to address the learning problem:

If I develop a focused-approach on lowering the ‘affective filters’ of ELLs in my inquiry group, their motivation and confidence may develop to engage them in their learning of English language through the extensive and intensive reading offered in class. This might contribute to an increase in their reading comprehension.