Our 7 Timeless T's
In this episode, Sharon and Phil go through each of their 7 Timeless T' as an overview and give ways they have worked in classrooms and give techniques/tools that have been useful. You will notice that all of the Timeless T's are inextricably linked to each other.
TOGETHER: All the children are on the same task, together. This sets the scene for building a rich, vibrant community of learners. Learning together means that as the teacher we need to know our students well enough to provide an entry point for every child and no ceiling, allowing everyone a chance to grow. It means there is a great deal of opportunity for students to learn from each other. There is no need to create artificial or arbitrary learning groups based on test scores, rather we teach individuals or needs-based groups which are temporarily formed for the purpose of further practice on a particular skill being explicitly taught in the Mini Lesson.
TIME: Allow plenty of time for students to read or write what they choose to read or write with accuracy and understanding. Without this time to practise their learning, they don’t have an opportunity to really demonstrate what they can do, or make their own connections and improve in their learning.
TANTALISING/ AUTHENTIC TEXTS: Children's literature takes a central role in the Australian Curriculum and other countries' curriculums. Building a tantalising/authentic classroom library of 'needs-based' books the students can choose from is key. It is this choice that research tells us is a central aspect to engaging readers, and for teachers to organise their explicit and systematic teaching around (mostly through the tools of Read Aloud or Shared {All Eyes on Enlarged Text} Book Experience).
THINKER’S TALKING: Always make a time in literacy sessions – in the beginning, middle or end - for all students to 'turn and tell' their learning/thinking to another student, and sometimes for identified students to share to groups or the whole group. This talk is an essential way of deepening their learning/ understanding, and showing their thinking processes in reading and writing for others to benefit from.
TRANSFORMATIVE TEACHING: Through picking up on what you are noticing in observations and conferring and then aligning the next steps in your teaching with the curriculum (through the Mini Lesson), you're honing in on where the needs of the students are – as individuals, in groups or as a whole class. You're looking for opportunities to take a group or individuals aside and teach them a new skill, as they need it, in that moment.
TRUE TASKS: If tasks are meaningful they are more likely to engage the students. How do you make them more meaningful? This occurs when connections can be made across reading and writing. We use engaging children's literature in Read Alouds or Shared (All Eyes on Enlarged Text) Book Experience to provide authentic models of reading and writing experiences - and providing the glue that links the learning together.
TRANSFORMATIVE TRACKING: When you track the learning closely it’s more powerful than a standardised or periodic test in showing the teacher and the student where they are in their learning. This can take the form of conferring with individuals or small groups, or through roving observations/conferences - during their independent practice time. It is a key time for the student together with the teacher to set their specific goals/next steps in reading and writing.
TOGETHER: All the children are on the same task, together. This sets the scene for building a rich, vibrant community of learners. Learning together means that as the teacher we need to know our students well enough to provide an entry point for every child and no ceiling, allowing everyone a chance to grow. It means there is a great deal of opportunity for students to learn from each other. There is no need to create artificial or arbitrary learning groups based on test scores, rather we teach individuals or needs-based groups which are temporarily formed for the purpose of further practice on a particular skill being explicitly taught in the Mini Lesson.
TIME: Allow plenty of time for students to read or write what they choose to read or write with accuracy and understanding. Without this time to practise their learning, they don’t have an opportunity to really demonstrate what they can do, or make their own connections and improve in their learning.
TANTALISING/ AUTHENTIC TEXTS: Children's literature takes a central role in the Australian Curriculum and other countries' curriculums. Building a tantalising/authentic classroom library of 'needs-based' books the students can choose from is key. It is this choice that research tells us is a central aspect to engaging readers, and for teachers to organise their explicit and systematic teaching around (mostly through the tools of Read Aloud or Shared {All Eyes on Enlarged Text} Book Experience).
THINKER’S TALKING: Always make a time in literacy sessions – in the beginning, middle or end - for all students to 'turn and tell' their learning/thinking to another student, and sometimes for identified students to share to groups or the whole group. This talk is an essential way of deepening their learning/ understanding, and showing their thinking processes in reading and writing for others to benefit from.
TRANSFORMATIVE TEACHING: Through picking up on what you are noticing in observations and conferring and then aligning the next steps in your teaching with the curriculum (through the Mini Lesson), you're honing in on where the needs of the students are – as individuals, in groups or as a whole class. You're looking for opportunities to take a group or individuals aside and teach them a new skill, as they need it, in that moment.
TRUE TASKS: If tasks are meaningful they are more likely to engage the students. How do you make them more meaningful? This occurs when connections can be made across reading and writing. We use engaging children's literature in Read Alouds or Shared (All Eyes on Enlarged Text) Book Experience to provide authentic models of reading and writing experiences - and providing the glue that links the learning together.
TRANSFORMATIVE TRACKING: When you track the learning closely it’s more powerful than a standardised or periodic test in showing the teacher and the student where they are in their learning. This can take the form of conferring with individuals or small groups, or through roving observations/conferences - during their independent practice time. It is a key time for the student together with the teacher to set their specific goals/next steps in reading and writing.