Knowledge is Power

Pou Bex Street from Whakarongo School in Palmerston North shares her reflections on using a structured literacy approach over the past year.

Over the past year I have been implementing a Structured Literacy approach with my ESOL and Raukura Reader ākonga. Professionally, I enjoy explicit teaching and having a structured scope and sequence linking reading and writing. This approach has seen:

• a boost in literacy levels,

• a transference of skills and knowledge between reading and writing,

• as well as huge gains in confidence and mana for our Whakarongo Kids from New Entrant to Year 8.

During Term 1 and 2 this year, I have been supporting the implementation with pouako within the Aroha Pod of Year 2 and 3 ākonga. This has been incorporated into morning workshops. Working within this team we have developed a really solid foundation of structured literacy. Brainfood and SMART MOVES breaks are integrated by our wonderful teaching assistant Pou Flick, specifically to maximise this approach for our tamariki. Due to the explicit nature of our teaching our ākonga have started to verbalise the links between writing with Pou Julie, phonics with Pou Jo or reading with Pou Gwen and Pou Bex.

Structured Literacy has given them the power of knowing why and how to apply their knowledge. They are learning to crack the code and they are proud to be reading and writing detectives.

When we share specific learning points with whānau they will often comment that learning the rules makes so much sense to them, especially as this hadn’t happened while they were at school. Their tamariki are teaching them while learning alongside them, and this makes the concept of knowledge is power and student agency really powerful for our ākonga and their whānau within the Structured Literacy approach.