Learning Forward Saturday
Reviewing educational findings and planning new teaching strategies.
Key Takeaways
- Shift from feedback to "feedforward" to guide students on how to improve their work, not just mark it wrong.
- Systematically teach reading using two methods: phonics (sound-symbol association) and sight reading (recognising whole words like "the").
- Move beyond copying to foster creativity by having students compose original stories, even from pictures, to demonstrate proper application of learning.
- Launch "Wisdom Mandali" next year, a teacher-led initiative to share stories and lead sessions, with Neelashi M in a supporting role.
Topics
The Problem: Ineffective Feedback & Reading Instruction
The session began with a review of prior findings on effective teaching.
Ineffective Feedback:
Current practice (e.g., Saroj's) is real-time correction during class.Drawback: This creates idle time for students while they wait for the teacher, reducing productive learning.
Ineffective Reading Instruction:
The group identified a need to move beyond simple decoding.Rationale: Reading comprehension requires more than just sounding out words; it involves understanding context and meaning.
The Solution: "Feedforward" & Systematic Reading Instruction
"Feedforward" for Improvement:
Brinda introduced "feedforward" as a more effective alternative to simple feedback.
Principle: Guides students on how to correct mistakes and improve work, rather than just identifying errors.
Implementation: Use rubrics to set clear expectations and empower students to self-correct.Systematic Reading Instruction:
Brinda outlined a two-pronged approach for compelling reading:
Phonics: Reinforce sound-symbol association (e.g., the letter 'A' makes the 'ah' sound).Sight Reading: Teach students to recognise high-frequency words as whole units (e.g., 'the') to build fluency.
Action: HP will lead a dedicated teacher training session on these methods.
Application: Fostering Creativity & Engagement
Writing Beyond Copying:
A key recommendation is to move beyond copying exercises to give students opportunities to compose their own texts and express ideas.Rationale: Original composition is the ultimate test of applied learning.Creative Storytelling:Gulabee's "market" activity showed how open-ended questions can spark student stories.Brinda's Suggestion: Provide broad prompts (e.g., "Write a story about this picture") instead of leading questions to encourage greater imagination.
Thematic Learning:
Sunita Tripathi requested new, time-efficient ideas for small classes.Brinda's Suggestion: Use a single theme (e.g., "Winter Season") for 10–15 days to integrate activities across subjects (English, Science, Math) and maximise learning time.
Future Initiative: "Wisdom Mandali"
Neelashi M announced a new initiative for the upcoming year: "Wisdom Mandali."
- Purpose: A teacher-led forum for sharing stories and leading sessions.
- Role: Neelashi M will provide background support, empowering teachers to take the lead.
Next Steps
Minakshi: Send adolescent mapping printing work to Neelashi M.
Brinda: Plan and lead a dedicated teacher training session on phonics and sight reading.
Neelashi M: Plan a future session with HP to provide teachers with concrete, implementable pedagogical methods and samples.
