Virtual Learning Network

The Context

Year 4 students at Tirohia School.

Addressing National Goals 1 and 3

Aim and Purpose

The intention was to encourage and make students fully aware of how they sounded to others while reading and to develop better fluency.

Method, interventions and actions

1. We first discussed what it meant to read fluently and its importance.
2. The students discussed how well they think they read when they read aloud to an audience.
3. We worked in pairs and used “Garageband” to record the students as they read. We stopped after a paragraph and student that read reflected on how they thought they read. While the other student offered feedback and feed forward, and support.
4. We then listened to the recording together and we all reflected on what went well and what needed to be worked on.
5. We chose 1 specific aspect to work on; whether it be word endings or the expression the student was using.
6. We then re-read the same passage and recorded it again with “Garageband”
7. The same process was repeated with the other partner reading.

Summary of key results

• Students started off by giggling a lot as they read due to them knowing they were being recorded.
• Students became fully aware of how they were actually sounding when they were their own audience.
• Students understood the process very well and were able to use the ICT tools independently with each other

Drawing Conclusions

Because students were able to listen and hear their mistakes or areas of they needed to work on, they made a conscious effort to work on them. And as they continued to record and listen to themselves, they heard an improvement throughout the learning.

Where to next?

• Students beginning to use this process in other areas of their learning for reflection and self reviews.
• Students using this process independently without teacher direction