Blogging task #3 Academic and Professional Research

Blogging task #3: Share three pieces of academic or professional reading and explain how they and other sources helped your form hypotheses about aspects of teaching that might contribute to current patterns of learning.

 I started my research looking into previous studies around boys engagement into writing. I felt very fortunate that there was a lot of research and findings already out there that aligned with the needs of my learners.

Reading one: 
"Boys will learn like boys" - Education Gazette NZ 2015

 Key findings: 
Interests - by meeting the interests of the boys, you are likely to build a sense of trust from the learners and they will develop confidence in their own skills. The article uses the example of sports to interest their target learners. 

 Engagement - Narrative writing is the genre that is going to allow the most imagination. Learners will need support in the planning process and lots of opportunities for vocabulary building and brainstorming ideas. 

 Sharing - Allowing time for sharing and affirmation from teachers and learners will encourage learners to believe in themselves. 

 Keep handwriting and spelling separate - Remove the expectation that writing has to be neat and words need to be spelt correctly. Use ICT for creative writing as this removes these barriers. 

 Reading two: 
Gina Holland - Engaging Boys through boy-friendly teaching and learning practices/ strategies 2006 

 Key findings: 
 
Classroom strategies to support engagement in boys 
- Range of contexts that meet boys interests
- Short lessons - breaks/games
- Provide opportunities for challenge/risk taking 
- Choose topics that appeal to boys 
- Use the boys interest in a range of contexts 
- Use ICT as a tool 
- Make learning active - whole body learning 

 Communication
- Boys need to feel safe and secure to participate 
- Model think aloud's 
- How much teacher talk is there? 
- Fitness programme in the literacy block 
- Opportunities for dialogue and language 
- Clear goals and immediate feedback 

 What is in it for the boys? 
- Honour their energy
- Challenge and develop curiosity 
- Success oriented 
- Lots of praise and feedback 
- Understand purpose of the task 






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