Our approach integrates these principles into daily learning, but we continue to prioritise a broad and rich educational experience. Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Speaking and listening are still central: While we focus on the ‘nuts and bolts’ of reading and writing, we ensure that children develop strong oral language skills and listen for meaning across contexts.
- Reading real books: Our students enjoy a rich variety of literature that extends beyond their decodable texts, fostering a love of reading that lasts a lifetime.
- Using ‘incidental’ teaching moments: We remain flexible, sometimes teaching out of sync with planned lessons, to address the immediate curiosities or learning needs of students.
- Reading aloud: We frequently read to our students at levels that challenge their comprehension, encouraging them to engage deeply with stories and make meaningful connections.
- Creativity in writing: We encourage children to take risks in their writing, even if it means spelling words with sounds they haven’t yet learned. This maintains their enthusiasm and creativity.
- Fun and engaging learning: Each phonics lesson includes multimodal activities, such as actions and songs, to make learning enjoyable and memorable.
- Flexible groupings: Students are not placed into rigid reading groups; instead, they move fluidly between groups based on their evolving learning needs, ensuring that every child is met where they are.
- Teacher autonomy and responsive teaching: We trust our teachers to use their professional judgement to respond to students' individual needs, even if it means deviating slightly from planned content. For example, if a student asks about the meaning of ‘sap’ during a phonics lesson, we take the time to explore that curiosity.
By embracing these principles, Kohimarama School continues to support every learner’s progress, ensuring they develop strong literacy skills while maintaining their enthusiasm for learning. We are excited about these changes and confident that they will further enrich the learning experience for all our students.
