Hosted by , contributed by Kyriaki_Vakkou on 15 September 2023
Reading with a Granny (RwG) is a reading event in which the 3rd and 4th grade students read their favourite books with a reading granny 15 to 20 minutes at a time, four to five times in total (for one-month time). The reading sessions contain reading aloud (the student reads and the granny listens and sometimes also by taking turns), discussing the plot and main characters, analyzing the content and meaning of words, and the students receive encouraging feedback from the grannies. The project was first carried out remotely in 2022 before the beginning of LfΕ project and in March 2023 the school had their RwG project with the 3rd graders in Kirkonmäki school (126 students). There were five reading sessions in total and the teacher had divided the class (24 students) in six reading groups. The students soon took the group granny as their own, and the interaction quickly became smooth, natural, and well expected. In April they had their second RwG project with the 3rd and 4th graders in another rural school, Oinasjärvi school (37 students). Here, each granny had 2-3 students in her group, and four reading sessions altogether. However, the main issue raised by the students was that the equipment available at the time didn't work well enough for creating book videos and for facilitating the implementation of the RwG project in remote settings.
Three trainings were organized to make sure that integrating the new devices would be as smooth as possible for the students, teachers and the grannies. Specifically, Chromebook trainings were organized for the 3rd graders in the Kirkonmäki school (2x2h) and for the 3rd and 4th graders in the Oinasjärvi (2x2h) school (by Tero Hovila). In addition, trainings were organized for the iMovie, ApplePencil and Procreate app for 3rd graders in the Kirkonmäki school (2x2h) and for the 3rd and 4th graders in the Oinasjärvi (2x2h) school (by Tanja Holmberg). A CleverTouch smart board 2 hours training was organized, as well as a tutorial for the teachers of the Kirkonmäki school which offered by an external trainer.
The teachers did notice some challenges during the trainings that led to some deviations from their original planning. For example, four hours was too short a time for both iMovie and Procreate programs, and hence, they decided to concentrate in the iMovie app at that time since the main goal was to produce book videos. In May, the Kirkonmäki school 3rd and the Oinasjärvi 3rd and 4th graders prepared their book videos from the books they had read with the reading grannies. The training for the Procreate application was re-arranged for later on.
The devices purchased are in good use in the whole Kirkonmäki school. Chromebooks are stored in the RwG classroom and are frequently used by the students. The devices are available for all classes during the week. For example, iPads and ApplePencils have been in used for the purposes of the school’s project but they are also lent to the other rural school for their book video sessions.
The project was time efficient and effective both for the school and grannies. In case the six reading grannies plus the project leader were present at school during the event, 24 reading sessions would have been much more time consuming and would have required more complicated arrangements. Now, each session took two lessons (four students in a group, 24 students in total), not a whole school day. Hence, the sessions fit easily into the school schedule.
Each student read with the granny 15 to 20 minutes per session which means that during the project one student got grannies undivided attention for 75 to 100 minutes in total. A class teacher never has this kind of an opportunity to listen one student read aloud, discuss the word meanings, and guide with analyzing the content. This was also a result the teacher involved in the project pointed out.
The Chromebook and the headset device motivated quite a few students to read and get inspired and motivated. The students became more comfortable with the video meeting apps and the device in general.
In addition, the special needs teacher run reading tests before (27th February) and after (31st of March) the reading project, and the results proved encouraging:
- The reading speed had improved for 19 (/24) students.
- Ten students improved their reading fluency.
- The scale was 1-5, and the most common score was 4/5 after the reading sessions.
The students have gained quite a few new ICT skills, and they have become more skilled and confident in their studies. They have been very motivated in using the device. The 3rd grade students have also expressed their wishes about what they still want to learn, which was taken into account for the planning of the future courses.
The reading grannies were very happy to participate in the project. They had their own gathering in the library, without the hustle and bustle of the school life which they – as retired teachers and learning assistants – had already left behind. They were able to fully concentrate on the core issue: reading. Everything was organized for them by the project leader, the grannies just came to the scene and started reading with the students. Although they first hesitated with the idea of remote reading, at this stage of the project they celebrated it for these very reasons. They were first afraid of not being able to relate and interact with the students, but the fear soon turned out to be unfounded. The project has improved not only grannies' ICT skills (video meetings, device abilities, new ideas) but also their roles in the community. The parents have praised their presence amongst the students, and grannies act even like “substitute grannies” for the children. The children are pleased to see and chat with them on the streets and in the shops. The project has been significant in their lives.
The RwG project: https://sites.google.com/edu.somero.fi/lukumummit/english
Book videos produced by students (in Finnish): https://sites.google.com/edu.somero.fi/lukumummit/etusivu
Already implemented by the following schools
Kirkonmäen koulu (Kirkonmäki school)
This practice was implemented by our school!