Tutorial Groups

Tutorial Reflection

As you would have been reading over the year, Staughton College implemented tutorial groups in 2015 with a focus on Literacy.  All students were placed in groups based on their reading level.  What you might not have realised is that this required all teachers at Staughton to be teachers of Literacy.  In order to prepare for this, we all undertook a lot of professional development in 2014 to understand how best to teach the Literacy Strategies and how to conduct reading conferences.

I interviewed Maths teacher Lorna McClory about her experiences with tutorial groups this year.  We have also included a piece of work produced by one of her students.

So Lorna, what was your initial response to finding out you would be teaching Literacy this year?

I was a little apprehensive to start with. I know how to teach literacy in Maths but I wasn’t sure I would do justice to the complicated nature of literacy across the curriculum.

How have you found teaching the lessons?

I have had a lot of fun and really enjoyed teaching outside my specialist area. The students have been wonderful and it has been great engaging with them about the books that they enjoy. I’ve also enjoyed the lively debates we have had in class as we have used current events to teach comprehension and provide a framework for the literacy skills being taught.

Have you learnt anything this year from your experiences in tutorials?

That I actually know a lot more about literacy than I give myself credit for! I even used that confidence to develop some of the lessons that I taught to my students so that it best suited their level and interests. I have also realised that I have some very talented students!

What has been your proudest moment in tutorials this year?

There have been so many! I think seeing the progress and enjoyment from my students. I really loved the book debates we had during Term 2 when we had a weekly competition to decide on the class’s favourite book.

Do you think you’ve seen growth in your students across the year?

Yes. I have been teaching the accomplished Year 8 group who came to me with a pretty high level already. However, I have still seen them progress and know that they want to continue developing.

Are you still nervous about teaching literacy?

Not anymore. Between the support I have received from the school and the learning process I have went through this year, I am really confident going into next year.

Thanks so much for your enthusiasm this year.  Your kids have certainly flourished!

Sarah-Jane Woodward

Performance and Development

Team Leader