I had the great opportunity to attend U learn breakout on "Designing learning to meet the needs of EVERY student".
Below I have included notes on the session.
Meeting the needs of every students meant meeting the needs of EVERY single student.
Every student in the whole school no matter who is working with them.
We need to be involved as educators in the paradise.
One decision at a time-is how a paradime is made: by the quality of the decisions tat we make.
Why we do? And what we do in education.
What are the systems, structures, processes, theories, pedagogies and then practices that are needed to ensure we are meeting the needs of every single child.
Pedagogical practices:
personalisation of learning.
team teaching and collaboration
student agency and insiderness
intergral, holistic curriculum
learning to be learners.
caring as competence and action.
High expectations
Teaching AND learning.
Student voice/community voice.
tasters/ whole school experiences.
First/next timetable...first this then that.....
Group learning Maps: Seeing trends and patterns.
I really found the part then the presenters talked about the use of learning Maps as per the picture above. Learning maps are used to grow student agency by connecting the student, teaching professionals, families and whanau with one another. Leaning maps help in enabling the students to me more connected to their learning and what they are learning.
DAY 2: UNIVERSITY WORKSHOP. PASIFIKA EDUCATION PLAN-2013-2017
VISION:
Five out of five Pasikika learners participating, engaging and achieving in education, secure in their identities, languages and cultures and contributing fully to Aotearoa New Zealand's social, cultural and economic wellbeing.
What comes to mind when you read this statement?
We as a group talked about the vision statement and this is what came to our minds when we collaborated and peer shared out thoughts.
This means that: Students are secure in their languages-which means they know where they come from and know who they are: Embracing their mother tongues and their cultural heritage and identities. Having strong cultural contribution in own cultures as well as Aotearoa . Achievement (Social. cultural, economic) Participation, contribution and engagement. We as teachers if we ensure that we embrace these in our classroom and learning programmes then surely our Pasifika children will able to achieve great things in Education. PASIFIKA EDUCATION PLAN KEY IDEAS KEY IDEAS:
Accelerating student achievement
increasing student presence, engagement and achievement
Using culturally responsive practises.
increasing responsibility and accountability.
using student identity/indentities language/s, culture/s, as levers to support achievement.
using a connected approach: School, communities, external support.
Empowering parents and communities to support their children's learning.
EDUCATION COUNTS-for more information on pasifika learners and data.
We watched a Video called : Different worlds different experiences. Here are some of a key findings from the video.
Finding transitions difficult.
Demands of everyday life and school system: Setting realistic goals.
Transisitions from church, home and school.
Expected to do things at home as well as church as well as expectations at school.
Sometimes these worlds clash: They have different expectations.
Church plays a big role: tratsional practices, spirituality. Many pasifika children share this experience.
World at home and at church is more demanding compared to other children.
Where the child comes from gives you an idea of where they come from.
I had the great opportunity to attend a break out at U lear 2016 on "Accelerating the reading progress of your Akonga using culturally responsive practices and digital technologies"
This was hosted by Takanini School. Some of the aspects talked about in the session are listed below:
Relationships: Between teacher and student, whanau and community, School: These are important in being able to accelerate student progress.
Always referring back to the SC-agency as a learner: Using the SC as referral point. This is how children know how they will achieve their learning intention,
Using a familier context when teaching then a new strategy: students having background knowledge on, accessing prior knowledge-Using realistic contexts in learning that children can relate to such as their cultural backgrounds.
Choosing text that build on from each other: Bikes, bike race etc.
Learning focussed conversations : talking about their learning, and making learning visible.
Growth mindset, learning pit
Explain everything: recording, making a video etc, screen cast to help with fluency.
working things out together: choices working together or individually.
What really caught me during this session is when the presenters talked about "Growth mindset and the learning pit". These are two aspects that I refer to in my classroom setting.
The children in my class know that for them to get to the top of the mountain they must first encounter struggles and challenges in their learning. And for deep learning to happen, we will encounter mistakes and failures, but it it through this growth mindset that we grow in our learning.
I also like when the presenters talked about being culturally responsive. This to me means being able to bring the cultural knowledge that the children have into their learning and embracing this.
It also means using a student-centered approach to teaching in which the students' unique cultural strengths are identified and nurtured to promote student achievement and a sense of well-being about the student's cultural place in the world.
It also means creating bonds with the children-building good relationships with them in order for the children to be in that Zone or proximal development.
I liked the theory the presenters talked about which was on careful scaffolding" I do, we do, two do, you do". This is where the teacher models, then they do it together, then they do it in pairs, and then individually. This gets children talking, communicating, and sharing their ideas and knowledge and also creating new knowledge. This I would most def. try and implement with my Target group in reading, writing and maths,
Breakout 1: Accessing Deep learning Presenter: Derek Weymouth; Margot McKeengan. Today I attended a breakout on "Accessing Deep learning"
Firstly, we as a class looked at what deep learning is and what is means to us. We used the famous Padlet to collaborate out ideas on this topic. Below is an image of the padlet. Some of the key questions the we also talked about were:
What is deep learning? How might we measure it? What evidence would we use? Some of the things that first came to my mind when I hear the word "DEEP LEARNING"
What is deep learning are listed below
Share a story of a lesson/unit/learning experience that you consider to be a good example of "deep learning"
what made it "deep"
What indicators do you use?
Authenticity: About the learner.
Real world context: making connections.
We looked at how Deep learning also means that the students has a voice. The leaning is more student entered. Deep learning also involved the learner being reflective and growing in their learning. This is where they asked themselves questions: What worked for me, what could I do better next time. Deep learning to myself also means empowerment. Seeing the learner as a WHOLE and not just a part. It is about COLLABORATION-Working together and bringing different knowledge and putting them together.
For deep learning to also happen it also involves Partnerships. These partnerships are: Home/school/families/communities: learning partnerships=learning opportunities.
I am a huge believer in the Zone of proximal development. I believe that when the child is in the zone of proximal development that is when the most amount of deep learning takes place. It is up to use teachers to capture those moments and run with it.
I had the great opportunity to attend a U learn breakout on "Digital Tools for knowing your learner".
To begin with the presenters introduced themselves and go us to do a task using an online app called "Answer Garden". The question that we had was "What are 3 words that come to mind when you hear the word assessment".
We as a group collaborated out thoughts and ideas using Answer garden. I was really amazed and very excited about this new app as this was the first time that I can come across it and for all of in to be able to use our own devices and collate our ideas together on this one page was amazing and very exciting. I had the mindset of a student: I felt really engaged as well as excited not only to share my ideas but also being able to see my idea pop up on the projected screen when I wrote my answer. I was also very engaged in finding out what other teachers would put down. This is a tool that I will most def. implement in my classroom as I can see that the children would be very engaged and very responsive.
Some of the Questions that also come up during this breakout were:
What is my actual purpose here?-Why am I using these tools in my classroom. What is the reason behind it.
Am I asking the right questions? How do I structure these questions so that I get the answers that I need: Asking of rich key questions.
We also went through a range of other app which I also found fascinating. One was using Kahoot! This app can be used not only on iPads and netbooks but also on phones which is just wonderful!
There are many purposes of this tool. You can use it for reading, writing, maths, inquiry and many ore.
I have the great pleasure of using this in many forms in my classroom.
In the first week back at school to have fun with the children as well as engage the children I did quiz with them. These were quiz based on learning as well as general knowledge questions and building relationships with the children after a 2 week break.
I found that the children were very excited and engaged. They stimulated and had an adeline rush just because they knew that the timer was on and they had only 20seconds to answer a question.
I found that in regards to my classroom climate it had a great team nature to it. The children worked well in their teams, they were all cheering, suing positive praise for the teams that got the correct answer. It was just a great atmosphere to be in seeing that the children were engaging and having fun with their learning as thats what learning is all about. Through participation and engagement is how we learn.
We also looked at using google forms and how this can be used to gather data as well as can be used for reading and writing. This is a great tool I find even for Inquiry.
Below is an example of two types of forms that can be used to gather information/data. Google forms
Google Form Quiz - uLearn Quiz- Maths
These forms can also be used for spelling.
One other App that the presenters talked about that REALLY took my fancy and just can't wait to implement in my classroom was Socrative tool. This app is very popular in schools not only in New Zealand by also around the world in regards to using is for writing. You can insert a picture prompt and students can work collaboratively and write about the picture prompt. You can print off the students work also to share with the class.
Im really looking forward to implementing more of these tools during Term 4.
Children come everyday to our classrooms carrying their Schools bags. But what we don't seem to realise as teachers is what kinds of excess baggage they also bring with them to school such as experiences of trauma. Children have their own expectations and views and oppinions which are shaped by what they are exposed to at home and the community. Those experiences are what also shapes them and their views when they arrive at School.
I read an interesting article on helping Traumatised children learn and it came up with some of the behaviours that these children may show in the classroom and there were a few which stood out.
Defiance Children who enter the classroom in a state of low-level fear may refuse
to respond to teachers either by trying to take control of their situation
through actively defiant behaviour or, more passively and perhaps less
consciously, by “freezing.” Either way, the child is not receptive or
responsive to the teacher or the demands of the classroom. Children
who actively try to take control may be more overt and deliberate in
their unwillingness to cooperate. This can be particularly frustrating
to teachers, since these children can appear to be in control of their
behaviour.
Withdrawal
Children who withdraw in the classroom cannot participate effectively.
Unsurprisingly, these children rarely attract their teachers’ attention. Feelings of vulnerability may foster reluctance to engage in the
classroom.
These are two behaviours that I have noticed. I have experienced defiance where the child has been non-compliant. Analyzing this senario now I have a better understanding of this situation. Some thoughts that come to my mind are that the child possibly wasn't allowed to do anything at home, and wasn't being listened to, or their needs neglected. So in terms of the classroom context, this is the only area/place where they possibly felt they had the most amount of control in their life.
"Traumatic experiences in childhood can diminish concentration, memory, and the organisational and language abilities children need to succeed in school" (Helping Traumatised children learn, http://www.traumasensitiveschools.org) Scientists have found that children who have been subjected repeatedly to trauma suffer from other social, psychological, cognitive, and biological issues, including difficulty regulating their emotions, paying attention, and forming good relationships—all of which make it very difficult for a child to succeed in school Today for our staff meeting we talked about Vulnerable Children's Act and how it applies to our School. We talked about procedures and processes and what we should do if a child in our class confides in us and lets us know that they have been abused. School is usually the one place that a child that has been going through abuse or traumatic experiences feels safe. So I feel as teachers it is our job to be able to know the child and recognise any patterns or trends that we notice and document these. We can do this by asking open ended questions and asking statement questions such as who was where, what happened, when did it happen and so forth. It is also important to make sure that the principal is notified about your concerns as well as other people such as SWIS, Health nurse, previous teacher as they may have also noticed patterns and trends and are able to add to the documentation.
Protecting vulnerable children is everyone’s responsibility. Working together we can achieve our goal.
Today at University we talked about reflecting on our Teaching and Inquiry process in Schools. We discussed our highs and Lows, what worked and what didn't work.
Some of the highs that we came across were:
Accelerated teaching-Where a target group made accelerated progress within a certain amount of time.
Having a supportive teaching environment where the associate was supportive and helpful.
Having built really good relationships and bonds with the children.
Some of the lows that we talked about were:
Some teachers found that they loss their joy of teaching due to being in the classroom full time and the pressure of a full time teacher and the workload.
Associate teacher did not want to know anything about University work and didn't show any interest to the Teaching as Inquiry process-Not very supportive.
Not much guidance and mentoring support.
We also talked about student lead learning-Where students take more ownership in their planning and learning-Where the task is in the learning.
Setting rich activities and tasks where children have more ownership of what they are doing.
An example is : Reciprocal reading model-Creating a culture of learning-Kids have roles to play and teaching and modelling to the children how to do these roles.
We also talked about how learners all learn in many different ways.
DESIGN THINKING PROCESS
Being a very active listener
Ability to probe: digging deeper and asking questions
Paraphrasing-Say or talk about your interpretation about something-Clarification...If what these people are trying to say?...
Ideas -Thinking right outside the box/circle about the way you might do things. Be creative in your thinking. Taking risks.
TASK: Talk to someone about the inquiry that you went through with another person about what you did. Then someone will PROBE you and then interpret that. Ideating: If that is the situation lets think of possible way we can deal with this? what can we do differently....(becomes your future question)
FOCUS INQUIRY:
Data
Culture
knowing about the students.
TEACHING INQUIRY
Pedagogy
Strategies
Research drawn on.
LEARNING INQUIRY
Impact
Your impact on the achievement.
Elevator pitch: Saying the most powerful thing in the shortest amount of time.
"Embrace the ideas that people both young and old are forming a lateral network arrangements to learn and change what they think and do"
Using learning Maps
Student engagement
Student agency
Being agentic: What would it look like?
Student agency: Students reflecting-understanding what reflection is and know what they are reflecting on....visible learning, setting goals.
Student being Agenetic: Being able to talk about it, able to have that dialogue, student lead conversations, whanau conferences. Training children to be agentic. They need to have a criteria, clarity of the learning so kids know success looks like. Students to talk about what they are going to d next, next steps.
Self assessment: Diagnostic maths test online-Opt into the clinic for that level (google classroom)
Day One: University workshop