As part of my journey beyond my comfort zone in every way you can imagine - I am now a follower of Twitter discovering a wealth of educational observations and thinking that will impact on my world. I am a follower of Claire Amos and my Principal - Neil Fraser.
My eyes have been opened to the resources out there - people and things. Of note this week have been Blended Classroom where Framing, Showing What You Know and Peer Tutoring are outlined - 'stuff' we know as teachers but forget to reflect on. My goal for the nest three weeks is to make sure I implement these ideas.
From a Tweet from Claire Amos I read a post from Lea Vellenoweth's Blog - "Into the Future - Teaching and Learning" where she talked about Big Picture Education happening at Hobson Point Secondary School. From this blog posting I have ordered a book - 'One Kid at a Time - Big Lessons from a Small School'. I am hoping that this text can help clarify my thinking about where we are wanting to go in our school.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Whew, Week 6 already!
It is hard to believe it is the beginning of Week 7! Time to reflect on what has been a pretty crazy first 6 weeks at school.
What were once a library, Room 14 and Room 12 are now three classrooms joined together, maybe not physically but in thinking. This was life at the start of the year in Whetu where all of the Year 5 and 6s are together in one area. We have the 'Hub' where most of the collaborative learning takes place; it is also our largest space. The 'Hui' room is where we meet as a team and has spaces available for small group and individual learning and then we have the QZ (Quiet Zone) which is just that - a quiet space to learn or have teacher meetings. It took a while for the students to get used to the expectations in each area but there has been improvement as the students realise the importance of which space they learn in and why.
I am enjoying working collaboratively with Holly and Brenda, who have strengths in different areas and are as keen to share and learn as I am. Brenda is our maths lead, Holly our writing lead and I am the reading lead. We also pick up other curriculum areas that are our strengths so the planning load is shared which makes a difference to our time. Focusing on one area such as Stage 6 maths, or Early Level 3 in writing means that you get an in-depth understanding of what is required for next steps and achievement.
An addtional positive we have found is that we are also able to carry the load of our High needs students whether behaviour or learning - it’s not just weighing on one person’s shoulders and this allows us the opportunity to step back and view from different angles to best help our students.
What were once a library, Room 14 and Room 12 are now three classrooms joined together, maybe not physically but in thinking. This was life at the start of the year in Whetu where all of the Year 5 and 6s are together in one area. We have the 'Hub' where most of the collaborative learning takes place; it is also our largest space. The 'Hui' room is where we meet as a team and has spaces available for small group and individual learning and then we have the QZ (Quiet Zone) which is just that - a quiet space to learn or have teacher meetings. It took a while for the students to get used to the expectations in each area but there has been improvement as the students realise the importance of which space they learn in and why.
I am enjoying working collaboratively with Holly and Brenda, who have strengths in different areas and are as keen to share and learn as I am. Brenda is our maths lead, Holly our writing lead and I am the reading lead. We also pick up other curriculum areas that are our strengths so the planning load is shared which makes a difference to our time. Focusing on one area such as Stage 6 maths, or Early Level 3 in writing means that you get an in-depth understanding of what is required for next steps and achievement.
An addtional positive we have found is that we are also able to carry the load of our High needs students whether behaviour or learning - it’s not just weighing on one person’s shoulders and this allows us the opportunity to step back and view from different angles to best help our students.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Newsboard - Organ Donation
What started out as a Newsboard session has exploded into it's own Inquiry! All thanks to a video shared with me from Anne Barker (Primary Science Facilitator) - Somebody That I'll Never Know (Gotye parody) Organ Donation which led to a discussion around organ donation. They were hooked! From here we discussed key points from NZ Future Problem Solving around organ donation in the year 2025. After a lot of cruising the Internet searching up interesting information around organ donation we were ready for our next task - Anne brought in a teaching manikin AND the major organs from a beast (heart, lungs, kidneys, and bronchial tube) which the students dissected with Anne's dissection kit.
I'm not sure where this will go at this stage, in the time we have left this term but am thinking that organ donation awareness within our community could be our making a difference.
From here we looked at the news report of Dad uses 3D printer to make his son a prosthetic hand and the possibilities this could open up. WOW! Students also contacted ODNZ (Organ Donor New Zealand) about the process of donating an organ and receiving an organ. They are keen to send along an expert to speak with us!
Our next visitor was the recipient of a heart 14 years ago - the students had some very interesting questions for her...What did the surgeons tell you about your operation? What was your greatest fear having a transplant? Do you know anything about the person who donated their heart?
The students were totally focused during her visit - one of the biggest thoughts to come from this was how important your attitude is...just like life in general!
I'm not sure where this will go at this stage, in the time we have left this term but am thinking that organ donation awareness within our community could be our making a difference.
Term 3 - better late than never!
Where has the time gone?!
Term 3 was busy with assessments, literacy, mathematics and Inquiry.
There was some nice growth in Probe reading results, GLoSS and PAT Maths which was great for the students and the work they had put into their learning.
Short and sweet!
Term 3 was busy with assessments, literacy, mathematics and Inquiry.
There was some nice growth in Probe reading results, GLoSS and PAT Maths which was great for the students and the work they had put into their learning.
Short and sweet!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Term 2 Reflection
The term finished as it started - with learning experiences happening at every opportunity! As part of our science inquiry we made a difference making composite containers which are presently drying out in the art room. Interesting observations made..."How will that container hold anything? It doesn't have a bottom." No doubt these containers will cause some discussion when it comes to using. Photos to come!
I was very pleased with a piece of writing we did across the team which we are going to moderate Week 1 of Term 3. There was certainly more detail and information presented and it was great to see students actively thinking about how their writing should be organised (sequencing and paragraphing). We will be carrying on with Narratives for the beginning of Term 3.
Book clubs have also gone very well this term, with one keen group wanting to meet in the holidays - it eventuated that only one student out of the group came online but it was the thought that counted. We conferenced on a piece of his writing instead! It was great to see students truly engaged in their reading material and discussing key points of the text.
There have been 'Aha' moments in maths as the light came on in Multiplication and Division - making the connection to multiple additions being the same as multiplication (the big scary times tables). The top group is discovering algorithms for solving 2 and 3 digit multiplication and long division. We will be carrying on with this strand in Term 3.
The Term 2 Thrilling Thursday Art group were very focused on their painting and certainly met the challenge to be better than before. All of the completed artworks are displayed in our staffroom and there are some very proud artists!
We have a very busy term ahead - only 9 weeks and no doubt we will try and max it out!
I was very pleased with a piece of writing we did across the team which we are going to moderate Week 1 of Term 3. There was certainly more detail and information presented and it was great to see students actively thinking about how their writing should be organised (sequencing and paragraphing). We will be carrying on with Narratives for the beginning of Term 3.
Book clubs have also gone very well this term, with one keen group wanting to meet in the holidays - it eventuated that only one student out of the group came online but it was the thought that counted. We conferenced on a piece of his writing instead! It was great to see students truly engaged in their reading material and discussing key points of the text.
There have been 'Aha' moments in maths as the light came on in Multiplication and Division - making the connection to multiple additions being the same as multiplication (the big scary times tables). The top group is discovering algorithms for solving 2 and 3 digit multiplication and long division. We will be carrying on with this strand in Term 3.
The Term 2 Thrilling Thursday Art group were very focused on their painting and certainly met the challenge to be better than before. All of the completed artworks are displayed in our staffroom and there are some very proud artists!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Term 2 Week 7
Over this term we have been focusing on our Science Inquiry - How does a Mad Scientist organise his pantry? The students have had many learning opportunities based around everyday chemicals, how their state may change (through heat or adding something else) and investigating what acids and bases are. The following photo shows our Ignition Activity where we posed the inquiry question and asked for the students to work collaboratively to design a scientists pantry. This photo shows one group's 3D presentation.
From here a series of experiments were set up and the students were given the opportunity to test their ideas. What was exciting about this was some students followed up what was happening in the classroom at home in their own kitchens - hopefully not too many pots died!
The following photos show our lastest experiment involving testing everyday household chemicals with the red cabbage indicator juice that we had made.
Below is the results of our experiment. The students had to identify which were bases and which were acids. It was exciting to watch the changes take place.
Our next step is to make a composite fabric. This will encourage the students to explore how the properties of two different things come together to meet a need. They will design a container that a Mad Scientist would find useful to have in his pantry.
If you want to see more click on the Brainiacs Class Blog link on the right handside of the page.
Exciting times ahead!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Term 2 Week 2
It has been a while since I have actively posted on my Blog...
I wasn't happy with the way writing was going in the Brainiacs so I spent a bit of time talking with Karla (our writing guru) about how to make writing more engaging, opportunities for feedback and publishing. Connecting on a regular basis in writing is something that easily falls to the side in the busy life of the classroom.
I also contacted Judith (RT:Lit) about my continuing frustration with the Wonder Writers and where to next with them...
On the flipside - the term certainly has started well. There are more opportunities within the Literacy programme for student choice, planning and learning. Making that next step in accepting responsibility for ones learning has been quite challenging for those who can struggle just being organised for school each day. When mum isn't there to 'do' stuff, students discover very quickly there are consequences that may involve following up learning in their own time. Constructive feedback is our next major focus. We are still on track to introduce our 'My Learning.Me' personalised timetables by Week 6. Our self managing students are super keen to start these and are already organising my time for me. There will still be a lot of teacher direction for the target students in terms of planning their week.
I wasn't happy with the way writing was going in the Brainiacs so I spent a bit of time talking with Karla (our writing guru) about how to make writing more engaging, opportunities for feedback and publishing. Connecting on a regular basis in writing is something that easily falls to the side in the busy life of the classroom.
I also contacted Judith (RT:Lit) about my continuing frustration with the Wonder Writers and where to next with them...
On the flipside - the term certainly has started well. There are more opportunities within the Literacy programme for student choice, planning and learning. Making that next step in accepting responsibility for ones learning has been quite challenging for those who can struggle just being organised for school each day. When mum isn't there to 'do' stuff, students discover very quickly there are consequences that may involve following up learning in their own time. Constructive feedback is our next major focus. We are still on track to introduce our 'My Learning.Me' personalised timetables by Week 6. Our self managing students are super keen to start these and are already organising my time for me. There will still be a lot of teacher direction for the target students in terms of planning their week.
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