uLearn15

I was lucky enough to be able to go to uLearn15 in Auckland these past holidays.

Our opening keynote speaker on DAY 1 was Grant Lichtman, who was very easy to listen to. Ideas that resonated with me were the following:

Asking learners -

• What is the one word you can use to describe your day today?
• What does innovation mean to you?
• What obstacles did you face?
• What were your successes today?

You cannot innovate without taking risks and is it really hard or is it uncomfortable? Being  honest with yourself is one of the challenges. Building capacity to make change is linked to mindset - What if?

Breakout 1:

Teaching with Thinking Dispositions with Karen Boyes.

Karen’s presentation was entertaining and thought provoking, with narratives about her children and experiences, making it easy for her audience to connect.

One of our biggest challenges in today’s classrooms is around change - do we

• Create it?
• Embrace it?
• Fight it?
• Ignore it?

and what do our learners do when they don’t know what to do? This is true of adults as well!

Learned helplessness is evident in today’s society with ‘Helicopter parents’ (those who hover around their children making sure everything  is ok) and my favourite, ‘Lawnmower parents’ (they clear the way for their darlings so nothing can go wrong!). Adults are too quick to jump in and rescue students - they need to experience what it is like to struggle, solve problems and make good. This slide from Karen’s presentation says it all -

We need to allow learners to be bored...restrict access to resources, cut tech. time, and have time where there is no agenda at all. This allows room for learning to occur and strategies to grow.

Breakout 2:

Project Based Learning with Sarah Wakeford (HPSS)

I have listened to Sarah before at the EdChat conference last year and was keen to see how Project Based Learning had developed at HPSS. She did not disappoint - full of energy and great ideas that she was passionate about sharing.

Key points:

• The need for an authentic partnership (outside the learning environment strongly recommended)
• Having a clear process - Kick Off, Plan, Action, Showtime, Final Look

From Hobsonville Point Secondary School

• Criteria - one trip ‘out’, one ‘expert’ in
• Use of a rubric as a point of self assessment
• Time to reflect at each stage of the process
• Blogging - using specific vocabulary, sharing the process, reflecting, etc

DAY 2

Our opening keynote speaker was Dr Anne Lieberman who presented her findings around teacher leadership.

Teacher Leadership - what do we know so far?

Shift - what do we know about learning and how do we accommodate the changes

Teachers are great storytellers, need to show evidence

Schon - reflective practice

Wenger - ‘communities of practice’

Learning as:

• social participation
• discovering meaning
• identity
• (in) community

Breakout 3:

Enhancing Thoughtful Classroom Dialogue with Karen Boyes

As I had listened to Karen the day before I was curious about how different this breakout would be compared to the previous day - I needn’t have worried. Once again Karen was extremely easy to listen to and connect with as she spoke of ‘real’ happenings.

She discussed 6 key areas of developing dialogue and I found it interesting to reflect on my own practice as to how I have tried developing meaningful dialogue in my learning environment.

Classroom Environment

• The need to understand the brain, how it functions, the emotions that are intrinsically linked.
• Higher order thinking happens in the frontal lobe and the brain is ready for this at around 7 years of age.
• The importance of oral language! Panic causes the brain to ‘shift’ down in thinking.
• Music lifts a room, lessens the risk level.
• The need to value everyone's participation and eliminate judgement.

Teacher Technique

• Power of STOP, WAIT, THINK - to manage impulsivity.
• Wait time/think time (7-10 seconds) to allow processing.
• Think - Pair - Share
• Coming up with ways to lower the risk.

Listening Skills

• Makes the biggest difference to success
• Pause - wait time
• Paraphrase - opportunity to say something to show you are on the same page
• Probe - increase clarity, asking questions, depth
• Inquiring into how do you listen?

Power of Language

• What are some of your ideas?
• Clarity - precision
• Language and thinking are intertwined
• Thinking verbs

Thinking About Your Thinking

• Metacognition - being conscious and aware
• Think aloud problem solving
• If you don’t think about your thinking, how do you make a change?

Questioning

• Awareness of unproductive questions
• Intentional questions - approachable, friendly tone
• Invitation stems “What are some of your goals?”  “What might be some…”  “In what other ways could you…”   “I know you don’t know but if you did know…”
• Invitational “As you…”   “Given what you know about…”   
• Empowering “What are some of your goals?”

Breakout 4:

Fostering Individual Learning Capacity with Andrea O’Hagan

I was not sure what I was in for in this breakout as Andrea was very softly spoken and began by talking about drama! We were a small group of primary teachers from all kinds of backgrounds but with similar wants from this breakout - making connections with those learners who continue to defy our approaches.

Andrea stressed the effectiveness of language patterns which supported what Karen Boyes had also talked about in her presentation! I knew I was in the right place.

• Being aware that particular language patterns can lead to resistance and fight/flight is ignited.
• Have to communicate clearly so there is understanding.
• Preferred way of expressing our inner world - Visual, kinesthetic, auditory.

• Change predicates so it makes sense (E.g. moving from a visual pattern to their preferred language pattern).
• Listen to self (radio is a very good way to do this, to identify language patterns).
• Try to include all 3 language patterns when speaking to learners.
• Probability modal operator - “You could...couldn’t you”   “You might...mightn’t you”   “Maybe you will find this easier than you thought it would be”  “Let me tell you what you have to do”
• Reflective listening - this verbal ‘mirror’ allowing a person to hear their own thoughts again out loud.
• How can I change my choice of words so that I am neutral?
• How can I present myself to the learner so they are not threatened?
• Using curious in a sentence engages “I’m really curious to see how quickly you will make a difference to your learning?”
• Adding ...not yet! (NPS Learning Powers)

DAY 3

Breakout 5:

Leading Change Leadership with Mark Osborne

Mark is a great presenter who is very approachable, is able to connect with his audience and motivate change whether it is in small tentative steps or in ‘man sized’ strides!

Key ideas:

• Values and beliefs - we know why we are doing things
• Purpose and ability to answer the questions
• Relational trust
• Management - procedures, systems etc, capturing and using institutional knowledge
• Leadership - produces change, going somewhere new
• Knowing self - strengths/weaknesses
• Connected, empowered teams, networks, complex, pooling information - making decisions together.
• Adaptive capacity - ability to cope with change!

Readiness for change

• That change is needed!
• Establishing a sense of urgency “What is our burning platform?”
• Proposed change is appropriate for the challenge at hand
• The organisation has the capacity to implement the change.

Supporting people through change

• Need to honour people and their perspectives
• First order change - tweak, minimal, ‘change’ is incremental
• Second order change - disruptive, learn new, emotional
• If you think mana/identity will be lost = resistance
• Questioning self ‘conscious incompetence’ Heifetz
• First order change may be second order change for people
• Have to acknowledge loss - time to grieve
• Honour everyone’s experiences

Finding opportunities for people to mentor, guide using their curriculum knowledge (using strengths)

Systems to timeline change, prioritise, identify steps.

We all need to be pushed out of our comfort zone but EVERYTHING changing can be disruptive.

Breakout 6:

Lead with Meaning with Barbara Cavanagh & Miranda Makin (ASH)

These two ladies had definite opinions and ideas about what leading in education looks like both in their school - Albany Senior High, and what could be achieved in other schools if we are serious about leading and making a difference in education.

Key ideas:

• You can choose to be a leader or a maintainer.
• Old solutions are damaging in new times.
• Things have changed dramatically  - “How do kids learn?”  “How do we create an environment where every student succeeds?”
• Children are very different to each other - one size does not fit all!
• Need to be sure we sabotage the system and follow what research says (e.g. exams)
• Work with constraints to make sure children succeed.
• “Not if you are bright, it’s how you are bright!”
• How do we help teachers in their quest for quality?
• Teaching as inquiry allows us to meet each child’s needs.
• Practice decisions = increases outcomes

Teachers motivation for teacher inquiry is

• student outcomes + assessment

• to make a difference for those students that are in crisis
• to name those students in crisis - be accountable
• exploring theories of what might be, offers up opportunity around beliefs
• exposing our theories and searching for new possibilities
• to understand the problem that you are trying to solve in different ways - include the students!

Creating space for teacher and leader learning

• Challenging beliefs is important for learning as well as maintaining a positive working relationship.

Sharing control

Increasing validity for information to base decisions from

Increasing mutual respect

• How do you maintain your dignity as well as the other person’s dignity while making change and having difficult conversations?
• There is a responsibility to be a leader
• Stop making assumptions about students
• Being transparent creates relational trust.

The experience of going to uLearn15 and hearing from leaders in education has contributed to my inquiry into my teaching practice as both a classroom teacher and as a leader within our school. I highly recommend attending uLearn16 which will be held in Rotorua next year.

Giving Specific Feedback

I had come to realise through the readings that I had become a bit slack with giving specific feedback, having slipped into giving feedback that was not related directly to the learning intention and success criteria. So I upped my game.

I conferenced with one of my learners about their art task focusing on the criteria I had set for drawing the face. Step one was to 'draw' a face on half a sheet of A3 newsprint. We discussed the common errors that they had made and discussed specific criteria in which to assess their work against. I stressed the idea of continued self assessment against the criteria as they drew their second face.

I was very specific and resisted picking up on other areas within their artwork that needed attention whereas the learner tried to include these. I used questioning in relation to the learning intention and criteria to focus the learner on the feedback then next steps. I found that continuing to question them rather than 'providing' all of the advice meant that they had to look at their work critically and actively think about next steps.

With specific criteria to check against with the learner settled into the task with determination and building confidence, knowing what it was that they had to do. When the session had finished the learner was excited about our art session and enthusiastic about the next session.  

I have really focused on my feedback to learners in other learning areas by referring to learning intentions and specific success criteria, questioning and allowing the learners to actively self assess.

My reflection on my Teacher Inquiry so far this year!

As part of our Teacher Inquiry here at NPS we need to share our new learning with others. We also need to reflect on the impact our inquiry has had on our students. Here is my reflection/evaluation/summary!

I feel that there have been no direct impact on my students however I know that I have made huge shifts within myself in terms of the way I view my role in teaching and as a person. I am a lot more comfortable with who I am, what I am doing in terms of teaching and leading and how I actually do it.

I found my first uni paper in a very long time, Teachers as Professionals challenging in terms of actually ‘doing’ it and the points it raised about my role as a professional.

The most powerful component for me was the reflective essay. Reflecting on my progress in thinking and developing a sound pedagogy was both enlightening and reaffirming. I have come to recognise and value a willingness to change and make change happen. This year started off with me questioning everything I believed in and did, as well as taking any dialogue as a direct criticism of me personally. This paper and other assistance have helped me look at myself with different eyes. I came to the realisation that I invest a lot of myself intimately with any questioning and this in turn becomes a fraught undertaking. As I read more during the ethics component of the paper I acknowledged that my values and ethics guide me and are important to me as a person. These also impacted on my self belief and expectations as a teacher. I needed to change the lens I viewed any discussion from me v them to ‘creator - challenger - coach’. This would enable me to step back, give myself space and change the purpose of the discussion. The more I did this, the easier it became.

I also had the opportunity to attend a  presentation by Dr Lester Levy at the Owen Glenn Building at Auckland University with Neil. The focus was communication and was timely as this was an area I had been focusing on in my personal reading. I am very aware of my own non-verbal communication and how this impacts on my responses to criticism and conflict. Dr Levy’s presentation was insightful and thought provoking - dovetailing nicely into the paper Teachers as Professionals and the counselling I was working through. Key points he shared were

• The need for dialogue to be a mindset of possibility, as well as having the ability to paraphrase to understand and clarify.
• Evoking people’s genuine voices, listening deeply, holding space for and respecting as legitimate other people’s views and broadening awareness and perspective are all key components of dialogic leadership.
• Listening particularly to those who have no voice
• Practice inquiry especially when you experience strong emotion

I also found that asking questions is also key to creating an outcome. So I am doing this more - making my questions count: “Tell me more…”, “Can you explain…”, “This is what I think you are saying…”. I’m not afraid to ask questions anymore and feel that I am more comfortable with equalising the power relationships that I have allowed to dominate my world.

When I came to writing my last assignment - a reflective essay about a particular experience of professional change that I have had, I found that I could write with honesty and open eyes. I also realised that I have been on quite a journey and it was valuable to take another look at what I have achieved with a different lens. Mindset is massive when it comes to being willing to make change happen and, to be totally honest this is an area that I have struggled with.

I have never read as much professional reading as I have in the last 12 months! I know that I have some ways to go yet but I am getting much braver at stepping away from the ledge out into the not so known!

Learning Powers

I have been part of a small team that has focused on building what Learning Powers look like for Ngatea Primary School students. We, as a staff had touched on what powerful learning looked like at our TOD at the beginning of the year.

Initially, as a team we looked at what learning was and then we took it to the staff.

• What is learning?     Learning is the acquisition of knowledge, skills and values through study, experience or being taught.

At NPS, Learning Powers are the traits and strategies that help us achieve in our lifelong learning.

Our NPS Powers

• I Care (social powers - values)
• Learning powers (academic)
• “High five” - brings our powers together. Can’t exist without the other.

The Learning Process/Capacity

• Shifting from the unknown to the known
• Unknown - recognising the problem, what is the problem?
• Swamp - What do I know already? What do others know? Who can I ask? Try it from a different angle.

As a team we took what the staff shared and notes from previous meetings and collated the information coming up with headings of Connecting, Curiosity, Resilience, Creativity and Being Me. The next challenge was coming up with a statement under each. There was much discussion around these - creativity providing the most.

From here research was undertaken, exploring what each of these meant in an educational context and to deepen our understanding. Part of this was collecting student voice. Each team asked their students to brainstorm what they thought each of these meant. It was very interesting to see the similarity of language across the teams - from 5 year olds to 13 year olds.

Next step was to bring together the main points and present them in a visual format. We spent a long time playing around with design and images, looking for the best representation of what we thought each power was. We had to take care not to make them too 'adult' but capture the essence of what it is to be a NPS student with learning powers.

After much discussion, feedback and tweaks we came up with 5 designs we were happy with - they are now being polished and will be ready for launching later this term.

Onto the SWAMP process!

Te Reo Maori Course Reflection

I have now completed the Level 2 Te Ara Reo Maori course! The course totaled 36 weeks comprising of units of learning covering Aotearoa, Whakapapa, Waahi, Te Waa, Mahi Ngahau, Haerenga, He Tikanga Marae and Tangata Rongonui. 

I am proud of what I have achieved completing this course. My main goals were 

• To know and understand what a powhiri entails 
• Feel comfortable on a Marae and the protocols involved
• Confidently deliver my mihi
• Pronounce names, place names etc, correctly
• Build on my vocab and simple sentences/commands
• Sing a variety of waiata

I have noticed a new respect from our Maori students as they realise I am genuinely trying to pronounce names, place names and other Maori language correctly. To be told by one student "I think you know more Maori than me, Mrs B" was pretty special. I realised that something as simple as the course I had taken (way outside my comfort zone!) had had a more far reaching effect than I ever thought.

I have already taken my next step - enrolling in Mauri Ora through the Open Waanaga!

My final assessment involved a research project on someone whom I admire, and then presenting it to the class. I chose Nancy Wake.

1. Mihi

Ko Te Aroha te Maunga

Ko Tikapa te Moana

Ko Waihou te Awa

Ko Barker te Hapu

Ko Whama te Marae

Ko Edens te Iwi

Ko Steward tōku Pāpā

Ko Peggy tōku Māmā

Ko Tipene tōku Hoa-Rangatira

Tokotoru āku tamariki

Ko Tracy ahau

Nō Waitakaruru ahau, engari key Ngatea ahau e noho ana

Nō reira,

Tēna koutou, tēna koutou, tēna tātou katoa

2. Ko Toku Tangata Rongonui ko

3. Whakatauki

Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu

Despite being small, it is of great value

4. Ko Tona Whakapapa

Ko Tōna Whakapapa

Ko Charles Augustus tōna Pāpā

Ko Ella Rosieur tōna Māmā

Ko Henri Edmond Fiocca tōna hoa rangatira tuatahi

Ko John Forward tona hoa rangatira tuarua

Kāore āna tamariki

5. Nga Umanga

He kairipoata a Nancy

He hōia Nō Engarangi i te pakanga ao tuarua

He hoia Nō te ope taua o Wiwi

6. Nga Pumanawa

He tangata koi Nancy

He tangata taonga Nancy

He tangata katuarehi Nancy

7. Waiata

Ko Nancy-Nancy

He tangata koi

He hōia Nō Engarangi

I te pakanga