Manaiakalani Film Festival

This year was our very first Manaiakalani Film Festival. It was a huge success. So much organinsing and planning went into this event, from behind the scene planning with the Manaiakalani facilitators, Te Ahu, Harley Alexandra, but also at the school level. Buying equipment, planning the movies, organising groups to film, etc, etc.

I would like to thank all those that made this possible!

The students had a fabulous time and felt like celebs walking along the red carpet, entering to view their film on the big screen.

Please view the film's that my class made to be shown at Te Ahu on our class blog.

Design Thinking

For the first part of our Manaiakalani Hui, we engaged in a team-building exercise.

The first fun activity was to play a variation of rock, paper, scissors called Ninja, Tiger, Granny.  Played like rock, paper, scissors; whoever wins goes ahead to the next person, and the losing person becomes the support person and creates a chain. A great ice-breaker.

The focus of the day was around design thinking. Design thinking has a human-centred core. The important message here was not to get stuck on your own ideas, to be critical and accept feedback. You need to be willing to let go of ideas that perhaps didn't meet the requirements of the customer.

To prepare ourselves for design thinking, we were asked to draw a buddy in a short space of time. This was to promote the idea that you shouldn't apologise for our ideas and designs, instead take on feedback instead.

Learning about the design thinking process, we worked in groups and completed practical, hands-on activities.  The first stage of design thinking is to empathise with the consumer/customer. We were asked to go into a cafe, order a coffee, and empathise with a customer around their cafe experience.  From that, we came back with some issues that may arise for our customer. This is the "define" in the process.

In our group, we made up our own customer, based on our own experiences and anxieties we face when going to a cafe. We came up with Danvery. Brilliant drawing, thanks Anne.

Ideate is the next step in the process, and we thought about so many different ways that we could solve the issues our customer faced/faces. We had so many ideas, some doable, others were very out there. We marked our ideas using the following scale.

The fun had only just begun! We had to prototype our solution. I think we were a bit ambitious with our solution. We designed edible coffee cups, and you could choose out of five cups - sweet, bitter, salty, sour and umami.

Our idea:  A garden wall, ambience music, hologram at each table which can state where all the ingredient came from, and edible coffee cups. So fun to act out and test our prototype with a customer. 

Manaiakalani Share Staff Meeting

Today's staff meeting was about the Share component of "Learn, Create, Share". We discussed the different ways in which we share on a daily basis, and that this is part of our daily lives. We share without even thinking about it. Share can happen with individuals, small groups, large crowds or to the whole world. Sometimes what we share can be personal or professional, and this would look different depending on where you are, and who you might be sharing with.

We also discussed how sharing can significantly increase the student's writing ability.

Here are we sharing ways we share:

On a side note, I love the idea of the e-mail that can be sent straight to your blog. I have set this up ready for my class. I'm hoping that amazing work can be shared directly onto our class blog by the students. I'm really excited about this.

My First Toolkit

Done I ran my first online Toolkit. This was nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time. Here is my slideshow I created to share with my participants.


I was a bit nervous knowing I was going to be recorded. ☹️😞

Accelerated learning in Literacy (Writing)

Over the last three weeks, I have been working with a small group of writers. These writers have identified themselves as struggling to generate ideas, add elaboration and choosing quality vocab to improve their writing.

The students were given this picture and had to label it using descriptive language.

From their labelled picture, there were able to write a short descriptive.  Here are their descriptions.

Wet slippery wood hits my feet as I step foot onto the bridge. Underneath the yuck mossy bridge, there is a crystal clear, calm river. The thick hard rope bounces as I jump. The beefy hard rope is so hard to get my hand around. The glossy wet metal shows the reflection of the sun.
Student 1

On the bashing bridge, the salty smell shattered boulders, making a bashing song. The old river is as clear as a diamond. The swaying trees that make the fresh air are whistling up the side of the mountain.
Student 2

The sound of the raging river smashing against the firm rocks. The bridge was made out of solid metal, strong wood and firm ropes. Behind it, the mountain as tall as a skyscraper. Swaying trees smashing against the rocks.
Student 3

At the strong bridge, there is a lot of huge trees and humongous rocks, that if you fall you can die. On the humongous rocks, there are lots of huge trees to climb up. If you jump off the sturdy bridge, you will get hurt because the river is shallow.
Student 4

There is a creaky bridge handing above the deadly hardcore rocks. The water is smashing up against them which is allowing an avalanche to explode causing the bridge the break in half.
Student 5

Reflection

The students have enjoyed writing lists to plan for writing. They have shown an increased motivation to participate in our group sessions, and two of the six students have shown increased confidence to participate and take risks with their learning.

My next step is to find out how I can extend their planning from creating lists to adding details to their plan.

Term 3 Professional Inquiry

What are the priorities for my target learners? How are they going in relation to these priorities?

Scanning:  Target students are not able to identify what they need to be able to improve their learning. 

Focusing: I would like my students to focus on setting goals within the writing curriculum to improve their output quality.

Inquiry Question: Will using goal setting strategies with my target writers make them able to choose sensible ‘next’ steps. How will the goal-setting look? What resources will I need to support these students to set SMART goals?

Developing a hunch:  

I will need to

• Unpack Level 3 of the New Zealand writing expectations with my students.
• Provide exemplars of what each of the expectations looks like within level 3. 
• Unpack students writing, and identify which areas they need to improve on.
• Encourage students to order their areas of improvement, starting with areas that will make the most impact on their writing.

What do I need to know/learn in order to effectively respond to these priorities?

• Expectations of Level 3 writing
• Exemplars of level 3 writing
• How to set SMART goals with students
• How to unpack the literacy progressions into kids speak with the students.

Therefore what are my development goals?

Taking action: 

• Find ‘kid-speak’ level 3 learning outcomes.
• Display their goals on pencils.
• Kid speak writing progressions from TKI 
• Find professional readings about improving writing outcomes through goal setting. 
• Setting literacy goals and recording progress

TOD - Christine Davies - High Expectation Teachers

Christine Rubie Davies - Teacher Only Day - Research on high expectation teachers and the effects on students outcomes. 

Mixed-ability grouping - provides students with more motivation to persevere with their learning. When students are in ability groups, they quickly are able to identify where in the hierarchy they are. Provide more opportunities for lower-level students at the same level as everyone else.

How can I change my reading, writing, maths groups to allow for more mixed ability learners?

Useful links to support Mixed ability grouping in maths - TKI  and Youcubed

Motivation

Extrinsic motivation - Tangible rewards significantly and substantially undermine intrinsic motivation… there is indeed reason for teachers to exercise great care when using rewards-based incentive systems.

Non-contingent vs contingent rewards - When students expect a reward for their behaviour, the behaviour is less likely to continue to happen naturally.

Benefits of intrinsic motivation -

• Persistence
• Creativity
• Conceptual Understanding
• Optimal functioning and well-being

Benefits of using student interests

• Strengthen students motivation
• Promotes peer communication
• Reduces disruptive behaviour
• Enhance student-teacher relationships
• Promotes active learning
• Increases responsibility for own learning

Setting Goals

• Need to be realistic, achievable, measurable.
• Goals should be focussed on gaining skills, rather than competing with others. 
• Provide feedback 
• based on the learning intentions
• which becomes the basis for setting goals
• based on progress
• Long term goals need short term goals to work towards and needs to be monitored and reset often. 

Key factors of effective goal setting.

• Motivation
• Attention
• Challenge
• Feedback
• Self-efficacy
• Self-regulation
• The proximal versus the distal nature of the goal
• Self-set versus teacher-assisted goals 

Focus for Term 3 - Accelerating Literacy Learning in Writing.

This term I have identified 6 students that need a boost with their writing development. I have never been part of the ALL programme, but with support from my colleagues, I intend to run a 5-week intensive writing programme for these 6 students.

These students have shown that they struggle to generate and develop their ideas. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be reading a variety of publications and resources to find activities, lessons and ideas I can use next term with this group. I will be sharing all the resources and ideas here and will reflect on how they were used during the term to come.

Today I came across the "success for boys" page on TKI. This was recommended to me by another colleague. The first resource that stood out for me was the story starters. These look great.  Students watch an animated short film and then have to write what they think would happen next.  This would great for students to discuss vocab, creative ideas, etc.

Another resource on the Success for Boys page was the "Game of Awesome". I have used this before in my class, but not to the extent identified on the Teacher Support Material. I like how the students are able to plan out their story using the templates provided. Once students get into this game, the next step could be to create their own cards using the templates provided. This will give the students a purpose for writing.

Term 2 Reflections

This term was a bit messy, but I had Mrs Radich and all her skills and experience to make up for it. This term I worked part-time; four Mondays this term I was at Te Hapua, Tuesdays was my day off, and Wednesdays I was with Kerry at DFI. This meant that I was really only .5 and made life a little difficult.

What worked this term?

Student Blogging

This term I developed a better system for tracking the student blog posts. I have always struggled to keep on top of who has posted and who hasn't. Using a spreadsheet with a colour code made my life so much easier, but was also great for the students to see where they were up to. This gave them some agency on what work needs to be completed, etc.

The students are also becoming more confident in terms of posting to their blog, adding labels, back-dating posts and embedding their DLO's. Term 1 I noticed that the students didn't really know how to leave quality blog comments, so we made this our focus this term for our cyber smart learning. They are not perfect, but they are certainly an improvement.

Class Site

It's really good to see the students using our class site. I have noticed a few times that students would go back to look at previous learning that could support them with what they were currently working on. There are still a few students that will ask where to find certain material, but most students are using this confidently now. The only downside is the fact that I'm part-time this term, which means that the learning they are doing with Mrs Radich isn't rewindable.

Passion Projects

This term I thought I would introduce passion projects to my students. In the past, we have always completed an inquiry together as a class, on a topic that was selected by the school. The students were so excited about their passion projects, and every day I'm in, they ask if they can work on them. A couple of students did struggle because their passions required them to complete a lot of reading, which was a challenge for them. Next time I will be sure to provide more resources for these students, simple websites that could give them the same information, but in kids speak.

Our Class Assembly

I was very pleased with how our class assembly turned out this term. The students didn't have much time to practise but made sure they went home to learn their parts. There were lots of interruptions, which meant that planned rehearsals didn't go ahead. You can read more about our class assembly on our blog.

What didn't work this term?

Reading, Writing, Maths

With me being part-time, I felt it was really hard to get any momentum with my learning groups. We would start something, but then I would be away, and then we would have to pick it up again. I think the students struggled with this also. It felt like we were stuck on the same topic for weeks. It would be nice to be back in the class 4 days a week next term.

Home Learning

This was tricky this term because I wasn't there to check on their progress every day. Most consistency next term will be great.

Class Site

Keeping my site up to date. With being out of class so much, I just haven't been able to keep this up to date. And this is sad, because the students to ask me where our new work is. I will be more determined next term to make sure this takes precedence.

My Inquiry

My inquiry this term hasn't really had much traction this term. This will be a focus next term.

DFI 1, Cohort 2 - Core Business

We've had a great start to the 2nd cohort DFI launch in Northland. The participants all seem positive about the new learning, engaged, asked lots of questions, and happily shared their ideas. It was really neat to see everyone stuck into their new learning and creating DLO's using their new tips and tricks.

Last term I struggled with speaking in front of a group this large and therefore raced my whole delivery. Today I was more conscious of speaking slower, and to ensure to include many pauses to allow others to keep up, but to also as questions.  I had a great day today, and look forward to working with this amazing group of people.

Teacher Strike

Today we strike!
We strike for better working conditions.
We strike for more support for our students.
We strike for easier access to support for our students.
We strike for smaller class sizes.
We strike for work-life balance.
We strike because we need new teachers.
We strike because we want to keep our skilled teachers.
We strike for pay parity.
We strike for OUR students.
We strike for YOUR children!

Stand with us.

My placard.

My daughter's placard (7 years old)

My son's placard (13 years old)

DFI Reflections

It's so lovely to read everyone's blog post and to see how much they are learning and improving each week.  The participants have all been so positive and motivated about their new learning.

I too have some learning that needs to be done.

Over the past 7 weeks, I have been delivering one aspect of our Manaiakalani programme, and I have come to the realisation, that I struggle to speak in front of crowds.

I have been practising the content well before presenting, feeling confident that I know what I will show, and that I know what I'm doing. Except, each time I stand in the front, my words come flying out at a million miles an hour; I get flustered and then can't find or do what I need to do.  It all seems to work out okay in the end, but am concerned that I'm not sharing my knowledge to the best of my ability.

As soon as I'm sitting down with a small group of people, I'm relaxed and can support them where needed.

So I ask this of you, how do you prepare yourself for speaking in crowds? How can I make sure that I slow down when delivering my content?

These are goals I need to work on, as they are not just going to help me with my delivery of DFI content, but in life also!

Becoming Reflective

With a focus on my inquiry, I would like to start using a google form with reflective questions to use at the end of teaching sessions. This would hopefully encourage students to start thinking more critically about the learning that has taken place, or not taken place.

Here is a link to the form I would like to use. This may be refined as we go along.

Professional Inquiry Staff Meeting

Today at our staff meeting, we discussed the Kahui Ako goals and inlined them with the Manaiakalani goals, to pick a goal that would fit within our classrooms and school.

We discussed the importance of Student Agency to improve the overall outcomes of our students.

Since the students in my class struggle to identify next steps, I would like to focus on students identifying what they have done well, what they have struggled with, what they wonder about, etc. I'm hoping that this will encourage students to further develop their reflection to focus on the next steps. 

Therefore, my inquiry question is:

What tools or strategies can I use with my students to develop reflective thinking and goal setting?

Umpire Course

So this year, I have decided to take on two netball teams, Year 3&4 and Year 5&6. However, I have little understanding of the game myself, but want to support my teams to the best of my ability.

The girls in my Year 5&6 team are all in my class, so it is great for team building, relationship building with them. Every Tuesday and Thursday at lunch time, we hit the school courts to warm up, learn new drills and play a game.

Our first game was a disaster as I didn't really know any of the rules, so my umpiring skills we shocking and missed many incidents of contact, obstruction and stepping.

I wanted to improve, so I signed up for the umpire course. We got sent a link to our online theory test, and I failed the first one with only 51% - passing score being 85%.  I went back to the rule book, and tried again a second time, this time passing with 87%.

Today, I went to the umpire course, learnt that many of the others are just as nervous as me, and that some players who have played their whole lives, still didn't know all the rules.  This made me feel so much better about my own skills.

I resat that test at the end of the course, and was very disappointed to get 1 question wrong. I'm keen now to try umpiring at the Year 5&6 level, and eventually moving up the grades.  I'm confident that this knowledge will also help me with my game play on Thursday nights.

Reflection of DFI to date

DFI Session 1

During our first DFI session, we had Dorothy come to deliver the Manaiakalani Kaupapa and share some of the founding research behind this great initiative. Although I have heard the korero before, it was lovely to listen to it again, and just remind myself about the importance of the teacher within a digital classroom.

It was a shame that I couldn't share my section of our agenda that day, as I didn't have an adapter for my computer. Straight after our session, I ensured  I went down to the nearest Noel Leeming to pick up my adapter, in preparation for the following week.

The delivery of the content went really well, with the participants all keen to give their new learning a  go during the 'create' session of our day. What made it hard, was that many people has their blogs set up differently, were saving things in different places and naming documents differently.  It emphasised the importance of teaching students structure and routine at the start of every year to make life easier. 

DFI Session 2

The session started well. We covered the Manaiakalani Kaupapa, and then got into our deep dive with Kerry. I ran the 'chalk and talk' sessions about Gmail and Calendars, but realised that I spoke way to fast. I think nerves got the better of me, and then I rambled. I lost a few of the participants, and had to cover some ground again when they were all having a tutu.  Goal for next week; slow down, deep breathe, make sure everyone understands.

Then in the afternoon we had a few technical issues. Hangouts kept disconnecting our participants, so we weren't able to show them how to successful participate in a hangout. We tried many different work arounds, but with no success. They were all very patient, and were happy enough to schedule their own Google Hangout during the week within a small group. It was very clear that both the coaches and the teachers were getting a bit frustrated with the issues, showing just how behavioural issues can happen within a classroom if things do go the way they were planned. It's always a good idea to have a back up plan, just in case everything turns to custard. 

Reflection

The first two weeks of school has gone extremely fast. We have already packed in so much learning.  

What worked well?

Our Ahoy Waitangi day experience in Paihia was a hit with all the students, and was a great opportunity for me to build positive relationships with my students. 

Our getting to know each other activity, where we wrote down three things about ourselves on a paper, scrunched it up and through it at each other, was a great hit. The kids loved going around to each other and seeing if they had their paper. 

What needs changing?

After some assessments, I have noticed that there is a huge gap in the achievement of my students, some achieving 3 years below the expectation, to those achieving at 2 years above the expectation. This had me thinking about how I can continue to challenge the high achievers, and at the same time support the low achievers in progressing quicker to their expected level. 

Acceleration and not remediation. This is something a work colleague has always told me, and something I will focus on this year. 

So how can I support acceleration for these students?

Where to next?

I need to ensure that my class site is always up to date, with relevant learning and resources, so that learning is always rewindable for my students. I have already noticed in the two weeks at school, that students love going back through their work, and using our class site.

I need to record some of my teaching to make that available for my students to view at a later date.  As well as recording myself, I need to record my students explaining their learning, which will support other students understanding.

Preparing for 2019

After a lovely summer break, I'm ready to embark on yet another teaching adventure.  This year I have the senior students at Paparore School, and look forward to challenging them and learning alongside them.

This year I have also been asked to work for Manaiakalani one day a week, support teachers on their path of becoming 'digitally fluent.'

I look forward to strengthening my understand of the Manaiakalani Kaupapa and using their framework of "Learn, Create, Share" to support the learning of my students. My class site is ready for the start of the year and will continue to develop this with my students in mind.

My professional goals for the year include:

• Building positive relationships with students that foster the love of learning;
• Raising the achievement of my target students (more than one year's progress), using the Learn, Create, Share framework in numeracy and literacy;
• Further develop my te reo and including this in my everyday routine;
• Providing my students with an up to date site, which ensure all learning is rewindable at all times. 

These goals may change or evolve as the year progresses.