Monday, November 21, 2016
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Reading Collaboration- our journey
so far……….
We have finally started collabaration
in reading. Here are some of my initial
thoughts
I feel like my security blanket had
been pulled from under me.
I am not sure how this will look. I wonder if I will lose touch with
my children because I will not be seeing them every day.
How will the coaching room manage
with so many children.
I figured there were 2 ways I could
look at this- I could either embrace it or hate it. I decided I was going to embrace it. So after a discussion with Maire, our journey
began. Because I am a visual learner, I
needed to contemplate how it would look for a day or two.
I went home and played with some
idea re what the planning and coaching room should look like in my head
anyway. I brought these ideas back to the
team who seemed to like them and so it began.
We are working to the power of three and we have my room as an instructional
reading room. Room 7 is the coaching
room with various activities for the children to do. We were concerned about managing the number
of children at these stations so we gave each child a name tag and they were
allowed to put it at any station they chose- when there are 6 names, that
station is full, so they need to choose another one. The activities we are currently using are
attached . While two teachers are in the instructional
room, one teacher is the coach and the coach begins each session with the big
book for the week.
What I have learnt about myself:
I am a visual learner and when I can
visualize how something will or should look in my head, I feel much better about
things. (I already knew this)
I enjoy working with other people
and I struggle with negativity within a team. ( I also know this!)
I like my planning to be detailed
and have all bases covered with learning intentions etc so that I can justify
the reason for the activities we are doing.
It turns out I might like being in
control of situations and taking the lead in things. (Funnily enough, there are no surprises there
either).
I am really enjoying the
collaborative approach to teaching- far more than I thought I would and right
there is my biggest surprise of all!
Some things that we can work on with
our current practice
Our learning spaces
Some of our activities being more
purposeful.
Assessment- when will this take
place etc.
Reducing the number of groups and
increasing the amount of teaching time for each group.
I
Reading Activities for
the Coaching Room
Activity
|
Learning Intention
|
Description of Activity
|
Buddy Reading
|
WALT read to a buddy so that we can practice
our expression.
WALT Listen to a story and talk about it with
our buddy.
WALT help each other with words they don’t
know.
|
Read to a buddy from their browsing boxes and
from the boos available. Children to take turns reading to a buddy
.Encourage children to talk to each other about the books and to help each
other with words they are unsure of. Encourage dialogue about the book-
what was your favourite part etc.
|
Playdough
|
WALT form our letters correctly.
WALT Practice making snap words.
WALT make the initial sound of a word.
|
A variety of activities will be provided so
that children have a focus. These may include making letters of the
alphabet out of playdough, making the first letter of the word in the
picture, Making simple CVC words, writing their name etc.
|
Writing Table
|
WALT Practise writing as many words as we can.
WALT Write snap words.
WALT Write for different purposes.
WALT Edit our writing
|
Children can choose from a range of options eg
writing a letter, make a card, write a list etc. They can practise their snap
words.
|
Reading Games
|
WALT match the letters with their sounds
WALT Make CVC words
WALT share, take turns and follow instructions
WALT practice reading our snap words.
|
There are several games including matching
lower and upper case letters together, making CVC words, High Frequency Bingo
etc. Children can play these games
|
Phonics Table
|
WALT know the names of the letters and the
sounds they make.
WALT practice letter formation.
|
Phonics sheets will be provided for the
children to do. There are a couple of different sheets. They give
children a chance to practice writing the letter and colouring the pictures
that begin with the particular letter.
|
Puppet Reading
(FYI- I cannot remember what we call this)
|
WALT practice our reading aloud using
expression and fluency.
WALT
|
Reading mileage. Read the puppet of their
choice and practice expression etc
|
Magnetic Letters
|
WALT
|
|
Writing sight Words
|
WALT practice writing sight words from around
the room and develop speed in writing basic words.
|
Children use one of the clip boards provided
and write their name on the top of the page. They then walk around the room
and find words to write. Completed word list in put in the corresponding Room
tote tray.
|
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Visit to Waimirai School
Today we visited Waimire School. This was very different from what we are doing in outr hub as they are a lot further along the collaborative journey.
10. What could we implement in our own team?I really liked the bird names being used to name the learning spaces in the environment and I liked that the NE teachers had each spent some time relieving in various preschools to gain a better understanding of the brain development of 5 year olds. I was also impressed with the fact that they run parent information sessions on a regular basis to keep parents up to speed with the transition to school process. It should also be noted that they are a much larger school than ours with a roll of about 520 I think.
Today we visited Waimire School. This was very different from what we are doing in outr hub as they are a lot further along the collaborative journey.
Questions to ponder while at visit and post discussion.
1.What are good practices/systems that you saw on your visit?
I liked the play based learning and the relaxed atmosphere in the classroom. I was impressed that they were so in touch with Te Whariki and they were very mindful of where the children had come from. They appear to have a very good transition to school programme with a good system of parent communication.
2. What are strategies that were being used to promote the children’s self management?
At the beginning of the academic year, the children go on a trip to Willowbank to observe the behaviour of birds including Kiwi, Keas etc. They use the behaviours of the birds to name the learning spaces in the environment eg the Kiwi is a quiet bird who tends to have head down and bum up so this is what is expected of the children working in the kiwi space- quiet work etc. I thought this was great idea and it keeps it real for the children.
3. What types of activities were the students completing?
Some children in the junior hub were playing chess, building with blocks, looking at science- types of wood and magnifying glasses etc. Some children were doing an art activity adn others were doing construction with a parent helper. In the Kiwi" space a teacher was running a guided reading session. PE was also happening and it appeared that senior students were running the sessions.
4. Where there any resources that you thought that would be useful in your team?
Their teaching space was very purposeful and, it seems, ever changing to suit the learning needs of the students.
5. How did the teachers manage transitions?
I am not sure as we didn't get to see this in action.
6. How did their timetables operate?
The timetable appeared to be very fluid and I didn't see any timetables at all on the wall or on display at all. There appeared to be a very relaxed attitude towards planning and time etc.
7. What are some questions you have in regards to what you saw? Ideas that challenged your thinking?
I was surprised to hear that the children in the NE do not necessarily begin their school days with instructional reading. They might not be seen to be ready so this could mean that children could be at school for a few weeks before beginning the process of learning to read. ( Learning to read through the forma teaching I am used to anyway.)
8. What role did the teachers play during the lesson? (e.g. Workshops/Coach)
I believe there appeared to be a mixture of roles eg teaching workshops (instructional reading) and facilitating.
9. What did their planning systems look like? E.g Do they use some kind of tracking sheet/system to monitor where children are?
I was interested to note that there did not appear to have a big focus on planning on paper. I am sure they did plan but it seemed like it was very fluid and oral based. it is possible I have misunderstood this!
10. What could we implement in our own team?I really liked the bird names being used to name the learning spaces in the environment and I liked that the NE teachers had each spent some time relieving in various preschools to gain a better understanding of the brain development of 5 year olds. I was also impressed with the fact that they run parent information sessions on a regular basis to keep parents up to speed with the transition to school process. It should also be noted that they are a much larger school than ours with a roll of about 520 I think.
Friday, August 19, 2016
A Meeting of the Minds?
I have a particular interest in building up a relationship with the preschools in our area and in working together to help make the transition to school as seamless as possible. I believe the sharing of information and open communication can only help all parties involved in this important milestone.
So .... I was lucky enough to have the opportunity in term one to visit many of the preshools in our area and I had mentioned to them that I thought some sort of "Networking meeting" would be a good idea.
I thought that we needed to have a focus because then the teachers could easily justify their time.
In the school holidays I revisited many of these centers again and personally invited them to attend a "get together" with a focus on sharing a great thing that they do as a center to prepare their children for school.
We had our first meeting on Wednesday which was great. About 14 of us gathered at our school and we introduced ourselves and shared what our experience was in teaching and where we were from. We then had a sharing session about something that we do in our center/school to help best prepare children for school. This was a valuable exercise and there were different ideas including attending school visits with the children, sending booklets home to parents explaining about what they can do to help parents assist with the transition. One center focused on helping children pack their own bag at the end of the day. One centre was encouraging the use of lunchboxes etc. The list goes on.
The good thing was that all the centers are on board and realise that the communication between school and preschool is vital for a smooth transition to school.
It was clear that a lot of the centres are only teaching alphabet and how to write their name etc if a child shows an interest. If they do not show an interest in learning these skills, they don't enforce it.
While I respect that this is the philosophy of many ECE's, the fact remains that children have a lot to learn in order to meet national standard expectations. I am left pondering how to feel about this. I want to read more in this area and shape my opinion based on research, rather than my gut instinct.
We also did an exercise where we discussed and recorded our ideas about what skills we think children should have in order to be school ready. This was also a valuable exercise and I will share this with the preschools.
We finished with a quick tour of our new buildings which was good and reaped some positive feedback.
The next meeting has been scheduled for Term 4 at one of the preschools which sounds promising. At the very least, this has been a good opportunity to meet the teachers and show we value the relationship between school and preschool. At best, we have had the first of many gatherings which will foster a fabulous relationship with and between the preschools. At the end of the day, we all have a common goal- to make the transition from the preschool setting to the school setting as seamless and as smooth as possible. Watch this space!
So .... I was lucky enough to have the opportunity in term one to visit many of the preshools in our area and I had mentioned to them that I thought some sort of "Networking meeting" would be a good idea.
I thought that we needed to have a focus because then the teachers could easily justify their time.
In the school holidays I revisited many of these centers again and personally invited them to attend a "get together" with a focus on sharing a great thing that they do as a center to prepare their children for school.
We had our first meeting on Wednesday which was great. About 14 of us gathered at our school and we introduced ourselves and shared what our experience was in teaching and where we were from. We then had a sharing session about something that we do in our center/school to help best prepare children for school. This was a valuable exercise and there were different ideas including attending school visits with the children, sending booklets home to parents explaining about what they can do to help parents assist with the transition. One center focused on helping children pack their own bag at the end of the day. One centre was encouraging the use of lunchboxes etc. The list goes on.
The good thing was that all the centers are on board and realise that the communication between school and preschool is vital for a smooth transition to school.
It was clear that a lot of the centres are only teaching alphabet and how to write their name etc if a child shows an interest. If they do not show an interest in learning these skills, they don't enforce it.
While I respect that this is the philosophy of many ECE's, the fact remains that children have a lot to learn in order to meet national standard expectations. I am left pondering how to feel about this. I want to read more in this area and shape my opinion based on research, rather than my gut instinct.
We also did an exercise where we discussed and recorded our ideas about what skills we think children should have in order to be school ready. This was also a valuable exercise and I will share this with the preschools.
We finished with a quick tour of our new buildings which was good and reaped some positive feedback.
The next meeting has been scheduled for Term 4 at one of the preschools which sounds promising. At the very least, this has been a good opportunity to meet the teachers and show we value the relationship between school and preschool. At best, we have had the first of many gatherings which will foster a fabulous relationship with and between the preschools. At the end of the day, we all have a common goal- to make the transition from the preschool setting to the school setting as seamless and as smooth as possible. Watch this space!
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Engagement
We had an interesting staff meeting around engagement. I found this quite thought provoking and it has left me wondering are our students really engaged in their learning or are they just busy?
These are the levels of engagement
Resistance- learners are unwilling to participate and redesign of the classroom practice is necessary.
Periodic Compliance- learners attention and participation is unreliable- easily distracted and needs teacher direction.
Passive compliance- learners are in a routine but are mildly distracted.
Active Compliance- learners stay on task and without teacher direction- routine in place but no real effort around quality. work to improve quality
Engagement- ownership of learning- actively working to improve quality.
Deep Engagement- high levels of quality, ownership and willingness to ask questions.
Along with this there are the 6 C's of engagement: Competition, challenge, curiosity, controversy, choice, creativity, co operation and connections.
The ones taht resonated with mea are choice because I see this as a tool to help children to take ownership of their learning and also help to develop the important key competency of managing self. I see quite strong engagement when children are partipating in things like discovery - where there is more choice.
Connections to what people are learning is aldo important. The children need to feel purpose and interest in what they are learning. Building on children's prior knowledge is vital to gain interest and show a shift in understanding.
In the ideal world all children would be engaged in the deep level of learning, however this is not the case all the time. Different personalities and children show different levels of engagement, This is something that I will continue to ponder.
We had an interesting staff meeting around engagement. I found this quite thought provoking and it has left me wondering are our students really engaged in their learning or are they just busy?
These are the levels of engagement
Resistance- learners are unwilling to participate and redesign of the classroom practice is necessary.
Periodic Compliance- learners attention and participation is unreliable- easily distracted and needs teacher direction.
Passive compliance- learners are in a routine but are mildly distracted.
Active Compliance- learners stay on task and without teacher direction- routine in place but no real effort around quality. work to improve quality
Engagement- ownership of learning- actively working to improve quality.
Deep Engagement- high levels of quality, ownership and willingness to ask questions.
Along with this there are the 6 C's of engagement: Competition, challenge, curiosity, controversy, choice, creativity, co operation and connections.
The ones taht resonated with mea are choice because I see this as a tool to help children to take ownership of their learning and also help to develop the important key competency of managing self. I see quite strong engagement when children are partipating in things like discovery - where there is more choice.
Connections to what people are learning is aldo important. The children need to feel purpose and interest in what they are learning. Building on children's prior knowledge is vital to gain interest and show a shift in understanding.
In the ideal world all children would be engaged in the deep level of learning, however this is not the case all the time. Different personalities and children show different levels of engagement, This is something that I will continue to ponder.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
RE 102 Assignment.
This assignment required several professional readings and reflections.
RE102
This assignment required several professional readings and reflections.
RE102
INTRODUCTION
TO SPIRITUALITY FOR TEACHERS
TASK 1
LOUISE
MACKAY
Task 1A: What is Christian Spirituality?
Christian Spirituality refers to our
religious experience and to that “dimension or dimensions of human experiences
which provide the spiritual aspect of our lives by enriching and giving
“thickness” to our ordinary existence.” (Cunningham and Egan, p6). Cunningham and Egan also define Christian
Spirituality as the” lived encounter with Jesus Christ in the Spirit.”
Spirituality means different things to different people but is
about a connection with a greater being. For Catholics it is an intricate
association with God and the meaning surrounding the holy trinity.
Our spiritual journey can be ever changing according to where we
are at in our life and what is going on in our lives. At times we can
feel closer to God than we do at other times.
Spirituality is what feeds our souls. It can be experienced
in several different ways. It is the Holy Spirit working in our lives.
The depth of our spiritual experiences can be as simple and
incidental as appreciating the nature around us or reading a thought provoking
quote to being more structured such as meditating or attending mass.
However spirituality manifests itself in our lives it is ever changing
and enriching to help us both physically and emotionally through our journey of
life.
Cunningham and Eagan refer to
the six markers of Christian Spirituality.
These markers are: Way of life, discipleship, Community, Eucharist, In
the Spirit and Inclusivity.
Christian Spirituality accepts
a “way of life’ which implies that we
are all on a journey or a pilgrimage that will encounter good times and
challenging times, but every journey begins and ends with God. We have not yet reached our destination, we
are merely on the way.
The second marker is
Discipleship whereby we, as Christians, are called to follow Jesus. This means more than simply learning or
following his teaching – we must follow the person of Jesus.
The call to discipleship is in fact a call to community.
It is through our Baptism that we are born in to the community of
believers and we must make a personal response to the call of Jesus
The highest expression of
discipleship in community is the sharing of the Eucharist. This is the sacred time when we come together
to remember, reenact and proclaim the life, death and resurrection of Christ.
T…[It] will either lead to a
greater integration or disintegration within our bodies, minds, and souls, and
to a greater integration or disintegration in the way we are related to God,
others, and the cosmic world. (Rolheiser (1998) p.11)
Task
1B: Images of God
Images of God for everyone is
different. It can be pictures, words,
phrases or scripture. There are several
different images of God. www.smilegodlovesyou.com discusses
the importance of names and states “God has many names and each reveals Him in
a different way. God’s names represents
His attributes, His nature. Therefore it
is important that we know God by His many names.’ In the Bible, for instance, Leonard suggests
that there are, in fact, over 230 different names or images that are used for
God. (smilegodlovesyou.com)
Leonard suggests that The Images of God that
are given to us in the Scriptures use three categories. He breaks the three categories into that of a
political leader (king or judge), someone who is present in our day to day life
(parent, friend or lover) and nature (a light or a rock).
These different
images will impact differently with us, depending on what stage of our life we
are at or what challenges we are experiencing.
Apophatic
is a term used to describe prayer, theology or spirituality which avoids the
use of images and can use negative language such as incomprehensible and
invisible. Kataphatic is a term used to
describe prayer, spirituality or theology that uses images and positive
language such as God of Love or God of light.
(O’Connor 2016)
As a
Christian, the images of God we have when we are praying of going about our
daily lives, are important as this is how we come to know God. For me, I have several images of God in my
head when I am praying, at mass, going about my daily routine or listening to
scripture. At mass I see the stained glass windows which help me build my image
of God and also the statues and visible icons of God in church for example
Jesus on the cross. I particularly like the image of God I get when I listen to
the loaves and the Fishes. For me, I see
a gentle caring God who will always ensure we have everything we will need, and
a God who cares the people in their entirety.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
reminds us that God transcends all creatures.
We must, therefore continually purify our language of everything in it
that is limited, image-bound or imperfect, if we are not to confine our image
of God. “The inexpressible, the incomprehensible, the invisible, (CCC42) (O’Connor
2016)
In our role as teachers and
parents, it is important that we provide and expose our children to many different
images of God. This is supported by Bowen
who states “God can never be captured in single title, metaphor or name. Rather, this God can only be known in the
continual unfolding of revelation day by day, a revelation that in the biblical
story will finally bring us face to face with Jesus, the only son who has…made
(God) known (Jn1:18)”
For whatever image or word we
use God is always more than we can ever say
(Richard Leonard)
Task 1C: Praying in a Christian way means…
Prayer is many things. There
are many wide and varied definitions of Prayer. They all refer to a
relationship with God and which can involve talking to him and bringing our
petitions to him and putting our trust in him.
It is important that we make time for prayer in our everyday lives. The
Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to prayer as the “raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things
from God." (CCC Para 2559)
"Great
is the mystery of the faith!" The Church professes this mystery in the
Apostles' Creed (Part One) and celebrates it in the
sacramental liturgy (Part Two), so that the life of the faithful
may be conformed to Christ in the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the
Father (Part Three). This mystery, then, requires that the faithful
believe in it, that they celebrate it, and that they live from it in a vital
and personal relationship with the living and true God. This relationship is
prayer(CCC
2558)
Praying can happen many different ways and in many
different situations. It can be an
individual experience or one we share with others. Jonathan Doyle likens praying to God to
talking to a good friend. We discuss
what is happening in our lives- both the good and the bad, our worries and our
hopes. In so doing, we have gained
another friend in our life.
There are five different forms of prayer at the
forefront. These are Adoration,
Thanksgiving, Praise, Petition and Intercession. These prayer forms can be expressed in
three different ways:
Vocal prayer is using words to pray and talk to God.
An example of vocal prayer is the Lords Prayers – praying in the way
Jesus has taught us.
Meditation – This is where we connect with God using our emotions and our
imaginations. An example of this prayer
form is the Lectio Divina. This involves
thinking more deeply about the scriptures so we can listen to what God is
asking of us.
Contemplation- this is a time of silence with the Lord. Prayer is a time of waiting and listening to
God
Father John in his video clip discusses Meditation and contemplation. He talks
of Meditation being a search for a deeper encounter with God and Contemplation
being about God stepping in and quietening the soul. (Spiritual Direction,
2012). It is important to remember that
contemplation emerges from meditation
We can use these prayer forms or parts of these in isolation
or can contain elements of each.
Finally, it is so important to make time for prayer
and I will always recall the late Bishop Barry saying that we should put
praying into our daily routine and we should make time to pray- even if it is
talking to God on the way to work. My
children and I say a decade of the Rosary on our way to school each day and
although we are not in silence on our knees- we are making prayer a priority in
our daily life.
“Prayer changes those who prays as well as those for
whom they pray. Believers or not, we can
be the answer to other’s prayer.”
References:
Barron, R. (2016). Images of God – Words on Fire. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/ceochchteaching/cushla/re-102-introduction-to-spirituality/module-2-images-of-god
Bowe, B. E. (2003). God beyond all names. In Biblical foundations
of spirituality: Touching a finger to the flame (pp. 23-31). Lanham, Maryland:
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. (1994). Retrieved from http://vatican.va/archive/ENG10015/_INDEX.HTM
Cunningham, L. S.
and Egan, K. S. (1996). Christian Spirituality. In Christian Spirituality: Themes from the Traditions. (pp. 5-29). New
York, NY and Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press
Leonard, R.
SJ. (2013). To Whom we are praying. In Why
bother praying. (pp. 19-27). Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press.
Leonard, R. SJ. (2013). What is
distinctive about Christian prayer. In Why
bother praying. (pp. 28-45). Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press
O’Connor, C. (2016). Module 3. [Handout]
Spiritual
Direction. (2012). What is the difference
between meditation and contemplation? [Video] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cEvJ4R4Qhc
Rolheiser,R. (1998). SeekingSpirituality.
London:Hodder &Stoughton
.
The
scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version
Bible© 1989,by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of
the Churches of Christ in the USA.
he Christian faith is
Trinitarian. We come to know God best by
looking at Jesus who is reveals the Father in
the Spirit.
The final marker of Christian
Spirituality is Inclusiveness. There are
to be no exclusions regardless of gender, race or social status. To find Christ, one must find him in hungry,
thirsty, naked and imprisoned of the world. (Mt25).
Spirituality is what we do
with the fire inside of us, about how we channel our Eros
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
School visit to Thorington School
Today we visited Thorington school in Cashmere. It was a valuable experience to visit another school. We were met by Carmel who is the syndicate leader of the junior school. She was lovely and very happy to answer any questions we had. She talked a lot about the set up and how they arrived at their current position. It would seem that the teachers did a lot of pre planning and talking things through before becoming "collaborative." They used the Christmas holidays and worked through a list of questions. Carmel gave us the list of questions they used and these included everything down to pet peeves and where they would store the children's records.
We did a tour of the school and some of the things that stood out included the way they manged their space. It was helpful to see a building that had been renovated as opposed to built from scratch. The walls had been knocked out to create more open spaces. The children were very calm and for the most part- on task.
The big stand out for me was the1:15 teacher which was funded by the board of Trustees( I believe). This is an extra trained teacher when the numbers get above 1:15. The trained teacher comes into the school for the literacy hour and teachers small groups of reading etc. This would be a very valuable and could only be beneficial to the results. I keep thinking about the children in my class and how much this would of benefit.
I also really liked the "holding pen" idea whereby children who were waiting to read to the trained teacher could sit quietly and read a book in a space that meant no time was wasted. The space where the instructional teaching was happening was quiet and focused.
A couple of other incidental things I liked were the blackboards outside each classroom that provided an opportunity to communicate to parents on a daily basis.
We were asked to ponder some questions on our visits.
What are good practices/systems that you saw on your visit?
1:15
Good use of Space
Calm Environment
What are strategies that were being used to promote the children's self management?
Holding pen
Must do/can do
1;15
What types of acivities were the children completing?
Worksheets-phonics type activities
Writing
Reading
Independent reading
Ipad activities
Were there any resources that you thought be useful for your team?
Blackboards
Teachers in the 1:15 programme.
Headphones and Ipad covers that were very strong.
How did the teachers manage transitions?
Not sure
What are some questions you have in regard to to what you saw?
What does the planning look like on paper?
How do they work reporting to parents?
Today we visited Thorington school in Cashmere. It was a valuable experience to visit another school. We were met by Carmel who is the syndicate leader of the junior school. She was lovely and very happy to answer any questions we had. She talked a lot about the set up and how they arrived at their current position. It would seem that the teachers did a lot of pre planning and talking things through before becoming "collaborative." They used the Christmas holidays and worked through a list of questions. Carmel gave us the list of questions they used and these included everything down to pet peeves and where they would store the children's records.
We did a tour of the school and some of the things that stood out included the way they manged their space. It was helpful to see a building that had been renovated as opposed to built from scratch. The walls had been knocked out to create more open spaces. The children were very calm and for the most part- on task.
The big stand out for me was the1:15 teacher which was funded by the board of Trustees( I believe). This is an extra trained teacher when the numbers get above 1:15. The trained teacher comes into the school for the literacy hour and teachers small groups of reading etc. This would be a very valuable and could only be beneficial to the results. I keep thinking about the children in my class and how much this would of benefit.
I also really liked the "holding pen" idea whereby children who were waiting to read to the trained teacher could sit quietly and read a book in a space that meant no time was wasted. The space where the instructional teaching was happening was quiet and focused.
A couple of other incidental things I liked were the blackboards outside each classroom that provided an opportunity to communicate to parents on a daily basis.
We were asked to ponder some questions on our visits.
What are good practices/systems that you saw on your visit?
1:15
Good use of Space
Calm Environment
What are strategies that were being used to promote the children's self management?
Holding pen
Must do/can do
1;15
What types of acivities were the children completing?
Worksheets-phonics type activities
Writing
Reading
Independent reading
Ipad activities
Were there any resources that you thought be useful for your team?
Blackboards
Teachers in the 1:15 programme.
Headphones and Ipad covers that were very strong.
How did the teachers manage transitions?
Not sure
What are some questions you have in regard to to what you saw?
What does the planning look like on paper?
How do they work reporting to parents?
Monday, May 30, 2016
Maori Language
Today we finished our Mihimihi unit for Maori. I was pleased with the way the children were engaged and willing to learn Te Reo.
I do not have anyone in my class who identifies themselves as Maori which I find really interesting. I think this is the first time is has happened in any of my New Zealand classrooms. That aside, the children embraced their learning and had already been exposed to the language before. We learnt a new song for greeting others in Maori which we enjoyed.
I am writing this blog, because I want to reflect how I can make the integration of the Maori Language less tonkenistic (if the that is even a word.)
I have tried this year to dedicate a specific area in the classroom for Maori language and I am trying to use it more often. I also need to work on the pronunciation of some of my words.
So for now I hope to greet the children in Maori, use simple commands, do the sign of the cross in Maori and teach the children some songs in Maori.
I also intend to teach the children about Matariki so that they have an understanding of the Maori New Year and the importance of the land to the Maori people.
I read a couple of articles on hereoora.tki.org.nz.
I was pleased to note the following as I can see from here where my strengths and weaknesses lie in this area.
The key features of a communicative approach include:
Today we finished our Mihimihi unit for Maori. I was pleased with the way the children were engaged and willing to learn Te Reo.
I do not have anyone in my class who identifies themselves as Maori which I find really interesting. I think this is the first time is has happened in any of my New Zealand classrooms. That aside, the children embraced their learning and had already been exposed to the language before. We learnt a new song for greeting others in Maori which we enjoyed.
I am writing this blog, because I want to reflect how I can make the integration of the Maori Language less tonkenistic (if the that is even a word.)
I have tried this year to dedicate a specific area in the classroom for Maori language and I am trying to use it more often. I also need to work on the pronunciation of some of my words.
So for now I hope to greet the children in Maori, use simple commands, do the sign of the cross in Maori and teach the children some songs in Maori.
I also intend to teach the children about Matariki so that they have an understanding of the Maori New Year and the importance of the land to the Maori people.
I read a couple of articles on hereoora.tki.org.nz.
I was pleased to note the following as I can see from here where my strengths and weaknesses lie in this area.
The key features of a communicative approach include:
- introducing te reo Māori in contexts that are relevant to your learners
- providing plenty of opportunities for practice
- encouraging your students to interact with you and with each other, initiating language as well as responding to it
- letting the language of classroom management become a major part of your learners’ initial communicative repertoire (that is, understanding your instructions in Māori, making requests in Māori, and asking for help in Māori)
- building your students’ confidence in using te reo Māori so that they feel encouraged to communicate in it
- providing regular feedback to your students on their growing ability to communicate in te reo Māori.
- letting the language of classroom management become a major part of your learners’ initial communicative repertoire (that is, understanding your instructions in Māori, making requests in Māori, and asking for help in Māori) and also I need to be mindful of providing more opportunities for practice.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Hockey PD
Yesterday I was lucky to have had the opportunity to take part in some hockey PD. We learnt some skills to teach our little ones around ball control etc. It was a lot of fun and a bit thought provoking also. I look forward to continuing with the hockey lessons that we are fortunate to have provided over the next couple of weeks for our classes and then to continue in term 2. We have taken a photo of us after our team won the friendly game!
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
A Couple of Hours With Jill Connell
Monday was a very busy day. We had a two hour session with Jill Connell. She was speaking about getting children school ready. She is the author of several books and educational resources including" A Moving Child is a Learning Child" , " Smart Steps", and "Get Ready for School."
In a nutshell, she believes there are six vital steps of getting ready for school. These are
Motor
She talked at length about the importance of children mastering fine and gross motor skills. Jill gae several examples of how these can help children take control of their bodies and in turn their brain. If a child has mastered a skill it will become automated and this will help children to be able to turn their attention to what they are learning the task at hand rather than needing to concentrate on sitting on a chair correctly etc.
There were several examples of activities that we can use easily in the classroom to help children refine these skills. A couple of these include getting children to come to the mat like a caterpillar on all fours, using a ball and getting the children to try and stop a ball using different body parts
Jill talked extensively about activities that encourage children to cross the mid line. ( Now I understand why it is so important for babies to learn to crawl!!!)
Memory
Several activities to encourage children to use their memories and increase their "spaces."
one idea I liked was using memory mats which are mats or card with different objects and the children have to follow instructions and touch on two or three different cards in the same order as they were given to them.
Language
This includes the language of things like days of the week, left and right etc
Visual
The importance of children strengthening their eye muscles. Activities to increase these include getting children to follow a torch on the roof. Following different objects etc. This is particularly important for things like tracking in reading etc.
Auditory
Listening and following instructions. Be aeare that several children suffer from glue ear so foten only ear part of what you say.
Social
Turn taking, asking for help, sharing, building friendships etc.
All of these important skills contribute to children being school ready.
A Day out of the Classroom
I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to have a day visiting the preschools in our area
(seven of them in total) on Monday (14th March).
It was a great opportunity to begin some networking with these centers and a chance to see what they do for their "transition to school" programme, explore their learning spaces, talk with other professionals and of course have the opportunity to meet some of the wee ones who will be starting at our school in the next few weeks or months.
Here are a few of my thoughts and observations from my time in these centers.
Forfar Street Preschool- this is a centre I have driven past a million times and I have heard so much about it so it was good to finally be popping in. The preschool is located in an old villa with big spaces and a fantastic outdoor space for the children to play. There is a very professional feel here and there appears to be a lot of staff. I was fortunate enough to be able to observe a part of their mat time. This consists of about a session lasting 30 or so minutes. I observed them sitting in a circle and doing a type of newsboard I guess. I watched then cross off the date on the calendar. They shared news and sang happy birthday to a child who is leaving the center to go to school. One of the things that struck me the most about this session was the behaviour of the children. They sat so quietly and listened intently.
I had the opportunity to look at the information available to parents about schools in the area and I will get them some information for them about us.
Mairehau Kidsfirst Kindegarten- Again, another center I have heard a lot about and this is probably one of the main feeders to our school in the area.
This center is very relaxed and doesn't appear to have nearly as many children as Forfar Street does.
These guys also have a wonderful outdoor space which they utilize so well. The thing that impressed me so much here was the work they have done with their garden, They have a teepee that in summer is completely covered with sweet peas. The photos were amazing and it is clear how proud of this they are.
St Albans Playcentre- This is a great facility which is tucked away and you wouldn't know it was there really, This place was a buzz of activity and there were a lot of adults involved with the children's play as this is a parent run facility. These children are fortunate to have a great (quite big) space both inside and out. There appears to be very little (if any) "structured" transition to school programme. Many of their children leave before they turn 4 and head to kindy.
It looked to be a really fun place to be and the children were fully involved and engaged in their learning through play.
Dudley Street Preschool. Here is another preschool I have heard lots about as I know the owner. This preschool had a very homely feel to it. It has a roll of about 25 apparently. The inside and outside space was quite small in comparison to the other centers I have visited but it was very calm and had a really lovely feel. One of the things that was very evident was their commitment to Te Reo. It was evident everywhere in the center. We were able to see a little bit of mat time where the children came together before lunch and had songs and stories. An interesting fact to note is that a preschool teacher attends the second school visit with te children and do a sort of handover. I thought that was a lovely touch,
St Albans Community Preschool. This was like coming home for me. My children used to attend this preschool and I was on the Board for a couple of years so I feel like I know it well. It is still a very tired building a small outdoor space but on the whole it has a lovely happy feel to it. it is play based learning and their mat times are short and sweet. This center use rolling kai for the children where they self manage their own eating for the day ( meaning they can eat when they like). The children have several rich learning experiences through play here.
Mairehau First Learners. This is a preschool I have driven passed a lot too and often wondered what it would be like inside, The building is quite tired looking in places but the spaces are big and the outdoor space is too. It has three different rooms according to age ie nursery, preschool and prep school. They put the children into groups to focus on specific learning outcomes and when a child turns 4 and a half, they begin to learn the alphabet etc so their getting ready for school programme is more structured than some of the others I visited. We are one of the two main schools they feed to.
Barnardoes I didn't even know that this preschool existed. It is easy to go to the wrong building initially as it is attached to a community hub. This preschool is decile 1 and they offer 30 free hours to try and capture the children that otherwise would not get to experience any early childhood education. They work the philosophy of living off the land so the children grow fruit and vegetables and together with the teachers, they bake their own morning and afternoon tea with the produce they have grown. The learning space is unique in the fact that they have a great big deck that is covered in when it is raining or cold.
This exercise of visiting the preschools was very valuable to me in the fact that I am also looking to move preschools for our youngest so I was looking at it through parents eyes also.
A couple of things for me to ponder were
Having a play based discovery first thing on a Monday morning to ease children back into the week ahead. I will visit Mairehau Primary to see what they do with a similar idea.
I will also get a social story out to the preschools I visited so children in the centers can read about what our school is all about. I will also finish drafting up a pamphlet to put for parent information about our new school.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed visiting the preschools and think if nothing else it was a successful networking exercise. To that end, I think I will try and initiate a gathering of the preschool teachers in the area to meet and see if we can get a termly meeting underway with purposeful sharing and social networking session. I will attempt to get this underway next term.
(seven of them in total) on Monday (14th March).
It was a great opportunity to begin some networking with these centers and a chance to see what they do for their "transition to school" programme, explore their learning spaces, talk with other professionals and of course have the opportunity to meet some of the wee ones who will be starting at our school in the next few weeks or months.
Here are a few of my thoughts and observations from my time in these centers.
Forfar Street Preschool- this is a centre I have driven past a million times and I have heard so much about it so it was good to finally be popping in. The preschool is located in an old villa with big spaces and a fantastic outdoor space for the children to play. There is a very professional feel here and there appears to be a lot of staff. I was fortunate enough to be able to observe a part of their mat time. This consists of about a session lasting 30 or so minutes. I observed them sitting in a circle and doing a type of newsboard I guess. I watched then cross off the date on the calendar. They shared news and sang happy birthday to a child who is leaving the center to go to school. One of the things that struck me the most about this session was the behaviour of the children. They sat so quietly and listened intently.
I had the opportunity to look at the information available to parents about schools in the area and I will get them some information for them about us.
Mairehau Kidsfirst Kindegarten- Again, another center I have heard a lot about and this is probably one of the main feeders to our school in the area.
This center is very relaxed and doesn't appear to have nearly as many children as Forfar Street does.
These guys also have a wonderful outdoor space which they utilize so well. The thing that impressed me so much here was the work they have done with their garden, They have a teepee that in summer is completely covered with sweet peas. The photos were amazing and it is clear how proud of this they are.
St Albans Playcentre- This is a great facility which is tucked away and you wouldn't know it was there really, This place was a buzz of activity and there were a lot of adults involved with the children's play as this is a parent run facility. These children are fortunate to have a great (quite big) space both inside and out. There appears to be very little (if any) "structured" transition to school programme. Many of their children leave before they turn 4 and head to kindy.
It looked to be a really fun place to be and the children were fully involved and engaged in their learning through play.
Dudley Street Preschool. Here is another preschool I have heard lots about as I know the owner. This preschool had a very homely feel to it. It has a roll of about 25 apparently. The inside and outside space was quite small in comparison to the other centers I have visited but it was very calm and had a really lovely feel. One of the things that was very evident was their commitment to Te Reo. It was evident everywhere in the center. We were able to see a little bit of mat time where the children came together before lunch and had songs and stories. An interesting fact to note is that a preschool teacher attends the second school visit with te children and do a sort of handover. I thought that was a lovely touch,
St Albans Community Preschool. This was like coming home for me. My children used to attend this preschool and I was on the Board for a couple of years so I feel like I know it well. It is still a very tired building a small outdoor space but on the whole it has a lovely happy feel to it. it is play based learning and their mat times are short and sweet. This center use rolling kai for the children where they self manage their own eating for the day ( meaning they can eat when they like). The children have several rich learning experiences through play here.
Mairehau First Learners. This is a preschool I have driven passed a lot too and often wondered what it would be like inside, The building is quite tired looking in places but the spaces are big and the outdoor space is too. It has three different rooms according to age ie nursery, preschool and prep school. They put the children into groups to focus on specific learning outcomes and when a child turns 4 and a half, they begin to learn the alphabet etc so their getting ready for school programme is more structured than some of the others I visited. We are one of the two main schools they feed to.
Barnardoes I didn't even know that this preschool existed. It is easy to go to the wrong building initially as it is attached to a community hub. This preschool is decile 1 and they offer 30 free hours to try and capture the children that otherwise would not get to experience any early childhood education. They work the philosophy of living off the land so the children grow fruit and vegetables and together with the teachers, they bake their own morning and afternoon tea with the produce they have grown. The learning space is unique in the fact that they have a great big deck that is covered in when it is raining or cold.
This exercise of visiting the preschools was very valuable to me in the fact that I am also looking to move preschools for our youngest so I was looking at it through parents eyes also.
A couple of things for me to ponder were
Having a play based discovery first thing on a Monday morning to ease children back into the week ahead. I will visit Mairehau Primary to see what they do with a similar idea.
I will also get a social story out to the preschools I visited so children in the centers can read about what our school is all about. I will also finish drafting up a pamphlet to put for parent information about our new school.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed visiting the preschools and think if nothing else it was a successful networking exercise. To that end, I think I will try and initiate a gathering of the preschool teachers in the area to meet and see if we can get a termly meeting underway with purposeful sharing and social networking session. I will attempt to get this underway next term.
Monday, March 14, 2016
PD with Lois Chrsitmas
We have had some PD with Lois Christmas this month. This has been around "DISC" which is a tool whereby we are provided with assessment data which provides us with information around our priorities in the work place. It then , in turn, helps us learn how to connect and communicate with our colleagues whose priorities and preferences differ from our own. I have found t really interesting to see the results of these tests and I have found myself becoming more aware of my reactions and traits and thinking more about other peoples.
The verdict is that I am an"SI" . Some of the traits of an "S" is even tempered, accommodating, patient, humble and tactful. The typical traits of an "I" are Outgoing, enthusiastic, optimistic, high spirited and lively. It is important to remember that this relates to the work place and when I answered the questions, I did it with work in mind as opposed to home( which potentially could be quite a different result I suspect.)
We did some work around the things in our profile that we agreed with and aspects we disagreed with. I found that an interesting exercise. It was also good to get together in our teams and do some work with the others on our profiles. It is also interesting to note that the vast majority of our team are in the "S" category too. I think one is an "I."
The verdict is that I am an"SI" . Some of the traits of an "S" is even tempered, accommodating, patient, humble and tactful. The typical traits of an "I" are Outgoing, enthusiastic, optimistic, high spirited and lively. It is important to remember that this relates to the work place and when I answered the questions, I did it with work in mind as opposed to home( which potentially could be quite a different result I suspect.)
We did some work around the things in our profile that we agreed with and aspects we disagreed with. I found that an interesting exercise. It was also good to get together in our teams and do some work with the others on our profiles. It is also interesting to note that the vast majority of our team are in the "S" category too. I think one is an "I."
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Collaboration
Today we had a very interesting PD session around Collaboration. We started off by filling out a form related to "what we bring." I found this to be quite thought provoking in parts because it challenged us to think about our teaching styles, our challenges and strengths in teaching as well as our concerns around collaboration. We then met together in our teams (syndicates I guess!) and discussed this with each other. It is always interesting to hear and consider others views and thoughts.
We then got into our PLG and we were required to "unpack" one of the different models of collaboration. These included Alternative Teaching, one teach/one observe, one teach/one support, parallel teaching, station teaching and team teaching.
We were given Station teaching so we discussed what this would look like in practice. This was a valuable thing to do and we researched some different models within this. It was incredible how different this one model could look depending on how it was administered. There were all sorts of options including every station using a teacher to run an activity to having students run their own activities.
We shared back to the wider group and discussed all the different via google docs.
Since then I have watched a couple of videos around collaboration which have been interesting. I watched one by Chris Bradbeer who is the associate Principal from Stonefields School in Auckland. He explained the ideas behind the learning spaces at his school. He talked about the language we use when describing these spaces and the shift in mindset we need to have to make this work The shift in ICT, building designs, and pedagogy has helped . He believes the environment is the third teacher and has a pedagogy of its own. It opens up a whole new world of opportunity including having input from several people to help make an OTJ for a child and incidental PD resulting from professional discussions and observations. HE acknowledges that teachers are being asked to work very closely together from the moment they walk in the door in the morning till the end of the working day and that this si something we are necessarily used to doing. He challenges us to take down the walls literally - both physically and metaphorically.
The second video I watched was about a school that from all appearances is an old 50's single cell but on the inside , its designed with a modern learning environment in mind. There is minimal furniture and if you were to walk into ta classroom you would find children working at all different heights and maybe even on all different subject areas. The need for quiet area is highlighted and the importance is placed on the mix of teachers and areas where learning takes place. This has certainly provided food for thought and I intend to watch more of these videos soon.
We then got into our PLG and we were required to "unpack" one of the different models of collaboration. These included Alternative Teaching, one teach/one observe, one teach/one support, parallel teaching, station teaching and team teaching.
We were given Station teaching so we discussed what this would look like in practice. This was a valuable thing to do and we researched some different models within this. It was incredible how different this one model could look depending on how it was administered. There were all sorts of options including every station using a teacher to run an activity to having students run their own activities.
We shared back to the wider group and discussed all the different via google docs.
Since then I have watched a couple of videos around collaboration which have been interesting. I watched one by Chris Bradbeer who is the associate Principal from Stonefields School in Auckland. He explained the ideas behind the learning spaces at his school. He talked about the language we use when describing these spaces and the shift in mindset we need to have to make this work The shift in ICT, building designs, and pedagogy has helped . He believes the environment is the third teacher and has a pedagogy of its own. It opens up a whole new world of opportunity including having input from several people to help make an OTJ for a child and incidental PD resulting from professional discussions and observations. HE acknowledges that teachers are being asked to work very closely together from the moment they walk in the door in the morning till the end of the working day and that this si something we are necessarily used to doing. He challenges us to take down the walls literally - both physically and metaphorically.
The second video I watched was about a school that from all appearances is an old 50's single cell but on the inside , its designed with a modern learning environment in mind. There is minimal furniture and if you were to walk into ta classroom you would find children working at all different heights and maybe even on all different subject areas. The need for quiet area is highlighted and the importance is placed on the mix of teachers and areas where learning takes place. This has certainly provided food for thought and I intend to watch more of these videos soon.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
In the Beginning
Here are my first thoughts from St Francis Of Assisi Catholic School. So far I LOVE IT. It feels great to be in a Catholic School and the decision has been the right one for sure.
My NE/Y1 Class of 11 are very sweet and they are very wide eyed and keen to learn. One of the boys is having a bit of trouble settling and his behaviour can be defiant at times. I have tried some management strategies including the usual, praising other children for making good choices etc, sticker charts, choices for him and the (so far) most effective one of the quick fire incentive chart where he needs to make four good choices and he gets Darth Vader (of all the things) for an instant"reward" (for want of a better word). Anyway, the up shot is that it works sometimes and other times it doesn't work so well. I feel he needs to get to know me a bit more and he will settle down. I do think he has an underlying issue and his mum agrees and has started the process of getting him assessed essentially.
My NE/Y1 Class of 11 are very sweet and they are very wide eyed and keen to learn. One of the boys is having a bit of trouble settling and his behaviour can be defiant at times. I have tried some management strategies including the usual, praising other children for making good choices etc, sticker charts, choices for him and the (so far) most effective one of the quick fire incentive chart where he needs to make four good choices and he gets Darth Vader (of all the things) for an instant"reward" (for want of a better word). Anyway, the up shot is that it works sometimes and other times it doesn't work so well. I feel he needs to get to know me a bit more and he will settle down. I do think he has an underlying issue and his mum agrees and has started the process of getting him assessed essentially.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
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