Accelerated Literacy Learning

This year offered Emma and I the opportunity to review our entry to school literacy programme and the effectiveness of it in preparation for moving into Year 2. 

This has been a valuable experience as it supported us in developing our online planning so that we could better meet the needs of our shared learners.

Together we have built our skills and capacity to do this and are now transferring these skills across our HUB. 

We are now asking questions about the most effective way to track assessment using Google Tools and this is a next step for 2020. 
Manaiakalani have provided me with the skills and knowledge to carryout some of the development and the knowledge and ability to discover how to do what I don't know.

               It is all about efficiency for time and effectiveness for progress!

Manaiakalani Wananga -2019

A two day journey through the impact that Manaiakalani has in education.

'The Manaiakalani Programme'

Digital Fluency / Accelerated Outcomes

An intentional, focused, evidence-based programme to support your community of learning move from the analogue world to the digital world 

Increasing teacher effectiveness and accelerating learning outcomes in this digital environment.

Day One ... we visited two schools on the Manaiakalani Journey ... seeing children in action.

"Desperation into Admiration" - the future for our children

This is the difference that comes for Manaiakalani being involved in our community, our learning, our education!

How fortunate are we to be a part of this outreach programme that is changing lives, adding value and making the world a better place for all learners.

Through Manaiakalani we not only make the future for our learners brighter yet ours also! 

Young people who are:

“confident, connected, actively involved, lifelong learners”

NZC 2017

Who are instructional Leaders?

'All who exercise influence to make a positive difference'

Vivianne Robinson 2011

'Learn, Create, Share'

Our mantra that is the focus of our delivery in the class to make learning for the children more authentic and to increase student agency!

It is through this model that my own learning and skill in ICT for the betterment of my teaching world, my learning world and my personal world is developing!

SHMOOSHED - A new word that means just as it sounds.

With the support of the partnership between Manaiakalani and Wolf Fisher we have the benefit of gather, sharing and analysing data in such a way that we can build on and improve the learning outcomes for all students. Together we can learn to make the most of all learning opportunities.

From the data gathered overtime the investigation into BEST practice is now benefiting us all! The breakdown of the data- the findings have assisted us in identification of these elements that make the difference to not just learning yet acceleration.

Just as we set deliberate acts of learning for our students we can also foster this for our teachers in order to make change and to increase acceleration and achievement for our students. Manaiakalani and Wolf Fisher have identified the strengths and weaknesses across our cluster and it now our responsibility to respond to this proactively and to change our practice. Robust discussions in our schools and across our cluster will support this change.

This statement may seem logical yet is it intentionally part of my daily teaching? If not it soon will be!!

Collaboration ... must be part of the reading process and reading is a language based activity and discussion will strengthen the outcomes! 

Student Agency- learners selecting the text to read and the way they will share their findings increases engagement which will increase ability.

A HUGE bonus today was our opportunities to talk in groups across not only clusters yet also the regions ... this has been very powerful to bring to light where we are at in our clusters and that we share the same challenges and having them openly discussed and solutions offered has been so valuable ... learning from clusters that a five years down the track is brilliant

As in writing ... when our focus moved from teaching surface features to focusing on the deep features acceleration occurred ... we now need to shift our teaching focus in reading the same way. Is this the time to increase mine and other teachers understanding of  Reading ... to unpack it just as we did for writing, to develop the language of reading ... to move away from teaching to the level to teaching to the need ... to also ignite our own passion for reading.

T-Shaped Reading is a researched initiative that is well supported as BEST practice by Manaiakalani and supported by Wolf Fisher research data.

Thank goodness Manaiakalani is rewindable as we were given the privileged of listening to innovative teachers that are excelling in their delivery! Each delivery ... 6 minutes long!

MIT- Manaiakalani Innovative Teachers

What do I feel has possibly been lost over time that supports learning and acceleration?

• The Tuakana-Teina philosophy - the planned and formal inclusion of this has faded in our school yet can it be just as powerful when we foster and encourage it as a way of being in our school and for us to encourage the philosophy across the school in order to build relationships, develop confidence and mana within all our students across the curriculum.
• Ubiquitous - "presence everywhere or in many places simultaneously."
• Provocation - 'something that stimulates' ... excitement, instigation, incitement

Investigate ... 

SOLO - 

DIMIC - Developing the Mathematics Inquiry Community ... NZMATHS

Let's celebrate brave and committed leadership

We are not here to keep you happy in your misery

Pat Snedden

Instructional Leadership

What am I going to do as a leader to make shifts happen?

How am I going to lead our teachers to make the change to accelerate achievement?

Raise teacher understanding so that they rekindle their passion for doing what we love ... increase our pedagogy. 

Today has inspired me to believe more in what we can do as a teaching profession through collaboration with our colleagues.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller

Visible Learning ... Mind Frames

Improving Practice through Mind-Frames

John Hattie's mind frames have supported me in unpacking my beliefs I hold as a teacher and a leader.

John Hattie believes “that teachers and school leaders who develop these ways of thinking are more likely to have major impacts on student learning.”

The presentation below is how I see myself as a teacher, leader and coach.

Getting UP-TO-DATE with Technology

Getting UP-TO-DATE with Technology for me ... for my STUDENTS!

I am fortunate enough to be a part of Professional Development supported by TeAuha from Cognition. This is giving me the opportunity to explore the Technology Curriculum and to be be able to make informed decisions for our teachers, students, their Whanau and our school around the delivery of the Technology Curriculum. 

This is some of the areas covered today ... tomorrow it's team time with the HUBS.

                                                               

 This is where the government would like our students to be heading in education for the learners in our rooms ... 

   Check out the pathways ...

Relationships remain an integral part of our learners lives. It is important for them to think critically, self management, creativity, engagement and communication are all valuable skills for our learners to develop. 

This clip supports us to ... CHANGE OUR MINDS ... CHANGE OUR THINKING! Learning to use the tools available to support them in their learning is important. Knowing if the tools are not required put them away. Learning to be creators is what is wanted ... not consumers of technology yet designers, builders and developers.

Ten years ago this was the research that created the why for TODAY!!  

              An interesting read Up-Date 26 - this share about how knowledge is constructed and what we know about learners.

Promoting the 'Connected World' is a huge part of the WHY! Teaching the skills of collaboration, team work and co-construction MUST be a deliberate aspect to our classrooms to ready our learners for the future.

Teaching the 21st Century Learners are who we are teaching. Transforming our teaching in an important focus in our practice!

                                    

The SAMR Model is a framework created by Dr. Ruben Puentedura that categorizes four different degrees of classroom technology integration. The letters "SAMR" stand for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition

As New Zealand teachers we are very strong in planning for individual needs in our rooms ... all children have individual needs of some kind! Creating 'Inclusive Classrooms' is a very important aspect of practice ... knowing our learners, their whanau and their special characters is a powerful aspect to meeting the needs of ALL!!

The 'Nature of Learning' is a great read to support us into developing our Inquiry into integrating technology into our everyday classroom. 

Teaching and Learning ... Am I Going the Right Way?

What Matters Most in Learning, Teaching and Leading

Andrew (Andy) Jones / Facilitator  

https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=1320&context=research_conference 

Learning Science:

Context is key ... professional practice, colleagues and community in our setting is pivotal when looking at development and change.

Sharing a short story with a beginning, middle and end (2 minutes) about someone in our community that we have made a difference for is very powerful in summing up what we are in education for ... acknowledging that we have and do make a difference. This would be a very valuable activity to carry out with staff and teams to keep us in the positives!! 

Episodes for Learning

1. What are we talking about here? School improvement research and practice
2. What makes you say that? Leading evidence-informed teaching practices across the school
3. Teachers make the Difference: Teacher learning and the science of professional learning
4. Team work makes the Dream Work: Enhancing teacher collaboration
5. Being Clear: Coherent and Intelligible
6. Are you paying Attention: Mindful Leadership

Mindfulness is the new BLACK!!

Why the School as a Learning Organisation?

• Who Killed Nokia? They were big and now almost extinct! Why? The leaders weren't listening to change ... APPLE arrived on the scene .... Apple leaders were programmers ... involved in how the systems work. In Nokia the leaders were removed from the systems. In school we need to make the decisions as we know education, we are at the front of change, we are an integral aspect of the puzzle ... we make the difference to the future here and now ... we are part of the change. We also have an interest and investment ... we are connected.

Just because you sit on a toilet does not make you a plumber!

  What do we as architects of learning want for our learners?

• To keep the wonderment of learning alive ... intellectual and emotional ability to engage on society... 
• Connectivity, with each other, their community and beyond.
• Creative, Curious and Innovative
• To keep the love of learning alive ... confident, connected, active learners.
• Happy ... knowing where to go when the going isn't going right.
• To have choices.
• To be resilient, ... This is a direct correlation to mental health. 
• To be good humans ... to add value to their community! This is what creates self esteem, self worth 
• To know who they are!! To feel valued, listened to and that they matter
• Passionate and kind.

Within the Room these are the qualities that we wish for our students in Gisborne.

Leading International Trends in School Improvement

1. Teacher level leadership
2. Networked Improvement Communities 

"Communities of Learning are struggling to find the leaders and teachers to lead these. Failing as they have been imposed from Top Down" ... These are Andrew's thoughts.

In Medicine ... the leaders growing the concept are in medicine ... In education it is the Ministry telling us how to run these, they are not teachers, principals or leaders in education.

How do schools Improve?

1. High quality teaching practice
2. Powerful Home / School Partnerships
3. Educational Leadership
4. Professional Development
5. Teacher Teams

Teacher-Level or Middle- level School Leadership

'Teachers who maintain classroom-based teaching responsibilities, while also taking on leadership responsibilities outside that of the classroom.'

Leading Ideas

Most systems that invest in their school invest in principal leadership ... 

The STRENGTH of the Middle Leaders

• Managing the stresses/difficulties - wellbeing/impact
• Changing relationships with peers and administration-identity
• opportunity for increased positive feelings and professional growth
• Harnessing the potential of an untapped resource- career teachers

ALL / MST support the development of teacher leaders, leading from the classroom empowers the teachers.

The classroom teacher has the integrity among their colleagues as they are doing the 'mahi' ... a leader that leads from the classroom are facing the challenges in the room alongside their colleagues, they are in the reality of today's classroom. 

Teachers as Leaders / Collaborative leadership for Communities of Learning / Vincent Anfara.

                                                                                                                 
  

 The Stresses of Leading is REAL

What is Mindfulness?

• Mindfulness is about paying attention to the present moment with openness, curiosity, and without judgement.
• Present in your body
• Paying attention
• Building a positive culture with deliberate actions, acknowledging the importance of all in the team, the community and the class.

It's not whale music, caftans and candles ... 

Smiling Mind 

This app is a possibility for the school to follow. There is a free education programme for the whole school to follow.

Is there merit in providing our students with this tool? ... Nathan Wallis believes that teaching our students the practice of mindfulness is the best gift we can give them for their future!!

Acknowledge our feelings as feelings and not out reality!

Sharing this app with families to support them and their children at home is also a worthwhile practice.

4. Teamwork makes the Dream Work

Children grow into the intellect that is around them ... the teacher has a significant impact on this in their modelling and the values that they engage in and give students exposure to.

Teacher Collaboration

• Connections
• Inclusiveness
• Collective Conversations
• Collective Ownership / efficacy 
• Improvement
• More than cooperation
• the union of ideas
• SHARING
• Respectful nature of the relationship
• Interdependence- creating new knowledge - valuing others
• Relational trust 
• Synergy - connections
• 'We'
• Goal directedness / purpose / focus
• Collective understanding
• Bringing it together!

Lyn Sharratt ... 

Collaboration is ... goal-directed action that empowers teachers and leaders to construct new knowledge together, that builds and shares understanding about practice and most importantly, that outlines specific strategies for improving the quality of students lives.

What is the nature of teacher collaboration in our schools?

I am noticing...

I am wondering ... A way to share thoughts and ideas to encourage growth ... prompting conversation ... thoughts on a topic.

I am noticing ... stronger teacher relationships in our HUBs and am wondering is this a reason for the shared consistency across the school not being as strong?

I am noticing that we are very predictable in our school for children and wonder if this is a barrier to them learning to adapt to change.

Collective Efficacy is the most powerful aspect to improvement across the school ... the leaders and teachers in the school have a shared understanding of what we all believe!!

Peter Senge: Mindfulness as Key for Personal & Organisational Learning (Chap 3) 

The health of the community is reliant on the whole community ... if one aspect is not strong the other areas are affected. 

Peer Observation...

We often watch the teacher during an observations ... learning is invisible, observing the learners is key to knowing what is being taught and how effective the teacher is. 

Ask the learners the questions... 

• What are you learning?
• Why are you learning this?
• How will it help you in the future?

A wondering I have after my time with Andrew is why am I in education? 

What difference am I making or wanting to make?

What do I believe and want to see for my school, my students, my team?

Computational Thinking ... Where will it take ME?

My Digital Journey

Magic Moments at 

Gisborne Mindlab

Getting my head around the new 'Digital Technology Curriculum' for me is a NOW step. Fortunately we have supported PLD through Cognition. 

Listening to Dorothy share with us today of the challenges of equity across our communities is such an eye opener every time. The positives today is thanks to being able to connect digitally we are able to keep our communities connected no matter where they be!

Digital devices are so much more than a tool! They are windows to the world!! Keyboards to collaboration and connection!

The Mindlab

What a fabulous space The Mindlab is to work in. Great to revisit and reconnect. This time round I feel much more digitally proficient and the new learning shared made so much more sense!! I was able to listen to and learn new skills and then adapt them to suit my age group so look our Room 7 Makauri School ... we will be learning to code!!

Playing KAHOOT! was a real heart pounder ... not a good thought when the Google Level One exam is 3 hours of STRESS!!!

Practicing Coding with real live ROBOTS. To achieve this successfully with 5yr olds I would tape the grid on the floor, provide left and right arrows to assist with not knowing left and right while they are learning this. We will explore coding using our Duplo blocks too.

'Lightbot' is an app for the ipad to teach children the beginning of programming. Great for covering the Mathematical terms for left,  right, 1/4 turn and 1/2 turn.

Such fun collaborating with a friend ... risk taking and applying new skills is so much easier!!

My first steps to begin the learning of coding is introduce the concept through materials in our room. Creating a grid on the carpet and one on the wall are places I am going to start ... watch this space as I will post pictures of our progress!!

Booking times with The Mindlab for our class is the plan for Term 3 !!

A great step to wean me from Manaiakalani and to keep my skills rolling!!

Next Week ... Google Level One Certification time!!

DFI - Daring to Dabble with Devices

Digitally Smart- Cyber Smart ... skills for life!

The Cyber Smart curriculum enables us to learn the skills to keep ourselves. When we teach learners to be Cyber Smart it takes away the opportunity to be UNKIND to others.
Using the Cyber Smart slides we explored the importance of Being Cyber Smart. Using Screencastify I created a video to share the learning around our 'Digital Footprint'.
Thanks to my new learning skills becoming part of who I am I now as I am more confident with HTML i have embedded my video, moved it around and added breaks.

Our online footprint ... what is my profile like? Watch this clip below to see how we would explore this with our students at school.

Hapara

A fabulous way to ease the monitoring and managing of students on devices. I can see current work, shared work, stored work and where the children have been on devices both at home and school Emails can be seen, passwords reset for the children and group emails sent to the children. This is a service that will support me once I have moved into 1-1 Devices with my class on ipads. This is tool I can see will enable me as a teacher to ensure that my students are being Cyber Smart! I will also be able to see all the children' ipads at once on my screen so at a glance can see where they are all working. I will be able to see their folders also to ensure that they have saved their work accurately.
The image below is a little something to think about and reinforces the purpose behind all our students using Chrome Books and encouraged by Manaiakalani. Manaiakalani carry out trials in classroom to ensure that we are using the best and most up-to-date devices! 

Explain Everything

This is an app for our ipads that I have been wanting to become more familiar with as it is highly recommended by Manaiakalani as a tool for Years 1-3 to use to share their thinking. I believe as I become more confident in this app that I will be able to create activities for the children to work with during learning time.

In my personal life gaining the knowledge and supporting information provided by Manaiakalani in SLIDES around Cyber Smart will help me to check my digital footprint and ensure that I am portrayed in a professional manner. 
I am also very excited about the fact that I am gaining the skills and practices of the Learn, Create, Share with Manaiakalani ahead of time before 2020 when my students and I will be supported in the 1-1 Device Programme.

DFI - My Inbox is Clean!

My Inbox is Clean!!

Done and dusted thanks to GOOGLE! I have finally cleared my inbox and my gmail is as fresh as a daisy!

Photo Credit: Joanne Mador 2014

DFI - Day Two - Untangling the Line!

Day Two

The hook from heaven is certainly a great description of the value added from the support given by Manaiakalani. The skills I am learning I can see now and in the future as I become more proficient will enable me to learn more with ease and to assist me in becoming digitally fluent.

I now find myself wondering as I go to create and share ... is this the best and most powerful platform to be sharing on or is there a better place. I don't always have the answer yet I am asking the question!

To support my shift from Face-Booking with my families to Blogging I have been introduced to an app ... If This Then That which will push my Blog Post to Facebook.

OOOOOOPS ... while setting up IFTTT ... it was discovered that my blog cannot be pushed to a closed FB page so this is important to be mindful of.

My next goal is to post at least once a week to my class blog and post the link to my class FB page. 

My purpose for blogging is to introduce the parents to Blogging so that as their children move through the school and grow into blogging themselves the parents will be more comfortable with this process.

Create, Share, Learn ... I will be using this Inquiry Cycle when I create a video recording using loom to navigate my families through our class webpage, Share it on my class blog and then the families can use it to learn how to get the best from our webpage ... Greedy Cat Learns. 
This week I have been introducing our set of iPads to the children as learning tools. To begin with, the children shared what they know about iPads and then a rule they have when using iPads. This was a very interesting conversation to be part of. On our class FB page I then asked the parents to share a rule they have at home for their children with iPads. I am now gaining an insight to where the families are at in iPad and device usage. The next step is for the class together to create our rules for iPad usage in our class.

A huge personal gain for me today has been around gmail and my organisation ... a goal is to clear my screen by next week ... 974 unmarked emails to now find homes! Google Keep is going to revolutionise my alerts, reminders and list making on both my phone and my laptop!

I am loving extensions ... knowing how to find them, add them and organise them. So this along with the bookmark bar are my new BEST organisational tools supported by One Tab!

Bring on Next Week ... ERO are visiting ans I am so READY!

Flag the Bag

Eliminate Plastic Bags 

My moonshot for elimination is to be creative and not confined with the idea of a bag yet more a vessel e.g. Buckets, baskets, laundry basket, wheelbarrows.

My safe bet is keeping a variety of re-usable bags in my car, my handbag and my classroom.