I have just read a blog post by @traintheteacher about being someone's worst teacher. I would have to agree with this thinking. Our failures are the best lessons! We don't want to put ourselves into that situation again and so we take all we can from it and try to adapt. How many times have we as teachers tried something in the classroom that was a disaster? I think we have those moments often but we are constantly reflecting and wondering how we can make the next attempt a success.
These are things that we are doing on a regular basis. So why is the word failure such a negative?
We try and get our students to make mistakes and learn from them. I don't know how many times I have told my students that mistakes are a great thing, as long as you learn from them. I think we have put so much pressure on ourselves to get everything right that we stress when things don't go according to plan. I think it's time we took a leaf out of our own book and relax about our failures and looked at them as lessons rather than a personal criticism. I have recently heard +Anne Kenneally @annekenn talk about the word fail and I have decided to take on her philosophy.
First
Attempt
In
Learning
Let's celebrate our First Attempts In Learning, share them with each other and learn from them!
Monday, 3 March 2014
Sunday, 2 March 2014
New Year, New Beginnings
This post should have been written a few months ago. Very excited to announce that I am now the teacher of a Junior class. After teaching Year 5s for 6 years I decided that it was time for a new challenge. I asked to be moved to a different year level to challenge myself.
I must say ... So far so good.
It has been quite a wake up call. In the days before school started I was really questioning my choice. While looking at planning of other teachers and the things that we were going to do in the beginning of the year I though, "what have I gotten my self into?!"
I have had to adjust significantly and I think I took some of the skills my 9 year olds knew for granted. I realised very quickly that my little ones have never had to write the full date on anything. It took us most of our handwriting lesson to write it at the top of our page. Some of our learning intentions consisted of learning to copy of the board. Counting on fingers is the norm for many here.
The prospect of all this was terrifying to begin with, but so far I am loving it. There have been times when my patience has been tested of course. Mostly because what I have set for the children they just weren't ready for or the children had displayed behaviour that I haven't had to deal with in Senior classes. For majority of the time I have not had to lower my expectations. These kids have stepped up BIG TIME!
It seems to me that my little 6 year olds are so willing to please that they will do anything in their power to make that happen. There have been times when all I have had to do was mention an expectation or behaviour and it was done. It is still early days so lets just hope that I can keep this up.
Over all, my first impressions of being a junior teacher are great!
I must say ... So far so good.
It has been quite a wake up call. In the days before school started I was really questioning my choice. While looking at planning of other teachers and the things that we were going to do in the beginning of the year I though, "what have I gotten my self into?!"
I have had to adjust significantly and I think I took some of the skills my 9 year olds knew for granted. I realised very quickly that my little ones have never had to write the full date on anything. It took us most of our handwriting lesson to write it at the top of our page. Some of our learning intentions consisted of learning to copy of the board. Counting on fingers is the norm for many here.
The prospect of all this was terrifying to begin with, but so far I am loving it. There have been times when my patience has been tested of course. Mostly because what I have set for the children they just weren't ready for or the children had displayed behaviour that I haven't had to deal with in Senior classes. For majority of the time I have not had to lower my expectations. These kids have stepped up BIG TIME!
It seems to me that my little 6 year olds are so willing to please that they will do anything in their power to make that happen. There have been times when all I have had to do was mention an expectation or behaviour and it was done. It is still early days so lets just hope that I can keep this up.
Over all, my first impressions of being a junior teacher are great!
Monday, 25 November 2013
DIY document Cam
I have recently come across this little gem from Kevin Honeycutt.
I was intrigued by the idea and thought I'd give it all a go.
I use ShowMe and Educreations as part of my maths programme anyway but I liked the potential for manipulation of materials using this technique. I was also able to have multiple children interacting with the same piece of work at the same time. Here is the first lesson my children and I created.
Thank you Kevin for your awesome idea!
I use ShowMe and Educreations as part of my maths programme anyway but I liked the potential for manipulation of materials using this technique. I was also able to have multiple children interacting with the same piece of work at the same time. Here is the first lesson my children and I created.
This is my group that really benefits from repetition and materials. Having videos to refer to has been a tool that I have used all year but this is stepping it up a little for me. Video and maths are made for each other. I am able to see where exactly my group stands in terms of using a strategy, if they are ready to move on or if they need more support. I also like the fact that the children can always go back and check to see if they are on the right track. New learning is available to them at all times.
Here is what one of my groups came up with today.
Thank you Kevin for your awesome idea!
Friday, 8 November 2013
Student teacher
Over the past 5 weeks I have had the pleasure of having a student teacher in my class. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, as I was able to watch this passionate young woman grow and develop before my eyes. I found her company refreshing and that her presence made me think about my own teaching. She was receptive, intuitive and I found her a great support in my classroom.
What I found interesting though was how unprepared she was for how technology is being is used in the classroom. It wasn't even mentioned so far in her university studies. I introduced her to Google Drive and how I use it in the classroom. She was blown away and was quick to utilise this tool in her own learning. We created a shared folder in which we created all our collaborative files. Our next learning curb was the Interactive White Board. She had seen one used before but had never had a chance to use one herself. We used pixlr.com/editor to edit images, iPods to write, cameras, educreations, wikispaces, GoogleSites, youtube ...
I didn't really think I was doing anything out of the ordinary in my room but apparently I am. I'm surprised that some of these things aren't shared at uni. With the use of social media (facebook/twitter) why not give students access to hat is happening in classrooms on a daily basis. Let them see the kind of teaching that is happening in our schools. I think it's a huge shock for students when they come into a school which heavily bases its practice on the eLearning model. eLearning is SOOO far from the way these young people are being taught, how are they expected to cope in the current education environment? It will change again by the time they're in the work force! It's scary enough as it is when you are left in your classroom for the very first time, in charge of your very own children.
I think I was lucky to start teaching when I did, as classrooms were not too far from what I remember as a child. Technology in classrooms was something that was being developed but it was in the beginning stages. I had time to work out what kind of teacher I wanted to be before I started to venture into this weird and wonderful world of eLearning.
So I guess what I wanted to say in this post is... university needs to prepare these students for the reality of what happens in the classroom (as interesting as history and politics are). I'm not saying that theory is not important but there should be emphasis on eLearning as well.
And if uni isn't prepared to do something, then my fellow educators, it's up to us!
What I found interesting though was how unprepared she was for how technology is being is used in the classroom. It wasn't even mentioned so far in her university studies. I introduced her to Google Drive and how I use it in the classroom. She was blown away and was quick to utilise this tool in her own learning. We created a shared folder in which we created all our collaborative files. Our next learning curb was the Interactive White Board. She had seen one used before but had never had a chance to use one herself. We used pixlr.com/editor to edit images, iPods to write, cameras, educreations, wikispaces, GoogleSites, youtube ...
I didn't really think I was doing anything out of the ordinary in my room but apparently I am. I'm surprised that some of these things aren't shared at uni. With the use of social media (facebook/twitter) why not give students access to hat is happening in classrooms on a daily basis. Let them see the kind of teaching that is happening in our schools. I think it's a huge shock for students when they come into a school which heavily bases its practice on the eLearning model. eLearning is SOOO far from the way these young people are being taught, how are they expected to cope in the current education environment? It will change again by the time they're in the work force! It's scary enough as it is when you are left in your classroom for the very first time, in charge of your very own children.
I think I was lucky to start teaching when I did, as classrooms were not too far from what I remember as a child. Technology in classrooms was something that was being developed but it was in the beginning stages. I had time to work out what kind of teacher I wanted to be before I started to venture into this weird and wonderful world of eLearning.
So I guess what I wanted to say in this post is... university needs to prepare these students for the reality of what happens in the classroom (as interesting as history and politics are). I'm not saying that theory is not important but there should be emphasis on eLearning as well.
And if uni isn't prepared to do something, then my fellow educators, it's up to us!
Thursday, 31 October 2013
Blink and it's gone
I haven't taken the time to write for a while. You forget how busy this time of year is. I first thought that I would have time to do loads of professional reading in the holidays and take time to sort the paperwork that was accumulating arounds me. The holidays didn't proceed as planned and after a very busy Term 3 with production my head was swimming.
I finally reached some clarity when I attended uLearn13. Once again uLearn had delivered inspiration and innovative ideas that made me eager to get back to my class.
I had been meaning to sit down and write for a while, I blinked and before I knew it... three weeks of the term had passed. All the ideas that I had planned to reflect on have changed.
In the three weeks that we have been at school I have had the pleasure of being an associate teacher. Our classroom had welcomed a nervous student who shadowed me for the first few days, watching my every move. I really enjoy this experience and not just because I get to mentor another educator but also because it makes me think about what I do.
You start to think about your every move in more detail. Why did I say that? How do I show differentiation? Do I actually practice what I preach? The need for absolute transparency has made me realise that there are some things I need to make sure I keep on top of and with others I could give myself a pat on the back for.
Once again though, I though that the time I would have with my student would be enough for me to cover everything that I wanted to cover with her. Four weeks just doesn't seem long again.
Where does the time go?
Blink... and it's gone!
I finally reached some clarity when I attended uLearn13. Once again uLearn had delivered inspiration and innovative ideas that made me eager to get back to my class.
I had been meaning to sit down and write for a while, I blinked and before I knew it... three weeks of the term had passed. All the ideas that I had planned to reflect on have changed.
In the three weeks that we have been at school I have had the pleasure of being an associate teacher. Our classroom had welcomed a nervous student who shadowed me for the first few days, watching my every move. I really enjoy this experience and not just because I get to mentor another educator but also because it makes me think about what I do.
You start to think about your every move in more detail. Why did I say that? How do I show differentiation? Do I actually practice what I preach? The need for absolute transparency has made me realise that there are some things I need to make sure I keep on top of and with others I could give myself a pat on the back for.
Once again though, I though that the time I would have with my student would be enough for me to cover everything that I wanted to cover with her. Four weeks just doesn't seem long again.
Where does the time go?
Blink... and it's gone!
Wednesday, 18 September 2013
School visits
Recently I had an amazing opportunity to go on two school visits. I went to two school who are at the forefront of our e-learning movement. One school was new, purpose built and the other has been around for many, many years and was still making amazing things happen. During both visits I walked away with a head full of ideas and questions.
The first school showed me what I hadn't thought of before. The teachers worked in teams to plan for their students. Each teachers strengths were utilised to provide the best for the children in their care. Expectation were high, everyone knew what they were trying to achieve and the whole staff seemed to move in the same direction. What I found amazing was that all the children who I talked to were able to tell me what they were doing and why they were doing it (and I mean all the kids I talked to the year 6/7s and the year 1s). They could tell me the task that was set and what tools they could use to complete the task. While the children were engaging in purposeful activities all teachers in the room were working with various groups. I could instantly see how I could make my own practice better from watching the children and their teachers.
I also liked the absolute transparency between school and the community. The teachers had their weeks planning online for the parents to see what was happening in each class. The resources were also available and easily accessible for teacher, students and parents. What a powerful tool!
This was one thing that I could do right away. I couldn't invite another teacher into my class or knock down a wall to the class next door to create a collaborative, team teaching environment, but I could be transparent right away.
I started by putting my maths planning online, with the help of Google sites. This is a new tool for me so it did take me a little while to figure it out. Once I got my head around it, it was fairly easy to use. I created a page for each group. Each group had their WALT, my teaching progressions and resources available to them.
As part of my teaching resources I had links to videos that illustrate the strategy I was teaching, practice activities, and other resources that related to the task. I thought that this might take me longer to plan each week but that wasn't the case. My planning took the same amount of time as I had links to all resources in my planning anyway, my teaching progression was there also. It was just a matter of making that planning available for the children to see. It has made a huge difference.
I would start by teaching each group a strategy using materials and discussing how the strategy worked. I would then set them questions to help practice the strategy (at this point they could choose to use imaging or materials). When the children were on independent questions stage I could see that there were at different places in their understanding. The problem with this is that usually you would be working with another group and at times those children who were stuck would need to wait until you checked their work to get back on track. This was not the case in my class. I always encouraged my children to work together and teach each other, but now they had access to support whenever they needed it. The kids who were still struggling with a concept were able to go and view the video I made available to them as many times as they wanted until they felt confident. The children who were needing to move on could pick the follow up activity that was suitable to their level of understanding. I thought that at first some of my students would just pick the easiest work to get all the answers right and move onto something they considered more fun. I was pleasantly surprised to find my children picking harder questions (sometimes harder than they were ready for) but with the help of videos and their peers they could extend their understanding and experience success. Some of my students have come to me begging for more practice questions, harder practice questions, so they could be the best mathematicians. My students who hated maths are now loving it. Those who found maths difficult are really enjoying the support and those who work at a faster pace can go on and extend them selves with out having to wait for others to catch up. Not only is their maths improving but also their self management skills.
That was one thing I changed from being at school number one. I'm currently working on my project after visiting school number two, but you'll have to wait and see how that's going.
The first school showed me what I hadn't thought of before. The teachers worked in teams to plan for their students. Each teachers strengths were utilised to provide the best for the children in their care. Expectation were high, everyone knew what they were trying to achieve and the whole staff seemed to move in the same direction. What I found amazing was that all the children who I talked to were able to tell me what they were doing and why they were doing it (and I mean all the kids I talked to the year 6/7s and the year 1s). They could tell me the task that was set and what tools they could use to complete the task. While the children were engaging in purposeful activities all teachers in the room were working with various groups. I could instantly see how I could make my own practice better from watching the children and their teachers.
I also liked the absolute transparency between school and the community. The teachers had their weeks planning online for the parents to see what was happening in each class. The resources were also available and easily accessible for teacher, students and parents. What a powerful tool!
This was one thing that I could do right away. I couldn't invite another teacher into my class or knock down a wall to the class next door to create a collaborative, team teaching environment, but I could be transparent right away.
I started by putting my maths planning online, with the help of Google sites. This is a new tool for me so it did take me a little while to figure it out. Once I got my head around it, it was fairly easy to use. I created a page for each group. Each group had their WALT, my teaching progressions and resources available to them.
As part of my teaching resources I had links to videos that illustrate the strategy I was teaching, practice activities, and other resources that related to the task. I thought that this might take me longer to plan each week but that wasn't the case. My planning took the same amount of time as I had links to all resources in my planning anyway, my teaching progression was there also. It was just a matter of making that planning available for the children to see. It has made a huge difference.
I would start by teaching each group a strategy using materials and discussing how the strategy worked. I would then set them questions to help practice the strategy (at this point they could choose to use imaging or materials). When the children were on independent questions stage I could see that there were at different places in their understanding. The problem with this is that usually you would be working with another group and at times those children who were stuck would need to wait until you checked their work to get back on track. This was not the case in my class. I always encouraged my children to work together and teach each other, but now they had access to support whenever they needed it. The kids who were still struggling with a concept were able to go and view the video I made available to them as many times as they wanted until they felt confident. The children who were needing to move on could pick the follow up activity that was suitable to their level of understanding. I thought that at first some of my students would just pick the easiest work to get all the answers right and move onto something they considered more fun. I was pleasantly surprised to find my children picking harder questions (sometimes harder than they were ready for) but with the help of videos and their peers they could extend their understanding and experience success. Some of my students have come to me begging for more practice questions, harder practice questions, so they could be the best mathematicians. My students who hated maths are now loving it. Those who found maths difficult are really enjoying the support and those who work at a faster pace can go on and extend them selves with out having to wait for others to catch up. Not only is their maths improving but also their self management skills.
That was one thing I changed from being at school number one. I'm currently working on my project after visiting school number two, but you'll have to wait and see how that's going.
Thursday, 12 September 2013
Daily 5
After watching some colleagues of mine run the Daily5 programme in their classrooms I decided to give it a go myself. I started by introducing Reading to Self. The children an I discussed what this will look like if done well, why we should do it and how to choose book.
As time went on we went on to explore the other elements of the Daily5 programme. We went very slowly starting with 3 minutes per activity and slowly working our way up. We stopped and reflected often. Now I'm feeling like the programme is beginning to run smoothly.
I'm finding that the programme is working really well with my students. They are very motivated and are on task.
I'm busy at all times. Having a timer moving the children onto the next activity has helped me make sure that my lessons are quick and snappy. I am seeing each group for reading twice a week. This gives me time to teach a strategy and then check up on the kids and check their understanding later in the week.
I can also see each group twice a week for writing. I have class teaching sessions where I introduce a genre and set whole class tasks. Later I work with each group extending them or supporting them depending their needs in relation to the set task.
I am getting great results from my students. They are getting much more small group instruction and are wanting to complete the tasks set.
The challenge I am still facing is making sure that ALL my children are completing work at the highest possible standard for them. Some of my students do tend to take the easy road but that's a challenge I will overcome with time.
As time went on we went on to explore the other elements of the Daily5 programme. We went very slowly starting with 3 minutes per activity and slowly working our way up. We stopped and reflected often. Now I'm feeling like the programme is beginning to run smoothly.
I'm finding that the programme is working really well with my students. They are very motivated and are on task.
I'm busy at all times. Having a timer moving the children onto the next activity has helped me make sure that my lessons are quick and snappy. I am seeing each group for reading twice a week. This gives me time to teach a strategy and then check up on the kids and check their understanding later in the week.
I can also see each group twice a week for writing. I have class teaching sessions where I introduce a genre and set whole class tasks. Later I work with each group extending them or supporting them depending their needs in relation to the set task.
I am getting great results from my students. They are getting much more small group instruction and are wanting to complete the tasks set.
The challenge I am still facing is making sure that ALL my children are completing work at the highest possible standard for them. Some of my students do tend to take the easy road but that's a challenge I will overcome with time.
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