It is now week 3 and I'm starting to feel like we are getting there with my class. Last week and Monday this week were challenging. The children were really testing the boundaries and seeing where I might cave. I could see that with some I was beginning to get into a negative cycle and I didn't want that for them or me.
Last night I began thinking about what the causes could be. After a while, I realised that it all came down to self-esteem. Today I started the day by playing the following clip to the class. After it finished I asked the children why I might have played it to them. I had a few ideas ranging from, "it's a cool song!" to, "they're good singers." We discussed the article in more detail. Why did these people gather to sing the say they did? How do you think they felt singing with such passion? At the end, I told them that I think we as a class are an amazing bunch and that we are capable of some great things if we put our minds to it.
After a start like that their attitudes were completely different! We had a fantastic day (even though it was wet and muggy). We achieved heaps and we got along. I didn't feel like I was in a cycle of constantly growling. I think the next step for me will be to continue to develop self-confidence in my students. I want to look into working on growth mindset and mindfulness with them. I am hoping that when they leave my class they can hold their heads high knowing that they put everything they've got into the day. I want them to feel proud!
Tuesday 13 February 2018
Monday 18 December 2017
Starting a new journey
This year I have had a few changes. We have had another addition to our family so I have had most of the year off. We have also moved to another city. Here is where my new learning journey begins.
After the move, I decided that I am ready to start looking for part-time work. I redesigned my CV using Canva, wrote a few cover letters and began applying.
I was a little bit nervous because I hadn't been through a full-blown application process in 10 years. However, I was fortunate enough to be accepted for a position that I am very excited about. While everyone around me winds down for the year, I have been spending evenings going through resources and working on my planning.
I will be working with a wonderful team of people, who are just beginning their e-learning journey. Today we had a meeting to plan the first term and I'm excited to implement some of my skills as well as learn about how much education has changed while I've been busy with my children. I've been keeping an eye on what people are doing and I'm looking forward to trying some of the ideas I've noticed.
This year we will have some challenges to work through.
Firstly, the classroom space is being completely changed. The single cell spaces are being opened up and redesigned. This means that we are starting with a clean slate. We can design this space to suit us and let it evolve with the learners. Watch this space, because I will be reflecting on this on a regular basis.
Secondly, I will be job sharing and be working collaboratively with a team who is new to this process too. Previously I have slotted in with people, who already had a workflow in place. Once again this is great because we have an opportunity to find our own workflow.
Another challenge for me is my knowledge of Te Reo. There is a bigger focus on Te Reo here (and rightly so). This is something I need to work on as an educator and also for my own children. Culture and heritage is very important to me and this is something that I need to learn more of for my children as well as my students.
I need to refamiliarise myself with Google classroom and Hapara Dashboard again. I imagine that it has changed a bit since I have used it last. Google, in general, has changed since I was in a classroom that used Google Apps.
So exciting times ahead! Watch this space. Hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year holiday. See you all on the other side.
After the move, I decided that I am ready to start looking for part-time work. I redesigned my CV using Canva, wrote a few cover letters and began applying.
I was a little bit nervous because I hadn't been through a full-blown application process in 10 years. However, I was fortunate enough to be accepted for a position that I am very excited about. While everyone around me winds down for the year, I have been spending evenings going through resources and working on my planning.
I will be working with a wonderful team of people, who are just beginning their e-learning journey. Today we had a meeting to plan the first term and I'm excited to implement some of my skills as well as learn about how much education has changed while I've been busy with my children. I've been keeping an eye on what people are doing and I'm looking forward to trying some of the ideas I've noticed.
This year we will have some challenges to work through.
Firstly, the classroom space is being completely changed. The single cell spaces are being opened up and redesigned. This means that we are starting with a clean slate. We can design this space to suit us and let it evolve with the learners. Watch this space, because I will be reflecting on this on a regular basis.
Secondly, I will be job sharing and be working collaboratively with a team who is new to this process too. Previously I have slotted in with people, who already had a workflow in place. Once again this is great because we have an opportunity to find our own workflow.
Another challenge for me is my knowledge of Te Reo. There is a bigger focus on Te Reo here (and rightly so). This is something I need to work on as an educator and also for my own children. Culture and heritage is very important to me and this is something that I need to learn more of for my children as well as my students.
I need to refamiliarise myself with Google classroom and Hapara Dashboard again. I imagine that it has changed a bit since I have used it last. Google, in general, has changed since I was in a classroom that used Google Apps.
So exciting times ahead! Watch this space. Hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year holiday. See you all on the other side.
Tuesday 28 February 2017
Written Feedback vs Verbal Feedback or both?
I had recently read a blog post from a secondary school teacher about how ineffective written feedback is. He talked about spending hours at home marking books only to have the children ignore all his hard work. The alternative that he found was to conference with each child and getting them to make notes during this discussion.
I thought this was brilliant for older children!
I have always written feedback for my students, but now that I think about it, I'm not sure why. There is no reason that older students can't make notes themselves. It makes them responsible for their work and they really can't say, "I didn't know what to do," because they heard you and they have evidence of the notes they took. I think it is important to make sure that this conferencing process takes place AFTER they had checked their work for errors themselves and with a partner.
When in a Year 5 class I found the children were more than capable of giving each other something to work on based on our writing genre checklists (see an example of one here). The children had to look through their work for surface features first (I found that they could see these better than the deeper feature errors). As they looked through their work they had to tick off what they had checked and if they had completed that well. They could then see what they needed to work on. Once this was done they then had to go and see two people and go through the process again. I found that by the time they got to me they could articulate (not all of them obviously) what they needed to work on and I could then give them tips on how to reach their next step. Here is where I would add the idea of the children writing the notes down independently.
What we do have to remember is that, yes giving our students ownership of their learning and also reducing our workload is great but, in the primary sector, this will not be something that all children will be able to do. With my Year 2 class I got them to go through the same process as above but when giving verbal feedback I had to write the notes for them. They would not be ready to do that themselves, especially when some of them are still learning to write simple sentences. You are welcome to view my Year 2 feedback blog post here. The same can be said for older students who struggle with written language. The process is already very taxing for them so I would write those notes for them. It's all about catering to their individual needs but also staying sane in the process.
I know that I had to remind myself that this is a skill many children have not been taught before. Most marking was done for them, give them time and they will get there. Just be prepared for your conferences to take a long time at the beginning. Also, I don't think you have to give a full blown rundown of a piece of writing with every student every day. They will be in different places within the writing process. I found that having a group that would get a full run down and then the rest would get just verbal feedback, worked for me.
The hardest part is finding something that works well for you and your children, while still providing quality feedback. All in all, it's about balance of both written and verbal feedback depending on your student's needs. Good luck!
I thought this was brilliant for older children!
I have always written feedback for my students, but now that I think about it, I'm not sure why. There is no reason that older students can't make notes themselves. It makes them responsible for their work and they really can't say, "I didn't know what to do," because they heard you and they have evidence of the notes they took. I think it is important to make sure that this conferencing process takes place AFTER they had checked their work for errors themselves and with a partner.
When in a Year 5 class I found the children were more than capable of giving each other something to work on based on our writing genre checklists (see an example of one here). The children had to look through their work for surface features first (I found that they could see these better than the deeper feature errors). As they looked through their work they had to tick off what they had checked and if they had completed that well. They could then see what they needed to work on. Once this was done they then had to go and see two people and go through the process again. I found that by the time they got to me they could articulate (not all of them obviously) what they needed to work on and I could then give them tips on how to reach their next step. Here is where I would add the idea of the children writing the notes down independently.
What we do have to remember is that, yes giving our students ownership of their learning and also reducing our workload is great but, in the primary sector, this will not be something that all children will be able to do. With my Year 2 class I got them to go through the same process as above but when giving verbal feedback I had to write the notes for them. They would not be ready to do that themselves, especially when some of them are still learning to write simple sentences. You are welcome to view my Year 2 feedback blog post here. The same can be said for older students who struggle with written language. The process is already very taxing for them so I would write those notes for them. It's all about catering to their individual needs but also staying sane in the process.
I know that I had to remind myself that this is a skill many children have not been taught before. Most marking was done for them, give them time and they will get there. Just be prepared for your conferences to take a long time at the beginning. Also, I don't think you have to give a full blown rundown of a piece of writing with every student every day. They will be in different places within the writing process. I found that having a group that would get a full run down and then the rest would get just verbal feedback, worked for me.
The hardest part is finding something that works well for you and your children, while still providing quality feedback. All in all, it's about balance of both written and verbal feedback depending on your student's needs. Good luck!
Wednesday 8 February 2017
How do we learn? Some activities to start your year
I've been talking to teachers about the start of the year. How do we begin? Are there any "getting to know you" activities with a difference?
I thought back to my own experience. As a child, I was often frustrated because I was made to sit in a brightly lit classroom and was made to look at texts that hurt my head (have a read about Irlen). When I became a teacher I became very aware that the environment in my class did not suit all my students. I tried to create dark nooks where children could hide, have coloured paper for writing and so on. I then realised that I was catering for children who were like me but what about the rest?
As part of my learning to learn study I created a questionnaire for my students. I wanted to know what I was missing about their learning preferences. I looked at examples online and thought about what would work for me and my classroom. At first, I created a paper form but as I learned about Google Apps, I created the following:
It became my, "go to" resource, to see how my children preferred to work. What I found interesting, is that many of my Year 5 students have never thoughts about their own learning process. They had never been asked, "hey, does this sitting at a desk stuff actually work for you?"
I found that this worked really well for me most years. However, there are some years that are trickier than others and some ages respond better to this than others. Be prepared to take a step back and reevaluate. One year, my closed in caves and nooks had to become more visible, so I used mosquito nets for my "quiet, leave me alone spaces." You can always introduce these ideas again later in the year as the class has gotten to know you and your methods better.
Another quiz that I asked the children to fill out was the multiple intelligences test. I wanted to see what each child needed help with and what their strengths were. We displayed our results in the classroom, to show that we are all different and that we all have strengths and that we all have something to work on (myself included). Some of the questions were tricky for my Year 5's, so I wouldn't use it with the younger children. There are some great resources that could be used with younger children, just have a look online. I found this lesson plan developed by Eva Hoffman, a little bit easier to use. I found that more of the children in my class were able to understand the visual mind map. Once again don't be surprised if your class struggles with this activity. After all, they have spent their whole schooling life focusing on the things they can't do.
Do continue to use multiple intelligences in your regular programme. When following a particular inquiry, give the students a range of ways to present their findings. The linguists in your class can absolutely write a report if they so wish, but what about your musical students? Can they make a rap and video it? Can your visual/spatial students create a 3D model? I have also found a resource that has sorted different iPad Apps into intelligence groups. I found this useful when coming up with activities that relate to the information I collected about my students. Think about ways to use those students strengths. By using their strengths, you can help to encourage students to work in subject areas they are not confident in.
As part of our learning to learn process, we also looked at what learning looks like in our class. I used a Y chart to brainstorm what learning looks, sounds and feels like in our room. This is a great time to discuss expectations. Does learning have to look like a class full of students with their heads down? Does it sound like silence or does it sound like children excitedly sharing their ideas? Ask the children about how we can all feel valued and safe in this environment? One of my main rules was that you can not stop someone else from learning. So you if you learn by discussing a subject then do not approach a person who is quietly working on their own and clearly wants to be left to it. You will be amazed by what the children will come up with. If you challenge their thinking and question their answers.
The start of each year is a time of possibilities. The children in front of you are full excitement. Use this time to really get to know them on a personal level. But most importantly? Enjoy them!
I thought back to my own experience. As a child, I was often frustrated because I was made to sit in a brightly lit classroom and was made to look at texts that hurt my head (have a read about Irlen). When I became a teacher I became very aware that the environment in my class did not suit all my students. I tried to create dark nooks where children could hide, have coloured paper for writing and so on. I then realised that I was catering for children who were like me but what about the rest?
As part of my learning to learn study I created a questionnaire for my students. I wanted to know what I was missing about their learning preferences. I looked at examples online and thought about what would work for me and my classroom. At first, I created a paper form but as I learned about Google Apps, I created the following:
It became my, "go to" resource, to see how my children preferred to work. What I found interesting, is that many of my Year 5 students have never thoughts about their own learning process. They had never been asked, "hey, does this sitting at a desk stuff actually work for you?"
I found that this worked really well for me most years. However, there are some years that are trickier than others and some ages respond better to this than others. Be prepared to take a step back and reevaluate. One year, my closed in caves and nooks had to become more visible, so I used mosquito nets for my "quiet, leave me alone spaces." You can always introduce these ideas again later in the year as the class has gotten to know you and your methods better.
Another quiz that I asked the children to fill out was the multiple intelligences test. I wanted to see what each child needed help with and what their strengths were. We displayed our results in the classroom, to show that we are all different and that we all have strengths and that we all have something to work on (myself included). Some of the questions were tricky for my Year 5's, so I wouldn't use it with the younger children. There are some great resources that could be used with younger children, just have a look online. I found this lesson plan developed by Eva Hoffman, a little bit easier to use. I found that more of the children in my class were able to understand the visual mind map. Once again don't be surprised if your class struggles with this activity. After all, they have spent their whole schooling life focusing on the things they can't do.
Do continue to use multiple intelligences in your regular programme. When following a particular inquiry, give the students a range of ways to present their findings. The linguists in your class can absolutely write a report if they so wish, but what about your musical students? Can they make a rap and video it? Can your visual/spatial students create a 3D model? I have also found a resource that has sorted different iPad Apps into intelligence groups. I found this useful when coming up with activities that relate to the information I collected about my students. Think about ways to use those students strengths. By using their strengths, you can help to encourage students to work in subject areas they are not confident in.
As part of our learning to learn process, we also looked at what learning looks like in our class. I used a Y chart to brainstorm what learning looks, sounds and feels like in our room. This is a great time to discuss expectations. Does learning have to look like a class full of students with their heads down? Does it sound like silence or does it sound like children excitedly sharing their ideas? Ask the children about how we can all feel valued and safe in this environment? One of my main rules was that you can not stop someone else from learning. So you if you learn by discussing a subject then do not approach a person who is quietly working on their own and clearly wants to be left to it. You will be amazed by what the children will come up with. If you challenge their thinking and question their answers.
The start of each year is a time of possibilities. The children in front of you are full excitement. Use this time to really get to know them on a personal level. But most importantly? Enjoy them!
Sunday 29 January 2017
New Year, New Kids
Recently I saw a great idea from Samantha on NZ Teachers (Primary). She posted about using bags as an introduction activity at the beginning of the year. The students put items into the bags that they then share with the class to help introduce their interests and just tell a little bit about themselves.
I thought that this was a wonderful way to get children talking about who they are, their likes, dislikes etc. I also think it is very important for teachers to bring a bag to school too. Firstly to model what kind of items would be best but also so that the students get to know the teacher too.
The first term for me is all about getting to know my students but it is also a time for my students to learn about me. The best way to build relationships with your students is through stories. This activity is a fabulous way to bring visual starters for such stories. The items that I would place into the bag are:
- a dog toy to represent my dog, Bonnie. Children love to hear about her and the mischief that she gets into. Photos of Bonnie in silly situations make great writing prompt for later.
- a pair of baby booties to represent my children. Once again this is a way to invite children into my life. I have a heap of photos of my daughter and with another one, on the way, there will only be more.
- a photo or maybe an old lens cap to represent my love for photography. I think it is important for children to know that we have interests outside of school. Photography is a great passion of mine and this could be a great conversation starter to get the children to share their interests and passions.
- My last item would be a book. I love to read and it is something that I encourage all my students to do. I have a huge personal library, which I have slowly extended over the years. I always try to engage children in reading by finding out about their interests and linking those to books.
By simply sharing four items with a class I can give a huge insight to who I am, or at least, start the conversation. During this activity, I would encourage the children to ask questions. The more they know about you, the more they begin to understand and relate to you.
Thank you for the brilliant idea, Samantha. What a rich activity this is!
Saturday 10 December 2016
Communication Breakdown
This weekend I have attended a few Christmas parties with my daughter. While she was joining in the festivities I had a chat to some of the parents who have school-aged children, about school. I was surprised to hear that so many had no idea where their child should be heading. This is not the first time that I have heard parents speak in this way. Phrases, such as, "I keep being told he/she is fine," or "I don't understand these reports," and many more along these lines.
I know we are busy as teachers. We really don't have time to talk to every single parent for hours at a time, but... here's the thing. We need to! Parents don't have the access to resources that we have. They are going into this completely blind. If all we keep saying is that they're doing fine, they're doing fine, then the parent and child have nothing to aim for. Even my top reading/writing/maths group children have something to work on. Parents need to know what their child needs to work on. Keep communicating, "(insert name here) is doing well in (subject), but if you would like to help at home, here are some things you could focus on."
Each one of my groups is planned on what they are learning to do. Make sure parents can see what the group focus is that week. I always run tracking sheets while I teach so that I can note down how each child is doing while observing them during group teaching sessions. As each child has mastered a skill, I tick it off and date it. If a parent comes in at any time of the term I can refer to these and say, "(insert name here) is learning to..."
Parents are frustrated because they don't know how they can help their children at home and they aren't sure how to get the information they need. In reality, two reports a year are not enough. By the time the end of year report is in the parent's hand it is too late for them to do anything about it. This is why I believe that e-portfolios for children are a must. Parents need to access real data, in real time. If this is not an option then start a class blog for those parents who cannot come in to talk to you. Let them know that way what your class is working on.
It has been an eye-opening experience, going back to work and seeing schooling from a parent's perspective, as well as, a teacher's. I know everyone is winding down for the holidays, but if there could be a goal for you, for when you start back, then maybe it could be to open up the communication lines between home and school.
Hope everyone has a fabulous break. Teachers, recharge your batteries. Parents, enjoy the time you have with your children. I know I will :)
I know we are busy as teachers. We really don't have time to talk to every single parent for hours at a time, but... here's the thing. We need to! Parents don't have the access to resources that we have. They are going into this completely blind. If all we keep saying is that they're doing fine, they're doing fine, then the parent and child have nothing to aim for. Even my top reading/writing/maths group children have something to work on. Parents need to know what their child needs to work on. Keep communicating, "(insert name here) is doing well in (subject), but if you would like to help at home, here are some things you could focus on."
Each one of my groups is planned on what they are learning to do. Make sure parents can see what the group focus is that week. I always run tracking sheets while I teach so that I can note down how each child is doing while observing them during group teaching sessions. As each child has mastered a skill, I tick it off and date it. If a parent comes in at any time of the term I can refer to these and say, "(insert name here) is learning to..."
Parents are frustrated because they don't know how they can help their children at home and they aren't sure how to get the information they need. In reality, two reports a year are not enough. By the time the end of year report is in the parent's hand it is too late for them to do anything about it. This is why I believe that e-portfolios for children are a must. Parents need to access real data, in real time. If this is not an option then start a class blog for those parents who cannot come in to talk to you. Let them know that way what your class is working on.
It has been an eye-opening experience, going back to work and seeing schooling from a parent's perspective, as well as, a teacher's. I know everyone is winding down for the holidays, but if there could be a goal for you, for when you start back, then maybe it could be to open up the communication lines between home and school.
Hope everyone has a fabulous break. Teachers, recharge your batteries. Parents, enjoy the time you have with your children. I know I will :)
Tuesday 29 November 2016
Winding down
It feels like I'm only getting started. I have finally gotten the routines in place, I know where and when I should be and there are only two and a bit weeks left of school. I have a good grasp on the kids, reports are done and I feel sad that we are heading towards the end of the year. I'm not ready but the children have had it. The quality of their work is dropping and their concentration is also waning. Seems a shame but they are so ready for a break. This experience has really made me appreciate the time I had with a class for a whole year. You really do need four terms to get what you want out of them.
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