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.
Monday, 31 October 2016
Importance of mood
Today was brilliant! We started the day focused and motivated. The kids and I played "I Spy" before the bell and it just set a positive mood for the day. I thought about the days that I arrive a little tired because we had a bad night at home with the toddler and how much it might reflect on the overall mood of the day. Yes! There are days when on matter what you do and no matter how positive you are at the beginning of the day it seems to not matter, they are not the norm. Usually, the state of the mind of the teacher is reflected in the students. It seems like common sense when you think about it really, but it is so hard to pick up your feet when there are other things going on.
Today has proven to me that starting the day with a smile can do wonders for how your students work for the rest of the day. They were a reflection of me and they wanted to please. The writing I got out of them today was fantastic. One of my boys, who usually produces a sentence or two at writing time, wrote a whole two pages of organised recount. I was so proud of him. One of my reluctant readers today was the star of the group at sounding out tricky words. I was proud of her too. They weren't the only ones that blew me out of the water today. I danced the victory dance more than once today.
I endeavour to start tomorrow with a smile too and I implore the rest of you to do the same.
Today has proven to me that starting the day with a smile can do wonders for how your students work for the rest of the day. They were a reflection of me and they wanted to please. The writing I got out of them today was fantastic. One of my boys, who usually produces a sentence or two at writing time, wrote a whole two pages of organised recount. I was so proud of him. One of my reluctant readers today was the star of the group at sounding out tricky words. I was proud of her too. They weren't the only ones that blew me out of the water today. I danced the victory dance more than once today.
I endeavour to start tomorrow with a smile too and I implore the rest of you to do the same.
Wednesday, 26 October 2016
Expectations!
Once again I am forced to think about expectations. I wasn't sure what to expect from a Year 1 class when I started. Naturally, some of the work that I set was too hard and other work was too easy. I had to adjust my expectations to fit what the children were able to do. I was, however, reluctant to make the hard tasks too easy. I want to keep my expectations high. I find that at times, we lower our expectations too much. I have always believed that when adults expect more, then children rise to the challenge. Not everyone gets there the same way. They all have a slightly different way of achieving what is set, but they always end up doing better than they, themselves, expected.
In my second week in my new class, I didn't let one of the girls hand in a sentence for writing. I told her that she was capable of much more, that she was doing such a fabulous job of sounding out and that I thought she could complete her story to describe one of our class activities. She walked away, looking a little sulky, but when she returned she had completely described our class activity. On another occasion, I had a young gentleman completely change his attitude to reading. He was reluctant to start with, and would happily wait for others to read out the tricky words for him. In three short weeks, he has become my star reader!
I realise that the children were probably trying their luck with their new teacher. But imagine if I had lowered my expectations to what they were saying they could or couldn't do? What would I be getting from these children? I think by keeping my expectations high, but also praising the children for their efforts I am able to achieve much better results that I first thought. Becuase at the end of the day, all they really want to know is that they have done a good job and that we are proud of them.
In my second week in my new class, I didn't let one of the girls hand in a sentence for writing. I told her that she was capable of much more, that she was doing such a fabulous job of sounding out and that I thought she could complete her story to describe one of our class activities. She walked away, looking a little sulky, but when she returned she had completely described our class activity. On another occasion, I had a young gentleman completely change his attitude to reading. He was reluctant to start with, and would happily wait for others to read out the tricky words for him. In three short weeks, he has become my star reader!
I realise that the children were probably trying their luck with their new teacher. But imagine if I had lowered my expectations to what they were saying they could or couldn't do? What would I be getting from these children? I think by keeping my expectations high, but also praising the children for their efforts I am able to achieve much better results that I first thought. Becuase at the end of the day, all they really want to know is that they have done a good job and that we are proud of them.
Monday, 10 October 2016
Back to it!
Well, it's official! I'm back in the classroom after taking time off with my little madam. Today was my first day back at school in a class that will be shared between me and a colleague. I will be in the class from Monday until Wednesday, which seems like a perfect compromise for our little family.
I will be in a year 1 class (this is the youngest I have ever taught) and I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead. Starting at a new school is exciting because I have never taught outside of Point View. It is a strange experience not only, start at a new school, but also at a new school. There are so many routines and procedures to get my head around. My first port of call is to establish routines in my classroom. I will be doing things slightly differently to the previous teacher so the children will take some time to adjust. As always my aim is to create independent people so I would like to start putting systems in place where these children can start to take some ownership of their learning and their choices. I believe that even from a young age, children are capable of being independent, we just don't give them enough credit.
So watch this space. I will be bringing more news of my adventures this term.
I will be in a year 1 class (this is the youngest I have ever taught) and I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead. Starting at a new school is exciting because I have never taught outside of Point View. It is a strange experience not only, start at a new school, but also at a new school. There are so many routines and procedures to get my head around. My first port of call is to establish routines in my classroom. I will be doing things slightly differently to the previous teacher so the children will take some time to adjust. As always my aim is to create independent people so I would like to start putting systems in place where these children can start to take some ownership of their learning and their choices. I believe that even from a young age, children are capable of being independent, we just don't give them enough credit.
So watch this space. I will be bringing more news of my adventures this term.
Tuesday, 18 November 2014
Writing Feedback
This year I started marking the kids writing books the way that I had seen other teachers mark in their rooms. After a while, I found that it didn't work for me as it wasn't giving enough ownership to the children. When conferencing with the children I found that they were waiting for me to give them all the answers. They didn't have any responsibility for the errors they had made and were not in charge of making changes. After rereading, "The Writing Book" by Sheena Cameron, I decided to try the wish and tick system again. This way of conferencing takes longer but instead of correcting all the mistakes for the children I instead write some things they need to check themselves. A wish and a tick. One thing they need to fix and one thing I think they did well. Sometimes, depending on the child, there might be more than one tick or more than one wish. The wishes and ticks are added only after the children has had a go at correcting their surface features first (once again pushing the, "this is your writing and you're in charge of it," point). The wishes are always related to our learning goal for the day or to the child's specific goal. It took a while for the children to get used to this system. Some still wait for me to fix everything but they are getting there. For the children who at times have trouble seeing their errors or finding them, I will use a highlighter to show that there is something wrong there that they could fix. I think the best thing about marking this way was seeing the pride in my kids after they managed to fix an error all by themselves. Here are some pictures of books to show how I mark.
Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Simple iPad Apps and writing
Yesterday some of the teachers at school presented ideas that they learned at uLearn 2014. Being in the junior school I decided to attend the workshop that focused on creative thinking and the use of iPads in the junior school.
One idea I tried today following our workshop was using QuickVoice App (or any other voice recording app) to record children's ideas. I decided to try this idea on some of my students who have trouble with writing. Some have trouble with verbalising their ideas and others have trouble concentrating or just forget what they were writing about.
These children used the QuickVoice app to record their story after the initial planning stage. All the children went away to a quiet space (cloak room, library corner and our outdoor area) to record their story from beginning to end. Once the children recorded their story, they started to write. The benefit that I found from doing it this way was that the children could replay their story as many times as they wanted. Some of the children who frequently forget what they were writing about finished their stories in a logical sequence because their mind didn't wander. For others it was good practice verbalising their ideas prior to writing and listening to what they sound like when they talk. They saw the gaps in their ideas without my input. The best thing for me was that these kids achieved success and they were really proud of their efforts. They were proud that they stayed on task for such a long time, they were proud that they completed their work all by themselves and they were proud that they got to be creative without having to worry too much about the recording process.
A successful day I think :)
Planning our
One idea I tried today following our workshop was using QuickVoice App (or any other voice recording app) to record children's ideas. I decided to try this idea on some of my students who have trouble with writing. Some have trouble with verbalising their ideas and others have trouble concentrating or just forget what they were writing about.
These children used the QuickVoice app to record their story after the initial planning stage. All the children went away to a quiet space (cloak room, library corner and our outdoor area) to record their story from beginning to end. Once the children recorded their story, they started to write. The benefit that I found from doing it this way was that the children could replay their story as many times as they wanted. Some of the children who frequently forget what they were writing about finished their stories in a logical sequence because their mind didn't wander. For others it was good practice verbalising their ideas prior to writing and listening to what they sound like when they talk. They saw the gaps in their ideas without my input. The best thing for me was that these kids achieved success and they were really proud of their efforts. They were proud that they stayed on task for such a long time, they were proud that they completed their work all by themselves and they were proud that they got to be creative without having to worry too much about the recording process.
A successful day I think :)
Wednesday, 5 November 2014
Techsperts
I often hear teachers say that they don't have the technical know-how to teach computer skills. I say that you don't have to be the expert! I was thinking today about how old my students are. They were born in 2008, that's 3 years after Youtube was invented and 12 years after the invention of Google. They were born 7 years after the release of the first iPod and the first iPad was released 2 years after they were born. Our students were born into the world of technology whether we like it or not. They are digital natives!
So why not use their expertise?
I was talking to a parent this week about how children just seem to know how to use computers. There are obviously skills that they need to learn and some take longer than others to pick up. The underlying point is that they pick these skills up much faster than adults. So why do we as teachers need to know exactly what to do on every device and in every situation?
I say that we need to employ computer experts. Mine are about 6 years old (some are 7). I have learned that to teach a new skill I can teach small number of my students when I can. These few children are usually one skill ahead of the class (and sometimes me). Once I'm ready to teach the rest I then have support staff on board to help me if I need them. Sometimes I don't know how to do something and I can go and ask my children how to change a background or if they have figured out something exciting they teach me.
This doesn't have to stop at technology, child stuck on a maths problem? Go find a buddy to help you first. If you still don't understand then come to me.
Don't underestimate the children in your class. They are amazing!
Here are my computer experts:
So why not use their expertise?
I was talking to a parent this week about how children just seem to know how to use computers. There are obviously skills that they need to learn and some take longer than others to pick up. The underlying point is that they pick these skills up much faster than adults. So why do we as teachers need to know exactly what to do on every device and in every situation?
I say that we need to employ computer experts. Mine are about 6 years old (some are 7). I have learned that to teach a new skill I can teach small number of my students when I can. These few children are usually one skill ahead of the class (and sometimes me). Once I'm ready to teach the rest I then have support staff on board to help me if I need them. Sometimes I don't know how to do something and I can go and ask my children how to change a background or if they have figured out something exciting they teach me.
This doesn't have to stop at technology, child stuck on a maths problem? Go find a buddy to help you first. If you still don't understand then come to me.
Don't underestimate the children in your class. They are amazing!
Here are my computer experts:
This is some of the the experts in action:
They were the first to complete the presentations below and then heeled the other children in the class finish theirs.
Monday, 3 November 2014
Control vs Choice
Recently I have been thinking about teaching in general. It has changed completely from what I remember happening in my primary classroom. It has even changed in the time that I have been working (that's only 7 years). I have always been a strong believer of moving with the times. If something didn't work I tried a different way. I have always been the type of person who jumped in the deep end and learned as I went. I tried, I experimented, I failed but most importantly I learned. Not everything was easy. Giving away some of the control in my classroom to my children was difficult at first. I have always been taught that I should be in control! Unfortunately I found that this approach was not sustainable for me. I think this also stopped me from giving the best opportunities to my children.
I think Modern Learning requires teachers to let go of some control. Giving ownership to the children teaches them to make choices that are right for their learning, it also teaches them that all choices have consequences (whether they be good or bad consequences depends on the choice made). Letting go of control I found had to be a gradual process. You can not give control over to the children without first teaching them to make good learning choices. Some children will be able to do this instinctively others need to be taught.
Moving year levels has taught me that giving children choice can be done at every year level (obviously with more or less support). My Year 5 student's weren't necessarily better at making good choices than my current Year 2 students. In both cases I had to introduce choices slowly. Giving two options for a particular curriculum area at first. Teaching the children which to use when. With time I was able to give a few more choices. I didn't have seating with my Year 5 students and I still don't with my Year 2s. They have to think about the best place for them to work for a particular task. My little Year 2s can now think about what they are doing and how they need to do it, whether they work on their own or in a group. They seek out experts to help them with tasks. Our philosophy is if someone asks a question then you show instead of just tell. These kids are able to pick the best app for the task. They know how to publish their work on Pages or on the blog depending on how they want to share it. I'm absolutely blown away by them! I didn't think this was possible with Year 2 students at the beginning of the year. Here are some spaces my children like to use for different tasks:
The biggest lesson for me was to let my students make the bad choices as well as the good. How do we really learn? As toddlers we didn't learn when mum told us not to touch the hot jug but boy was that lesson painful when we chose not to listen. Same goes for the children in my class. If you chose to stop others from learning because of the choices that you made then there are consequences. You have to catch up on late work in your own time or you lose privileges.
Letting go of control doesn't have to be as scary as it seems to begin with. I think by making small steps at the beginning of the year we can educate our students to be responsible leaders of their own learning.
How do you get your students to take control?
I think Modern Learning requires teachers to let go of some control. Giving ownership to the children teaches them to make choices that are right for their learning, it also teaches them that all choices have consequences (whether they be good or bad consequences depends on the choice made). Letting go of control I found had to be a gradual process. You can not give control over to the children without first teaching them to make good learning choices. Some children will be able to do this instinctively others need to be taught.
Moving year levels has taught me that giving children choice can be done at every year level (obviously with more or less support). My Year 5 student's weren't necessarily better at making good choices than my current Year 2 students. In both cases I had to introduce choices slowly. Giving two options for a particular curriculum area at first. Teaching the children which to use when. With time I was able to give a few more choices. I didn't have seating with my Year 5 students and I still don't with my Year 2s. They have to think about the best place for them to work for a particular task. My little Year 2s can now think about what they are doing and how they need to do it, whether they work on their own or in a group. They seek out experts to help them with tasks. Our philosophy is if someone asks a question then you show instead of just tell. These kids are able to pick the best app for the task. They know how to publish their work on Pages or on the blog depending on how they want to share it. I'm absolutely blown away by them! I didn't think this was possible with Year 2 students at the beginning of the year. Here are some spaces my children like to use for different tasks:
 |
| Our quiet working table. Favourite with the kids who don't want to be bothered for a particular task |
 |
| Where the children like to get together to read books as a group |
 |
| This has become the favourite quiet space for those who need to concentrate on something |
 |
| Group space when children need some expert advice |
The biggest lesson for me was to let my students make the bad choices as well as the good. How do we really learn? As toddlers we didn't learn when mum told us not to touch the hot jug but boy was that lesson painful when we chose not to listen. Same goes for the children in my class. If you chose to stop others from learning because of the choices that you made then there are consequences. You have to catch up on late work in your own time or you lose privileges.
Letting go of control doesn't have to be as scary as it seems to begin with. I think by making small steps at the beginning of the year we can educate our students to be responsible leaders of their own learning.
How do you get your students to take control?
Sunday, 19 October 2014
Phonics course
A little while ago I went on a phonics course with some colleagues of mine. Being a Year 5 teacher for majority of my teaching career I didn't have a huge knowledge base of phonics and how they worked. At uni I was not taught about the importance of learning sounds and having a structured programme. Being Russian born and having a very phonetic language structure I found English difficult to learn. Russian letters have one sound, so if you see it, that's how you say it. English has too many sounds for the same letter. For every rule there is a list of exceptions. So I wish that I had been taught to read and write in English using a phonics system and I wish this was taught at uni so that I could pass that on to my students.
We took part in a course run by Yolanda Soryl. She is a primary school teacher who went through the same dilemma as most teachers in NZ. She understood that some children don't instinctively know the sound that letters make and need to be taught the rules and patterns that make up the English letters.
She took us through the importance of learning to distinguish sounds (drum, car, bird) as a toddler and how this knowledge can then translate to distinguishing between letter sounds. We then moved on to learning about the basic structure of teaching children the sounds of letters, progressing to beginning and end wounds of words. We finally ended with middle sounds and letter combinations to make spelling much easier as it became a system rather than a guessing game.
The teaching process for these was repetitive but effective. I found that the students in my class now use the techniques that we learned together (I was learning along with them as it was so new to me also). So overall I think this was a great experience for me and my future students.
Thank you Yolanda for a very stimulating lesson.
We took part in a course run by Yolanda Soryl. She is a primary school teacher who went through the same dilemma as most teachers in NZ. She understood that some children don't instinctively know the sound that letters make and need to be taught the rules and patterns that make up the English letters.
She took us through the importance of learning to distinguish sounds (drum, car, bird) as a toddler and how this knowledge can then translate to distinguishing between letter sounds. We then moved on to learning about the basic structure of teaching children the sounds of letters, progressing to beginning and end wounds of words. We finally ended with middle sounds and letter combinations to make spelling much easier as it became a system rather than a guessing game.
The teaching process for these was repetitive but effective. I found that the students in my class now use the techniques that we learned together (I was learning along with them as it was so new to me also). So overall I think this was a great experience for me and my future students.
Thank you Yolanda for a very stimulating lesson.
Tuesday, 5 August 2014
Are teachers really the best teachers?
I had the pleasure of observing this in my classroom the other day.
We have been working on rereading our work and checking for errors and then correcting some of those errors independently (refer to earlier post to read about our proofreading wall). The girl on the left had recently figured out how to use a dictionary to proofread and edit her work (with great success). She has now become one of our dictionary experts. When ever the children are stuck or don't remember how to use the dictionary then she is one of our go to people.
While I was working with a group I saw these girls engage in the above learning conversation. Thinking that this is gold I quickly grabbed my phone and started filming. I would have loved to have shown more but because I was trying to be sneaky one of children didn't see my phone on the ground and sat in front of it, thus ending this impromptu filming session. What you don't see, is the girls working together to find a number of words successfully. The little expert scaffolded her buddy, taking her through step by step and then slowly handing over control to let her achieve success independently.
There are times that we teachers just can not give one on one lessons to our students even though they need them. I think having class experts in a great way to give that one on one tuition to those who need it. This approach also helps the experts become proficient at the skill they are using.
In my view it's a win, win!
We have been working on rereading our work and checking for errors and then correcting some of those errors independently (refer to earlier post to read about our proofreading wall). The girl on the left had recently figured out how to use a dictionary to proofread and edit her work (with great success). She has now become one of our dictionary experts. When ever the children are stuck or don't remember how to use the dictionary then she is one of our go to people.
While I was working with a group I saw these girls engage in the above learning conversation. Thinking that this is gold I quickly grabbed my phone and started filming. I would have loved to have shown more but because I was trying to be sneaky one of children didn't see my phone on the ground and sat in front of it, thus ending this impromptu filming session. What you don't see, is the girls working together to find a number of words successfully. The little expert scaffolded her buddy, taking her through step by step and then slowly handing over control to let her achieve success independently.
There are times that we teachers just can not give one on one lessons to our students even though they need them. I think having class experts in a great way to give that one on one tuition to those who need it. This approach also helps the experts become proficient at the skill they are using.
In my view it's a win, win!
Tuesday, 1 July 2014
Giving kids the gift of independence
I know I've said this before, but being with Year 2s I'm always amazed by how quickly they pick up new skills. The progress they make and the milestones they reach almost daily is so rewarding. There are somethings that go outside the conventional curriculum that I thought would be worth teaching. A little while ago I heard someone say that through teaching they don't prepare their students for the year level ahead, they prepare them for life. I decided that this is a motto that I should live by. I though about the skills that children (and adults) need no matter what path they choose... independence came to mind. Having the skills to independently solve problems when something goes wrong or just working through a process independently (just giving it a go) before asking for help.
Considering that I'm teaching Year 2s I couldn't just hand over the reigns completely but I could start giving them these skills in small steps. There are the usual put your book bag where it needs to go and put away your reading book, but that wasn't enough for me. I decided to get them to start proofreading their writing. I don't mean just look at it and say yes I'm done. No I mean really proof read!
I sat down with my children and asked them about the things that I usually correct in their books. We came up with the following list: spelling, fullstops, capital letters, adding missing words and asking questions to get the kids to add more writing. I then asked them, "which of these things could you try checking yourselves?" We came up with another list that then went on our wall. This is how the Proofreading Wall came to be. The idea behind it is that the children can go somewhere quiet to read over their work and go through our checklist. While they were there they could see other children who were working on the same step and swap books to read each other's work. This is our wall in action:
At first (and on the odd occasion now) I had to remind my kids to read over their work. In general though my students diligently check their work without me. They check their spelling words in dictionaries (another skill I had to teach them, and they picked it up really quickly), they add full stops and capital letters. My expectation of them now is that they do not come to see me for a conference until they have gone to the Proofreading Wall and read their story with a buddy. The results I'm seeing in their writing is pretty impressive. They are not waiting for me to give them all the answers. Those who know how to use a dictionary teach the others. Those who understand full stops and capital letters coach their buddy. They are being true collaborative learners.
This proved to me that we cannot underestimate our students. I went in with the mindset that if my senior had trouble doing this then how could my little people. Well guess what? I was wrong! They can do it, and they can do it well! If they can't, then it's because they haven't learnt how to do it yet.
Considering that I'm teaching Year 2s I couldn't just hand over the reigns completely but I could start giving them these skills in small steps. There are the usual put your book bag where it needs to go and put away your reading book, but that wasn't enough for me. I decided to get them to start proofreading their writing. I don't mean just look at it and say yes I'm done. No I mean really proof read!
I sat down with my children and asked them about the things that I usually correct in their books. We came up with the following list: spelling, fullstops, capital letters, adding missing words and asking questions to get the kids to add more writing. I then asked them, "which of these things could you try checking yourselves?" We came up with another list that then went on our wall. This is how the Proofreading Wall came to be. The idea behind it is that the children can go somewhere quiet to read over their work and go through our checklist. While they were there they could see other children who were working on the same step and swap books to read each other's work. This is our wall in action:
This proved to me that we cannot underestimate our students. I went in with the mindset that if my senior had trouble doing this then how could my little people. Well guess what? I was wrong! They can do it, and they can do it well! If they can't, then it's because they haven't learnt how to do it yet.
Monday, 9 June 2014
David Anderson PD Learning Talk
Today we revisited some PD that we did at the beginning of the year at our syndicate meeting.
At the beginning of the year we had David Anderson come to school to talk about professional conversations. We discussed the importance of relationships in a working environment and the culture of learning conversations. Today we discussed some of these aspects again.
We discussed Learning Talk in some detail as a team.
The aim is to create a culture where professional conversations make learning the core purpose. David Anderson spoke about the purpose parrot. To ask your self what the purpose of the lesson, conversation or process. If you can't answer that question then maybe you shouldn't do it. If something you are about to do doesn't have a purpose then what's the point?
So here is where we started talking about our appraisal process. What is the purpose of this process? We have been talking about how we can make this process more meaningful to learning. How are the conversations that we are having during our appraisals going to effect the learning experiences of our students. Because at the end of the day the point of our appraisals is to raise student achievement.
One change that I think that is working well in our school is the constantly evolving goal document for teachers. It is a working document. We have made it a requirement to take some time out every term to collect evidence of how we are achieving our goals or what we are doing in order to achieve our goal. This has made me think about what I'm doing much more regularly. I have become more reflective. I have also started thinking about my parrot of purpose.
How is this effecting my students achievement? Is this really going to make an impact on student learning? What is this idea going to add to my teaching?
At the end of the day I don't want my student to just survive. I want them to thrive, to contribute and to be critical thinkers. So how am I going to make it happen? What are the steps that I'm taking that make that a reality?
At the beginning of the year we had David Anderson come to school to talk about professional conversations. We discussed the importance of relationships in a working environment and the culture of learning conversations. Today we discussed some of these aspects again.
We discussed Learning Talk in some detail as a team.
The aim is to create a culture where professional conversations make learning the core purpose. David Anderson spoke about the purpose parrot. To ask your self what the purpose of the lesson, conversation or process. If you can't answer that question then maybe you shouldn't do it. If something you are about to do doesn't have a purpose then what's the point?
So here is where we started talking about our appraisal process. What is the purpose of this process? We have been talking about how we can make this process more meaningful to learning. How are the conversations that we are having during our appraisals going to effect the learning experiences of our students. Because at the end of the day the point of our appraisals is to raise student achievement.
One change that I think that is working well in our school is the constantly evolving goal document for teachers. It is a working document. We have made it a requirement to take some time out every term to collect evidence of how we are achieving our goals or what we are doing in order to achieve our goal. This has made me think about what I'm doing much more regularly. I have become more reflective. I have also started thinking about my parrot of purpose.
How is this effecting my students achievement? Is this really going to make an impact on student learning? What is this idea going to add to my teaching?
At the end of the day I don't want my student to just survive. I want them to thrive, to contribute and to be critical thinkers. So how am I going to make it happen? What are the steps that I'm taking that make that a reality?
Monday, 2 June 2014
Modeling Books
This year I have started using modelling books slightly differently in my classroom. I have always used them for both literacy and numeracy what is different now is that they are now an observation record as well as a modelling book. What I started doing is always bringing my post.it notes to the mat area with me. As I'm teaching I make notes on who is doing what. It can be anything from who found what difficult to who was able to figure something with ease.
I found that in a very busy classroom it is difficult to remember who did what, when and where. This has helped keep my observations in one place. I also have dated evidence of what I saw. This has also been a very useful strategy to use with my Teacher Aide. She makes notes on how her group went so I know exactly what I need to catch up on and vice versa. This helps with my end of day or end of week reflections. I know where my students need to head next. I also include a CLOZE plan for reading at the back of the book. I keep some writing progressions in the writing book and stage appropriate profile sheet in the maths books.
Here are some examples of what you would see in my class:
Reading with WALT, SC and observation notes.
Reading level on the inside cover of each modelling book.
Reading modelling books
Writing: Looking at instructional writing.
Writing instructions together.
Writing books including targeted writing group.
Maths books
I found that in a very busy classroom it is difficult to remember who did what, when and where. This has helped keep my observations in one place. I also have dated evidence of what I saw. This has also been a very useful strategy to use with my Teacher Aide. She makes notes on how her group went so I know exactly what I need to catch up on and vice versa. This helps with my end of day or end of week reflections. I know where my students need to head next. I also include a CLOZE plan for reading at the back of the book. I keep some writing progressions in the writing book and stage appropriate profile sheet in the maths books.
Here are some examples of what you would see in my class:
Wall displays
Last week I decided update one of my wall displays. I had a brilliant idea at about 5 o'clock (which soon turned into 6:30). We are making connections with New Zealand by looking at the New Zealand natural environment. I decided to make an interactive display for the children to go up to, touch and explore. Here is what I came up with:
So far the response from the children has been good. They enjoyed reading the books, solving the Weka mazes and the New Zealand map puzzle. I am wondering though how long this will last. How often should we update our walls and displays to keep our classrooms fresh and exciting? How do we balance that with the time we have left?
So far the response from the children has been good. They enjoyed reading the books, solving the Weka mazes and the New Zealand map puzzle. I am wondering though how long this will last. How often should we update our walls and displays to keep our classrooms fresh and exciting? How do we balance that with the time we have left?
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