tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74916333585235122012024-03-14T19:27:44.366+13:00Initiative, Connection and Challenge“Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each” (Plato)Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-12363454280751627712019-11-22T21:02:00.002+13:002019-11-29T11:21:24.000+13:00Reading Data 2019<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've decided to take a different look at my reading data for 2019. Most of my literacy group have struggled to learn to read and have been unable to make the expected 1 year progress for 1 year at school that is normed for NZ children.<br />
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Column 4 of the table above shows the academic progress in years that each child has made per year - on average. - (assuming an initial age of 5yrs upon starting school) Some of the children had been at school 2 years and others 3 years.<br />
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The final column shows the shift in 2019 compared to previous years.<br />
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<b>Student 2</b><br />
This child started year 3 with an instructional reading age of 5.9years. He had spent 2 years at school and had made roughly 11months of reading progress in that time - or 5.5months per year.<br />
In 2019, this student made remarkable progress, and by November was reading at an instructional age of 10.5yrs. That is nearly 5years of progress or 10x the progress of the previous 2 years.<br />
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<b>Student 6 </b><br />
Student 6 maintained the same level of progress as he had in his previous 2 years at school - roughly 4months of progress per year. During 2019 it has become clear that he has a literacy processing issue. This will endeavour to be addressed further in 2020.<br />
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<b>Students 14 and 16 </b><br />
These two boys were in their second year of being in my literacy class. 2018 had not been too successful for these boys as I had failed to discover what they needed to progress.<br />
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<b>Student 14</b> has been identified as high learning needs in 2019. He made twice the progress in 2019 that he was able to make in his previous 3 years at school -including 2018 in my class. The changes that I made to our reading program have really helped this boy connect further with letter sounds, blends and retention of sight words. <br />
<b>Student 16</b> has been identified as high learning needs in 2019. He has learnt to read this year. The changes that I made to his program - and the other boys at Levels 1-3 have made a huge difference to their decoding ability and overall number of sight words.<br />
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Not all of my class has been tested, but I am pleased with the overall results of the running records. Not every child has quite made the goal that I set for them at the start of the year, but nearly every student has made pleasing progress with regards to their own development.<br />
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The changes that I made to my reading program involved redesigning all of my follow up activities for every text that we read. Every child reading green or below read everyday - 4 texts per week. Each week we focused on sight words in the text in follow ups and in spelling and handwriting. I incorporated the decoding prompts of Gwenneth Phillips as well as phonics from Agility with Sound. Intensive group guided lessons coupled with follow up activities focused on words, word patterns and spelling conventions - have meant that the boys are more aware of the need to and have the confidence to self correct, have more sight words and a wider and stronger set of decoding skills.<br />
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None of this is rocket science or anything new, for me it was the deliberate choice of knowing that I had to give my all to help these boys have success and to see themselves as readers.<br />
The year 3s I have continuing into year 4 for 2020 will continue to build on what we have achieved in 2019 and I have secretly high hopes for their ongoing success.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-2838246737088756382019-11-19T10:20:00.001+13:002019-11-19T10:20:41.466+13:00Supported Narrative Writing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpPbvnOB4ms/XdMFJGgQBxI/AAAAAAAAGFA/HB2mv3AEklkdHPvqKrVeYpXZWLR1Ea7QACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpPbvnOB4ms/XdMFJGgQBxI/AAAAAAAAGFA/HB2mv3AEklkdHPvqKrVeYpXZWLR1Ea7QACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_1103.JPG" width="320" /></a>We're working on writing narratives in class. We have designed and described settings as well as developed characters. This week we're attempting to put our ideas together to begin planning a narrative.<br />
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My group needs a more supported approach to writing a complete narrative, so we're beginning with sequencing and retelling a short clip from The Monster House<br />
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We started by watching the short clip and discussing what was happening at each moment. The boys were then given 11 short sentences to sequence by cutting and pasting in order.<br />
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Day two of the activity and we again watched the clip and revisited the text ordering from the previous day. The boys had remembered many of the new vocab.<br />
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Today's activity involved sequencing pictures - screenshots from the movie - that matched the text from day one.<br />
Once the pictures were sequenced, the boys needed to write their own sentence to help retell the story.<br />
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The support provided was through Explain Everything on their iPads.<br />
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I made slides that had each picture and a range of vocab that the boys may need to use to write their retell. Each word had a matching recording so that they could listen to the words and not have to be able to read them. This helps push their writing beyond simple known vocabulary.<br />
The Explain Everything activity was lined off the class site so that each kid could access and download it.<br />
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The boys were happily able to write their own sentences feeling supported and empowered to attempt new and more complex vocab in their story.</div>
Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-62061429907290456012019-09-23T18:06:00.001+12:002019-09-23T18:06:14.777+12:00Trauma Informed Teaching<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was highly fortunate to attend amazing PD around Trauma informed teaching delivered by <a href="http://www.engagetraining.co.nz/meet-your-trainer.html">Kathryn Berkett</a>. Kathryn is an Educational Psychologist with a certificate in Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics - Trauma.<br />
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Unfortunately the number of children presenting at schools around NZ with significant trauma is increasing. Kathryn offers valuable information around the physiology of this trauma as well as some simple ideas that can benefit both the traumatised children as well as the teacher.<br />
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I adore working with these more challenging kids and the interesting days that we share. Kathryn's korero not only supported a lot of what I believe and taught me new things, but also challenged two fairly fundamental areas of "basic" teaching practice.<br />
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<b>"Some children can't".</b> As our neural pathways develop in utero and in infancy, some children effected by trauma do not build pathways that fit the norm of society - perhaps they don't even build certain pathways. These children then - <b>can't</b>. In just the same way that a child born without legs cannot walk, a child with poorly or "wrongly" developed pathways cannot reason or spell or show empathy. We provide disabled children with on ramps - with ways to access learning and life - do we provide those same on ramps for our traumatised children?<br />
The key to knowing these on ramps is relationship, love and empathy from the significant adult. Every one of our 30 children needs their own on (and off) ramp - just another thing to add to the teaching load. But it is worth knowing as the pay off in a busy classroom is huge. Unsettled and disruptive children become calmer, happier and begin to learn.<br />
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<b>"Don't punish the behaviour."</b> As a teacher we are firmly rooted in rewards for those who do well and consequences for those who don't. We need to switch this mindset for children who have no other option. If you have been raised in a house where lashing out is the norm, where swearing is the norm, then your neural pathways have made that your default.<br />
How can we punish a child for simply doing what is (almost) innate?<br />
The key is in apologising and trying to notice the behaviours and then re framing for the child. The reframing is not simple and cannot be done when a child is in their heightened agitated state. Kathryn shared an idea around manufacturing moments of minor stress for these children and scaffolding them through with the correct responses. Slowly, but surely, through these manufactured moments the child would learn correct responses and begin to build pathways that are more conducive to the society that we live in.<br />
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So in out class we are not expecting "fairness" in completion of tasks during the day. Each boy has their own challenge and their own goal - if the goal becomes unattainable due to anxiety, then the reward is not taken away, the goal is shifted. The boys don't want the goal to shift - they prefer to work to their maximum, but some days, some goals need adjustments.<br />
We are learning about our heart rates and how to raise and lower them. We are accepting and loving and every boy is celebrated for who they are and what they bring. Everyone has an on ramp to support them to be their very best each day. Today, for one boy, the on ramp was a clean t-shirt and a sandwich. For another boy it was simply writing down his story for him because today it was too much.<br />
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Flexibility is key and flexibility for 30 kids is exhausting, but possible. It is possible because of the ultimate reason why we teach. We teach because we love and because we want to see progress in these kids - not academic progress, life progress. The small moments make the biggest difference.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-65949470387591784392019-06-30T20:27:00.000+12:002019-06-30T20:27:22.932+12:00Board Games<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As part of our learning into computational thinking we've had the children design, test and create their own board games.<br />
Before we started we had spent a few weeks learning how to follow and write step by step instructions. It became clear, as we introduced the idea of board games, that not many children had played actual board games before. Many were familiar with chess, snakes and ladders and a variety of card games.<br />
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So in order to ensure that the children had some knowledge to draw on when creating we played board games in teams and filled in lots of necessary vocab: roll the dice, miss a turn, go forward 3 steps, move backwards, take a card, start again.<br />
We discussed how many different games had many different ways to win - from having the most money or points to being the first over the finish line.<br />
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I work predominantly with the boys who are 2+ years behind in their literacy, numeracy and key competencies - so we had extra filling in to do.<br />
For this group of children we provided the choice of 4 different board templates that they could choose from. The boys had free range over hw their game played and the theme of the game. We encouraged the boys to have extra options like money or prizes associated with the theme of their game.<br />
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One group used random card selection to decide where the player moved to that had different challenges with different levels of prizes depending on the challenge completed - so creative. Most groups used colour coding to indicate different options within the game.<br />
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This group were unable to write their instructions independently but were able to discuss, share and refine their choices with final writing of instructions and rules being done by a teacher.<br />
The game pieces were designed and made and the boxed were decorated,<br />
All in all the boys went through a scaffolded design and creation process that resulted in them having their own board games to share with their friends.<br />
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The boys have thoroughly enjoyed sharing their games with others in the class and talking through how to play - they are revelling in being the "boss" of something, being the most knowledgeable in the room and teaching others. As they have played they've practised turn taking, sharing and conflict resolution - and have been very successful.<br />
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Board game creation has been a raging success.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-79677679395865457902019-05-19T20:31:00.001+12:002019-05-19T20:31:10.051+12:00May Testing 2019<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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First testing round of the year has just been completed and most students performed as I would have expected. we've worked very hard on our reading over the last 10 weeks. High volume of texts, read tos, listen tos, dictations, writing, over load of text. The boys have all done a great job to work on their individualised goals and to keep up the effort every single day.<br />
Starting term 2 we changed round some groups as students had made significant gains and others needed the individualised support being offered in my space. - So my data for May has some gaps compared to February.<br />
The 4 identified target boys have made some good gains in their reading levels but still remain significantly behind where they should be. The three higher students (J, L, N) are reading in the same group and are presenting with decoding issues around looking beyond the initial letter of a word and to always ensure that the text they read makes sense. For term 2 I am concentrating the boys on word families and noticing detail. Betsy Sewell's program - Agility with Sound offers so much that these boys need.<br />
The focus from her program will be on phonics and becoming fluent in reading a range of 3 letter word families - such as tin, pin, bin, sin, kin. The simple idea is that if the children can become confident with the medial vowel, they can apply the sounds they've learnt to decoding more complex words. At the moment the boys tend to change the sound of the vowel to make a word that they are familiar with instead of what they see.<br />
To run the whole program would mean spending all day on reading strategies - so as all teachers do - we are taking a small portion to try ad make significant difference.<br />
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The lower student (A) is only in year 3 and has increased his number of sight words and is confident when supported at yellow. He is needing to learn to apply strategies he is learning to independently decode. He tends to say any word that he is confident with - regardless of initial letter or meaning. So I have put him back in a beginning yellow group to solidify letter sounds as well as re build his confidence with the sight words he knows but can forget.<br />
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The challenge that this group is providing me is one I am thoroughly enjoying - to need to plan and prepare so many individualised programs keeps me busy and thinking around what will make the difference that these boys need.</div>
Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-75601713796296002052019-05-09T18:29:00.000+12:002019-05-13T19:46:10.941+12:00Cubetto<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We have very recently received a Cubetto coding robot in class. The premise is that the children are given a narrative about a little robot and the challenge is to decode it on its journey through Cubetto Land.</div>
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My favourite thing about this tool is that there are no screens. The children code the movements by using coloured tiles.</div>
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My next plan is to build a series of narratives around Cubetto, that exist in a shared space so that many classes have the ability to access a narrative and see if they can code and perhaps de bug Cubetto's journey.</div>
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Cubetto is certainly a tool for younger primary, but I am seeing the benefits in language development, justification and discussion as well as all 5 Key Competencies in middle primary. </div>
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-91076539519995570742019-04-17T15:48:00.000+12:002019-04-29T15:48:15.647+12:00Term 1 Reflection<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Our term involved learning the routines that will set us up for success during our year.<br />
By the end of term all of the kids could take home a book bag, read to an adult, practice spelling and return the book bag the following day. This was a HUGE success and not one that I have ever experienced in all my years of teaching. Why this group latched on to a routine when previous classes didn't seem to? - I have no idea. But I can certainly see a difference in this group and in the enthusiasm that they have for reading. The groups argue over who gets to read first and how many books they have read with the teacher. Certainly a group who love a good book - despite struggling to do so.<br />
They've loved listening to read alouds, audio books and interactive comics. There's been a lot of text in our mornings and this has shown in the enthusiasm and hopefully the results.<br />
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27/28 children have moved up at least one guided colour level and one child made 2 years progress in one term. (Obviously he was ready to fly before the school year even began).<br />
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I"m feeling very positive about reading this year and the progress that we have made as well as the excitement we have built to continue our strong start.</div>
Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-10429533564350419182019-03-03T12:35:00.002+13:002019-03-03T12:35:40.798+13:002019 Plans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For 2019 our year 3/4 cohort on average, tested lower than previous cohorts. In particular, we have 60+ students working 1.5+ years behind their expected level in literacy.<br />
As a team we are focusing on lifting the achievement of students working 1 - 1.5 years behind in reading.<br />
We test the students in June and November using PM Benchmark - unseen texts.<br />
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The results of 23 of my reading class from November 2018 are below. These students are all working 2+ years behind expected.<br />
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Target students for 2019 are highlighted<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MW1Y48LIXzo/XHsPcM6iDyI/AAAAAAAAFhU/UIz_pNkDHDsGG-mjyUJALV-2V9jtls2rwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-03%2Bat%2B12.14.06%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="806" height="376" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MW1Y48LIXzo/XHsPcM6iDyI/AAAAAAAAFhU/UIz_pNkDHDsGG-mjyUJALV-2V9jtls2rwCLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-03%2Bat%2B12.14.06%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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The challenge that I face is how to lift children in an area of schooling that is essential to all other curriculum learning. Without reading, most students fall way behind in other academic and even social areas.<br />
By placing all 28 students in one literacy class, but within a larger MLE - I am able to support the deeper learning needs, but still maintain examples of excellence from higher achieving students within our MLE.<br />
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My question I am asking is, In our quest for digital initiative, have we lost sight of traditional pedagogies that work for our more vulnerable learners?<br />
In my 10+ years of being innovative, embracing new technologies and creative approaches, I have seen many of our students thrive across all areas of the curriculum. But how many are missing out?<br />
This year, my literacy group are the ones who have missed out. My job is to adjust and adapt our flexible curriculum to provide an onramp to vocab learning, increased confidence, a sense of achievement and improved test results.<br />
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I am reformatting our bank of Explain Everything resources to support older, lower level students. With a focus on high frequency word learning, sentence structures (surface and deep) and basic comprehension.<br />
We are using collaborative engaging technologies to learn to read and spell high frequency words.<br />
We are upping reading mileage - through read to, read with and home reading.<br />
We are harking back to analogue book work with a focus on taking pride in handwriting and book layout. This may seem superficial, but I truly believe that we have lost many fine motor skills that actually support the students to look for detail in text and self correct errors. These skills are pencil grip, letter formation, using a ruler and visual spatial skills such as layout.<br />
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As always, I am placing the Key Competencies at the centre of this learning with these students focusing on Self Management and Participation (being successful at school).</div>
Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-77690097017237049312018-11-05T16:21:00.000+13:002018-11-05T16:21:33.071+13:00Cybersmart Blog Commenting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MyVg49lqzF8/W9-qvP-8sdI/AAAAAAAAFRQ/PUDZejoIALg29uasU4536CO9kQgCWc2pwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MyVg49lqzF8/W9-qvP-8sdI/AAAAAAAAFRQ/PUDZejoIALg29uasU4536CO9kQgCWc2pwCK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6939.JPG" width="200" /></a>With the <a href="https://filmfestival.manaiakalani.org/home">Annual Manaiakalani Film Festival</a> fast approaching, we are ready for the just in time check in that our kids are up to speed with Cybersmart blog commenting.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-buM_YKEioHQ/W9-qsNWmBgI/AAAAAAAAFRI/z5qDiFdtdKgKo--zGmTnZ7fyGyQRkLssACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-buM_YKEioHQ/W9-qsNWmBgI/AAAAAAAAFRI/z5qDiFdtdKgKo--zGmTnZ7fyGyQRkLssACK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6937.JPG" width="200" /></a>Blog commenting is an integral part of our literacy program but not always directly taught each and every week. With such a big push this week on blog comments, we wanted to come up with an activity that honed these skills and brought the known blogging kaupapa to the forefront of the kids' minds.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k_THt01ehiI/W9-qnv9lcbI/AAAAAAAAFRA/jqjxYPYwXI0YjQ9D-9Itd-fHrU1bxJ4AACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k_THt01ehiI/W9-qnv9lcbI/AAAAAAAAFRA/jqjxYPYwXI0YjQ9D-9Itd-fHrU1bxJ4AACK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6938.JPG" width="200" /></a>We've experienced a lot of success this year using analogue strategies to promote discussion and collaboration. We decided to tackle this challenge creatively using paper, glue and scissors.<br />
The children were grouped in friendship groups that would encourage talking and sharing, but also getting the task completed.<br />
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The task was to <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zI_jP9MpAyDbsBmEvNRhJH2nOFN_oCPigF_YAe5rHas/present?slide=id.p#/">watch 4 old Maniakalani Film Festival movies</a> from years past - we purposely chose movies that we knew the children would not have watched - however, we also chose movies that were created by older siblings/cousins - to enhance some connection and engagement.<br />
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We gave the children pre-crafted sentences that pertained to a particular movie as well as more generic sentences that could match almost any movie. The challenge was to select three sentences that matched each movie to create a comprehensive comment. There was a lot of need for discussion and reasoning as the groups tried to narrow down which sentences were best fit for which movie.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PXIIE7udGjo/W9-1Bn1dBFI/AAAAAAAAFRk/rAuX0fQXTUEtmy4GVldbWudQmfTTtdU6QCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-11-05%2Bat%2B4.11.24%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PXIIE7udGjo/W9-1Bn1dBFI/AAAAAAAAFRk/rAuX0fQXTUEtmy4GVldbWudQmfTTtdU6QCK4BGAYYCw/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-11-05%2Bat%2B4.11.24%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OrqE815xZ-k/W9-1DX5ha4I/AAAAAAAAFRs/UfBNNYrlWf8w9_lUsDn0TdaDr85G3FlGACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-11-05%2Bat%2B4.11.32%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OrqE815xZ-k/W9-1DX5ha4I/AAAAAAAAFRs/UfBNNYrlWf8w9_lUsDn0TdaDr85G3FlGACK4BGAYYCw/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-11-05%2Bat%2B4.11.32%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a><br />
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Each group then glued their selected sentences onto a template in order to complete their comment.<br />
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The challenges faced by the children were around actually watching the movies and paying close attention to what set each movie apart and to find matching comments.<br />
They also struggled with realising that the movies were "tabbing" within the browser and that they needed to hunt back in previous tabs to find the links of movies still needed to watch.<br />
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The "reward" for getting the comments completed was to have access to the entire back catalogue of <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/ptengland.school.nz/film-festival-2011/home">Manaiakalani Movies</a> - an absolute treat as the kids explored literal hours of child generated content.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-2868705505969368522018-10-16T12:39:00.004+13:002018-10-23T14:45:24.801+13:00Teaching Grammer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nhcl4L2rGX8/W3oPBDi_21I/AAAAAAAAFKs/H9IHKh7q4HYtBHrfKhryjHaVtd-lyO_DwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nhcl4L2rGX8/W3oPBDi_21I/AAAAAAAAFKs/H9IHKh7q4HYtBHrfKhryjHaVtd-lyO_DwCK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6224.JPG" width="150" /></a>In our 3 class space we switch around learning groups depending on student needs, teacher needs and relationships. Currently I am teaching a group comprising 10 kids who are reading between 1 - 2years behind their chronological age and who are struggling to write complete sentences with sufficient detail.<br />
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An activity that I have tried in the past introduces the language of words and sentence structure and then encourages the children to play with the words to create different sentences which still hold essentially the same meaning.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-frpNYvrsmtM/W3oHaT2EegI/AAAAAAAAFKA/w1t0WvEZv8c0rq2aOHy2G1OS35VtE5ODgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-frpNYvrsmtM/W3oHaT2EegI/AAAAAAAAFKA/w1t0WvEZv8c0rq2aOHy2G1OS35VtE5ODgCK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6219.JPG" width="200" /></a>10 years ago, PLD with Jannie van Hees introduced me to English grammar (despite 13years of schooling in NZ) and the importance of explicitly teaching grammar to ESOL students to enhance understanding of how words can be put together to create powerful sentences.<br />
I made word packs with verbs, adjectives and adverbs - individually laminated and colour coded. Added to this are a small set of prepositions and blank cards for writing nouns.<br />
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To start with I'd give each group individually selected words that would make sentences - simply. The idea was to have the children be successful in putting the words together. Once the sentences were put together, we discussed the role of each word in the sentence and the power that they hold.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MEpTmuljoCQ/W3oHaSf44PI/AAAAAAAAFKI/_KFIHOfpXggnXQeRCy38uxSGWcVbTJhvwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MEpTmuljoCQ/W3oHaSf44PI/AAAAAAAAFKI/_KFIHOfpXggnXQeRCy38uxSGWcVbTJhvwCK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6217.JPG" width="200" /></a>We spoke about verbs and how adverbs come in to play to modify the verb or to add more detail which gives the audience a greater understanding. We talked about nouns and how adjectives play a role in adding detail. We also looked at how prepositions can be used to add further context to a sentence. We played around with the order of the words and looked at how a sentence can still share the same message and use the same words - even if put in a different order.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8k7uzDrTeUw/W3oHZTiNqbI/AAAAAAAAFJU/1ZLRupq1Tqcem6VdJcljKCaW_jSMZhpDgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8k7uzDrTeUw/W3oHZTiNqbI/AAAAAAAAFJU/1ZLRupq1Tqcem6VdJcljKCaW_jSMZhpDgCK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6214.JPG" width="200" /></a>The most powerful part of this activity is listening to the groups discuss and work through each set of words as they attempt to make the most detailed and powerful sentence. They argue with each other, back themselves and yet still listen when faced with a different point of view. We found that on most occasions, once the sentence is said out loud, the children were very quickly able to ascertain the validity of what they had constructed.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i7qzJcCTbaY/W3oHadrDuqI/AAAAAAAAFJ0/IINg15b6w1M5Gsn94vnbL9xoQ-9jr4-NgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i7qzJcCTbaY/W3oHadrDuqI/AAAAAAAAFJ0/IINg15b6w1M5Gsn94vnbL9xoQ-9jr4-NgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6222.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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There is always great enjoyment in this particular activity and as we become more practiced at the grammar and structure, we are starting to choose the words blindly from the packs and are taking the opportunity to learn new vocabulary.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-86444307617774510772018-09-12T12:20:00.000+12:002018-10-23T14:45:24.981+13:00Argumentation, Justification and Using Scissors<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wEgLCmH2cXA/W3D8laBQFrI/AAAAAAAAFIc/_OklXFFystIhHab3uYdqx6YMhQ_94QXhgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wEgLCmH2cXA/W3D8laBQFrI/AAAAAAAAFIc/_OklXFFystIhHab3uYdqx6YMhQ_94QXhgCK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6166.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
We noticed in our cohort this year that most of the children struggled to use scissors, use glue "sparingly" and have those constructive learning conversations with their peers. Using a device meant that we could complete these sorts of "cut and paste" activities with less mess and less fuss, but the children were missing the vital fine motor skills and the art of argumentation and justification.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o4uYmLntLJg/W3D8krdujMI/AAAAAAAAFII/Zh09ziySAzoZD6-IwA7u1gJs9xQ0V2oCACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o4uYmLntLJg/W3D8krdujMI/AAAAAAAAFII/Zh09ziySAzoZD6-IwA7u1gJs9xQ0V2oCACK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6147.JPG" width="200" /></a>We hypothesised that by having the activity printed and in hard copy in front of the group, we would illicit argumentative discussions that would encourage the children to justify their points of view more readily and more strongly.<br />
We set the context around punctuation as this was the main area in our E-Asttle testing that was letting this group down.<br />
Our groups were friendship based in the hope to encourage the conversation.<br />
The task involved scissors, glue, crayons and lots of talk.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LQuvvHj3rBI/W3D8k1HpG4I/AAAAAAAAFIM/zelRSGjnvIMRTbotSuuZPAayYlguU7WCwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LQuvvHj3rBI/W3D8k1HpG4I/AAAAAAAAFIM/zelRSGjnvIMRTbotSuuZPAayYlguU7WCwCK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6155.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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Initial excitement was high as we explained the activity to the class. They were excited to work with friends and excited to rotate round different activities, to complete a variety of tasks.<br />
We were fortunate to have a third year student teacher in class, which meant that we could have slightly smaller group sizes at each station which made some of the management slightly easier.<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gqiJmvasBvJL2TEqKyGiaKn4x2zl_Te4tiycq2wYq1k/edit">The activities</a> that the children completed in rotation were<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Organising sentences into simple and complex sentences.</li>
<li>Constructing complex sentences from dependent and independent clauses.</li>
<li>Punctuating simple and complex sentences</li>
<li>Punctuating a complete paragraph.</li>
</ul>
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Each group had to work together, justify and explain before cutting, pasting and taking a photo to insert onto their G<a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/13ZImYbZDzim8mwTBa5Hegbt7P5QFFxtfImlaeepvwIg/edit#slide=id.p">oogle slides.</a><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rf1njqrxPKM/W3D8kXcAzmI/AAAAAAAAFH0/kYxHja1yeFspGYma0iUnFvZhMtQkRMd5ACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rf1njqrxPKM/W3D8kXcAzmI/AAAAAAAAFH0/kYxHja1yeFspGYma0iUnFvZhMtQkRMd5ACK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6160.JPG" width="200" /></a>We noticed as we introduced our activity and supported the kids through the learning, that while not all the children completely grasped the concept being taught- every child embraced the idea of team work and discussion. The students who lacked the initial knowledge, thrived on listening to their peers and offering input when they felt confident. The students who went into the activity with more confidence, learnt to assist their friends and to listen to others points of view and to build new knowledge of their own. This discussion and listening built well on what we have been practicing during DMiC this year.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iKO5mqwpitM/W3D8lFdNbTI/AAAAAAAAFIU/TIl5WiVU6HEP6x1haqkra1LJcusextBagCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iKO5mqwpitM/W3D8lFdNbTI/AAAAAAAAFIU/TIl5WiVU6HEP6x1haqkra1LJcusextBagCK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6164.JPG" width="200" /></a>The fine motor skills were definitely challenged with many groups cutting through work instead of neatly around it, too much glue being used and not being able to glue papers to fit in correct spaces. However each student could use an iPad effectively to take photos and upload their work to the right folder. I'm not sure we should be sacrificing one skill for another - so more work to be done on the more analogue tasks.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ITBEls50Hfw/W3D8ji5zbzI/AAAAAAAAFHs/u0rcyNKVlV8Ja3tTutX-hkR6bZwSzhP3gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ITBEls50Hfw/W3D8ji5zbzI/AAAAAAAAFHs/u0rcyNKVlV8Ja3tTutX-hkR6bZwSzhP3gCK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6154.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
The children loved being more active in their learning and the classroom was a buzz with that fine line between chaos and lively discussion. As teachers, we enjoyed listening to the children talk and argue, as well as problem solve and work through issues and differing points of view.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zv2EZow0H4g/W3D8knbtS4I/AAAAAAAAFIA/0MZUW2vjV0Mrqc3nmb9qhFst10pOdWgnQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zv2EZow0H4g/W3D8knbtS4I/AAAAAAAAFIA/0MZUW2vjV0Mrqc3nmb9qhFst10pOdWgnQCK4BGAYYCw/s200/IMG_6163.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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We endeavour to do an activity such as this involving groups, discussion and analogue processes at least once a week. We owe our kids the best of both worlds to ensure they develop a range of essential learning tools.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-76996871097260616342018-08-05T10:28:00.001+12:002018-08-05T10:28:22.126+12:00Engagement with Real Learning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Like all classrooms, we strive to ensure that our kids are engaged with cognitive learning as often as possible. The trouble lies in "What engages their brains best?" and "How do we even know?"<br />
Too often I see kids sat behind screens looking engaged in what they've been set, yet in actual fact they are simply engaged in deception - How can I look busy and thoughtful while actively practicing avoidance? This is a skill that our kids develop early. I am lucky in teaching the younger ones, that this skill is not yet fully developed and is quite easy to spot.<br />
Despite this, keeping kids actively engaged in meaningful learning is a complex task.<br />
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I've written many times about the importance of Key Competencies to actively drive academic learning. When teaching through key competencies, activities and experiences can't help but become engaging, fun and active. Collaboration, respect, self management, thinking, creating, critiquing and communicating - vital skills to hang the three Rs on.<br />
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I don't believe that children should be sitting anywhere ever for too long - our classroom designs now allow for more spaces, flexible spaces and different spaces. With multiple teachers in a space we now have the possibility to have a variety of activities and opportunities to suit all kinds of learning. We need to harness these possibilities and not just have kids sitting at tables, behind screens for the majority of their day.<br />
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Now that we are over halfway through the year, the 80 children in our space are a well oiled family. We've spent 20weeks establishing our whanau and the kids are all ready to fly with their learning and have some fun doing so.<br />
We're encouraging our kids to branch out with their creations and learning. We're having statues built, Sketchnotes created, dances danced, paintings painted, Lego towers constructed, discussions shared, movies filmed and songs sung. The children can't help but be cognitively engaged when the process and outcome involves laughter, sharing and showcasing their talents.<br />
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School is fun - just as it should be. They are kids after all.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-15525511107873874762018-08-05T10:28:00.000+12:002018-08-05T10:28:30.704+12:00Movie Making with the Full 80<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We have three teachers in our space. Three very different teachers. Three teachers whose skills and personalities compliment and support each other in a classroom.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QgAtz1_Ifog/W2Yh87pN5tI/AAAAAAAAFFM/VJQzkgcKAFYJujld4rZSKhO7ez9QRhTNwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B9.56.52%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QgAtz1_Ifog/W2Yh87pN5tI/AAAAAAAAFFM/VJQzkgcKAFYJujld4rZSKhO7ez9QRhTNwCK4BGAYYCw/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B9.56.52%2BAM.png" width="200" /></a>We each take different learning areas and share our expertise not just with the kids, but each other - what a great opportunity for constant PD. My strength lies in teaching kids through creative measures, developing key competencies - keeping school fun yet also about the learning.<br />
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So we've taken our theme for the term - Move Ya Body - quite literally and have had the kids make a dance movie a week. 80 kids all at once - dancing, filming, arguing, laughing - it's buckets of fun!<br />
It's easy and if the class has a well established kaupapa of whanau, it's painless as well. - Let the kids do it!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jUq9ty7rv9w/W2YhthojjnI/AAAAAAAAFE8/-izm-De2qG0GAE7sAXkM-eQVnoyp-cUnwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B9.58.33%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jUq9ty7rv9w/W2YhthojjnI/AAAAAAAAFE8/-izm-De2qG0GAE7sAXkM-eQVnoyp-cUnwCK4BGAYYCw/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B9.58.33%2BAM.png" width="200" /></a>We use Video Star as our MTV iOS App of choice. It is so easy because the app syncs the music to your filming and the kids can't help but get it right.<br />
The kids access the music clip from our shared Google Drive folder via our class site.<br />
They film in friendship groups - with the class kaupapa of "No one is left out".<br />
They share the completed product back to the same Google Drive folder.<br />
The movie is then ready to embed in their blog by again accessing it via the <a href="https://sites.google.com/ptengland.school.nz/theblock2018/home" target="_blank">class site</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AAWgjEjVVvQ/W2YiLRogD3I/AAAAAAAAFFY/aVteXL_0mk0esBj_E_qLRGXLj7xtRlthQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B9.58.03%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AAWgjEjVVvQ/W2YiLRogD3I/AAAAAAAAFFY/aVteXL_0mk0esBj_E_qLRGXLj7xtRlthQCK4BGAYYCw/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B9.58.03%2BAM.png" width="200" /></a>The technology and workflow is fairly simple to manage if the account is signed in on the iPads and the kids are familiar with using the class site and their blog. The real learning lies in in those powerful KCs. Working with others, sharing, self and group management, thinking and creating.<br />
For the groups where those KCs function well - the outcome, the movie produced, is always of a higher standard than those groups where the KCs fell down.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DB-E2u-wEtE/W2Yh1YB1baI/AAAAAAAAFFE/nVo-3Z-OLGgsv4KRZiPVuiRPh3jJt49SwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B9.56.39%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DB-E2u-wEtE/W2Yh1YB1baI/AAAAAAAAFFE/nVo-3Z-OLGgsv4KRZiPVuiRPh3jJt49SwCK4BGAYYCw/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B9.56.39%2BAM.png" width="200" /></a><br />
As a whole class of 80, we view every movie and critique the movies - identifying the good points and discussing, respectfully, what went wrong. This is such a powerful process that the whole class owns and respects. With well established cultural norms there are no putdowns or negative moments, as all the kids know that we are in it for the learning.<br />
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A couple of our favourite examples are <a href="https://pesking.blogspot.com/2018/08/keke-challenge.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://pesking.blogspot.com/2018/08/cha-cha-slide.html">here.</a><br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-31050691444372707992018-04-30T14:44:00.002+12:002018-04-30T14:44:43.099+12:00Computational Thinking<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lnoxyzWL3zU/WuZ_1f586TI/AAAAAAAAE3A/axerMLVnPzIf9Ay-27W9RpuoB-NgIS8LACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_5516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lnoxyzWL3zU/WuZ_1f586TI/AAAAAAAAE3A/axerMLVnPzIf9Ay-27W9RpuoB-NgIS8LACK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_5516.jpg" width="320" /></a>The new digital technologies curriculum is not simply about screens and being digital. One of the strands - computational thinking, can be tackled in a very analogue fashion.<br />
We've decided as a school that Scratch will be our coding "mother tongue". It is cross platform and simple enough even for our New Entrants. (and their teachers)<br />
In DaBlock this term, a group of 30 year 4s and 1 year 3 are learning all about coding using Scratch.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5PC0nN5V3nU/WuZ_3FEfkQI/AAAAAAAAE3c/-3KgPzAHj08BmypXxQ_Yj7f0CaDbzfTmwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_5517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5PC0nN5V3nU/WuZ_3FEfkQI/AAAAAAAAE3c/-3KgPzAHj08BmypXxQ_Yj7f0CaDbzfTmwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_5517.jpg" width="320" /></a>We started the session signing into our classroom group and creating some simple avatars. We then began looking at the blocks and using them to control the cat sprite using our mouse and arrow keys. Some students even went ahead to learn about costumes and costume changes. Great self directed learning.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CnjlJ1SP0FY/WuZ_2colelI/AAAAAAAAE3M/nihsnuSoUacYRQHv1zXZGnFv6thCWlh0wCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_5520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CnjlJ1SP0FY/WuZ_2colelI/AAAAAAAAE3M/nihsnuSoUacYRQHv1zXZGnFv6thCWlh0wCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_5520.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
The next step was to introduce angles and turns. None of the students had heard about angles, degrees or knew much difference between left or right. A quick whiteboard lesson introducing the missing pieces and a quick game of Simon Says involving angle turns and degree turns, quickly filled in some missing gaps.<br />
We then took chalk outside to draw their own circles and label the degrees, where the children then played their own Simon Says games with their friends.<br />
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Once the kids were back inside with their Chromebooks, Scratch angle turns made sense and heaps of quick knowledge learning could be applied to some fun animations.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-64204952813904013902018-03-09T19:50:00.000+13:002018-08-05T10:31:33.045+12:00A Small Snippet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe height="480" src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Al7ouEMbm-jB6-ftxaj1u0QZouOvp-Uk/preview" width="640"></iframe><br />
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When all is going smoothy in The Block - this is a small snippet of what it can look like.<br />
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This is a short clip from the first day that we had almost all kids on devices and the morning hummed along nicely indeed. The beginnings of creating real learning in our space. Come back and visit in July and we'll have all sorts of fun craziness going on.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-1454422606266474762018-03-09T17:42:00.000+13:002018-03-09T17:42:07.621+13:00Finally Having Time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Week 6 of 2018 and finally we have found the time to do an activity that supports all kinds of valuable key competency learning. (my favourite kind)<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lzvKD7zjsSY/WqHmojnkwZI/AAAAAAAAE0A/UmmfEiQoEIENRUqGVfxdUD4nV5wyN-ACwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lzvKD7zjsSY/WqHmojnkwZI/AAAAAAAAE0A/UmmfEiQoEIENRUqGVfxdUD4nV5wyN-ACwCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_5199.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
Week 6 also means that we are needing to keep promoting our school values and culture to ensure routines stay strong and everyone is happy. As part of our school wide culture, we make sure to highlight the positive aspects of behaviour. This week, we, as a class, needed to focus on - Do The Right Thing.<br />
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The task was set up to encourage working together, problem solving, happiness and the promotion of "Do The Right Thing"<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hzpb4l_KWts/WqHmoowe9JI/AAAAAAAAEz4/np2tQVY_uws1P0Qyb7JpyOCGxzz9cC6bQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hzpb4l_KWts/WqHmoowe9JI/AAAAAAAAEz4/np2tQVY_uws1P0Qyb7JpyOCGxzz9cC6bQCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_5200.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
We started by talking about what the right things are to ensure a happy day for all. There were loads more ideas than the photo might indicate - all the usual answers were shared.<br />
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The children chose their own groups and for the most part no one was left out. But two boys opted to wander around watching rather than take part. They were most definitely engaged with the idea but lacked the key competencies to involve themselves.<br />
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The kids downloaded a short 20 second snippet of Redhead Kingpin's - Do The Right Thing, from our shared Google Drive folder. The next step was to open the song in Video Star (a fun, simple to use music video app). Each group filmed themselves doing lots of different things in and around our classroom to encourage positivity.<br />
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The filming did not take long and each group shared their work with a teacher. Before starting we had not discussed shots or any sort of movie making skills, simply, the learning was not about that. So a few groups needed to re shoot as there were a few shots of the ground or fingers in the way.<br />
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ALL groups worked together and all bar two groups completed the task.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8KuWf6SkNcg/WqHmonZqLdI/AAAAAAAAEz8/FR2bf_6MOdcMkUm1Nl_JrAelyhxUXK-dACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8KuWf6SkNcg/WqHmonZqLdI/AAAAAAAAEz8/FR2bf_6MOdcMkUm1Nl_JrAelyhxUXK-dACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_5201.jpg" width="200" /></a>During our group reflection I asked which groups had had issues and then which of those groups had had a friendly korero and sorted out the problem - every group said yes. Key competencies in action in a powerful way.<br />
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The movies are cute but certainly lacking in production value - however I couldn't be prouder of the way the kids worked together, solved problems, shared their understanding and had fun doing so. Even our friendly reliever is excited to come back and try movie making again.<br />
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<iframe height="480" src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aWY-6H3nGMg7-FlHwCbhF6ehLEgkIzeB/preview" width="640"></iframe>
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-61971162114730089082018-02-15T12:12:00.000+13:002018-10-23T14:45:24.921+13:002018 Focus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After such a different year in 2017, I am back working in an ILE of 90 children and 2 other teachers.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xWXwcB7CCJo/W85iIEYMUGI/AAAAAAAAFQQ/vkqfEz5CLHMoAcRpzP2Z0iZP7jdCqqbBQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-23%2Bat%2B12.48.48%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xWXwcB7CCJo/W85iIEYMUGI/AAAAAAAAFQQ/vkqfEz5CLHMoAcRpzP2Z0iZP7jdCqqbBQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-23%2Bat%2B12.48.48%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a>My plan is to bring my learnings and findings from 2017 in to this different environment and to adapt them to suit the wider range of children in the space.<br />
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I am fortunate to be working alongside colleagues that I have taught with before and respect their creativity, flexibility and enthusiasm. - We will make a great team as we bring a variety of strengths to the space.<br />
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My learnings in 2017 highlighted the need for #DaBoyz to be hands on, to feel respected, to know who they are and to be loved. These important key competencies contributed to the very successful year that we experienced. 5 of the lads from 2017 are in the class for 2018.<br />
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How can those findings be implemented in a large class with a wide, wide range of learning styles and children?</div>
Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-81835938400583562682017-12-14T15:39:00.000+13:002018-02-27T15:39:45.399+13:00Boxall Profile Post Data<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="375" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRtY5BdJzORbuiByLXDcpY5Xbtn-OZQEBrqW3bPn4a1qr0eN0usVEHTrcrXxAM82SCCdTrHn2DTeAkk/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<a href="http://thekingsthink.blogspot.co.nz/2017/05/boxall-profile.html" target="_blank">The Boxall Profile </a><br />
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Post data has now been gathered on DaBoyz using the Boxall Profile. The above slides show the movement of each student and the class average for each of the 10 areas.<br />
Student 3 is not present in Term 4 and so data was not gathered on him - therefore he is missing from the term 4 graphs.<br />
The y-axis scale differs for each graph and between tests. I could have created the term 1 graphs again, but at this time of year I have nor the time nor energy.<br />
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The results show improvements in every area in terms of the class average. Some individuals have gone backwards and others have made significant gain. Some boys still continue to have problems in certain areas, despite significant gain.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-36259094931147752262017-11-10T19:30:00.002+13:002017-11-10T19:30:56.057+13:00Accelerated Achievement<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As much as I have spent the year focusing on teaching Key Competencies and social skills, there's still that monkey on your back to have each and every child make accelerated progress. For Manaiakalani that means 1.5x the expected.<br />
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This year I had no expectation that academic gain would be substantial, I was looking at gains in Key Competencies and emotional security. The way that I taught these skills didn't follow the usual pattern of a classroom, in fact very little academic expectation was placed upon the boys. We worked on routines, discussion, cultural identity and regulating emotional responses to varied experiences.<br />
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The graphs below show just one snapshot from PAT tests. As much as I am extremely proud of some of the test results produced by the boys, these graphs are a tiny piece of a much much larger puzzle.<br />
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While most of the boys have made the expected academic gains or even 2-3x the expected gain in one year, I don't believe that this has anything to do with quality academic teaching.<br />
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The reason for the academic gains made by the boys come from a feeling of belonging and the comfort to take risks and feel confident about their abilities. In reducing the anxious responses and ramping up the positive, the boys have had the opportunity to learn from everyday simple activities.</div>
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Suddenly, sitting down to lunch, waiting your turn, using your manners or following the rules of a game, become massive learning opportunities.<br />
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By being who they are, acknowledging where they come from and feeling secure and safe, the boys have achieved as themselves and are growing into confident, connected, lifelong learners.<br />
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But in reality, the learner who has actually learnt most in the room has been the teacher.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQs03Xb6DhJHyBEqZF2-rr6I1aG003TRaakNw7QfbWlD7cm5_Uat0Okm6wsGQ9pkBbag-08sJdDEEk4/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe></div>
Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-44798712878276253582017-10-15T19:18:00.001+13:002017-10-15T19:18:12.437+13:00Anxiety<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Anxiety is a huge problem for many of our traumatised kids</li>
<li>Each kid has different triggers that set off their anxiety</li>
<li>It is important that the trusted adults in a child's life are aware of the triggers and help the child identify them.</li>
<li>Once identified, it is vital to offer the reassurance required to help the child feel safe and supported.</li>
<li>Anxious behaviour is not disrespectful or naughty.</li>
</ul>
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It's been well known that the boys all suffer from varying degrees of anxiety. How that has affected them, their learning and their relationships is something I've had to get in touch with. As I now know these boys so well, I can pinpoint those moments when behaviour is anxious and not simply "naughty". As I've become more aware of the boys' responses, I've been able to give the boys the words and tools they need to be able to talk about and cope with their anxiety.<br />
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I've tried very hard to empathise with the boys and be patient with behaviour that in a traditional setting may have earned the offender a detention. But as a fairly confident and self assured grown up, it is a struggle to try and work out how an insecure 8 yr old might be feeling. I myself couldn't quite identify with the overwhelming sense of anxiety.<br />
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At a recent PLG session for Manaiakalani we began a new block with an "ice breaker". Ice breakers are not my cup of tea, but this one seemed even worse. In our table groups we were to sing odd sounding words to a tune I didn't know and keep a rhythm. A task like this sounds fun to many, but sounds awful to me. I started to get a feeling of tightness in my stomach, my palms were sweating and I was frozen to my seat imaging that everyone was looking at me. My worst nightmare was that our lovely leader would ask me to join in or tell me I could do it. I wanted to hide. Which was the best way to exit the building? Everyone else was having a fabulous time, why wasn't I?<br />
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I remembered back to Standard 3 and Room 9 with Mrs Brown. I'm sure she was a lovely woman but for me I have no happy memories. She used to make us sing the roll call in the morning and singing and music was a standard part of everyday. "Naughty children" were forced to sing solos as punishment. I spent many a mat time hiding under the nearest table - stubbornness is one of my many strengths. My resistance to Mrs Brown's methods became such a problem that I recall a meeting with my mother where I was told I was to participate or there'd be more trouble. I'm not sure why I was/am so resistant to the idea of singing in a group, but the anxiety is real and I'm sure my behaviour comes across as defiance.<br />
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As the PLG singing session came to a conclusion and the stomach volcano subsided, I realised that my anxiety around music - especially singing - must be somewhat similar to how the boys feel daily. That sense of a volcano in ones stomach, unsure of why you're responding in a particular way and the absolute need to hide.<br />
How often do we see children turning away, dropping their head, covering their ears, lashing out or needing space and time away from others? How often do we scold such behaviour as not joining in or being disrespectful?<br />
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In many cases we can attribute the behaviours to anxiety. Anxiety about the others in the room. Anxiety about being unsure of a task. Anxiety about what comes next? Anxiety about lunchtime. Anxiety about what waits at home. There are so many things that can upset the delicate equilibrium of a traumatised child.<br />
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Now that I am far more aware of the trigger points for the boys, we are able to talk about our angry tummies, talk about what we are unsure of, talk about what makes us happy and in most cases, very quickly have the wee lad back in action being a contented member of our classroom. More and more the boys are identifying their angry tummies themselves and coming to a trusted adult for reassurance and love. Ultimately, it would be great to see the boys eventually being able to self regulate their responses, but they are still only small and put up with a great deal.<br />
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I can only hope that the notes that accompany the boys into 2018 are carefully read by their teacher who will take the time to identify the anxiety triggers in their room and allow the boys the chance to talk about their angry tummies and receive the reassurance they require.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-61603170389938493342017-10-15T19:17:00.000+13:002017-10-24T15:33:58.973+13:00ULearn 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Tomorrow marks day one of term 4 and to be perfectly honest I'm not ready. Lessons are prepared and there's plenty to get done, but my brain is absolutely still buzzing from one of the best ULearn conferences I've attended.<br />
I'm very lucky in that I have had the opportunity to present and attend ULearn on most occasions over the last 10 years. Not every year has provided mind bending and challenging content - but 2017 did not disappoint.<br />
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Eric Mazur reminded us of the power of peer discussion and peer teaching.<br />
Abdul Cohen inspired us all to make a difference.<br />
Sally Peters had me reevaluating the importance of teacher research and TAI.<br />
Glen Storey gave me more ideas around introducing the concept of coding with junior kids.<br />
Bec and Jamie Power shared many lovely ideas of collaboration and community. - always a pleasure to listen to these two.<br />
Megan Gallagher offered some concrete ideas around how to teach kids about the importance of brain anatomy to address resilience and mindfulness. A couple of ideas I plan to implement as soon as possible with #DaBoyz<br />
But most importantly I was challenged by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cTvi5qxqp4" target="_blank">Ann Milne as she spoke</a> about Colouring in the White Spaces. <a href="https://nzareblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/23/white-privilege/" target="_blank">White privilege in NZ education</a> and assessment.<br />
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Ann Milne closed the conference on such a provocative note. She challenged us all on our culturally responsive pedagogy. If Maori students have been failing for such a long time, why do we continue to think the children are the broken ones - shouldn't we need to change our pedagogy to suit the child? What are we doing to promote the achievement of Maori AS Maori? - which is surely more important than expecting achievement on a eurocentric scale. I am very keen to see what I can do in my classroom to make sure that I am allowing students to show who they are and what they value.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-23506208403918140652017-09-22T12:30:00.001+12:002017-09-22T14:38:44.927+12:00Refining the Creativity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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To continue with our learning around perseverance and overcoming anxieties, we have spent week 9 creating some fairly impressive artworks. Following on from movie making, it was apparent that The Boys needed more scaffolding around conquering their fears and anxieties during challenging tasks.<br />
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The artwork was presented to The Boys as a complex task that would take time and effort. They would make mistakes and all would be fine. They would be asked to try again and to make improvements. We role played scenarios and appropriate responses. We discussed how different challenging moments made us feel and how we could help each other to do our best.<br />
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We began by pencil sketching the planets and rockets. We discussed how paint works and that detail was not necessary in our pictures - this didn't stop the boys drawing all sorts of intricate pieces.<br />
Colours were added step by step allowing decent drying time.<br />
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Mistakes were covered with white paint, allowed to dry and redone. On two occasions the boys chose to paint out complete objects and did so happily, knowing that they were improving on their work, not making their task more difficult.<br />
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In contrast to movie making, no one gave up and no one struggled with the challenges they faced. <br />
I think that this was due to 3 things.<br />
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<li>A more stepped out process </li>
<li>Each kid had their own work to do and were not sharing</li>
<li>The strongly scaffolded behaviour aspect prior to beginning each session of painting.</li>
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We finished by sharing our work on our blogs and the hard copy will be mounted on the corridor wall outside our class. </div>
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To share on our blogs we attempted another challenging creative task - rather than simply posting a photo of our painting I took a photo of each boy with his artwork against a blue background. We then learnt how to use the Alpha key in Keynote to remove the background. The boys were then able to insert a larger version of their own picture as the background.</div>
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Because we had to use the classroom iMacs to utilise Keynote, the use of our class shared Google Drive folder was needed so that the boys could access their photos and re-share their completed work to access on their Chromebook to blog.</div>
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So, overall a HUGE improvement in emotional responses to complex challenges and as a result, some awesome pieces of art that we are all proud of.</div>
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-39771351105596462062017-09-17T21:09:00.001+12:002017-10-24T15:49:22.714+13:00Creative Results<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So the boys have finished their Little Red Riding Hood - well three boys finished.<br />
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Like most things with the lads excitement was high for the first 4.9seconds. Once hard work became apparent, the first wave gave up - interestingly these were the year 3 boys. The remaining 6 continued on for two afternoons. They battled old iMacs that were slowly giving up the ghost as well as partners who were less than helpful. By the fourth and final afternoon the stayers were down to 4.<br />
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I set up the rest of the boys on some very independent activities around looking at and sharing blog posts, this gave me the time needed to focus on the four who were determined to finish their creations. With a little one on one attention, three were highly successful and learnt many new movie making skills. More importantly, they persevered when the challenge was HUGE and the rest of the class dropped like flies around them.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-POxwpy99Sh0/Wb4NCUWL4VI/AAAAAAAAEpE/jJ_cSdY5_swXYTEpMJLUzspmz1DWUpSwACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-17%2Bat%2B5.46.49%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-POxwpy99Sh0/Wb4NCUWL4VI/AAAAAAAAEpE/jJ_cSdY5_swXYTEpMJLUzspmz1DWUpSwACK4BGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-17%2Bat%2B5.46.49%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a>I've blogged before about how most children innately know what makes a movie entertaining and strive to achieve to the best of their skill capability. They ask questions and refine their work to keep at it. Funnily enough the boys were different.<br />
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After the first hour, it was very clear as to which boys were finding the challenge well above their perceived capabilities and were not at all interested in trying, learning or taking risks. Rather than heighten the obvious anxieties, these boys were charged with creating the musical soundtracks in Garageband on their iPads. They could be independent, contributing and successful.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oi16eTOd8EI/Wb4NKGXNcSI/AAAAAAAAEpU/p1EORnnwj7An0MIubdiA2FKE5zb0AmcsQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-17%2Bat%2B5.47.19%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oi16eTOd8EI/Wb4NKGXNcSI/AAAAAAAAEpU/p1EORnnwj7An0MIubdiA2FKE5zb0AmcsQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-17%2Bat%2B5.47.19%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a>The boys left for the final afternoon suffered through terrible technical difficulty with slowly dying technology - one boys even restarted his iMac 3 times to be able to continue his work. These final four definitely needed the 1:1 attention to keep working and keep trying. They wanted to be finished and nearly enough was going to be good enough. They required constant reflection and discussion to keep working at their movie. One of the boys found the final tweaks all too much and gave up on his movie. No amount of cajoling or encouragement could get him smiling and back in action.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YJQjj3fFPUs/Wb4NFuIo8cI/AAAAAAAAEpM/mHtUq7k5ETMpH0fdDPY0oEGmaG3m8RkiwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-17%2Bat%2B5.47.03%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YJQjj3fFPUs/Wb4NFuIo8cI/AAAAAAAAEpM/mHtUq7k5ETMpH0fdDPY0oEGmaG3m8RkiwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-17%2Bat%2B5.47.03%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a><b></b><br />
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<b>Reflection points: </b><br />
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Like with most tasks in class, academic, artistic, sporting or creative, the anxiety that is ever present in the young men came to the forefront.<br />
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Their anxiety prevents the boys from taking risks or confidently trying new things.<br />
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Like with other tasks, there was a lack of striving for excellence - OK is good enough. Finishing fast is more important than finishing well.<br />
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I wrongly assumed that the story of Little Red Riding Hood was well known. In hindsight, I should have provided, not just storyboards, but a script as well.<br />
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Watch their movies here.<br />
<a href="http://pesbrendonl.blogspot.co.nz/2017/09/little-red-riding-hood.html" target="_blank">Brendon</a><br />
<a href="http://pescalebt.blogspot.co.nz/2017/09/little-red-riding-hood-caleb.html" target="_blank">Caleb</a><br />
<a href="http://pesleet.blogspot.co.nz/2017/09/little-red-ridng-hood.html" target="_blank">Lee</a><br />
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The movies have minor (and some more major) flaws, but for the most part the movies are complete and tell the story.<br />
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I am super proud of the three who completed, and in actual fact I am very proud of the boys who articulated their anxiety and found their place being more comfortable making music or supporting a friend.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-25070533556108422882017-09-11T19:19:00.002+12:002017-09-11T19:20:53.786+12:00Getting Creative<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LL7Z07_8U0k/WbY4qdyWYJI/AAAAAAAAEoY/YW8GGcJkdhcYnVZ9YBBoMB76eKZygwOBQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-11%2Bat%2B7.17.14%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LL7Z07_8U0k/WbY4qdyWYJI/AAAAAAAAEoY/YW8GGcJkdhcYnVZ9YBBoMB76eKZygwOBQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-11%2Bat%2B7.17.14%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a>Week 7 Term 3 and I felt ready to tackle movie making with DaBoyz. We had been playing in the bush during the morning and I had a good collection of photos. Also, being Tongan Language Week, we had had a performance that morning in assembly and I also had lots of footage of the boys performing. With this footage and the experiences fresh in mind, it was time to get into actual, for real movie making.<br />
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During lunch, I made sure that all clips and photos were uploaded into our shared Media Folder in Google Drive. This folder is embedded on our classroom Google site - so easily accessible from any machine. I also made sure that all out iMacs had a new iMovie project ready and our classroom Google site open.<br />
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With 6 iMacs in class and only 12 boys it was easy to have them work in pairs.<br />
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The boys were to download the folder of images from our Site, find them in the downloads folder of the iMac and then drag them into the new iMovie project.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-crZHPM95ZsU/WbY41ExZDVI/AAAAAAAAEog/pKTDCYUIh44FbbsypAbFVObroC1eV50UQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-11%2Bat%2B7.17.24%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-crZHPM95ZsU/WbY41ExZDVI/AAAAAAAAEog/pKTDCYUIh44FbbsypAbFVObroC1eV50UQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-11%2Bat%2B7.17.24%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a>Once the clips and photos were on the timeline I taught the boys how to shuffle the clips around to put them in the best order for their movie.<br />
Next, we learnt how to use the Ken Burns effect on still images and how to trim the ends of moving clips.<br />
Finally, we learnt how to download and drag in a song with a fade at the end.<br />
The boys then taught themselves how to add a title - with varying versions of success.<br />
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I made sure to export the movies and then upload them to our shared Media folder. The boys were then able to use their Chromebook to embed their finished movie on their blog.<br />
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All completed in one hour after lunch.<br />
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A lesson likes this requires the sharing processes to be in place and the teacher to be well organised with the skills they are wanting the children to learn in the session.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nAFB8sdRl-s/WbY4JYb6hzI/AAAAAAAAEn4/TfssBGJoi6cZ8zolbEZOWg6Ig-Wpe4i9wCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-11%2Bat%2B7.14.43%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nAFB8sdRl-s/WbY4JYb6hzI/AAAAAAAAEn4/TfssBGJoi6cZ8zolbEZOWg6Ig-Wpe4i9wCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-11%2Bat%2B7.14.43%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a>Our next step we took today - filming our own version of Little Red Riding Hood against a blue screen in class, recording voiceovers and drawing backgrounds in Hyperstudio.<br />
Again, the footage was uploaded to our shared Google folder.<br />
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The skills being learnt in this activity will build on what we learnt last week - trimming clips, muting clips, green/blue screening, detaching audio from a clip and adding voice overs to the correct parts of the story.<br />
Lots to learn but being prepared should make the process fairly simple.<br />
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491633358523512201.post-24691037270297070612017-09-05T14:59:00.002+12:002017-09-05T14:59:52.053+12:00Fakakoloa Aotearoa ‘Aki ‘Ae Nofo 'A Kainga<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As part of the ongoing emphasis on the emotional well being and care for the boys we're embracing Tongan Language week full force.<br />
With over half the class identifying as Tongan, the boys are relishing in the opportunity to share their language and culture. In particular, one of the boys who struggles with traditional learning and being able to share his thinking, is thriving in leading the other boys with his own knowledge of language and culture.<br />
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We're having a lot of fun practising our Tongan, discussing life in Tonga and sharing what we know.</div>
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Miss Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742995282810482629noreply@blogger.com0