Zooming in on Reading Data

As I zoom in and reflect on the changes I have made with instructions across our curriculum program I have the challenge of locating some diagnostic data. The interviews I have done with students have all been positive and largely in favour of the introduction of new digital instructions sitting alongside the more traditional methods of classroom visuals, dot to jot and teacher modelling. There is need for both and it has made me stronger in my inclusive practice to ensure the right instructional strategies are used for the right tamariki.

There have been significant shifts within some students PM reading levels, which is a huge celebration but I can’t establish that this shift is amplified by the introduction of different instructional strategies as this cannot be quantified in raw diagnostic data. 

I have  however identified a shift in their learning  behaviours, attitudes and students seeing themselves as successful learners resulting in them being empowered to drive their own learning. 

This data shows shifts in PM benchmarks reading curriculum levels of my target groups.

Super proud of this cohort of students, they have worked hard and it has payed off.

Some of the results in this cohort are;

• An ESOL student who came to our team with little English has move from PM level 10 to PM level 26

• A severe dyslexic student who was stagnant at PM level 10 for 2 years has shifted to PM Level 12. Digital tools and the use of a multi modal platform has opened up his learning experiences.

• An ASD student who had shifted from PM level 22 to PM level 24 and has become more confident with joining in group discussion allowing further understanding and development with comprehension.

As a kaiako, many of us are quick to reflect on what didn't go well and improvements needed for next time rather than celebrate what did. I think teachers are the hardest working of many professions. We are driven by the love of what we do and the many beautiful smiling faces that pass our classroom doors. I know I need to celebrate the little successes more often, especially as those aren't reflected in our school wide data.

KPMG Hui #3 Online

 

In this current Covid climate life is back in lockdown which for many work comes to a screaming halt. For many educators life becomes very busy as we adapt back into online preparation and learning.  Learning never stops and each lockdown brings new ideas and collaboration amongst those in our industry.

Today our MIT 2021 cohort were meant to be meeting for our termly hui at KPMG in Auckland. Lockdown didn't stop this team of innovative teachers, we meet for an online hui. We shared our experiences of online teaching and successes and challenges it brings. 

One of our tasks today was to split off into pairs or small groups and retell our inquiry as if we were explaining it to a Beginner Teacher. I worked with Sarah & Manpreet. The buddy I was reporting on was Sarah. 

Sarah's inquiry was based on the gaps she sees in her classroom in Mathematics. 

The Problem - she has identified that this gap in her students number knowledge is preventing them for moving up a level. 

Her Goal  -  to create teacher directed resources to support her learners. She is collaborating with Rebecca who also sees this gap in her students even though they are working at a different level. Sarah and  Rebecca are formulating google sheet worksheets with a range of number strategies and levels within the curriculum. 

Classroom Practice - Sarah has introduced the Google sheet workshops into her daily maths program as a ten minute warm up. The students are required to take a screenshot of the completed sheet and of a photo of their working out to put in a blog post. She has seen an improve me in the students understanding of different number strategies. This is a great way for students to reflect on their learning and also awesome evidenced based practice by tracking their achievement through the students blogs. 

Next steps for my own inquiry is to continue to check my to do list and keep on track. I have a clear understanding of what I been  doing and what outcomes have come from the introduction of tools to support my learners with their understanding of instructions. I now have to practice being more succinct in my preparation for the upcoming wananga in October. 

Huge shout out to Matt and the MIT cohort for our hui today. It was so great to SEE you all and to connect with others outside of my bubble. 

Until next time team. 

Rarotonga August 2021 - Day 2

Day 2 started bright and early. We headed back to Apii Te Uki Ou to pick up Principal Mark Harris who was our tour guide for the day. We were privileged to visit six schools around the Island. Our day started with a stop at the sacred site where in the early 20th century the Māori Great Fleet of seven canoes (the Tākitimu, Tokomaru, Kurahaupō, Aotea, Tainui, Te Arawa and Mataatua canoes) departed for Aotearoa. This was especially special to me as my ancestors we part of this journey upon the Mataatua waka. 

This garden in Rarotonga with its seven stones was constructed to represent the seven canoes.

The schools we visited were Imanuela Akatemia, Arorangi School, Tereora College, St Joseph's School, Avarua School and Takitumu School. Such diversity between schools with passions coming through for the importance of preserving the culture, sustainability for the Island and the importance of creating more connectivity. 

The day ended with our fabulous hosts at Apii Te Uki Ou preparing an Uma Kai. We came together with staff, whānau and community to share the delicious kai. The setting was at the least stunning with the sun setting in the sky creating warm colours tones that was picturess. As if this wasn't enough they had prepared gifts for us, so special. We had prepared gifts also and with this exchange we forged new bonds with our friends at Apii Te Uki Ou.

                

Overall a rich experience that I will treasure. 

Thank you to all the wonderful Cook Island educators, whānau and students that made us feel so welcome. We were truly blessed to have visited your pacific island paradise. 

Kia Orana - until next time!

Rarotonga Workshop Prep

As part of our preparation for our MIT adventure to Rarotonga we had to prepare a workshop to be held in a local school. The workshop didn't have to link with our project.  In the eyes of the School it was a chance for those "cool techy teachers" to demo a "cool techy thing". It could be fairly casual, and unscripted. We did have some barriers as internet was limited and unreliable on the island but we could download something to our laptop or phone to share. 

Ummm what to do? 

Having a digital component or the use of a digital platform for delivery of our daily curriculum is so ingrained in my classroom practice. What cool techy thing could I share at this workshop that doesn't require a strong digital component that is still techy! I know, very thought provoking...

I wanted to do something that could be easily used but bring a different perspective to a multiple of curricular areas. I decided to do a Science session that could also cross over into literacy and/or photography. A while ago I found these little gems at Kmart. They are a smartphone microscope converter (only $5 each, gotta love Kmart!) and are fantastic to use in the classroom. Simply attach to any iPad or cell phone to view the surrounding world from a different perspective. 

I ordered some to take over to Rarotonga and put together a kete with other resources like journals, a Science Learning Hub lesson plan, a House of Science lesson plan and a print out of my presentation. Below is the outline of my presentation, it is a few simple ideas I have used in the classroom, I didn't wanted my audience to be listening for to long, I wanted to allow maximum time for hands on discovery. 

 

With the last of my preparation done, I am starting to get excited. It seems so bizarre to be travelling overseas in this unpredictable world of Covid-19 and was something I did not expect to be happening this year. I am so grateful to be part of this MIT 2021 journey and the opportunities it is providing.

 Now it's time to pack and countdown for the day of departure...

We got this team, we are ready! 

         

KPMG Hui #2

 

It is always enjoyable to reconnect with the 2021 MIT team at KPMG. 

Time to reflect & challenge our thinking as we continue with the design process, not to mention how spoilt we always are by Justine and the KPMG team. 

It had been awhile since I last spoke with the MIT team as I was unable to attend the last Google Meet. 

Like always we started our day with the WWW reflecting on our projects.

• What's working?
• What's not? - barriers / road bumps
• What's next?
• Challenging Statement & Title of Inquiry
• What Data have we collected?

Just when you think you are getting your head around your inquiry someone gives you feedback that challenges your thinking. Of course this all part of the Inquiry process and it is so valuable to help you go deeper into your inquiry, as it is always evolving and in some instances slightly changing your path. Today for me was reaffirming I am currently on that path but also highlighted that I have A LOT of mahi to do. As my inquiry is slightly out of the box I am always second guessing and rechecking with myself so that I stay on the path...

In a sense to 'Follow the Yellow Brick Road'... well at least I hope that's what I do and not fall down a rabbit hole like Alice! (not sure why I am quoting The Wizard of Oz or the Alice in Wonderland Movies!!)

The afternoon then took a turn with the announcement from Jenny that out trip to Rarotonga in July was a GO! Quickly the discussions turned to the organisation and expectations of our visit (albeit with COVID still on people's minds) Once the excitement settled we set out a timeline of tasks to do to get prepared. Exciting times ahead and more mahi to do. Time management is going to be my biggest challenge moving forward especially that it is a data collection term at school. Do little but often and it will fall into place! (hopefully) Not to mention the mighty reward for all our hard mahi of the upcoming trip to Rarotonga. The old saying goes "you have to do the mahi to get the treats!"

Thanks MET team for providing these opportunities that will not only add to our kete of knowledge but also enrich our lives with these experiences.

Ideation

 

 Idea generation represents a process of “going wide” in terms of concepts and outcomes. For this part of the design process we used the Crazy 8's method. Using keywords or sketches to record innovation ideas. The goal is to push from our first idea, to produce a wide range of solutions for our challenge. In this process I struggled with the 'going wide' my views were narrowed by restricting them to what I already know or think I know! I found the discussion inspiring and thought provoking, opening up new pathways for me to investigate. 

Interestingly when my MIT colleagues added their stickers to what they thought was a good idea, I was surprised as for me it was not a new idea, it is something we already do in the classroom to support our learners. My idea that I was leaning towards only got one sticker. This is yet another stage in the design process that is making me challenge my own ideas, rethink and tweak my inquiry. 

Interpretation

 

During this stage we looked at how to analyse and unpack our problem.  Interpretation allows us to create opportunities for action in our plan. The "How Might We ... encourages us to turn our problem into an opportunity.

After we recorded our ideas of HMW on our posters we then put them up around the room. We read each others poster and gave feedback in the form of HMW questions on post its and placed them on each poster. 

This process made me really think and question my inquiry and how others interpret it. It has helped my narrow down the key aspects of what I am trying to achieve but at the same time has given me much to reconsider. Definitely food for thought in this design process. 

Who

Who does this Moonshot project involve?

Who am I collaborating with on this project?

Who are my team?

Who has a voice in this project

Who: 

Learners - exactly who

Colleagues: co-designers, collaborators, sounding boards etc

Experts: who is being invited to add expert opinion

This process found us looking at our inquiry problem and focussing on the who... This poster is a brainstorm of some of the supports I can tap into throughout my inquiry. 

As I zoom in on my inquiry I can see how many of these support networks will strengthen my ideas around scaffolding instructions for a range of learner needs. 

Google Sites - Week 5

Week 5 sees us exploring Google Sites and the importance of visible learning and teaching. 

Today's session started with a grateful chain. In these uncertain times it was lovely to hear from others what they are grateful for. It really is the little things in life that make all the difference. As we experience life in level four lock-down, for many of us this is our first time experiencing a loss of freedom, free choice and restrictions. Thanks Maria for a great activity to start our learning day. 

Visible learning is not only essential to the success of our tamariki but adds to the growth and professional development of ourselves.

Visiblity A few notes from this session;

- using your site where all links are on this site, easy to access and keeping it simple for tamariki

- Hapara teacher dashboard was designed for the manaiakalani program so that the learning would be visible for the teacher. It is now used around the world.Their is a parent portal part on the teacher dashboard.
Need to learn about this and set it up for our whānau.  

I enjoyed extending my learning within Google Sites. A highlight was working in our small groups with Michelle, Sarah, Julia and Cheryl creating a reading slide and site.

Here is my finished reading slide.

This was inspiring idea and I look forward to adapting and implementing this into my reading program. I will be messaging our team to set up a Google Hangout next week to review our team site. It is in it's early stages of conception so not a lot in it, our main area is around our cyber smart mahi with our Manaiakalani facilitator Amie. The tamariki are really confident in following the steps of each weeks task. Now it's time to extend this in to other learning areas.

Multi Modal

Some key points from Kerry's session about how to use your sites;

- Hook

- Engage

Use the site to create visual interest so the tamariki are enticed to explore more. Using the home page with all the bells and whistles, one- three links to go directly to where you want to them to, keep it simple!

I enjoyed the You tube clip she shared 'looking at a shop window'. Thinking of our site like a shop window helps put it into perspective. I have made a note of slide 20 as it has some good examples that will be handy to use in the future as I fine tune my multi modal skills.

Blogger Tips

Reaction buttons at the bottom of your blog. To edit separate your words out use a comma, click save. On your professional blog you could add your share buttons so people can access your email, Facebook, twitter etc, Do not use share buttons on you students blogs.

Multitext Database -  (sample) or T shaped learning, T shaped literacy explained 

Main text, complementary text, scaffolding and challenging text. This is a great idea... already my brain is thinking of ways to adapt my current program and create something similar to suit my learner needs. Cheryl shared with us today a site called EPIC which looks fantastic. This is what I love about collaboration and visible teaching. Everyone has so many great ideas, tricks or sites that they use. Its so great to leave a sessions feeling inspired to implement new ideas for our learners.

Embedding Google Forms into my site, last week I had a bit of trouble with

this. Amie shared a video with me showing me the steps.

Thanks Amie!