The Power of Inclusiveness Google Site

Click here to view my Google Site filled with tips, tricks and resources to help inclusive practice in the classroom. 

The Power of Inclusiveness

Here is my pre-recorded MIT Pecha Kucha from the Manaiakalani Wānanga 2021.

Manaiakalani Wānanga 2021

Wānanga 2021

We came together face to face in regional clusters or from far and wide online during this wānanga. Here are a few notes I recorded from today's session.

Pat Sneddon - Amplifying the learn, create and share - Pat shares an important message especially in these challenging times and the impact of Covid 19 has had on our communities. Manaiakalani learn, create, share pedagogy has helped close the gap when in online learning and demonstrates just how important it is to maintain and build on this pedagogy in our current changing environment.

Dr Rebecca Jesson - I always enjoy listening to Dr Rebecca Jesson. She has a wealth of knowledge and I always walk away with another gem or to or a different perspective to investigate. She spoke about the importance of the purpose of the 'why' behind reading and the importance to fine and review.

Looking at the data

• Interrogate evidence of strengths and needs
• Identify strategies likely to work, based on research evidence
• Close interrogation of implementation - so that strategies adjusted to learners’ strengths needs
• Refine and review

Design with the end in mind

This model was developed this year bringing together elements of the Manaiakalani pedagogy, high leverage practises and digital affordances and has informed the observations, questionnaires and these recommendations.

T-shaped Literacy

The importance of purposeful text to go of surface and depth

Up until recently, the selections were not chosen to build knowledge from one lesson to another. The units of study, five or six weekly lessons, were all too frequently a hodgepodge of selections organized under a vague theme, such as serendipity or adventures. Fortunately, the most recent versions of core programs present units of instruction with unified themes and selections that build knowledge over several lessons (LaVenia, 2019).

The importance of higher order questioning and extended discussions.

Students are invited to speak and students build on from each other to extend the discussion. The importance of teaching discussion skills.

Learn, Create, Share

Reflecting on my own professional practice and exploring ways I can implement more SHARE opportunities in our team

Currently our students have the opportunity to share within reading groups, use of blog to share across the team and give feedback to others, creating to share e.g poster or direct action of their learning. 

How can we increase the SHARE platform in our school community?

It's MIT time... after an informative morning the time came to share our pre-recorded MIT Pecha Kucha. It was a surreal feeling sitting with our cluster watching myself online. It all went well and I feel painted a good overall summary of my journey this year. I am proud to be amongst a great cohort of teachers during this 2021 MIT inquiry and each and everyone of our tools or websites will be valuable resources in the future. GO TEAM! 

Next Steps

After our recent adventures in the Cook Islands I'm still on a high. Time to bring myself back reality and reflect on my Inquiry. 

Where am I at? 

Time to; 

• Review recent data and compare to last data collection. 
• Does it show a shift in academic learning with the changes I have made during this Inquiry.
• Re-interview the students to gather student voices? 
• What are the differences? What has helped? 
• What tweaks can I make to support this particular group of learners? 
• What evidence have I gathered to support my findings during this Inquiry so far? 
• Continue to build  a curation of resources on my Google Site 
• Get feedback from colleagues on Google Site, is it easy to navigate?
• Create and insert a Google Form into my Gsite for other educators can add to the collection of resources. 

Still a lot to do... better get busy! 

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 August 2021 - Day 1

 

Kia Orana from Rarotonga.

The Manaiakalani Innovative Teachers cohort for 2020 and 2021 were fortunate enough to go to Rarotonga to present our challenges and Inquires and work with local educators.

After an early start we exited the plane to be met with a gush of warm air, sunshine and the realisation that our adventure was underway.  I met up with my travelling buddies and we made our way through customs and on the Resort. 

I found the rest of the MIT group soaking in the shallows of the warm ocean having a chat, we joined them and as the sun set on the first day I was filled with warmth and in no hurry to return to Aotearoa's winter weather. We then gathered for an evening hui to discuss the next few days mahi. 

Day 1 was great fun. The welcome we had form Apii Te Uki Ou was simply stunning. The performance by the students was beautiful as they shared an official Cook Island welcome. We enjoyed the morning sharing kai with our hosts, partaking in some cultural activities with the students and exploring the school. We visited different stations where we had a go at Pareu Printing, Coconut Husking and Weaving Plates. The senior students that lead us around were full of confidence and shared their culture and knowledge with such pride.

Another highlight was the opportunity to walk around the school, seeing the teachers in action and the students in their element. What a colourful, warm environment with the sound of the waves crashing in the background. What we see as a unique setting is their everyday norm. They face many challenges, especially with connectivity but have so many other rich experiences. For me this experience was so rich and rewarding with so many highlights! Where do I apply!!! Here are a few photos to sum up our day. 

That night was the night many of us were anxiously waiting for. We had to do our Pecha Kucha presentations. Nervous was an understatement! The turn out from local educators and those involved in many Ministry areas from all over the Island was fantastic, although it made it more daunting it was also heartwarming. No matter how far along you are in your journey it's such a special moment to share ideas and relate to educators that face many similar issues in the classroom. The feedback was fantastic and an immense amount of pride followed not only for the accomplishment of my own presentation but watching my fellow colleagues being successful in their presentation. The commandery after the main event was the highlight, connecting with others and sharing different ideas, exchanging emails and building new friendships. It was an amazing experience. 

  

I wonder what day two will bring? 

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. 

Moonshot Proposal Feedback

As we continue to unpack our Inquiries and zoom in on the key ideas we explored each others through the process of the five 'WHYS". Here is my buddy Migi's wonderings about my Moonshot Proposal.  

Empathy

What do we know already? 

Understanding another human’s experience and understanding human needs:

Carrying on from our Discovery we continued with a new role play. This task was to act out our project with a partner. After some prep time we acted it out for the MIT team.  I found this a challenge as my project reflects a group of students. I used the soft toys as I acted out the different scenarios. It gave us an opportunity to share briefly about our learners and their struggles to help build and understanding of the diverse learners in our classroom. Here are my 'little friends' that helped out during this role play.

                                                     

           I worked with Kath Roach from St Francis of Assisi in Christchurch. 

                     Kath's inquiry is around literacy in the junior school. 

MIT Connect Hui Feb 2021

And i'm off.... my adventures continue with MIT with our connect hui in the Coromandel. I met up with the South Island crew and we continued our journey to Kuaotunu. Arriving safely we had a wonderful meet and greet by Dorothy. After a quick tour of the whare I unpacked into my home away from home, hidden amongst the garden with a backdrop of the bush surrounded by the bird song of our NZ native birds.

What a slice of paradise to escape to.

This Connect Hui would be the first of many face to face hui this year. There are seven teachers from a range schools across New Zealand. It was great to talk to all the teachers and discuss their proposal ideas and also connect with the teachers I had the pleasure of working with on our Moonshot proposals. The purpose of this hui was around team building with our MIT 2021 colleagues and to start our design thinking process around our proposals.

With the support of the Manaiakalani team; Dorothy (Logistics and Cheerleader), Matt (Co-pilot and Ship Steadier) Jenny (CEO Manakalani Trust & Master Chef) we were in good hands.

Design thinking "is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer's toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for ... success.” Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO.

This connect hui will see us explore six design thinking ideas and put our own ideas to the test, as we explore the 'Why'.

 I look forward to this challenge and working with the MIT team in 2021 and being part of their inquiry journey. 

Nau mai, haere mai

Welcome to my professional learning blog.

This is a place where I can reflect on my Teaching as Inquiry goals

and how they link to the Education Council's

Standards for the Teaching Profession