Learning Through Teaching
  • Blog
  • Profile
  • Inquiry Learning
  • Mathematics
  • Curriculum Development
    • Language Art Instructional Practices
    • Language Arts Scope & Sequence
    • Language Arts Student Learning Outcome Differentiated Grid
  • Contact Me
  • NZ PTC
    • PTC Evidence Aug 2015-Aug 2018

Powerful Learning Conversations

11/29/2016

0 Comments

 
This second half of the year our team has been focussing on developing the skills for powerful learning conversations within our inquiry teams. The type of conversation in which we are able to be vulnerable in sharing our struggles and where our colleagues are able, through skilful open questions, to provoke us into deeper thinking and even sometimes to turn our thinking around.  There many sessions of theory, but I didn't find these very helpful. They went too fast with too much information. However, what I did find extremely helpful was engaging in powerful learning conversations with colleagues and leaders at the school. Here are a couple that were very impactful on my practice.
1). Although an experienced teacher, I am new to modelling books. They are not just an expectation but a requirement at my school. Initially I was all gungho, but overtime, I struggled to integrate them into my small group lessons. I was OK with the whole class modelling book for writing, it was maintaining modelling books for each reading and maths groups that I couldn't do. I found the setting up so repetitious and time consuming. Additionally, using them during the lesson, I found they interfered with the flow of the lesson and my ability to differentiate. 

During a learning conversation with my dean she started out with simple open ended questions. "Tell me how have tried to use them? Why do you think they are getting in the way of good teaching?" She brought me back to research data about their effectiveness to clarify lessons and to enable students to take ownership of their learning through modelling book. She reminded me that I already practiced all the skills for a successful modelling book, but I did it orally and through the whiteboard table.  However, at the end of the lesson it was all erased. We explored together the pages of my books while I explained why I was frustrated by them and how I had felt restricted by them, as if I was teaching to the modelling book not the the students in front of me. I wanted a model that allowed me to be flexible and responsive in the iterative moment of teaching, to be able to differentiate for each student in providing rigour in complexity or quantity. I was able to field some possibilities with her, test out ideas for how I structured the book, its set-up etc.  
Picture
Picture
I went into the conversation determined to justify my decision not to use modelling books. I left convinced I could do them in a way that would be effective for student learning. The second half of term 3 and term 4 have been a time of exploring this. I am much more a piece with the modelling book and in certain lessons have found it an invaluable resource. Students have already started to take ownership of it, asking for it during their activity time and adding their own additions as they work, especially in the reading book. This was a powerful learning conversation that completely turned my thinking around and gave me the tools and confidence to move forward successfully. 

2). The second learning conversation that still resonates with me is one I had at the very end of term 3 with our DP. It centred around a discussion of my use of Reciprocal Teaching with my guided reading groups. I had struggled to find the right introductory, support and follow-up material to use with the students as everything I had come across was designed for use with upper primary or higher. In the end, I designed my resources and launched into teaching these powerful strategies to the students. My DP's simple open ended question was, "Has it been as effective as you had hoped?" This launched me into a discussion about the students' struggle to comprehend the function of seeking clarification. Too often they used this when actually all they really wanted was support to decode the word. Once the word was decoded they often knew its meaning and were satisfied to move on. I realised that I needed to make these two functions, decoding and clarification, much more distinct for the students. I also realised that in focussing on comprehension WALHTs I was removing a focus on decoding that these very young readers still needed. I decided to review all the Reciprocal Teaching strategies in the fourth term, but to also run a generic secondary WAHLT every week of WALHT use a mixture of strategies to decode tricky words. I brainstormed with them the many strategies they already knew and these become our success criteria. Then I encouraged them to self-select strategies in combination to solve tricky words. Once a word was decoded, if it was still unknown, that was when we moved it through to our Clarification page. 

​PTC 1 - establish maintain effective professional relationships focussed on the learning and well-being of Akonga.
PTC 4 - demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional ;earning and development of personal professional practice.
PTC 12 - use critical inquiry and problem-solving effectively in their professional practice.
0 Comments

Preparing for Transition

11/27/2016

0 Comments

 
In the 5th week of each term the Kiwi teachers and Dean co-present an information evening. This is advertised on our Facebook page and in the local newspapers. Parents of children due to start in upcoming terms are welcome and even encouraged to attend.

The evening gives us a chance to meet the parents, inform them of how school will support their child, what they can do at home to prepare them for the transition and also a chance to for them to ask questions.    

PTC 1 - establish and maintain effective professional relationships focussed on the learning and well-being of all akonga.
PTC 2 - demonstrate commitment to the well-being of all akonga.
Picture
0 Comments

Working as a Team - Beginning School Assessments

8/9/2016

0 Comments

 
I have to say, I have the most awesome team of colleagues in my New Entrant unit. We really work well as a team, supporting each other, sharing ideas and resources and challenging each other to be better teachers. We plan our overall week together, and yet we each have our own teaching style, strengths and weaknesses in our classrooms. 

One area in which I have appreciated the support of my colleagues is in the data collection for Beginning School Assessments. These take an extraordinarily long time to collect, all through 1:1 interview with the child. Of course, while working 1:1, I cannot be teaching groups or whole class lessons. Simultaneously tending to the management needs of the class slows down the whole process. At the beginning of the year, all 3 New Entrant classes had a large group of children needing to be assessed. 

I love the way my team supports each other through this time. Many of the school's Learning Assistants can help by administering some of the assessments, like alphabet names, sounds, color and shape checking. This lets us focus of running records and JAM assessments. In all though it is a team effort. We are constantly checking in on each other's progress. As one teacher finishes, they pick up assessments for their colleagues. 

PTC 1: In this way we work in an effective professional relationships focussed on the learning of our Akonga.
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Innovative Learning Environment (ILE) Inquiry

4/12/2016

0 Comments

 
This year I am working in a collaborative professional inquiry of 3 teachers. We are documenting our meetings on a shared google doc as well as documenting data and analysis in a large scrap book. At times it feels like we are repeating ourselves, doubling or trebling our workload as we are recording data in multiple places. On the other hand, the scrapbook in particular is helpful in focussing the data on our target students, rather than the class as a whole.

Already I am seeing changes in my practice that appear to be contributing to strong gains in reading, our gaol area. The biggest challenge now is to find ways to support a similar growth in reading for my newbies who have just arrived into a very different classroom environment than the initial children experienced.    
0 Comments

ILE Inquiry PD

2/23/2016

0 Comments

 
Here are some note regarding the purpose and benefits of using Collaborative Inquiry for Teaching as Inquiry. I think we will need to come back t the principles and guideline at various times during our inquiry. 

Providing opportunities for professional learning and collaborative Teaching as Inquiry
  • teacher strengths
  • specific goal setting
  • clear and respectfully honest communication
  • relational trust

Supporting the development of evaluative, teaching and leadership capabilities
  • using initiative
  • volunteering
  • mentoring and/or coaching someone 
  • taking risks
  • leadership units
  • using soft and hard data effectively to make changes for a student
  • working in ILP of 3-not one leader
  • going into ILP with a question to ask-so everyone is contributing and finishing with 3min reflection from each person

Facilitating the sharing of reflective practice to mobilise the experience, skills and knowledge of the group
  • planning and time to do it
  • haring observations
  • mindset or pedagogical change
  • risk taking
  • asking questions-has it shifted the outcome?


Committing to open and respectful interpersonal interactions

  • allowing everyone to talk
  • being positive
  • allow thinking time
  • not talking with others about difficult conversation with another colleague-no judging or gossip
  • respectfully disagree at times
  • being open

Effectively analysing qualitative and quantitative data and using it to identify possible areas for improvement
  • triangulating soft and hard data
  • child centered 
0 Comments

    Renee Stewart

    Forever curious, always learning, deep thinking teacher. I am a Year 5 teacher this year and am enjoying the transition after 3 years with New Entrants.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015

    Categories

    All
    Analysis Learning
    Assessment
    Bi Cultural
    Content Knowledge
    Critical Inquiry
    Cultures
    Diversity
    Effective Teaching And Learning
    Flexible Grouping
    Fostering Trust
    Heritages
    ILE Inquiry
    Inclusive
    Individualized Needs
    Leadership
    Learning Activities
    Learning Needs
    Making Connections
    Maori
    Motivation
    Multi Cultural
    New Learning: New Contexts
    Oral Language
    Play
    Professional Learning
    Professional Learning Goals
    Professional Practice
    Professional Relationships
    PTC 1
    PTC 10
    PTC 11
    PTC 12
    PTC 2
    PTC 3
    PTC 4
    PTC 5
    PTC 6
    PTC 7
    PTC 8
    PTC 9
    Reflection
    RTLB & MOE Relationships
    Safety
    Te Reo
    Think Critically
    Treaty Of Waitangi
    Well Being
    Whanau

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.