Cheryl Torrie- Blinging Blogs with Images

Cheryl Torrie- Blinging Blogs with Images- Teacher Professional Development

Cheryl presented a great slide show that demonstrated how to create collages of photos to embed in our blog posts. These collages could replace the long 'scroll-down' photos of the novice blogger, namely me.

She gave a variety of apps and websites for this purpose.

To demonstrate my fledgling understanding of this I have embedded one of my own collages using random photos (from various Science lessons) that were stored in Google Photos.

Lunapic was one app. that created artistic effects from photos. I have attempted an example of this here with a shot of my siblings and me.

Marc Gibson - T3 - Using flexible learning groups within the curriculum

Marc Gibson -Using Flexible Learning Groups Within the Curriculum

As part of our digital professional learning, Marc Gibson presented the way his school worked with 75 students in a class of 3 teachers. Students worked in flexible groupings that sprang out of the workshops and the roles of teacher as "Taskmaster" and "Coach". Learners select workshops based on their learning needs (taken from the Literacy and Maths Learning Progressions).

The systems within the class were well unpacked with students in term 1 of the year, timetabling was changed each week and a method for students to upload their work to a Learning Progression was established. Students select and sign up to at least 1-2 workshops in each subject area on Monday with the help of a teacher.

Teachers have a different role each week over a three week period.  In Reading the coach works on the end goal  and students work on one task for the whole week, a task that fits with any book. A set of 8 texts is selected each week. Students click on the title to see other complimentary reading and challenging reading related to the book. This meets the requirements for "Multimodal" learning. Students do not work in ability groups although the lower readers do work together but are still part of the book choices for homework etc.

The class site is shared with parents so they can see what the book choices  and tasks.

In writing the students have to complete one piece of writing for the week. During this time the ESOL students leave the room.

In Maths there is a Hotspot activity in the main learning area e.g., fractions. The teachers work in three roles as coach, problem solving and workshops. There is also a Heart zones activity which is more like play based learning. The workshops plug the gaps in the knowledge. Each students has to complete one artefact to show they have learned it. For problem solving teachers work with groups of 18, on 2 problems a week. The students have a specific process to work through.

Each child has their own digital copy of the progressions that are highlighted once they have proven that they have learned it. From these progressions the teachers can target the learning and address the gaps.

So what does this mean for my teaching?

It took much time to set up this school's systems.  They now have a cohesive mode of teaching and learning that meets students' needs, motivates students and raises ability.

Of course this new system needs to be from the top down in a school setting such as ours. School management needs to engage with the process and not see it as a quick fix strategy. It requires commitment over time.

I could...

• Trial the workshop idea on my class site and have a variety of reading books for the book choice. This would work more for my readers who are achieving at a good standard
• For my underachievers daily guided reading and mileage is worth continuing and their workshops would be based around their need for decoding and alphabet skills. Their voice needs to be factored in to the planning
• Process writing would continue along with choices for some different genre or types of grammar. Nothing is new there.
• Problem solving options help create mixed ability groupings and sound better when students mix themselves for maths through their choices (rather than the predetermined mixed groupings that I have heard other educators talk about)
• Workshops that plug the gaps in student knowledge also sound worth doing. 

There is only one teacher in my class of 26, so this limits the flexible nature of groupings and options. However, it would be good to include a few of these ideas in the planning  as part of my own inquiry.

Professional Development for Educators of Children with Additional Needs (SENCO)

Educators of Children with Additional Needs 

The Hub

Tony Hassan from Learning Support, Kaitaia spoke to the seminar. There has been recent consultation in the Far North around the Ministry of Education's Learning Support Hub and in particular the co-designing of the Learning Support service delivery in Tai Tokerau.  The Hub in the Hokianga Initiative is promoted online with the dates the team of RTLBs and MoE's Learning Support will be visiting the schools of the area. The Hub is made up of  the Ministry of Education agencies such as speech language, oral language help, and early intervention etc. Parents/ whanau can call into the Hub to seek help for their child or attend sessions that assist the child such as speech training. Tony said the rate of new referrals had increased 1400% since the commencement of the Hub. The most referral cases have been for communication. Future additions to the Hub may be the inclusion of health services.

Learning Support Action Plan

Priorities for action
1. Learning Support Co-ordinators
2. Screening and early identification of learning support needs
3. Strengthening early intervention
4. Flexible supports for neurodiverse children and young people
5. Meeting the learning needs of gifted children and young people
6. Improving education for children and young people at risk of disengaging

Mindfulness from an Indigenous Perspective      Joni Gordon

Joni's PHD study hypothesis: Do the spiritual practices of Kura Kaupapa have a mindfulness effect?

Conceptualising Maori mindfulness: the tensions and opportunities when reconciling mindfulness.and kaupapa Moari

Matauranga Maori and Mindfulness

• Whakapapa-genealogy
• Nga Atua Maori-The pantheon of Maori godds
• Spiritual practices: karakia (prayer), tohi , takutaku (chants)
• Environment
• Manawa/ Mauri- negotiating their interaction

Influences:

• European ethnographers
• Literature, veers towards the male lens
• Mana wahine-reclamation of ancient wisdom and making space
• The politics of indignity

Be present

• Ritual time
• The collapsing of time into space
• Time in relation to environment
• Reading the stars

Mauritau/ Manawaora- how these concepts interact

Reconciling heart and mind

Examples of mindfulness practices:

Deeply considering a taonga.
Deeply reflecting on a poem etc in Maori and English (and sharing what was experienced ) 

Massey University have an online collaborative network, the"Learning Support Network".        Mandia Mentis (Massey)

This website consists of

• A wealth of resources for the special education teaching community, in particular for SENCos
• Networking and connecting of SENCos nationwide through calendars of events
• Live webinar every Thursday evening
• Online professional development modules to complete for teachers
• Digital badges can be earned that can cross credit to a short course, a Post Graduate Qualification into Learning Support
• Helps SENCos integrate their learning into our practice
• Alignment with the 6 teacher standards
• Supports SENCo inquiry

So what did today's seminar mean for my role as SENCo?

• Connect to the Learning Support Network website with one other person in the school
• Participate in weekly webinars online as often as possible, to gain digital badges towards a Post Graduate in Learning Support
• Incorporate mindfulness practices into my class (in a way that aligns with who I am) as well as  for high anxiety students
• Investigate the new Learning Support  Coordinator role and Action Plan.

Grouping and High Teacher Expectations PLD Day 29.1.19

Grouping and High Teacher Expectations  PLD Day 29.1.19

Presenter: Christine Rubie-Davies, The University of Auckland


The presentation from Christine Rubie-Davies today explained the consequences of teachers having high and low expectations of their students. Teaching practices were outlined, that could improve the self-esteem of students by steering away from purely ability groups in class. She explained that a student's self-belief is affected by teacher expectations. What the teacher values and how a teacher interacts through non-verbal and verbal signals all send a message to students about their ability.

Robert Merton was one of the first researchers to investigate the topic of self fulfilling prophecy. Bob Rosenthal was, however first to apply this concept to education (Pygmalion in the Classroom). Rats and psychologists versus teacher and children interactions, and beliefs were investigated and a framework was designed by Christine Rubie-Davies to detail how the instructional environment and the socio emotional environment (aka class climate) are influenced by several factors.

Reflective question for teachers

 How do you form expectations? What information do you use to make decisions about students?

We discussed the various ways we gather information about students such as...

• achievement data
• personal narratives and info
• previous support provided, and diagnostic labelling
• previous portfolios, reports or profiles presented

Some NZ research examined the resulting effects of teacher attitudes towards ethnicities and those students' achievement. It indicated that Maori were lower in achievement than other ethnic groups. The teacher's belief about the student's ethnicity appeared to influence the teacher's own expectations.

Reflective activity

Teachers were asked to sort the teacher behaviours into two categories, those of interactions with high achievers and those of interactions with low achievers. Teachers gave more quality time to high achievers than lower achievers. Also more wait /processing time were given to high achievers. High emotional support was given to high achievers whereas low emotional support was given to low achievers. Studies on teachers' attitudes and expectations can be influenced by bias, prejudiced and stereotypical (Babab).

It was noted by the research that, when gathering student voice,  students took note of a teacher's non-verbal language and were quick to detect insincerity, even mixed messages. They could identify the differences in how teachers responded to or treated high and low achievers. They noted that brainy students don’t get told off. 

Consequences of expectations

Two factors that influence student capability are; opportunities to learn and the extent to which mixed ability groups are used.

Lower achievers have less opportunities to learn, and less positive interactions. High achievers have more opportunities to learn,  receive positive emotional interactions, and experience challenging learning opportunities. If a student knows that a teacher likes them they will make a bigger effort. 

The way that achievement data is shared and children are grouped often forms negative self-beliefs. Teachers need to be sensitive to how this is shared as the damage can be big.

Teachers attitudes can change the learning trajectory. It was suggested that teachers video themselves teaching to analyse how they interact with high and low achievers.

 Teachers' expectations can preserve self esteem and make the pace and rate of learning easier as well as level adjustments.

Which of the high expectations are already embedded in my practice?

• Gathering student voice about seating/grouping.
• Learning goals based on assessment info  
• Clear routines 
• Extended explanations
• Flexible groupings
• Positive climate
• Scaffolding
• Use links to prior knowledge 
• Fostering relationships
• Give choices
• Be positive
• Mixed ability groups for maths word problems etc
• Consider each students narrative.
• High expectations for all students

Changes I am considering to my teaching

• Multiple opportunities to learn
• Critical thinking activities for all students
• Check non verbal language
• Check bias and prejudice
• Have flexibility in groupings across subjects and focus on the learning rather than ability
• Frequent feedback based on goals
• Video self for observing expectations and non verbal behaviour
•  Responsibility for learning
• Intrinsically motivated students
• Choice of what reader they have
• Ways of grouping students could involve responses to topics to mix them up, perhaps a theme box e.g. frogs and related tasks on a web
• Home reading cards with colour wheel colours, that contain differentiated instruction for parents e.g.,red books- I can read this by myself, yellow books- I can read this with some help
• Theme box e.g.,  for shared reading higher order tasks
• Mixed groups for some “reading activities”, pairs, task board/tumble with student choice.

Group reflection

Setting up a high expectation classroom

PLD attended: Dr Tony Attwood; Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders

PLD attended: Dr Tony Attwood; Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders

March 2018
What?
A comprehensive PLD day at Holiday Inn Auckland.

Notes were recorded on the power point.
Key points for me to take away are...be aware of the following

• App guide for Aspergers is www.learningappguide.com.au  
• Allow long processing time following requests or questions
• If they wait they forget
• Talent and interest in patterns and sequences
• Don't learn from their mistakes-repeated mistakes
• Can't recalibrate to new activity until he has finished one activity
• Teach giving and receiving compliments
• Need to calm down before accessing strategies-calming down is being "smart"
• Will misinterpret anger when it is not
• Make incorrect assumptions
• Need tick lists
• Know the heart not just the behaviour. Not just obedience.
• Good at metaphor but not idioms
• Mannerisms have a message-Youtube:  Found in translation-Tony Attwood
• De-escalate by giving him something he is good at
• Red or amber zone- go for a run-big movements
• 6th sense of negativity-will seek solitude because of negative emotions of others. Oasis of solitude.
• He observes, analyses then imitates
• manage big social times in 20 minutes blocks 
• Sensory perceptual issues in autism and aspergers syndrome- Olga Bogdashina
• www.irlen.com
• Movie "Inside out" a favourite
• No spontaniety
• Anxiety drives the opposition, need rituals and routines to cope...can become obsessive
• Special interests help them cope with anxiety
• Calmly think about what you need to do.
• use fit bits-"make the numbers fall"- calm. "Do you want to be alone?"
• Therapeutic massage, meditation, choose a scene from Harry Potter that best describes your sadness
• KEYs to anxiety: solitude, special interest, parents
• Love to collect and catalogue
• STIMs-repetitive Motor movements- a means of communication, reduces anxiety, blocking overload, soothing and very pleasurable
• Depression is a reaction to pain

How we should group students in primary maths lessons? Ipu Kereru

How we should group students in primary maths lessons? Ipu Kereru
What now?
A Blog of the NZ association for Research in Education
How could mixed ability groups work best in my classroom?

• Make class warm-ups more collaborative through the use of choral counts, quick images, and strings see  https://tedd.org/mathematics/ as well as solving word problems . This will strengthen risk-taking, creativity and collaborative word problem solving. Arguing, modelling and generalising are key socially mediated strategies.
• Provide equity for all students (although, personally,  I feel that more able students would tire of mixed ability groupings, therefore equity appears to be more for the lower ability students)
• Better to use mixed ability groups for extra strands as these are more suitable for socially mediated learning.
• Lower achievers benefit from the mentoring of more able students
• GATE students learn faster so their needs are better served within an ability group, in my opinion, this also is research informed.

Guidance for NZ schools on behaviour management to minimise physical restraints

Guidance for NZ schools on behaviour management to minimise physical restraints; MoE
What?
The MoE document outlines the seriousness of restraint.  It should only be used in emergency situations, however, staff need to use their professional judgement in these situations. If the behaviour is a danger to themselves or others restraint should be used. Seclusion is no longer to be used in schools. 
Use minimum force only and use only for the time needed.

So what?

• Avoid restraint if there is no danger imminent
• Fill in a restraint form the same day
• Debriefing needs to occur within 2 days of the incident.
• Create an Individual Behaviour plan for at-risk students
• The approach is"I am here to help"
• Principal involves the family

Understanding Behaviour: Responding Safely (UBRS); MoE PLD

Understanding Behaviour: Responding Safely (UBRS); MoE PLD

What?
The school held a teacher only day to start 2018. The focus was on UBRS, a programme that looked at identifying and safely responding to challenging behaviour. All staff attended the day as all work with an increasing number of children with challenging behaviours. Safety of children and staff was emphasised throughout.

So what?
We covered topics such as...

• Differential responding and suggested strategies for each type or stage  of behaviour escalation e.g., Out of sorts, escalating, out of control and calming down
• Planning to manage at-risk behaviour using preventative and reactive strategies and who was responsible
• Safety/ escalation plan to detail the behaviours and triggers and various actions that can be taken at each behavioural stage
• When to restrain and when not to restrain
• Understanding why children behave as they do- the purpose behind it
• The effect of oxytocin as a stress reducer and health promoter
• The effect of cortisol -allowing the body to be charged up and ready to be at its maximum function for awhile
• Understanding our own stress
• Connect before you correct
• Maintaining calm through breathing and time/space
• Keep relationship throughout a response

So what now?

In my  classroom this means that I need to consider the at-risk students who have had no formal diagnosis yet and implement..

1. A safety/ behaviour plan that identifies triggers and responses at various levels

2. To protect our relationship and protect the child's self-esteem throughout a response

3. To connect before I correct

4. To allow time for the child to respond to a warning of upcoming consequences

5. To not restrain if there is no imminent danger to other students

6. To call for backup from staff if the situation has reached the "red zone" and things are out of control.