Quadblogging success

Four classes and four teachers thoroughly enjoyed our quad in 2014!  We all agreed that we've made some great connections with each other and our classes.  As such, we've decided that we would like to keep in touch with each other in 2015.

Therefore we will continue our Quadblogging together in 2015 and have decided not to sign up for new quads.

The classess involved are:

• Reefton Area School - Judy McKenzie    
• Clyde School - Steph Kitto
• Eastern Hutt School - Alina Pescini
• Broadlands School - Marnel van der Spuy      

Thank you to Barbs (creator of Quadblogging Aorearoa) for this great opportunity to be part of a blogging community in New Zealand Aotearoa.

PS. If you are still wondering if you should get involved, all I can say is "Go for it, your students will thank you for this opportunity!" 

Enjoy your Quadblogging journey. 

~ "Success is not final, failure is not fatal:  it is the courage to continue that counts." 

- Winston Churchill ~

Connecting with students - First week reflection

Our new school year started on an optimistic note.  We welcomed two new staff members and there is a positive atmosphere in our wonderful school.

It was fabulous to see how some of our students came running to their classes after their arrival.  They were happy and chatty. Another highlight for me was the chance to talk to parents/ caregivers and whānau.

One of my priorities for the first week back (although only three days of school), was to make connections with all students in the learning environment.  Activities for the first week back was planned and selected with the aim to collect student voice, to look for patterns of behaviour at different times and in different situations and to determine each student's strengths.  I became aware of different verbal and non-verbal behaviours, which will enable me to plan and cater for individual needs.  

We established "our GUIDE for a Happy and Successful Environment" (just some 'fancy' words for our Class goals/rules) which we tied in with some of our school's Virtues.  

As a group we also practiced saying our karakia during appropriate times [of the day] and I enjoyed seeing my students' happy and excited faces when involved in these activities.

Next week will see us establishing our Learning Buddy system among many other learning opportunities. 

~ "One hundred years from now... it will not matter what job I had, or what kind of car I drove, or how much money was in my bank account, but that I made the difference in the life of a child" - Unknown ~

And we're off!

We kicked our 2015 year off with two very meaningful and productive professional learning and development (PL&D) days which I thoroughly enjoyed! 

PD #1: 'Appraisal Workshop'

Prior to our session we had to complete a reflection page about a best memory/experience, the worst memory/ experience from a past teacher appraisal and the most effective aspect of appraisal that improved practice.

These were read out aloud during the session and I find it to be an 'eye opener' to hear about everyone's experiences...

During the session we looked at:

- Teacher improvement cycle/Performance Management
- Links to RTC's / Professional Standards
- Links to Portfolio's / 'Body of Evidence'

Some valuable discussions emerged from this session.  

Next Step(s): 
The management team will now establish a framework of how the appraisal process may look for our school, which we would then discuss and share with staff.



PD #2: 'Swim Safe'
Through the Kiwi Swim Safe professional development workshop, we receive practical theory around swimming instruction.   I also learnt that students need to understand the elements of learning to swim and water safety to enable them to participate safely in 'water environments.' 

I left with some new knowledge and confidence to deliver swimming and water safety lessons in the pool.

Next Step(s):

Utilizing the 'Swimstart' Resource to deliver an effective and successful Level 1 swimming programme to my students. 

~ "Who dares to teach must never cease to learn" - Anonymous ~

Focus on being Open

My 'one word' to focus on in 2015 is Open

Open [as I see it] is an outlook and an attitude.  To be open can be an action or re-action, thus allowing me to act with an open mind or re-act with an open mind.  

Therefor I choose this word to enable me to be open to:

• experiences that I would normally stay clear from
• transformation, by renewing my mind with new knowledge/learning
• accept new challenges and [maybe] changes
• develop and advance in my position as a leader
• have a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset
• be mindful about little things to appreciate every day
• work towards achieving a work-life balance
• the fact that 'not perfect' is o.k. - making mistakes is how we learn

~ "Open your eyes to the beauty around you. Open your mind to the wonders of life. Open your heart to those who love you and always be true to yourself." - Donna Davis   

Tips & Tricks - #aussieED

It has been a while since I've participated in an aussieED chat, mainly due to the difference in time zones. The chat was [again] inspiring, with many passionate educators taking part and sharing ideas.  

It was great to discuss and share with one another what one of our greatest achievements in 2014 was. Yes, even teachers need to celebrate our accomplishments. 

Time to think about something we hope to learn this year...
Stemming from my eFellow research, I plan to inquire and learn how to plan for personalised learning using SOLO Taxonomy. I am also adamant to learn more about the theory and practice of UDL (Universal Design for Learning).  I left this chat with some great resources (thanks to Simon Townley - who I've never met!) around UDL just by participating and interacting.  Twitter is the main source where teachers go to get inspiration from.  This is the place where you can interact with like minded, passionate colleagues - no matter where they are in the world!

Isn't this what PL & D should be like, I wonder.  Teachers able to drive their own learning about topics that interest them. To [ultimately] achieve a learning outcome that can be used to benefit our students.

We discussed how cloud computing can be used in our classrooms in 2015 and even what new things we might see in the classrooms of 2020...

As an educator, I personally feel that one should never stop learning and growing. It is important to let students know they matter and that they are the reason we are here.  And then, most importantly, to have a work-life balance.

What I like about edchats? 
People are always willing to share links to further readings and you learn from each other.

What am I going to try out?
I am going to incorporate what I have learned during my eFellow14 research into my practice and will definitely be looking at having a better work-life balance this year.

~ "Surround yourself with people who make you a better person" - Anonymous ~

End of year reflection (2014)

One of my goals this year: 'Educating Life-long Learners'

Reflecting on My opinion:

I was able to build good relationships with my learners and had build their confidence and skills to ensure their learning is successful, enjoyable, meaningful and lifelong.

Reflecting on: My aim this year?

Learners were motivated to be active, engaged and connected learners for life, whilst getting them to use and apply the NZC Key Competencies and any other resources available to them through KidsedchatNZ, Quadblogging Aotearoa and 'Pass the Blog'.

Reflecting on: How will I do this?

1.  Learners were educated on how to make choices, how to think and learn

2.  Learners were encouraged to be critical thinkers and to use their ideas/thoughts to learn both independently and collaboratively

3.  Each learner were valued for what they do well (using weekly assembly awards)

4.  Learners knew they matter

With my 'Teaching as Inquiry (Maths)' my main question was: "How can I accelerate the progress of my focus group of students to where they should be in relation to the National standards?" and My Inquiry became about: "How can I support these students to show and explain their thinking?"

Reflection:

• What impact has my teaching had on my students? -> After introducing a concept, I encouraged student recording. Outcome:  Students were happily engaged in maths activities and considered it to be "their favourite time of the day".
• How do I know, what is the evidence? (Assessment/Student feedback - feed forward/Observations) -> Outcome:  Evidence about it here
• What do I need to do next? -> I provided students with the opportunity to [independently] explore and experiment further. -> Outcome:  Students created their own problems. See some examples here

Taking everything in consideration (as well as positive feedback from classroom observations), I feel confident that this inquiry was completed successfully.


I have also completed reflections on my eFellow14 inquiry, Reading Recovery training, uLearn14 experience and TeachMeetNZ presentation.

~ "Working hard becomes a habit, a serious kind of fun. You get self-satisfaction from pushing yourself to the limit, knowing that all the effort is going to pay off." - Mary Lou Retton ~

Reading Recovery - a year in reflection

I have always been keen to try out new things to enhance my learning and improve my teaching, but when I learned that I will be involved in training as a Reading Recovery Teacher this year, I was almost struck with fear. However, that fear was quickly laid to rest when I experienced the specialist guidance, incredible support and positive feedback from our tutor, Wendy.  As a group, we fitted in well with each other and we were able to discuss many aspects of our teaching and training together. 

My thoughts, reflections and general comments on this year:

• The training course give me insight into how children read and write and I realised that many children who have managed to learn almost all letters and sounds and to read and write several words still cannot read the simplest text.  To successfully read texts children must divide their attention between meaning and other sources of information and make decisions in the same way that mature readers do, but within their limited repertoire of knowledge.
• I became aware that I've changed my teaching to focus on strategies to enable children to use efficient strategies to get meaning from texts as they read for meaning as this increased their ability to use print as cues and phonological cues to generate, confirm or alter their responses.

What aspect of the course did I find most challenging?

• What? Making sure I use & complete the right forms at the right time (Observation Survey excluded). Why? Everything was new and there are multiple forms to be completed for different aspects in the programme.

My biggest highlight and lowlight:

• Highlight: The problem-solving that the children did as they pursue meaning through the reading and writing of whole texts that built the store of words and word-parts that they can identify and recall.  To experience how proud the children are of their progress and how their self-confidence has grown.

Feeling grateful to have received this positive feedback from a parent:

Lowlight:  Slow progress/acceleration and limited support from home for some children.

Thank you Wendy (our Tutor), Gayle, Angela, Karen, Robyn, Haylee, Sharon and Heather for a wonderful year of learning and laughs!  We have worked hard and although we felt unsure at times, it was great to experience how we've started to believe in ourselves and how we have grown in confidence. Yay, we've made it!

Our Celebration lunch and last get together as a group....

~ "The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice" - Brian Herbert ~