Collaboration Models

Part of the exploration I'm undertaking for my Google Innovator project is to look at how teachers and community resources (read: The Mind Lab, Tairāwhiti Museum, Waka Hourua, etc) could better collaborate to produce high-quality digital resources that are visible and rewindable in order to involve learners in real-world learning that is engaging and accessible to all.

Collaboration is a challenge when working across a whole region.  Many people are time poor and overwhelmed by other tasks, so although they are excited about the idea of collaboration, it's either not achieved or it's not turbocharged to the level that it could be.

This video was an interesting watch:
James Hopkins on Collaboration

This also led me to look at some new information around Practitioner Research and I found this "Inquiry on Inquiry" here.

Looking further, I realised that Google Scholar has a number of recent resources available as well.  

A bit of light reading for later: here.

Loads to unpack, but I'm excited about the impact it could have for our region if we can explore best practice for regional collaboration.

Core Business DFI

Friday of Week 5 saw us begin our first Tairāwhiti Digital Fluency Intensive.  As a new facilitator, I'm so lucky as I get to attend as well!  As someone who's already completed the Google Certified Educator Levels 1 and 2, I wasn't sure how much more I would learn, but I definitely still got some new learning out of the day too!  I love the way the day was split into Deep Dives, Chalk and Talks, Level Ups and Explore.  It means we've had exposure to loads of different content and now have the inspiration to undertake my Apple Teacher work for the end of these nine weeks of DFI.

Today we were using docs to create posters, which I had never thought to use.
I began creating this today.... but haven't yet finished it.

What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?

Today we learned all about the inception of Manaiakalani and how it began as Literacy Cycles.  It was so interesting finding out about that because so many people often think it because with loads of access to technology.  When in fact, it didn't.

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow as a professional?

Some of the wonderful add ons that I haven't used before would be wonderful to improve the efficiency of what I do in my work, but also with the learners and teachers I work with too.  Docs to Forms sounds awesome, particularly in regards to setting up some quizzes in our learners' classrooms.

What did I learn that could be used with my learners?
Using the URL for the kids labels in their blog posts could be particularly helpful to get them to post reflections about what they've been blogging about.  For example, when looking at how many maths posts, versus how many reading posts, and evaluate coverage for blog posts.

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow in my personal life?
Docs to forms could make like so much faster!  So many of our teachers have had worksheets for their kids for years!  Docs to forms would allow them to make use of what they already have but in more user-friendly ways.

Manaiakalani: Sharing Tools

Today we met as a collaborative group to discuss how Blogger is working in our hubs and we created digital learning objects to share our favourite teaching strategy for having learners share.
I've found Google Slides so versatile and allows us to share in lots of different places.  There are so many different types of object they can create from a slide deck and they transfer well to places to share.

Learn, Create, Share

So I have a confession.  I've always been pretty good at the learning part and the sharing part, but I really struggle with the bit in the middle.

Historically, "Creation" has always been the aspect of whatever I do that is a bit 'messy' and haphazard, out of everything.  In fact, I didn't really call it creation, but maybe lumped it all together in 'learning'.  But that has changed.  Recently, with the idea of Learn, Create, Share while part of the Manaiakalani Pilot Teacher programme, I've been looking at my goals in slightly different ways, and have found that 2018's goals can all be tied together quite well.

1.  Enhance my knowledge of the NZ Curriculum
2.  Create visible, rewindable, digitally accessed tools to support learning and our tracking and planning templates (OTJ sheets, Learning Pathways etc.)
3.  Utilise the access to facilitators to maximize my Manaiakalani journey

From all this, hatched a plan to tie all my learning together, so that I was using the Manaiakalani  "Learn, Create, Share" model, to explore my goals and present back my findings.  In order to do all this, I knew it was going to be vital to use some planning tools that could support me in actually getting into action with my inquiry, every day.  Currently, I'm in the process of creating a plan to help me create action daily around my goals.  This gives me a very clear direction for my inquiry but also enables me to check out the big picture before I get there and look into potential upcoming problems before they arise.

My goal is to create lesson content for our learners that is visible (available on our Hub Landing Page), rewindable and maximizes teacher's time by tailoring learning around the NZ Curriculum and our OTJ planning sheets.  It will also enable learners to have a greater degree of agency over their learning and the ability for them to more clearly see the progress they are making around their own goals.

Watch this space.

Reflection: Using Digital Tools to support Writers

Google Docs for Writing

Using Google Docs for modeling and planning has been quite helpful in working with our students who require additional support but are not asking for it, as well as for those learners who struggle with spelling.  The new voice to text feature really aids students in the process of transferring information from 'brain to paper'.  Or in this case, brain to Doc.

To begin with, with our reports, we used a Google doc for accountability and to support with modeling.  Students had to write an introductory sentence to their report that including what the 'thing' was, the groups that it belonged to and where it could be found.  Having the student's writing all in one doc meant that they could use others' work as support but also, it was easy to track who had completed the task, and a quick look over the work highlighted important next learning steps for me.  For example:


I could see from this work that there were still some major capitalization issues, so we spent a quick hotspot session recapping these, before moving on. Following this, we used an existing planning template but adapted it for use in Google Docs, which was helpful in the planning process. Especially when it came to feeding in new vocabulary. 




I'm interested to see how this progresses with repeated uses.

Using Digital Tools to Support Writing

It's one thing to enjoy digital tools and understand all the wealth of enjoyment they potentially offer.  It's another thing entirely to actually find time to organize digital resources into meaningful, purposeful learning. This week, I attempt to use the great options out there to help drive our learning.

POBBLE 365
What is this, you ask?
Well, according to Google, this is what Pobble365 is about:

I'm aiming to be using some motivating writing tools for our learners in order to encourage our reluctant writers to write more and feel more engaged in the writing process.  Engagement is a challenging thing to measure, so for the purpose of this, it will be measured by how often they are commenting and how often they choose to write during silent reading time, rather than reading.

This video was interesting in terms of using Google Docs in the writing programme.  I'm wondering if I might be able to use Google Docs to feed more language into their writing by using Google Docs, too.



  Raising student writing levels using Google docs from CORE Ministry Video on Vimeo.

While I've used Google Docs with reluctant writers in the past, this time I'm aiming to scaffold the boys more before and during the writing time, so that they are better able to make use of the tools.

My next thoughts around the inquiry for this are:
How can I keep the design simple so the kids can read and understand their task?
How can I use peer editing to support students in the writing process for realtime feedback?
What tools will be the most interesting for the kids in order to motivate them to write?

Literacy Shed and Pobble 365 seem like two simple tools that could be used, so I will try them first.

Mindfulness?

Tonight I'm writing about some learning more aligned with the mindfulness curriculum than the NZ Curriculum, but perhaps it should be part of what we do.  Maslow states that all humans have innate needs for things such as safety before belonging, and belonging before self-esteem etc.  It's an interesting concept that we have so little time to teach, so we start with goals, when some of our kids don't actually feel personal security in our learning spaces.  So what can we do about it?

(Source: Retrieved from the World Wide Web 26th July 2018 at 9.00pm from https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html)

In a bid to support some of our students who struggle to settle into learning, I've considered bringing some of the mindfulness I encounter at yoga into our classroom.

Many learners arrive at school having had sugary breakfasts (including fizzy drinks and energy drinks) and struggle to settle.  along with the physiological needs of water and food, I would also argue that they need correct nourishment to be settled enough for learning.

However, seeing as I don't always have control over this aspect of their day, I see my role as encouraging the settling process. 

In the mornings, most days, we begin the day with our karakia, roll and "thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs sideways" - this is a quick check-in so I can see how each of our kids are feeling.  It helps us all to be mindful of how their mood might impact their decision-making for the day and even helps them get in touch of where they're at.  In addition to this, it's a wonderful way for me to connect with them and offer some kind words or mutual excitement around an upcoming opportunity they might be looking forward to.

Following this, most days we begin with maths in our Hub of 90.  Our learners move into their groups and don't often remain with their base group teacher, so they are quickly relocated to a new space and must settle in and get down to the business of math learning.  Many learners have experienced a trauma around maths that means they have developed a belief that they are not good mathematicians.  Changing their mindset around this is not always easy, but is vital to the ability to ensure they are willing to engage in math learning, to the best of their ability. 

In addition to this, many learners come to school with emotional concerns or mental health problems.  Many of these are at this age, yet undiagnosed.  Yet they are struggling with who they are and how to navigate this. 

With all the above in mind, I decided this would be the best place to begin my mindfulness curriculum.

We began with something so simple.  The kids find a space in the room, lie down on their backs, place their hands on their belly or alongside their body, close their eyes, and breathe.  Yes there are a few giggles as they settle in... they're outside of their comfort zone, doing something very different and there is huge vulnerabilty in that.  But they engage.  Taking a few minutes to coach them through noticing their breath, setting an intention for their math learning for the day and settling their busy brains only takes a few minutes and when they come back to a seated position, there is a noticeable calm in the room.  We have more to go through in this curriculum, but given the calm it brings, I think it's worth pursuing.  A few minutes at the beginning of maths means a much more settled maths session.  And that's worth being mindful about.

My next action includes learning about Mindfulness programmes on offer for children.  Sparkles have one.  They are a mindfulness curriculum that has been developed in Christchurch, New Zealand.
See Sparklers here: https://allright.org.nz/tools/sparklers/