Another great example of fantastic GisInt Goodness.
Great refresher of EdPuzzle and Blendspace - there is some excellent potential learning here. I'm looking forward to building them into our learning again. Blendspace is a great example of how students can be demonstrating their learning through the location of relevant resources for their personalized learning.
YouTube
Creating channels with Alicia. So much fun to create channels and playlists and think about how they could apply to my kids! Fun!
Wednesday, 8 July 2015
Genius Hour - Herman Fourie
So exciting to be here with Herman presenting.
Today we're looking at Genius Hour.
In order:
We looked at Genius Hour and how a lot of Google products were originally part of their 20% time. How this can apply to students in our schools?
Empowerment, passion, engagement.
Process - exciting and chaotic start, refining the process in later years.
Refining the planning
Using Blogs to plan Using Google Slides and videos as reflection Follow on - learning is catching - one student with a mum into pallet couches brought the idea to school and all students building on each other's learning.
Students negotiating timetables in order to maximise their Genius Hour time
"Demonstrates effort, learning and a mastery of skills" - video on slide 9
Video talks about:
Weekly Question problem
Whole Term Project - like a passion project - music etc
Group Projects - collaboration (arguing why a project is a good idea etc)
Following this, we looked at the making Open and Closed questions in order to develop our questioning process and developing great questions.
Doc with questions here
Excellent and relevant presentation - seriously inspiring! Google 4E for life!
Today we're looking at Genius Hour.
In order:
We looked at Genius Hour and how a lot of Google products were originally part of their 20% time. How this can apply to students in our schools?
Empowerment, passion, engagement.
Process - exciting and chaotic start, refining the process in later years.
Refining the planning
Using Blogs to plan Using Google Slides and videos as reflection Follow on - learning is catching - one student with a mum into pallet couches brought the idea to school and all students building on each other's learning.
Students negotiating timetables in order to maximise their Genius Hour time
"Demonstrates effort, learning and a mastery of skills" - video on slide 9
Video talks about:
Weekly Question problem
Whole Term Project - like a passion project - music etc
Group Projects - collaboration (arguing why a project is a good idea etc)
Following this, we looked at the making Open and Closed questions in order to develop our questioning process and developing great questions.
Doc with questions here
Excellent and relevant presentation - seriously inspiring! Google 4E for life!
Tuesday, 7 July 2015
TeachXpo 2015
What a great day! I've heard about Joan before and feel sure I must have been to one of her workshops at the conference we went to in Rotorua with Nik and Carol and Rob that time - not ULearn but something similar. She was an engaging and structured as ever and boy did we learn!
She mentioned a man called, Patrick Lencioni and his books the Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Advantage which sound really interesting. Wow! What can I say! Joan Dalton - wow!
This lady has impressed me more than words can say. If I can be just half as influential as she can in my lifetime, I'll be happy!
This is one of her talks and can give a little insight into how amazing she is. And, at some point in your life, you need to be in the room with Joan. Her amazing presence is calming and resonates so well with how I feel about empowering education. I feel very strongly that this workshop with Joan will change the way I view myself, my learners and those around me. She has helped me on my journey to seeing how I view education and to create the change I wish to see. Wow.
Conversations for improving and transforming learning from EDtalks on Vimeo.
Takeaways from the course: Great structured collaborative activities: Donut - with drinks partner. Pinwheel - numbered off 1, 2, 3 and move on when time to go on. Number 2 is gatekeeper (gives them a job) Final Word - choosing something to talk about - everyone else speaks in turn first, then final word person says why they chose that one. Great idea - gives a chance to share and everyone has a turn before the person selecting can speak and explain their selection. Sharing someone else's idea Using post-its to list what we hope to learn (or will choose to focus on) that day and return to that later to see if they have achieved their goal.
What will you Continue, Start and Stop now that you know that?
Continue: I'd like to continue looking at Joan Dalton's books. She has done some vital research around Learning Talk and after spending two days in her 'classroom' I want that for all my learners. I love the way that she uses language: Take the next five minutes to talk over what you've learned through this process. As you turn to the board you'll see.... So we're ready for head outside into the sunshine for morning tea, there are a few things it's time for us to do, how might we best do that? Return to our classroom covenants and encourage students to identify what learning we need to do in order to help our learning. Come back to Circle Time and use this time to restructure our understandings. Do this in partnership with Joan's Learning Talk books, so that our Important Conversations are filled with Joan's wonderful nurturing and Growth Mindset language.
Start: Speaking in ways that demonstrate trust for my students. Start speaking in ways that ask more questions. Creating laminated prompt cards to encourage active listening (pause, reframe, prompt, probe, inquire) Using the structured collaborative activities that mix up our learning community for greater collaboration. Start speaking about students again with promise and potential.
Stop: Picking up on all shortfalls in attention. Focus instead on positivity. I can't MAKE students learn and I can't MAKE them watch or join in. I know all this but somehow the 'power' in our room is becoming a problem and how perhaps this is adding to the way I feel that students feel that learning is my business not theirs. If I want their agency to improve, I need to show them that I know it's their job, I feel it's their job and I can leave it to them to be responsible for that behaviour. And if it's not happening? Then we need to follow up later with an Important Conversation that asks of that child what's not happening for them and what thoughts they have on it. (See Joan's notes on important conversations).
I can't even put into words how often subtle habits of mine were highlighted throughout this process and how unsettled that left me feeling. They say though that dissonance is the catalyst for change. So change is inevitable then, I think. Joan's new book - Book 5 is out about September and focuses a lot of the Important Conversations we need to have. In the meantime, I'm excited about what her current books can do for me. So exciting! Roll on the growth!
She mentioned a man called, Patrick Lencioni and his books the Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Advantage which sound really interesting. Wow! What can I say! Joan Dalton - wow!
This lady has impressed me more than words can say. If I can be just half as influential as she can in my lifetime, I'll be happy!
This is one of her talks and can give a little insight into how amazing she is. And, at some point in your life, you need to be in the room with Joan. Her amazing presence is calming and resonates so well with how I feel about empowering education. I feel very strongly that this workshop with Joan will change the way I view myself, my learners and those around me. She has helped me on my journey to seeing how I view education and to create the change I wish to see. Wow.
Conversations for improving and transforming learning from EDtalks on Vimeo.
Takeaways from the course: Great structured collaborative activities: Donut - with drinks partner. Pinwheel - numbered off 1, 2, 3 and move on when time to go on. Number 2 is gatekeeper (gives them a job) Final Word - choosing something to talk about - everyone else speaks in turn first, then final word person says why they chose that one. Great idea - gives a chance to share and everyone has a turn before the person selecting can speak and explain their selection. Sharing someone else's idea Using post-its to list what we hope to learn (or will choose to focus on) that day and return to that later to see if they have achieved their goal.
What will you Continue, Start and Stop now that you know that?
Continue: I'd like to continue looking at Joan Dalton's books. She has done some vital research around Learning Talk and after spending two days in her 'classroom' I want that for all my learners. I love the way that she uses language: Take the next five minutes to talk over what you've learned through this process. As you turn to the board you'll see.... So we're ready for head outside into the sunshine for morning tea, there are a few things it's time for us to do, how might we best do that? Return to our classroom covenants and encourage students to identify what learning we need to do in order to help our learning. Come back to Circle Time and use this time to restructure our understandings. Do this in partnership with Joan's Learning Talk books, so that our Important Conversations are filled with Joan's wonderful nurturing and Growth Mindset language.
Start: Speaking in ways that demonstrate trust for my students. Start speaking in ways that ask more questions. Creating laminated prompt cards to encourage active listening (pause, reframe, prompt, probe, inquire) Using the structured collaborative activities that mix up our learning community for greater collaboration. Start speaking about students again with promise and potential.
Stop: Picking up on all shortfalls in attention. Focus instead on positivity. I can't MAKE students learn and I can't MAKE them watch or join in. I know all this but somehow the 'power' in our room is becoming a problem and how perhaps this is adding to the way I feel that students feel that learning is my business not theirs. If I want their agency to improve, I need to show them that I know it's their job, I feel it's their job and I can leave it to them to be responsible for that behaviour. And if it's not happening? Then we need to follow up later with an Important Conversation that asks of that child what's not happening for them and what thoughts they have on it. (See Joan's notes on important conversations).
I can't even put into words how often subtle habits of mine were highlighted throughout this process and how unsettled that left me feeling. They say though that dissonance is the catalyst for change. So change is inevitable then, I think. Joan's new book - Book 5 is out about September and focuses a lot of the Important Conversations we need to have. In the meantime, I'm excited about what her current books can do for me. So exciting! Roll on the growth!
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
End of Term 2
Wow, what a busy six months.
Mind explosions
Behaviour learning
So much to recap and not enough brain space to organise it all!
A year of study leave would be so welcome. Time to reorganise all my ideas and experiences and 'where to next' so I feel I can actually put it all into practice.
MindLab has taught me about:
Mind explosions
Behaviour learning
So much to recap and not enough brain space to organise it all!
A year of study leave would be so welcome. Time to reorganise all my ideas and experiences and 'where to next' so I feel I can actually put it all into practice.
MindLab has taught me about:
- Growth Mindsets
- Augmented Reality
- Gamification
- Engagement
- Student Agency
- Leadership
- Blogs
- Assessment versus creativity
Major recaps include:
Thursday, 14 May 2015
Effecting Change in my own Teaching Practice
Teachers of excellence ensure they are organised to effect change - to be always moving forward in all that they do. In an order to ensure this remains at the forefront on my mind, I'm adding my links to
Practices
and
Learner Agency here.
Practices
and
Learner Agency here.
Visual Cues to Enhance Teaching Practice and Support Change
Teachers are hugely benefitted by good supporters. Many teachers who work with students with high learning and / or behaviour needs have the opportunity to work with a number of specialists. These specialists can offer a unique set of information for the teacher in question.... observations of students, the teacher, the classroom and feed back critical information.
While it's not for the faint hearted - specialists work hard to ensure their feedback is constructive and useful. As such, it's important to read it, take note of it, take it on board and find creative ways to move forward using it to the full advantage of not only the student in question and the class, but for yourself as a learning professional committed to continual improvement.
Finding ways to remind ourselves about the changes we intend to make can be challenging but also a breath of fresh air. I'm always looking for ways to enhance my practice - if only I had a few extra hours in which to get it all organised, I'm sure my practice would flourish. In the meantime, I intend to find as many ways as possible to remind myself of my new learning and good intentions, in order to facilitate as much change as possible.
It has to start with me.
While it's not for the faint hearted - specialists work hard to ensure their feedback is constructive and useful. As such, it's important to read it, take note of it, take it on board and find creative ways to move forward using it to the full advantage of not only the student in question and the class, but for yourself as a learning professional committed to continual improvement.
Finding ways to remind ourselves about the changes we intend to make can be challenging but also a breath of fresh air. I'm always looking for ways to enhance my practice - if only I had a few extra hours in which to get it all organised, I'm sure my practice would flourish. In the meantime, I intend to find as many ways as possible to remind myself of my new learning and good intentions, in order to facilitate as much change as possible.
It has to start with me.
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Building a Positive Classroom Culture
As an educator passionate about ensuring learning is happening wherever we happen to be, I'm constantly looking for methods to improve or enhance our class culture. Some years, this culture seems to develop naturally. Other years, it's a long, hard slog towards building an environment where our learners gel and work positively and productively together.
Positive culture at the forefront, we are currently working on persistence in our room. This means that I have to be persistent despite the current challenges also. Let's start with our morning. I could get busy in the morning, not have the roll and the notices ready to go and it would then take us time to get settled. We've tried taking turns to read the notices and a number of students struggle with staying on task and listening for that length of time. Initially, we trialled this as an opportunity for leadership in our room. I'm now working on developing some new ideas around how we can develop leadership while still ensuring we get thing done quickly and positively and effectively. So let's try something new.
Positive culture at the forefront, we are currently working on persistence in our room. This means that I have to be persistent despite the current challenges also. Let's start with our morning. I could get busy in the morning, not have the roll and the notices ready to go and it would then take us time to get settled. We've tried taking turns to read the notices and a number of students struggle with staying on task and listening for that length of time. Initially, we trialled this as an opportunity for leadership in our room. I'm now working on developing some new ideas around how we can develop leadership while still ensuring we get thing done quickly and positively and effectively. So let's try something new.
- Roll and notices ready to go.
- Start with thumbs up for how everyone is feeling. Or "move to a space" for state of wellbeing etc.
- Time the roll - points for volume - contribution to the class. Start with 30 points. Points added for if students speak with an appropriate volume and mention a student when they are absent.
- Leader leads Karakia, Kiwaha and Whakatauki. They then position themselves at the notice board and add important info from the notices as I read them, making sure to list everything that pertains to anyone in our class.
- Wall of Fame will show who is in which team, so we are sure of which notices to listen for and note down.
- Kids sit on chairs up by the board rather than at their desks. If the whole class are already in that space they are awarded two marbles on our jar. If most of the class are there, we get one.
- Leader recaps important notices. Ensure we add things like litter and uniform if they are stressed by our leaders to ensure these foci are retained.
- Leaders read our important goals and focus tasks to complete for the day, highlighting students who are finished and could help x students who are as yet unfinished.
- Share a learning goal with your buddy around learning habits.
- From here we transition straight into our poem of the week to have some collaborative time.
I'm interested to see how this will work. I've also decided that we need to have some strict routines around certain types of learning to ensure we are getting things finished more regularly, which is where our tracking board comes in. More on that soon.
I've worked with some important specialists this year who are always challenging me around my practice. This is necessary even though it's often uncomfortable. Focus on excellence means existing in these uncomfortable learning spaces. I'm in the pit often, but that's okay because I'm always constructing my staircase to get out.
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