Over the past week or so it has seemed that the students in my class have been unengaged and unmotivated. The reason for this eluded me until I was in discussion with my tutor teacher yesterday. As a class nothing we were doing changed and therefore I could not figure out why the children's attitude had. My tutor teacher pointed out to me, in a round about way, that that was in fact why the attitudes had changed.
If children are expected to do the exact same thing the exact same way every time, they quite simply are going to get bored and become disengaged. Children need to be challenged in a variety of ways and I have had to question whether my programme is allowing them to do just that.
In our afternoon programme which is currently focussing on simple machines the children were doing hands on work, but the very similar types of hands on activities each time. When I questioned a student on what a 'load' was she was unable to tell me. My TT suggested having the students come up with a rap that requires them to explain all of the concepts covered in the unit before they try and solve their scenario. I am going to give this a try - who knows how it will go but I will make sure to come back and reflect on this. In the mean time I am going to be as creative as I can and ensure that every child has an opportunity to learn and reach their full potential within every subject area.
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Sunday, 18 May 2014
Reports - about targets or about children?
I am currently writing my first set of full class reports and have liaised with four to five different teachers about what they need to include, how to write them and what to focus on. At first I struggled with what I needed to incorporate to meet the school's standards of report writing, but after sitting down with my PLG leader it became clear that the most difficult part of writing reports was going to be ensuring that my spelling, grammar and punctuation were dotted and crossed. In terms of what was included in reports we simply needed to record each thing that each specific child has achieved that aligns with what the MOE determines to be the national standard for each age level. In essence, what 'targets' has the child achieved in the first half of the year. Next steps for each child simply were transferred from the target that child had set and ways to help at home aligned easy teaching points with the next steps.
Discussions that I have had with parents in my class and discussions that I have had with teachers leave me wondering who we are reporting for, are we writing reports because it is a MOE requirement and we are trying to successfully tick boxes or are we writing reports to genuinely celebrate and express concerns about children who are placed in our care each day. I know that the majority of teachers I have had this discussion with would prefer it to be the second one but they find that with what and how we write being so prescriptive it is hard to do just that. I know that the parents that have come in to discuss their child thus far this year have not queried about what numeracy strategies and reading comprehension strategies their children are applying to their learning but rather about the Hauora and total wellbeing of their child each day. They want answers to questions such as is their child happy? Does their child contribute in class? Are they confident when working with others? Are they engaged in authentic learning? Is their voice heard? Are they making progress in their learning? Questions that I am able to answer without looking in their child's book because I have formed relationships with that child, work closely and conference with that child about their learning each and every single day and because I care.
I care about education, I care about children and I care about each and every child in my class reaching their utmost potential throughout their year with me. I care about engaging parents with their child and their child's learning and encouraging parents to support their learning at home. I care about supporting what is happening in each child's home in my classroom.
I care but at times I question whether with the reports that we write and the multitude of targets that we have to meet for board and Ministry requirements children are able to see and feel that care. A child in my class the other day was hit in the eye at lunch time, I was on release and so only saw this child after school, but between lunch time and home time this child came across five other teachers. I asked him how he was feeling and whether he had informed any other teachers and iced his eye and he replied that he had not as they all looked too busy and he did not want to stop them from achieving what they had to have done that afternoon. Their target for the afternoon so to speak. At what expense are we setting and reporting on targets?
A question that I ponder each day is if my students were to report on me as a teacher, as I report on them, would they be reporting on whether or not I was setting them targets and analysing their results of these targets within a week or would they report on me as a person? I can only hope that they would report on me as a person and recognise that I care for and love these children. I feel it my duty to report on these children in the same way I hope that they would report on me at this time of the year, not against targets but against progress that they are making as a person. The small box at the bottom of the report with the smallest text is the most important box on the whole report in my opinion and I can only hope that I can use those five lines to share with parents their child's successes as a person and any concerns I have.
Discussions that I have had with parents in my class and discussions that I have had with teachers leave me wondering who we are reporting for, are we writing reports because it is a MOE requirement and we are trying to successfully tick boxes or are we writing reports to genuinely celebrate and express concerns about children who are placed in our care each day. I know that the majority of teachers I have had this discussion with would prefer it to be the second one but they find that with what and how we write being so prescriptive it is hard to do just that. I know that the parents that have come in to discuss their child thus far this year have not queried about what numeracy strategies and reading comprehension strategies their children are applying to their learning but rather about the Hauora and total wellbeing of their child each day. They want answers to questions such as is their child happy? Does their child contribute in class? Are they confident when working with others? Are they engaged in authentic learning? Is their voice heard? Are they making progress in their learning? Questions that I am able to answer without looking in their child's book because I have formed relationships with that child, work closely and conference with that child about their learning each and every single day and because I care.
I care about education, I care about children and I care about each and every child in my class reaching their utmost potential throughout their year with me. I care about engaging parents with their child and their child's learning and encouraging parents to support their learning at home. I care about supporting what is happening in each child's home in my classroom.
I care but at times I question whether with the reports that we write and the multitude of targets that we have to meet for board and Ministry requirements children are able to see and feel that care. A child in my class the other day was hit in the eye at lunch time, I was on release and so only saw this child after school, but between lunch time and home time this child came across five other teachers. I asked him how he was feeling and whether he had informed any other teachers and iced his eye and he replied that he had not as they all looked too busy and he did not want to stop them from achieving what they had to have done that afternoon. Their target for the afternoon so to speak. At what expense are we setting and reporting on targets?
A question that I ponder each day is if my students were to report on me as a teacher, as I report on them, would they be reporting on whether or not I was setting them targets and analysing their results of these targets within a week or would they report on me as a person? I can only hope that they would report on me as a person and recognise that I care for and love these children. I feel it my duty to report on these children in the same way I hope that they would report on me at this time of the year, not against targets but against progress that they are making as a person. The small box at the bottom of the report with the smallest text is the most important box on the whole report in my opinion and I can only hope that I can use those five lines to share with parents their child's successes as a person and any concerns I have.
Monday, 12 May 2014
Linking Learning with Life.
The first week of school has passed by in a blur with two days of relievers and a myriad of tests and out of classroom activities taking place. So here I am, on the Monday of second week, finding that I finally have time to reflect on the week that has past.
Cycle safety played a massive part in last week. The children were taught road rules and how to cycle safely on the roads by a policeman. Once they were competent on the practice course they were allowed to participate in a road ride which each and every single one of them thoroughly enjoyed. The children were hooked into their learning because it was physically active whilst still allowing them to reflect on and cognitively engage with what they were learning. They could see the purpose of the activity and make connections with their everyday lives as many of them bike to school and go riding with their parents. This is a video of all their favourite moments put together on iMovie by Wendy Stafford: http://leos-learning-lab.weebly.com/12/post/2014/05/bike-safety-with-constable-neil.html.
Today, during reading time, a student started making connections that I had not expected him to make so early on in the unit we are doing on fairy tales. 'H' was comparing and contrasting the fairytales of Jack and the Beanstalk and The Helium Seed Watermelon Boy when he noticed the difference that a good ending makes to a story. He discussed how when he was writing he wanted to focus on creating an ending that left the reader engaged and feeling like they had connected with the story. Another student jumped in at this point and mentioned that it is similar in life but instead of writing the ending to the story it is the choices that we make that determine the ending of each 'mini story'. I was blown away by the insight that these students had had in a lesson that had not focused on making such connections. I cannot wait for us to begin our fantasy writing unit now where these students will have the opportunity to focus specifically on the endings of stories and how different endings affect the audiences perspective on the whole story.
My most significant goal for this term is providing students with activities that link their learning with their own lives in a visible way. Here's hoping that if both my students and myself continue on the path that we are own this goal will be a highly successful one.
Cycle safety played a massive part in last week. The children were taught road rules and how to cycle safely on the roads by a policeman. Once they were competent on the practice course they were allowed to participate in a road ride which each and every single one of them thoroughly enjoyed. The children were hooked into their learning because it was physically active whilst still allowing them to reflect on and cognitively engage with what they were learning. They could see the purpose of the activity and make connections with their everyday lives as many of them bike to school and go riding with their parents. This is a video of all their favourite moments put together on iMovie by Wendy Stafford: http://leos-learning-lab.weebly.com/12/post/2014/05/bike-safety-with-constable-neil.html.
Today, during reading time, a student started making connections that I had not expected him to make so early on in the unit we are doing on fairy tales. 'H' was comparing and contrasting the fairytales of Jack and the Beanstalk and The Helium Seed Watermelon Boy when he noticed the difference that a good ending makes to a story. He discussed how when he was writing he wanted to focus on creating an ending that left the reader engaged and feeling like they had connected with the story. Another student jumped in at this point and mentioned that it is similar in life but instead of writing the ending to the story it is the choices that we make that determine the ending of each 'mini story'. I was blown away by the insight that these students had had in a lesson that had not focused on making such connections. I cannot wait for us to begin our fantasy writing unit now where these students will have the opportunity to focus specifically on the endings of stories and how different endings affect the audiences perspective on the whole story.
My most significant goal for this term is providing students with activities that link their learning with their own lives in a visible way. Here's hoping that if both my students and myself continue on the path that we are own this goal will be a highly successful one.
Friday, 2 May 2014
Time for Term Two
As I sit here on the last day of the holidays it is hard to believe that I have been in charge of my own classroom for twelve whole weeks. At times those twelve weeks flew by and it seemed like I had been teaching for far longer but at times it felt like I had only been teaching for a day - there are always 1000 new things to learn.
Heading into Term Two I am determined to take the most out of the experiences that made me a stronger person and better teacher in the first term and apply the lessons I learnt in them to every new challenge I face. Observations, chats with colleagues and just taking a moment to breathe and laugh with the children when out on duty all helped me to realise that I am not the only one on a path of learning but so are all of my colleagues. They may be at different stages of their journey, but nonetheless we all have something to learn from and teach to each other.
I am nervous in a much different way this term then I was last term. Where last term I was concerned about whether or not I would be able to teach my students effectively now I know that with preparation I can do that and am instead nervous about the amount of assessment and reporting we need to fit into a term that is three weeks shorter! Moderating writing, e-ASTTLE, IKAN and writing reports all seem intimidating when you are a new teacher who has never done them before but the biggest lesson I learnt last term was that people don't realise this unless you ask for help so that is definitely something that I aim to do more of!
I am so so excited to see my students again - never would I have thought that I would miss working with them as much as I have done. I am most definitely looking forward to another fun-filled exciting term with them starting off on the first day with bike safety.
Heading into Term Two I am determined to take the most out of the experiences that made me a stronger person and better teacher in the first term and apply the lessons I learnt in them to every new challenge I face. Observations, chats with colleagues and just taking a moment to breathe and laugh with the children when out on duty all helped me to realise that I am not the only one on a path of learning but so are all of my colleagues. They may be at different stages of their journey, but nonetheless we all have something to learn from and teach to each other.
I am nervous in a much different way this term then I was last term. Where last term I was concerned about whether or not I would be able to teach my students effectively now I know that with preparation I can do that and am instead nervous about the amount of assessment and reporting we need to fit into a term that is three weeks shorter! Moderating writing, e-ASTTLE, IKAN and writing reports all seem intimidating when you are a new teacher who has never done them before but the biggest lesson I learnt last term was that people don't realise this unless you ask for help so that is definitely something that I aim to do more of!
I am so so excited to see my students again - never would I have thought that I would miss working with them as much as I have done. I am most definitely looking forward to another fun-filled exciting term with them starting off on the first day with bike safety.
Friday, 11 April 2014
Term One - Nearly Done
Wow. What a crazy term it has been. I have learnt so much about what I love in a school and about what makes me tick as a teacher - insights that I had not gained on practicums even whilst being exposed to a range of experiences. Over the next week or so I will endeavour to record as many of my thoughts as possible from my first term as a PRT.
Room Three.
Everyone always told me that my first class would be one to remember and that certainly is appearing to be true by all accounts. Twenty nine ten year olds and twenty nine distinct personalities awaited me on my first day, and, day by day I have grown to know them and love them. Behaviours of certain children have challenged what I believed to be effective behaviour management processes and thus have helped me to grow. Other children simply make me smile everyday by just being themselves.
My most entertaining moment to date with these precious children was earlier on this week. Our school had a full school mufti day where each class dressed up according to a theme. My class decided that they wanted to dress up as ninjas and all the children were very keen on the idea. That is, until one girl piped up (very seriously) concerned and asked how I was going to be able to teach them if I couldn't see them because they were ninjas.
The importance of children having an opportunity to own their learning has been highlighted time and time again this term with the children being most engaged in activities that were specific to their class and their individual needs. One of the 'units' that has thrived and the children have been fully engaged in is an inquiry unit where they are looking at what it means for them to be healthy. Through this unit the children are exploring and will continue to explore; social, emotional, mental and physical wellbeing, how community support affects someone's health, statistics, information literacy, report writing and presentation and collecting and collating data. This is a unit that was developed by the children in my class for the children in my class. All the children feel listened to and that they are contributing. In contrast to this, my students have just finished a unit where they were carrying out 'inquiry' tasks based on caves and caving. Whilst students enjoyed this topic many failed to see the relevance that it had to their lives and therefore were less stimulated by it.
The importance of having an opportunity to own both my learning and the teaching that occurs in my classroom has also become obvious. I have found that the times that I have been most frustrated in and out of my classroom have been times when I have not felt afforded the ability to exercise my professional judgement about what would most suit the needs of my students. Having the opportunity to put my PD into practise and be able to apply it instantly has had such a positive impact both on how much I am learning and how much I feel I am able to teach and help my children. As I grow as a teacher I look forward to having the confidence to suggest more of my ideas with my team so that my knowledge and up to date professional development and studies are able to benefit both my team and myself also.
Support
For a beginning teacher having an effective support structure in place is vital. I have been so lucky to have a wonderful tutor teacher, two teachers on my team that support me and help me realise the ins and outs and ups and downs of teaching and two enthusiastic and knowledgeable deputy principals that are more than happy to lend a hand the second one is needed.
My tutor teacher has been my saving grace. I feel both extremely supported and encouraged and pushed to reach my potential. Monthly observations help me to recognise whether or not I am on the right track, how well I know my students and whether or not my reflections and analysis of students are correct. Weekly meetings and the on going support and availability of this wonderful lady have meant that I feel supported and heard both inside and outside of the classroom environment.
I have two teachers on my team that are angels in disguise and help me to realise that what I am experiencing and feeling is normal and that it is important not to beat myself up. These two teachers come with experience within both this school and other schools and provide opinions and explanations that truly do help me survive some days. I am extremely fortunate to also have two wonderfully supportive deputy principals that work closely alongside me both in helping me to develop my programme and helping me to develop my sense of who I am as a professional.
I look forward to blogging about curriculum coverage and will be doing that my next blog post.
Room Three.
Everyone always told me that my first class would be one to remember and that certainly is appearing to be true by all accounts. Twenty nine ten year olds and twenty nine distinct personalities awaited me on my first day, and, day by day I have grown to know them and love them. Behaviours of certain children have challenged what I believed to be effective behaviour management processes and thus have helped me to grow. Other children simply make me smile everyday by just being themselves.
My most entertaining moment to date with these precious children was earlier on this week. Our school had a full school mufti day where each class dressed up according to a theme. My class decided that they wanted to dress up as ninjas and all the children were very keen on the idea. That is, until one girl piped up (very seriously) concerned and asked how I was going to be able to teach them if I couldn't see them because they were ninjas.
The importance of children having an opportunity to own their learning has been highlighted time and time again this term with the children being most engaged in activities that were specific to their class and their individual needs. One of the 'units' that has thrived and the children have been fully engaged in is an inquiry unit where they are looking at what it means for them to be healthy. Through this unit the children are exploring and will continue to explore; social, emotional, mental and physical wellbeing, how community support affects someone's health, statistics, information literacy, report writing and presentation and collecting and collating data. This is a unit that was developed by the children in my class for the children in my class. All the children feel listened to and that they are contributing. In contrast to this, my students have just finished a unit where they were carrying out 'inquiry' tasks based on caves and caving. Whilst students enjoyed this topic many failed to see the relevance that it had to their lives and therefore were less stimulated by it.
The importance of having an opportunity to own both my learning and the teaching that occurs in my classroom has also become obvious. I have found that the times that I have been most frustrated in and out of my classroom have been times when I have not felt afforded the ability to exercise my professional judgement about what would most suit the needs of my students. Having the opportunity to put my PD into practise and be able to apply it instantly has had such a positive impact both on how much I am learning and how much I feel I am able to teach and help my children. As I grow as a teacher I look forward to having the confidence to suggest more of my ideas with my team so that my knowledge and up to date professional development and studies are able to benefit both my team and myself also.
Support
For a beginning teacher having an effective support structure in place is vital. I have been so lucky to have a wonderful tutor teacher, two teachers on my team that support me and help me realise the ins and outs and ups and downs of teaching and two enthusiastic and knowledgeable deputy principals that are more than happy to lend a hand the second one is needed.
My tutor teacher has been my saving grace. I feel both extremely supported and encouraged and pushed to reach my potential. Monthly observations help me to recognise whether or not I am on the right track, how well I know my students and whether or not my reflections and analysis of students are correct. Weekly meetings and the on going support and availability of this wonderful lady have meant that I feel supported and heard both inside and outside of the classroom environment.
I have two teachers on my team that are angels in disguise and help me to realise that what I am experiencing and feeling is normal and that it is important not to beat myself up. These two teachers come with experience within both this school and other schools and provide opinions and explanations that truly do help me survive some days. I am extremely fortunate to also have two wonderfully supportive deputy principals that work closely alongside me both in helping me to develop my programme and helping me to develop my sense of who I am as a professional.
I look forward to blogging about curriculum coverage and will be doing that my next blog post.
Thursday, 19 December 2013
Employed and Excited!!
I am very excited to say that I have joined a team of one of what I believe to be Rotorua's best primary schools! I am teaching in a Year Six classroom and can't wait to work with children who are at such an exciting age and stage of their life!
I had my very first teacher only day today and did lots of planning for next year. One of the units we are covering at the start of the year is self portraits of the children and I have decided to do them through the Chuck Close style of art. For more information on this and how to do this simply follow the link below and it will take you to the blog that I got this brilliant idea from! http://artiswhatiteach.blogspot.co.nz/2011/03/6th-grade-chuck-close-self-portraits.html
I cannot wait to see how these turn out and will have to post photos of them once the children have done them!
I had my very first teacher only day today and did lots of planning for next year. One of the units we are covering at the start of the year is self portraits of the children and I have decided to do them through the Chuck Close style of art. For more information on this and how to do this simply follow the link below and it will take you to the blog that I got this brilliant idea from! http://artiswhatiteach.blogspot.co.nz/2011/03/6th-grade-chuck-close-self-portraits.html
I cannot wait to see how these turn out and will have to post photos of them once the children have done them!
Saturday, 22 June 2013
An inspiring experience
Wow! The last seven weeks have been a whirlwind of learning, teaching, meeting and getting to know numerous new faces and learning about a new school community.
I am just completing my final practicum at Point England School in class of five and six year old students. I have had the most amazing time working with these brilliant little children and they have taught me significantly more than I have taught them. Whilst I may have taught them numeracy, literacy, science, art and physical education amongst other things they have taught me more than they will ever realize.
I have learnt how full of wonder the world is, how to find joy in every situation no matter how tough things may be and how to draw an elephant "properly". I have come to understand the importance of ensuring you have high expectations for every student that recognize their individuality. I have learnt that the attitude you project as a teacher is the attitude that you will receive from your students and that sometimes the thing that will have the most influence on a child's day is not necessarily the maths that you teach them but the smile that you share with them.
I have learnt from an expert, my associate teacher has been so supportive over the past two months. Whether it has been talking with me, showing me numerous ways of teaching effectively or encouraging me to let the students take the lead in lessons I believe I have grown so much from working with this amazing person!
I could not have asked for a better school to spend my last practicum at! The staff, the students and fabulous Room 4 all created such a wonderful environment of support and care.
I cannot wait to apply everything that I have learnt to my own classroom and inspire my future students and much as the students at this school have inspired me!
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