TBCS - New student - Judy-Anne

There is a new entrant in Room 1 and at the beginning he settled into class extremely well and was great with listening and following instructions.
I feel now as though the honeymoon period is over and don’t feel I am doing very well with him.
I have been thinking about what to do about him and came up with some ideas while I was at Sally Clendon’s Literacy course.

Reflections:
It is quite difficult with one child starting in class by themselves. There is nobody else his age and they are all little and not always great at including new people. (egocentric)

Next steps:
.Find out his interests a bit more - things were a bit different with his transition so this wasn't really done as well as usual. We do know that he likes blocks!
. Let him play with the blocks outside so it doesn’t matter so much if he wants to knock them down while others are working
. Get a better supply of books just for him
. Print some books from Tar Heel reader for him
. Let him play more
. Make sure the others are including him
. Set up activities so that it is a good thing to be teamed up with him

The funniest thing about this is that on the first day back after the course I organised for this child to use one of the magnetic mazes for handwriting, not expecting him to do his handwriting in his book- but he used his book and handed it in like everyone else.
I had got him a big pile of library books, and made some sheets for him to practise writing his name and make his name with plasticine, pipe cleaners and magnetic letters. He sat at the table, read a book, put it in a pile of books he had read, then read another and another. He stayed at his desk rather than wandering the classroom as he had been doing.  He did a fantastic job of tracing his name- even other children couldn't believe how neatly he had written.
He had other children asking if they could come and read some of his books and use his plasticine too.
He sat beautifully when I called him over for memory verse testing and informed me that he had been tricking me when he was wandering around and bothering others in the class.

I told the class that I was so pleased with him that they could all have some free time. They were very pleased with him and he asked if he could go back and do his work, so went back to reading books. He did eventually change this to making a huge block tower.

I gave him a certificate for his fantastic work.

Day 2 and he is still working really well and very keen to be doing his work.

We haven't even got onto trying some of the items on my list yet!

• Involvement in appropriate PLD.
• Discussing my practice with colleagues and being open to new ideas.

• Personalising learning and making it meaningful for individual ākonga.
• Engaging appropriately with ākonga so they know their perspectives are listened to and considered.

• Engagement with subject associations, PLCs, local experts and community organisations.
• Identification of next steps and goals for ākonga.

TBCS - Assessment- Judy-Anne

And so it begins. So much has been going on that it hardly feels we have started teaching and it’s time for assessments. Some very pleasing results so far and some very excited children because they will be heading to Room 3 for their reading group.


Jan has confirmed that Reuben and Wilbur will both get some regular one to one time with an RTLit.

Lots more work required on basic facts in maths and addition strategies.

Some good work on simple sentence writing, although the difficulty does still seem to be capital letters and full stops  - they know, but just forget to put them in!

Term 2’s focus will be compound sentences.

Reflection:
I always find that I am behind as soon as school has started and that assessments come around too soon. There must be a way to start the year better. Or maybe things are starting perfectly well and I just expect too much too soon.

Next steps:
Check into other ways of starting the year
Remember to use the data to develop new goals, co-constructed / shared with the children and their families
Remember to note what children are finding easy / difficult and adapt the learning programme to suit

• Ascertaining and evaluating prior knowledge.
• Using assessment data to build my understanding of the relationship between my practice and outcomes of learning, achievement and wellbeing of ākonga.
• Gathering ongoing ākonga feedback on what aspects of their learning ākonga are finding challenging and using this information to adapt programmes and teaching to better meet individual needs.
• Using assessment data to co-construct goals and next steps with ākonga and whānau.

Life Education May 2019 Margaret

https://www.lifeeducation.org.nz/in-schools/ourprogramme
The school had Ingrid in last week.  It was good being able to join them this year for consecutive sessions which makes it easier to follow up on.  Some great learning about how our brain works especially as students go through puberty and getting support from a responsible adult.  She did this a very humorous enjoyable way.  One area that we have already followed up on is when students had to say a compliment to another. Many struggled with this either due to being self conscience or just couldn't think of nice things to say - I don't know, but we sent the rest of the day discussing what are compliments you can give to others beyond "you are nice" "you have nice hair".  Room 4 wrote secret letters to another person which they responded to positively though some still struggled.  We were able to tie it into our devotions and giving our writing a real life purpose. 

Next steps:
Follow up with he Life Ed books and have a look at the website.  Tie this into our devotions - responsibility.  Writing compliment letters could be something regular (once a month) or having students show extra kindness to one students as a way of thinking of others.

Link to standard

• Establishing positive and appropriate relationships with and between ākonga.

Improving Long Term Memory, Margaret 2019

Reflection:
One student in particular in Room 4 seems to struggle getting things into his long term memory though many also seem to struggle to follow instructions so I did a little research to see what I could do differently.  Mostly I found strategies that I have been using but sometimes tend to forget when time is limited or you are trying to do spontaneous activites which have not been pre prepared.  In particular this is for maths which has a focus on getting things into students long term memory by repetition and mastery of concepts instead of answering a few questions right then moving on.  This however does not seem to be working for David.  One of the suggestions is have students write out their steps as they can see their method in another form and the act of writing it down helps to consolidate. 

Next Steps:
As MathsBuddy is all online David may need encouraging to write his answers and working out instead of doing it in his head even if he can.  Check to see if this along with some of the other strategies suggested make any difference when it comes time to take diagnostic test.  Possibly find another way to check his understadning rather than diagnostics as he seems to also have a mental block about these.  Paper test, oral test?? Test at all??

1. Give directions in multiple formats

Students benefit from being given directions in both visual and verbal formats. In addition, their understanding and memorizing of instructions could be checked by encouraging them to repeat the directions given and explain the meaning of these directions. Examples of what needs to be done are also often helpful for enhancing memory of directions.

2. Teach students to over-learn material

Students should be taught the necessity of "over-learning" new information. Often they practice only until they are able to perform one error-free repetition of the material. However, several error-free repetitions are needed to solidify the information.

3. Teach students to use visual images and other memory strategies

Another memory strategy that makes use of a cue is one called word substitution. The substitute word system can be used for information that is hard to visualize, for example, for the word occipital or parietal. These words can be converted into words that sound familiar that can be visualized. The word occipital can be converted to exhibit hall (because it sounds like exhibit hall). The student can then make a visual image of walking into an art museum and seeing a big painting of a brain with big bulging eyes (occipital is the region of the brain that controls vision). With this system, the vocabulary word the student is trying to remember actually becomes the cue for the visual image that then cues the definition of the word.

4. Give teacher-prepared handouts prior to class lectures

Class lectures and series of oral directions should be reinforced by teacher-prepared handouts. The handouts for class lectures could consist of a brief outline or a partially completed graphic organizer that the student would complete during the lecture. Having this information both enables students to identify the salient information that is given during the lectures and to correctly organize the information in their notes. Both of these activities enhance memory of the information as well. The use of Post-Its to jot information down on is helpful for remembering directions.

5. Teach students to be active readers

To enhance short-term memory registration and/or working memory when reading, students should underline, highlight, or jot key words down in the margin when reading chapters. They can then go back and read what is underlined, highlighted, or written in the margins. To consolidate this information in long-term memory, they can make outlines or use graphic organizers. Research has shown that the use of graphic organizers increases academic achievement for all students.

6. Write down steps in math problems

Students who have a weakness in working memory should not rely on mental computations when solving math problems. For example, if they are performing long division problems, they should write down every step including carrying numbers. When solving word problems, they should always have a scratch piece of paper handy and write down the steps in their calculations. This will help prevent them from losing their place and forgetting what they are doing.

7. Provide retrieval practice for students

Research has shown that long-term memory is enhanced when students engage in retrieval practice. Taking a test is a retrieval practice, i.e., the act of recalling information that has been studied from long-term memory. Thus, it can be very helpful for students to take practice tests. When teachers are reviewing information prior to tests and exams, they could ask the students questions or have the students make up questions for everyone to answer rather than just retelling students the to-be-learned information. Also, if students are required or encouraged to make up their own tests and take them, it will give their parents and/or teachers information about whether they know the most important information or are instead focused on details that are less important.

8. Help students develop cues when storing information

According to the memory research, information is easier retrieved when it is stored using a cue and that cue should be present at the time the information is being retrieved. For example, the acronym HOMES can be used to represent the names of the Great Lakes — Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. The acronym is a cue that is used when the information is being learned, and recalling the cue when taking a test will help the student recall the information.

9. Prime the memory prior to teaching/learning

Cues that prepare students for the task to be presented are helpful. This is often referred to as priming the memory. For instance, when a reading comprehension task is given, students will get an idea of what is expected by discussing the vocabulary and the overall topic beforehand. This will allow them to focus on the salient information and engage in more effective depth of processing. Advance organizers also serve this purpose. For older students, Clif Notes for pieces of literature are often helpful aids for priming the memory.

10. Review material before going to sleep

It should be helpful for students to review material right before going to sleep at night. Research has shown that information studied this way is better remembered. Any other task that is performed after reviewing and prior to sleeping (such as getting a snack, brushing teeth, listening to music) interferes with consolidation of information in memory.

From
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/10-strategies-enhance-students-memory


Link to Teaching Standard


-  Develop learning focused relationships with learners, enabling them to be active participants in the process of learning, sharing ownership and responsibility for learning.

Questions I might ask myself

• Do I understand effective pedagogy as described in the NZC?
• What are ways that I can successfully engage ākonga?
• Strategies
•  Discussing my practice with colleagues and being open to new ideas.
• Understanding and using a range of innovative, co-operative and inquiry learning approaches.

TBCS - Maths Buddy - Judy-Anne

I’m not quite sure what made me think of it but I have been thinking of ways to use more technology in the class again. Craig is often talking about how well his children are progressing on Maths Buddy and I finally realised that we didn’t need to have licenses for everybody in the class!
We have started using year groups, watching the videos and answering the questions together. They have generally been pleased about how easy they were finding the questions. Rounding to the nearest hundred was tricky for the year 3’s though.

Reflection:
One of the advantages is that the videos are playing out loud so everybody can hear every lesson, they can choose to join different lessons if they like and I can also require children to watch a different level video, particularly if they found their level difficult. Some of them will be able to move up to the next level quickly.

Next Steps:
. Set some extra practice for rounding to the nearest hundred for the year 3’s, except luca who was very confident.

Standard 6 Teaching

Use an increasing repertoire of teaching strategies, approaches, learning activities, technologies and assessment for learning strategies and modify these in response to the needs of individuals and groups of learners.

Teach in ways which enable learners to learn from one another, to collaborate, to self-regulate, and to develop agency over their learning.

• Monitoring of ākonga learning during the implementation of a programme of learning, so that the programme can be adapted where needed to better achieve desired outcomes for ākonga.

TBCS - Helping Each Other Out - Judy-Anne

One of the girls from Room 4 was looking particularly unhappy yesterday so I suggested to Steve she might need some Room 1 time. (Knowing that there has been a big change in their home life lately and Mum is currently sick)
She came down soon after cross country training and stayed on the sidelines a little. Then she was quite happy to come over and make her own Mothers Day card. She went out to break quite happily, stayed with her class during the next session for her times tables work and writing then joined us again after lunch. She did a lovely job of supporting the Room 1 children with their playing and chatted nicely about who she could talk to about what is currently upsetting her. She has already spoken to an outside provider and decided she is quite happy to talk with Steve. Hopefully they have done that today when Steve had some time available.

This is quite a long winded way of saying that we all tend to have an idea of when things are going a bit pear shaped for our students, even when they are not students in our class. No-one ever needs to feel that they have to deal with difficulties by themselves.

Hopefully this increases her well being because she knows more people are there for her but also increases our well being as we know we have others there to support us too.


Standard 4- Learning-focused culture
Manage the learning setting to ensure access to learning for all and to maximise learners’ physical, social, cultural and emotional safety.

• Fostering tuakana/tēina relationships.

TBCS - Lessons from Life Education - Judy-Anne

It is always lovely having Ingrid visiting. While I sometimes think she has a fabulous job I am not sure I would like (or cope well with) having a number of  different classes and levels in a day and even potentially a number of schools in a week. She also gets to be observed for every lesson - ugh. Plus she gets to play second fiddle to a puppet!
Life Education has lots of resources to share so there always plenty of options for follow up work.
Ingrid uses lots of many positive teaching methods. She makes the rules fun- eg put up your brain aerial if you want to speak, but also sets very firm boundaries. She gives clear directions and checks they are understood. Everybody gets a chance to shine. The children are engaged by the activities, the songs and of course they adore Harold. William in particular loved the science and knew which way up to put the snorkel.
The children enjoyed telling me how they had swum underwater with Harold on Friday and the room was all blue. There is some great technology in that truck!


Reflections:
Ingrid was very good about involving everyone, getting them up and moving and using songs. While I do all those things maybe I should keep a bit more of a record to ensure I am doing it regularly. Maybe I include some children more than others and we probably don't move and sing as regularly as they did with Ingrid. Maybe the question is 'how much movement and singing do they need?' If they are happy and on task are they getting enough?

Next steps:
. Get the puppets out
. Ensure we follow up on some of the learning from our sessions. Check with the children and also check back to Ingrid's lesson plan for Friday as I was away sick.
.Complete at least some of the work books at school
.Make thank you cards
. Art work about Harold swimming underwater
.Maybe write a story about Harold's visit to Kelly Tarlton's, and use of the snorkel to breather underwater
vocab list- respiration, oxygen, carbon dioxide, lungs, trachea, mouth and nose

3. Engage in reciprocal, collaborative learning-focused relationships with:

·         learners’, family and whānau

·         teaching colleagues, support staff and other professionals

·         agencies, groups and individuals in the community.

• Appropriate and professional communication with colleagues, ākonga and whānau.

6. Use an increasing repertoire of teaching strategies, approaches, learning activities, technologies and assessment for learning strategies and modify these in response to the needs of individuals and groups of learners.

Provide opportunities and support for learners to engage with, practise and apply learning to different contexts and make connections with prior learning.

• Observing other teachers’ use of resources and teaching strategies.