Follow up - feedback on last visit from Rob

Hi guys,

It was good to see you all again last week. This visit highlighted to me the importance of tightening up our systems for ensuring that we all follow up on agreed actions after each visit.

We are accountable to the Ministry of Education and have a milestone report coming up so we need to ensure that we can all say we are engaged in the project, as shown through our continual improvements and the evidence of this.

Craig, your follow up actions from the last time were:

1. Ensure that the large screen TV is showing a child's screen as much as possible throughout every day. This will provide modeling to other learners, plus an easy ability for you to monitor what is happening.
2. Continue working on the expectations for class routines so that you and the class know how to use the different aspects of the technology.
3. Use Seesaw regularly throughout the week - moving from you controlling this to the students taking more ownership of the process.
4. Getting children to write on topics that interest and engage them, preferrably using short and easy to achieve genres; the ideas on the blog are a good starting point.

Judy-Anne, your follow up actions from the last time were:

1. Get students taking photos of their learning and posting to Seesaw regularly.
2. Use the large screen to show children working on the iPads as much as possible. See modeling/monitoring comment above for Craig.

Steve and Margaret, your follow up actions from this visit are:

1. Get students using Google Photos to upload and share what is happening in the learning. You can get students commenting on these photos which is a great personal writing exercise, even if it is just labelling photos... there are lots of ways you can ramp this up, eg. using different parts of speech/etc.
2. Get students using Google Drawings to create imagery for their learning - this might be to illustrate their writing or whatever they come up with.
3. Explore Google Presentations as a fun way to present learning - the cool thing about this is that it utilises movement, sound, text and imagery which can be quite powerful.

I will do the following to support this:

1. The area that I can improve on with regards to this is to ensure that actions are clearly agreed on and communicated during each visit. I will create a system which has a bit of a log of each session so everyone knows what we focused on, what they need to do next and any other items. I'll link this to the blog so it is accessible to everyone at all times.
2. I will also make sure all staff are invited to the calendar events for when I'm planned to be there, just in case Steve is away. 

If any aspect of this isn't clear, please either call me or comment back here. I'm looking forward to seeing you at the next teacher only days, which are penciled for 9/10 July.


Kind regards,
Rob

TBCS-PLD-May 2018-Photos

Students learning how to use and share photos through the google photos app. Loading the app, from the choices and putting it at the top of their options when opening the folder. Once open trying the shared commenting ability. Major discussions coming re care and appropriate comments. This environment is a little new and the correlation between physical and cloud access is not clear.
This brought about thoughts on cyber safety, especially as we have turned on their e-mail accounts.

Here is Miss Reid learning along side the students. Learning is not restricted.
Next Steps: Have more students share how to and then create learning steps for others to refer to when lost, reducing the need for the specialist to be on hand. Entering these into our shared documents.

TBCS-Steve-PLD-Rm4- May 2018

Rob had entered the class to share how to learn about Spreadsheets. He had a student (with 2 others observing) create and share 'Sheets". They worked on data validation and conditional formatting as a tool to track who had learnt the new skill of Google photos.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lKAY27fkoUQZB7jcM__JSy3KnCEodt0peY83HQ83Orw/edit#gid=1662425891
We had been looking at how to share photos and make comments in a shared environment.
A very good example to me of how to develop learner agency, they are in control, I have to stand back and watch the learning.
Mindset changes coming. They way I perceive learning, as in why? Literacy is not the tools!!!!
What is the outcome?
Share this with the staff, Learner Agency, Independence, Control, how do we allow our students to grow outside of our direct control?
Part of this is our own learning style, goals, ideals, and yes pedagogy.

TBCS - Craig - Art - Koru design

I found a way to incorporate some koru design with the school's Christian Character.
We started with the cross central and used koru design to decorate and then we stapled them up between the windows to give a sort of pillar effect like in a Marae.

The students were enthusiastic and we did lots of research of koru design on the net before starting. In most cases the designs ended up very different.

I made the students work free hand which made them all unique.
I limited the students to using Red, Black, White, and Green.
We then laminated them before fixing them to the wall.

• Providing culturally responsive and engaging contexts for learning for Māori ākonga.

Sensory Classrooms - Training by Richard Hirstwood - 12 May 2018

Sensory classrooms

Richard Hirstwood

Lots of information available here and also on his you tube channel.

Richard deals with children with more severe sensory issues than we generally strike but has lots of valuable ideas and resources, which are worth checking out.

eg Make a sensory box / tool kit filled with things children can use to self calm.
Go noodle- Mr Catman- fist and flat, makes the brain work !
Go noodle- roller coaster- when kinaesthetic learners see something that moves it helps them stay still
Sound to light bars- you can see speech. These are a novelty, not a toy. Get a plastic bin, a survival blanket and a light up strobe bar to make a sound to light box
You can even get sound to light drink coasters
Develop a smell kit- if you don't have a good sense of smell you don't have a good sense of taste so it needs developing
Maitai school has a sensory art fence, bits move, make noise, colours are labelled...
Vestibular sense- balance, need to swing, hang, spin to develop this
Proprioception- understanding where your body parts are- great video of a dog biting itself because he doesn't realise it is part of himself he is biting
Sensory overload autism- great video
Chris Barson- website about autism
Sensory autism in the classroom
cstr (coaster) physics
use back projecting eg through umbrella, sheet...
reverse sequin fabric- great for a tactile wall, making marks, patterns, letters
Fire exit sign material- trade name lumiglow. You need the one that holds the light for the shortest amount of time. Put a hand on it, shine a uv light on it for a few seconds and you can see the hand shape. Could use for shapes or letters, also put your uv light on it and make patterns or write on it
Make an outdoor sensory environment with 5 m of lycra sewn together, children lean back on it, like a huge rubber band

Herve Tullet books, especially the dot one
Meteor light balls- strong, float in water

Robyn Stuart website

Barbara Prashnig- the power of learning book

Many Coloured Days by Dr Seuss- emotions

Use sensory stories- ie when you tell a story you include all the senses

Vision for doing- a free online book
you can't fix a vision or hearing impairment but you can train the brain

Norman Doige- The Brain that Changes Itself- a book about neuroplasticity

Mirror neurons- there are neurons that make you feel like somebody else- so we wince when we see somebody fall down- empathy?????


Why do kids need to move?

Find out what our kids are good at, how can we include that in their everyday learning?

Where to from here?

How can Luca and Brianna be given the opportunities they need to move?

What else can go in  a sensory box- have kaleidoscopes, blanket, bouncy ball which glows

have been burning aromatherapy oils. Try different smells

Make some calming bottles

check those websites and readings

make mosaics we can touch

get some of the reverse sequin fabric

make walls sensory

re organise classroom- clearly define movement and quiet areas

Jolly Phonics Song

Foot print rocket

Footprint rocket

Assessment help

Assessment help

How To Make An Easy Origami Shirt Card For Father's Day

SAMR - Steve - 20 April 2018 - Resource

Facebook of all things has a connection between Seesaw and the SAMR. I has a quick read and then forwarded this to the other teachers. It is especially relevant to our improvements in Seesaw.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1390088457960727/permalink/1807362229566679/

Fraction Activities

Fraction Activities




Fraction Art

Introduction to Fractions for Kids

Paper Straw Tulip