Monday, 10 December 2018
End of Year Reflection for 2018
As the end of 2018 draws to an end, I am pleased with the progress I have made in the following areas:
Success with Year 7 student flagged as student with high behavioural needs (on Autism spectrum). I have worked hard to build a strong positive relationship with him. This effort has paid off as he has been willing to talk through incidents as they happen and take on board advice on how to improve his decision making should a similar situation arise in the future. As a result he is much more reflective and better able to take more ownership of his part in ‘incidents’ and can recognise with minimal prompting how he could have handled a given situation better.
Developing self-confidence as classroom teacher - Due to maternity leave by two colleagues in Term 1 and Term 2, I found myself to be the 2nd longest serving member in Team 5. I have enjoyed supporting the interim Team Leader and new colleagues in the Team 5 space.
Embracing new DMIC maths pedagogy - I have really enjoyed taking part in the PD, having the observations/mentoring sessions and analysing/deconstructing my maths teaching practice. It has given me a greater appreciation for the vast content knowledge that is needed in order to do a decent job in guiding students in their maths learning.
Now looking forward to 2019, a few things that excite me having:
A fresh opportunity work on routines and transitions to improve behaviour management - my intention is start from Day 1/Week 1 with a strong focus on establishing group norms for my home class, literacy and maths classes.
Being able to get more time in class to tweak my teaching practice especially in Writing. Figuring out creative ways to engage students in writing. I would like to move away from formulaic checklists and somehow get students to respond more instinctively to writing prompt
Improve how I gather/analyse formative assessment as well as being more reflective of my planning and including differentiation.
Tuesday, 23 October 2018
Inquiry Update - Term 4
UPDATE: I have continued to use a targeted vocabulary approach to support reading comprehension for my Year 7/8 class with ideas adapted from research by Paul Nation. I select 8 words and phrases from the text of the week for a given group and have them attempt to unpack their meaning and find clues to the type of text to be read.
OBSERVATIONS: Using this method, I have seen students who usually need extra support are visibly more engaged when they come to read the text. It seems that having an explicit purpose for reading helps them to focus on working out what the words/phrases mean. There is an (unintended) sense of competition so students are keen 'be the first' to read the text and check if their predictions about a set of words/phrases are correct. Students are quick to let others know they have gotten it right but there is no major fallout if someone's idea misses the mark.
NEXT STEPS: Continue to use this targeted approach but build student's usage of selected words/phrases in to writing activities. Encourage more student-led discussion around the meaning of selected words/phrases.
OBSERVATIONS: Using this method, I have seen students who usually need extra support are visibly more engaged when they come to read the text. It seems that having an explicit purpose for reading helps them to focus on working out what the words/phrases mean. There is an (unintended) sense of competition so students are keen 'be the first' to read the text and check if their predictions about a set of words/phrases are correct. Students are quick to let others know they have gotten it right but there is no major fallout if someone's idea misses the mark.
NEXT STEPS: Continue to use this targeted approach but build student's usage of selected words/phrases in to writing activities. Encourage more student-led discussion around the meaning of selected words/phrases.
Monday, 2 July 2018
Inquiry - Term 2 Update
My inquiry this year has been to investigate how the use of TALK MOVES can support my priority students to improve their understanding and make use of higher level Maths concepts.
A REALISATION
I have been working hard to get the students in my Maths class to use at least one of the 5 key talk moves but particularly the Repeat and Add on options. In wondering why the students were struggling to use prepared talking frames (see poster above), I had an epiphany!
The Talk Moves are for ME to use to support the students discussion not the other way around!
AN ALTERNATIVE
I have adopted a model which explicitly sets out two roles for students in their small groups. They are either Knowledge seekers (asking questions) or Knowledge holders (sharing what they know). These roles are fluid from session to session but this simple step has given my students a more clearer sense of what they are to do when in their groups so their time together is noticeably more purposeful. They are proud to announce that they are a Knowledge seeker and need help or are a Knowledge holder and can help others.
WHAT NEXT?
Developing my use of Talk Moves to facilitate all parts of the DMiC learning process - Group Norms, Launch, Small Group discussions, the Half-class reporting back and Connect.
The Talk Moves are for ME to use to support the students discussion not the other way around!
AN ALTERNATIVE
I have adopted a model which explicitly sets out two roles for students in their small groups. They are either Knowledge seekers (asking questions) or Knowledge holders (sharing what they know). These roles are fluid from session to session but this simple step has given my students a more clearer sense of what they are to do when in their groups so their time together is noticeably more purposeful. They are proud to announce that they are a Knowledge seeker and need help or are a Knowledge holder and can help others.
WHAT NEXT?
Developing my use of Talk Moves to facilitate all parts of the DMiC learning process - Group Norms, Launch, Small Group discussions, the Half-class reporting back and Connect.
Monday, 28 May 2018
Term 2 - Inquiry
A student survey of 26 students from my maths class revealed that almost half of the class have some level of confidence when it comes to speaking up in front of their classmates during the small group sessions. However, there was a noticeable drop in confidence as the size of the group increased to half and then whole class.
Most of the students had tried to use talk moves 1-2 times in recent lessons. Almost two-thirds (61.5%) of those surveyed had asked others to REPEAT their Maths thinking; while almost half (46.2%) had requested others to REASON, while just over one-third (34.6%) had asked others to ADD ON.
NEXT STEPS
Based on the feedback from students, I will move my inquiry forward by taking the following steps:
- Use talking frames for the TALK MOVES to scaffold students as to what to say to others when discussing their maths thinking- Keep group sizes to a maximum of 4 people - this number of people is less intimidating for those students struggling to share their maths thinking in front of others in safe half or whole class settings
- Make time for small group sessions to give more targeted support to students
Friday, 13 April 2018
Inquiry - Term 1 Update
TALK MOVES - A POSSIBLE SOLUTION?
The DMIC teaching approach uses maths problems rooted in the real world problems in contexts that are culturally relevant and engaging for students and linked to 'big' maths ideas.
For my inquiry then, as an initial starting point, I wanted to investigate how the use of TALK MOVES could support my priority students to improve their understanding and make use of higher level Maths concepts.
I need to working on building up the usage of the five key Talk Moves with my students and continue to encourage and prompt them to use key questions to engage each other in discussions around a mathematical problem.
For my inquiry then, as an initial starting point, I wanted to investigate how the use of TALK MOVES could support my priority students to improve their understanding and make use of higher level Maths concepts.
I need to working on building up the usage of the five key Talk Moves with my students and continue to encourage and prompt them to use key questions to engage each other in discussions around a mathematical problem.
Sunday, 4 March 2018
Teaching Inquiry 2018 - Talk Moves
STUDENT NEEDS, DATA AND HUNCHES
I had originally intended to use this inquiry opportunity to examine how I could better teach my students the fundamentals for writing. This was based on my personal reflection that in 2018 I needed to improve how I taught this subject area.
However, after listening to the presentation by Woolf Fisher researchers at Tamaki College, I needed to change my plan. The 2017 results for students achievement across schools in the Manaiakalani cluster clearly showed that Maths was a bigger concern than Writing.
This realisation prompted me to check the data for my Maths class for this year. Based on National Standards benchmarks, only 2 students had achieved 'at' by the end of 2017, the remaining 27 students were sitting at either 'below' or 'well below'.
I wanted to focus on the band of students who are noted as 'below' in Maths. WIth the right intervention, there is a better chance of achieving upaward shift in 'below' learners than those who are 'well below'. I then identified a group who I can best describe as being in Maths learning limbo - by this I mean that while they show capability in Maths they are stuck and not progressing because I have not been able to move them to the up to the next level.
Within this group I have identified six priority learners - all Year 8 students who achieved Stage 6 at the end of 2017. NB: Ideally they should have been hitting Stage 7.
My hunch is that the progress of this group of Maths learners is being held back because they struggle to understand and then correctly apply higher level strategies.
THE CHALLENGE AHEAD
I had originally intended to use this inquiry opportunity to examine how I could better teach my students the fundamentals for writing. This was based on my personal reflection that in 2018 I needed to improve how I taught this subject area.
However, after listening to the presentation by Woolf Fisher researchers at Tamaki College, I needed to change my plan. The 2017 results for students achievement across schools in the Manaiakalani cluster clearly showed that Maths was a bigger concern than Writing.
This realisation prompted me to check the data for my Maths class for this year. Based on National Standards benchmarks, only 2 students had achieved 'at' by the end of 2017, the remaining 27 students were sitting at either 'below' or 'well below'.
I wanted to focus on the band of students who are noted as 'below' in Maths. WIth the right intervention, there is a better chance of achieving upaward shift in 'below' learners than those who are 'well below'. I then identified a group who I can best describe as being in Maths learning limbo - by this I mean that while they show capability in Maths they are stuck and not progressing because I have not been able to move them to the up to the next level.
Within this group I have identified six priority learners - all Year 8 students who achieved Stage 6 at the end of 2017. NB: Ideally they should have been hitting Stage 7.
My hunch is that the progress of this group of Maths learners is being held back because they struggle to understand and then correctly apply higher level strategies.
THE CHALLENGE AHEAD
Building on Maths PD last year with Jo Knox, PES is rolling out the DMIC (Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities) approach of teaching maths across the entire school i.e. from Year 1 to Year 8. Based on comprehensive research in the US around complex maths instruction, Prof. Bobbi Hunter of Massey University has developed a pedagogy that aims to deepen students understanding of maths - working in mixed ability groups to collectively solve maths problems.
The challenge will be to find out how to best to use the DMIC pedagogy to build confidence in priority learners so they are more likely to take risks to grapple with more complex problems - the payoff being they will develop their maths thinking and problem solving skills and progress to more complex maths work.
The challenge will be to find out how to best to use the DMIC pedagogy to build confidence in priority learners so they are more likely to take risks to grapple with more complex problems - the payoff being they will develop their maths thinking and problem solving skills and progress to more complex maths work.
TALK MOVES - A POSSIBLE SOLUTION?
The DMIC teaching approach uses maths problems rooted in the real world problems in cultural contexts that are relevant and engaging for students and related to 'big' maths ideas.
For my inquiry then, as an initial starting point, I would like to investigate how the use of TALK MOVES can support my priority students to improve their understanding and make use of higher level Maths concepts.
For my inquiry then, as an initial starting point, I would like to investigate how the use of TALK MOVES can support my priority students to improve their understanding and make use of higher level Maths concepts.
Monday, 22 January 2018
Inequality in Education: Dr Pedro Noguera
Dr. Pedro Noguera was the keynote speaker at a workshop run by the Pacific Research Symposium on January 28th. His presentation highlighted the barriers to education faced by males of colour (African-American and Latino) in the US and provided parallels to a similar plight being experienced by young Maori and Pasifika men in Aotearoa/NZ.
He urged us to acknowledge that the current solutions/education institutions are 'not working' for them and argued that the system, that encourages inequity in education, needs to change. He offered up examples in NZ (Kia Aroha School) and the US (Eagle Academy) of new learning models where a student's culture/heritage is an asset and provides the platform for building success at school and sets them up to access improve life circumstances/opportunities.
I found his talk very thought provoking - what kind of role models do our children have to look up to - professionals? sports stars? entertainers? what expectations do we as teachers have for our students?how can we as teachers keep our kids engaged and motivated in their learning?
He urged us to acknowledge that the current solutions/education institutions are 'not working' for them and argued that the system, that encourages inequity in education, needs to change. He offered up examples in NZ (Kia Aroha School) and the US (Eagle Academy) of new learning models where a student's culture/heritage is an asset and provides the platform for building success at school and sets them up to access improve life circumstances/opportunities.
I found his talk very thought provoking - what kind of role models do our children have to look up to - professionals? sports stars? entertainers? what expectations do we as teachers have for our students?how can we as teachers keep our kids engaged and motivated in their learning?
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