The journey - MLE and P - Meeting 2

Key Questions

What is the endgame? Where will the heart of the school be? What is the quality heart space?

What happens to the spaces between the new build and existing buildings ? Flow across the school - where will the central entrance be? How do the memorial trees locate in this? Do we move the memorial trees ?

How do students flow through the building?

Connecting the old and the new - 

How do we get the old and new to 'interact?' - Ministry driver is the provision of teaching spaces - not what goes into the commons. 

Relocatables 

What will KBlock look like? How many science labs? Will there be space for staff work in the 'transitional build?' 

Science have produced a detailed plan of what it could look like. 

Legoland - Jasmax model 

Possible footprint - very early working drawings - collating ideas 

How do we want a student commons to integrate to the rest of the school around it - between Arts and Technology?

The pedagogy 

Focus on an integrated junior curriculum - with specialist electives out of the building - senior Science then brought in.

The pedagogy has to match the space.

Good question - What will a big glass space be like on a hot North Canterbury day? High ceilings and top line heat radiation. 

The learning whare - simple clean lines - make it more interesting inside. 

Conversations with Eleanor Catton

As part of the 50th anniversary of CETA (Canterbury English Teachers'Assn), Eleanor Catton spoke today with a group of English teachers from Canterbury. Hosted by John Ruge, St Margaret's College in their new auditorium. 

On Teaching Creative Writing

Interesting comment that as a tutor at MIT it's interesting to be on the receiving end of what students come out of high school English with. 

There is no one way to write well ; no word is more poetic than any other; no hierarchy of structures.

Sees the need for less 'static' ie no change or movement - possibly because of NZQA explanatory notes !! Have we the lost the plot as to what to reward in creative writing - a lot of quiet revelations on not much at all.

We need to be encouraging action - what happens next - where to? Movies focus on strong story telling - that's what engages young people.

The workshop model at tertiary - but not possible at the secondary school - skills based teaching necesaary for creative writing.

Story - Robert McKee

- premise and controlling idea - controlling idea should never be one word

- premise should always be a little scary - element of unknowing in the premise 

- the controlling idea may not fully come out till later

- Luminaries - paradoxical ideas of love and money -

Recommended Texts for Teaching  Writing 

Impro - K Johnson

Rose where did you get that red?  - K Cope

Poetry in the making - Ted Hughes 

Some Writing Tips and Activities 

 3 word sentences 

- only allowed to use 3 word sentences to write a story - subject , object , predicate - if you want to use an adjective what would you leave out

How, why or what next - if a reader is not asking any of these - your story is boring 

- they should rotate through these 3 questions 

- start with any sentence starter and ask the questions - manipulate how you answer these questions 

- know the attraction - see what the reader wants but don't necessarily in the order that they want

- screen writing ideas lend the best advice 

DDDA

4 ways to have action DDDA - decision deed discovery accident ( deeds and accidents external - decision and discovery internal ) 

- card activity  - DDDA cards - mix and match - these can become 4 lines stories - always a random selection 

- as a grid we live in the crossroads of these 4 - in control and out of control - story needs to sit in the middle of this grid 

Excuse VS Explanation

- choose a misdemeanour

- collate the excuses - how ridiculous they are

- explanations create good prose 

Yes/Yes

- how to frame the statement for an argument

- give out an argument - every student to write 2 questions that have a yes answer - this can build the argument 

- stories about 1sts - things that we don't expect as a reader 

Fortunately / Unfortunately - in order around the room - ambition has to be solved if not achieved - rule - accept all offers!!

- encouraging students to write about counter culture - levels of logic 

- rules of the real world - consistency -  eg if people can fly - how high? everyone? distance? etc

- whatever your rules are, you have to believe them - they have to be real to the reader 

- fiction doesn't have a sound track - a writer had to direct ; stage set ; sound track - everything -  the writer has to create that sense  - love is not created by just using the word 'love'

- beginning with film - is a way in for students 

- fiction and essay  writing - driven in the same way - sees poetry as being at a 'imbibed' at a different speed 

J Cameron - the cycle of the heroes journey - ways growing and developing 

- every story has a movement into the unknown 

On the road again - the journey to MLP and E

Time: 5.40

Location: Chch airport

Destination: Auckland

Team: Peggy, Brian, Julia, Chris, Josh, Leanne and myself

Purpose: to scope out two new modern school buildings and some new approaches to teaching and learning

The Challenge - driving the rest of the tour party in a rental which took a lot of time to a) find the handbrake and b) close the doors!!!

Some of the things that stood out for me-

- all three schools had strong links with the community

- the students students confidently talked about their learning 

AND

- all have a pastoral care system based on all teachers looking after a smaller number of students 

Stop 1 - Hobsonville Point Secondary School 

This is my second visit to this amazing educational location. Our new building is approximately a third of the length of this place. 

HPSS built as a 'public private partnership' school (NOT a charter school) probably affords a quality that will not be matched by a Ministry build. 

Valuable learnings to be made from not just the environment, but their approach to curriculum and pastoral care. 

The Curriculum

- planning and team teaching - both take time to master 

- technology is a great enabler 

- the future of education 

- integration not as easy in a single cell classroom  - as it relies on numbers to make it work 

- over a term or two staff have become    better at using the one block a week - smarter 

- Te Reo compulsory 

- ideally by senior school - kids out as much as in - self directed 

Big Modules

- 3 teachers - SS /Technology/ PE

- 64 kids - self selected ( eventually aimed at curriculum levels - some mixed levels some single level) 

- kids quickly moved back into the main group - they have taken a bit of training to do this seamlessly 

- team teaching an integrated curriculum not integrated teaching 

High trust model 

- self issue in library no alarms

- any shoes

- lateness

- kitchenette facilities

Linking school and private enterprise 

- food technology - linked to good enterprise and cosmetics 

- must link the learning to a real context

Thanks staff and students for sharing your time, enthusiasm and your  facility.

Stop 2  - Albany  High School 

Thanks to Barbara and Kim for spending the time with us.

The thinking behind the space

- based on Doig, Gilbert and 

- it's not if have talent  but how you have talent

- all students are capable - just need to tap into that 

- do less and do it well - 80 cr in 5 subjects - focus on Merit and Excellence endorsements

- focus in the important conversations - don't sweat the small stuff

The Pastoral Care Network 

- all teachers except for Principal look after 15 students - 5 each if Yr 11, 12 and 13 - so only connecting with 5new students a year

- all pastoral and academic support - 2 x100 mins a week - students can use time to complete work 

- teachers need training and mentoring to be able to do this well

- no Dean systems - the teachers are the Deans for 15 students

Interestingly the 4 DPs (for 700 students) have no split portfolios - all do all 

Big Impact Projects 

- when do students get a chance to do something they are really really into ?

- can be independent or part of a team

- more on site than initially

- these have developed over the 6 years

The school 

Learning Commons - 3 classes in one space - small pods are likely to be removed 

Cafeteria

Open plan art spaces 

Big tables - high leaners

Library corners 

Poetry corner

Indoor Outdoor Technology Flow

Planning and making side by side - design and build.

Senior Student Leadership Space

Great colour!

The noisiest place of the school - 3 levels of commons 

and it was not that noisy 

Outdoor courtyard flow

Environmental Space - lizard enclosure 

Stop 3 - MIT Secondary Tertiary School 

Fabulous to re-connect with Steve Samuela and to be back in South Auckland! 

The covered deck areas add a huge amount of space to the learning areas.

The students were confident - and stayed well after 'school hours' to mix and complete work 

Thanks Team SSTS MIT

Long day on the road ! 

Amazingly the traffic was kind to us - no hold ups on any of the motorways. 

Features of Leadership

This is a fabulous list of aspirational descriptors of leadership - I'm thinking that for my appraisal work, I will create a table of these for staff to comment against - I'm sure that I can get them to align to the RTCs - project on the way!!

Building on Success - Accelerating Maori student achievement

Thought provoking and challenging day working with the 'Building on Success' team of Robbie, Therese and John.

Brought back many of the positive memories from my Te Kotahitanga years - the strength of co- construction; the crtitical reflection and the sharp reminders of the kaupapa - of the undeniable reasons as to why teachers have position themselves to be abe to make changes for rangatahi.

The professional learning cycle of observation, feedback, goal setting and shadow coaching supports teachers identifying strengths in their practice, as well as areas where a culturally responsive pedagogy could be embedded into what teachers do in the classroom.

The observation tool has been refined and I believe, easier to work with - no on the spot decision making over codings (yay!) - those modified codes can be allocated to the recorded evidence after the observation - and added to in the feedback meeting.

I had forgotten what is was like to have a team descend on the classroom to observe my practice - the kids were pretty takedn aback when the team of 6 faciltitators arrived - that may well be an interesting conversation tomorrow!!

I finished the day tired and reflective - I think have a team of 4 with 3 of them members of SLT is a big ask - the professional learning cycle demands a time committment of at least 3 hrs a term per teacher in the cohort.

Launching 'Building on Success' at the same time we are launching 'PB4L' tinkles a few warning bells.....plenty of planning to come.

One of my fav Te Kotahitanga videos reminds me why this is essential mahi is here '

The Journey - planning for our rebuild

The meetings are ramping up as we really get on a roll regarding our 'rebuild'.

Planning meeting with Jasmax Team yesterday asked the key question -

What is the essence of the project? I guess that is our vision - which we need to firmly articulate very soon.

Other points and questions raised that we will need answers to very soon...

Subjects framed differently

-Yr 9 - integrated approach - begin with the AOs

- technology - how did effect the delivery?

- what does Sci look like in - numbers in labs? Physics / chem/ Bio focus ?

- how big are the break out spaces?

- hinged screens

- poles in the middle

- Julia Aitken - agile spaces

 How will work be displayed ?

- community projects

- digital archive

- glass whiteboard

- desk whiteboard

The team that went to HPSS had some clear ideas around this.

They asked us to think about buildingin what glass walls that are part of the main building - cost effective

- flexible - how the space is being used - how will you dress the space?

- what are the must haves?

Supervision - lots more teachers in a space to keep and eye and help manage this

The key thing is to focus on pedagogy - not space - don't make them an area of ownership.

At HPSS we saw students self select spaces to work in - quiet if needed - there were many spaces for this to occur in.

Locker spaces - need to be in useful space - easy to get too - safe space - certainly liked the idea of the locker spaces as social spaces at HPSS

Furniture and equipment fund -separate and generous :)

Peter Fenwick to ask about PD funding - 25% of school rebuild

Pastoral care - model if best practice investigated

How will it connect to existing buildings?

This is a key concern - as we need it to be 'connected'

How do we get around the big building to get across to G block ?

What flow will exist between and around the buildings?

Relocation of prefabs to KBlock -

The more we spend here, the less to spend on the new build - so this has to be carefully thought through.

9 relocatables - access ways  - simple wide and safe! How many Sci labs? What else is going there? How do we refit the Sci labs? How much money for relocatables ?

Exciting and busy times!

Chris O'Reilly - Keynote 4 - I love teachers

strategic planning consultant - thoughts on leadership and education.

Interests in mentoring and leading improvement through innovative leadership.

Innovative Leadership

- changing nature of leadership

- how to change busy organisations

- how to get people to take on more responsibility 

- how do we prepare people for leadrship

Key principles -

- think about things in questions of degree not absolutes - instead how could I do that better? Or how could I do that more? 

- intent does not equal effect -,what implications does this have  for leadership - what might the barriers be? innovation means change - teams trying to make change may be putting in the effort but they actually need to do things differently 

- greatest gift is to be able to see yourself through the eyes of others  - the people around your determine how effective you are as a leader - a key mechanism of leadership ( HYs 'barometer people')

Leadership Theory

Main change in leadership model is the rate and ease of information flow - no one person holding the knowledge and the power. Instant transfer of knowledge - no longer an island but a network of island

Fullan's model of leadership

However O'Reilly's argument around focussing on a few things only.

Stick to a few fundamentals and do them well. Get the basics simplified andfollow  through.

Have the courage to be able to recognise what to leave behind.

Modern leadership theory - more around values and relationship 

Successful leaders 

- articulate vision

- committment

- desire to achieve

O'Reilly's insights on leadership

- it's not all about you 

- get the best answers not have them 

- vulnerability is strength - Prof Bill George (authentic leadership)

- only authentic is sustainable and effective - there is no tick box of what makes a great leader - people have a great 'bull shit radar'!!!!

- it's not fair get over it 

- create the window and the mirror culture - people and personal behaviour (Jim Collins) - when good stuff happens a good leader will look out of the window and shine the light on the good stuff. The other side of that is holding the mirror up and ask - what could I have done differently when things go wrong? (ownership and responsibility)

- ready, fire, aim - react quickly - critical organisational and personal competency be prepared to get things going 

- you are not an island, neither is your organisation 

Innovative leadership involves 

- knowing what you are doing and why you are doing it

- how you go about this - systems, processes, measurements 

- how you go about this - values, engagement, trust, influence, motivation 

What can a leader do to create trust?

- quite frankly they need to earn it - ask what can we do?

 Get the feedback - if you are effective at getting feedback then change will happen 

Barriers 

-not asking

- too often 

- not asking the right Q

- not asking the right way

- afraid to tell the truth 

- what would others say (3rd party)

- history of not acting on feedback

What are the biggest opportunities? What are the risks? Would there be any synergy in your team's answers?

People who best know what needs changing are the people doing the job ask them - vested interest and ownership.

Clearly identify what needs to be done, show some leadership, get some feedback!  

Dr Stuart Middleton - Keynote 3 - Managed Transitions - Multiple Pathways

If 9w is the answer, what is the question? 

Managed transitions, seamlessness, multiple pathways and partnerships - words that will drive us in education.

http://cognitioneducation.com/blog?field_blog_author_target_id=681

What we have now with segmented sectors has not worked.

Stuart posed a number of questions for discussion -: 

If there is compelling evidence that all children can succeed why do so many fail?

- not all the same

- disengagement

- no purpose/relevance

- what else is going on their lives

- low expectations 

- what is success? Define success?

- pace of change

- opportunities not provided - pigeonholed 

- factory model 

Define success? That is the key - a student that can leave, able to go onto the next level of success. 

Check out Sir Kenneth Baker - 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x373hoeBbYo

Higher education and vocational training - the Edge Foundation http://www.edge.co.uk/news/2010/mar/the-rt-hon-lord-baker-becomes-chair-of-edge

If schooling is about children, then why is it organised for the convenience of adults?

- questions around the training of teachers and how teachers - Faculties of Education - focus on research 

- 'there is enough research out there to get us out of the deepest cavern'

How can we better utilise the expertise of a collective group of teachers - team teach - share the skills.

What is the significance of birthdays and Xmas holidays in the cognitive and physical development of students? 

- historical social promotion

- gaps in achievement due to gap in the school year 

- we pop kids into container loads of age groups

If leadership is so important then why are teachers fighting against the Investing in Educational Success?

- workload of DPs and APs when Principals are 'out of schools'

- how are clusters formed

- research around who is top quality? 

- what makes a successful principal? 

- is it best use of resources 

If managing transitions is important then why aren't we?

- day visits not enough

- cluster have a role to play 

What's so wrong with schools that so many want out? 

- have we ever asked the kids?

- too long

- boring

- disengagement 

- relationship with school and teachers 

- not necessarily to do with school per se

- the poverty gap

If teamwork is so important then why do so many teachers work alone? 

- more collaboration than 10yrs ago

- if forced into teams by SLT - then yes 

- some choose to be isolated or independently 

If it is so important for young people to manage their learning then why do do many opt out?

- self management needs to be taught

- not either or - not enough opportunity for students to be self managing 

Check out - Alfriston College - self managing learning 

http://www.alfristoncollege.school.nz/

Mike Ardagh - Leadership by Accident and Emergency - CADAP - 2014 - Hanmer Springs

Research into the effect of seismic events ,

Leadership is easy and successful if - 

Planned

Practiced

Clear roles

Structured

Skilled team

What if.....,? 

What if it is a crisis and a decision is required?

Other leadership qualities help 

- decision making - situation awareness ; clarity of thought ; decisiveness 

- communication - clear and not questioned

- creates followership

Stages of change 

Victim

Anger

Acceptance

If leadership requires followership, follower ship requires trust ergo leaders must be trustworthy.

Other qualities 

- respect

- trust

- decisive

- collaborative

- authoritative

Clearly defined lines or hierarchy of leadership essential in crisis situation.

 

Clear decisive leadership - well communicated. 

Post disaster mental health psychological well being - initially  higher after event - gets worse 3 years post event - but after 5 years better off than pre event baseline data. 

Dr Stuart Middleton - Keynote 1 - CADAP - 2014 - Hanmer Springs

Slightly different feel to edchatNZ#

Opening Keynote - Dr Stuart Middleton 

Leading for a change or same old?

'enormous respect for the DP and AP group - still connected to the school and students'

Key Questions -:

What was the role of leadership?

What could be the role of leadership?

How would you use these solutions ?

Never be surprised at who could become a leader!

The promise of the dream if education since 1877 - on their first day at school - the life education would open for you! 

Do we still fulfil that promise? 

The value of education to prepare you for the world YOU 

Management and leaderships are not the same thing

Management -systems and organisation

Leadership - inspire and nurture and enhance

Peter Drucker - management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right thing

Personal values have to underpin leader - cannot have two sets of values.

What are your values as a person - can you stand up and say this is how they are visible on my work?

Seven tasks of leadership

1 personal values reflected in your values as a leader

2 lead others in changing lives - not just results driven - cultural values - you don't know the impact you are having - 'serendipitous interventions' !! - liking that phrase !!

3 trust intuition and feelings - my gut instinct is to ......do something about it - ask the question 'what do you think you should do?' 'What's the benefit?' - then do it!!! Don't hand it over and then expect it done the way YOU want!! A decision is not made just because something is handed on.

4 take a risk and be entrepreneurial

 - but don't go in unprepared - have time to reflect BEFORE the intervention not just after - can't have one level of intensity for every aspect of the job - risk is at the heart of leadership

- risk and opportunity different side of 

same coin!!!

5 focus on big picture - 

6 change manage - take risks and accept mistakes - 'do you end up in a different space?' - you have to accept the mistakes that others make?

-what's the damage?

- how do we recover?

-how do we ensure it doesn't happen again?

We stubbornly hang onto the 'dead horse' - many metaphors around this !!

In society most things have you changed - banking; stock exchange; business

However for many education is frozen in time!!!

MIT Tertiary School - history and research - check it out here -

https://www.manukau.ac.nz/about/our-faculties/school-of-secondary-tertiary-studies

Worldwide trends in education - disengagement; early exit ......

Western structures - underlying issues?

Why is age 14 crucial moment?

Collaboratively working with local high schools - looking at targeting Yr 10s who are likely to become alienated

Tertiary site - early access to vocational training - Level 2 NCEA minimum.

'In school but not at school'

http://i.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/8263494/Tertiary-High-changes-lives

Why the need for a target group? 

- despite many funded interventions there had been no change for the target students - priority learners - 1st in family at a Tertiary Institution. 

Fact - if you can one member of a family through tertiary, it can change a family.

'Pursue the idea that a good idea can ot be beaten by a better idea  - what's your idea?????'

Blurring and ignoring sector boundaries - interests of students are paramount - strong vision, strategy and plan.

Transitions

All transitions are problematic - major points of 'leakage'. The need to blur the lines between transitions. 

We need to manage these - regard for what's gone on before and what is to come. 

Transitions need to be categorised by choice. 

Disengagement

- made possible by school structures

- it is a process

- family partnerships crucial

Factors of disengagement do not develop at an even rate - need to identify what is the factor that is leading to disengagement .

Different factors require different rates of intervention.

Disengagement chart - factors, levels  and interventions. 

Principal Possum: HPSS - a High Viz School

Principal Possum: HPSS - a High Viz School



Fabulous post by Maurie Abraham, Principal, HPSS.

The students were fabulous indeed!

Final Keynote

Karen Melhuish - Spencer 

Growing our purpose ready students.

A few key points -

- school is the only place where students get to grow as good citizens 

- networks are 'networked publics' - this is where they learn about citizenship 

- direct link between empathy and well- being 

- who teaches students how to navigate these places safely?

- schools might be the only place where students get to question 

If I walked downed your corridors and asked 'what innovation would I see here' - how many of you would talk about the technology?

Where's the conversation about the learning design?

Full notes and tweets here - 

https://storify.com/virtuallykaren/edchatnz-my-keynote-in-your-words

Great final speaker! 

Planning at HPSS

Ros Maceachern -  follow the journey of the school on the blog 

http://rosmaceachern.blogspot.co.nz/?m=1

Workshop - Starting point - sit in your learning area!!

In your curriculum groups plans how you would develop A Term 4 big idea around 'systems, organisations, how things work'

 

No explanation - we chose

' recognises and understands how texts are constructed for a range of purposes, audiences, and situations'

AND

'constructs texts that show an awareness of purpose and audience through deliberate choice of content, language, and text form'

Key words from the curriculum drive the planning - 

 

Question chart used in planning - 

Lots of questions - around all of the planning - big and little questions - use the post-it wall.

'Where you work is Utopia' - yes but there are issues and there are challenges - but the challenges are good and make for better practice. We know that we are lucky with the building, with starting from scratch, that we are all like minded.

We are building the plane as we are flying it!

If you're constantly banging your head against the wall, you're the only one ending up with a headache 

Basically you're going to be like a primary teacher on steroids! (Claire A)

Teachers choose to teach across curriculum areas - not expected though.

English - Maths Unit  - team teaching 

- writing blogging

- analysing their hits / blog stats

Principles -

- innovate through personalised learning

- engage through powerful partnerships

- inspire through deep challenge and inquiry to develop empowered learners 

The stimulating and inclusive learning environment which empowers learning ... It's not just the building!

Being everything back to the values and the vision - values sit in the middle . 

Always asking that question - go back to the values.

LOTS of planning for the model

Separate subject silos - not the real world. 

What does this look like for teachers?

- rhythm of the day is very different

(Image to insert)

For students?

Spin - specialist one teacher 

(Image to insert) 

Thanks for the honesty Ros!

Personalisation through SOLO taxonomy

SOLO 

Allows students to see 

- what I am learning

- how am I doing

- what do I do next

A way of breaking down NCEA questions 

- describe

- discuss 

Link how much to what is written

Can be used for anything - depends on how you set up the rubric - a skill; knowledge; understanding 

https://drive.google.com/a/hobsonvillepoint.school.nz/folderview?id=0B54MZSQeEZsLdzV5X3o0TEM0N3M&usp=drive_web

Hand signals linked to the levels of the thinking - integrated into all aspects of work at HPSS.

 

Break down NCEA questions - interpretation  - don't spend all the time and energy writing the 'describe' - especially in Sci subjects.

Have to build a knowledge base before you can get to the M and E questions. 

Provides a structure to be able to answer appropriately (Mr Black)

Every unit has SOLO rubrics incorporated - makes learning visible. A cultural shift in a school.

Personalise own learning - if students are collecting information they are only at unistructural - if I'm comparing I'm working at relational level. 

Student questions

- can I do this task?

- at which level?

- how can I move to the next level of understanding 

#edchatNZ Day 2 - Project Based Learning

Project based learning - should be something that kids are interested in - needs to be based in the real world - this makes the difference. 

Buck Institute of Learning - free online plans and resources and research on PBL - http://bie.org/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw6pGfBRD09M-TmYTBzqIBEiQAcRzH506jLHEOr9qXvYNuS45xXznI6L3rZ0nSt160vLWZa6QaAo0Z8P8HAQ

What lessons can we learn from Hip hop? Keep it real - great 3 min clip 

http://bie.org/object/video/keep_it_real

Give students choice and voice - publically presenting work gives it value for the students. 

Schools around the globe are structured around PBL - but any teacher in any classroom can engage students in an authentic manner.

HPSS - lucky that they are actually involved with building the community!

Hobsonville Habits - dispositional curriculum! 

Authentic contexts 

- first one community spirit 

- second one 'save the epilobium'

- clean up the mangroves

- school show - 2025 

All students have role in each if the contexts!

Does not have to be a weekly timetable - could be a 'discovery week' - see Alfristion model.

Need a 'big project framework'

1 a kick off

2 plan - what do we need etc

3 action

4 show time 

5 final look

Research shows-

*A rubric needed to show what needs to be achieved - explicitly teach these skills.

*exemplars 

*experts - visits / online - need budgets 

* time

*feedback

Students have to tell a story through the process - most use Google Sites - 

https://sites.google.com/a/hobsonvillepoint.school.nz/hpss-build-our-culture/

The strength is in building these skills from Yr9 - compared to ASHS - where the students have to develop the skills when they arrive in Yr 11. 

Sarah Wakeford - amazing energy and enthusiasm. Everything on blog - http://hpssbigprojects.blogspot.co.nz/?m=1

Jotter pads printed with the planning templates - cool idea. 

COMO - turn your site into an app

Fabulous session - many thanks 

Explain Everything and Youtube

Differentiating what you use regularly 

....

How to rebrand what you already have - a tool to flip the lesson - http://www.morriscooke.com/?p=134

Available on android and apple - under $5

Things to note :

Allows students the time to process in their own time. 

Need to get over the fact of hearing your own voice!!

Personal touch - don't look for perfection - kids like to see the 'warts and all approach' - things do go wrong !!

The 1-1 or 1- a few, works with these.

Keep it short - two to three minute parts -with diagrams included. 

Technology is meant to save us time - Explain Everything - looks like a good tool - upload any existing documents into Explain Everything and add a soundtrack.

Linda Reuben's flipped classroom 

http://mrsrubens.wordpress.com/2014/08/05/explain-everything-pd/

Even in siloed classrooms you can change the environment - have a 'help the student space'.

Explain Everything - looks easy tool to use 

An example for Billy Eliot

http://www.slideshare.net/mobile/lindarubens/billy-elliot-ppt

And V for Vendetta ..

Impressed by this 'flipping tool'!

Thanks to Linda Reubens, Orewa College, for sharing this learning.

Exam explanations looked worthwhile!!

Tips for Explain Everything....

Small module - Sci + Eng combo

Having to do some work with the kids ....

Starting point - what keeps you awake at night?

Science and English AOs drive the programme.

Debunking the myths of what poets and scientists look like!!

Unit outline is here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yaMt_kJodYSHPy0OGkS1wsmfatCgN0H3Ak-joqTVN3M/mobilebasic

Student in collaborative work and feedback  - team teaching 

Some students at high tables - their choice. 

Natural transition between English and Science - in the conversations!

Conversation around flax linked to the whakatauki -

Range of seating options - 

Sharing in the circle - most important thing in your life .....

.....eek visitors have to answer too.....,

 Interesting responses from this Yr 9 group :

- family

- freedom - to think and day what I want 

- ecosystem

- existing

- relationships

- success 

- being the best

- active and enjoying and contributing

- honesty- true to yourself

- learning - wanting to build something better for myself and the people around me 

- people - who make me happy  - give me purpose 

English focus is on speaking - because that is the AO for the unit 

Which of these - poet, philosopher or scientist had had the most impact on your life?

Mini inquiry-a least one must be a female.

All individual inquiry for the rest of the day.

Next week 'hot air debate' - only 1 of each will be left in the balloon when it drops to earth?

What are the mini questions that we have to find out? 

-Who?

-Why?

"I made Einstein my wallpaper"