#edchatnz16 Workshop 3 Student Agency - Paula Wine DP Rototuna Junior High School

The context of new and change and growing!!!

Co-constructing as we go - teacher agency as well as student agency - transparent process. 

Interesting that they are in their 5th cycle of teacher induction. Always feedback on the process - induction changes each time. 

Quite a few of us here are interested in the Curriculum Design and Curriculum Tracking. 

A very honest approach 'didn't all go sweet!!'  Week 4 and 5 high stress for staff - creation of the non negotiables. 

No existing culture to change - but there is secondary change. 

Learning Advisory 

The cloak - challenging the mindset - is essential. 

The extended advisory time is essential - never feel there is enough time - curriculum tracking; support. Learning advisory of 14-18 students. DP has the largest group. Mixed ability groupings - Yr7-10. 

The first 3 weeks are in advisory - systems, Google Apps etc - essential. 

Lots of choice for students - modules have 2 subjects combined - authentic connections. But there is an element of 'you have to' - directed where needed.

 

Every semester they must have English and Maths - others come from the tracking of the curriculum. Standardised testing (as a part of triangulated data) is used to see where kids need extra support. These kids maybe on a targeted learner base. Flights are more 'pure' eg chemistry, French. 

Two year framework for curriculum - in a 'structured choice' - in order for all things to be covered. 

Learner Narratives 

This is where students track their learning  - just by using Google Doc 

This is such a simple process. Each semester is linked. Parents starting to make comments. There should be no surprises at the end of each Semester. 

E-AsTTle is visible to the students. 

All of the courses have evidence linked to the learner narrative. There will always be some students who find this challenging. 

Students choose  how to document their learning. The narratives are checked every week and commented on by the advisor. 

Students who find this difficult are supported to complete. Lots of links back to parents. 

Curriculum Tracker 

What's the purpose - how much do we want to cover. 

A two year approach - curriculum coverage over Yr 9 and 10. 

A detailed overview of what they cover of the curriculum - great handover for teachers who leaves.

Teachers also complete the curriculum tracking sheet - so that all can see what is being covered. 

Solo rubrics for the values of learning 

IEMs 

Scaffolded, linked to learner narrative - element of choice! 

Not allowed to read from narrative.

Not - this is what I did but this is what I learned. 

Clear guidelines for staff. 

Goal for 100% attendance - school shut for two days - drew a line in the sand and put up with minor 'flack'! For kids who could not get family there, the kids were able to Skype or invite Principal or other SLT as audience. 

Leaders of their own learning - 

A really structured time frame for the initial meetings - but was not mandatory. Translators available for second language families. 

An example of an active IEMs. 

 

#edchatnz Tribal Activities - Kereru

Kereru Tribe - planning our pitch! 

Think we're running with Andy's 'Teacher Matching Site' T- Squared 

Here's our 'pitch' - thanks to Andy Crow from my old Wesley Intermediate for putting our ideas together! 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1LwVX-bg5LPJ2ZP7JkapZ4R73oya4dskTAAbndlIFQ_c

Thanks to Justine for letting us be as relaxed as we are!!

#edchat2 - Student Perspectives - Learning in and innovative learning environment

4 extremely confident student ambassadors explained their vision for the school: 

Connect Inspire and Soar: 10 minute 

- We have more choice and we control what and how we learn. 

- We tend to focus on one learning environment 

- Much more project and student focussed 

- A lot of kids and team teaching

- the kids are more self managing - more self directed over the course of the year 

- based on student needs 

- relationship between teachers is a whole different dynamic 

Modules 

- the human machine - PE and Science module(Yr9/10) 

- Jam and Maori - read music and speak 

- Da Vinci - science and Art - light and colour perspectives 

- Special effects - art and technology - weta workshop module 

- enjoyed Maths when we learnt it in a Science way 

- 'somewhere to be' - Maths and PE - planning a run, going on a run, geocaching on the run and mapping  co-ordinates 

- all use dashboard for tracking student learning 

Concentrating in open learning environment- how do you do it? 

- if it's too noisy I go to a breakout room 

- I put on my headphones 

- I move to a different room

Curriculum Tracker: 

Students keep track on a spreadsheet of what they need to cover 

Simple spreadsheet - we check where our gaps are 

Advisory activities -

For the start of the year

Nail challenge:  hard to believe this could be done! 

Lego challenge: 

Learning Advisory 

- very strong belief in that the teachers learn as well 

- students complete 'what am I learning' 

- SOLO rubric for all learning - lots of work being done with Pam Hook - the students could explain this quite clearly

An excellent presentation from the students. 

Quote: the teachers have to trust us a lot! 

No laptops at lunchtime! 

All social media blocked. 

Phones only allowed for school work. 

Quote 2: it may really look different - at the end of the day we're still learning! 

edchat16 - Workshop 1 - Computational Thinking - Rich Rowley and Stuart Kelly

Computational Thinking - what the hell is this? 

An interesting discussion on where coding is going! 

Basically solving problems, abstraction and change! 

Guess the number using yes/no questions! Solve by halving the range each time! 

Computational thinking and coding - repetition and scale = elegant coding. 

Coders are lazy! 

Computational thinking is important - because coding is disappearing - dying professional because of the way in which 

'Let's teach kids to code' Mitch Resnick 

https://www.ted.com/talks/mitch_resnick_let_s_teach_kids_to_code?language=en

When we code in pairs - pair programming exists in the real world.

Collaborative - constructionist pedagogy. 

Thinking is the outcome - through coding, not other way round! 

Extreme excitement when we did the Square! 

Where could you use this in English? 

- collaboration 

- follow instructions 

- follow a structure 

It's about thinking and perceptive - excellence @ NCEA 

#edchat 2016 Opening keynote - Rototuna Junior High School

'Pushing the boundaries of educational possibilities' 

Fraser Hill and Danielle Myburgh 

RJHS - getting the students ready for being 'emerging adolescents' 

660 - Yr7-10 - biggest opening role of a new school. 

The secondary school is being adjoining the middle school. 

Tribe: Find the perfect group for you - people who challenge and push you to go further. Be the first follower - who makes a lone nut a leader! (Derek Sivers).

Has automation affected your job? 

 Has  your job become more complex? 

We no longer know how to solve the problems that are presented to us? We can't predict the future.

What does a conference look like? It is the bridge between reality and possibilities. Diverse groups of teachers collaborate and create possibilities - for schools and beyond! 

Sustainability a key focus - recyclable everything - cups, no paper 

Met my tribe - Kereru - one is from the Game Lab - learning through gaming. Others from primary, intermediate and secondary areas. Led by Justine Hughes. 

What would be the one thing you'd like to change? 

Dr Yong Zhao - entrepreneurial and creative problem based thinking

I was fortunate to hear Dr Yong Zhao in the freezing hall of Christs College on the last day of the hols. 

So Dr Zhao was brought here by the 'Thought Leaders' - Who are thought leaders? I have no idea!!

Focus of the lecture - 21st century schools in age of globalisation 

Recent book to read - Who's afraid of the big bad dragon?

Yongzhao.uo@gmail.com

Zhao posed lots of questions:

What's makes a good education?

Are we delivering the right things?

Are we 'Counting what counts?'  

3 big issues in education: 

Interesting that he saw - Curriculum  - continually changing - lots of 'playing' 

What is the best possible curriculum to learn? 

Pedagogy and teachers - trying to prescribe how we teach - 

Assessment - large tests /Pisa  -,the trend to forced high stakes assessments

Patents want scores -bell who's doing a good job ? 

We want to improve education but according to Zhao we need transformation?

What we should be focussing on 'what matters' and this will be different from place to place - different contexts.

In one place you can be useless, in another you can be useful. 

3 problems in education

- disengaged kids 

- post school prospects - youth unemployment - a lot of the kids are 'stuck in the basement' - this generation has had more education than any than any other 'under employment' also an issue - 'the boomerang' generation - they've played the game but the game no longer works 

- equity - the achievement gap is a symptom of the equity gap 

Traditional educational paradigm - education to deliver prescribed outcomes to all  children. We deliver a package delivered the right way! 

Traditionally differences have had no value- but when applied tons specific contexts can it matters / means something. 

Dr Reiss - 16 basic motivations and objects of desire! 

Understanding that people have different motivators leads to reduced frustration! 

How do we decide what kids need to know? 

Historically this has been an homogenous process. 

The current system reinforces mediocrity, shuns excellence and diversity.

We're not delivering a poor education, but the wrong education. 

Transformational revolution - very few of these take place. 

The 4th industrial revolution - smart machines. 

No job is safe! 

What opportunities does this create to celebrate individual differences? 

To solve the 3 main problems in education?

Biggest thing we consume - choice

New paradigm - reverse of homogenised - diversified - creating a jagged profile of success - no one is the same. 

Another text to scan - The end of average. Todd Ross. 

Big data is useless for individual students - based on the average. 

Education needs to be: 

-  student driven and personalised - not compared to others, individual students have talent. Student autonomy. Have we changed teaching from instruction to supporting learning. 

- product driven - know how to problem solve - start with identifying what problems are worth solving ( are you bettering other people's lives) - edcorps.org

- globalised campus -do our students have the capacity to reach the globe 

We can't keep tinkering with education on a small scale. 

NB would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall when he spoke with Ministry and opposition around National Standards and Communities of Learners - neither of which he was in support of! 

Re:generation NZATE16 : Keynote 4 Ben Brown

Writer, teacher, performance poet and sometime. 

Listening to Ben Brown I sort of question why he is not as well known as Witi Ihimaera or Patricia Grace. As powerful a wordsmith. 

He describes himself as 'A storyteller in the world of words'. 

Maori at home, Pakeha at school - the world of his mother. 

Great line - Behind every great writer is the ghost of an English teacher!!!

And another - Human conversation is not a frivolous activity. 

'My father always a book at the table right next to the knife! They were in the workshop and stacked in piles in the house. My mother read Readers Digest condensed -'much to my father's chagrin'. 

Created some great images - my mother's tongue had the quality of hard diamond that cut! Ben has wonderful descriptions of his mother - the heron that fishes, the eel that twists and turns ... She could talk to birds! 

Animals had a natural affinity to her, they knew how to find her kindness. 

Honky the rabbit - named from 'Love thy neighbour' - imagine that show today!!

The teacher 'Miss What ever her name' refused to allow the racist name in the pet show!  'As only a teacher in her room could' 

In Tom Sawyer he could see his own life reflected - scallywag, truant, miscreant ....

Another great line - 'The constant mining if the human story. The seam is rich' 

Final thoughts - Be the artist. Dream ridiculously. Don't live in the grind of someone else's machine.  Poets are hopeless romantics - they believe in everything. 

Be an artist. Be the maker of something real. 

Make it complete and give it a name or else it will not exist. 

'Mana' 

Final line:

Mana is the man who does without saying 

'He Kingi' 

'Taniwha'