Tiaki-James Pokere - Reflection, thoughts, inquiry, collaboration and more

Below is the link to one of many inquries that I have carried out this year. I have enjoyed the inquiry process as it allows you the learner to think about the next steps, discussions with colleagues, professional research, engaging with a range of sources to support teacher and excel student learning. Inquiry 2016 (Formative Assessment)

  Present: Myself, Janeen (Team Leader), Nick (AP).  This appraisal hui had a set of questions, based on any inquiries that I have within my teaching so far this year. These questions below were the focus of the appraisal.  Q1. What is the impact on your teaching and or learning from your inquiry.  Q2. Next Steps I think this process is another effective method of undertaking appraisals, as it is delving deeper into what the teacher has had a 'hunch' (wants to enquire further into) about. This then leads into, how effective has the inquiry been, what evidence can you provide to support your inquiry and the impact it has change on the student and or the teacher.  Throughout the hui, I discussed with both my mentor/team leader and the AP about my two injuries (Maths and Te Reo).  The impact Te Reo has had on both the teacher and students is that; my programme is more structured, involvement of classroom ministers, focus of...

Writing Moderation with Mentor At the end of Term 3, students undertook their second e-asTTle writing assessment for the year. As the classroom teacher, I undertook the marking of all students writing (narrative) first. Through collaboration and discussion with my mentor, she was given one writing e-asTTle assessment for my high, middle and low, and made a judgement of where she believed they were at in accordance to the rubrics. I found this learning very informative, as it allowed me identify where I went wrong, and my next steps for next time. I have found moderation to be effective, as it gives both the moderator and marker an opportunity as into why they have been given that mark.

Activity Week Organisation  Activity Week Organisation with Mentor The week before the start of Term 4 commencing, my mentor and I got together to discuss possible outing activities that students may benefit from throughout week 8. This year is a low budget camp where students pay $50 to take part. The activities we did decide on, we needed to make sure that we had the right ratio of parents to students depending on the activity and its risks. It was equally important that our week fell within the safety guidelines and expectations of the school.  I found this to be valuable learning, as there are going to be many times throughout my teaching career where I will be required to organise outings for my or classes.   

This week, was the first week of PAT Assessment. This week, I got the students to work through the PAT Maths Assessment. I was nervous about the outcome of the data, as opposed to the first test taken at the start of the year. As I reflect on the data given from Term 1 and Term 3. I am impressed with the achievement outcome of most of my students. I was, however, disappointed about the data that showed students who stayed the same, or slipped backwards.  What Next? - As there is another term left, i will use the current data to support students within the different mathematic strands to develop their understanding further. - Identify groups or individuals who struggled in a particular strand.  Wonderings -  Why did some students stay the same, or score below the previous data given? - How am I going to prepare my year 8 students for High School, especially if they have made no improvement?  Year 8 Data, Left Shows Term 3 Data, and Right...

I undertook an observation, where a colleague was teaching te reo to her class. The focus of this lesson was how to use au (me), koe (that person) and ia (That person over there). A youtube video was used to help students understand au, koe, and ia.  Prior to this focus, a waita was sung, whakatauki read and Bingo (focus: class objects). The wait sung was: He pikinga pou pou.     Short recording of waiata Students practising using ko au tenei Where to next for me -  - Introduce the kupu au, koe, ia. What do these mean (Group discussion) - Talk to the students about the different kiwi around Taranaki, and Aotearoa - Allowing my Māori minister to lead explain each part of the lesson (what we are doing next).  Observational notes

This term has very much a busy term, especially with speeches. I found that some students didn't manage their time effectively as they should have, knowing that they had five weeks to complete their speeches. However, I was very much impressed with the students confidence to stand in front of their peers to deliver their speeches. Next to steps for me:  Use class time to allow students to write their speeches, rather than at home.  Give more scaffolding to writing up a speech as a whole class.  How to effectively deliver their speech (body language, posture, gestures, flexibility in voice).  Work more closely with those students who aren't as confident with developing their ideas.  Utilising the time created by both the students and I. As we approach the end of the term, there is a need to encourage students to maintain focus in all areas of learning. There are many curriculum tests to asses where students are currently sitting, even though we have no...

Literacy Circles Reflection This week was the first week using the Literacy Circles reading programme. I have started this off as whole class to familiarise students with each role.  Worked Well:  Students understood the role of the " Discussion Director " and " Word Master "   Next Time:  More modelling and clear explicit instructions for each role (especially the role of the Summariser).  Asking for questions before students move into tasks.  Giving examples about how to successfully carryout this role.   

As I move into my new reading programme next week, week 7, I observed one of my colleagues taking a guided reading group where she used the literacy circles. The Literacy Circles reading programme has 6 different roles (Discussion director, passage picker, illustrator, summariser, word master and connector). Each reading lesson, students have different role each time, although there are only 6 roles, there maybe some roles where students share a role. Through discussion with my colleague, she explained the importance of modelling this reading programme with the whole class for the first week, using an article each lesson to model each of the roles.  Through discussions with the students, I asked, "What learning experiences have you gained from the Literacy Circles?" Student Responses:   "It allows us to dig deeper into the text" "Makes us listen to our peers" "Think more critically" Group discussion sharing their ideas from the selected...

This was a new mathematical warm-up activity that I introduced at the beginning of the week. This task required the learners to engage in an activity that required them to think critically, collaborate together and add together decimal numbers that had a place value of tenths and hundreds. The aim of the activity was for students to get as close as they could to one dollar.  Through collaboration with the students the activity was adapted slightly:      -    To get close to 20cents, 75 cents, 1.50 and so on.      -   Allowed to collect a card from the top of the discarded pile as they discard one of their cards.    

3rd August 2015 (Monday) Effective Professional Learning Conversations (PLC) Today, during staff meeting, we discussed what professional learning conversations were, what this looked like and how this can support our own teaching, along with other colleagues. Professional learning conversations is an environment built upon trust, promoting and encouraging reflection for example. Engaging in such vital PLC is important to ensure greater success across the board.  Links to other RTC: 1

24/07/15 As I reflect on my first official year as a beginning teacher, there have been so many valuable learning opportunities for me to grasp, pick apart, understand and how I can best develop effective teaching practices to better utilise and use assessment data gathered both formally and informally. We are continuously told how important it is to not only analyse, but also utilise the assessment information gathered to it's full intention to maximise learning for all.  A quote, by Rick Stiggins below explains the importance that assessment is not about just collecting data, it's important teachers use this data to inform their own instructional practise and how they can best teach to the certain needs.  "Rick Stiggins suggests that educators replace their assessment of learning with a more balanced approach, using not only assessment of learning, but also assessment for learning. That is, teachers should use assessment not only to actively and continuou...

What is culture? Some Examples: - It's a treasure - Unites people regardless of ethnic, gender, or religion background - We shape culture as we love it to be - Values - Diverse  A short clip about what culture is Is the commitment to culture in Aotearoa slowly changing where we have educators,  businesses, communities and the wider country developing positive view points towards the heritage, tikanga, and language of the indigenous people? Will we ever be at a stage where Aoteroa's indigenous peoples language, culture, and history be listened to with an open mind? 

 20th August 2015        PCT Workshop, Provisional Certified Teacher          This workshop covered a variety of aspects from the newly formed Education Council, exploring inclusive education, collaborating in positive and meaningful discussions with other beginning teachers and teaching as inquiry.  What did I get from this 3rd workshop?          -  The slight changes made from the previous Teachers Council to the newly established Education Council. As beginning teachers we are now PCT before being certificated.             -  The importance of ensuring that our classrooms are inclusive to ensure success across the curriculum. Our classrooms are safe, and comfortable for learners to be successful.             - Sharing new ideas with other PCT teachers and gaining new ideas and experiences to implement back into my cl...

Term 1&2  Week 10(T1)&1(T2)          Date: 20th April 2015 Goals for the coming week Complete running records on well below, and some below students.  Familiarise self with Numeracy Project Book 7 (Proportion and Ratios) Have classroom website fully functional (Information and PDFs) Organise and finalise classroom reading and writing programme for week 3-11 Professional Development Attended Te Toi Tupu (Maths Synopsis) Friday 17th April (Last Friday of holiday) Te Wananga o Aotearoa (Te Ara Reo L2) iPad Training (Life Cards) with Zoey Penwarden  What a great first week back at school with the tamariki being present within the classroom environment. Students took sometime to get back into routines and school life, however by Friday students were settled. I'm looking forward to the remainder of term 2.  I have felt more settled at the start of this term as I reflected on my first two weeks of term 1. So much ...

Weekly Reflections Week 9 15th June - 19th June Goals for the coming week Start midterm reports Finalising OTJ's across all curriculum areas Organise for parent interviews (Week 11) Reflect on inquiry at present Professional Development for week Te Wananga o Aotearoa iPad training This week has been an extremely busy week. It has required me to assess all students in mathematics (Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication and Division, Measurement - time and temperature, ratio and proportions, and algebra  and where they might be currently sitting now according to the data given and own teacher judgement through group work, one-on-one, and as a whole class. At time this felt very overwhelming, however with the support of my mentor teacher, I was successfully able to make an overall judgement in each area of mathematics. This process has definitely made me think about how important it is to manage testing, and student engagement in their at the same time.  ...

  14th August 2015 (Friday)        Sheena Cameron Writing Workshop        Today I had the pleasure of attending Sheena Cameron's writing workshop.         This workshop, for me, was a valuable experience. Not only did this workshop  consolidate what I am already doing, but also what I need to include more into my  writing programme to ensure success, and understanding for all learners. It is a belief  that this is an ongoing development for all teachers. Quick short activities were also shown  to help engage all writers;               - iMovie (Using scripts)              - Using an image where students explain an image and cannot use word                                                  ...

7th August 2015 (Friday) Positive Praise (Manage students behaviour positively) Reading a short article on positive praise, written by  Lauren Lowry, Hanen SLP and clinical writer has reminded me on the importance of how to praise students effectively that doesn't diminish their motivation for learning, or affects their own self-esteem. The phrases heard all too often like; " Good job!", "Gimme five!", "Awesome!", “What a beautiful picture!" are examples that can affect a students motivation to learn, because the learner becomes dependent on praise and shows that the teacher is comparing their achievement level of learning of others. It is argued that the most effective way to praise children learning to maintain focus, engagement and motivation is through process praise. Process praise has been believed to have  encourage children to develop a flexible mindset, confront their weaknesses, and take on challenges Examples of Process praise  "y...

PTC 5 Show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning  i.        actively contribute to the professional learning community   ii.    undertake areas of responsibility effectively   7th August 2014 As i reflect on my year thus far, it has dawned upon me about how how effectively I have undertaken certain roles within the school and whether I have lead these to their full potential to ensure both staff and students benefit. This short clip shows the skills required to lead and bee an active contributor to the professional learning community and to undertake role effectively to meet the needs of learners, colleagues, whānau and wider community.  What did I take from this clip? - The importance of valid and informing communication, without this, there is no sense of direction to ensure that the learners and other key stake holders and benefitted in a positive way.  -  Ability to insp...

PTC 2 Demonstrate commitment to promoting the well-being of all ākonga  i.        take all reasonable steps to provide and maintain a teaching and learning environment that is physically, socially, culturally and emotionally safe ii.       acknowledge and respect the languages, heritages and cultures of all ākonga iii.     comply with relevant regulatory and iv.      statutory requirements  Are our classroom environments prepared for the students of today and tomorrow? Are they set up to be physically, socially, culturally and emotionally safe?    This short clip shows a range of positive ways we as educators can ensure our classrooms are equipped for our students to be successful for 'today' and 'tomorrow'.  Key Points:  - Make students feel welcome - Praise - Display students mahi - Collaboration - Comfortable learning areas - Distinct rul...

Term 3  Week 2 27th July - 31st July Goals for the coming week - Complete running records on well-below students.  - Identifying students showing sound knowledge for maths and guided reading in modelling books.  Professional Development -  Te Wananga o Aotearoa  - iPAD training - Blogger set up     Positive The classes full programme has started this week, with reading, writing, maths, te reo, and topic. Students have engaged well in all areas of learning thus far. The teacher 4 teacher reading resource box has seen students quickly grasp the expectations required, they have all developed the ability to read independently to understand the text they are reading. For guided reading, I am using the arb's reading resources that encourages students to make inferences, think critically about the text, and vocabulary.  Further Development  Continuous revisiting of the Numeracy Project Booklet is important, to devel...