Co-Teaching Celebrations

Throughout the second half of this year I have enjoyed co-teaching our Year 9 PE classes with Alice. We've had three units together; Movement Ed, Fitness and Outdoor Ed, and each had a different Achievement Objective attached to it. I spent my whole first year at Tamaki co-teaching all of my classes, and I really enjoyed it. I felt like I learnt a lot alongside another teacher, and loved bouncing ideas off of one another before, during and after lessons. So I was excited for this opportunity again. 

Alice has a few more years experience than me, so brings lots of great ideas. As teachers, we have similar views, expectations and philosophies. We both have an interest in curriculum and how to integrate curriculum terminology and knowledge within our teaching and learning. We both have high expectations for students, wanting them to achieve to the greatest of their potential. We both like to challenge students to critically think about their choices, their involvement and their opinions. We both prioritise inclusion and participation. 

These similarities between us have been great for the culture we have developed in our class. Questioning students on their levels and the achievement objectives has certainly helped to develop the positive learning culture too. I feel majority of our students have moved away from the expectation that PE is just playing sports, as they initially thought. There now seems to be more understanding about the E in PE! I've also loved hearing other students starting to help one another when they are unsure, and holding each other accountable for individual and class success. 

  

Obviously Alice and I have some slight differences, but they don't have any major impact on our planning and teaching. The only thing we could come up with are slight expectation differences around behaviour and uniform. The stuff that fortunately is minimal due to the class culture!

I really hope that I have further opportunities to co-teach, as it is so valuable. So much can be learnt from having someone else alongside you, irrespective of their experience. I do think it can be very challenging if you don't have similar views, expectations and philosophies - but this provides quite different learning opportunities, more personal growth possibly.

Who knows what the future holds...

 

  

NCEA Review: My Thoughts

Biiiig changes are coming to our National Certificate of Educational Achievement (that link is to the new and developing NCEA), over the next few years. There is currently a review of our Senior assessments, with 7 changes, as identified in the below picture my colleague drew. Yesterday for our national Teacher Only Day we got a taster of the changes to come over the next three years. There are 5 major shifts that need to be addressed in our high school system to support these 7 changes, which I decided to share my thoughts on.

WELLBEING

I am so pleased to see wellbeing is not only a key focus of the changes, but also the first to be discussed. By having less, bigger standards as well as less credits offered per course will definitely help to reduce teacher and student stress. The biggest stressor for the kids is when they are juggling multiple assessments, and sometimes even need to choose whether they are going to complete them all. The biggest stressor for me personally is the considerable amount of marking (especially when I'm very particular!). 

I also think with more scope to go off on tangents with learning, as less time needs to be set aside for assessment, will enhance overall enjoyment at school. With greater flexibility, students will have more say in what they are learning, and are likely to have greater interest. I do think the current structure and system of NCEA means kids are just credit counting. I'm sooooo tired of hearing 'I don't need to do this work Miss, I already have the credits I need'. To get to this point though of greater flexibility though, a lot needs to be done around greater understanding of different modes of assessment gathering, and exemplars to show this.

GREATER INCLUSION AND EQUITY

It's fantastic there has been recognition of the diversity in our country and the need to consider this diversity within our teaching, learning and assessment. There appears to be more thought not only around our Māori ancestry and customs, but also LGBTQI, several other ethnicities/cultures, and those who are less able. Greater inclusion of students and adapting the way we assess to have greater equity is a super positive step forward!

As part of Change 2, there were several mentions of the creation of resources to support staff, but I hope that there will be Professional Development to ensure these are delivered effectively and consistently. I am excited for greater access to and inclusion of Māori medium learning, but really hope this is implemented correctly and respectfully, which may not be the case if there isn't effective PD around the resources. My final wondering, is if there is the possibility of teacher judgement alongside teacher aides to determine whether students with disabilities have met a standard, rather than have the same expectations of able students?

COHERENCE

Although I agree there needs to be a reduction of the fragmented learning across graduates, I fear that this may reduce student choice. If we try too hard to fill the gaps in capabilities, knowledge and skills, so the students are on a level playing field when they leave school, then are they going to be clones of one another? Sure, we need to be confident we are preparing students for multiple pathways, as the next shift suggests, but we also need to be sure students still have some choice in pursuing the capabilities, knowledge and skills that they are passionate about. So, how are we going to individualise courses and learning opportunities, if we are wanting greater coherence..?

The design of a literacy and numeracy package which every student must pass, I do think is a fantastic idea. Having a set of 20 credits for numeracy and literacy will certainly help to ensure a base set of knowledge and skills which is consistent across school leavers. This will also help increase understanding and confidence for future education providers or employers. The ability to access and be assessed on these different assessments in the 20 credit pack when the students are ready is an incredible change - meaning students can demonstrate their learning at any point throughout their high school years (as opposed to only in Year 11 currently). Finally - OC are ahead of the game since we are already assessing against the Achievement Objectives and Levels of the NZC, which is the language these packs will use.

PATHWAYS

I do genuinely think the students at Orewa have so many options for future pathways between extra-curricular opportunities, subjects, GATEWAY programmes and they are given lots of guidance from our Careers department around the steps in their journey. The fact it has been identified that some Kiwi students have been "denied access to empowering pathways to succeed in life", is saddening, so it's great something is being done to address this inequity.

I love the creation of the new Vocational Entrance Award, as I think this will give motivation to the students who possibly don't enjoy the school system, but want and need it to support their pathways. This credited award that will hopefully become internationally recognised, will hopefully give some of that empowerment back. I also think this may give greater clarity for whānau and employers. A final positive, is that this system change may encourage discussion and changes within the HPE department, to more proactively advocate for the myriad of pathways students could follow by choosing our HPE courses.

CREDIBILITY

I don't have many thoughts on this system shift, aside from agreeing on the need to have clearer transparency and apprehension of what NCEA actually is and how it can support our young people. Especially for our families and the wider community. There certainly is a gap in understanding, which becomes especially evident during student conferences with home. When I was at Tamaki, they held NCEA info evenings for caregivers, which was great - but there is certainly a need for resources in multiple languages, as I feel that is a current barrier.

I also wonder if there is uncertainty around the general credibility of NCEA, as discussed, how can we actually demonstrate or increase the certainty of NCEA's credentials?

Lots of changes ahead, but lots of positive changes. I look forward to following the next steps...

Top Ten Teacher Traits!

Aaaand the Seniors have officially left for study leave! Even with an extra two weeks with them, that time has passed so quickly! Before they left, I asked students, as well as a couple of colleagues if they would like to give me some feedback on my teaching this year. Across the comments, there were 10 themes that came out. These are in no particular order. 

Enthusiastic, Energetic, Positive Vibes

I certainly give my best to keep positive during my lessons, as the students clearly feed off the energy I give (or lack!). I often find myself quite mentally exhausted from the acting that may be needed, especially on those not so great days. I do think I have become much better at expressing to my students when it's not a great time though, once those relationships have been established.

Critical Thinker

When I was growing up, like many young people, I always wanted to know the why, and wanted to challenge people's ideas and understandings of the world. I'm glad that this was picked up from a few students, that I'm trying to bring this criticality into my teaching. I want students become more aware of different perspectives, so they become more assertive but also more open-minded towards others' thinking.

Goes The Extra Mile

Well, don't all teachers? The kids definitely recognise if you go above and beyond, or if you rinse and repeat!

Constructive Feedback

I was pleased to see this come up frequently throughout the comments, as I have been trying to develop the skill of giving feedback (both written and verbal). I definitely learnt a lot through the Assessment Essentials Course, but also have gathered confidence in my ability to give feedback due to more experience. Having regular checkpoints, including 15 minute 1:1 chats, has been really helpful for me to monitor student progress, as well as adapt future lessons to support their learning. 

Prioritises Wellbeing

Goes without saying really. Hāuora comes first. If their whare is about to collapse, there's no way they are going to learn!

Holds Students Accountable

From meeting deadlines, to following school rules to completing what the work they said they would - there were lots of comments around accountability and the use of time. I found it interesting how many found this positive for their learning and personal growth. To be honest, it really grinds my gears when teachers don't follow through with their word or the expectations that were set as a team/department... but I can only control what I can control!

High Expectations 

I genuinely want the students to achieve to the best of their ability, always teaching to an Excellence level. I've reflected multiple times around the value of high expectations in the classroom, and it's nice to hear the students recognise this.

Long Term Planning

Thinking back to the 'why' I previously mentioned, each lesson I ask myself why are we doing this activity, why am I using this resource and why am I structuring the lesson this way? This helps to increase understanding for myself that I can share with the students around the bigger picture of the learning. Not only right now, but also where we are heading next and how these skills/knowledge are useful long term. 

Positive Relationships

Need I say more?

Push Students out of Comfort Zone

Despite having a Senior Health class with majority of the students having high social anxiety, I really encouraged the students to step out of their comfort zone. We discussed several times the importance of getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. The importance of trying new things, taking small risks, especially talking with and in front of others. I hope to reflect a little more about anxiety in general, in a future post. 

So there you have it, Dougherty's top ten teacher traits according to my colleagues and students!

Give Up Some Time, The Kids Love It!

One of the things I love about being a teacher, is how variable every week and every day is. I love that no day is the same. I also love the opportunities that I have to be involved in other areas of school life.

Spending time supporting my students in extracurricular activities not only brings me joy, but also helps to strengthen my relationships with those students. It is heart warming how excited and appreciative they are when you go and watch their sports games or their performances, or attend their prizegivings or fundraisers. These moments truly remind me why I enjoy what I do. 

I think a lot of teachers take for granted how special and meaningful the time teachers give up to support their students outside of the classroom actually means to their students. To say we don't have time, actually isn't true. We just need to find the time. Long term, the benefits of that time given up, will almost certainly save you time elsewhere!

Some of the things I was involved in, just in the last couple of weeks of Term 3, were attending the annual School Dance Festival (which I have ushered the past two years), danced in a House Competition Film Festival and competed in Fast 5 Netball Tournament with the kids. These are just a few of the many opportunities we have been able to see students in a different light. Obviously these are short term, and more long term commitments include coaching or managing teams for example (I was the manager for the girls rugby this year, after managing the 1st XV for 2 years).

Moral of the story: get amongst all areas of school life!

Prejudice & Misconceptions

"We've got to stop trying to fix our kids, because our kids are not what's broken. We have a very broken system."

These words from Dr Michelle Johansson really left me thinking during (and following on from) her webinar last month (hosted by PENZ) - 'What will it take to change the world for Young Brown Scholars?' As I pondered some of her key messages, our staff also had the opportunity for Anton Blank to present to us about Racism, Bias and Wellbeing.

There were many crossovers within these presentations, but they both highlighted the prejudice and misconceptions many have about Māori people. The unfortunate stereotype in society is that our brown faces are poor and dumb. And because they are 'poor and dumb', society treats them this way. It is appalling that we have created this prejudice, but horrific that this has become normalised and accepted by many. 

As teachers, we have a significant role and opportunity to challenge these preconceived ideas. To defy them. To interrupt the ongoing cycle. 

But to start, Anton suggested we are aware of our unconscious bias. When you think something, do you consider where that idea has come from? Do you challenge the idea? Do you critically break down where/how/why that idea even existed in your mind? Over the last week or so, I have been trying to answer these questions, to challenge my own thinking and bias.

I was surprised by some of the findings that Anton discussed, related to the disconnect between teachers and students. Even though there wasn't supposed to be this disconnect, and many of the teachers believed they were inclusive of all learners, the students commented that their teachers often asked Asian and Pākeha students to answer questions. This has encouraged me to more intentionally consider who I am asking to demonstrate learning or to give examples.

Some additional strategies that were recommended included; breaking up the 'in' groups (those who may not be considered as a minority), ensuring Māori students are all around the room (not just at the back), and educate about prejudice and misconceptions to encourage students to think about their own bias! 

Assessment... More Than a Test!

Over the last four months, I have been fortunate to be able to complete the Evidence Based Education course 'Assessment Essentials', funded by The Education Hub. I was interested in this opportunity because I love to learn, but also because there aren't many PD opportunities that are specifically about assessment. The course was split into 10 modules. Each of these had videos to watch, audio to listen to, texts and further articles to read, and also collaborative conversations. I had these conversations with my HOD, Asher, and the conversations were my favourite part of the course. 

There were soooo many things that challenged my thinking throughout the course, and I learnt a significant amount. Here are the key things I was left thinking more about;

• Learning can be considered as a change in long term memory, and assessment is bridging the gap between teaching and learning. The aim of assessment is to generate actionable meanings.
• How we question students - There was a large focus on the importance on 'hinge questions', questions to encourage students to think. I have more actively been considering when I am asking questions, how I am asking, how many, and at what point in the learning process. The course also encouraged me to more actively explain WHY I am asking students questions.
• The importance of multiple inadequate glances - Essentially, assessment is not a one hit wonder. We should be looking at learning from multiple angles, and multiple times, before we develop a conclusion and decide on the next steps.
• Awareness of student cues, to demonstrate an understanding, or a lack of. This means more actively looking for facial expressions and body language!
  
• Being comfortable being surprised - There were several times throughout the course I was reminded of the importance to have high expectations for all students, and to never be surprised by what the students may demonstrate. This can help reduce bias based off previous understandings and experiences with/of students. It's important that we allow ourselves to be continually surprised by student growth and development, rather than judging or gathering evidence from first impressions.
• The importance of Ako Orewa - There was a huge focus on student understanding of their own knowledge and skills, and where they are heading next. This is the culture our school is currently embedding within teaching and learning.
• The wording of assessments is crucial - So be sure to structure the wording and/or break down the language of questions so that they are comprehendible by the students. The wording/vocabulary can sometimes be a barrier for students to demonstrate their knowledge.
• Feedback needs to have a specific aim related to the performance of a task, and give strategies to put that feedback into action. It's important to remember that some feedback can actually have negative implementations on learning.
• Professor Rob Bjork's concept of Desirable Difficulties - When someone is at the right stage of learning, so that difficulties becomes desirable. If they haven't reached that stage of learning, then the difficulty will become less desirable.

After this course, there are a few things I would like to do (or do more of) in the future:

• Co-construct assessments with Seniors
• Greater use of student work as exemplars (at various levels)
• Have visible learning intentions that are measurable and able to give effective feedback to

A huge thanks to The Education Hub for the opportunity and for Asher's support along the way. I would highly recommend anyone to get amongst this course (just know it's mostly in a UK context!).

Wow, I Really Have Learnt A Lot!

I currently have a Pre Service Teacher under my wing, and she asked me some questions to ignite her thinking. They actually encouraged a lot of reflection of my own practice, and really demonstrated over the last (nearly) 5 years how much I have actually grown as a teacher, especially reading through my blog posts I have written. 

The questions asked were;

- When you teach your HPE lessons how do you get your students to demonstrate student agency (choice and ownership) of their own learning?

- How do you encourage students to problem solve and critically think?

- How do you acknowledge students' prior knowledge and experiences?

- What interesting learning activities/experiences do you provide when designing a unit plan?

- How do you embody/apply the principles of inclusion and/or biculturalism in your teaching practice?

- How do you include digital technology in your teaching practice?

I would encourage everyone to take the time to answer these questions irrespective how long you have been teaching. They really got me thinking, and shows me the knowledge I have developed over the last 5 years, and helps my student teacher!

Let's Play with LEGO - It's Educational!

LEGO was designed to inspire children to be creative, and develop many desirable skills as they grow up. Nowadays, people of all ages enjoy designing, building and constructing with LEGO, and there are many educational benefits. I have created the below visual with some of the key benefits gained by 'playing' with LEGO. One significant point in my research, was how LEGO can support social development of children with autism, and as a result there was the creation of LEGO therapy (which appears to be very successful!). See here and here for more info about LEGO therapy.

Readings that have supported my findings:

7 Benefits of LEGO play for kids (and adults)

How can playing with LEGO benefit your son's education

10 Incredible Benefits of Playing with LEGO

Why LEGO are great for your brain

10 Reasons why LEGO is for grown-ups

Adults may see mental health benefits from playing with LEGO

LEGO Education has created dozens of hands-on activities to match with their LEGO sets. There are several activities that directly link to the Health, PE and Outdoor Ed curriculums, and can easily be adapted even if you don't have the specific LEGO sets. Here are a few I liked the look of, that are targeted at younger students, but can be reshaped to suit learners of any age. Many of them have stories attached to the construction of the LEGO, developing listening skills. 

• Physical Activities - Encouraging students to think about different ways they can be active. Involves building the physical activities and then acting out to others to guess and discuss.
• Outdoor Activities - Students create various outdoor activities, then identify and discuss risks in the activities. Can easily be linked with risk management plans for trips, especially camps where there is a lot going on.
• Helping Each Other - Build a scene where someone or a group of people are helping others. Puts students in other people's shoes, and encourages them to think about how they can help others, as well as how others can help them. Could also build a model that shows kindness.
• Explore the Face Bricks - Develops understanding of facial expressions and body language. If you don't have access to any LEGO with faces, I'm sure any toys will do the trick! Great prompt for identifying and explaining non-verbal communication, which can be linked into numerous lessons, such as learning about consent.
• Jeesun and Jayden Need to Work it Out - This activity would link well with the above activity - as it is focused around resolving conflict and assertive communication skills.
• My Home - Constructing their understanding of home. Could easily be linked with Hāuora and wellbeing, as well as one's whakapapa. Students could share with others - this may also start dialogue around different cultures/values/traditions etc.
• Jayden Feels Anxious - The objectives of this lesson are for students to have greater understanding of what anxiousness and anxiety are, and understanding of strategies that may help reduce feeling of anxiousness. 

Here are some other possible learning activities that include LEGO:

• Build a musculoskeletal system (or any other systems in the body)
• Stop motion animation for scenario based learning (so much scope here including; drugs/alcohol, sex and sexuality, peer pressure, communication styles)
• Responses to scenarios for ABL / team building / problem solving
• Key word mix and match (rather than on paper or card)
• Create a croquet or a mini golf course!
• Build a catapult/slingshot and relate to biomechanical principles Projectile Motion and Levers
• LEGO bowling - build your own pins

  
• Listening and effective communication activity in groups of 3: Student 1 gives instructions to Student 2 of what LEGO to build, Student 2 relays to Student 3 and Student 3 builds. Can make links to problem solving, emotions and reducing conflict too.
• Build a balloon car to teach Newton's Laws of Motion
• A public service announcement using LEGO characters
• Design an ecologically sustainable village - can link well with the Determinants of Health
• Create a scene that you consider to be a peaceful place, like hanging in the pool or sunbathing! A simple activity to introduce mindfulness.
• Build characters in unusual positions and identify their centre of gravity, base of support and line of gravity (balance and stability)

Many people contributed to this list, including; Amanda, Heather, Kent, Mary, Celia, Michelle, Karen, Craig and Matthew. Thanks!

Clearly, there are so many ways LEGO can be used in classroom activities (whether you are at school or home learning). I have focused on learning activities for Health, PE and Outdoor Ed, but there are lots of links to other curriculum areas, especially Science and Maths. Why don't you, your whānau and your students give some of them a go?

Classroom Management: More Than A Waiting Game

Over the last three years, I have volunteered for Physical Education New Zealand, specifically the Auckland branch. See more about this in an earlier blog post. Usually we (the Graduate Mentoring team) run three face to face sessions for beginning teachers throughout the year, but this year have held off and decided to host two online sessions. On Monday, our session was focused around behaviour and classroom management strategies, using the below scenarios to create discussion. 

Although the session was designed for new teachers, it was a great reminder of all of the different tools and strategies we can use in the classroom, to help with behaviour management. Put yourself in the 'walls' of these classrooms, and think about how you would respond. 

- Do you think your response has changed the longer you have been teaching? Why/Why not?

- Do you think your response would be the same if they were Junior students or Senior students? 

- Have you considered restorative practice, before jumping to punitive measures? (See this post and/or this post for information about restorative conversations)

- Should you respond to the scenario immediately, or a little later? When? Why?

The inspiration for this post came about when I met my student teacher this week, and we were discussing her goals for her practicum. One of the Learning Outcomes is to Apply a range of strategies to manage student behaviour, clearly aligning with the scenarios! So I have given these to my student teacher, for her to reflect on how she would respond now with no teaching experience and then once she has some teaching under her belt, we will have another look. I think this simple activity will ignite great reflection and discussion, and is an activity any teacher could do regardless of their experience.

I found the below visual which explains some strategies that can be used in the classroom, here. In addition to these, there are sooo many other strategies/tools that can be utilised such as; 

• Tone and/or volume of voice
• Physical placement and proximity to students
• Countdown verbally and/or with fingers
• "I've noticed you aren't yourself lately..."
• Observations of students in other subjects
• Whistles
• Music
• Differentiated learning activities
• Student choice
• Challenge and competition
• Discussions and plans made with other teachers
• Activities including student interests/hobbies
  

Ultimately, every teacher, every class, every student and every situation is going to be different. One day one strategy may work and the next day it may not. But that's the beauty of teaching - we have to be flexible all the time!

The Process of Making Changes

Throughout my working life (teaching and non-teaching), I've worked for, with and under many different people with different leadership styles. I have started to recognise what I really value in a leader, and what isn't as effective for me and my development. I'm now at the point in my career where I am wanting to up-skill to be able to become a leader of others, so The Education Hub's webinar 'Shifting the focus from change to improvement' caught my eye (Distinguished Professor Viviane Robinson). The session was focused around making changes and why/how these changes are being made.

There were several questions that left me thinking, as outlined in my sketchnote. One question in particular was related to listening to staff and students before making any changes, or suggesting new initiatives. The biggest thing that I took away from this webinar was how important that is. To really stop and listen to why someone (or why a group of people) are doing something the way they are currently. They are going to have understandings, evidence, observations to justify their reasoning, which you may have not considered, even if you are their leader. From this conversation your change/initiative/proposal may adapt, using the knowledge and feedback you now have. Don't just make this decision on your own, listen to the why, listen to your colleagues, include them in your decision-making process.

The second takeaway for me, was what are the different puzzle pieces that contribute to the problem or issue you are suggesting to adapt/alter. From conversations with staff and/or students, you may find there are several factors at play for the low achievement for example, not just how the unit of learning that is delivered. For instance, there may be low achievement because the teacher needs support with behaviour management, or the class sizes may be too big for 1:1 support, or they don't have the content knowledge to deepen learning for higher grades. All of these puzzle pieces will contribute in some way, some more than others. So if the major puzzle piece is the need for professional development around behaviour management strategies, but they are offered a course on deepening content learning, this won't support success toward increasing student achievement for that particular staff member. Reiterating the importance of including your colleagues in the process of adaptations/additions/changes etc.

Finally, Viviane discussed in detail her theory engagement model, as pictured alongside, which is explored in her book Reduce Change to Increase Improvement. Put simply, the first step before making any changes is for parties to agree on the proposed problem. From there, evidence to suggest why this is a problem needs to revealed. This step obviously includes discussions with staff as aforementioned, but can also include open and honest conversations with students, lesson observations and assessment data. Evaluating the evidence gathered, considering the overarching problem and discussing the alternatives is step three. To conclude the cycle, the new ideas/resources/suggestions are to be trialled and implemented. The cycle of course continues to repeat itself, to determine what the long term changes are for staff and ultimately students (positive and negative).

Overall, I recommend watching this webinar for any new leader, or anyone like me who is aspiring to be a leader. It really leaves you thinking about the importance of consultation before diving into any changes!

Lockdown Learnings

After the first three weeks of online teaching and learning, I asked my Senior students for feedback about the challenges they were facing, but also the things they were enjoying. After reading through their comments, I kept these in the back of my mind when planning lessons, communicating with the students and setting tasks for them to complete. 

Three weeks later, at the end of lockdown, I asked the students if they'd comment again. I was interested to see if there was much of a change. Many of the messages, as highlighted below, remained much the same. However, there was a positive change in attitude towards learning online/from home from many of the students, when compared to the first Google Form. I thought it was particularly interesting to note how honest they were, not only with me but with themselves!

See here for the students' comments in April, and then see here for their end of lockdown comments. 

The most common positives across the three classes were:

• Flexibility: Many enjoyed being able to work at their own pace, and complete tasks when they felt comfortable. If they completed that subject, they liked they were able to work on something else they needed to do, or they could look ahead at other tasks for that class to do.
• Feeling part of a class: Rather than the teacher just asking if they had questions, or just explaining the task and leaving, the kids enjoyed opportunities to connect with each other, time to do things that weren't related to work like quizzes and chats, and also doing some tasks online with others in a similar way they would in class such as group discussions.
• Increased independence: Although there were clearly some students who struggled to manage their time, several commented that they enjoyed the opportunity to further develop their independence and self management skills.

The most common negatives were:

• Too much work: There was significant feedback from the students explaining they were feeling overwhelmed across the board with how much work they were needing to complete. Some felt they were being asked to complete more than when we were at school!
• Lack of motivation: This was evident throughout the 6+ weeks. Due to the comfort of their own home, distractions, lack of self management and/or feeling overwhelmed (and who knows what other reasons!), there were lots of students who struggled to motivate themselves to complete their learning. This lack of motivation is what concerns me the most - have we now got an even bigger divide between the students who are ahead and the students who are falling behind?
• Less 1:1 time with the teacher: I found this hard too. Much less opportunity for face to face feedback, and less 'teachable moments'. It seems many struggled not being able to ask questions as often, or able to seek immediate feedback. I don't know how they expected us to reply to their emails instantly though! (Certainly an admin nightmare, that I didn't enjoy!)

I previously posted about the things I was enjoying about online teaching and learning. They mostly related to student creativity and having those 1:1 chats with the kids. I plan to continue to provide opportunities for them to be creative where possible, and of course being online has made me rethink/be creative about the ways I can teach too! I would also like to try and continue some of the positives from lockdown (from my own experience, in addition to student feedback);

• In class flexibility: I certainly enjoyed having a less regimented timetable, and it's clear the students did too. I will be giving opportunities for my Senior classes to develop their self management, and choosing how they utilise their time. If they want to work on another subject, then they can... here's hoping that doesn't backfire! This also relates to Ako Orewa, and the importance of students prioritising tasks/ deciding what is important to complete at that time and working at their own pace.
• Knowing ahead of time what's happening: I always gave a vague plan of what was happening in the few lessons to come before home learning, but didn't always upload the actual activities or tasks they were going to complete. I am going to try give students time to check out what they are doing before class, so they are more aware of where we are heading.
• Some time not related to work: A few students commented on the enjoyment they found from watching movies that reinforced or showed what they were learning about, or having quizzes and games with other students, or just general chat. I think sometimes with the pressure of NCEA, the pressure of time, the pressure for students to do well, we sometimes forget that they are kids. That they want to connect, share, reflect, analyse and sometimes they need a break. Just like we do.

Like many, I have felt nervous being back at school the last 10 days. Like online learning, it's going to take a bit of adjustment to get back into a routine, but we will get there! 

Online Teaching & Learning: It's not all bad!

I cannot believe we've already been online teaching for 5 weeks (and home for nearly 7). But to be honest, despite missing the kids, I have really enjoyed the experience. I've got a newfound appreciation for face to face learning though, that's for sure! And I have absolutely hated staring at a screen answering myriad emails.

There have been so many positives of at home teaching though. I thought I would post some of the highlights for me during this period so far.

Creating rewindable video content for students

Setting at home challenges for my Ako class and watching the videos they've created 'together'

Students engaging/commenting in the chat box of Google Meet during video calls 
(I honestly think this learning environment has given the opportunity for more students to have a 'voice' than when we are in a standard classroom setting, it has been great to have people share, who usually don't speak!)

Seeing the creations from my Topic class (integrated)

 

Lino-it brainstorms with my Year 11s

A shared Google Slides resource my Year 12s all contributed to


Having 1:1 chats with my Year 13s about their internal 
(They were more organised than when we have these chats in class, as they feared awkward silences!)

As much as I'm looking forward to getting back to school, back into routine and back to connecting with colleagues and students, I've tried to take the positives out of online teaching. Hopefully only one more week to go, but I'm quite happy not having a commute and enjoy having an extra couple of hours sleep each morning!

Ako: To Teach & To Learn

In addition to the roll out of an integrated curriculum this year, there has been an inclusion of two non-curriculum related classes; Ako and Mai time. Mai time was developed to give students an opportunity to create passion projects around something of their choice. This means the students can develop skills and learn about things that are of particular interest to them. Ako time was developed for 4 key reasons;

1. Increase awareness of topics and learning
2. Improve student self confidence and social confidence
3. Reflection on Mai time projects and progress
4. Increased understanding of student levels and progress (see more here)

Therefore, I can include any activities within my lessons which help to develop/work towards these four aims. I love Ako time!! I think it is fantastic there are opportunities for students to develop practical, social and theoretical skills which they may have had little time to develop prior to this year. One of which is the ability to reflect. Each Friday morning students reflect on the week that has been - what they completed in each of their classes, what they found difficult, what they enjoyed and what their next steps are. See below the template for the learning journal my students (are supposed to!) complete each week (I can't believe it's already Week 12/18!). 

Some of my personal highlights from Ako lessons include listening activities, an activity about values and being open-minded, and student created games.

I had noticed, and had feedback from some students, that this group struggles to listen. It was taking a long time to get their attention to give instructions, once it was nearly 7 minutes!! As a result, we had a couple of lessons focused around listening. We played Chinese whispers, completed the Life with the Wright family activity and played Draw It (a simple game where you give step by step instructions of what to draw, and between each instruction the students pass their paper to someone else). The students started to become  frustrated with each other when someone wasn't listening, and started to empathise for their teachers and peers when they were trying to speak! Their listening definitely improved after this.

To encourage students to think about other people's perspectives, and challenge their own values and opinions, we completed the classic Sinking Ship activity below. I had planned for this activity to last about 20 minutes, but there was so much positive debate and discussion it ended up being nearly an hour! With some guidance, by the end of the activity the students were much more respectful of each other's opinions (still a way to go, but small steps!), and gave each other time to say their thoughts.

Finally, the students got into small groups and created mini games to teach and play with one another. I gathered a random assortment of equipment and gave each of the groups tokens to use in an equipment auction. They then had only 30 minutes to create a game they could run for 15 minutes with two other groups in the class! I was pretty blown away by some of the creativity the kids had, with minimal resources and not a lot of time. General feedback was that they enjoyed this activity too, so definitely something that will be repeated in the future!


Only a few days before lockdown I asked the students to complete a feedback form for me to gauge their understanding of their topics and what they are enjoying/not enjoying about school and Ako. There were a few common themes as outlined in the visual alongside - things they like about Ako, things they dislike and suggestions they made. I look forward to implementing some of this feedback into future lessons when we are back at school. At the moment it's really not the same!

Engaging Students From Afar!

Last night I attended a webinar called Supporting student motivation and engagement when learning from home, facilitated by The Education Hub and Harry Fletcher-Wood. If you are wanting to watch the recording of this webinar, you can access it here. This webinar was good timing for two reasons; I'd already been looking into motivation and engagement (see blogpost here), and we are back into online learning after one week before the holidays. The two things I left thinking more about, and two things I could put into action immediately, was that less is more, and to use the chat box to encourage students to share - give them opportunities to respond. 

We are using Google Meet with our classes. For the most part, I'm keeping myself available at the beginning of lessons for 10-15 minutes to give instructions and answer questions and then again for the last 10-15 minutes if students need further help or to have a debrief. This morning though, I wanted to have some deep 'discussion' with my Year 12s, in an attempt to replicate what we'd do if we were at school.

We started to discuss gender and sexuality stereotypes. I would ask a question such as when you think of male or masculine occupations, what do you think? Then students would post into the chat box what they were thinking, and as their comments came through I would read it, and then ask follow up questions. Even though I was the only one talking, the students were actively engaging in 'discussion' through this chat box - it gave everyone a voice, and to be honest there were WAY more voices heard (obviously not literally) than if we were in the classroom!

Secondly, we keep getting reminded that less is more, that we can't expect students to be able to meet the same expectations and complete the same amount of tasks as if we were at school, that we need to prioritise key learning we want the students to retain. After the stereotypes discussion, showing them a prerecorded video I'd made (which included reading a picture book!), and then an adaptation of a human continuum (displaying numbers on their video (could have just used fingers) to represent their opinions on a statement I gave, such as it's embarrassing for males to cry in public), I'd had 26 students actively involved for an hour. I was absolutely stoked!!! So, even though there was still half an hour left, and I had another activity planned, there had already been rich 'discussions' and I felt the students had learnt a lot, so I called it there and told them to go and have a cuppa! I decided to stay on if anyone wanted a general chat, and for half an hour 6 students stayed and conversed with me and each other about their isolation experiences so far!

As we navigate this unusual time, we are learning a lot as teachers, as partners, as colleagues and a lot about ourselves. In addition to these two considerations, remember to maintain your connections and relationships with your students, don't try to recreate the wheel, and help the students to develop study habits/ a routine!

Teacher Wellbeing & Manaaki Orewa

During the holidays I was involved in an online wellbeing workshop facilitated by PPTA and Worksafe Reps. The overall aims of the workshop were to develop greater understanding of how to increase positive workplaces and what bullying and harassment actually is. To sign up to one of these workshops, as there are several more, please see more info here.

I created the alongside sketchnote throughout the workshop, summarising some of the key things I took away from the session. The things that left me thinking. Overall, I was naturally left pondering my own teacher wellbeing. More specifically, what am I doing to balance my own bucket? How am I helping my colleagues to balance theirs? Is there any more I can be doing to show the importance of teacher wellbeing? 

I feel that taha tinana/physical wellbeing is generally considered to be a more significant risk within health and safety policies, especially for employees. However, it is positive to note how there is a clear shift towards a greater focus on the other dimensions of Hāuora in NZ (and globally), particularly taha hinengaro/mental & emotional wellbeing. This was evident in the Positive Education conference I attended last year, and lately in the national budget from our government. 

At the end of the workshop we were asked what action we were going to take, after learning and reflecting throughout the day. Because I was thinking frequently throughout the day about our school values, Manaaki Orewa, and how these support student wellbeing, I thought I could create a visual to be shared with the staff related to the values and teacher wellbeing. Manaaki Orewa (Respect Myself, Respect Others & Respect the Environment) is embedded within the school culture of Orewa College, but is often discussed more specifically around how the students can display Manaaki. Hopefully this is shared around our staff and can become a print that is displayed in teacher spaces as a small reminder!

Clearly, putting up this visual around school, and implementing some of these strategies for teacher wellbeing won't be able to happen until we are back at school though. During this time of uncertainty, the lines of work and home are even more blurred than usual. Maintaining our own wellbeing is incredibly important for the safety and welfare of ourselves, our whānau and our students. 
If you would like to read more about self care and wellbeing whilst at home (and some general tips), see some of the below microblogs shared by Andy Milne for #microblogweek.

Three Tips for Self-Care as an Educator (Pran Patel)

Looking For Sticks (Mel Hamada)

Managing Your Self-Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Mary Jo Geddes)

Shoot For The Moon (Andy Milne)

Making Lemonade (Brenda Carbery-Tang)

Don't forget - be kind to each other, but be kind to yourself too!