A Sprinkling of Reflections on Working Remotely

This is just a small summary of some of the key things I have experienced and learnt while working remotely in terms of connecting with students, collaboration and ICT.

1. Connecting with Whānau

Core Blog: Start with Relationships   Key principles in here, have informed my approach:

• Affirming wellbeing: by providing a diverse range of differentiated learning options each day, and including our values explicitly. Noticing what students loved and providing more of those themes / learning areas (individual and for the group)
•          Relationships at the Centre: being available to listen and offer empathy or tailored responses has been helpful, e.g. a more individualised learning approach for some children, calls or zooms with some children. Our school had trusted us to listen and identify what might help certain families, and then provide this within protocols. 
•           Empower and Affirm Ākonga: for parents/whānau - listen with empathy, affirm what they are doing and how well they are managing, offer connection to further support via our SENCO if needed. For tamariki : daily commenting on Seesaw and relative prompting or sharing of other resources. Zoom calls with some whānau and tamariki have helped me build stronger, deeper relationships than what we had at school: short calls, focusing on connection, have allowed students to share personal interests, talents and joys (e.g. fishing to lego to art works to pets!). There has been laughter and lots of student-led talk. Being outside of the collective environment of school

·       Calls, relative to student / whānau needs, have let us keep connected and provide learning and professional support to our students and families. 

·       Communication protocols have been really helpful and clear, and kept everyone safe.

·       I feel like I have gotten to know many children a lot better as individuals - through each child's creative, unique way of responding to tasks. How can we continue to provide for more individuality in learning production when we return to school? 

·       It has been wonderful seeing children's areas of interest shine through...writing, performing, baking, nature time, science art. How can we allow for more of this once back at school?

2. Collaboration...has been essential, and has allowed us: 

·       To connect daily and know we’re all in it together - He waka eke noa. This has been great for our personal and professional wellbeing.

·       Share ideas for activities, pastoral care questions, share IT knowledge and skills, and suggest new resources (e.g. the Cengage PM website, ideas around social stories).

·       Allowed us to openly and honestly share worries and concerns, such as pastoral care, health and safety concerns). 

·       Have fun and be creative, such as with our Jump Jam performance and various zoom recordings.

·       Being able to phone each other with specific questions as they arise has been wonderful, and allowed us to resolve challenges or questions and move forward straight away...we’ve all been available to help each other.

·       Create an engaging, diverse and continually updated Learning At Home Kahikatea website. We’ve added elements and tasks from core curriculum and our personal interest areas, e.g. science, wellbeing and arts

3. My ICT skills have developed! I have learnt...

·       How to use Seesaw initially (journal review, student accounts). I then undertook independent youtube-based training (like this) or sought staff advice on learn new skills, creating activities in the library, using Seesaw icons and creating student response templates.

·       Again, about the value of collaboration. I particularly enjoyed times when I was working on the website with colleagues, e.g. Jules and I refining our home page before it went live, by working on the page and being on phone to each other at the same time.

·       From looking at the other videos on other team’s pages, and utilising there ideas.

·       A lot from read different blogs and articles. I particularly enjoyed the discussion on passions & play and using tasks to consolidate learning in this article.

·       How to use EPIC and the PM online website for reading with children.

·       How to take videos of myself. Getting feedback from colleagues to refine my attempts has been critical. Thanks colleagues! This has also taught me a lot about my future presentation in the classroom, particularly around monitoring my facial expressions! 

Comments from colleagues:

Sue Leadbetter

Char - these were such a pleasure to watch.  I love the way you used the proper scientific vocab and explained it so clearly.  You were really organised, the lighting was lovely - in fact I felt like I was in a cosy room and you were speaking to only me!

Your voice was clear - sound at the right level.  You have a lovely energy on the video.

Thanks for sharing.

Kia ora

Ngā mihi nui

Sue Leadbetter

Amber Donovan

Kia ora korua, 

I wanted to acknowledge the work you've done on our Learning at Home web page- it really looks superb! Thanks so much for all your time on it. 

Ngā mihi nui,

Amber Donovan

Kahikatea (Year 1-3) Team Leader, Teacher