Charlotte Verity Professional Learning (School Based)

KOS is a child abuse prevention programme for schools, which aims to teach children about safety, healthy/unhealthy relationships and how/where to go for help.  They will learn: to work out when their safety is at risk how to keep safe when they meet and mix with other people who and how to ask for help if they, or someone they know, is being abused to go on asking for help until someone does something to stop the abuse that it is important to make and follow personal, family and school safety rules They will know: that abuse is never okay that abuse is never their fault Abuse includes : physical, sexual, emotional/psychological, cyber abuse neglect (medical, clothing, food, education, supervision etc), family harm (when power is used over someone and causes them harm). Stranger Danger ...this is an OUTDATED term...89% of abusers will be known to the child, and 45% will be related to them. Also - 'strangers' includes people who might be 'strangers' (unknown) to the chi...

Earlier Blog Piece My Year 1-2 students and I undertook inquiry learning into our local river and its creatures. We discovered much about the creatures who rely on the river for life, and also about some of the challenges caused by pollution. A small group of my students were particularly concerned that rubbish, likely dropped in and around our school, was one of the challenges facing the fish, ducks and other aquatic life in the river. I contacted the local Council to see if their education staff could help us take action, to both complete the cycle of Inquiry learning and to satisfy my students' desire to make a difference. The students wanted to create a series of signs, alerting local people to notice and pick up the rubbish they see, to reduce litter pollution. Over several weeks, we worked with a local council representative, writing letters and refining design ideas. The students presented their ideas at a local Council Community Board meeting, and after several mont...

The brain develops layers in this order: 1. Brain stem = survival mechanisms 2. Movement system  3. Limbic system = emotion 4. Prefrontal cortex: governs academic aspects (e.g. literacy, maths) and control. This is the final stage of development.  Interesting Facts The more a child is spoken to between the age of 0-1 years, the faster their brain development.   Girls’ brains develop faster than boys The average age of brain development (full growth) is around 27 years BUT it can be anywhere between 18 and in the 30s. When survival brain (brain stem) is in operation (e.g. because of worry, fear or a primal need e.g. being hungry), the pre-frontal cortex is less able to operate. To calm brain spine: connect with someone who is trusted. The number one thing that drives outcomes (cognitive and social) is the relationship with the teacher (dyadic relationship). To calm the movement system: have a pattern (routine) – flexible but regular. Ch...

Staff and student mental health and wellbeing has been a goal in the strategic plan for my current school (Beckenham).  I lead the Wellbeing Team again in 2017, and loved scaffolding our student wellbeing leaders.  My goal was to liaise with school leaders, and then lead a team (staff and students) to develop & promote the MH curriculum, at Beckenham, to help meet the increasingly diverse needs of students  (Strategic Plan 2017).  Over 2017, our Wellbeing team meet during lunchtimes and after school. Here are just some of our achievements:  outcomes included:  * Beckenham mental health & wellbeing overview revisited, developed and shared with staff. This is a living document we can add to in future.  * Daily wellbeing notices for all students, using values-linked youtube clips, or student created role plays and movies * Input from staff and community sort and a whole school Wellbeing definition was created   (based on...

It is lovely to have holidays to enjoy some professional learning! My sources: Using Running Records: A Resource for New Zealand Classroom Teachers (Ministry of Education) Building Comprehension  Guided Reading: Years 1–4 (Ministry of Education) Effective Literacy Practice in Years 1–4 When taking a running record:  AVOID telling student the correct word (record as an error by writing child's attempt/correct word) If child refuses to read or gets overly confused, use TTA (Try That Again) A= Appeal for help R = Repetition.  Other language words and proper nouns count as an error only once  in the entire text (e.g. child says Susanna instead of Susan;  tomato instead of taro etc) Invented text = write 'invented' on running record How can I provide effective guided reading sessions?  Have a learning intention, such as:  * Prediction * Making connections (self to text; text to text; text to world) * Asking questions * Visualising * Id...

I see this last week of term as a great opportunity to celebrate success and build relationships. I aim to do this by: * Undertaking literacy assessments (letter identification, PM word test, running records) and sharing success with both students and their whaanau. * Look back on our Inquiry unit as a hub, and reflect on what we have learnt (using our KWL chart or prior knowledge completed start of term. * Celebrate our jewel jar (almost full!) progress with a class party! To build relationships:  * I plan to use the more flexible timetable (Weds-Fri afternoons) to address social skills * Taking the time to talk with each child about their holiday plans / hopes * Thanking parent helpers * Key issues of late, and planned activity to match this challenge:        + Recognising/celebrating difference = compliments pop sticks, short pair challenges with children specifically paired (with a peer rather than close friend)       + Apple bullyi...

Conclusion - my next steps as a teacher * Set up handwriting tracing books as a 'can do' writing option * Send home letter formation and tracing activities for those who might benefit * Provide lots of engaging, varied subjects for writing e.g. labelling, simple sentences, silly sentences, language experience * Use think aloud in my modelling * Use questioning to prompt students - e.g. 'Re-read your story to me. What is your next word?' and 'Stretch the word out. What sounds do you hear?' Where the students are at: Frequent assessment of my students' writing is allowing us to celebrate their specific successes, and identify next steps. Identifying next steps with students is helping them progress. Progress so far Achieving:  two of the five students are now saying, writing and re-reading as they write. They use initial and some middle/end sounds, with minimal teacher support.  Next steps:  * Using spaces * Using fullstops * Us...

Effective learning conversations with colleagues, parents etc involve: 1. Listening with empathy 2. Saying what you think, using impersonal language 3. Treating your own view as one possibility 4. Expressing views clearly; and summarising others' ideas to check you have understood 5. Inviting other views Inquiry (when someone else shares an idea, challenge etc) Assist substantive dialogue using these skills: * Paraphrase e.g. 'So you're saying' * Probe e.g. 'Tell my more...' 'Why...' * Test for perspectives e.g. 'Are there any other perspectives/ideas on this?' * Clarify e.g. 'I'm not clear on...tell me more...' * Active listening e.g. think, am I showing active listening? Am I giving wait time?  Advocacy (when you have an idea, challenge etc) Advocacy skills include: * Explain reasoning e.g this is the data for; implications of... * Seek different perspectives e.g 'How else might we look at this...' * Put i...