Charlotte Verity Professional Learning (School Based)

Observation & Reflection Notes 4/4/24 - Krystal Hunt Observation & Reflection Notes 5/4/23 - Anna McNeill 

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 Focus: Start of day - setting a positive tone, use of Te Reo, inclusion of all students, student voice provision, interoception) Observation document and next steps saved here  .

Understanding Behaviour and Responding Safely: MOE Staff Workshop 19/8/23 Full presentation  Understanding behaviour: we can only see the tip of the ice berg...what might be hidden?  History, perceptions, physiological things (e.g. sleep, food intolerances etc), psychological, personality (including propensity to worry), preceptions, cultural background and migration experiences, neurodiverse profiles.. Flat affect - A person with flat affect has no – or nearly no – emotional expression. It is important to know about children's background and connect with those who need it as/how/when they need it. Survival loop & threat processing  Some students are in a state of high alert, monitoring their environment for potential threats. These children are more likely to interpret neutral faces or situations as threats....this can cause a flight, fright or freeze reaction. It is important to have a shield around shame When people distract from feelings of shame/badness by l...

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 Stranger Danger ...this is an OUTDATED term...89% of abusers will be known to the child, and 45% will be related to them.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...

This programme comes from the Peace Foundation  Building a toolkit for peaceful conflict resolution and mediation.  This includes the peer mediator programme and training.  Peer mediators are trained to deal with lower level conflicts / issues. Opportunity for different students to build leadership skills as mediators. Can build on / link to established virtues and values in the school. Negative reactions are common (remember this is a choice, however!) Resources on drive Animal Conflict styles  Pūpūrangi (avoiding)  Denial, avoid, withdrawal,  lose-lose situation Stop talking - silent or walk away; sulk; ignore the issue; can become resentful Kiwi (accommodating) Suppression, accommodating, lose-win situation Act as though nothing is the matter, Peace-keepers & like to preserve harmony, often say ‘yes’ to preserve the relationship, can refuse to talk about the problem, can become cross with someone afterwards (suppressed anger and f...

 Sensory Profile Each child brings their sensory profile with them everywhere they go, including to school. Adults also have a sensory profile, and this impacts their preferences, needs and how (well) they operate in different environments.  When we understand a child's sensory profile, we can plan with these in mind. We can tailor planning and make adaptations to better accommodate a child's sensory profile, thereby providing a more engaging and happier learning environment.  e.g. someone who is vestibular seeking would likely benefit from frequent movement breaks, yoga or stretching during learning, using a standing desk etc.  We can also use this insight in supporting our colleagues, by observing, noting and allowing for their sensory needs. Full presentation by Elisa McConnochie Classroom Guide: what sensory profiles look like in terms of behaviour and needs Strategies teachers can use to accommodate student's sensory profiles

Full Presentation Key Points for Teachers - Using Problems in Maths Problem-solving activities can be completed individually and through group work Carefully choose tasks so they encourage collaboration (and not one person taking over) Ensure groups have support Provide a balance of the four task types  (see below)  Provide a balance of proficiencies  (adaptive reasoning, problem solving, procedural fluency, conceptual understanding, productive disposition) Provide a balance of the strands (statistics, geometry & measurement, number & algebra) Four Types of Tasks  Exercise : Require a known fact / procedure, put into practice Application : A worded problem, with one or two steps, solution pathway is transparent. Often strategies/algorithms focused Open-Ended : Has several solutions with multiple solutions pathways. These have a low floor but high ceiling (all/most can access and answer it, but it also has huge scope for extended thinking). Includes extenders ...

Quick Notes & Overview Staff presentation  Reports due out week 9  Assessment & reporting schedule  and guidelines Transition note (disclaimer) for Poppy, Lily-Ann, Louis, Vinnie ?? If a goal has been highlighted that the child isn't demonstrating , don't unclick it, just note it and make a point of teaching it When entering data, use the stage/level children are working in Next steps: two goals in each curriculum area Address the report to the child General comment: 750 word limit  Finish by week 7, buddy  check week 8.  Literacy goals and Maths Number and Algebra -  must be completed by Monday 20 June 9am. Past Reports  Access using the timewarp icon - see the presentation (linked above) Report writing tips Write to the child. Other tips are in this document Sections that need to be filled in HERO literacy goals - reading & writing HERO Maths goals - Maths and if covered, geometry, measurement, statistics Learning in … Post - this p...

The Situation This year, our team has a group of diverse learners who we are working collaboratively to support.  We have access to Resource Teachers: Learning & Behaviour (RTLBs) assistance for this. Two RTLBs observed our lessons during term 1, and we also undertook student surveys with 16 students (half considered diverse, half not diverse). Their feedback is as follows. We are exploring how we might use a more UDL style of approach to support these, and indeed all of our students. Student Voice: Survey Results from whole cohort Student Voice: Survey Results for my  home group RTLB Observations Feedback From RTLBs and Team Discussion Some of the positives noted:  High level of teacher attention on appropriate rather than inappropriate behaviour  Students are scaffolded to complete tasks and reach success, at times with 'first, then'. Students have access and are encouraged to use a range of learning tools e.g. visual timetable, fidgets, wobble cushion Teachers...

Collaboration * Daily morning meetings with team, weekly team meetings, many incidental conversations with colleagues through out the day.  * Fortnightly staff meetings: HERO assessment, structured literacy, other topics Whānau connection * Liaising with parents - my goal has been to email 1-2 parents a week, sharing some positive feedback on their child's learning, participation or ways of working with others. I keep a log of parents contacted.  * Individual Learning Plans and zoom meetings for two children, ongoing communication before and after.  * Liaising with an external OT for two students, and following up on her insights and suggestions for the students concerned. * Maintaining communication with students learning from home due to Covid, and emailing or dropping off learning material. * Phoning 2-3 target families (one ESOL) re: school celebration days, SODs etc, as I'm aware they don't always receive news via emails and newsletters. Community  * Completing ...

This year, I have a leadership unit to oversee and support our approach around ESOL teaching and learning, and to raise cultural awareness at our school.  I am co-ordinating a team of staff representing each year level, and together, we are working on strategies to improve cultural awareness and empathy amongst staff and the wider community.  At our first team meeting, I shared some of the factors migrant families face, having learnt about this from my study (2019-2020) through Massey University.  These factors may include:  Cultural and family dislocation, and possibly also a sense of loneliness/cultural isolation  Finding employment at a similar level to what they had in their homeland  Many migrants report an initial joy and excitement about their new homeland, but after weeks/months, many report a sense of disappointment or isolation Migrant children may be reluctant to speak their mother tongue, yet research shows that maintaining the first language ac...

Stages of Inquiry ( Spirals of Inquiry ) Scanning Focusing  Developing a Hunch New Learning-and Reflecting on our Action Checking Term 3, Week 1-3, 2020 Scanning & Focusing Our team is working together to establish an engaging and varied maths programme for our students, which combines the following elements: * Concept * Inquiry * Warm-up * Independent tasks (informed by Rob Proffitt-White - see slide 6 ) We reflected and discussed maths learning at length as a whole team and began our Team Inquiry . Within this, we have formed teaching partnerships with one other, so we can focus more closely on each individual student. Amber and Lisa began co-planning and teaching, and then shared their planning process with the team in Term 3, week 3. Katie, my teaching partner and I, have developed our own similar plan, using their basis. Term 3, Week 4-6, 2020 Developing a Hunch Katie and I are working together, and collaboratively planning maths for all our students. We decided to meet f...

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. O ur school had trusted us to listen and identify what might help certain families, and then provide this within protocols.             Empower and Affirm Ākonga: fo...

Focus on c entering the needs of the individual, i.e. ask them what they want and need, how they wish to be referred to etc. Presentation Covered: LGBT+ is the term for gender diversity, and includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersexual, asexual, transgender and more Takatāpui is te reo for someone who identifies as LGBT + Heteronormativity: the concept that people fall into distinct genders and gender roles, and that everyone is heterosexual.  Gender Binary: the only to genders that are acknowledged as men and women.  This line of thinking leads to disconnection! Proposed new line of thought: Gender Spectrum: A range of gender identities and between and outside of male and female. How can I recognise and address my unconscious bias and use my position  to support all others? How can I be an ally for our students / staff around gender questions?  Let your actions speak for you - stand up for inclusion, address any targeting or bullying Use inclusi...

Term 1 2020 - Presentation Slides  Stages of Grief Experienced by Children & Young People Document Kubler-Ross: Stages of Grief General experiences may be... Denial - Anger - Bargaining (If only I had/done/do ...then it would be ok?) - Depression - Acceptance - its a natural part of life -  For Children  allow crying, anger etc and discuss model and explain your emotions (parents) check on their safety net  notice the positive/good things in our lives discuss the power of and potential for resilience build relationships & connect with others Dan Siegel's Brain Model  Support calming (co-regulate emotions) before you talk, plan, problem-solve etc Target calming or co-regulating the brain stem/emotions before encouraging child back into learning, being with large groups etc  (e.g. sleep, eat, move, time alone)  Mirroring - when parent/significant person becomes equally heightened and shows emotions Marked ...

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...

INCLUSION = access to quality education for ALL jo.charman@autism.org.nz  STATIC DYNAMIC Predictable Routines Safety No change Change Dealing with the unplanned/unexpected Diagnosis : may have difficulties in the areas of social interaction; communication; flexible thinking. Behaviours:  * May stay apart fro others or have difficulty playing with others * Wants to play but may not know how (may not take on cues from others) * Tells but may not have a back/foward conversation * May rarely look towards you when you are speaking * May rarely use language * Doesn't understand your body language * Does their own thing * Poor emotional regulation Challenges related to flexible thinking * Interest in a particular topic * Always does things the same way * Has rituals that must be followed & may not respond well to change * Says the same thing over and over  * Displays "odd" movements e.g....