Charlotte Verity Professional Learning (School Based)

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...

DMIC is based on:  Thinking like a mathematician, which involves making connections between ideas, approaching problems creatively, adapting known methods in new ways, and transferring learning to new contexts Working like a mathematician, which involves persistence, willingness to take risks, and the capacity to explain solutions. ...which is why it requires an inquiry based approach The Key Features of DMIC Reflecting on the quality & appropriateness of problems... * Were they open ended and required complex solving ( persistence is a key skill we need to grow in our mathematicians!) *Group worthy tasks allow for multiple ways of solving the problem ( not just  the teachers' way) * Mix up the groups so status roles don't become locked * To learn concepts, children need to interact, discuss, clarify, justify big ideas....do the problems set require this? * Are problems culturally relevant? Students need situations that connect to th...

After a year of DMIC, my reflections: Current Challenges * How do we help children retain ideas? * What do I need to do to best support children to build knowledge and strategy Successes * Children are more able to vocalise their learning * Students are working together on one problem: sharing ideas, justifying, asking questions, agreeing/disagreeing, reasoning * Materials were a fundamental tool for supporting discussions Communication & Participation Framework Justifying & Arguing Mathematically  * Structuring the activity is important * Make sure you provide  wait time (think time)   for whole class * Expect group members to support each other when sharing back - it is a  collaborative  sharing back Questions to ask to encourage justifying... How do you know? Show me (materials) Small Group Work  * 15-20 minutes to come up with a solution * Think about grouping carefully put high needs child with 3 others (I question thi...

We (my class of 23 Year 1-2 students and I) recently learnt about the state of our river (using our school inquiry model, local exploration to the ponds and ECAN's Waitaha Wai resource ). The learning involved: * Learning about the unique birds and fish in Canterbury rivers * Learning about our cultural narrative, and how the ponds and river were an important food source for local Maori * Learning about the storm water system * Creating pastel pictures of fish and animals, as well as fact charts and posters * Picking up rubbish locally * Visiting the local ponds to notice animal life and pollution * Understanding our role as Kaitiaki The group shared their learning by creating a collective art work, using rubbish we found in the local area and our own illustrations of marine life: After the learning a team of 5 students were keen to take more action to improve water quality in our rivers. The issue they focused on was rubbish, and the fact that rubbish on our street...

I was invited to work with local engineer and planner, Mike Fisher, on a local inquiry project. Together, we planned and supported Year 1-2 students to:  Undertake observations in their local community Think about and generate possible improvements Take action towards creating positive, local change Step 1: Empowering students to take ownership using question starters Students formed teams and reviewed photos of communities, observing and discussing features  and conditions such as rubbish bins, lighting, footpaths and playground equipment. The noticed and shared positive and negatives. PROMPTING QUESTIONS THAT GUIDED STUDENTS' DISCUSSION What happened here? How do I get there? Why is that like that? Is it fun? Why? Why not? Is it looked after? Can a pram/wheelchair/bike/scooter get there? What happens in the Summer?  What happens in the Winter? Who looks after it? Can I change it? Could I walk in bare feet or do I have to wear shoes? Do I feel sa...

My Reflections on DMIC Liana's Presentation - incl Strand Task Ideas Positives * Students are engaged, and most embrace the problems eagerly. * Norms: these have really helped the students to build social and communication skills. * Growing awareness that there are different ways of solving problems. * Modelling skills and phrases for pairs has helped them work together more, e.g. "I don't understand, show me..."     "I disagree because..." * Working in pairs rather than groups has helped the students build communication skills. Wonderings and Challenges * How do we encourage the quiet students to get involved? * How can I make it easier for students to say they don't understand. * How can I help students develop a shared   explanation (i.e. one "gets it" and the other doesn't....) * Having time for sharing back: this can be done the following day if you run out of time. Developing Communication & Participation (Next S...

Bobbi Hunter,  Massey University  Presentation  Background * NZ has alarmingly high levels of Māori and Pāsifika (and other) students not achieving curriculum standards at Year 8. * Teachers can fall into deficit thinking about certain groups (Nieto 2002): "These children come to school knowing nothing." Shift it to....what can we show this children, how far can we extend them? * Show the purpose of maths....why do you need this, in your every day life ? e.g. manage finance etc * Values to think about bringing in to the class/learning:    The Best Evidence Synthesis of Maths , outlines the effective features of maths in primary school are:  * Students working as a community (cohesive, functional and equal group). Students grouped for abilities tended to have fixed ideas of their capability in maths, so mixed level groups are preferable * Language for key maths ideas is provided/modelled and scaffolded ad students use this to explain and justi...

We have now been working collaboratively, with four classes in a new modern learning hub. We've implemented a shared timetable, with developmental play/discovery time woven through reading, writing and maths learning each morning.  The New Space:          As staff, we have discussed, agreed and planned areas for different purposes, including: reading/library corner, a theatre for shared gatherings, a construction room (with doors so that children can be playful and make noise with blocks, cars etc, without interrupting learning in the main space), a maths centre, a writing area, maker space / kitchen for construction and a mindful colouring zone.  What Has Worked? A number of things have really aided our journey, and the ease of transition for the children. These strategies have included:  * Staff meeting to discuss what worked/what didn't work after school each day, and altering plans accordingly. * Shared expectations for behav...

Kate introduced her six stages of Inquiry (Copyright EduKate), see details below: My Next Step  after this learning: * I am going to try planning backwards, flexibly planning according to needs of children and then documenting the learning as we go. * Focus more on FORMATIVE and SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT e.g. a wall display or verbal statement from the children of their learning. This is EVIDENCE OF LEARNING AND TEACHING.  * Spend time unpacking key words, questions and ideas through engagement e.g. picture sorts, ask an expert etc 1. PURPOSE - So what does this mean for our Identity Unit: I will suggest to team that we spend  longer  on engaging the students into the concept of Identity and why its important.  e.g. tell a personal story about why my family is important OR start with the word identity on the board and have students draw/write what they think it means OR cut / sort paper words related to identity. 2. EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO TAKE OWNERSHIP ...

Reading articles and attending workshops on change management, community engagement, collective leadership, student self-regulation, 21st Century learning and student agency has kept my eye on the 'big picture' ideas of education, and reflect on what skills our students need for the future. I focused on student self management and agency for this final report and presentation. I  conducted interviews with staff, did extensive professional reading and interviewed students for this. I found that student self management requires two key skill areas:  I then completed a Design Proposal on how my own school might build student agency. I really enjoyed watching others' present and look forward to hearing the outcome of their own design proposals. Several focused on developing student self-regulation, student agency, and developing cultural inclusion.  I was informed by these critical readings: *Kohn, A (2001) Five Reasons to Stop Saying "Good Job!" DOI...

Inquiry into the  Māori migration to NZ - 'Getting there Together' Term 2, 2015 During Term 2, students learnt about how the early  Māori worked together on the migration to NZ and in early Pa life. This aligned well with our school value of 'we get there together'. We also explored the flora and fauna of NZ at the time the  Māori arrived, and reflected on how it had changed since. Students then took this learning and practised 'getting there together' by forming small groups and worked collaboratively. Students planned to create an aspect of early  Māori life; planned and collected their resources to do so; and then problem solved situations together. One of the highlights of this learning was having parents in class to work with the students. One father came and taught a small group of boys about carving. He brought cultural knowledge and experience far beyond anything I could offer the students as a teacher, and having a different personality in the roo...