Cross Country 2015

Beautiful day last Friday and a superb turnout for the Cross Country.  Enjoy the images from the day below.

Kapahaka Performance

I was really proud of our 54 students who performed for the very first time during Week 2 of this term as our Kapahaka group.  Just one term of practice and they are already doing brilliantly.  If you missed the performance I have made a recording of it below.

Happy Easter Break Everyone

The weather has turned on a wicked day today for the end to the term.

A special farewell to Sheryl Lang who is going on maternity leave today.  We wish her all the best and know she will be an awesome Mum.  She will be missed and we will keep everyone updated on any baby news early next term.  I have passed on best wishes on behalf of the whole community to Sheryl and Ewan.

The kids have turned out a spectacular effort today raising money for the KidsCan charity (about $300) with their crazy hairdos!  I know not everyone gets to see their children out in the playground so watch the movie below and see if you can spot someone who belongs to you.

Last of all I want to wish everyone a happy and safe Easter.  Don't eat too much chocolate!

The 'Nearly' Flipped Classroom

The concept of the flipped classroom started in 2007 with two US teachers posting powerpoint lectures online for students to watch at home and then follow-up in the classroom.  The concept went viral with the onset of high-speed broadband and online videos.

Here is a great visual representation of what the flipped classroom is:

Flipped Classroom Explanation

At school yesterday Lilly and Marguerite arrived to show me what I thought was a 'nearly' version of the flipped classroom.  The girls were using a video of a maths strategy to reinforce the learning they had just been introduced to with their teacher, Mrs Davidson.

The introduction of the high-speed broadband at our school has opened up a whole other realm of learning possibilities and it using tools like this that we can maximise the benefits of all our learners.

Check out the girls explanation and demonstration below, it is uncut and the girls are still developing their understanding but it is extra special all the same!

Touch Finals

Last night I really enjoyed going down to watch our touch teams in the local touch competition.  Brilliant to see so many children participating on the sports field in the one spot at the one time.  By my count we had at least 11 teams competing including students from 5 through to 13 years old.  A huge thank you to Anne Prattley for organising the teams and the very smart touch tops.  I look forward to seeing you all back playing next season.  Here are a few pics from the games.

Reflecting on Our Learning

One of the key skills or attributes that is seen as important for our 21st century learners is the ability to reflect on their own learning and progress.  The ability to reflect on what we have learnt is the first step in recognising our own strengths and even more importantly what we have to learn next.  Being able to design your own learning pathway requires this sort of reflection and is a key attribute of a life-long learner.

At Swannanoa we try to promote the skills of reflection in all sorts of ways.  Recently in R9 Mrs Davidson and a couple of her students have been posting all sorts of learning reflections on the web for parents to share in by using the iOS App, 'SeeSaw'.  Not only does it give some authenticity to their reflections by sharing with an important audience it also allows them to develop some independence using the iPad at a young age for purposes other than just repetition apps.

Here is Thomas from R9 telling us about SeeSaw.  Katie (R9) also shares some learning at the end of the movie.

Teaching and Learning in Inclusive Settings

Course Three:  Teaching and Learning in Inclusive Setting

Please find below a summary the third summary from my 2014 study leave.

This course was a nice follow-on to the first semester course I completed on Autism Spectrum Disorders in that it further developed a broader understanding of what it means to be a truly inclusive education environment for students with a diverse range of needs.

A central aspect of this course was developing an understanding of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an approach that encourages educators to consider the design of learning programmes so they embrace the diversity of learners by catering for their individual needs.  The best way for you to learn more about UDL is by visiting the CAST website.  The principles of UDL provide a really effective blueprint for effective teaching, regardless of any specific needs students may have and is something that I am very enthusiastic about embedding within our own school environment.

The course explored other critical aspects of inclusive practice such as the hidden curriculum, use of technology, individual education plans (IEPs), and the role of teacher aides.  One thing I want to ensure we do when I am back at school is utilise the two websites below for their up to date resources and professional development tools.  Having paid access to these two websites will give us a wealth of knowledge about the latest developments in inclusive practices:

Closing the Gap

Spectronics

In terms of the expectations for the course I completed a variety of assignments.  The first was an annotated bibliography that explored ten empirical (research studies that involved actual research) studies with the aim of establishing how we can establish inclusive learning environments in the area of mathematics education.  There was some really interesting research studies out there and some of the key messages that have resonated with me are the impact of practices such as cross-grouping (putting similar ability students into the same class), withdrawal programmes and the time spent on interventions.  You will have to scan my annotated bibliography here to get more detail:  Inclusive Mathematics Education Research Summary.  Or if you want to save some time, check out the summary I did as a powerpoint presentation for other members of the course, this focusses on the implications of the research and how it should impact on our practice as educators:  Inclusive Learning in Primary Mathematics Powerpoint.

The final part of the course gave me the opportunity to further develop my understanding of UDL and how the use of Assistive Technology (AT) can benefit learners with a range of diverse needs.  There is again two parts to this work, a literature review aspect and a powerpoint presentation that is designed as a sequence of 3-4 professional development sessions to do with our staff.  I have linked them both for your interest:  AT and UDL for Inclusive Practice and Using AT to Embed UDL Principles Powerpoint

Catering for the needs of students with a range of developmental and learning issues has always been something I have wanted to learn more about and this course has given me a great starting point for developing my knowledge and skills in this area.

World Cup Cricket at Hagley Park

We had a great day at the World Cup Cricket match between Scotland and England on Monday with a group of 27 students.  Thanks to NZ Cricket for giving away free tickets and Mr Lucas for organising it for us.  Check out a few pics from the day below.

Transforming Education in Canterbury

Last year I completed the first post in a series of four relating to my study leave.  The topic I covered was Autism Spectrum Disorders.  The second post I want to share is related to something you have all no doubt heard being 'bandied' about over the last 18 months or so with the major shifts in education across Canterbury going full steam ahead.  You have probably all heard the term, Modern Learning Environment (MLEs)' for instance.  The paper I completed, 'Transforming Education in Canterbury' was all about the shifts in educational thinking connected with MLEs.  Here is my synopsis and reflection of the course:

Course Two:  Transforming Education in Canterbury

This course was a special paper designed specifically for educators within the Canterbury region where there is a significant push to implement modern learning practices and pedagogy alongside the redevelopment of many school environments post-earthquake.  Around 65 educators participated in the course, mostly from the primary school sector with varied roles and responsibilities from classroom teachers, middle leaders and principals through to RTLBs and other professionals connected with the sector.

‘Modern Learning Environment (MLEs)’ is probably a phrase that you have heard if you have connections with any students at schools within the region.  Usually parents associate MLEs with the physical spaces of a school, large open plan areas with large numbers of students (40-120) and two to three teachers all sharing this space.  However there is much more to MLEs than just the space and large numbers of students working together.  Critical to this shift in thinking is the influence of technology on our learning environments and the ever increasing body of research that gives us an increasing understanding of how students actually learn and what sorts of skills they will need to have to be successful into the future.  MLEs have a strong focus on developing skills that enable students to be self-directed learners with the ability to collaborate and be creative.  Research today also acknowledges the social nature of learning, that is the learning that takes place through a range of social interactions and MLEs encourage schools to make wider connections within and outside of their classroom walls to facilitate multiple authentic opportunities to learn from a range of sources, not just teachers or parents.

The first assignment for the course asked us to examine an aspect of MLEs that interested us or was relevant to our context and to do a scoping exercise on this area.  This scoping was done in two parts, firstly what does the research say and secondly how does our school measure up?  My focus was on how blended e-learning (the integration of both face-to-face and online learning) could be used effectively within an MLE.  Have a read to see how we stack up and to learn more about both MLEs and Blended E-Learning:  Blended E-Learning Scoping Report

Our school has made significant investment in the area of technology integration so I thought this was a worthwhile focus area for me.  You will be pleased to know that we are already doing many things that reflect modern learning practices, things such as our inquiry approach to learning, involving students in their own assessment and of course using technology being just a few examples.  However I want to make sure we move ahead further with everyone on board, that means we won’t be knocking down any walls before we really ponder the influence and potential this collaborative approach to learning can have on our community.  A really positive aspect of the course was that it didn’t just focus on the ‘what’ of a MLE it also explored the ‘how’ and the process of transformation alongside your community and this was really valuable.  An outcome of the course was a design proposal that I was asked to create that provided a plan for introducing the transformation in my school connected to the focus in my Scoping Report.  This is my design proposal:  Blended Learning Design Proposal

This is at this stage very much a discussion document and as a leadership team at school we will use it as such when planning for this year.

Welcome Back to School for 2015

It is now just over a week since we welcomed our students and families back through the door for the start of the 2015 school year and what a positive start it has been!  The students are already focussed on their learning and getting to know their new classmates and teacher, setting them up for what I am sure will be a rewarding and successful year.

We can't wait to see everyone at our Ako Meetings next Wednesday and Thursday so make sure you book a meeting by following the link below and using the code, C5NFK:

www.schoolinterviews.co.nz

These meetings are all about getting to know each other better as a way of setting up a successful year so don't miss them!

One of the things I really enjoy doing is getting out in the playground with the students.  Flavour of the month at the moment is T-Ball, although the southerly tested our will-power yesterday.  This is a great action shot with the sun shining!