Keeping Up with Mrs Faalili

  Target Group: B.R, L.T, K.H, M.A, S.T The catalytic aspect of student learning my inquiry focused on this year was "What changes can I make in my practice to ensure that my learners deepen their understandings of key concepts and ideas in writing?"   I identified this as my focus when I noticed the attitudes and behaviour of my students towards their learning in writing wasn’t making traction in their achievement in this learning area. Although cluster wide data shed a light on Reading, my learners in my class this year needed a big booster in the learning of writing.  To build a rich picture of my students’ learning I used: • Student Voice - through a google form. I used the Literacy Learner Profile that I had used in previous years as an ALL teacher to collect information about interests, attitudes, struggles and things they enjoy about writing. • Writing samples - EOY 2019 and BOY 2020 easttle writing, unpacking any patterns, gaps and strengths in their writing as we...

Click on image to Personal Notes from PLD  Provider/Presenter: Workshop 1 - Sue Pine  Inquiry Based Mathematics: It’s just effective pedagogy! Workshop 2 - Lucie Cheeseman  Mathematical Discovery - exploring visual mathematics and the art of “Make and Create” If I was to summarise the key things I took away from this Professional Development what would they be and why? The need to think about the DATs in my teaching of maths and how I can use this to further support the learning of my students. By being deliberate I am maximising this window of learning for my students. The need to 'make and create' for mathematical learning, that it's not just about Using Materials to support their learning of concepts. Students should be given opportunities to make choices of which materials and also to physically or digitally make and create a visual representation of mathematical concepts. The importance and need for low floor, high ceiling type of number problems, problems that encou...

  Click on image to open up Personal Notes from PLD Name of Course/Programme/Seminar: Boys in Literacy - Cracking the code Provider/Presenter: Marshall Diggs If I was to summarise the key things I took away from this Professional Development what would they be and why? You can have  control  or you can have  growth  - but you can’t have both. Position myself to fit the needs of my boys. Make myself uncomfortable so they don’t have to be. Greatest contribution is not what you teach, but who you teach Boys will not invest into learning until I invest into them Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind Boys like competition but not when it exposes their inabilities Light fires not fill buckets It’s not what you teach but who you teach Interest based - not curriculum based Repeat, restate - but don’t rephrase How has this professional development challenged my thinking? Didn't really challenge, rather affirm what I'm doing with my boys. - Experiences to build language for wr...

Keeping my students engaged during our google meets!  A simple recipe with ingredients that we have around the house. Choc-bix slice. This was integrated with LCS (Learn, Create, Share) and Writing. Thinking ahead and when we head back into school, this links perfectly with our fractions that we've been learning about -EXCITING! I didn't want anyone to miss out so we spent time planning and preparing for it, figuring out what we had at home and what we needed. I didn't want parents stressing out, so with gloves on and a face mask strapped behind my ears, I headed out to deliver the goods. This is another authentic learning experience, planned for, prepared for and SO MUCH FUN! Check out these smiles! This gives my learners another experience to write about. Some whanau were involved and it was great to see them become more and more independent.

Identify informal & formal ways I am monitoring the effects of my changed practices on learner outcomes. Explain the reflections and tweaks I am making along the way.  Describe how I will keep a record of each of the above in a manageable way The best way, I feel for me to monitor the effects of my changed practice at this point in time is to do so on a weekly or a bi-weekly basis. Each week, my writers are writing more and more and by choosing a sample from their weekly work, analysing it will give me an idea of their gaps and what I need to focus on for the following week. This will be done for the select students (my star writers) that fit in the groups identified from the end of year data for writing last year. 'Interleading' is a great way to monitor and reflect my own teaching and practice. The use of relevant templates and critical thinking allows me to really dig deep and think about further changes or tweaks I can make in my teaching practice. Collection of s...

Inquiry question and theory of action/chain of events  My inquiry for this year is 'What changes can I make in my practice to ensure that my learners deepen their understandings of key concepts and ideas in Writing?' Unpacking this has allowed me the time to think critically about what my students are able to do and also their gaps. Over the course of this year and the ever changing changes in the world, my inquiry has taken a slight change in its focus, however, still relevant to Writing. The focus this time round is around integrated planning and how planning rich authentic learning experiences can encourage students to produce rich pieces of writing.

Describe how I will collect information about the implementation of my changed practice/intervention How will I collect information? -  Student voice , through google forms or interlead. See  T3 Student Voice Post  as an example. This will help me get an idea of where my students at and how they feel about writing. Do they see themselves as a writer? This will also give me ideas on the topics of writing, future lessons e.g. teaching them editing skills, word building, and also what I need to stop or cut back on doing. -  Student writing and analysis  of this. The use of LPF Writing and our school matrices to help make a judgement of what they can do independently. We are currently exploring the Writing LPF as a staff and refining our teaching practice along the way. We are focusing on one signpost at a time so this will allow for in depth reflection and refining of teaching practice. -  Student blogs - and the quality of their writing in the post. ...

20/08/20 - Home Learning Round 2 Self reflection Description Google Meets A ha moment Significance A Ha moment when Venia was helping Faiva during our google call with her instructions, and when Maia was helping Bethany by using present screen mode. Learning Our interactive activity this afternoon on our google call was BLIND ARTIST. Follow instructions to create a drawing. First round we did on paper, 2nd round we did on google drawing (assuming they all knew how to use google drawing) - NEVER ASSUME. Anywho, during the google call Venia didn't know how to colour her shape in - explained it to her. Faiva not long after, said he didn't know how. Venia chimed in and was explaining it. Brutally and very loudly. But clear and very precise, adding in other bits of information that would help him locate the colouring tool on there. As she's explaining it to him, I'm thinking OMG, GO VENIA and OMG THEY SHOULD BE DOING MORE OF THE EXPLAINING AND NOT ME! Duri...

Today, I used Google Form to collect student voice on their feelings about writing. Here are the responses.   My key take aways from this  More opportunities for them to be able to write about what they want (and put into practice the skills and strategies that we are currently learning in class) Think about how I give my instructions and explain - is it the pace? words I'm suing Give more time to plan writing Give more time to edit writing Teach students how to edit, self and peer check writing

Name of Course/Programme/Seminar: A balanced reading programme - reviewing the approaches Provider/Presenter: Sheena Cameron & Louise Dempsey If I was to summarise the key things I took away from this Professional Development what would they be and why? The importance of Shared Reading Guided sessions compliment the learning in shared reading Explicit teaching of reading is important at all levels Top 3 comprehension strategies; self monitoring, summarising and inferring Have a balanced reading programme Start reading lessons with proverbs to encourage critical thinking Reading process - critical thinking, cracking the code, comprehension How has this professional development challenged my thinking? This PLD reminded me of how important Reading is. It's excited me to get into my planning and teaching of Reading The need to reintroduce Shared Reading to my programme and to use shared reading to support the learning in guided reading. What aspects of my practice ...

Plan and conduct detailed inquiry  into  specific aspects of your current teaching  that are  relevant to the hypotheses you identified in the literature. Prior to lockdown, implementation of Daily 5 was the new intervention for me this year. Although it may not seem like an intervention as such, I wanted to develop independent readers and writers who had the stamina to be able to read and write for longer periods of time. It took most part of Term 1 before lockdown kicked in. We maintained this the best we could through online learning and intend to do so throughout the year, and if the unlikely events of another lockdown. A huge focus for me and my teaching has been on 'Work on Writing' and 'Word work' and how to use this time effectively during our Daily 5. Time was given to unpacking what it looks like for them, the learner and me, the teacher. Here's what we came up with (and are now constantly used in our classroom) a - Formative information abou...

Title of Book/Reading/Study Programme Best Practices in writing instruction (2nd edition) - Chapter 1. Designing an Effective Writing Program Author/s or Lecturer/s or Speaker/s Edited - Steve Graham, Charles A.MacArthur, Jill Fitzgerald Motivation The motivation for this reading is the want to improve my Writing programme. As part of my role as a CoL teacher, I am inquiring into raising the achievement of my students in Literacy, with a specific focus on writing. How will it help me? How has it helped me? Key takeaways and what it means for me:  • Foster a love for writing. Establishing a good mood for writing in the classroom is important.  • Make student writing visible - display on walls, share to newspapers i.e. Toitoi • Have high but realistic expectations for writers • Provide enough support for my writers so that they can write i.e. use of models, teacher sessions, word banks, front loading, peer support, word cards   • Student Voice about topics they ...

Title of Book/Reading/Study Programme Effective Literacy Practice Y1-4; Deliberate Acts of Teaching Author/s or Lecturer/s or Speaker/s Ministry of Education Motivation The motivation for this reading is the want to improve my Writing programme. As part of my role as a CoL teacher, I am inquiring into raising the achievement of my students in Literacy, with a specific focus on writing. How will it help me? How has it helped me? Every time I read this section of the book, I learn something new. My key takeaways for this reading this time round are: Modelling; I need to do more of this and use more models of writing when I am introducing or teaching a new strategy/skill. GRR, Gradual Release of Responsibility is how I aim to do this.  I write . We write. You write. I Write is where I model effectively. Giving Feedback; Hattie describes feedback as the most powerful single factor that enhances achievement. If I think back to one of my hypothesis 'IF I choose specific ...

Title of Book/Reading/Study Programme How can a makerspace in the school setting support increased motivation, engagement, and achievement for Pasifika and Maori learners? Author/s or Lecturer/s or Speaker/s Rebecca Bishop and Savelina Lepou Synopsis An article report on a teacher-led inquiry at Mt Roskill Primary School from 2016-2017. Teachers worked with a group of Pasifika and Maori students to deveop a learning environment and use pedagogies inspired by the makerspace movement. Data on students' engagement and achievement levels indicated positive development in the key competencies, practical skills, and learning behaviours of these students. Through student voice we discovered what learning strategies were of benefit to these students. Motivation Professional reading was shared with me by Christine T as a part of our CoL inquiry. How will it help me? How has it helped me? The important takeaways from this article • Make students a part of the process (the planning, the doing...

My teaching inquiry: What changes can I make in my practice to make sure that my learners DEEPEN THEIR UNDERSTANDINGS OF KEY CONCEPTS AND IDEAS while being CHALLENGED TO LEARN, CREATE AND SHARE CONFIDENTLY AND CONSISTENTLY We're in 2nd week back, post lock down and it feels....different. Class numbers are still a bit low (at least 8-10 learners still not here) and we're trying new things. Planning this week for Samoan Language Week - using the resource created (working doc) integrating Math, Literacy, Art & Sport. It's Tuesday and thinking about the Resource, the one thing that is missing is the explicit connections between the LEARNING & ACTIVITIES.   I've got the understanding and thinking in my head and what it is , but it doesn't make it an effective resource.  So, thinking forward into the next few weeks left of the term, Room 9 will be learning about MATARIKI (teacher driven) and Animals (student voice) while doing lots of art (student voice). Still...

As identified in my previous post ( Blog post #5 - describing my process for developing my hypothesis ), my hypothesis were: IF I provide real life, hands on, authentic learning experiences, THEN my students will have rich ideas to write about. IF I see my target students 3 times a week for focussed sessions (deeper features for writing) THEN I can provide them with specific, structured sessions that will allow me to give relevant and timely feedback/feedforward. IF I teach my students at Level 3 of the curriculum THEN we are working faster to bridge the gap in their learning. IF my planning shows integration, THEN my students will be working across the curriculum, thus providing them with more opportunities to consolidate new learning. IF I choose specific features of writing to focus on for the week e.g. vocabulary, THEN this will allow them to see the progress/next steps of their learning in writing. The hypotheses about teaching that I decided were MOST worth testing have been high...