Keeping Up with Mrs Faalili

Share 3 pieces of academic or professional reading and explain how they and other sources helped you form hypotheses about aspects of teaching that might contribute to current patterns of learning.  If I want my learners to be coming to school on time, motivated, and ready to learn, I need to make sure that I am being culturally responsive in my teaching practice and setting them up for success. "Culturally responsive teaching... strives to increase engagement and motivation of students" Michael Valvurs (2008) Culturally Responsive Teaching  Throughout this reading, the 'why' of a culturally responsive practice is unpacked. Increase in student engagement and increase of student motivation, transforming perspectives and empowering learners by using meaningful cultural connections, just to name a few. My target group are a group of Year 7/8 Pasifika boys who are all operating below, mostly well below their expected level. Not only are they operating behind their peers, ...

Tapasa Workshop (Zoom) on 7th May 2021 with Cindy Tupou from Senior Teacher If I was to summarise the key things I took away from this Professional Development what would they be and why? A culturally responsive practice is important ( See Tapasa PLG notes ) The importance of making space and providing our learners with opportunities to share their identities and culture Don't have to be the expert and never assume- thinking about other language weeks, we should be celebrating them as well. What can I do in my role to support the celebration of language and culture in our school? How has this professional development challenged my thinking? This PLG hasn't challenged my thinking, rather affirming that I am doing is in alignment with Tapasa, that it is well and truly living and breathing in my practice. What I need to do is familiarise myself more with this document so that I am aware of the turu in my practice.

Identifying a target group to work with this year, more than other years was quite tricky. Because I don't have my own classroom this year, I have the lucky opportunity to work with students across our whole school and therefore am able to pick and identify students from Y0-Y8. This year, my target group identified are a group of 5 Pasifika Year 7/8 Boys who are all learning below/well below their expected year group in all Reading, Writing and Maths.  The collection of data (assessments, student voice, teacher observations, my own observations) lead me to find the following trends:  Punctuality - Ready for learning These boys were in no rush to get to school. They were often late (3-4 a week), sometimes rolling up to school after 9:30am. 'Slept in' was the most common reason for coming late.This made me wonder 'why there was no sense of urgency to get to school', 'what is happening in class/school for them that isn't motivating them to come' followed by...

To in form my inquiry, I will be using the follow tools, measures, and approaches: Tools -  • A google form to collect student voice on learning and key ideas for Term 1 and looking forward, for Term 2. Student voice is essential in gaining an insight to how they are feeling about what they are learning. Student agency is important and is a big driver in 'what' is being taught/explored so it allows an opportunity for me to provide a space for my learners to be engaged in their learning and see relevance in it, therefore making connections.    • Collect  student voice  and  self assessment  through interlead (teacher practice and a structured set of questions). This self asssessment is important because my goal is to ensure that how I am teaching, my practice, is effective for my learners. My expectation is that my teaching practice will change and adapt to the needs of my learners - my students don't adapt to my needs. The importance of student voice,...

 Wow. Just wow! My tinana and wairua are overflowing after listening to and sharing at our Manaiakalani Teacher Only Day.  Our keynote speaker, Dr Rae Si'ilata and Kyla Hansell spoke about the importance of students' identity and culture in our classrooms and teaching practice. It was such an amazing keynote that I didn't even take notes - I was too inspired to jot down anything.  My key takeaways from them:  • Continue to use students frames of references to inform the way in which we approach students learning and their needs.  • Continue to use culture and identity in my teaching • Continue to provide spaces and opportunities for our tamaiti to lead, learn, share their expertise.  • The importance of understanding bilingualism and the brain  • Continue to find and expose students to texts that are 'windows and mirrors' and provide a balance in my setting.  • Continue to build awareness ... My biggest learning from today came from our very own ...

 With our Manaiakalani Cluster Teacher only Day coming up soon, a lot of our teachers are preparing to share and run workshops.  I was very fortunate at the most recent CoL PLG to 'speed date' with Dorothy Apelu (Tamaki College) and Christine Tupou (fellow colleague here at GTS). Our talanoa left us with wanting more. We walked away from that PLG eager to reconnect and run a workshop at the up coming Manaiakalani Teacher Only Day.  Each talanoa session that we've had to date have been overwhelmingly reassuring but also filled with frustration at what our tamaiti, our tamariki are having to deal with in our classrooms.  Our workshop session, we are planning to include STUDENT VOICE , and this I'm excited about. Our tamaiti have such powerful voices yet in different settings do not see themselves and their peers as valueable and knowledgeable beings. It is proven that student voice is important, is powerful and should be evident in our classroom and teaching practice, ...

Reading Time!  This was an easy read. A good read. Like, a really really good read.  Culturally Responsive Pedagogies/Overview - What is Culturally Responsive teaching?  - The Education Hub  We, as teachers need to move beyond cultural blindness to cultural responsiveness. But what does it look like, you ask? Well, let me share with you my takeaways.... • Culturally Responsive Teaching is -  validating  the diverse knowledge and practices of our students. -  comprehensive  as it incorporates preferred ways of knowing and the cultural and life experiences of students as well as the history and culture of the group. -  empowering  and transformative  as it transforms the way students see themselves in terms of their personal efficacy. It is transformative and emancipatory in that it reveals that multiple versions of 'truth' are valid and no single version is total and permanent. • Culturally responsive pedagogies can reduce the g...