Inquiry and Passion Inspired Writing

After adapting my CSI (Communication, STEM and Inquiry) based literacy learning I have continued to work on the reading and writing link with my 5 year olds. The primary objective has been to build positive relationships where students feel comfortable to try new things and also to have fun! From there the learning, confidence and engagement has increased hugely. I have also focussed on getting students to inquire into their passion areas and then incorporate  their reading and writing through this.

It has wonderful to see the language used after experiments and exposure to different books. Talking about interest areas has really enhanced the language used in writing. Students have also engaged in their peers inquiry in different ways. One of the girls really connected to another students interest in volcanoes. She knew a lot about Taupo and Tongariro and its volcanic history as well as Maori legends about the area. She incorporated that thinking into the mini science experiments about lava and explosions as well. From there we recorded her thoughts orally on Seesaw. Bringing the story telling to the fore front and placing value on her knowledge and heritage.

Having mini STEM challenges based on picture books tied into an interest area has also been a great way to get discussion going and improve writing. This is an option for students to choose after they have read a seen or new text with me.

The collaboration between peers has been wonderful to see. It is really motivational for others to connect to an area you feel passionately about.

Also, students are taking more risks and trying to add language into their sentences that don't consist of simple sight words is wonderful to see! Having a provocation is a fantastic way to let students imaginations take off. I loved how students incorporated learning from their volcano inquiry into their dinosaur provocation!

I am looking forward to continuing with the interest/passion based inquiry for students next term. It is so important to have everyday reading and writing. The mix of structured learning and the oppourtunity to explore through Science, STEM and Inquiry lend a good balance and give a broad scope for literacy learning.

Transition to School - A Gifted Perspective

At the Connect.Ed. Conference I was lucky to go to a Hook, Line and Sinker 'Taster' Session about transition to school with Carola Sampson. This was both a professional and personal interest as my son will be transitioning to school towards the end of the year. The specific focus was for gifted younger students making this move.
Some of the key takeaways were that both ECE teachers and Primary teachers need to have a strong understanding of Te Whariki and The New Zealand Curriculum. Below are the links between the two in regards to assessment.

It is important that parents share the portfolio through Educa or the paper version and that teachers are open to the importance of this assessment document.  This leads to teachers having access to "reveal previous learning, skills, abilities and progress learning through linking to previously documented learning experiences and episodes at ece and other learning environments." 

(Carola Sampson)

Below are some of the key transition strategies as described by Sally Peters (2010)

It is important to note that although the transition is in some ways a relatively short time, gifted students need to be monitored so we can see their trajectory over a much longer period of time to make sure they continue to be happy in their new school.

 Implementing Transition Booklets so students can take photos of their new school and have input to share how their teacher can help or what they need to do for themselves if they are hungry, tired etc. Having a kindergarten teacher visit the school and the school teacher/s visit the kindy environment are important factors in making that connection for gifted students. 

As valuable a tool as a portfolio is sometimes students don't reveal their true selves in the kindergarten setting so parents may not feel this best represents their childs' abilities or the way they learn.  They may 'adapt' their behaviour to fit in and try to make friends and may not reveal any talents.  Or perhaps teachers don't have an understanding of gifted students. Abilities may be very apparent at home or with someone the student sees as holding that particular area of interest as passionately as they do. Therefore it is vital that parents are advocates to share about their children with ECE and Primary teachers.

So 'knowledge is power' when it comes to giftedness and the links between Te Whariki and The New Zealand Curriculum. The Portfolio should be used as a primary transition tool and parents, whanau and students need to have their voices heard in this process.

Supporting Gifted Learners

Listening to the gifted students speak at the Connect.Ed. Conference with clarity about what helps their learning, what are blockers and how they cope with the daily expectations of themselves and of others was inspirational and tinged with a little sadness. Most were young teenagers and had spent many years searching for other kids who 'think like me' for friendships, for acceptance and just a space to be themselves. Instead most had found bullying, stress, frustration, anxiety and an unrealistic expectation of what giftedness means. But for many they had their own passions that they held high to light their way, to help them find a place to be themselves even if it was without someone with whom to share it with.

The tinge of sadness came from the fact that many suffered from anxiety and high levels of stress due to their teachers not understanding them as individuals. To me, as a teacher the relationships that we make with our students are key. They come first and then the learning and feeling of mana whenua (belonging) come alongside this. They also need to see our own passions and we need to let them know about who we are, our families and our interests so they can connect with us.

The day after the conference I found this poster that had a number of points that these gifted students raised. I think professional development for teachers is essential so that they have a non biased view of gifted students. Unfortunately many teachers only gain this knowledge if they themselves have a gifted child or perhaps a gifted member of their family.

Hopefully with a new 30 year vision for Education coming soon we will see more emphasis for both ends of the learning spectrum to be acknowledged and teachers to gain professional development to help gifted students to reach their potential in a non stressful or anxiety inducing learning environment.