Coping Skills for Kids

                                                            Source: Unknown

I saw this infographic recently and it really resonated with me. It has so many options which could work with almost any child or adult! Sometimes when our students are stressed or overwhelmed at school it's hard to find ways to help them cope. But, using something like this as a guide could really help. Especially for those that may take some time for teachers to build relationships with. Often they relate well to only one teacher and then they can't cope when that person is away. These are usually the times when you may see behaviour and actions really escalate in a school setting.

These students seem to  'misbehave' or act 'irrationally' from our view point. Really it's just that they need help to learn some coping skills. "What can I do if my 'go to' teacher is away?" " What will help when that sense of belonging and connection are missing if they aren't here with me?" "I'm feeling anxious and I don't know how to make it stop." Here is where our connections with students are so important. If they feel safe and happy to talk to you then they can begin to learn some valuable coping skills. Learning to cope is a lifelong skill that they can carry with them into the future, rather than the baggage that comes with the misbehaviour.

Nga Mihi,

Bex

Reading Adventures with Aroha

 Learning to love reading! This term I have worked with students from Aroha Pod who are 7 and who needed support to become more fluent and confident readers. We have had a strong focus on Science through 'The Kitchen Science Cookbook",  STEM and making, especially with "Epic Cardboard Adventures". This has involved a lot of problem solving, discussion and increased exposure to more vocabulary in a meaningful context.

We start each session with me reading to the students as a 'warm up'. This has lead to good discussion and the right 'mindset' to start thinking about reading as something that is enjoyable and fun! Students have come to ask: "Can you read our story?" which is awesome to see them start to love being read too! It's also a lovely way to expose students to books and authors they may become interested in themselves.

Secondly, I have used a variety of fiction and non-fiction journals at suitable levels and tried to find out about passions and interests to guide these. For example we read 'The Maize Maze' about mazes which lead to students wanting maze reading activities. They then transferred that to using Dash and making mazes for him to move through.

 

Making a maze with Lego was also really popular.  I just ran with their passion areas and tried to tie in as much reading and writing as possible. Most students recorded their ideas on Seesaw which meant they were reading and recording their own ideas as well.

Halfway through the Term I came across this wonderful book and my students have absolutely loved using it.

It tied nicely into the Aroha Pod's instruction writing and reading. Also, although technically not being STEM/STEAM it still lends itself nicely to trial and error and problem solving. Some students really shone in this area of problem solving and as a result their reading fluency and confidence started to improve. It has taken an intensive two months of this type of instructional high interest reading alongside carefully selected high interest journals to see a boost in these areas.

We also tried to do a Science based cooking experiment using The Kitchen Science Cookbook once a fortnight. Students could opt into this. If they choose this they read and highlighted unknown words and concepts. We drew sketches to explain concepts and wrote down questions before embarking on the food experiment. Again this instructional reading was useful to immerse students in different vocabulary. They could follow a process and 'problem shoot' if things might need a tweak along the way.

The edible candle or confectionary candle    

                                                                      Bread in a Bag

Our final project was to make a small three tier greenhouse and to plant and grow sunflower seeds. Students read the instructions and made the greenhouse themselves. they then found out he best way to plant the seeds. Afterwards we had to watch instructional videos to find out why some of the seeds may not be growing. So there was a lot of problem solving and thinking tied into our acquisition of new vocabulary.

Students have really enjoyed being given lots of choices for their reading. I think it's this voice and choice that has been the real winner. Alongside getting to know my learners really well and finding out about their passions and interests in depth.   It will be interesting to ask them what they have enjoyed and how they think learning together this Term has helped their reading!

Nga Mihi

Bex

Highly Sensitive Students

                                                                Photo Credit: Source Unknown


What do we see when we have students who get upset, anxious or seem ‘overly sensitive’? 
Often it’s just that 10% if the iceberg where the behaviour is seen rather than all the attributes that have caused the student to react in this way. These attributes of being super observant, empathetic and caring mean they soak in everything from their surroundings. Words, noises, actions, looks, body language. All day, everyday, feeling and seeing things differently takes its toll on these students. If we don’t understand what’s going on often their outburst or action can seem out of place or something that’s come ‘out of the blue.’ 

Our reactions to these outbursts can mean our relationships with these students can be strengthened or they may be broken beyond repair. They see our annoyance, underlying anger, frustration (even if it's an unintentional look or off hand comment.). The ‘Why are you doing this? The ‘ What’s wrong with you?’ Then they start to feel like there really is something wrong with themselves. “I’m a bad person, I’m weird, No one likes me.” The negative self talk can overwhelm a student who already sees and feels too much. 

So how can we help them cope? Firstly, by helping them to understand that there is nothing wrong with feeling the way they do. It’s just that they need to learn the best way to process those feelings and observations.They may read into situations  and overthink what a person is dong or saying.  Talking  about feelings and normalising them can really help too. Other students, friends, teachers and parents have times when they might feel or react in the same way. It may be that they have learned strategies to minimise these reactions and then process them differently.


Finding a common language to describe emotions and how they feel so students can give words to describe what's going on rather than them emerging as actions or as others view them ‘overreactions' can be really positive. Starting to recognise when they feel their emotions are getting away from them and processing them differently is important. Or having the confidence to seek help or to remove themselves from a situation. 


It is vital to make sure that we treat students positively so that other students will accept that sometimes they need space, quiet or time to do something that centres them again. One of the biggest ways for students to be accepted by their classmates is for their teachers to treat them like a super star. Just as we do for all our other students! Then the perceived ‘negative’ reactions become more readily accepted and tolerated by their peers. They can start to develop a sense of empathy and understanding. With this we can  further develop a culture of caring. 

Helping these students find their tribe within your learning space will have a positive effect on everyone. Students, teachers and family. 

Gifted and Talented- Peas in a Pod

This week I dropped in to observe Victoria working with a small group of Gifted and Talented students  who were starting to prepare for The Tournament of Minds competition. They were breaking down a past challenge and discussing how best to approach it. It was interesting to listen to students talking about different aspects of the challenge. An area that stood out to me was the  'Spirit of the Tournament.' This, and the students ability to problem solve within the confines of a planned script and a dramatic performance which stuck to the brief and time limits.

To best achieve these goals mindfulness and clear, kind communication will be really important to these students. As will sharing not only skills and strengths but also areas of weakness or things that unsettle them with the team. It would be important for team mates to know about areas of 'excitability'  and 'sensitivities' which may derail the team as students struggle to cope with unexpected changes, too much loud stimuli etc. Mindfulness is not just about your own wellbeing, but also others you work with. In this way the team can support each other when they know something may be a trigger to 'stress out' one of their team mates. It will also mean that they can plan ahead of time possibly using visualisation techniques to 'see' a positive out come to possible problems.

Although the Peas in a Pod focus was a challenge title I think it lends nicely to an analogy of these students working together. They are all individuals with strengths and commonalities like 'peas in a pod" If they stay together in the pod they will be a cohesive and united group. If they don't,  the pod disintegrates and you are left with individuals without a common purpose or goal. The 'Spirit of the Tournament' becomes lost and they will not be successful.

Finding your tribe in an academic setting is a wonderful thing. I can't wait to see where this learning journey takes them.

Nga Mihi,
Bex

ESOL Reflection

                   Ahakoa he iti he ponamu- Although it is small it is a treasure

How can we encourage  and support our ESOL students within our school setting?

 Ownership- By viewing ESOL students as all of our students not just the assigned 'ESOL teachers'.'
I think this is something we do particularly well at Whakarongo. Staff collaborate to support students in a variety of ways including focusing on them as priority learners. They also really celebrate the success of  all students, including ESOL. There is a real team feeling of pride when our ESOL students succeed. We care about their emotional, academic and social wellbeing. This means students feel safe, happy and secure in our school.


The Silent Period- It is crucial to acknowledge that this is an important stage for many ESOL students. Research shows that those that spend longer in this period have better grammatical English as a result when they do feel comfortable to talk. So the benefits of this time is huge. Teachers need to be mindful of this. Viewing this as a 'normal' part of transition to school is very important for the hauora of these students. However, if they have concerns about learning then they should have access to professionals through RTLB and SENCO support. The professional discussion amongst staff is really important so that a complete picture can be formed and everyone feels supported in this process.

                                                                  Going at my own pace.

Using Translators- Having someone who can translate in a non biased or non leading way is very important. Often if people are not trained or you have a student translate then many things can get lost, misinterpreted or changed to fit the translators cultural beliefs.  They may intentional or unintentionally use guiding questions for the student as well. Sometimes they want to show their culture in the best possible way so they may not translate exactly what you or the student/parents have said. Finding someone who can do this is crucial. Building relationships with translators and having open dialogue about what is best for the student is really important. Some of the best translators for schools have professional or teaching backgrounds which is invaluable.

 Play-I think a play based or a hands on environment will help students to feel comfortable and start to have fun in their new Pod or class. Play is a universal language for kids! It also helps their teachers find out their new students strengths, interests and areas they may need support in. I observed a student I have who stutters in both English and his first language speaking clearly and confidently while role playing being a owner of a noodle shop with his ESOL peers. For some who may feel anxious about speaking English it can be a really safe space to "practice while they play."

                                                  Playing is a universal language for kids.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts!


Nga Mihi,
Bex

Play and Passionbased Learning

Over the past two terms I have started to involve students in more of the decisions about their learning. Through CSI (Communicating, STEM and Inquiry) my learners are starting to take charge and pursue their passions. Increasing student voice and choice or delving into student agency. 

For my younger readers and writers this means discussion about what is of interest to them and giving them time to explore ideas in more detail. This may mean spending several weeks looking at a high interest area. Including but not exclusive of videos, experiments,  reading a variety of books and making/playing with toys. We balance this with having seen readers from the Pod that they have previously read in workshops and discussion about goals and 'where to next'. Having this mix of formal and informal learning is proving to be highly motivational for the 5 and 6 year olds I work with. 

I have been enjoying work along side and collaborating with Pono and Toa Pods and their vision with play based and 'hands on' learning. As a result the students are ready and focused for learning when they come. They are excited to share their learning from the pod and to do any of the reading, writing or making/Science activities we do in Wha Out. Previously reluctant readers have even started reading without much prompting! 

Because they have choices and freedom to develop their interests  they are really ready for learning workshops and utilise that time more effectively. They also have the opportunity to expand on this learning with me or pursue an interest/passion in more detail. 
I have also been incorporating more Science based activities in the past two terms for these learners and my ESOL students. This has mostly been driven by personal passion areas, eg The Titanic (floating and sinking), Volcanoes ( Why do volcanoes explode?) and Tornadoes ( Whirlpool in a bottle.) I have had a number of food based activities using The Kitchen Science Cookbook with ESOL students as well. 

ESOL students have enjoyed making and eating the food, but we have also started to think a little about the Science behind some of the food experiments. We are working on increasing collaboration and communication. I have several older students who I have been coaching to start supporting younger students by instigating conversations, asking questions or supporting with reading and writing.

So key areas of communication, collaboration and passion for learning are starting to come to the forefront. 

Exciting times ahead!

Science and Student Choice

This term I have had more of a science focus for my ESOL students. We have previously looked at STEM Challenges where students work co operatively to solve the problem. We still sometimes do STEM challenges but we are looking more at Science based food activities and Science exploration experiments. Students can discuss their observations and draw/write what they think and see. This has increased collaboration, communication and older students coaching younger ones. Using strengths in reading and writing to support younger students encourages tukana-teina as well.

They have loved the food based activities done in the past and asked for more of these. I found out about The Kitchen Science Cookbook on Twitter and decided to incorporate these as they fitted with our school's Science focus.

Although I focus on all students learning I am looking at Molly for my priority learner. She is new to our school this year and has confidence but chooses not to take risks in areas she feels less confident in.  She has really enjoyed our Science and cooking activities and her Mother has connected through Seesaw which is wonderful.

So, what now? I will continue to incorporate Science into our ESOL program during the term and also continue to give students choice about the direction of their own learning where ever possible.