Wellbeing and Gratitude

Today our Kahui Ako ( formally known as a CoL) went to a presentation by Dr Denise Quinlan about Wellbeing. It was lovely to listen to such an enthusiastic speaker. 


One of the main take aways for me was about gratitude and how this powerful attribute is a contributing factor to the way in which we view ourselves and the world around us. 

I think the word 'practice' is an important one. This is something that does need to be practised so it can flourish and become part of your everyday being. 

Also the concept that our gratitude doesn't need to be grandiose. It can be based on small, everyday things. Remembering the effect of your gratitude on others in the form of respectful gestures or comments can have a big impact on others as well. 

To show and practice gratitude can have a positive impact on our wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around us.

Nga Mihi,

Bex

A Balancing Act

Today I meet with Lisa to have some coaching around my goal to have a balance of workload  between my two different jobs. One as a collaborative team member of Aroha in a 0.4 capacity and the other in the Raukura Reader/ESOL role as 0.4 as well. 

To get balance between the two jobs it is important to have clear communication and set time limits for working hours ( which incorporate required meetings, conferences, TODs etc.) This balance is important so I can be effective in both roles and also maintain wellbeing for myself and my son.

As discussed with Lisa I have set up some clear timetabling for myself. I use part of Friday lunch time to gather in school resources and part of Sunday morning is allocated for planning for the week ahead. From Monday until Wednesday  I use 10 minutes before lunchtime to catch up on notes/ student monitoring for my readers. I then meet with the Aroha team at Tuesday lunchtime and every second Wednesday after school for a team meeting. We also have informal chats around learning before school on Thursday and Friday. 

Becs and I have set up 'Handover' notes on Google Slides to clearly communicate what has been going on with learning and behaviour. Often we have a quick phone call as well on a Wednesday evening to discuss anything else in further detail. We also share responsibility for staff meeting attendance and passing on relevant notes for them.

Although it will continue to get tweaked as the year progresses I feel like I have a made a positive start to implementing a teaching workload balance between the two jobs!

Nga Mihi,

Bex

Be a Creator Instead of a Consumer

Today at our TOD we undertook some apple training to look at some different features that could be useful to support student learning and creativity. 

One of the features was the personification of photos using 'mark up' tools that could be used for creative story writing. 

The second was using Keynote to make an animation. My thinking around this was for students to make a pepeha.  Here they could draw themselves, their awa, waka, tipuna ... This could then be animated so that the drawing appeared as the recorded pepeha was played. The stages were pretty straightforward. A photo was taken and opacity added to delete the background. Instant Alpha could also be used. Afterwards the drawing was done and you click 'Build In' to animate. 

The results were really powerful. I used my son's pepeha as inspiration during Tautoko Tuakana Teina Time. It is important to teach Te Reo in a way that engages and inspires our learners. Using different approaches through technology is one way we can do this.

Nga Mihi

Bex

Conversational Teaching and Learning

Today I had the pleasure of listening to Dr Jannie van Hees speaking. Wow! What an amazing person with such a wealth of knowledge. As a result I was really inspired to do some sketchnoting. As you will see there was a lot of information and so many take aways. 

Many of our learners have a vocabulary gap and as such have a knowledge gap. She talked about the benefits of multilevel learning. Also that you need to "open every child's 'known' to connect to the 'new'. This comes through carefully scaffolding by the teacher. It also develops through a process of continually scoping the known and scoping your experiences. 

To learn a  student's brain needs to be active. As teachers our kaupapa needs to be a co- contributor and the trigger who widens the domains of talk, opens the knowledge base and the vocabulary base. 

Students need support and practice to 'TRAIN YOUR BRAIN.'  Children saying 'I can't remember' can be taught to start to think again and we can help to rewire their brain. So that they respond to what others are saying and pick up the message that is shared. They need to be encouraged to 'Dig Deeper', to think and share, with no right or wrong as it's your brain and thoughts. 

Dr Jannie talked about 'killing listening' and instead asking, "Did you pick up the message?" She also encouraged the idea that "Your thinking is a gift, to all of us." With this comes a culture of respect. 

Play based learning was discussed as a positive thing but that we need scaffolding of talk and thinking. Don't just follow the students lead.  It must be gainful for students and deliberate so that language leads to concept and knowledge gains. It is important to slow down and dig deeper.  With this comes the 'Language of Abundance' which is explicit, hands on and evolves a culture of learning in an environment where you have time to dig deep. For this to happen all brains must be active and participating otherwise non learning is going on and learning time is wasted. 

As you can see from my sketchnote the last section of her presentation was jam packed with ideas! She spoke about several important concepts that we can implement as co contributors and scaffolders of learning. 

The first was: a 'Framework for Talk." This is when you have a class environment where it is established that everyone is a contributor. The teacher is also a contributor. If you are using a framework for talk then you set simple guidelines for the talk and then the teacher doesn't ask any questions. As a teacher this can feel difficult to do. But with lots of practice it can be done! 

You also need to support students to listen to and pick up the message.  Dr Jannie said her research indicated sharing with a partner was the most effective way to do this.Then they can learn to respond. It is all about valuing and including. Not questioning and 'wringing' more out of the child. At the core is the focus of children and growing their language and understanding. 

At the end of her presentation Dr Jannie talked about optimising conditions for flourishing learning. There were so many points that could be broken down with students it was amazing! Here they are in bullet point format:

• Attention to and noticing
• Effort
• Triggering 'known' to connect to the 'new'
• Stretch your language repertoire
• Multiple Encounters
• Context Relevant
• Facilitate by persons, tools, tasks, activities and sources

Under the heading of Learner Attention: ( which would be brilliant as a class focus/treaty)

• Focus and notice
• Put in effort
• Take part ( participate) fully
• Push yourself to the edge
• Dig Deep for what you already know
• Learn from others- Notice and Focus
• You share, others gain from you
• Think and talk, think and read
• Wondering and asking opens up possibilities.

Whew! What an amazing presentation by an authentic, knowledgeable and engaging speaker. I am really looking forward to sharing my learning with my students and fellow teachers.

Ngā Mihi,

Bex

The Power of Words

Sometimes we need a reminder of how rephrasing something we say can change a negative statement into a positive one. It's important to realise the impact that words have. Especially for students who are sensitive or perceptive. it can help to encourage them to do something in a more mindful way. We practice mindfulness within our school and it's a great way to help students who feel anxious and also for those who need to calm their minds and body. Learning to manage feelings in a way that makes you feel calm and confident is really important.

I especially liked: You can do harder things, I'm here to help if you need me and Could you use a break? 

Ngā Mihi,

Bex

Sharing Our Story

giftEDnz Blog Challenge #27

How do you share the learning and teaching with your students?  This is

              sometimes very important for our gifted learners.  This article - “How one

                teacher let go of control to focus on student-centred approaches” is a great
example of how change can happen.

When I read this article I was thinking how this can be best harnessed for those students who
have really specific passion areas. Sometimes they fall into the realm of 'normal' age interests.
But often these can be a little 'left field.' They may be looking for others to connect with who
have the same passions but just can't find them in their learning environment.

Having student choice is a wonderful thing, but potentially having no one to share those ideas
with can be pretty deflating for our gifted kids. I think that's when the teacher/s need to step
in to fill that role while they find experts and mentors to guide these students.
Someone who they can talk to and learn from that loves it as much as they do.

Including their passion areas into the learning space and expressing an interest in
them can be both a positive and motivational way to get other students interested.
Knowing our students well means we can approach this in an authentic and caring way.
Being an active listener when someone shares their interests can mean they feel a
sense of well being, connection and confidence from positive discussion and sharing about
what is most important to them. It doesn't mean we take their voice away, we just support
them to share theirs with confidence.Specifically targeting and celebrating their strengths can help morph an unmotivated learner into someone who sees their own self worth.

If you look at student centred learning or learner agency we should be looking at areas
such as their hauora and wairua, really giving our students the chance to have their voice
or story heard. Recently I read about #storyhui that was shared at uLearn by Kerri Thompson
and Sandra Howard after their work in a team as part of a Teacher Led Innovation Fund.
This is an area that I think is really valuable to take student centred approach to the next level, especially within a New Zealand context that considers key competencies and learner capabilities. Here is a brief overview of her presentation:

Source- Kerri Thomson, uLearn 2018

I love the idea of taking a concept such as 'student centred learning' and making it more meaningful, purposeful and relatable for our kiwi kids! I'm looking forward to finding out more about #storyhui and how it can support our learners to share their voice.

Ngā Mihi,

Bex

Stepping out of the Shadows and into the Sun

giftEdnz Blog Challenge 2018 #17

2E or twice-exceptional students can be hard to identify. Reading: Why So

                 Many Gifted Yet Struggling Students Are Hidden In Plain Sight, what

               questions spring to mind? What questions are circling for you? What squares

               with your thinking?

When I read this article about twice exceptional students this quote really stood out for me:

"What I came out of this with is a sense of how left behind and in the cracks these kids are, how serious this is. I think at the heart of the 2E movement there's something deeper."

So, what do we do about this in a practical and manageable way? How can we help these students step out of the shadows and into the Sun? 

Perhaps starting with Awareness, Action and Advocacy. 

Awareness

How can we be more aware of 2E students? The first step starts with finding out more about
what twice exceptionality is. What are the 2E complexities and difficulties faced by some gifted
people and how can we better understand these. Leadership within a school acknowledging these students are there and need accomodations in their learning environment to help with social and emotional wellbeing as well as learning is a big factor. Also, providing professional development for staff, so that they can better understand how to support gifted 2E learners.

Action

How can we support and include them so they don't slip between the cracks? A first step can be the implementation of mindfulness. This can support the management of anxiety that can manifest for 2E students and our other students as well. Normalising anxiety through doing this with all students makes for a more accepting and empathetic culture among students and staff. It gives language to describe how you feel as well as actions to calm, relax and re centre yourself.

Planning learning experiences for all students so that they can stretch and grow. Giving them opportunities to follow their interests and passions. Accommodate, give students time and let them have different approaches to learning. Teach them how to manage their time, set goals and deal with failure. Let go of assumptions and ask them what they need from you to help them succeed.

Advocacy

Advocacy is action. Be there, listen and care. Take the time to make personal connections with all students but especially those on 'the margins.' Collaborate with our fellow teachers in the best interests of our students. Be a voice that accepts who 2E students are but also challenges the status quo. Remember that we are all learners and the more we learn the more effective an advocate we can be.

Ngā Mihi,

Bex