Te Reo classroom labels

Maths TAI 2016

Maths Workspace

To give my students choice and more opportunities to drive their own maths learning, I use workspaces. These are set-up to work alongside the maths workshops as the place to go to practise skills and do evidence tasks when they think they have mastered a learning intention. The workspace has a range of different activities for different learner's tastes - games, tutorial videos, rich tasks, practise activities from workbooks etc.

STAR Reading test analysis

Modelling books in reading, writing and maths

For my daily lesson plans, I use modelling books. These include learning intentions (often framed as a question), sometimes success criteria, the date student group/individual names for tracking purposes. These books are there for the students to refer back to in following lessons and independent time.  I also use the book for formative assessment, leaving examples of students achieving the learning intention and other indicators such as traffic lights.

Maths Workshops

My maths has for the most part this year been structured in a student-driven workshop format. Students do a weekly or fortnightly pre-test (self-checker - pic 1) to see what they know already and what their next learning steps are. Students then put their name down on the workshop booking sheet (pic 2) to show they need to learn that particular skill/concept.

I use this as a guide for who I will be teaching on each particular day. If there are a lot of kids down for one workshop, I will split the group in two or sometimes even three, differentiating them (but to the students it is 'random')

Weekly planning

Weekly planning stems from unit plans for each curriculum area created in our staff groups. This planning is done weekly however is very fluid as lessons move around and plans change.

Speaking te reo informally in class

This term I have made an effort to increase the amount of te reo I speak to the students, outside of Te Reo language learning time. These have been small but frequent pieces of language. We learn the phrase of the week, I am using te reo for praise and things like page numbers of journal stories (turn to wharangi rua tekau ma toru). We have also learned a te reo chanting game and sometimes listen to Maori waiata while working.

The students are quite used to me using te reo in these small ways. It is a start but I would like to improve my own language knowledge so I can say more in class and with more confidence.

Maths Formal Observation and reflection

I feel that I have made good progress with using the 5 talk moves and it has become a normal part of maths that the students expect. I find myself using the moves without really knowing I am - telling me that it is starting to become a way of 'being' - more than just something I 'do'. The talk is still largely led by myself and I am making an effort to direct the students' talk back to each other and less back to me in the 'ping pong' style. I use lots of think, pair, share but I don't yet think the students are thinking deeply about each others' responses which is something that Jody picked up on in this Observation. I agree that my next step is having the students discussing more freely and having them lead it. Jody and discussed how this might be a challenge. We thought about explicitly teaching them to lead a discussion through modelling and 'role play' and using prompt cards. Deb also introduced me to the idea of a 'fishbowl', where half the group sit down and solve a problem and the other half observe on the outside and then ask questions for clarification. When I tried this, the questioning was very basic - only 'how did you work that out' etc, then there was little to no challenging or further questioning once they heard the explanation. This is something I would really like to work on as it is totally student to student conversation.

Tracking sheet in beginning stage

Data tracking of target students

Relationships with the community and parents for student well-being

Below is a snippet from an email communication between parent and myself, regarding a student with ADHD's welfare. I have also been in contact with the local health nurse who gave me some information (pic below) about strategies for ADHD students. This student's Dr has also been in contact, keeping me up to date with decisions about medication etc. (pic below)

Reflecting on my Maths Video

Working with target maths group

Here are some short video clips of me working with my target group in maths. We were placing different representations of fractions along a numberline. Fractions were a mix of simple, improper and mixed. I had been working on using the 5 talk moves to get more mathematical discourse happening. I think I'm using them pretty well, however I need to make sure I'm using all five, not just re-using the same two or three. Another next step for me will be to move towards the students initiating the discussion, rather than it being so teacher led.

   

Classroom walk through

Student Agency P.D with Brad Gay 12/5/16

How do we build our knowledge of Student Agency at HNI?

We teased out the the concepts of questioning and student voice/choice.

How to be a good questioner?

• Won't accept the first answer/ hurdle/ digging
• Curiousity
• Confident
• More than one answer
• Communication and clarity to verbalise
• Open to know more
• Active listener
• Reflective
• Asking a range of questions
• Cyclical
• Self reflective and aware of yourself and your thinking
• Patient/ Impatient
• Thinks about the big picture

Good student voice and choice

• Feels comfortable to give feedback
• Confident to question the concept
• Opportunities to explore the elements of the concept
• Are given opportunity to explore their interests within the concept
• Start to give ideas of activities: offer up ideas for further action/social action.
• Opportunities to speak up in a form they feel comfortable with
• Share their learning in a variety of ways.
• Opportunities to both collaborative and individual work.
• Opportunities to discuss with other students.
• Cultural and personality perspectives considered/family values

One way to build knowledge in staff is to tease out concepts together one or two at a time. A model that can be used when discussing is the ECG. Emotion, Cognition and Growth.

Reflection for PTC’s

Emotion	Cognition	Growth
How do I feel about this? What issues does it raise? What’s my heart's response?	What have I learned? How does this connect with what I know? What’s my head’s response?	How can I use this to strengthen my work? How can I apply it? What might I introduce? What action might I take?

Student Survey

These are results from an anonymous survey completed by my class. Overall I feel happy with the responses however there were a few things that struck me as areas that I need to lift my game. The question about digital use impacting learning returned a lower than average response. This is in line with how I would answer the same question myself. I don't feel like I made enough of an effort to make the most of digital resources. We tend to just stick with the basics and not experiment with other online tools. This is something I want to change this term.
In this survey, 74% of students said that I only use Te Reo some of the time. This is true and definitely something I need to change. Our Te Reo lessons often get postponed as other activities are prioritised instead. My own Te Reo knowledge is also very limited, and it never seems to get any better. I need to do some personal learning - P.D? to learn more so I feel more confident learning in class.
Another thing I noticed was that a few people said that the work was at the right level only 'some of the time'. This is something I feel a bit anxious about sometimes, as I find it a challenge to meet te needs of my lower learners and my very high ones. I feel it is my extension students that miss out often and don't feel challenged.