Reflection on maths teaching video

How we can use Trello as a digital tool in the classroom.

The Treaty of Waitangi and Future Focussed Education

19/5/17

Below are my notes from a P.D session I attended at Havelock North High School on May 19th 2017, about the Treaty of Waitangi and its place in the future of education. I was reassured to hear that much of what the speakers recommended is what is already starting to happen at HNI and in my own classroom. There were a few key things that really made me think… those were:

We need to adapt what we view ‘success’ as. Why does it have to only be about academics, why not empathy? Respect? Mana? (gifts that many Maori children are blessed with) Could this mean a different way of reporting to parents? How would this work around National standards? Are we really seeing the WHOLE student and celebrating all the other areas they are succeeding in?

Notes:

What’s the Treaty got to do with it?

Te Titiri o Waitangi - Future Focussed Education

How do the three articles of the Treaty look in our future focussed schools?

Biculturalism is a byproduct or outcome of the political relationship between Maori and the British crown.

What does our future look like?

• Estimated that up to 80% of the current workforce will be automated.
• Active seekers of knowledge - relevant, right now, just in time
• Skills based competencies, creativity, emotional intelligence, problem solvers
• Not passive consumers - beyond the 3R’s - don’t just come to school to be ‘filled up’

Article 1 - Honorable Governance

Te Tiriti formed with the future in mind - how do we tie what we alerady have here in NZ with the new future focussed skills - how does this look in education?

• Shared leadership models - some schools trying flattened models, distributed leadership
• Universal Design for Learning - how the kids are able to create their own path to their learning
• Communication that is totally transparent - anyone who is a stakeholder should be in the n
• Honorable Governance should mean that in any school we should see that you are in Aotearoa - two cultures being equitably represented in all areas of a school

Article 2 - Maori authority, Maori autonomy, Rangatiratanga

• Maori didn’t see themselves as a collective group ‘Maori’ until colonisation. Before that they only thought of themselves as Hapu - all very different
• You can be who you are
• Asserting their Rangatiratara (Mana) giving students agency, choice, options to choose their own way of learning, place to learn
• Passion projects - learning models where kids get to learn about themselves,follow their unique interests
• What is the stuff we can’t leave to chance (the explicit stuff) leave the rest to Passion
• Students having opportunities to be in a teaching role - this is ako, especially when the teacher is in a learner role
• Talking to whanau - what works for you? School go TO whanau, rather than always inviting them into school. Letting go of the control. Whanau may feel vulnerable/uncomfortable when visiting the school, similar to a Pakeha person visiting a marae
• How many decisions do we really make with our kids at school?
• Maori students achieving educational success as Maori - value placed on being Maori

Article 3 - Citizenship, equity, same rights as British

• Maori can still retain their ways of being
• Equitable access to everything, regardless of who you are
• Re-think what success looks like, redefine what we communicate to our whanau as success
• Does it always have to be about reading, writing and maths - what about all the other ways of being successful?
• Equitable representation of both cultures is not happening in staff
• Te reo Maori is for everyone - it is everyone’s responsibility to keep it alive
• Needs to be integrated - Te reo having Mana and status
• Maori giftedness - are these kids being celebrated? E.g. manaakitangata an ethos of care
• Equitable presences of Maori and non-Maori, books, language, signs
• Te reo - valued, seen, shared - no matter who you are
• ‘Everyday I walk in your world. Only when you walk in mine will we have achieved biculturalism’

Article 4 - The spoken promise (talked about)

• Protecting the spiritual beliefs and practices of Maori

Keeping the small things small - PB4l

Keeping The Small Things Small

May 2017 - PB4L, Module 6

Reflect for a few minutes on your top 4-5 strategies for keeping the small things small. What is the least intrusive techniques you use to de-escalate situations and turn the heat down.

Pair up and share again/add to your list.

Ignore, use humour, reminder of expectations/consequences

Find your team and add any other strategies.

Buddy up with another person

Whole staff discussion - what are the common themes with approaches? Each person is to identify 2-3 strategies that are new to them and commit to trying them out over the next fortnight.  

	Team Strategies
1.Two students are having a noisy row in the school grounds.	Distraction - give them something else to do Get one to come with you for a walk and a chat Get rid of the observers
2. You hear a student swearing in the cloak-bay.	“We don’t talk like that at HNI” “I wouldn’t expect that from you” Exaggerated gasp
3. While on duty you come across a student who is clearly breaking the school uniform code.	“Come and talk about your socks” “Can I see your uniform pass?”
4. A student is continually distracting a student in your class.	Proximity, moving a student, changing the subject to about the learning, change what we’re doing/the task, give ‘the look’ Is that the best place to sit for your learning?
5. You see a student casually drop litter in the school grounds.	Did you notice that you dropped that litter back there?

Class Survey

I am thrilled with the results of this survey. It shows I have increased the amount of Te Reo I use which was a goal of mine from last year. I have taken note of the children who have mentioned the work being too easy as this is something I'm very conscious of, especially as I have so many high achievers this year. It is helpful to get this feedback nice and early so I can make some changes. It would be nice to know who the anomalies are in some cases so I could really make a difference for those kids.

Notes from the Bobbie Hunter Maths video 28/2/17

Notes from the Bobbie Hunter Maths video 28/2/17

When coming up with a question for maths
Anticipate the possible misconceptions and possible mistakes students might make

Should lead to the big idea or concept

Active listening - revoice, ask questions to try to understand their thinking,
Be a driver for your learning. Point to the person who's in charge. Point to the person who's going to help you get there.

Use drama to act out a problem to help unpack it (milk bottles)

The best student in the group is to make sure the others understand

Teacher focus on dynamics - not your role to give clues. May prompt with carefully crafted questions

Argumentation is encouraged - explicit mentioning of the talk moves
Give students an opportunity to share their ideas, justification etc, then ask the others if there are any questions. We don't interrupt until they have finished sharing.

Questioning tips for maths:

LEVELS OF THINKING	GUIDE QUESTIONS
Memory: recalls or memorises information	What have we been working on that might help with this problem?
Translation: changes information into another form	How could you write/draw what you are doing? Is there a way to record what you've found that might help us see more patterns?
Interpretation: discovers relationships	What's the same? What's different? Can you group these in some way? Can you see a pattern?
Application: solves a problem - use of appropriate generalisations and skills	How can this pattern help you find an answer? What do think comes next? Why?
Analysis: solves a problem - conscious knowledge of the thinking	What have you discovered? How did you find that out? Why do you think that? What made you decide to do it that way?
Synthesis: solves a problem that requires original, creative thinking	Who has a different solution? Are everybody's results the same? Why/why not? What would happen if....?
Evaluation: makes a value judgement	Have we found all the possibilities? How do we know? Have you thought of another way this could be done? Do you think we have found the best solution?

How restorative am I? Reflection - Term 1

How Restorative Am I?

Take a moment to reflect on how, in your role, you deal with students when an incident or issue has arisen. Answer the questions below, shading the boxes according to this scale:

1 = not often

2= usually

3 = always

1. Do I remain calm during the conversation? 1 2 3

2. Do I really listen, without interrupting? 1 2 3

3. Does the student understand why they are having this conversation? 1 2 3

4. Would the student feel I am a good listener? 1 2 3

5. Do we explore how the school values apply to the issue? 1 2 3

6. Does the student understand the harm they’ve caused, who has been affected, and how? 1 2 3

7. Do I talk about how the incident affects me? 1 2 3

8. Do I take responsibility for any part I might have played when things went wrong, acknowledge it, and apologise? 1 2 3

9. If the student apologises to me, do I accept the apology respectfully? 1 2 3

10. Do I collaborate with the student to formulate a plan? 1 2 3

11. Have I, at any stage, asked someone I trust to observe my practice and give me honest feedback? 1 2 3

12. Do I try to handle most issues or incidents myself? 1 2 3

13. Do I seek support when issues get tricky for me? 1 2 3

14. Do I follow the school’s systems when looking for more support? 1 2 3

15. Is the relationship with the student repaired? 1 2 3

Look through your results and use them to identify where you could further strengthen your communication skills and restorative approach.

My RP goal/s moving forward could be;

1) Refer back to the school values more when dealing with behaviour/learning issues

2) Make a point to discuss WHO is affected by an issue (including me) and how to restore those relationships.