Growing Te Reo Māori

Assessment and Learning Tasks

This week I have been working on Te Reo Māori planning and assessment and learning tasks.  I have started to add these into the school wide resource folder and finally feel like I am making some traction.

This is an example of my assessment tasks:

My next step is to have these tasks for each learning area.

Celebrating Our Cultural Heritage

To identify, acknowledge and celebrate our unique cultures and where our family links are, we created a Cultures wall with the main feature being a map surrounded by the flags of the countries that our families are connected to.  This was a good exercise as it taught students that the connections of our grandparents are strong connections and a part of who we are.  

We then created a Google Drawing that shows our country of origin and some features that help connect us.  These are to be displayed in our learning space also.

• Create an environment where learners can be confident in their identities, languages, cultures and abilities.

Growing Our Te Reo Māori

Learning Te Reo Māori

In 2019, students worked on their mihimihi.  In Whakamanawa, our aim was to build on and add to what akonga already knew.  Fir some, they were able to add their grandparents and siblings.  We revamped our template that we have been using for mihimihi learning and used this as a base for what we need to include.  

Template we use in Te Ara Takitini:

Basic Te Reo Māori Assessment

At the start of the year, to determine what level of Te Reo Māori my students had and what I need to teach them, we did an assessment using basic language.  

I have been working on a package for teaching and learning of Te Ao Māori for the whole school.  This will have teaching outcomes and resources to support teaching and learning.  I will be sharing this with staff in Term two.

• Practise and develop the use of te reo and tikanga Māori.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi 2019

Our Treaty Learning

To start 2019, in Te Rōpū Whakamanawa, we reviewed what we know about The Treaty of Waitangi.  We looked at what a treaty is, what the main parts of the Treaty of Waitangi are, the history around the time of signing and what it means for us today.  

We then created our own class treaty and display this on our wall.  As the term went on, I though about how it sits on the wall but that's all we were doing with it.  I then added the reading of our treaty into our daily class programme.  When the roll is called in the mornings, a student will choose and read three points from out treaty which we repeat and discuss.  We can relate this to the Treaty of Waitangi and whatever value you are looking at for that week.

• Understand and acknowledge the histories, heritages, languages and cultures of partners to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Sensational Steps Stars

Our Steps Web

This week, we have tried to have more time using StepsWeb.  We noticed that for a few weeks, the amount of time we were spending on it, was quite low.  We have made a massive improvement and have been looking at our progress.  

I have been really impressed with how we are going.  Here are some screenshots of some of our results.

Our goal is to spend at least twenty minutes a day on Steps.

Teaching as Inquiry 2019

Teaching as Inquiry 2019

This year my TAI is Feedback. I am looking at feedback in Writing and the types of feedback that are most beneficial for student learning and progress.

Appraisal 2019

2019 Teaching Appraisal

UBRS Session #2

Understanding Behaviour Responding Safely

Module 3~Responding Safely

‘Me he whakawhiti o te rā.’

‘Personify that of the sun. That which removes adversity, brings calm

and provides light.’

• Whatever goes bad, it will pass and things will get better.

This can be a process that we need to follow and be supportive to help children return to the Ready to Learn phase.  

Kathleen shared about a student who seems to be ready to learn but escalates in an instant.  These strategies don't seem to support him.  It could be that he is actually out of sorts.  The kids who show these extreme behaviours will need alternative intervention.

Mahi mo te kainga- Our work from home

We had these questions to ponder throughout the week and then had a brief share in pairs.  

What have you been able to control  in yourself this week?  has this been easy to do?

Positive reinforcement and an increase in this.  Being more descriptive about the behaviours being shown.  Loads and loads of positives.  

Think of a positive example of this example of this and the impact that this has had on your teaching or a specific person?

General vibe within the class is quite settled.  One student was all over the place and the first chance available, I was able to throw a positive in.  He lapped it up and was able to remain more focused and motivated for a longer period of time.  

Reflect on an example, where you can be honest, and think about a time this week that was not so successful and why.

There was an afternoon where boys seemed to not be doing much very quickly and I felt that I was repeating myself.  Tried the positives and there seemed to be no affect.  Praised other children with no effect on the group.  Got students on the mat and spoke about how if I am waiting, time would need to be made up and taken off their golden time. 

Thought/ponder? How do we ensure that we are teaching children and support them to be able to be at the same level...I struggle to visualise this when considering the level of needs of some of our learners.  

Need to give kids opportunities to explore and experience social behaviours.

Escalation Scale

Reflection:  I think we were all coming into this training expecting something quite different to what we got.  It was good having the whole staff being there and some good back to basics type stuff.  At the time, some of our more explosive behaviours are what we need support with however it feels like a struggle to get much of this.

Wellbeing at School

28 August 2018

Somerfield School

Kathy Johnson

Purpose: To determine what the Wellbeing at School tool can offer and to challenge how we use it.

Main Messages:

• This tool allows you to stop and take a look at what you have done and where you can go.  
• Is a whole school approach.
• Focuses on the school climate...the way people feel.  Culture is the way we do things, climate is how we feel.
• If people feel they belong to a positive school climate, achievement outcomes improve.
• There are three surveys in this, student, teacher, self review.
• Looks in to see if what you are doing is working.
• Lists what a positive school looks like.
• Key Idea 1: Systems Thinking is increasingly being used as a lens to think about behaviour and schools.  What you might be trying to do, can be undone by somebody within the system.
• Layers: School wide climate and practices, teaching and learning, community partnerships, pro-social student culture and strategies, aggressive student culture.  

• Website is set up under these five layers.  Has templates and next step planning within.  Link to Wellbeing at School Website
• When looking at data, use the scale descriptors alongside.  Descriptors are on the website and are crucial for when looking at data.
• When you have done the survey, bring a self review team together.  Include the people who will implement policies and procedures. Often, the leadership team data differs from the student perception.  From perception, determines reality. This graph is the first thing you should look at.
• Administration-student understanding.  Good to have the same person implement the survey, it’s ok to have a discussion around the questions.  Why the dissonance? How well do teachers know the learner? Have guiding focus questions. They should come from any initiatives you have undertaken this year.  Professional development, inquiry, appraisal goals. Use these to refine and drive what you are looking at in the data. Come up with statements that you hope to achieve.  
• Teacher survey:  Could be done at a staff meeting as shows that it is valued.  Takes about 45 minutes. Raising awareness to why we would want to do this.  
• The Aspect Report: When looking at graphs, stop and look at these to see if there are any cohorts that stand out.  You are interested in the cohort that stands out. Use the filters to check for trends. Remember we are looking at perceptions.  (Looked at an example where girls thought they were pro social, however, their aggression was high).

• Two things under your control:  How we teach and how we organise our school.
• Data is about improvement.  If there is no place to improve, there is no pint gathering data.  An inquiry question comes out of data. Then gather more data.
• Be deliberate and purposeful in where you are heading?

UBRS Session #1

Understanding Behaviour: Responding Safely

• Critically examine how my own assumptions and beliefs, including cultural beliefs, impact on practice and the achievement of learners with different abilities and needs, backgrounds, genders, identities, languages and cultures. 
• Engage in professional learning and adaptively apply this learning in practice. 

He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka

A choppy sea can be navigated.

Key Points

• There are no bad kids.  Just kids who are trying to express themselves the best they know how.
• Why UBRS? Schools are committed to managing behaviour positively.  There have been serious incidents.  
• Avoid restraints if you have not been trained.  Safety is paramount.
• Focus on deescalating the situation to avoid physical conflict.
• Teachers and staff need to keep themselves safe or are no use to anybody.
• MODULES- Understanding Behaviour, Encouraging Ready to Learn Behaviour, Responding Safely, Reflection and Embedding.

UNDERSTANDING BEHAVIOUR

Look at the what and how and we can discover the why.  We aim to understand the 'why' in order to be more effective as a teacher.  Observe and take the time to observe children.  An idea, a notebook so there is coverage to focus on each child.  Reinforce what you want to see.  Revisit this and teach what we want to see.  Understand yourself as our own perceptions will influence how we respond.  Think about own values and beliefs.  When we understand ourselves, we can work towards understanding our reactions to behaviours that challenge us.  We need to present the calm.  

What pushes our buttons?  Silent treatment, not doing what asked, sooks, violence, selective disrespect, nasty, refusal to do simple things, red zone and screaming non stop, tone and body language, way kids speak to adults, verbal abuse to other kids, manners and lack of them, avoidance crying, shut down, outright defiance and verbal outbursts, unkindness, not sharing and being a bit selfish, back chat, it wasn't me line.  

• Looking at the things that we don't see:
• Why might I be crying?  No breakfast, lack of sleep, bro cried all night, issue at home, get my own, name calling, crying usually works, not allowed TV, friend is being mean, teacher is being mean, sister is sick, got yelled at, grumpy mum, bro is a dick, mum got a hiding, fell over, no attention at home. 
• Aim to look a little deeper to see what might be going on for children. 

Cortisol affects memory so instructions may not have been heard or taken in.  With adrenaline and cortisol in systems, kids become hyper vigilant and on the lookout for a hit.  Takes at least an hour for cortisol to leave the body.  Is exhausting.  Returning to the state of calm is important.  Creating a calm and safe environment will support this.  Restorative conversations may need to take place the following day.

ENCOURAGING READY TO LEARN BEHAVIOUR

• What are you doing to ensure that your body language will help deescalate?

Creating effective environments-if we want o see a specific set of behaviours, we need to teach and allow for practise time so it becomes a way of being and a habit.  Generally kids want to do the right thing but sometimes don't know how to do the right thing.  Need to keep reteaching.  

Fold Your Arms- We all have a certain way.  Is it going to get easier the more we are asked to fold them in a different way.  Some things may help us with the task although we might only focus on that.  The change is a process.  Behaviour change takes time.  

Relationships Factors-

Teachers can: Spot warning signs, de-escalate, manage effectively during a crisis, be effective in crisis

Students can: Be more responsive, model from you, learn from you, maintain emotional regulation.

Think about a teacher who had an impact on you.  What was it that they did and how did they make you feel?  

Activity: 

Exercise 2.1: Knowing your students

Think about a student you find challenging and take a couple of minutes to answer the

questions.

Exercise 2.1 a

When you set tasks, do you know for sure whether he or she can do it? If so, can they do it

in the way you want or in another way?

Exercise 2.1 c

If you are unsure or don’t know about a student, what could you do to get a better

understanding?

Emotional Regulation

Help students maintain emotional regulation, we need them to feel safe and connected.

We want students to feel valued and to believe...

What promotes a loss of emotional responses?  

What student hears or interprets and what students think.  (Need to get the slides of what encourages emotional regulation)

• Children will often respond better if you are standing to the side of them rather than front on.  Side by side.
• Pasifika children tend not to engage in eye contact through respect values.
• Portray calm and situations may be managed more effectively.  

• Do children know that it is ok to return to school/class and be safe and treated fairly?
• Think about speed, tone and volume of voice. 

For the future:

• Training is available around students who are currently on MOE Behaviour system.
• Post training, we will look at our school wide behaviour management plan so we are consistent.
• Maintain mana-walk away and determine your next move.  
• Ensure that students know what we are doing and when as some children struggle with change.

Work Habits

Developing Expectations and Work Habits

I noticed within the first week of the year that a number of children seemed to lack focus on what they were doing and couldn't remain on task.  There was a significant amount of chatter with many children not completing work and being completely off task.

I saw a need to explicitly teach and provide opportunities to experience and identify ways to help them focus more on learning and learning tasks.

We had a discussion and brainstormed what a class of focused learners would look and sound like.  I then set a relatively easy task for children to do independently and talked about our focus being on maintaining focus.  I was then able to walk around and take photos, therefore showing children they had succeeded in showing what a learning focussed class looks like because we had the photos to prove it.  The children hardly noticed that I was taking photos.  

I listened to this conversation which was about the learning.

We will need to revisit and build on this to help further develop and build on having a learning focused culture within our class.  

Zones of Regulation

Zones of Regulation

With RTLBs Caroline Winter and Sarah

Trauma-

Caroline read out a poem from the perspective of a child with trauma.

Distressed and Deliberately Defiant

Two key things:  Relationships and Emotional Self Regulation.  

Need to help rewire brains to support children with relationships.  Expecting rejection, however are wanting relationship.  

Self Regulation- Taught to calm, minimise outbursts and have a plan in place to deal with outbursts.  

After a meltdown, thirty minutes of low stimulus activity.  Older kids need an hour.

  

Prevent, Teach, Reinforce

MOE initiative trialling, aimed at severe behaviour kids, team of people around child.  The manual needs to be followed step by step.  Class assessment needs doing.  This looks at feedback, 5 to 1.  Predictability, are timetables etc clear?  Routines-Are these set within each other?  Providing consistency for children.  Teaching expectations-have these been taught throughout the day.  Social Skills-Are these taught explicitly?  These things need to be in place before a referral is done or the observation even takes place.  

IYT

We identified what we do well and what we will work on this year.  

I think I am good at building relationships with children and families and have clear routines in place.

I need to work on sharing success with home more and emotional coaching.

Zones of Regulation

Target things that zones of regulation focus on.  Sensory, emotional, executive functioning, visual, social thinking regulation.

Staff Only Day 2019

Staff Only Day 2019

After doing our First Aid course yesterday, we had a full staff day so we could start off the year all on the same page and sharing the same focus.

This is the slide the leadership team collated for the two day sessions.  (Note the new logo).

Notes~

• Wellbeing is our focus-staff, students and whanau
• Focus on the students in front of us and determine what will work for them
• We are here to serve this community-what does that mean and what does it look like?
• Bullying and suicide in New Zealand is at crisis point.  Developing wellbeing and resilience starts with us when children are young.
• The first month is for settling and establishing expectations and our positive culture.
• Wellbeing- Identified ways we can support wellbeing.
• Charter-This will be based on a wellbeing lens.

School Based Mental Health Georgina Guild and Reece

Introduction to Sparklers

Link to Sparklers Site

Key points

• Behaviour is Communication
• Dan Siege and brain anatomy

Inner World Site

Calm, Clarity, Connected, Communication, Caring, Consistent