Digital Fluency Day 7 - Devices!

I have been loving this session about Devices today. Our hands-on learning about the Chromebook keypad functions, shortcuts and so much more has been very beneficial. I know I get asked a lot of these questions daily and I feel more equipped now to be able to empower my students to succeed. 

Adding my slide here from some of the work I have done today. 

 

Having a  go with Explain Everthing. 

It has been a long time since I have used iPads in my classroom as the majority of students use Chromebooks in our year 7 & 8 classroom. Bring on a new challenge for the day. As I continued to experiment with the various tools like the DRAW TOOL, I started having fun and I could see some students in my class enjoying this app! I especially liked the INSERT NEW tool. I felt my students would be engaged in creating presentations like this while being able to include images and gifs. I have a few iPads in my classroom ... So it might be time to bring these out and have go with my class. 

My Explain Everything video

Thinking about REWINDABLE LEARNING 🧐

"Have a think now about the idea of rewindable learning
Ie capturing the teaching, capturing the learning
Enabling young people to revisit it over and over again

Manaiakalani "

Dorothy encouraged us to think about rewindable learning today. This is definitely been a key area of learning for me throughout the DFI sessions each week. I know I am thinking about each lesson I plan now, in a completely different way. I have learnt to become more confident with teaching using Screencastify. Even if it is only a short clip to enable a student to revisit an instruction of the task. 

Here is my example...

Today our create challenge was to Create or repurpose a Cybersmart lesson using EE covering one of the Cybersmart concepts for your learners.

Following on from our amazing learning with the Digital Dig today I repurposed the Digital Dig slide by BoI College by Kerry Boyde -Preece.

https://cybersmart.manaiakalani.org/being-cybersmart/smart-learners/digital-dig

Digital Fluency Intensive Day 6 - Enabling Access

We have had a very productive day learning about how to use Google Sites. Dorothy started our day be reminded us of the importance of being CONNECTED.  It was amazing to see how many schools and clusters are connected to Maniakalani and that we are all journeying together. I am looking forward to having a "Taranaki" Cluster on their site so see the amazing mahi happening in our area. Just a reminder for future this is the site where I can go to: https://www.manaiakalani.org/about/programme-outreach

To get us started we explored Google Sites that have created by other amazing teachers. WOW! 😳 I was blown away with the incredible sites that have been created. So many rich resources with visible evidence of teaching and learning.

We also had an opportunity to view sites created by our group. I loved seeing the diversity and expressions.  Up until this point I hadn't created my website yet, so all of this was helping me understand and gain a clearer picture of what my class site could function like. We got to do a peer review of each site and I thought this list of questions would be very helpful for me as I develop my site.

So I have started my classroom site: I haven't published it yet, but here are some screenshots of what I have started creating.. Watch this space for more progress in the coming weeks. 

Embedding our Newsletters

Having a go at the banner.

Creating Buttons with links for my reading groups.

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Digital Fluency Intensive Day 5 - Collaborate !

Here is our website !! 

Digital Fluency Intensive Day 3

Permission for Creativity

I loved that Dorothy focused on CREATE  - "Creativity Empowers Learning". This really confirms my pedagogy and had encouraged me today to continue to make way for students to have multiple opportunities to be able to be creative. Often I have found the deadlines of assessments and assignments and the pressure of teaching to cause me to put some of this aside, however, after today, I have a fresh excitement to bring more Creative empowered learning into my classroom.

This documentary video is so Inspiring! (Saving here for a reminder) I wonder what you loved about school?  I loved and still love learning new things, engaging in opportunities that were hands-on. 

I have been challenged with a task in Google Slides to create a map, using the tools available. I found this tricky at times and also very rewarding. Latham explained to us how we could use Google Slides for Maths, and I am so glad he has showed us how we can do this. I felt his clear instructions were an essential part of making this task achievable. Here is my version of the map. 

Digital Fluency Intensive Day 2

What a great start to the second session of our Digital Fluency Intensive with Manaiakalani. Today I have increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy by learning more about the RAFE model as we focused on the AKO (Learn) aspect of the "Learn, Create, Share" pedagogy.  This learning has reinforced our prior learning earlier this week with Meryn our Manaiakalani Facilitator in school.  The key message that we are already doing incredible work as teachers and all the amazing work we are already doing already with effective teaching practises. 

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow as a professional?

I am feeling so much more confident with using Google Meet after todays sessions. Our challenge to reflect on a blog and record our Google Meet with a peer, was a perfect activity. After a few technical hiccups, we got there in the end. Thank you Louise for the amazing korero.  Here is our video, my first time using Google Meet to host a meeting and record or discussion.

What did I learn that could be used with my learners?

What has impacted me today is the amazing blog by Mau, that I viewed for task. I noticed how she explained her learning so explicitly. This has really made me think about the purpose of my student's blogs or sites.  So I could use blogs like Mau's to show my students what other year 8 students are achieving with their blogs.

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow in my personal life?

On top today is the labels in Gmail. I have a camp coming this will be so handy for keeping all our camp emails in one place. I can see I will be using these labels more often to create a flow within my Gmail accounts.

Digital Fleuncy Intensive Day 1

This is my infographic created in Google Docs today to
summarise some of my key learning.

It has been inspiring to be in a space to learn more about Manaiakalani and the Learn, Create, Share pedagogy. Not only did we learn about it but we have been able to put this into practise with our own creations, like this inforgraphic I created using Google Docs.( This was a first for me)

I really loved using the 'remove background' tool. For the Marie Kondo image. I think my students will love it to.

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow as a professional?

What has impacted me the most today has been the learning and information about the use of Google Groups. I am so excited to use Google Groups for creating better work flow, especially with emails for students and whānau. I have popped some images up from our slide deck and also as a reminder to set the default to allow external memberss to join. This is especially useful for members outside of your school email domain.

Remember to allow external members for people outside of your school email ! 

What did I learn that could be used with my learners?

The VOICE TYPING tool which is easy to use in Google Docs will be a game changer. To use this amazing tool to recording your voice which then types the words you speak as text. I use this kid of application on my phone, but have not seen it used in Google Docs before. To use this in your Google Doc - Select TOOLS in the menu bar and then Voice Recording. Remember to change to New Zealand English for our accent. (Or whatever language or accent you have)

TIP:

Vicki our facilitator shared a valuable tip which is to allow students time to practise to use the voice recording tool, just like learning to write. Another challenge can be classroom with lots of talking and noise. So you can try using a cup or a piece of paper rolled up to the mircrophone, or allow students to go outside to record.

I am looking forward to next week and to putting some of this new learning into practise with my class this week.

"Wonder - ful" punctuation

Here's what:

Today I taught my lesson on punctuation (speech marks) using our "Wonder" text.

So What:

I supported the lesson with this video and students were given opportunity to "Think-Pair-Share" about how speech marks are used.

Working together with a partner (teacher buddies able with less able student) to highlight the speech marks and punctuation in the text from "Wonder"
What did we notice?

Now What:

I thought this lesson was successful. Consider doing a similar lesson again the next couple of weeks. 

Using data for teaching

Here's What:

As Term 4 takes on a whole new adventure, I have decided that change my inquiry due to the student needs in my class. I had noticed from my e-asTTle writing data and personal observations that while we have seen excellent progress with writing, so see my class reach the maximum potential we would need to focus on punctuation.

Writing Report e-asTTle Term 3 2017

So what: 

After brainstorming some ideas with my team : here is the approach we decided to take.

Honeycombe inquiry with key question

Now What 

I plan to teach a lesson on speech marks using a relevant text of "Wonder" that we are currently reading in class as a shared reading. Can students, notice speech marks, punctuation after or before speech marks.

What is inquiry ?

This week I planned a collaborative group  activity for students to get a greater understanding of their thoughts on what inquiry is. Using Kath Murdoch's resources, students arranged the key steps of inquiry into the order which made sense for them personally.  For this activity there was little input from me as the teacher, as I was looking for the students understanding. I am excited to see that students are gaining understanding with regards to inquiry, as is clear from the evidence. This is related to PTC3 for myself, as I am learning more with the students about the inquiry process.

One Groups response:
First Questions - brainstorm what you want to know
Finding out - gather information to support your topic
Sorting Out - take time to understand your information to see if that all you need to know
Synthesising and Reflecting - look over your information and see if you have to ask anything else
Going Further - see how your question relates to you
Acting and applying - how do you present this

There is a flow

Algebra .....

After analysing assessment information from Term 3 I have identified some ongoing needs for the students in my class. One area of need for mathematics has been identified as spatial patterns, equals sign (algebra).

This has lead me to critically examine my own pedagogy and I realise this is an area in my teaching that needs improvement. Therefore to "fill the gap" in my students learning and accelerate I have made it a priority to engage in conversations with expert teachers in my school, NZ Maths and professional readings to support my teaching.

Here's what I have learnt :

• Start with small steps - students look at patterns, decide what is happening in the patterns lead students to find a way to records their thinking (tables) before trying to decide on a rule for the pattern. 

• "When students problem solve and use a table with geometric pattern tasks, they are taking the first step into the world of functional thinking"  (Friel S.N., Markworth K.A., 2009)

http://mjmorneau.pbworks.com/f/Framework+for+Analyzing+Geometric+Article.pdf

• Friel & Markworth describe the phases of problem-solving of geometric patterns

• Thinking the row number, sequence number as the stage number (n) and the total number of blocks as (t)

Deci-pipes

Accelerated learning in mathematics

Here's What:
On my journey for inquiring into accelerated learning to support achievement in mathematics . I have found that I am constantly reflecting on my teaching practise and looking for ways to effectively teach my students.   From my recent observations in class some students have not moved beyond using repeated addition for solving multiplication and division problems.

So What:
To help me understand how I can better support these students,  I read an article from the NZ Maths website.

Some highlights for me was a reminder of the key principles for effective teaching in mathematics. 

1. An ethic of care 

2. Arranging for learning 

3. Building on students’ thinking 

4. Worthwhile mathematical tasks 

5. Making connections 

6. Assessment for learning 

7. Mathematical communication 

8. Mathematical language 

9. Tools and representations 

10. Teacher knowledge

• Practical examples for teaching arrays to solve multiplication and division problems
• Addressing barriers such as lack of confidence which could lead to creating visual flow charts with new facts to be learned
• Revisit inverse nature of mult/div and to reinforce that division equations can be found using known multuplication equations.

Now What:

I found that the deliberate acts of teaching suggested in this reading would be beneficial for the students in my maths club group. So I plan to go through the steps suggested next week. 

Maths Club .... activating prior knowledge

Working with target students at maths club today, we had a brainstorm about all that we knew about geometry, shapes, angles.  The goal of the lesson was to introduce vocabulary will activating prior knowledge,  to stimulate thinking and scaffold critical missing missing pieces of knowledge.

Visit to Room 7... exploring geometry...

This week I visited Room 7 with observe Sally teaching Geometry.  I thought that the idea of using Kadinsky Art as an exciting context for geometry would be a great for my class.  Using the image below the lesson was to :

Encourage students to examine the picture and discuss with their group and record what maths they can see ( ie …circles, angles, perpendicular lines etc)

-        Students can also complete a personal response to the painting too

-        Explore the maths language that can be used to describe 2D shapes, lines and angles. Teach the students about the different names that can be used to describe a square ( polygon, cuboid, square, parallelogram , quadrilateral, etc), circle etc.

-        Teach the different angles / combinations of lines  and then repeat the art response with a different picture

-        Using plastic cut out shapes have the students design their own Kandinsky inspired art work, with an explanation of the  maths used to create it. 

Now What:

I am looking forward to teaching geometry next week, and I will be using this lesson and adapting it to the learning needs of the students in my classroom.

Some key learning that has happened for me and that will benefit my students is that:

This lesson will activate students prior knowledge, and an opportunity to re-visit previous learning

I have a better understanding of the vocabulary needed to teach geometry. I am planning of giving students TIP sheets with the basic geometric shapes.

*** An idea - students could sort angles according to similarities and differences (Suzy Pepper Collins)

Acceleration....

Here's What:
Last week I decided to base my mathematics teaching around the acceleration strategy that we had learnt about in our recent professional development.

The keys from our reading "Jump-starting students who are behind" by Suzy Pepper Collins was to 

• make learning experiences relevant (real-world relevance)
• rich vocabulary experiences
• hands on experiences

The learning in the classroom is fractions, decimals and percentages in every day life focusing on students being able to use a range of additive and multiplicative strategies with whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percentages.

I attempted to achieve this by creating a learning experience where students could use the current Warehouse mailer to go shopping for easter eggs for their family, and buy something for themselves with a budget of $120. What fraction of the money would they spend on themselves? What fraction of the money would they spend on easter eggs?

So What?

As a teacher I enjoyed teaching/guiding students in this lesson. I was thrilled to hear rich mathematical conversations among students. The barriers of grouping and ability was removed and all students engaged in the learning.

Have a look at our blog, to see first hand students enjoying the relevant, hands-on learning experiences ...      Room 13 - Easter Challenge

Now What?
I would like to implement more learning this way. As identified in assessment data, the students in my class need the most support in learning Addition/Subtraction.
I wonder how I can incorporate this learning in a relevant context for my students??