DFI iv
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Duplicating dinosaurs

Look at the pride on the faces of these two N.E smart learners at PES when they realised they had duplicated their dinosaurs in our cyber smart E.E support time this week.  They were so proud of themselves that they independently asked to go share their learning with the Principal...who in turn gave them an award sticker for their learning outcome.  

To get to this result the students have;

• learnt to take a photograph and select whether it is appropriate
• open the EE application
• create a new project
• find the correct application tool
• resize the image
• lasso the image
• isolate the image
• duplicate the image
• use the drawing tool

Kia Kaha Christchurch

This week, when led by the students, I have incorporated their desire to outreach to Christchurch following the massacre that occurred on 15.3.2019...
                                                                                           here is just some of the aroha.

Lassoing with little people

"It's OK not to know, but it's not OK not to try"

These awesome learning at PES, along with the rest of their cohort, are like little sponges who soak up everything and then make it their own...isn't that what learning is about?

So far together we have captured learning on camera, we've made digital pages about our knowledge, we have drawn to add extra information, we have lassoed our objectives and delighted in sharing our creations...next stop on the cybersmart train is duplicating.

Q.  Do they realise how much they are teaching me whilst I merely facilitate their learning?

Don't walk behind me, don't walk in front of me, just walk beside me...

DFI iiiCheck out my update by clicking on the DFI tab from the home page.

PES: Quality Blog Commenting...

ST - PES

Making a quality blog comment on our “Tuhi Mai, Tuhi Atu” buddy class blog

Before you comment on someone’s blog, you are going to draft your comment in here.

Make sure that your comment includes:

Positivity...your comment needs to be positive, even if there is something that you want to
say that is negative, find a way to make it positive.

Correct spelling and punctuation...if your comment is spelt correctly and
has the correct punctuation, it will make sense and people will know what you are trying to say.

Ask a question...what question can you ask the person? How can you start a conversation with them?

Blog link	Comment
https://pstekauru.blogspot.com/	Hello my name is M***** and I go to Pt England School and I am in your buddy class for Tuhi Mai, Tuhi Atu.  I think you were so lucky to have a St Patrick’s day dress up, it looks so much fun. I did not know about St Patrick’s day until I looked on your blog.  Did you have any special food?

Being the best FACILITATOR that I can be.... thoughts after 6wks!

Q.  What is an effective facilitator, and how can I be the best that I can be...?

An effective facilitator leads so that participants know that the group is in charge, that each person has to play a role. A facilitator suggests ways and uses tools to help the group move forward, but makes no decisions for the group.  Traditionally, teachers are the ones with knowledge and expertise in a particular field. They impart that knowledge through a variety of means to their students. 

Facilitators build on the knowledge base of the group of students and/or teachers to find the answers to questions or wonderings.  Teaching imparts knowledge and instructing imparts skills. Therefore a teacher is one who teaches you about a subject and helps you reach understanding and an instructor is one who instructs you on how to accomplish a task.

The facilitator’s job is to support everyone to do their best thinking. They create an environment where everyone is encouraged to participate, understand one another’s point of view and share responsibility. In doing so, a facilitator looks to build sustainability.  Sometimes, despite a common goal frames of reference are very different. What seems reasonable to one person, may place too many demands on another...mix that with a variety of interpersonal communication styles and learning pathways and it' sNOT an enviable role!

Other issues include clarifying, resolving conflicts and unexpected changes which occur DAILY in the classroom. In situations like these, better decisions are made if there is an embracement of a  a facilitative mind and skill set which is merely there to support them to do their best thinking. This often accomplishes the bigger picture by empowering all of the puzzle pieces to collaborate together for the greater good.

SKILLS:

Communication
Active Listening
Rapport Building
Structuring and recording facts and feelings
Developing Synergy
Effective Techniques of Questioning

Comment kete's - whanau involvement

So...

        trying to increase the commenting, input and engagement not only with their personal learning but by sharing the love of the educational journey which my Tuhi Mai, Tuhi Atu students and teachers are all on and on the back of a staff meeting (Manaiakalani - T1: LEARN RPS) where there was some dispondency from staff about the lack on commenting on their blogging I started wondering!

When I wonder, I wander...

                                                                                      ... and thus birthed Mrs Collins's comment kete!

I challenged two of my TMTA classes who are on a "super-fast-track" this year in terms of digital embracement to up their comments on their class blogs and spread the word in terms of whanau involvement by offering the delights of my kete should they rise to the challenge.

In one of the classes there were 2 recipients who had not only individually engaged but also spread the word of the class blog by obtaining external comments...therefore they received the delights of the depths from my kete.  In the other class there were no external comments, but 8 members (50%) of the class had taken time to read and respond appropriately to the learning on their class blog with 14 comments in the 6 days since my previous session.

 

It would be fair to say presently that the REWARDS far outweigh the RECOGNITION, but I know based upon past experience that over time this will change and the RECOGNITION that they will receive in the context of their learning will be REWARD enough.










I am also working on adapting a commenting card for whanau originall designed by KB and currently being used by CC...

DFI iiCheck out my DFI update by clicking on the DFI tab located on the home page.

DFI iCheck out my first DFI post on the home page tab.

The imaginary island of "PASIFIKA" - Tapaså Fono

We are the sea, we are the ocean...just as the sea is an open and ever flowing reality, 

so should our oceanic identity transcend all forms of insularity, 

to become one that is searchingly, inventive and welcoming.

On Monday evening (4/3) I took time out professionally and attended a Tapaså Fono over in Mangere courtesy of the Education Council.  On the back of my 2017/18 inquiry about the impact of whånau engagement and accelerated learner progress I have delved deeper with a thirst I have yet to quench into the Pasific treasure chest.  Tapaså (in laymans terms) is a MOE cultural competency framework for teachers of Pacific learners.  

Tapaså was developed  and designed primarily to support non-Pacific leaders, teachers and boards to engage with Pacific learners in culturally responsive ways, BUT it is not exclusively just for them!  It is estimated that by 2050, 20% of the student population will be made up of Pacific learners...therefore there MUST be a high performing teaching profession that meets their needs.  With over 66% of that Pacific population projected to be living in Auckland we have to respond now. There are so many holes in the NZC where Pacific children are unable to see themselves; unable to have the depth of knowledge they need to better understand their own place in the world.  

Orientation is centred around the LEARNER, PARENTS, FAMILIES & COMMUNITIES

Tapaså can be used to understand and explain our own culture, and the Pacific communities expectations of teachers.  There are 3 Ngå Turu (competencies) which complement each other and add a richness to the empowerment of the framework.

1. Identities, languages and cultures - demonstrate awareness of the diverse and ethnic-specific identities, languages and cultures of Pacific learners
2. Collaborative and respectful relationships and professional behaviours - establishes and maintains collaborative and respectful relationships and professional behaviours that enhance learning and well being for Pacific learners.
3. Effective pedagogies for Pacific learners - implements pedagogical approaches that are effective for Pacific learners 

The code of professional responsibility, in terms of Tapaså, is best seen through 4 lenses...

• Commitment to families and whånau where there is respect for the vital role that the learners families and whånau play in supporting their children's learning in paramount within Pacific culture.
• Commitment to the learners where work is done in their interests.  
• Commitment to society where as a practitioner one respects the trusted role that we are called into, and acknowledge the influence that we have in shaping the future of our learners.
• Commitment to the teaching profession and a maintenance of public trust and confidence in the profession.

Tapasa - TKI

Rm 7 and the KOC

Learn, Create, Share; Kawa of Care

LEARN: Here you can see how after one Cybersmart lesson the learners in Rm 7 have engaged with the curriculum and have gained an authentic learning outcome.  By empowering them ALL to have a voice, the collaborative learning experience becomes a much more valid and powerful criteria to success.

CREATE: In the vibrant classroom display you can clearly see the creativity of not only the individual students, but also the collective creativity of all the students in the words, colour, text and images they have chosen in the personalisation of the Manaiakalani Kawa of Care for them in their setting.  It allows the students to access the KOC at their level at anytime and demonstrates their knowledge of learning in a creative way with a wider audience.

SHARE: Room 7 are at the very beginning of their sharing journey via their individual blogs...but WATCH THIS SPACE, they are about to go global and share how they are SMART LEARNERS by sharing their learning.  For now, here is their class blog.

Launching iPads with Rm 4

Over this forthcoming year room 4 will be learning how to be Cyber-Smart.  This term they are going to be "Smart Learners" with their iPads - today they were learning about the KOC and how to handle them around the classroom environment...Mr Roy has some processes and procedures to address this week so that it works collaboratively for everyone, and re-name the "charging cabinet".

Then we had some "fun" with the camera..!

Duplicating ... with Rm 13

Explain Everything, Duplicating and Problem Solving...Y1

Today I was learning alongside Rm 13 as we delved deeper into EE as we were duplicating apples, teddy bears and carrots.  Creating and delivering deliberate acts of teaching with these little people places me in the position of a learner where I authentically understand and empathise with them as an audience; this I believe empowers me to become a much more diverse facilitator across the cluster and accommodate my support of 16 teachers and approx 350+ students.