Session 4 DFI Reflection and Learning

What's on top? 

Huge thanks to Papakura Central School for hosting the Auckland and Hamilton Manaiakalani cohorts, and today's facilitators and speakers. PCS students and staff were in their gumboots today, supporting Gumboot Friday, which I thought was an epic show of support for raising awareness for mental health. 

I always enjoy working in different schools, because I get to see what other schools are doing, then consider if, and, or how similar concepts could be used in my own practise or school to improve overall student achievement and well-being. I like the bold, blue signage reminding students about expectations when in the auditorium. It was a friendly reminder which promotes the positive behaviour amongst students. 

What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy? 

Dorothy shared with us how important it is to 'complete' our learning process, by making sure share it with others, whether it be ourselves or students. I agree with this because I get a feeling of satisfaction when I finish something, for example the practise activities we did in today's sandpit tasks (e.g. Google Sheet formula's, Google Form creation, blog post analysis). 

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

Consolidating my knowledge of Google Sheets and Forms was a great reminder of the many uses I get from using these tools to support my learning and that of my learners. Today I tried using the pathways function on Google Slides, which I'd like to use for pick-a-path writing. Please complete my form and tell me how you think our NZ Warriors are going so far this season. 

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

* Definitely the pathways function in Google Form for pick-a-path writing. I also learned  earlier this week how to use Forms to support my student's Number Knowledge maintenance, thanks to Matua Goodwin's ICS. 

* Using the formulas in Google Sheet reminded me of a former student who would create spreadsheets with points values for how well his classmates completed their learning tasks for the week. I could see my tech-savvy students possibly using formulas to make sense of statistics and numbers in their own areas of interest. 

* I added a new tool to my Google Suite repertoire with My Maps. Some of my most immediate uses with my class would be to identify local places of interest in our community, where our families are from and dream locations for holiday. My neighbour, Stefan, created a clever map for "Well-being Friday" which visited places around the Tamaki cluster for chicken and chips (Glen Innes), and the best place to enjoy it (Pt England Reserve). 

My Sandpit Learning  

Google My Maps: My Best Food Places in Auckland


Google Sheet: PES Julianna's Blog Posts - Average Posts per Month from 2017-2020


Google Slide: Findings for PES Julianna's Blog Posts - Average Posts per Month from 2017-2020


Google Form: 2021 New Zealand Warriors Mid-Season Review 

Comments

  1. Anonymous29 May 2021 at 06:31

    Wow Mr. N seems like you been through alot since gumboot frida and i really like how you explained what happened.Why are you tracking hoe much blog posts you are doing?It has been fun working with you!Keep up your amazing work and amazing teaching.
    From a good student(who gets in trouble sometimes ...)
    Ocean

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MIT-22 Project: Effective Practise and Algebro's

Image
Image attribution Algebro's progress So Far ... Algebro’s is getting that much closer to being a final product. The focus has been on recording enough videos per Transum Algebra Level. Student’s are getting more confident in their explanations and conversations with each other when solving algebraic equations. They have surpassed Level 1 (e.g. 2x=10) and more likely to start at Level 2 (2x + 3 = 13). Possibly the greatest learning has been recognising letters as variables. Students seem to be more likely to identify and use more of what they know vs not knowing where to start (“I dunno”).  Applying integers has tripped us up a handful of times in our problem solving. We’ve been doing enough algebra practise combined with integers to make sense of what we’re doing. I feel like we need more time teaching and practising before making tutorials for this section.  I’ve shared Algebro’s with the teachers at my school. They seem to like what I’ve created so far and that I’ve include...
Read more

MIT-22: Project Wrap Up for Algebro's

Image
I started on my Manaiakalani Innovative Teacher's (MIT) project knowing that maths was a problem area for achievement in my school, especially with our Year 7&8 students. This was confirmed with our school midyear data from 2021 and 2022.  I knew I had to find a solution but there is so much to cover in just one curriculum area. My discussions and connections with school colleagues and this year's MIT-2022 crew, I investigated the following statement:   How might we improve student achievement in, and basic understanding of, algebra?   At this point in a student's education, I'm trying to consolidate and extend student knowledge before they head on to high school.  However, with so many students behind their expected level of achievement it becomes even more important to give ākonga the tools, strategies and learning experiences they're going to need to confidently:  1) Solve simple and complex mathematical problems, and    2) Participat...
Read more

Room 1 Leads Amazing Whole School Assembly

Image
Room 1 were lead by Ray and Sefo in hosting the Week 5 Whole School Assembly. They showed a bit of nerves but spoke clearly in all of their parts to lead the acts, karakia and waiata. Room 1's class item was sharing their "wins" from the 2022 Commonwealth Games. I found it particularly interesting learning about the South Pacific Islands. Room 1 presented their learning on colourful A3 posters about New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Tonga and a few other places.  My class did an awesome job to prepare and present. Everyone showed great leadership, teamwork and played their part in contributing to the assembly. Foli and I'Ola were great directors in the lead up, while many others stepped up to present, write a script or refine what it was they wanted to share.  Ka rawe, Room 1! 
Read more