A Mindful Activity in development- Marble Roll

In the last week of term 3 we had a school production so in the last weeks heading up to the End of Term we really pushed mindful activities in class. I raided my daughters toilet rolls (Who has 40+ toilet rolls? - I know, crazy, right) that she uses for art and crafts and we tried Marble Roll. 

Why: Marble Roll is a cooperative game for teaching mindfulness

Materials: empty paper towel or toilet paper roll for each child, one marble for the group photos

The children stand in a line, close together. Each child holds an empty paper towel or toilet paper roll. The child at the head of the line puts the marble in her paper towel roll and tilts it slightly so that the marble rolls into the roll of the person next to her. 

 The object is to try to move the marble from the first person in the line to the last person without dropping the marble. No catching with hands allowed! If someone drops the marble, she must start over again at the beginning of the line.

From Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children (2011) by Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Community.  

Things didn't go as planned and we couldn't get past one or two children. The toilet rolls were too short. Using different sized tubes meant the marble got stuck on the lip of the cardboard and having 40 participants made a lot of standing around time while the children problem solved. 

It was fun for the children involved but it wasn't a collaborative activity-yet

In the last days of term longer tubes started appearing on the tables at the front of the class as the children brought them in. It seems Marble Roll was a hit even with the initial set backs. I love the fact the children are willing to give it another chance to make it better.

We started incorporating art tubes and one of the boy's dad is a plumber maybe, just maybe, he will bring in a plastic PVC down pipe.

Legal and ethical contexts in my digital practice - Activity 5

After watching the video "The commitment to Parents/Guardians and Family" I could really relate to the scenario of how is it appropriate to share media with the community. At Redcliffs School we use Blogger to share children’s learning. In the early days of Blogging we had issues of teachers taking photos of children holding certificates displaying their names even though It was explained clearly several times why not to do it. Other issues arose when children shared news and it was posted on Blogger with their name. We have successfully learnt from these scenarios through educating teachers at staff meetings.

When children enrol at our school they sign a media consent form and an ICT agreement. On Year 5 camp they sign a new agreement as to whether the camp is allowed to take photos of the children to use on their website.  Henderson, Johnson, & Auld (2013) highlighted when students do give consent for their images, texts and identities to be used in the classroom, teachers should be aware that this consent might need to be renegotiated at regular intervals.

At one stage we had some children who hadn’t allowed media consent and we had to make sure they were not in images we were posting on social media. Fortunately through education of our parents and an explanation of how we were using the images we are currently able to get 100% agreement. Having 100% is not the aim as parents have the right to decide whether they wish to give consent. Also although we have this consent there are times we do not post images to respect the children’s privacy as mentioned in the Code Of Ethics for Certified Teachers.

An example of this when we had been through a successful campaign to save our school from a proposal of closure. When the announcement was being made it was really important to keep the media out of our school grounds and protect the privacy of our students. Although we knew it would make a positive news story seeing the children’s smiling faces on National Television. We always try to ask parents/caregivers for permission before any outside media agency interviews or photographs the children. The Board of trustees strategized with the staff and media how they could best manage sharing the news story so the children’s privacy could be respected.

In School Docs the guidelines for our school are very clearly laid out. We can refer to them for our own personal understanding but we are often reminded to let the Board of trustees be the spokesperson for the school when fronting the media.

Hall (2001) highlighted that as teachers are responsible for the use of social media in the classroom they need to consider the relationships with students and the community outside of school.

Developing an awareness of how to make ethical decisions is essential and having an understanding of the school’s policy on sharing images and social media interactions is critical.

References:

Education Council. (n.d). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certficated Teachers. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0

Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers

Henderson, M., Auld, G., & Johnson, N. F. (2014). Ethics of Teaching with Social Media. Paper presented at the Australian Computers in Education Conference 2014, Adelaide, SA. Retrieved from http://acec2014.acce.edu.au/sites/2014/files/attachments/HendersonAuldJohnson_EthicalDilemmas_ACEC_2014_0.pdf

Ministry of Education. (2015). Digital technology - Safe and responsible use in schools. Retrieved from http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/School/Managing-and-supporting-students/DigitalTechnologySafeAndResponsibleUseInSchs.pdf

Character Traits

Yesterday our local cluster schools celebrated Global Character Day.

We went to Sumner Beach to create the letters Character Matters. Check out the Stuff article below;

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/84536024/christchurch-schools-promote-wellbeing-through-character-strength

In the morning we watched a video to remind the children about Character Traits. This term we have been looking at two of the traits bravery and self control as we had a major school production. 

To find out more about the Character Traits you can share the 8 minute film with your children.

http://www.letitripple.org/films/science-of-character/ 

The website also has lots of great resources to get you started.

Indigenous Knowledge and Culture Responsiveness - Activity 4

Culture is defined as;

1. The ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.
2. The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.

In the school setting Ladson-Billings (1994) highlight that Culturally Responsive Teaching is a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning.

Gay(2001, cited in Gaye, 2010) identified five elements for effective culturally responsive teaching as;

1. Knowledge about cultural diversity
2. Culturally integrated content in the curriculum
3. Development of the learning community
4. Ability to communicate with culturally diverse students
5. Culturally responsive delivery of instruction

Gay (2010) suggests that culturally responsive teaching provides a better understanding of the specific cultures of different ethnic groups. It allows teachers to look at; learning behaviors, classroom interactions, and how instruction can be changed to embrace these differences.

The video ‘Introduction to Culturally Relevant Pedagogy’ indicated good teaching of culturally responsive pedagogy builds on students prior cultural knowledge making connections between what is known and what is to be understood. Teachers need to consider that students are not mere representatives of a cultural ethnic group and first and foremost they’re individual students who have individual needs and interests.

My school community has changed after the Christchurch earthquakes and our roll dropped from 420 students to 189 as families relocated. New families from different parts of Christchurch, wider New Zealand and also internationally are now joining our community as the Redcliffs’ suburb recovers which is making the school more culturally diverse.

Although the majority of children at Redcliffs School are European we have an active and prominent Kapa haka group which is widely respected in our Bays Schools Cluster.  Approximately 80 students, of all year levels belong to the group. There is a regular hui held for parents and whanau of our Maori students. The purpose is to discuss the achievement and educational success of our students identified as Maori, and to address the school’s commitment and honouring of Maori culture. All children learn a basic level of tikanga and te reo maori at Redcliffs School. The principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and the bicultural foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand are acknowledged in schoolwide programmes.

Redcliffs School sets a curriculum plan that reflects New Zealand’s cultural diversity, and values the histories and traditions of all people. Aspects of the school’s proud local history, and recognition of the cultures represented within the school community are tried to be included.

Our school wide activities are a real strength as we cater for a variety of inclusive programmes for the different learners at our school. The parent community is regularly consulted and informed through newsletters, surveys, parent meetings, open forums, information evenings, and social activities. Goal-setting and learning conferences are held twice yearly, and parents receive written reports on their children’s progress twice yearly.

An area that needs improving is our communication methods for sharing children’s learning. We currently use Ultranet and blogging in some of our class spaces to strengthen home-school partnerships.  Currently not all teachers blog regularly so parents of children who are in different classes/teams receive different experiences about their children’s learning. We have started to address these issues by investigating the use of SeeSaw at our school to improve communication. Parents of children at neighbouring schools have responded positively to the learning that has been shared via this application.

References:

Gay,G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2),106-116.

Gay, G. (2010). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. Teachers College Press.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The dreamkeepers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishing Co.

Teaching Tolerance.( 2010, Jun 17). Introduction to Culturally Relevant Pedagogy.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGTVjJuRaZ8

Contemporary issue or trend in New Zealand or internationally-Activity 3

Integrating Technology in Teacher Education

A report from Walden University (2010) revealed that the problem of integrating technology into the classroom often begins with many teachers believing that their pre-service training did not prepare them well in either technology or 21st century skills. When I started teaching I had limited knowledge of Digital Technology but through the use of using technology daily, asking others for help and actively trialling new apps I have been able to integrate technology successfully into my classroom. I am at a school that has many experienced teachers who have stayed in the same school for longer than 10 years. They are amazing educators but they haven’t transferred their skills to be accessible for the 21st Century Learner.

In Europe, the “Survey of Schools: ICT in Education” also identified several obstacles that are all too often present when implementing ICT in the classroom, ranging from insufficient equipment for digital learning, lack of competence and pedagogical models, and unclear goals for using ICT. Some of the teachers in my school are still waiting for the step by step resources of what to do. They do not have the confidence to use their devices other than for ‘the internet’ and publishing.

Almadhour (2010) highlighted that to improve the use of ICT in the education environment teachers need to improve their ICT skills and, in many cases, change their perceptions about ICT. When teachers integrate ICT in a technology subject, problems with ICT tools such as trouble shooting can adversely affect students‘ confidence and learning. Teachers with skill levels lower than their students may avoid using ICT because they feel embarrassed in front of them. For our students to log into our server they need three different passwords which is frustrating and time consuming.

The Future-focused Learning in Connected Communities report highlighted if every student and educator is to be a confident, competent user of digital technologies, there will need to be provided curriculum resources and professional development opportunities for teachers. Effective leadership is also essential to successfully implement digital technologies for learning. It is not enough for a leadership team to provide an ICT infrastructure capable of meeting the school’s varying teaching and operational needs. Our current Senior leadership team have stood back as part of the ICT team. I have successfully requested that they are a part of the 2017 ICT team. I am hoping that their involvement will get wider buy in from other team members and also the IT culture will positively change as more teachers integrate technology into their programmes.

The Ministry of Education states by the end of 2016, all schools will have access to the technology, high quality/capacity, ultra fast internet access for teaching and learning. In my school we need to be incorporating the use of technology more into the classroom so students and teachers can connect with family, peers, our local community, online communities, and experts. Edutopia (2008) identified “Effective technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is routine and transparent and when technology supports curricular goals”.

The Ministry’s illustrative draft vision for education in 2025 Lifelong Learners in a Connected World shows a highly connected, interdependent education system that equips students with the skills for the future. Central to this is the Government will continue to play its role in ensuring every student benefits from a quality education.

References:

Almadhour, B. (2010). The integration of information and communication technology into secondary technology teachers' pedagogy in New Zealand(Doctoral dissertation, Auckland University of Technology).

Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., and Freeman, A. (2015) NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf

Mawson, B. (2003). Making it happen: Integrating ICT in a technology unit. Computers in New Zealand Schools, 15 (1), 31-33.

Ministry of Education. (2015). New Zealand Education in 2025 - Lifelong Learners in a Connected World. Retrieved 16 September 2016, from http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Ministry/Initiatives/Lifelonglearners.pdf

O’Riley, B., Amos, C., Copeland, T., Fidow, S., Langford, D., Newton, C., ... & Vester, A. (2014). Future focused learning in connected communities​ 

Riley, R. W. (2010). Educators, Technology and 21st Century Skills: Dispelling five myths. A Study on the Connection Between K-12 Technology Use and 21st Century Skills. Walden University, 1-32.

Staff, E. (2008). Why integrate technology into the curriculum?: The reasons are many. Retrieved September, 19, 2016.

21st Century Skills for a six year old

Tonight while working on my Mind Lab activities my six year old was listening to an interactive story on the iPad. I carried on and when I next looked over she was on You tube.

I asked her what was she searching and she said that she was looking for You Tube in Google Images. Last term my daughter had successfully searched for tree frogs and had shown me all the different types of tree frogs on Google Images.

When I glanced over I could see she was looking at the You Tube logo as she had used a Sia image from You Tube in her upcoming news project and she wanted to reference it.

Front of News item

Back of News item (Ideas by my daughter but written by her mum)

When I explained that the You Tube logo was a business like McDonalds and people don't change the logo she understood the concept.

I love that my daughter can use technology (with appropriate guidance) to answer some of her questions. I remember as a child being confused and too shy to ask for help in explaining the concept in another way. I remember walking away dejected and feeling uncertain about what was explained to me. Hopefully I can teach my daughter to be a critical thinker and to not rely on one source of information to find answers to her questions. She has learnt pretty quickly that dad's sometimes, just sometimes might stretch the truth-a little...

Current issues in my professional context- Activity 2

Activity 2: Current issues in my professional context

My school (Redcliffs School) is a Decile 10 school currently operating off site at the van Asch Deaf School in the nearby community of Sumner. It was severely affected by the 2010 earthquakes. There are 189* Year 1-8 students at Redcliffs with the vast majority of students living within the school’s zone. Approximately 15% of the school population is of Maori descent. The school is part of the Bays Cluster; an active and collaborative cluster of five local full-primary schools.

*Before the earthquakes the school role was around 410 students.

The Christchurch City Council (2014)  reported that Redcliffs is an established, higher socio-economic suburb,  In the 2013 census of population and dwellings, 14.3 per cent of residents were identified as being in the over 65 age bracket, with the next highest number in the 50–54 years age bracket (7.2 per cent).

The majority of parents within our school community are self employed, and are highly educated. Parents of our school community would like their children to be well educated individuals that are ready for high school and to be active participants in society.

The American Psychological Association(2016) states that children with higher Socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds were more likely to be proficient on tasks of addition, subtraction, ordinal sequencing and math word problems than children with lower SES backgrounds. Redcliffs School students score predominantly At and Above for Literacy and Maths for National Standards. Interestingly our writing benchmarks standards are higher than our cluster schools. which causes issues when sharing data as the interpretation of how to set these benchmarks for National Standards and reporting them is disparative.

An important foundation for the learning culture is the four values; Manaakitanga, Responsibility, Resilience and Excellence.

Warner (2015) highlighted it is important to have healthy positive school environment as it sets tones for students, teachers, staff parents and the entire school community. A culture of success in a school begins with defining what the beliefs and priorities that drive the thoughts and actions of the people are at the school. The principal is the spokesperson of what these thoughts and beliefs are. The government sets the achievement standards and the School BOT ensures these standards are met. The principal’s job is to create unity to ensure the school’s vision is put into practise (Wilson, 2013). Having a Principal and  Deputy Principal in acting roles and transitional fixed term staff has made it difficult to create a strong school culture.

Stoll and Fink (1998) identified 10 influencing cultural norms of school improvement. In my school we have tried to incorporate all 10. We are a supportive staff who have been through redeployment, possible school closure and uncertainty. We have always maintained a professional level of conduct and put the children’s needs at the forefront of any decision making.

Our curriculum encourages students to look to the future by exploring such significant future-focused issues as sustainability, citizenship, enterprise, and globalisation. Gargiulo (2014) highlighted for schools to address issues they need to build relationships, teach students the hidden rules and enhance the relationship with parents. While we are off site we have worked hard as a school to communicate with our parents. It is difficult for our parents to pop in before and after school as the children are bussed in to the neighbouring suburb of Sumner.

References:

Academy for SELinSchools. ( 2015, Apr 28).What is school culture and climate? [video file].Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-_NvhlcusQ

APA. (2016). Education and Socioeconomic Status. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/education.aspx

Gargiulo, S. (2014). Principal sabbatical report. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Professional-information/Principals-sabbatical-reports/Report-archives-for-2007-2014/Secondary-award-recipients-2014/Gargiulo-Salvatore

Stoll. (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture

TEdEd.(2013, Jun 21). Building a culture of success- Mark Wilson.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_8Bjz-OCD8

Warner. E,  (2015) What is culture and climate? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-_NvhlcusQ