A teachers story

Check out this wonderful Blogpost from a PRT at Hamilton East..
http://rmcnaughton2015.blogspot.co.nz/2015/07/going-to-birthday.html?showComment=1439519813586#c37261329734433947

PRTs present understanding of Teacher Inquiry .

PL Notes

Inquiry-

Bex and Edie - "Inquiry, it’s a good thing, it really is!"

Last year as students, Edie and Bex learnt a lot about inquiry. Now they are both in the classroom, how this impacts and pearls of wisdom from what they have learnt and discovered.

“Insanity, doing the same thing over and over again…

Inquiry is an improvement for us…

Focus: What does the evidence tell us- talking to others, what things are happening in other schools. It has to be based on evidence of something someone else has done.

Google scholar- type in what you need and you should be able to see articles used around your key words. Be critical when you are using things online- use articles that are within the last ten years, look for how many times it has been sighted. Who was the publisher? google the publisher to check. If it’s from a journal it is probably okay.

Check who and multiple citings

Pre and post testing-

Be specific to your focus.

Decide on your time limit/ number of lessons.

Deliver your lessons and take notes.

Reflection-

What did you notice?

How did it compare to your research? Did you find it? yes/no?

What were your limitations?

Implications?

Was there an improvement in achievement?

WHat does this mean for your teaching?

Do you need to change something from this information?

Kairaranga is a great resource- online journal http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/departments/institute-of-education/research/kairaranga/abstracts-journals.cfm

Regardless of the outcome, improvements or not.  Any inquiry will inform you as a teacher.  It is invaluable.  We do it unconsciously on a daily basis, however our inquiry process formalises it.  It’s not supposed to be reinventing the wheel, use the resources that are out there.

Big thank you to Edie and Bex for their great presentation.  It reinforced what we are doing and filled in a few gaps.  

Avoiding Burnout

12 Choices to Help You Step Back From Burnout 

"Our very lives are fashioned by choice. First we make choices. Then our choices make us." - Anne Frank

A tired teacher is a powder keg waiting for a match. In my bouts with burnout, I've learned that stepping back from the brink is about choice. These 12 choices have helped me recover and be a better teacher for my students.

Choice #1: Choose to Be Happy

First, happiness is a choice. Choose to be the first one to smile at everybody you meet. Choose to greet your students by name.

Use happy triggers to boost your mood when you get upset. I have a Pinterest Board called Happy Thoughts and another called Things That Make Me Laugh. The "Atta Girl" folder in my desk holds nice notes.

Choice #2: Choose to Disconnect

We are making a dumb use of our smartphones. Instead of freeing us up to go anywhere anytime, they've tethered us to a hamster wheel. Usually, I check email twice a day. I deleted my school email off my smartphone after several evenings because of an angry email. (We all get them.) Unplug once a week. Be a human being, not a human doing.  Part of weekends.

Choice #3: Choose to Be Mindful  noticing

Mindfulness is being called society’s next wonder drug. Some meditate or practice yoga -- I pray every morning at 5 AM for at least 20 minutes. I find a sense of peace that centers me upon what is important.

Choice #4: Choose to Make Time for Sleep

Sleep loss harms your thinking, your health, and your mood. Psychologist Norbert Schwarz says, "Making $60,000 more in annual income has less of an effect on your daily happiness than getting one extra hour of sleep a night."

Realize that watching your favourite movie may not be restful when you're exhausted. Go to sleep early with your cell phone in the kitchen where it can't wake you.

Choice #5: Choose to Get Outside and Get Moving Walking schedule

Last year when I was in charge of prom on top of everything else, I was close to quitting. So my principal and I had an honest conversation about my struggle to stay grounded. I asked to take a 15-minute walk during morning break every day until I could get through it. Thankfully, he agreed. I packed my tennis shoes and kept them at school. It worked.

Boston University psychology professor Michael Otto says, "Usually within five minutes after moderate exercise, you get a mood-enhancement effect." Exercise is shown to be a powerful intervention for clinical depression, diabetes, and anxiety. Even five minutes of green exercise (outdoors) is also shown to boost your mood. So get outside and exercise.-road patrol - Mornings , parts of interval and lunchtimes in playground 

Choice #6: Choose to Be Grateful

Research studies have shown that keeping a gratitude journal will "increase your long-term well-being more than winning a million dollars in the lottery." I keep a joy journal by my desk and write in it every day.

Choice #7: Choose What to Overlook

"The greatest remedy for anger is delay." - Seneca

Understand that you're working with others who are almost (if not more) burned out than you. Therefore, count on everyone being fussy, cranky, and tired. Let it go. Studies show that patients who've had heart attacks can improve their well-being by practicing forgiveness and working to be less angry.

Sometimes our biggest enemy is the perfect person we try to be. My kids will be happier eating a frozen lasagne from a happy Mom than a home-cooked meal served by a witch.

Choice #8: Choose the Battles Worth Fighting

Most situations that educators regret "caving in on" are those that happen in these exhausting end-of-school months. Parents are emotional. Kids are emotional, and we educators are tired of fighting the battle. Choose to fight only for what matters.

Choice #9: Choose What to Do Next Time and What to Stop Doing

Arthur Gordon says to learn to say "next time" instead of "if only." Make the mistakes of your past a signpost, not a hitching post. Remember your mistakes, but keep your eyes facing front toward your current surroundings.

There are times to say, "There will not be a next time. Enough." Some places should be left. Some relationships should be severed. Some organizations should become part of your past. Not all the time, but sometimes.

Choice #10: Choose to Enjoy the Relationships That Matter

Don’t be so busy making a living that you forget to make time for living. You have relationships and hobbies. Keep them in your life.

Relationships- Writing by Yr3 &4 students.

The Future of Learning

The Future of Learning Dr Cheryl Doig  3D Office printing “We are becoming more mobile, more connected, and more networked together. How we work is changing radically and where we work will need to change as well.” http://www.businessinsider.com/r-dubai-says-plans-worlds-first-3d-printed-office-building-2015-6?IR=T  2030 • Telesurgeon • Simplicity Expert • Nostalgist • Knowledge Navigator • Limb Printer • Commercial Drone Developer By 2030, more than 2 billion jobs will disappear. http://www.fastcoexist.com/3031225/futurist-forum/10-jobs-that-you-could-have-in-2030  Health quantified self WYOD nanobots personalised health collaboration learning analytics augmented reality haptics community care 4 Education Changes to teacher numbers... aging work force... teachers staying for shorter periods... huge growth in international schools...ubiquity... transparency... personalisation Learning Copyright 2015 www.thinkbeyond.co.nz  learning schools What is your definition of future focused? • Keeping the best of the past where it tightly links with the values we hold close. • Continuously looking outward for signals and trends; and creating feedback loops to explore blindspots, other points of view and possibilities. • Balancing the tensions of past and future with the reality of today to weave magic in ways that partner with every learner we serve and contribute to the greater good.  The 7 Principles of Learning • Learners at the centre • Social nature of learning • Emotions are integral to learning • Recognising individual differences • Stretching all students • Assessment for learning • Building horizontal connections -Source: Dumont et al, 2010 School as a LearningEcosystem Fit for purpose Adaptive Agile Complex Contextual The minute you stick your toe in the water the system has changed.  Ubiquity Seventy-five billion devices will be connected to the Internet of Things by 2020. That’s 9.4 devices for every one of the 8 billion people living just a few years from now... http://www.technologyreview.com/news/527356/business-adapts-to-a-new-style-of-computer/ http://www.technologyreview.com/news/527386/the-internet-of-you/  Education is good at absorbing revolutionary tech and turning it into something humdrum -Charles Leadbetter http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/jul/09/schools-of- the-future-most-powerful-computer-brain  Diverse learners Sebasticook Valley Middle School  20 years ago Now In 20 years ConnectED Cluster: Raising student achievement through effective teacher practice Same? Different? Teacher www.thinkbeyond.co.nz  TEACHING Agents who weave learning as: – facilitators – activists – curators – knowledge experts – bridge builders – boundary spanners – role models – innovators – inquirers www.thinkbeyond.co.nz  By the end of the panel discussion there were plenty of practical tips to go with the blue sky thinking. Cox summed up most of the reflections of the evening. Her key things to remember when using tech in schools include: think about how it can be made available to all children; do not underrate other kinds of activities children can learn from; focus on creating better “self-learners”; and, perhaps most importantly, focus on getting children to improve their thinking skills. After all, Cox said, “the most powerful computer is still the brain”. http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/jul/09/schools-of-the-future-most-powerful-computer-brain   Language Matters... chief awesome officer knowledge navigator innovation coach school designers change provocateurs goal counselors Teacher learning agents activators career transitionists www.thinkbeyond.co.nz  experimenting blueprint plan failure prototyping songline design nearling What we say defines us www.thinkbeyond.co.nz  Change begins the moment you ask ques%ons... Ques%ons and change happen in the same moment. How do we make students’ experiences amazing? How can we get students up to par? Simultaneity Principle www.thinkbeyond.co.nz  How might we... ...create a school that no-one wants to leave? ...involve the whole community in leading positive school change? ...create learning spaces that meet the needs of all learners? ...continually seek to be better as teachers, with less time? ...learn from early childhood practices? www.thinkbeyond.co.nz 21  Ground breaking education www.thinkbeyond.co.nz  www.thinkbeyond.co.nz  www.thinkbeyond.co.nz  www.thinkbeyond.co.nz  www.thinkbeyond.co.nz  Video from Aranui The Complexity of Change    There is nothing like a dream to create the future. Victor Hugo www.thinkbeyond.co.nz Did you get to the edge and take a peek? Think Beyond PO Box 35314 Christchurch New Zealand P +64 3 389 4216 think@thinkbeyond.co.nz www.thinkbeyond.co.nz 

Whakatauki-Tū Tangata! Tū Māia!’

Peter and Karen presenting to teachers  re our Whakatauki and the mahi of Te Hononga .

Vision
Our Vision is ‘Stand tall, reach high’. It was inspired by our beautiful redwood tree that has graced the HES grounds since the early 1900s.
Our Vision means being proud of ourselves, of each other and of our school, and having confidence now and into the future. It speaks of the heights our tamariki can reach with the right care and nurturing, and the importance of having a strong foundation or roots to weather any storms. It reminds us to dream big and aim high.
Whakataukī

A whakataukī (proverb or saying) is an important aspect of Māori culture. Our whakataukī is ‘Tū Tangata! Tū Māia!’. It was informed by the Vision but as with all whakataukī, it is metaphoric and carries many meanings. This whakataukī was recommended by Te Hononga and endorsed by the Board. Te Hononga is a group of parents and whānau of Māori students who seek to support and promote the success of Māori students at HES; guide and promote the use of te reo, mātauranga Māori and tikanga Māori; and uphold the Treaty of Waitangi.
“Tū” means to stand, establish or hold. “Tangata” means person or individual. “Māia” means to be brave, bold, capable or confident.
Tū Tangata! Is a call to stand tall and demonstrate ‘personhood’. It encompasses attitudes and values, responsibility and compassion, and standing firm in one’s beliefs. It includes knowing our place in the world, including through acknowledging and valuing whakapapa, reo and tikanga.
Tū Māia! Is a call to demonstrate courage and creativity. It encompasses leadership, independence, confidence and pride and recognition of one’s skills. For Māori, it includes valuing and being Māori.
He kupu akiaki tēnei ki a tātou kia whakanuia te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori. This is an opportunity for us to celebrate reo, tikanga and Mātauranga Māori.1 

Collaborative professional learning .

An uplifting morning with teachers sharing re GAFE, Daily  Five literacy, Literacy Cafe and Incredible Years stories and strategies.