Sally Avern's Professional Journey

Had originally thought I knew how to elicite discussions but not all of my students can describe prior expereinces, or why they something. I need to ensure they know their experience from OUTSIDE of school is valuable for their learning. Look at the Inquiry project Elicitation of Ideas  to look at the steps we want to work on. When we come along information that they don't have- we can say --> If a scienitist was here they would tell us.... Then adjust our ideas. Seeing the difference between the beginning and end of a lesson vs unit. Was interesting to see NS: -Ensure we have annotated our plan so that it is visible that it is a work in progress. -make sure I am meeting my learning intention for science. -reflections at the end of my lessons- frame my lessons using this (page 111 of CLASSROOM TALK: Understanding dialogue, pedagogy and practice) -not be so worried about students eliciting their responses during the activating prior knowledge stage, this is perha...

Current Understanding or Dialogic Teaching: -giving students opportunities to use structured talk -ensuring students have the skills to discuss their own ideas -helping them to understand each others ideas and build on them -use talk moves -eliminate the hands up/ teacher-response-teacher scenario (IRE) --> -helps students engage with the content fully, engage with each other, engage with their own ideas, be more metacognitive -if it is not taught, they will be in a sea of useless discussion perhaps? -helps the teacher draw out misunderstandings, and students build schema, engage with prior knowledge "The person doing the talking, does the learning" Video on productive talk... clarififction of understanding of ideas, (I don't understand- please explain...)  referring to the data, using accountable talk starters, Teacher didn't rephrase, why do they agree?, not just I have the same idea- add to it. "Can I add to that, isn't a new idea, it...

My current improvement goal as a professional has been to assist students better determine their own goals. So far this year we have discussed goals and a few things I had seen as a fail. We made some goal cards, one for reading/writing and maths. Setting our goals at the start of the year and aligning them with things from the Ao's and progressions.   With 3 different types of goals and using the LLI's, then translating to the Asttle marks. It was all a little bit complicated.  I have been thinking about how to better integrate the whole process and make it simpler. Turns out I was already on the right track. As the students are aware that they need to have goals now and we are always discussing next steps- when I asked them (without any prompting or warning that this would be a question) whether they had a literacy or a maths goal. 13 out of 15 could articulate both a literacy and a maths goal that they thought was appropriate for them. The maths goal for all was tim...

It takes 1 generation to lose a language and 3 to get it back. The secret to revitalisation is intergenerational language use.  (As a school teacher, what is my role in this step?- to assist the students to be more comfortable to use and learn it- they might be generation number 1?) MY JOURNEY- Focus on yourself and build from there. Support system: teachers and students at school. 25 year goal: have my students confidently speaking bilingually. TE REO MEANS TO ME- future of the students identity marker toanga identity revival UNESCO standards for judging a languages level of use: all of them come out as close to extinction. The language will never be 'lost' because it is written down- but it will be extinct soon if we can't get more than 2% of Nz using it. Just Korero More, just use what we have: DO NOT WORRY ABOUT PARTICLES OR SCREWING UP- Just give it a go. 5 Key elements of Language Planning: 1:Value --> give it Mana, what is your group in to? How...

referred to your writing from previously- would have been better if I had of focused on a particular piece of writing so that I could have used that to mention the types of information. The model used was from this week, I thought that they would have read it by then already but they hadn't, needed to use something they were familiar with.  I made the contextual load high because they didn't know the paper. If I used the model that we used for their writing previously and planned information to add, it would have been easier to discuss the way of the revising and then could have used the model/ more effectively.  Showing them the types of information to add. I wish I had of made/ used an incomplete chart of conjunctions for this group and then added the last column later. This is where the differentiation would have really helped. This kids got the how, which was great. But they didn't understand the why or when. I am not going to be able to say later- go and add more...

FOCUS: My focus this term has been to create meaningful learning opportunities that result in focused science learning.  My inquiry was focused on:  planning and carrying out investigations, analysing and interpreting data & obtaining, evaluating and communicating information.  The focus was here as I identified this as a weak spot in my students ability to do this independently. I limited myself to 3 aspects as I wanted to focus harder and not do many things to a limited degree. MY HUNCH: I suspected they were unable to do these things as they had not had enough exposure to collecting and reading data that had any meaning to them.  They have experience reading graphs through maths but communicating ideas and deciding how to collate the data. The students have only ever looked at collecting information like this around maths, I need to come at this with a scientific lens. TAKING ACTION: To test my hunch we did a quick investigation about muscle fatigue...

I think I have finally cracked working smart, working at the redefinition stage of SAMR, and also having my students collaborate, not just co-operate. It's coming together. Check out our Mana Atua section at the bottom of our Class website. Things are coming together here: here

Argumentation  + Bloom's Taxonomy + Teaching as Inquiry + Discussion based learning I'v started this with a reflection. My current TAI goal is to give the students more agency to work towards inquiry based learning.  I know that agency and inquiry is proven to help those students that lack engagement. I know that giving them agency normally means choice of task, choice of topic, freedom to move around the classroom, freedom the choose when they work on what task they are performing. What if agency meant freedom to THINK whatever they want.  Form opinions, make decisions. I feel like I am developing my evaluating mind around the way I give agency to my students. Yes, they need to be guided, but I can be giving them the skills they need in reading and writing to form opinions, use and discuss ideas and agree/disagree with evidence.  I am getting there with baby steps. I am seeing my practice develop. Agree/disagree is used in my class- in a beginners way. Now...

Think about it from the child's point of view.  They are the heart of the matter. Read Disobedient Teaching for real! Don't just skim read. Change is uncomfortable.  You will need to do it and it's not gonna be nice. How are these students reflected in the classroom? How does it work in your classroom? Do they have something to jot down stuff in? Do my kids keep a diary? Do i expect them to make a to do list? They have a must do list... HELPING CIRCLE. CALL IT THIS. BOOKS: Sylivia Ashton Warner: check her out. "Teacher" Joseph Pearce: The magical child  mach 2:    Nathan Mikaere Wallis: Follow the blueprint Elwyn Richardson: In the early world.    ( what we watched in Uni) THE SACRED URGE TO PLAY: Making writing living work (easy to work)  Lucy Caulkins Lessons that change writers: Nancie Atwell Jeff Anderson.   student agency book. What is my philosophy? Why? Go back to this.  Key vocabulary.... Are my beliefs ...

Minecraft Educational Edition Notes: great at integrating the tuakana-teina relationships,  students tuakana, teacher-teina teaches perspective using the blocks, can integrate scratch, Tynker etc into Minecraft. Orientation for maths,  civilisations for social science- research what they need.... roads for infastructure etc... $7 per head. How did your digital medium meet the learning... meets that critical thinking need. So.... Can I use it? On the macs at school if I pay for it. Will the kids be into it? What next? Was this unconference useful? Not particularly. I wish I had of known I couldn't use this on chrome books before hand as that is what we all have at our school.  It did give me more ideas for using gamefroot though. So I guess maybe it was useful. Just not in the same way I wanted it to be.

Today I did a lesson that Susan had already given us to teach. I was going to try and modify it but I decided starting with the basics and working from there was a good idea. My plan was this: Science -WAL about how scientists communicate using diagrams. -Develop our research and note taking skills. Communicating in science 1: New double page Date and underline Me & N, Th, W. 2: Draw an ant, label anything you know. TPS. Did you learn from each other already? What did we notice, think or wonder from these pics? Add to the slideshow. 3: Look at diagrams of ant and add some things to yours. Feel free to do a second drawing if you wish, or add to he one you have already. (Mention Austin’s butterfly- not first try.) What did we notice, think or wonder from these pics? 4: Watch the videos and look for the any answers to your questions on notice, think or wonder page. Collect information to help answer questions. I decided it was rea...

Same teacher that helped me with critical 3 principles: This includes the steps that they take to produce the work. Think about the actions they need to take to get us there. When designing tasks: separate the ideas, give visuals that are relevant. use audio, make it rewindable. Don't retro fit. Don't adapt what you are doing already. .... Design from the edges instead of the middle.  That way it will meet them all.  It's a bit like multi-model.  Let them choose from the options. Use these to connect to the curriculum... How to differentiate the learning for my learners, they don't have the life experience.  think about giving them the life experience and letting the students experience the things we are doing. What preloading experience am I giving my students? What do you need to effectively do UDL? KNOW YOUR STUDENTS!! Check out these learner maps so you can Choose storybird because the art work helps motivate... Use Unsplash to...

-use a visual timer Accountable Talk - make them use evidence to justify. -Leave a card at the table to remind them to use evidence (This encourages the others to ask questions for evidence and to listen to each other).    -why do we want them to do this- helping them to see evidence means they can see the reason why we do this. *card to model very useful *student was asking the student instead of teacher- creates deeper discussion and control with students Grouping -mixed ability is better  -more high achievers means that everyone does worse -change the groups as often as possible -group many different ways -organsie the classroom to account for mixed grouping (MLE) Remember the organising serves the purpose, not the other way around Managing Time -use a visual timer -students at 8 years has the same time monitoring patterns as a grown up Managing Linguistic Diversity -stepping outside comfort zone is important for teachers -why do we make them do ...