Blogging

I recently posted on Christchurch Teachers rock blog about integrating SOLO taxonomy with ICT skills.  Here is a link to the blog post.

Even though it took a bit to put pen to paper, or fingers to the keyboard, I thoroughly enjoyed sharing my knowledge with others.  It has made me think how else I can share what I have to offer with others.  Perhaps my class blog needs to have a little more rigour within some of the posts.  

I am wondering why parents don't engage more on the blog posts, especially when their child has done such a magical job.  I guess that's something else to ponder about.

TTFN

Teacher inquiry

Our team shared our findings about our team teacher inquiry, "How to move our target children in writing.'

I focused on a method of peer feedback that the kids and I have enjoyed using, called 2 * and 1 wish.
We are using this on Google Docs when leaving comments on others pieces of writing.  We still have a wee way to go with this, but like everything, practice makes perfect and also MODEL, MODEL, MODEL!

I gave these children questions to ask and they took turns at being the director, interviewer and the interviewee.

This is from a blog I follow and implement their ideas within my class.  This is an interesting reading because I believe I am a reflective practitioner and have successfully taught children of all ages to be reflective in their own thinking and learning.  SITTI follows my philosophy and own beliefs to best teacher practice.  

Chatterpix

I felt I was just beginning to make some head way with teaching summarising as a reading comprehension strategy, last term with my more fluent readers.  I found my other reading groups needed a lot of scaffolding and using G/O had been great.

I have noticed how engaged the kids have been when using IT.

I found a cute app called Chatterkids initially I was using it for recording messages for their next IT project.

I think the use of this app for the purpose of sharing the main ideas in the story they have just read will help children become more succinct (you can only talk for 30 seconds).  If they took a shelfie (not a selfie) of the book they are reviewing it will let others respond when it's on the blog.

Can't wait to trial...

Chatterkid


Update....

Here are the children using Chatterkid to review a book (Shelfie).  It's a great summarising tool for those who like to 'chat' to much.  I also like how the children who aren't confident can replay and re-record if they need to.

LC 10 likes to Chatter.  I taught 2 kids how to upload their Chatterkids movie file from emails to Google Drive and then on to our blog.  Using the watch 1, do 1, teach 1 approach.

I shared with the kids, yes it was slower and took almost all day, as I explained to the kids, that I could get these two experts to do them all, but then who was doing the learning?  Short answer only 2 children.  Now I have more than a handful of experts!

Recently we have used Chatterkids to explain what they have learnt about plants.  Putting in some criteria this time has given their recording a better quality.

SOLO III

Some of my professional readings around SOLO and how to use it successfully and authentically in the classroom.

SOLO 

http://www.innovatemyschool.com/industry-expert-articles/item/492-going-solo-an-introduction-to-the-taxonomy-everyone%E2%80%99s-talking-about.html

One-sentence or single-word answers are common responses from pupils, and we usually accept them if they are correct. After grasping the principles of SOLO, however, pupils begin to think more carefully about the quality of their answers. They realise that one-word responses are unistructural and therefore less valuable than answers that draw links between several facts or observations.

This part resonated with me and what I believe good teaching practice looks like.  I also like the fact that SOLO is mostly child centred, they know what they have to do to shift their learning.  Sure some kids will need a gentle hand to guide them to move into deeper thinking.  But with constant modelling by other children and specific praise and feedback from me this should help to create a safe learning environment.

One of the reasons that I use SOLO is that it is an accessible way to get pupils to see and understand their own thinking. SOLO provides teachers and pupils with a clear path to higher order thinking.

I am definitely book marking this site!

SOLO Part II

I have already dabbled in the dark arts with ‘SOLO Taxonomy’ and have found it very fruitful in my teaching.  It's one of those *eureka* moments when you find something that clicks with yourself and for your students.  

Using SOLO rubrics is similar to criteria that Lane Clark uses and aligns with H.O.T from Blooms.  But there is no need to go through ThinkIT great process (Venn Diagrams, Cross Class Charts etc) you can create your own SOLO rubric or co-construct with children, something I'd like to do for our narrative SOLO rubric.

The learning conversations I hear from the children are powerful.  They are talking about their learning, they are giving feedback and feed forwarding to their peers.

I have created a SOLO blog post on our class blog to help open up the home-school link.

Best thing since sliced bread!

Where do I start?  Let's start with the frustrations of children publishing

• Time consuming when typing into a "word document"
• Forget to save and loose their work
• Lent computer out to another classroom, therefore the publisher cannot finish their work
• I type their stories up because I am faster and accurate (no ownership)

Now enter the saviour!...

Google docs

The only frustration I have... I don't have enough computers!!

• Ownership for the child's writing (seeing the whole process)
• Develop typing skills
• Develop and fine tune editing/proof reading skills
• Instantly share with others
• Use any device!
• Complete at home if needed

My next steps are to get parents to share their email addresses so children can share their work with their parents.  I can see the comments being a powerful tool for a lot of kids. This will be my next teaching point, sharing and collaborating!

Digital citizens

What does a digital citizen look like?  Using Hector's World that has catchy and relevant video clips explaining what digital awareness is helped us to unpack digital citizenship.

Using the printable booklets from Hector's World as part of our reading programme has helped children make meaningful connections that comes with integration as well as providing engaging, purposeful and authentic learning experiences.

We have begun to create posters using Comic Life explaining how to be safe on the internet that we will share with other classrooms.  I'd like to make eye popping posters using pic collage now that I have found you can save a bunch of photos to google docs and download them using google drive app!  Hallelujah!!

At the last Hector's World clip we created Our Discoveries and Wonderings as well as commenting on our blog post  how to be safe on the internet allowed us to practice what we have learnt.

I personally think this is something that needs to be built into our teaching programme each year and revisited throughout the year until it becomes second nature to the children, parents and staff.  What are your thoughts?

20% time

I have no special talents.  I am passionately curious

Albert Einstien 1952

I wanted to bring more creativity into the classroom but I struggle to timetable this in.  I proposed turning our Goldentime into 20% time or genius time from an idea that Google provides it's staff. They work on their own projects on Google time, but anything created is Google property such as Gmail and GAFE. (How great would it be to be allowed to develop, design or to research something that would be beneficial to our school? Outside of CRT and our other responsibilities!!) 

I looked into what genius time would look like in LC 10 and found some inspiring ideas.

Creating iMovies, learning coding (hopscotch or scratch), developing artistic skills further, learning stop motion animation, designing a simple butterfly garden the ideas are endless... Time is not however.

Thinking an essential part of learning... Indeed if you are not thinking about what you are learning, you are not probably not learning Jim Knight, Unmistakable Impact 

This was an idea I pitched back in term 2 for term 3 needless to say it hasn't been implemented :-(. Maybe an inquiry What is creativity? What makes me creative?

http://www.rundesroom.com/2013/11/passion-projects-in-classroom.html

SOLO (not Hans)

I've been wanting to use SOLO in class for a while since seeing it in action at the Thinking Forward conference last year.

I have used it to help children access higher levels of thinking when using ICT i.e. what makes a great blog comment, what makes a great photo and more recently What makes a great blogger app user.

I started by asking children what they knew about taking great photos.  A lot were in the unistructual thinking stage.  With support could take some great photos and they couldn't explain why.  By the end of our lesson most children had shifted their thinking/learning into relational with some ICT experts moving into extended abstract where they could teach others, explain what made a great photo and why you needed the correct lighting or focus.

Where to next...
I still need to explain to the children what each stage of thinking looks like.  I need to set aside some time for this.

journey using SOLO

evaluative criteria

Plickers

plickers

plicker video

Introduced the class to this, they were excited to try something new.  I modelled it using basic facts using imaging.  It gave me instant feedback who had the right answer and who still needed to check in.

Some problems we found were 

Chn blocking the plickers image

Unsure which way to hold their card

I was taking too long to type questions

I can see this being useful for group responses, having questions preloaded. Reflecting at the end of the day (using as a survey/poll)

I also had ago with surveying the chn how they found school today.

I need to use this tool more so the children can become automatic.

Bookless Wednesdays!

Bookless Wednesday's

You know you are hooking in the kids when they are wanting more bookless days! Yesterday Maree lent me her 5 iPads to use while they were at technology. Reading time the chn were reading our class and team blogs and leaving comments or reading ebooks or ipad apps relevant to literacy. The class was humming and full engagement! (Rotation of chn typing up their Mum poems on keynote, and changing their title font was a huge hit) 

Writing time we looked at what makes a great blog comment using some of SOLO criteria.  Used Cushlagh's Happy video as a model and the chn TPS comments, which were written up.

We spoke about thin and thick questions 

And how this takes a blog comment from good to GREAT! 

We also decided that we wanted to create a conversation and engage the blogger/author so asking questions would do this as well as give us more information about the bloggers post. 

The chn then went off and made GREAT blog comments.  Most chn achieved this and relished the opportunity, where some mucked around.

Overall an excellent and exciting opportunity to have and injects some authentic MLP into LC 10.

Can't wait for next Wednesday! 

P   chn engaged, writing was authentic

M  LC 15's ipads needed our apps

I    add reading apps, Puffin include bookmarks

QCT

Having so many newbies to West Melton was proving problematic and causing some disruptive behaviour especially around friendships.

I've used Jenny Mosley's Quality Circle Time programme before with a lot of success so I deliberately timetabled once a week  for 45 mins.  I found specific lessons around friendships, making friends and helping each other out.  It started off with the intention of building relationships, but I quickly learnt that if there was a problem in the class i.e. chn constantly coming up asking "what to do" or interrupting I turned it into role plays and used it as a problem solving time.

From time to time problems came up in the playground with other chn so I helped the chn become more empowered in speaking up for themselves when someone is doing something they didn't like.

There is a very specific process for each lesson, you really can't "wing it" but there is a lot of flexibility.  I also like QCT because it builds relationships with the chn, chn have opportunities to be paired up with different chn and it's fun even though we are dealing with some big issues.

For more info search Quality Circle Time

And Jenny's site here, there's also some free resources available on her site : )

Shared reading

I have been focusing on reading fluency as I found at the beginning of the year children were word reading, thinking it might've been a "holiday" mishap, I left it thinking it would improve.  It did not. So where to next?
What am I targeting?
What value am I adding?

Firstly sharing WALT with home on our shared poems to help parents with our focus.

Using voice memo app for the children to "hear themselves" reading.

Modelling what GREAT readers sound like when reading to the children.

During guided reading time implementing strategies I used in reading recovery helped targeted specific children as well as using the buddy system to check how their reading was sounding (thumbs up, down and sideways for self and peer assessment).  Phrasing, masking, re-reading and reading.

Great resources on fluency!

Shared-reading

louise dempsey shared reading.pdf

fluency app

Pinterest

I loooooove this site! It's great for visual learners.

I use this for finding meal ideas, house ideas, hair styles, how to's, alternatives for GF recipes, nail art and of course teaching.

I've used it more recently looking for ANZAC art inspiration, (my latest search for ANZAC art found this ANZAC art).  I can create boards to organise my photos and label it accordingly. File away for later use if I stumble upon other great ideas/recipes/fashion/nail art/DIY. art

I will quite often embed links into my planning so I can refer to it (and when my tv screen is working, I can click on the link and the children can see what they are creating). 

After drawing our super hero self portrait art work, I've noticed that their drawings are quite primitive - who has stick arms and stick fingers? (well apart from Stickman!!)  Using Pinterest, I found some very good basic drawings of how to draw hair, eyes, mouths and noses.

Having some models up for the children helps the ones who say "I can't draw" also gives an expectation of what mouths, eyes and noses should look like.

I have been thinking of ways to help children recall and retain HFW.  Using what Neil MacKay said, children retain 80% more when two learning styles are used, I went on a little Pinterest hunt.

I have specific children in mind from the target group.  Other children might not need HFW reinforced but they are developing leadership skills as well as becoming more effective at explaining and listening.

hopscotch

Roll and Read

Read and Drive


http://workshops.sevenoaks.school.nz/neil-s-handout-materials

Individual Learning Goals

Today the children received their writing goal cards, after reviewing their writing samples and other pieces of work I found their next steps.

Because the writing groups are mixed ability some children have different goals.  Initially this was hard to juggle.  So using their latest piece of writing about camp together we went looking (being detectives) for evidence of their writing goal.  Some achieved it so they highlighted, others didn't (especially the ones who had to use talking in my writing) so using a green pen they edited and added talking with support from me to use speech marks correctly.

I have one as well, which is the class goal of adding more information/detail to my writing.

Next week I will continue to model how to use their writing goal cards.

Using pictures/icons below helps the children who have LD, also they look cute : )

On the flip side are varying levels of HFW or dictionaries, so come back to read about the spelling programme I use in my class.

MLE in LC 10

MLE in LC 10

What does a Modern Learning Environment look like in LC10?

Firstly ICT is used seemlessly for mostly skills and drills, blogging and creating in a digital way. Our class blog connects the families and friends of the children as well as classrooms from around the world. 

Children are not in prearranged seating plans unless they have made poor choices with their learning or behaviour.  Children are allowed to sit where they like and with who they like as they can work more collaboratively bouncing ideas off one another or quietly asking for help from experts. 

Today we trialled sitting in the cupboards!!! They loved it and not a whisper could be heard. This will be an option, but in the meantime I'd like everyone to experience sitting out there so they can become more self aware learner and knowing what works for them.

We've been using a pair of ear muffs for several weeks now and have a group of 9-12 learners who prefer this learning style. Using 5 minute intervals allows children to have this opportunity.

Last week after sending children out for a brain break during writing and watching who was following instructions, getting back on with their work quickly and not mucking around those children enjoyed a brain break (quick jog around the field) without the teacher (or doing brain break exercises on YouTube).  While the others that need more scaffolding/direction/guidance/watching stayed with me for a more directed and structured brain break.  Today I sent out each writing group out in turns, this worked wonderfully! 

I was using BACH music (ewwww what's this the kids asked lol) during writing time, but I have found I'm sitting quite close to the player and it was used initially for a behaviour management strategy of keeping the noise down.

AND... Finally the furniture.  I have taken my teachers desk out of the class not only to make more room but it seems to be an eternal dumping ground for me. 

Table arrangements are in a purposeful way I promise! Having children sitting in small groups and  sitting by themselves lets children work to their strength. Using clipboards, standing or writing on their tummies again let children fidget and move. 

Writing grouping

How am I catering for my target kids at writing?

Having a ahha! Moment in the shower, as you do, I wanted to expose the lower ability children to quality pieces of writing. In comes mixed ability groupings. How exciting! 

A few things had to change to allow quality vs quantity. Seeing one writing group a day, with the other groups on other writing tasks. (Comic life, quad blogging, printing, free choice writing).

I've had two weeks and I love it! Not all the low and slow kids are grouped together, the target kids get a better slice of my time as they are near me in the groupings, they are sharing their work with kore people more often and they will be getting advice from their peers (term 2's goal). 

Also using our modelling book more and as a reference tool lets the children see aspects of what a great writer needs. 

AND... I have their writing goal sheets ready to go for week 10, it's taken a while to tackle this but I have overhauled it and all good things take time : )

Dojo

I've been using a behaviour tool called Class Dojo, or Dojo for short for just over a year and I'm HOOKED! Why? It appeals to my IT obession, the reward scheme is portable as it's an app and it hooks the kids with the cute avatars and sense of accomplishment of doing the right thing.

I love the fact I can make the behaviours specific for my class and change and add as the year progresses and as a need arises.  I also have the kids on board to look out for specific behaviours i.e someone who is packing up straightaway or someone who is using their whisper voice, a big one we are struggling with.

The other side to Dojos is the accountability for the children as their parents sign up for weekly automated updates.  Getting parents on board isn't hard as some of them have commented they would love to use it at home. 

This year I found an idea that a lot of American schools are using, trading their Dojo points for an incentive within the class.  So after trawling Pinterest (I will post about this AMAZING site in the near future) I found some already made incentive cards. 

So this is how it works in our class. 2x a term the kids trade their Dojos for a reward that they want (we came up with some ideas at the start of the year - another ITY strategy, kids will be motivated to earn points when they have buy in of the reward/incentive).  Yesterday was trade in day and the class was a buzz. Great conversations like "oh if I remember to take my books home without being told I might get a dojo, if I stopped straightaway I might have had more Dojos, well done" ... "You can pick anything you want because you have so many Dojos."

Also the age of my children allows me to teach the children about delayed gratification and setting goals. 

Monday is reward day, which got me thinking some rewards require children to bring something from home i.e a hat, a favourite toy or a night off homework. So I made up a little certificate letting home know what their child has picked. All children receive a Dojo reward as the minimum is 10 points with a lot of children receiving over 20 points, so even those naughty students have an opportunity for a reward. At a glance I can see who doesn't have many Dojos at the start of the day and I make it my goal to find something positive about that child that is a genuine and meaningful reason. 

Another POV

White noise

How can a class of 50 + kids and 2 teachers make less noise than my class of 23? I could blame there's too many boys or too many new kids.  I armed myself with a plan of a noise intervention asking the class to help solve my problem. After explaining this is mine and their place of work and learning they were more than willing to offer advice and their 2c worth. Great I'm getting by in!

Use music to stop

Use shakers to let us know we are getting to loud

Write NOISE up on the board and take letters off to and stay in at break times

Use whisper voices when Mrs P is working with children 

At read,read,read time and silent reading time read in your head

Alter time for silent reading it's too long (agreed on 7 minutes)

What are YOU going to do to be a RESPECTFUL citizen and a THINKER KC kid?

Use whisper voices when working in a group (other people won't be able to hear what you're saying)

Gently tap the person who is talking too loudly and put your fingers to your lips.

I explained to the children about taking letters off NOISE is a negative way of thinking and it can make you feel angry or upset when letters get taken off you might not want to try.  In the short of it we are going to replace NOISE with RESPECT.

Stay tuned and I'll let you know how we are going!

I'm back and I have some progress to share with you.  The children have really taken to earning youtube time. But I did hit a wall with some children consistently talking too loudly so I have a 2 tier approach. These noisy souls have individual behaviour goals with the child choosing the incentive (ipad and treasure books being a big hit).  For the children who I have given a 'friendly' fingers to the lips or a buddy tap reminder and offend again they lose their youtube privilege. SO FAR NOT A SOUL has had their their youtube time revoked.  Also a big hit with the relievers so easy to monitor and implement and easy to set goals for each learning time.

A bit of delayed gratification never hurt anyone

"Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown."

Soren Kierkegaard

"Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous patience."

Hyman Rickover