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