Reporoa+Milestone

Progress since Term 4 2007  The first TOD in early January focused on deepening our understandings of Inquiry learning using material from seminars attended by the lead teacher and principal Sharon Fresian, Tony Ryan and Ian Jukes. Teachers found this session particularly helpful – it has given a clearer picture of inquiry learning and has led to some significant changes in classroom practice. A continued focus of ICT integration into all areas of learning and inquiry learning throughout the day As a beginning to designing the curriculum, we have used John Faire’s Mt Eden Normal School model as a discussion document and have identified some key ideas of :  1. Aligning our school with the new curriculum requirements  2. Having an holistic not atomistic approach.  3. Looking at the big picture – working backwards from what our students will look like when they leave school  The previous year had ended with a need to address some major issues around behaviour and this has seen a concerted effort to review our procedures and has led to installation of a behaviour module on our SMS system to record and monitor behaviours.  Since the beginning of Term One, the school has been able to capitalise on the radical changes to our ICT environment which took place during 2007.  As a result of the upgrade and changes, there is an increased use of computer technology for both administrative and classroom use, by teacher and children.  Teachers now access the network from home and this reduces barriers to planning and administration. This familiarity with computers and access to the internet has helped to develop teaching ideas and planning which integrates ICT effectively, across the board. Teachers are also developing confidence in the use of a variety of ICT tools such as voice thread, blogs and podcasts which allow them to share their discoveries, with other teachers in our school, in the cluster and with parents, by way of the internet.  Because individual staff members have chosen to explore different learning pathways in ICT – podcasts, blogs, voice thread, in addition to internet sites – as a means to communicate with cluster schools and international sites, the shared wisdom is gradually building strength which is being passed on to the children in a variety of ways. In particular, effective development in written and oral language is noticeable, but initiative, self-discovery, and questioning are also part of this equation.  Children are increasingly becoming aware of effectively using ICT’s as an integral part of everyday learning.  ** Learning at School Conference  ** A wonderful opportunity to meet, discuss and learn from lots of like minded people. In particular I was inspired by Trevor Bond who spoke on questioning and how to facilitate better questions from children which, is at the heart of good inquiry.  It has had the effect of demystifying ICT.  Holding staff meetings in classrooms has been a profitable way of sharing what is happening in that room and an encouragement for all staff to share a snippet or two of their successes, frustrations or where to next.  A school wiki has been used for comments and sharing set up at the beginning of Term 2.  Access to collaborative learning experiences ( Mental Beroccas) have been attended by all staff members and have encouraged teaching staff to explore a number of ICT tools to support and enhance different learning programmes in the school: · <span style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> The Year 1 and 2 class is benefiting from collaboration with another cluster school to develop podcasting. The children are comfortably accessing programs on the internet, which enhance learning, particularly, in literacy and numeracy, but in other areas as well. This class and the Year 2 and 3 class adjacent to it, have established a blog and are using epals to communicate with other classes and students, internationally. The Thin Wall has been set up as Reporoa Primary’s junior wikispace after the Term1 junior teachers mental berocca. · <span style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> The year 2 and 3 class is also working on a project to “Walk the Great Wall of China” by using pedometers to measure their daily walking distances and register their progress on a dedicated web site. This is particularly relevant given the currently high profile of China, in the news. It has enabled very young children to relate closely to those events. They continue to maintain contact with a virtual traveller by way of a GPS which was started in 2006. Digital photography to record the monarch butterfly metamorphosis was the main focus in Term 1 however the posting of this onto the “thin wall” has met with technical hitches. · <span style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> The year 3 and 4 class has continued to update their highly successful blog which was established last year. School staff has used a staff meeting to go into this site and record their comments and support the class members in their endeavours. This is also an effective means of communication with parents. This class has also developed a “each one teach one” system to enable computer use to be maximised in the classroom with the children becoming the experts. In recent days the classroom teacher has been successful in winning a grant to finance technical equipment for carrying out a project to teach children in a American school, the Haka. They will be using digital video camera, web cameras and skype to communicate their instructions to the other school and receive feedback on their endeavours. · <span style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> Year 4 and 5 children have made great strides in seeing computers, cameras, and other equipment as integral to their general learning. In addition, a group of ‘expert’ children has managed a whole class project to produce a class a podcast drawing attention to the threat of a power crisis as a result of the recent drought. After one session with our ICT facilitator, they have completed the draft, edited it and made it ready for parents to view on the internet. The questioning skills, initiative and persistence and organisational skills which have emerged during this project, are remarkable. · <span style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> Year 6 children have continued to use computers and other aspects of ICT to supplement their learning at all levels. The children have become experts in the use of Power Point and Inspiration and are comfortable with accessing the internet for research and to supplement their learning generally. Several of these children also assist other classes in the setting up of ICT equipment and assisting teachers with technical difficulties. At present this class is working to develop a voice thread to be shared by other schools in the cluster. <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> Some barriers to these developments have been frustrating breakdowns in the system and difficulties with school zone filtering system. Such events serve to soak up valuable time and can sap enthusiasm for projects involving ICT. While the frequency and severity of these problems has abated since our system was rewired and our computers were upgraded, there is still a need for support in this area. In term One we decided that the system for using the ‘cow’ was not working and it is now in each class for a day a week, This appears to be working better for everyone. More children are able to access the internet and use the computers especially in the junior school. Individual classroom projectors or flat screens (for junior classes) are clearly becoming a requirement if teachers are going to be able to share the riches of the network and internet with their students, on a consistent and “trouble free” basis. In addition to projectors, our cameras are in need of an upgrade and there needs to be more of them as increased use of technology increases demand for such things as web cameras and microphones and speakers to facilitate communication with cluster schools and international connections. <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> ** School Systems and Structures ** : <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> The climate of exploration with staff being encouraged to find different aspects of ICT to support and enhance learning, has produced a diversity of knowledge and skills which can shared amongst fellow staff members in meetings and in paired situations. (Buddy system.) Staff meetings provide opportunities for all teachers to share skills and knowledge with other staff members. Initiatives to facilitate sharing between cluster schools have provided opportunities to: <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> Share useful web sites and computer software programmes; Share knowledge of internet facilities for recording and analysing assessment material;Share expertise related to ICT resources such as electronic white boards and allow evaluation of the technology - is it right for our school? <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none">; <span style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> Match like minded teachers from other cluster schools to develop projects and enhance class to class communication. <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> ** Teacher/ Leaders Pedagogy  **<span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> In the first term two of our teachers were involved in the Learning at School Conference. One of our lead teachers was a presenter, sharing her experiences with using global positioning systems in her class, to connect the children with the wider world through a dedicated web site. This teacher has since been invited to present at a mini conference at Bethlehem College, along with another teacher from our cluster. A second teacher attended the conference as a delegate. Her report is included elsewhere. <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> Lead teachers have attended two cluster group sessions where they have been exposed to, and have shared ways of developing a “tool box” of ideas on best practice teaching throughout the school. <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> The senior school teachers have followed up a visit to a school at the end of last year, with a collaborative session to develop team planning ideas and enhance communication through ICT with classes in other cluster schools. <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> Our middle school teachers have also this same opportunity and the junior teachers are scheduled to follow in term three. <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> A variety of “thinking” tools is to be seen in the planning, and as integral part of programmes in operation, throughout the school these include:Habits of mind <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none">; <span style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> Howard Gardner’s Smart Learning; Blooms Taxonomy;  <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> Thinkers Keys (Tony Ryan lead a seminar for the teachers in the cluster during the last term break and junior teachers attended an afternoon session on thinkers keys, in term one. They have been implementing the ideas into their classrooms) <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none">; Six Thinking Hats <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none">; Inspiration and Kidspiration. <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> While there is strong evidence that these ideas have been embraced and are strongly influencing teaching practice throughout the school, which means that children are experiencing a variety of teaching and thinking approaches, we are aware that there is work to be done to embed the inquiry learning approach consistently through all curriculum areas. Growth in pedagogical understanding was not fully appreciated until we asked the question– How and why is our practice changing? We are excited when children ask questions that illustrate deep thinking and when they make connections in their learning which would not have happened or have been appreciated in the past. Oral language is a focus in our school and we realise its importance for 21st century learning. Creativity is seen as crucial for our future. The ideas of Howard Gardner, Tony Ryan, Sharon Friesen, Trevor Bond and others have invaded our planning, thinking and learning experiences. <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> ** Lead Teachers  **<span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none"> The lead teachers act as communicators between their counterparts in the cluster, the cluster ICT facilitator, and staff members. They attend lead teacher sessions where new ideas are introduced. They have also had opportunities to work with cluster principals to ensure that the classroom teacher’s perspective on ICT is kept to the forefront. While the lead teachers have been very happy to provide support across a variety of fronts, for the other staff members, on a one to one basis, opportunities to share what they gain at lead teacher sessions, need to be more frequently scheduled as staff development in staff meetings__.__ <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">
 * Reporoa Primary School Milestone Reporting Term 2 2008 **<span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none">
 * Collaborative Learning ** <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-underline: none">