Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Monday, 9 November 2015
The Learning Pit
This year we have begun to focus on the "Learning Pit" concept as a growth mindset. The aim of it is to teach children that learning isn't always easy and that when the learning is tricky, that's when you will accomplish the most when you succeed.
The children have adapted to using the term "I'm in the pit" to communicate that they are finding the task at hand difficult, instead of saying "It's too hard" without giving it a proper go. Since introducing this simple concept, the mindset of the children has shifted to become more positive and believing in themselves that they can achieve any task they put their mind to.
The "Learning Pit" is about challenging learning and challenging children's comfort zones. It teaches them to become resilient learners. The simple concept provides them with steps and skills to get through a learning challenge. The challenge of the "Learning Pit" leads to more enhanced learning and encourages students to challenge themselves.
This image, perfectly captures what the "Learning Pit" is all about.
The best thing about the "Learning Pit" concept is that it can be easily adapted to suit any age group. It is important that the children understand from an early age that learning shouldn't be easy because otherwise they aren't challenging themselves, and therefore potentially not learning anything new.
This video provides more information on the "Learning Pit".
The children have adapted to using the term "I'm in the pit" to communicate that they are finding the task at hand difficult, instead of saying "It's too hard" without giving it a proper go. Since introducing this simple concept, the mindset of the children has shifted to become more positive and believing in themselves that they can achieve any task they put their mind to.
The "Learning Pit" is about challenging learning and challenging children's comfort zones. It teaches them to become resilient learners. The simple concept provides them with steps and skills to get through a learning challenge. The challenge of the "Learning Pit" leads to more enhanced learning and encourages students to challenge themselves.
This image, perfectly captures what the "Learning Pit" is all about.
This video provides more information on the "Learning Pit".
Friday, 16 October 2015
The Power of Three
Over the past couple of terms in our collaborative classroom we have been using the "Power of Three" with our learners for collaborative group work.
The idea came about initially because we have a few rather low learners who struggle to keep up on occasion, when working with just one other buddy. This therefore, leaves the other buddy within the pair swamped with most of the hard work.
By adding another student into the mix, it enables a weight to be lifted off the one student who would have otherwise been "weighted down" with the majority of the tasks involved in the learning and creates a shift enabling the work load to be shared.
However, as with any way of learning- problems do still occasionally arise. The main problem that my collaborative teaching partner and I have encountered is forming the right combinations. We learnt the hard way.
Initially we let the children choose their combinations- mistake number one. This was just too hard. All our most difficult children seemed to place themselves within the same sets of three. Our effort that went into management seemed to escalate incredibly.
We then tried to choose the groups ourselves but even sometimes this wouldn't work because some children would just not work together. It was like a clash of heads- nobody would co-operate.
Lately we tried letting them choose their groups but giving them guidelines they had to meet e.g. one year 5, one year 6, one girl, one boy, someone you haven't worked with before etc. This tends to work really well because they still have some control over the people that they are working with and everyone is included.
The latest way of forming groups we tried is by using an online random group generator and then moving some children around that wouldn't work in some combinations. We have done this with our most recent writing groups and the combinations are a dream!
The best thing about children working within a group of three is there are more ideas floating around rather than just two heads working together. The work load is shared more equally and there is a broader range of skills that can contribute to the learning. The children also actually seem to be way more on task as well.
I personally find the "Power of Three" to be highly beneficial to children of all learning capabilities and will endeavour to continue using it within our learning space.
The idea came about initially because we have a few rather low learners who struggle to keep up on occasion, when working with just one other buddy. This therefore, leaves the other buddy within the pair swamped with most of the hard work.
By adding another student into the mix, it enables a weight to be lifted off the one student who would have otherwise been "weighted down" with the majority of the tasks involved in the learning and creates a shift enabling the work load to be shared.
However, as with any way of learning- problems do still occasionally arise. The main problem that my collaborative teaching partner and I have encountered is forming the right combinations. We learnt the hard way.
Initially we let the children choose their combinations- mistake number one. This was just too hard. All our most difficult children seemed to place themselves within the same sets of three. Our effort that went into management seemed to escalate incredibly.
We then tried to choose the groups ourselves but even sometimes this wouldn't work because some children would just not work together. It was like a clash of heads- nobody would co-operate.
Lately we tried letting them choose their groups but giving them guidelines they had to meet e.g. one year 5, one year 6, one girl, one boy, someone you haven't worked with before etc. This tends to work really well because they still have some control over the people that they are working with and everyone is included.
The latest way of forming groups we tried is by using an online random group generator and then moving some children around that wouldn't work in some combinations. We have done this with our most recent writing groups and the combinations are a dream!
The best thing about children working within a group of three is there are more ideas floating around rather than just two heads working together. The work load is shared more equally and there is a broader range of skills that can contribute to the learning. The children also actually seem to be way more on task as well.
I personally find the "Power of Three" to be highly beneficial to children of all learning capabilities and will endeavour to continue using it within our learning space.
Monday, 29 June 2015
Teaching As Inquiry
This year as a staff, we have been focusing on the area of mathematics for our Teaching as Inquiry (TAI) focus.
As I started at my current school half way through last year, I didn't have the opportunity to start a full TAI last year. As this is my first one, I found the lead up to it daunting. I constantly had multiple questions running through my head. How would I identify my target children? How would I ensure that my target group would improve? How can I justify these improvements? Are only a few of the questions that took over my mind and stressed me out.
In the Senior Syndicate we are working our mathematics programme across a four. We have a system where we see the same groups at the same time every week. Each of us roam for half a session a week. For example I roam on a Tuesday for the first half of a session and then work with a group. (All of us are teaching during this point). The purpose of a roaming teacher for the first half of the session is to assist children where they need it, check in on specific learners to ensure they are on-task and observe teaching when/where needed. It is also beneficial for the roamer to see how other teachers teach certain strategies/work with children to gain ideas and professionally develop their own teaching and learning.
We have a "roaming book" which we record anything necessary in, so that we have a record of it.
Our Target Groups consist of children who we have identified from Gloss Testing, that are below where they currently should be. The other groups are not based on ability. They are completely mixed ability.
I find this beneficial as the children at higher stages, who are able to make sense of a strategy quickly are able to also become a teacher and teach their peers, engraining their knowledge further. Children who are working at a lower strategy stage then learn from their peers as are exposed to a wider range of mathematical vocabulary and reasoning.
My target group has been my main focus this term. However, my teaching strategies which I use on these children automatically flow through to my teaching of my other maths groups.
When working with my groups, I use my modelling book. I have one for each of my groups. I ensure we recap on the previous session and share any new learning that is going to occur within the next few sessions. The children use the modelling book when working independently or away from the teacher but collaboratively, to further understanding and challenge themselves.
Some of the activities that I have the children working through include:
- Working through a Task Board. This has been set up to encourage the children to purely work on what they need to learn based on their I Kan knowledge test results.
- Working through strategy based activities made up with informative videos, questions and games.
- Figure it out activities
- Weekly challenges
- Variety of group box games
- Knowledge games e.g. greedy pig, place value millionaire, rocket, countdown numbers, maths tag
Overall, I'm not sure what I was so worried about. I have found that with the right support, I have managed to keep on track and really dive head first into my TAI- with confidence and with the willingness to learn!
Most importantly though, the feedback provided from the children in the syndicate and the parents has been phenomenal! One parent has said "I don't think I've ever heard so many children rave about how much they are enjoying maths!"
Feedback like this, for me speaks for itself. The children are excited about their learning and can't wait to come to mathematics each day. I can't wait to see if there has been a change in their mathematics results, as there has been in their attitudes towards maths.
As I started at my current school half way through last year, I didn't have the opportunity to start a full TAI last year. As this is my first one, I found the lead up to it daunting. I constantly had multiple questions running through my head. How would I identify my target children? How would I ensure that my target group would improve? How can I justify these improvements? Are only a few of the questions that took over my mind and stressed me out.
In the Senior Syndicate we are working our mathematics programme across a four. We have a system where we see the same groups at the same time every week. Each of us roam for half a session a week. For example I roam on a Tuesday for the first half of a session and then work with a group. (All of us are teaching during this point). The purpose of a roaming teacher for the first half of the session is to assist children where they need it, check in on specific learners to ensure they are on-task and observe teaching when/where needed. It is also beneficial for the roamer to see how other teachers teach certain strategies/work with children to gain ideas and professionally develop their own teaching and learning.
We have a "roaming book" which we record anything necessary in, so that we have a record of it.
Our Target Groups consist of children who we have identified from Gloss Testing, that are below where they currently should be. The other groups are not based on ability. They are completely mixed ability.
I find this beneficial as the children at higher stages, who are able to make sense of a strategy quickly are able to also become a teacher and teach their peers, engraining their knowledge further. Children who are working at a lower strategy stage then learn from their peers as are exposed to a wider range of mathematical vocabulary and reasoning.
My target group has been my main focus this term. However, my teaching strategies which I use on these children automatically flow through to my teaching of my other maths groups.
When working with my groups, I use my modelling book. I have one for each of my groups. I ensure we recap on the previous session and share any new learning that is going to occur within the next few sessions. The children use the modelling book when working independently or away from the teacher but collaboratively, to further understanding and challenge themselves.
Some of the activities that I have the children working through include:
- Working through a Task Board. This has been set up to encourage the children to purely work on what they need to learn based on their I Kan knowledge test results.
- Working through strategy based activities made up with informative videos, questions and games.
- Figure it out activities
- Weekly challenges
- Variety of group box games
- Knowledge games e.g. greedy pig, place value millionaire, rocket, countdown numbers, maths tag
Overall, I'm not sure what I was so worried about. I have found that with the right support, I have managed to keep on track and really dive head first into my TAI- with confidence and with the willingness to learn!
Most importantly though, the feedback provided from the children in the syndicate and the parents has been phenomenal! One parent has said "I don't think I've ever heard so many children rave about how much they are enjoying maths!"
Feedback like this, for me speaks for itself. The children are excited about their learning and can't wait to come to mathematics each day. I can't wait to see if there has been a change in their mathematics results, as there has been in their attitudes towards maths.
Tuesday, 23 June 2015
Collaborative Teaching
The term "collaborative teaching" is becoming very loosely used as of late- not really having a stand alone term that truly defines it. This is because, I believe, that no two teachers collaboratively teach exactly like another two teachers.
At the school I work at, I teach in a year 5/6 syndicate with 3 other teachers, who are a lot more experienced than myself. We all have different styles of teaching and over the years they have learnt what not to do/what things work better. For me, working alongside them in a collaborative environment is a bonus- I learn so much from them! Instead of being shut inside your single cell classroom awaiting the horrors that are going to occur, I have support- constantly! This is what collaborative teaching is for me, it's all about the underlying support that you have from and for the fellow teachers in your syndicate and within your school.
When people ask my: Is it hard working collaboratively? My response... YES! It is, but it is so worth it. With the support I have from my collaborative teaching partner, I am able to learn in a more productive way than I would in a single cell class. It doesn't daunt me when I am being observed anymore because, you are being constantly observed anyway! The feedback I receive is daily instead of once every now and again, and my feedback to my collaborative teaching partner is also valued- no matter how different our experience levels are.
I'm still a BT and without the support of my team and teaching partner- I'd be half-way lost, buried in a deepening hole of stress and worry. Not to say, I don't stress and worry now, I do, but I have guidance to get through it everyday.
Teaching collaboratively has been an exhausting, stressful and challenging journey so far. However, I love coming to school everyday- knowing that I don't have to teach these kids on my own, knowing that my co-teacher is there for me, knowing that I will make it out alive.
It won't always be happy smiles and wonderful days, don't get me wrong, we have bad days too. Someone else is just there with you. They can back you up. You're exposed to ways of teaching you never dreamed of. You develop strong rapports with a wider range of children and they learn that "Hey! Working alongside this child and this child isn't really so bad".
You may not accomplish as much as fast in a collaborative environment as you would in a single cell classroom, but we teachers, and the children are going to be better prepared for the future. The skills being developed will take everyone further than before!
At the school I work at, I teach in a year 5/6 syndicate with 3 other teachers, who are a lot more experienced than myself. We all have different styles of teaching and over the years they have learnt what not to do/what things work better. For me, working alongside them in a collaborative environment is a bonus- I learn so much from them! Instead of being shut inside your single cell classroom awaiting the horrors that are going to occur, I have support- constantly! This is what collaborative teaching is for me, it's all about the underlying support that you have from and for the fellow teachers in your syndicate and within your school.
When people ask my: Is it hard working collaboratively? My response... YES! It is, but it is so worth it. With the support I have from my collaborative teaching partner, I am able to learn in a more productive way than I would in a single cell class. It doesn't daunt me when I am being observed anymore because, you are being constantly observed anyway! The feedback I receive is daily instead of once every now and again, and my feedback to my collaborative teaching partner is also valued- no matter how different our experience levels are.
I'm still a BT and without the support of my team and teaching partner- I'd be half-way lost, buried in a deepening hole of stress and worry. Not to say, I don't stress and worry now, I do, but I have guidance to get through it everyday.
Teaching collaboratively has been an exhausting, stressful and challenging journey so far. However, I love coming to school everyday- knowing that I don't have to teach these kids on my own, knowing that my co-teacher is there for me, knowing that I will make it out alive.
It won't always be happy smiles and wonderful days, don't get me wrong, we have bad days too. Someone else is just there with you. They can back you up. You're exposed to ways of teaching you never dreamed of. You develop strong rapports with a wider range of children and they learn that "Hey! Working alongside this child and this child isn't really so bad".
You may not accomplish as much as fast in a collaborative environment as you would in a single cell classroom, but we teachers, and the children are going to be better prepared for the future. The skills being developed will take everyone further than before!
2015 So Far!
Wow! How far we have come along since the start of the year!
Since the beginning of Term 1 we have jumped hurdles, pulled ourselves through muddy waters and crashed head first... not literally, but we may as well have!
With our classrooms being completely opened up this year we have been presented with a whole new way of learning. Collaborative teaching and learning. What a journey we have travelled. It is quite honestly the hardest thing I've ever done, but along with the challenges come the rewards. What a fantastic bunch of kids we get to work with!
At the beginning of the year we really struggled with the noise level and ways around ensuring that the other end of the syndicate wasn't being disrupted from their learning. Since then, the children and teachers within our space have all become better at managing the noise so that it is acceptable. Of course, we still have hiccups which, we tackle when we reach them.
As you will see in the pictures below, our spaces are very open with the giant holes in the walls and no way of blocking out sound- so as you can imagine, it can be hard. But! We are getting better. To avoid distracting other crucial learning from occurring down the other end of the block we try to place our noisier learning in the end rooms or deeper into the rooms so that the noise doesn't travel.
Since the beginning of Term 1 we have jumped hurdles, pulled ourselves through muddy waters and crashed head first... not literally, but we may as well have!
With our classrooms being completely opened up this year we have been presented with a whole new way of learning. Collaborative teaching and learning. What a journey we have travelled. It is quite honestly the hardest thing I've ever done, but along with the challenges come the rewards. What a fantastic bunch of kids we get to work with!
At the beginning of the year we really struggled with the noise level and ways around ensuring that the other end of the syndicate wasn't being disrupted from their learning. Since then, the children and teachers within our space have all become better at managing the noise so that it is acceptable. Of course, we still have hiccups which, we tackle when we reach them.
As you will see in the pictures below, our spaces are very open with the giant holes in the walls and no way of blocking out sound- so as you can imagine, it can be hard. But! We are getting better. To avoid distracting other crucial learning from occurring down the other end of the block we try to place our noisier learning in the end rooms or deeper into the rooms so that the noise doesn't travel.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)