Thriving in Complexity

CORE Education Breakfast Seminar
Jennifer Garvey Berger
22.08.2017

• Cynefin Framework
  Predictable vs. non-predictable (Complex, complicated, Chaotic, Obvious)
  
  How do we act in these unpredictable ways
• Teaching ebs and flows with the moment

Take-away:  We take things that are working in one school really well and think we can apply this to another school in order to create success.  This doesn't work - context, clientele etc...  Over simplified solution.  REFLECT ON THIS.

Leaders job in these complex situations is to calm the nervous system - stop the panic!

GAP analysis (future we want, figure out how far away we are from it, make a plan) great if you are in a predictable world.  In our unpredictable world this doesn't work and narrowing in on a target can be detrimental.  Mind the Gap, vs, Nudge the System.

1. Ask different questions (what's not being said?, if things were improving what would I hear more of?  What stories are people telling?)
2. Take multiple perspectives.  Listen.  Two types of listening (formulating a defense, trying to fix someones problem).  Who are you listening to?  How are you listening to them?  Even if you don't agree, you will learning something.
3. Look at systems not individual events.

“In study after study, researchers find that if people are unclear about where they are going, they’ll just default to their old patterns and habits.”

1. “if you’re not failing, you’re not actually being particularly experimental).” 
   
   “The point isn’t to be the hero and solve things; the point of the leader in a complex world is to enable and unleash as many heroes and as many solutions as possible.”

These above quotes help to focus on delegation in my team and the tension between leadership and management that is subtly an issue in all of Learning Communities that I have lead.  In teaching there is often the teacher who is a great events manager.  We need to make these individuals feel incredibly important whilst teaching them how this is one important aspect but not 'leadership' in its entirety.

The above listening points need to guide me in the video appraisal process that we have undertaken.

Looking at systems in Ararau, communication around tidbit information is really important.  However, systems for delegation and teacher voice work well for most.

Capacity Building Prevails - SEA construction

Leadership Question:

How to build processes and procedures around transition that every teacher owns?

Challenge:  Building SEA practices that are meaningful and manageable.

Context:

• By the end of each year, 6 teachers are involved with SEA assessment.  At least 3 of those teachers are typically new to Heretaunga Ararau and learning processes as they go.
• We intake over 100 students per to be tested.  A full class is a roll of 23.
• Teachers do not receive extra release to complete SEA assessments.
• The current test has different possible templates that each teacher could be using and it is not uniform or formatted so when displayed in Learning Journeys they can look 'hodge podge'.
• Not all teachers were completing all parts of the SEA.
• Not all teachers were administering the SEA in the same way.

Leadership focus:

I wanted to be able to change the process of SEA in Heretaunga Ararau so that all information was used to best inform practice, so it was the basis of further formative assessment and so it was manageable with the constraints of the classroom.  The SEA needs to be completed in its entirety and in a consistent manner across classrooms.

All teachers need to have a say around the process and reflect what is manageable in a classroom where the teacher has no release to complete the assessments.  Teachers need to be motivated to own the assessment as it is the building blocks of TAI and reporting information for parents as well.

Leadership style:

For this task it is very much an example of facilitative leadership as the measurable outcome is quite defined.  All teachers have the 'answers' and there is great practice happening in each room around assessment.  The concern around consistency and completion of SEA administration, is a hangover from how it's been done in the past that was not addressed earlier but not a teacher competency concern.  

"Individuals and groups are high capacity if they possess and continue to develop knowledge and skills, if they attract and use resources (time, ideas, expertise, money) wisely, and if they are committed to putting in the energy to get important things done collectively and continuously (ever learning)."
-  The six secrets of change.  Michael Fullan

Process:

• During team meetings the teachers were offered up the problem of SEA in a range of different ways since Term 1.  We would begin by discussing the ways in which we would manage the testing so that it was completed in a timely fashion without hindering classroom programmes getting off the ground.  Teachers shared ideas amongst each other.
• Then SEA showed how important it was going to be again when we were discussing TAI.  What information do you have?  How do you know?  It soon became apparent that teachers had a lot of letter and sound information but could not rely on the oral language test.  In fact our pass rate was disturbingly low and we could see that there was fault in the test.  SLT agreed.
• When Learning Conferences came around we realised that SEA was important again as it was what we would speak to to highlight student performance and progress.  Do you have the right assessments?
• As new teachers came into our team, they would discuss the processes that they had gone through in previous schools to test students new to school.  Can we take some of these ideas?

Change!

• After 2 terms of realisation and research, Heretaunga Ararau have a set of non-negotiables around SEA and templates that are uniform and accessible.
• Protocols have been written around how to perform the SEA that the team has written together and agreed upon as they have previously argued the case!
• SEA is seen as an integral part of any TAI.
• All teachers have taken a different role in order to make this happen.  
• Suzanne and Lucie have had a chance to share what happened at Massey and Churton schools for us to work from also.

Now what?

• Ashlee as our newest full time teacher has taken the lead on showing the other teachers the components of a 6 year net.  This is because our teachers had not been previously aware of what a 6 year neet entailed and many of our students are working towards this now.
• Tessa has been working to create templates that are now PDF and in OCD-friendly font.
• Oral language testing has become a focus for our COL.  I will continue to work on finding a 1:1 test for our severe cases and the teachers have been working on supports around indicators of oral language development at certain ages.  The University of Canterbury has some exciting tools available and the team will be asked to inquire into this soon!

Leadership findings:

My intended leadership style is usually transformational.  Having such a measurable outcome made it possible to be even more slightly facilitating.  It made me able to address the need for consistency and completion without highlighting flaw or fault and whilst still acknowledging the huge amount of effort put in by teachers. 

Also, by having a 'tidy' focus yet one that permeates many processes within the team, we were able to support our trusting culture and shared responsibility. 

The introduction of Seesaw

In Room 1 we are trialling the Seesaw app as a part of our reporting to parents, sharing learning, feedback processes, whānau education, and much more.

From Day One my main aim was to provide parents with a wide range of samples of learning so they were able to see the range of experiences that a 5 year old new to school is lucky enough to experience.

The first part of our learning journey in Room 1 to share with parents includes annotated evidence of quality play sessions.  

It's also important to capture our small group learning times such as guided reading and numeracy times.  Many of these examples have been video to try and capture the student voice as well.

Whānau and friends can also see the other opportunities afforded to the children during the week especially when we have visiting experts.  Te Reo sessions with Whaea Kerri and music sessions with Jacob being a prime example.

Flipped learning can still happen in a NE room and videoing or photographing and annotating examples of our phonics lessons was a great entry into this.  We were able to help parents understand the sounds the letters make and how we learn to write them.  This way when the children go home, whānau are able to support them with the language we use at school.  A great way to ease anxiety around how to help my child at home.

Next step:

• Continue to help parents to join seesaw so my whole class are added.
• Teach chn to make their own entries. 

Collaborative Reflections

During Term 2, I am working 0.6 in the classroom whilst Kate Woodward works 0.4.

On top of this, Ashlee Hansen began at our school full time as she was waiting for Room 2 to open with her class of New Entrants.  She worked in Room 1 five days a week for 4 weeks.

These teachers had no experience with play based learning but showed great classroom skills in different ways.  Kate has fantastic emotional social coaching and Ashlee was routined with sound behaviour management techniques.

My role as classroom teacher was to expose both teachers to different ways of resourcing a play classroom and we looked at ways to timetable the day to allow a good balance between interventions academic grouping and play based learning teacher guidance.

The focus that I wanted both teachers to work on without me was the reflecting in action of the play.  We set up weekly plans that allowed for the reflections to happen.

Reflection

As I read through the reflections I could see the focus on resourcing beaming off the page from both teachers.  I also saw that they were beginning to narrate learning and working together to have a growing understanding of the individuals in the class.

Next step

Teachers to start writing up a learning story for a body of play from the day they are teaching.

Evidence

Kate has captured Arama's play with photos and taken this as a great opportunity to let it inspire Arama's writing.  This story was then shared with the students and Arama's whānau which lead to this being the catalyst for a very big learning story later on.

Construction Urge

When the children first enter as New Entrants, it can take a while for urges to become recurrent as the children are so busy thing on the volume of new information.

One of the first urges to come to the forefront was construction this year.

While I only had 2 children in my class it was easy to begin working on my next step from Sarah Aiono around capturing learning and narrating it.  Student voice was easy to collect and the curriculum links that we made to the learning were natural.  All captured on the learning story above.

Then the next set of students started and construction was their first urge that they began repeating.   However Arama was able to bring his urge for enclosure and Mackenzie's urge for collecting and suddenly there is an Army barrack.  As my TAI is around oral language, the aim was to gift Army vocabulary.  Words such as barracks, supplies, hideout was used and before long it was also a superhero hideaway.  The oral language focus then shifted to the interpersonal language being used between the students and my job became observer.

Next steps:

• Social emotional coaching using construction projects
• "Say and walk away" approach to a construction project whereas I am focusing on broadening understanding of a topic to give breadth to a developing storyline.

Evidence:

Transition to School Report

TRANSITION TO SCHOOL REPORT

Rationale

The previous transition report that children had clearly spelt out many criteria for the teachers to simply tick as a way of letting the parents know what their child was able to do within the first 6 weeks and what they were still to develop.  There was a clear outlined letter as information for the parents and the teachers simply had to tick so it was time efficient.  Excerpt:

However with the new play based learning approach that is developing within Heretaunga Ararau a lot of the criteria (and the general abundance of them) meant that the report didn't necessarily support our new approach.  We wanted all documentation to begin supporting our new way.

Secondly, the branding our school has recently undergone was not reflected in this report format.  The Triple A's needed to take a front and centre place to initiate our learners and whānau to Frimley School and it's 'ways'.  Their meaning needs to be something we begin educating our parents and caregivers about from the 'get-go'.

Thirdly, in reflection of Tātaiako competencies, we wanted our whānau to feel as though their child was well known by the end of the 6 weeks we give before the report goes home.  The report needs to reflect their strengths, interests/passions, social and emotional observations, and our future focuses with their child.

Next steps:

• Support teachers new to Frimley to have a calendar organised to timetable these in a personalised way for each child.
• Support new teachers into the Triple A's and what they mean.
• Gain some whānau voice around the usefulness of these reports.

Whānau voice:

"I loved reading Keani's report.  It's what he's like.  He likes to sit back and watch before he does it.  It's good but we are talking about not always taking the easy way.  Maybe you have to be first sometimes."

Reading Together

In Term 1 2017 I ran 3 Reading Together Sessions with our parents from whanau in Heretaunga Ararau and Heretaunga Haukunui.

There was an average turn out of 23 families represented.
13% of families were represented on our ESOL register
21% were Maori learner families
From Heretaunga Ararau it was great to see 5 of our target students had their families represent them.

Whanau voice:

"We really enjoyed the introduction session and seeing the teachers role play the different scenarios with reading at home.  It's quite cool to see that it's what kids do and not just ours!"

"The booklet of code was interesting and hard.  Reminded me of what it must be like for Peter.  This programme was really awesome."

"Lots of it I already know but it was good to be reminded.  I'm pleased my husband came too and I know I have to chill out about teaching my child to read.  There's a bit of my own anxiety there."

"It was good but probably earlier on in the year would be better cos it's still light."

"I couldn't come to as many as I wanted to because the time was a bit late but the bits I got to were good."

Children's voice:

"Mum thinks I'm really good at reading."

"I can read heaps of books after school."

"I like these books (points to them) because I know them and they aren't too hard for me."


The programme was celebrated on our school Facebook page and picked up by Graeme Marshall, the Strategy Manager for Reading Together within the MOE.  Graeme was able to give me information on the Early Reading Together programme as well as the Talk Matters professional development through Comet.  See next steps.

Next steps:

• Run another Reading Together in Term 4.
• Consider adding Reading Together to the transition programme.
• Enquire into the Comet Talking Matters programme as part of my TAI.

Longworth Forest Class Trips

Throughout May 2017, Rooms 22, 23, and 1 went to Longworth Forest on individual class trips.  

As team leader, these trips came about on 3 different levels:

1. These trips would directly support the play-based learning development that is happening in Heretaunga Ararau.  The learners would be able to engage in the philosophy of play-based learning in a natural environment that we are unable to provide in the same way at Frimley School.
   
2. These trips would act as hands-on PLD for the classroom teachers.  The Longworth Forest is run by the same people that run our in-school PLD and weekend workshops for play-based learning.  There will be times to work 1:1 in a coaching role with the facilitators with the teachers 'own' class - powerful!
   
3. Chances for whanau to join us and experience the learning with the children and also have the chance to discuss with learning professionals what their child is interested in , strengths/weaknesses, values/family values, and the position of school.

Reflection

• Children all participated in a range of urge led learning which reinforced the learning from school that they had been undertaking prior to the visit.  This consolidated for me that urges lead learning in a compulsive way.
• Parent helpers for Room 1 were able to interact with the play in a supervisory role without commanding the play or simply watching from afar.
• All teachers, facilitators and parents were able to interact together to build an understanding of the learning they were seeing.  

Reflection in line with prior next steps

Sarah Aiono and I have discussed in the past the need to value the different styles of play - solitary, parallel, associate and collaborative play.  In the Longworth Forest scenarios, I was able to observe these styles of play and model moving from solitary to parallel with 2 ESOL students in particular.

Curriculum links were made everywhere and as a next step was around narrating learning, a learning story is below.

Next steps

• Developing a relationship with Longworth Forest to allow our learners to use this facility in times to come.
• Build on the PLD for my teachers by having them attend future workshops around the role of the teacher
• In class, provide more authentic outside nature play for the learners of Room 1.

Jump Start Programme

As the next part of the transition programme, we have looked at giving our parents and whanau more choice around how many visits they bring their child to to best suit their family's needs.  They can choose when they wan tot start visits (how far back from their child's 5th birthday) and how many to come to.  

Benefits of this:

• Less interruption to classroom programme
• Less time spent by the team leader, organising individual dates that are not necessarily helpful to our learners and their whanau.
• Well routined so other teachers can begin to take more responsibility.

Things to work on next:

• Developing more play into the transition programme
• Initiate Jacob and Ashlee (young teachers new to Frimley who are opening up the new NE classrooms in T3 and T4).
• Better define the difference between school visits and a transition programme.