PLAY-BASED LEARNING OBSERVATION FEEDBACK

Sarah Aiono
Wednesday 29 December 2017
9am-11am

Good morning Stacey

Thanks once again for having me in your room yesterday morning.  I thoroughly enjoyed being in there and observing your children's learning.  You have created such an exciting and productive learning space, and the sense of discovery and purpose displayed by the students are a credit to your teaching practice!

The tool that I am piloting at the moment provides three key areas of observation data.  The learning environment, teacher behaviour and overall teach practice.  In all of these areas I scored you as 'exemplary' with very little areas being marked lower than this in the individual indicators.  I could find no 'counter-indicators' to practices associated with play-based learning pedagogy (as I had expected!)

Learning Environment:

You have created a variety of learning spaces for the students, both inside and outside the classroom.  The learning space is well-organised, with students being able to access and put away resources available to them.  You shared with me the processes you have in place for promoting learning to your school community, including your parent hui, use of See Saw, as well as your informal interactions.  You have a variety of small loose parts available to students to use in their play, both indoors and out, at their own choosing.  There were only two areas in this section that I marked 'down' slightly on.  The first was the large loose part play outside.  For an observer using this tool to rank you as a '5' in this area, the students need to have access to running water and sand/mud play.  I realise you have physical environment restrictions here, and this is beyond your control! If I were coming in to use this data in a 'coach' capacity next year - it would be a conversation I would be supporting you to have further with management.  (I'm not sure how far along you are with your outdoor area development?)  I think the resources you have got for the children in general are absolutely great - really open ended and lead to some highly imaginative and creative play.  I would be pursuing the use of flowing water and sand/mud where the children can explore the digging urge, as this will continue to encourage a lot of science experimentation. 

The second area I marked 'down' on slightly was the use of a system where children, when their play needed to be interrupted, were supported to leave their play where it was, or the resources they were using.  This may be that at this time of the year, this system isn't needed quite so much.  Some system, such as 'Work in Progress', or a photo of the children to place where they have been working, so that they are more comfortable leaving their play to join you, or to take a break, so they can return to their play afterwards, without having others interfere.  I really liked the support you offered Beau with regards to his plane at morning tea time, including having Paul make the announcement.  This is the sort of support on a large scale that is required - I'm wondering how that might look on a smaller management scale for those kids needing to leave their play to come to do their reading with you, or writing etc.  You may have a system, that I simply didn't observe yesterday. 

As you can see - two fairly minor points for this section!

Teacher Behavior:

This was your strongest area in the scoring and clearly demonstrated your refined practice here! At the beginning of the play, you provided an invitation with specific resources, introducing these in an engaging way, drawing the students' attention to new resources with a 'suggestion' for their use.  You encouraged imagination and creative thought by inviting students to engage with these resources in a pretend way.  You promoted problem-solving between individuals, and as a class, using your provocation to attempt to generate some problem-solving thought.  You were constantly using phrases such as 'I wonder', 'maybe', 'you might like to', 'have you thought about'.  You were intentionally teaching the key competencies and learning areas of the curriculum as you engaged with students in their play and you supported specific skill and knowledge development in the context of play.  (Who would have a conversation about WW2 Spitfires in a more traditional New Entrant room???) There were times when you promoted flexible thought and risk-taking with ideas, and you supported students when they made mistakes, or when ideas didn't work - encouraging them to consider another way around the problem.  This contributes to a culture of resilience within the learning environment.

While not engaged in the above practices, you provided focused teacher-directed literacy instruction (writing) and engaged in reciprocal conversation with students, scaffolding new vocabulary during play and small group instruction.  You explained to me the way in which you explicitly teach social skills in conjunction with the use of provocation.  A particular area of strength you have is the way in which you recognise and intentionally teach students emotions and emotional language during play - supporting students to self-regulate and manage their emotions as needed.  This is a unique strength, as very few teachers are able to score highly in this area of their practice. 

Finally, you consistently manage the exuberance of your learners effectively, providing rule reminders when required, and the use of whole-class redirection if the learning environment becomes unsettled during play.  Logical consequences for students not following classroom rules are well established. 

A pure pleasure to watch your craft Stacey!

Overall Areas: Teacher Practice

This area observes overall practices across the course of the observation period.  It includes indicators such as noise level in the room, transitions, resource management, timetabling, planning and assessment.  Again, another area where you have scored particularly highly in.  I just have one suggestion for a focus for you to move forward in this area. 

One of the indicators I look for in this area is specific links between play provocations and the learning areas of the Curriculum.  This can be provocations in terms of specific resourcing, static displays or books, right through to introducing a provocation as you did so yesterday with your pirate problem.  When I asked you about this, you suggested you do more planning around the urges and student interest, rather than specific curriculum areas.  This may be something you wish to develop into 2018.  It is my suggestion that you continue your focus on urges and interest, but identify one or two lesser-explored learning areas that you may look to 'provoke' through resource provision, or your own promotion, once a week or fortnight.  This does help ensure curriculum coverage over the school year as well.  An example might be your intention to cover Planet Earth and Beyond.  You may set up a display in the room with 'moon rocks', a 'telescope', a photo of the stars or a star chart and maybe a dress up that looks somewhat like an astronaut outfit.  This might be enough to provoke some exploration and discussion about Space.  Or, you may bring in a book and introduce it in an exciting way, resourcing the students in their play to build a rocket ship etc.  You are doing this at the moment in response to student interest - my suggestion is to just step it up slightly to be more intentional in your planning around this.  The best place to start is in the areas of the curriculum that aren't naturally being covered in the children's play already.

You are an excellent practitioner Stacey, and you are providing a quality learning program in your classroom for your students, both in play and through explicit acts of teaching and learning.  Your students obviously enjoy being in your room and are so excited to be learning with you.  You are able to 'read' your students well and know how to support them individually to develop the skills and knowledge they require at the right time in their learning journey.  I thoroughly enjoyed being in your room yesterday and am excited for your students and the wonderful start they are experiencing of school.

Ahakoa he iti he pounamu!  Kei reira katoa!

If it is ok with you I would love to share this feedback with Paul and Tim - just so they know what a gem they have in their NE team.  Let me know if you're ok with this and I will forward on. 

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Sarah :)

Rangi and Papa Hui

Objective:

To put on a performance to celebrate the Te Ao Māori learning from throughout the year.  The performance needed to showcase:

• Waiata
• Haka
• Dance
• Musical instruments
• Te Reo learning
• Our growing understanding of Māori myths and legends

We needed to make sure we invited our whānau and friends and our local ECE centres.

Challenge - to do this collaboratively and authentically throughout the year.  No last minute stress!

First step:

All classes learned the different songs throughout the year beginning in Term 1 with our weekly sessions with Whāea Kerri.

This knowledge continued to build throughout the year so all the children learned the contents of our hui organically and authentically.

Second step:

I met with Whāea Kerri to discuss the script and how all children would take place in class sets.  After a discussion with Kerri, I began to create the bones of the play at the end of Term 3.

In the last couple of weeks of Term 3, as a team we outlined the bones of the play and divvied up the jobs.  We made any art orders needed and created a timeline so that the play could be put on, along with an art gallery, athletics day, and Fun Day!  

Minutes

Script

Third step:

In Term 4 we began LC singing practices on a Wednesday.  We practised all classrooms songs so all children could practice in down times in their classes.  We began working on making costumes with the children including masks and tipare.  Our local ECE centre invites went out and all families were informed of our practice date.  

Practising music in class

Fourth step:

After LC 3's fantastic performance in Week Five, we began practising in the hall about 4 days before our performance!  Whāea Kerri had ex-Frimley Students complete our staging and props, Luke helped us with sound and lighting, and the children had a few run throughs so that they knew what to do but weren't sick of it!

Then we had our great performance Friday 24 November to a packed in crowd!  Great to see two daycares, one kindergarten and our local Te Kohanga Reo attend!

Objective reflection:

• All Te Ao Māori learning from throughout the year was successfully represented in the 'show'.
• Visual Art, Dance, Drama and Music were all included in the 'show'
• We couldn't fit anymore family or friends into the hall so as a hui it was a truly effective example of what brings our whānau into school.
• Transition was supported by having our ECE centres represented in the audience.
• All teachers spoke about how it was taken in their stride and there was no last minute stress to be had.
• It was great to have included Whāea Kerri effectively and to see her sessions followed through in classes.

Whānau and community voice:

• "This is the best pronunciation of Te Reo, I've heard our 5 year olds do.  It's awesome to see it taught when they're so young.  Get it into them young, eh?"
• "It was really good to see all the kids get a turn to show us something.  In my day, someone had to be a tree or something in a show but all these kids got up and did something."
• "These kids are confident, eh.  Choice!"
• "That was really good!  It's great to see what our little kiddies move on to do after being with us at Frimley Kindy.  They grow up fast!"
• "Too cute!  It looked really flash actually!  It was just the right amount of time too."

All teachers commented on how happy their students and their families were with the performance.

Tātaiako with Kerri

Tātaiako

1. The different aspects of Tātaiako cannot be compartmentalised.  They have different definitions and influence the classroom, our practise and our learners in slightly different ways, but work simultaneously.
   
2. Tangata whenuatanga is Māori learners as Māori.  It is about contexts for learning where the identify, language and culture (cultural locatedness) or Māori and their whānau is affirmed.

In order to have these 2 over-arching concepts of Tātaiako explored, Whaea Kerri Sherard had us complete an oral activity involving unwrapping individual parcels of several layers.  This was to represent the 'onion layers' of a Māori student.

When we unwrapped the first layer we asked ourselves (and discussed):
How do you make new students to your class feel welcome?

Second layer

How do you communicate and make connections with whānau?

Third layer

How do you roll with relationships in your room?  What is the kawa?

Fourth layer

What are your success stories with relationships with children (perhaps your 'hard wax' kids?) 

When we finally reached the last layer of the parcel the prize was M&Ms to represent all the connections the children have to their past, present, community and future.

Sometimes you will be working with Māori students that have these connections within them (entrenched ideas of culture) but don't realise.  Our job is to bring this out in them.

Reflection

What I am doing that I want to keep:

• Introducing children to the classroom by using korus
• Weekly Tuesday transition visits
• Te reo commands
• Daily waiata
• Conversations about family and who we know in school
• Buddy class
• Whanau huis throughout the year

Things to introduce

• Drawing on whanau strengths and interests to have them in class.   Eg, Grandma likes gardening so bring her in to help with our garden.
• More streamlined Te Reo lessons for the children.

Differentiation in Writing

Gemma Gardiner
Waikato University
Frimley School - staffroom
Monday 4 September 2017

Main points:

Gemma was really interesting as she took us through the different building blocks for teaching children vocabulary, sentence structure and spelling.

• Verbs
• Adjectives
• Participles
• Complex sentences
• Compound sentences

Although a lot of this was pitched at students from a higher level, I found the teaching points a great goal to work with.  With the above areas, I aim to incorporate verbs first.  Making vocabulary charts and displaying them around the walls will be the first thing to go up!  The key will be in referring to these often and starting with an oral language focus first.  The children must be feeling confident to speak these new words and hear them with understanding before committing them to paper!

A focus on verbs before adjectives helps to make the sentences 'pop' more so than lists of adjectives.  This is also supported by the idea of meta-language and the different vocabulary and sentence structure sets on PACt.

Another school wide focus to ponder is the kids speak matrix and a shared language across the school.

New phonics focus for me is teaching the children the different between consonants and vowels and sharing with the children how vowels can make long and short sounds.  I have found display posters to show the difference between these long and short vowel sounds.  This teaching point is also supported by Quick 60 which begins teaching vowel rules such as; 'policeman e.'  Take, Face, Make

Gemma supported what Heretaunga Ararau has been focusing on - oral language and the importance of front-loading vocabulary.  AGAIN, children can't read and write what they don't hear or say.  Vocabulary needs to be unpacked and explained.  Using books such as, Giraffes Can't Dance, is an important tool.  I believe that Lucie does this well and she shared examples of this throughout the year with her Fairy Tales, for example.  I need to sometimes take a step back from Big Books and add in more substantial book study on other picture books also.

Gemma continued to endorse oral language by speaking about the importance of song in the classroom.  I need to incorporate more nursery rhymes, especially at the start of the year when children are slightly younger and transitioning from ECE centres.

QUANDRY
Gemma spoke about the importance of front-loading a given topic for accelerated progress.  How does this fit with children having their own choice of writing subjects?  Especially at 5 years old?  How can this be balanced in a writing programme and supported in a play-based learning programme?

Gemma shared a folder full of great resources:  Shared writing folder

Next steps:

• Vowel and consonant extension - support in writing and teach explicitly during phonics.
• Verb wall/word lists - unpacked and explained.
• 2018, all Ararau teachers showing evidence of how they front-load vocabulary in the classroom.
• Continue with Oral Language TAI focus for my teaching in 2018.

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.