in stopping for a minute to think about life, the universe and everything education...I am reflecting on challenges I am encountering so far this year...the question being which one to reflect on first!
My choice to move schools... from a school that was finally in a good place after a few years of struggle...to a school on a 1 yr ero review with an LSM and a huge amount of challenges... seemed rational as a decision. I still believe it is a rational choice ( though there are the odd moments when I wake up wondering when they will come for me with the little white van and those special jackets with arms that tie at the back!!) however it is a choice that has now generated hundreds of other choices that need to be solved- from creating a school curriculum to raising PCK in our teachers and dealing with daily life for our students.
How to tackle those choices and how to ensure that within the daily craziness of life that we are staying focused on the big picture? This is seemingly simple, yet so amazingly complex when you stop to look more closely.
So my aim this year when blogging is to try and keep myself focused on the big picture- again this may be challenging as every stakeholder has a different lens on the big picture.
! As a leadership team we are focused on the strategic goals and how to implement these so we achieve our targets. ERO are focused on student achievement ( and rightly so- it is very possibly the worst in NZ) however they don't see the implications that are inherent in focusing on achievement when many of our learners have been so failed by the school that they aren't 'school ready'- they have no language for themselves as learners and building this language takes time...we know it will be what raises achievement..but will it do so fast enough for ERO? Parents and our community are focused on the whole child, socially, emotionally and academically- with the biggest issue for them being regaining trust with a school that has let them down for so long and without this trust we can't forge strong home school partnerships that are focused on learning. then we have what is essentially a brand new staff ( 17 of the 20 teachers are brand new to the school) again relational trust is a huge influence on supporting these teachers- until we have trust we can't engage in open to learning conversations and without that we can't raise PCK and move forward to address achievement through effective classroom programmes. On top of PCK raising for staff we have thrown them into the deep end by going 1:1 for all year 5-8 students- exciting and with all the inherent possibilities for personalisation and differentiation of learning- but a pedagogical nightmare for some of our teachers that requires huge levels of support.
Finally we have our beautiful students- so desperate to learn and like there parents for many the school has failed and disengaged them, so we need to build relationships with a new shared language for learning at our school that all our learners can own.
so having worked out the challenges we now need to work out what we will do to address them- as a leadership team we took various areas and have put them into a continuum marked out of 10- this was our way of looking at all the areas we have to shift and then reflecting on where we are ( given that 10 would be a highly functioning school) and working out what tiny step will take us to the next point on the continuum. This is proving really great as a stop and evaluate tool that we use on a weekly basis with formal evaluation every few weeks.
an example of a few of the aspects we evaluate on our continuum are
Planning
8/3
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30/3
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8/3
To get to 6 we need to:
- link in the assessment for learning data,
- differentiate and link this to specific LI/ SC so the LI matches the task
30/3
A closer and sustained analysis through weekly feedback by SLT/MLT showed that a 6 was overly optimistic. We need to work with teams more on how to link data with groupings, texts and LI and SC’s.
To get to a 5 we need to
- Co-plan using TKI reading teacher notes & CSI to scaffold appropriate reading lesson structure and LI and SC (These meetings are scheduled throughout the end of term 1 and the first half of term 2).
- Evidence visible in modelling books (what is actually happening in teaching sessions matches what is in the planning) Lit team tracking
- students able to talk about their learning and whether they are being successful as evidence of triangulation between planning, learning and student ownership. SLT-to ask every students
Pedagogy
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30/3
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8/3
To move to a 3 we need to:
- Support teachers to get guided reading into place
- Ensure all teachers are able to administer assessment tools in reading
- Support teachers to make links between reading PLD and writing
30/3
We have made progress with guided reading in place in all classes but need to align assessment data with planning and teaching. Making links between reading PLD and writing is not happening.
To move to a 3 or 4 we need to:
- Put in place a supported model for planning guided reading with teachers
- Have all teachers meeting the expectation for elearning occurring in reading, writing and maths
- Encourage teachers to tap into student voice to make programmes more engaging
- A one pager of what a reading lesson should look like
Elearning
L/C/S pedagogy
Basic skills need to become routine in Y5-Y8 classes
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30/3
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8/3
Progress made:
- Teachers using teacher dashboard to support learners with renaming/filing work
- Some teachers creating differentiated reading digital learning objects (DLOs) for learners that support specific learning intentions (building the create/show what you know culture)
- Most 1:1 classes are using Class Google Sites for students to access learning (digital-home)
- Y4 using pods of Chromebooks since Wk 8 T1 (using Class site - Reading Hub)
30/3
To move forward we need to:
- Continued modelling and co-teaching in class to build eLearning capabilities in teachers (e.g. CyberSmart lessons, Reading, Writing, Maths)
- Further work with teachers using Class sites as a hub for students to access target resources
- Providing feedback/next steps via commenting - all 1:1 teachers
- Support Y1-4 with iPads - using Explain Everything to develop targeted resources and capture student voice
- Class blogs for teachers ready to take that next step in making learning visible (and connecting with whanau in an authentic setting)
- Learn/Create/Share pedagogy introduced across the school
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