KPMG Session 1 - MIT 2019

Today we had our first session at KMPG. We were given the opportunity to talk through our ideas and what we have been thinking about our prototypes. It was really great to be able to explain to people what I was trying to achieve and ask for advice on ideas that I have been challenged with over the last month. Straight after the hui when I was back in my classroom I trialed the voice to type tool on google docs. After a guided reading session with some of my reading groups I sent them away to re read their journal article. In stead of just getting the learners to read silently I asked them to read the journal to the voice to type tool. This allowed the learners to see which words they were getting wrong when they were reading and the opportunity to fix those words or work out how they fit into the sentence. It was a great success with student engagement they were very excited to try this out with a number of students asking if they could read to their chromebook every day. I am needing to figure out how to hi-light the words that have been changed because they got the word wrong and I also need to figure out if the chromebook is accurately picking up the words that they are trying to say. This was something that I had the chance to discuss at the session today and have many ideas of how to make this work better in my classroom. During our session today we had the chance to pitch our prototype to the rest of the group and receive feedback on what we need to work on next. This is the original idea that I had drawn up in our session today:

I received some great feedback today and was challenged on how this is going to work and what acts of intentional teaching I am going to show though this site. This was  great experience as I was able to really think about what I am trying to create and see what others thought of this so far. It has made me rethink about some of the ideas that I am trying to add and has also given me a number of things to try in my class to see if they are going to work and help create the shift that I am trying to achieve in my class. Being challenged on my idea I think will help me to make it better and cater to the needs of my learners. It was a massive learning curve and has given me a great deal to think about. This just leaves the question of:

Where to next?

MIT Hui Final Day - MIT 2019

Today started with a bit of reflection about what we are going to be trying to achieve with our inquiry this year. We had a chance to sit down with the idea's of the crazy 8 that we completed yesterday to think about what our first prototype might look like. I started the morning very unsure about where to start with my prototype and what it might look like. I began to contemplate all of the advice I was given yesterday and think about how that might sit with my own vision. 

We were then given the opportunity to work by ourselves and play around with what we might want our prototype to look like. I still had my initial idea in the forefront of my mind but as I began to think about how it might look added in details from what I had discussed with my colleagues yesterday made it sit better and look like a site that would be helpful for what I am trying to achieve. It is a work in progress and I will re visit this over the next few weeks and add and take away from it as I need to. Watch this space!

MIT Hui Day Two Afternoon Reflection - MIT 2019

Poor progress and achievement for year 6 learners who are reading between the ages of 7-9 years.  

Today has been a great day for my inquiry, I feel that I have made some progress with the problem I have identified that I want to inquire into this year. In our afternoon sessions we had the opportunity to share what we would like to create for our MIT proposal. We were able to bounce ideas off each other and develop new concepts and ideas. I still have a long way to go to figure out what my overall prototype is going to look like but I have some great ideas and things that I would like to try in my classroom. I have thoroughly enjoyed what I got out of todays sessions, they have been invaluable to what I am trying to achieve. Here are some of the activities that we had a chance to complete this afternoon. 

Who?

The first activity that we had to think about was who are going to be the people that are going to help us with our problem this year. We had to really think about all of the people that we can call on for help and bounce ideas off.

The reason that we did activity was to think of how we can make this work in our classes and if we are stuck with something we are able to use this as a base of people who we can check in with over the years. 

The Crazy 8's

The next activity that we had to complete was the crazy 8's. This was where we to write down our original ideas that we were hoping to create for our MIT proposal. We then had to think up of other ideas that we could use to work into our inquiry. Once we had created the 8 of them we hung them up on the wall and my other colleagues came around and put stickers on which ones they thought were viable options and could work towards helping our problem. 

I was very surprised that my first idea which was what I had used for my MIT proposal was not one of the top picks from my colleagues. It still includes a google site which is something that I really wanted to create for my proposal. There are some new things that I can now think about as to what is going to go on my site and how to set it up so that I am addressing the issue of poor progress in reading. Tomorrow we will be getting the chance to brainstorm what our first prototype will look like. Lots of ideas to go over this evening before I start putting my ideas to paper. 

MIT Hui Session Two - MIT 2019

Today we had our second session at the MIT hui for 2019. Yesterday I was lucky enough to meet up with my other colleagues today and start our first session. In our first session we have looked at the vision of Manaiakalani and where we will be heading with our inquiries. We had the opportunity to have a look at some of the innovative ideas that other teachers from Pt England have implemented over the years and how much of an impact they have had on our learners. 

Today's Session:
Our first session today was one which challenged my whole proposal and why I am doing what I am doing. I had to really think about what it is that I am trying to achieve but before I could even do that I needed to articulate my problem. I thought that I had already outlined my problem fairly well but when looking at it up on the big screen and looking at it from an outsiders perspective I realised that it hadn't addressed any problems and wasn't very informative at all. After lengthy discussions with other colleagues about how to actually write down what I was trying to say I think I finally have a concrete problem that is readable and accurate to what I am trying to achieve. We were given our original problem and we had to think about how we could articulate it better to make it into a problem that we can focus on. 

 

So what's the problem?
The problem that has stuck with me know has given me a clearer direction for where I am going and has also made me realise that this is what I am trying to do. I am not just trying to make something that is innovative I am actually addressing a real problem that is in my classroom. Without this process I don't think I would have had a solid idea or understanding of what I was trying to achieve. 
So the problem I have identified is: Poor progress and achievement for year 6 learners who are reading between the ages of 7-9 years.  
This is what I will be inquiring into this year and what can be done to raise reading achievement. I am so glad that we were able to complete this session because it has given me a a sense of purpose for my inquiry as well as a direction for what I am hoping to achieve. 

Welcome to 2019 - MIT 2019

This year I am lucky enough to be apart of the Manaiakalani Innovative Teachers (MIT) program. I will be inquiring into reading and how I can make accelerated shift for my learners who are reading below the age of 9. I am a year 6 teacher at Pt England school and I share an innovative learning space with two other teachers. When looking at my class data last year and looking ahead into 2019 I noticed that there is a large number of year 6 learners who are sitting below the reading age of 9. 
Looking into the shift with my 2018 learners some of them made shift however there were still some suck (for lack of a better word) between the ages of 8 and 8.5 years reading age. This is trend that I have seen in my class over the last 2 years and then looking at the data for this year I could see the same trend. My big question is why is this happening and what can we do to help these learners. I hope with my inquiry this year that I am able to understand what is happening with this reading level and also how I can help my learners have accelerated shift in this area. I am currently writing up my proposal to share at the MIT hui in a few weeks. I will be updating my journey throughout the year. I am very excited for this year and to see how I can help my learners. Moonshot coming soon. 

Term 4 Update - How is this looking?

What have I found out so far?

This term our topic that we are focusing on is art. There is lots of mathematical language that is associated with art that I am trying to incorporate into both reading and maths. In order to make sure that my learners are getting to understand new vocabulary and retain this vocabulary is repeatedly using these words across contexts. My gumboots group who are reading at standard have completed a reading which has discussed the vanishing point and talks about the different shapes, lines and techniques used in art. This reading group has had the opportunity to discuss these words with me as well as each other and find their own meaning for these words. In comparison to my other group who have not been able to read texts at these levels they have had less exposure to this vocabulary so when discussing line and shape during our maths lessons they require longer periods of time to process this information and also use these words. 

Where am I going for the rest of the year?

In order to make sure all of my learners are getting access to the same vocabulary and also language acquisition I am needing to make sure that I am finding readings that have these words accessible for all of my readers. When it is hard to find anything that has this vocabulary in it I will need to make sure that I am using these words in class discussions, group discussions and also creating readings that give my lower readers access to this information. 

How am I going to know if this help?

I will be able to see at the end of the term if my learners have retained any of the vocabulary that we have used. If they are able to use these words in sentences and also explain them to someone else. In order to see if this works with my lower groups I will be able to compare this to previous terms where they haven't had as much access to the vocabulary if this has any difference in how they are able to communicate and share ideas. 

What value have I added to my children?

Term 3 Inquiry Update:

What value have I added to my children so far and how can I accelerate this going forward?

This year my focus has been on getting my learners to use and understand mathematical vocabulary. I have struggled with trying to figure out how I can measure this and be able to show progress. However this term as a class we have already had several breakthrough moments with our vocabulary in mathematics and also using this language in other areas. 

Although some of these moments in the classroom have been incorrect I have still seen my learners try and use this vocabulary in other curriculum areas. An example of this was the new word perimeter that we had learnt about during maths. This was a new word for my of my learners not very many of them knew what it meant and were quite puzzled with the word when we first talked about it. As the week went on I incorporated this word more and more often during our maths lessons and tried to use this in literacy as much as I could to. The breakthrough moment was when we had a kiwisport squash lesson where the coaches asked what the top line was called on a squash court and the first answer my learners gave was "the perimeter" this of course was incorrect but it was great to see they were trying to use this word in another context.

By using this word in many different subject areas my learners have been able to add this new word to their own vocabulary list. It has a main use in mathematics however it is an important word to help us understand thing. I am turning my focus this term on how I can use these words with my maths and literacy learners who are with me all day. I am hoping to see that by the learners being exposed to this language more often and in multiple curriculum areas they will be able to retain the words and their meanings. 

I have also noticed a huge increase in my learners confidence in being able to share their ideas with each other and explain how they got the answer to a problem. They are no longer using words like "plusses" or "minuses" they are using terms like addition and subtraction as well as multiplication, making tidy numbers and rounding and compensating. By using this vocabulary they are able to understand what it is that they are being asked to do and also how to solve a problem in the best and most effective way. We have come a long way since the beginning of the year and I am excited to see how this inquiry unfolds for the rest of the year. Hoping to see that there will be an increase in vocabulary due to using the language in maths and literacy. Watch this space!