tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25868664767512221562024-03-04T11:26:08.472+11:00Teaching ChallengesReflections on teaching, innovative practices and the implementation of learning technologies in the classroom.Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.comBlogger344125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-71480093073922264262022-01-06T22:38:00.000+11:002022-01-06T22:38:44.870+11:00My Journey with ISTAA Experienced Teacher Accreditation #7You know when you get busy doing life and then discover something that really needs to be made a priority? Well this post is just that. <div><br /></div><div>When I wrote the last instalment, after failing accreditation, I thought that the story of my experience had finally come to an end. Of course, I wasn't thinking that I would one day be writing again after passing accreditation. I don't think I was willing to believe that would be possible until it actually happened. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is now January 2022, and I was actually awarded my Experienced Teacher Accreditation Certificate in December of 2020. But still accreditation plagues my mind. Throughout the most recent attempt I felt anxiety every time my thoughts drifted to the accreditation. When I think of it now, it's with relief, but it still brings to mind those painful emotions. By my reading of our new MEA, I don't think I would have been required to do it under this new agreement, given that I started prior to 2003 and have MANY years of teaching experience! </div><div><br /></div><div>But it's done now. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Choosing an Approach</b></div><div>The second time around, I did the Standards Based Approach rather than the Action Research Approach. I know that in some of my earlier posts I raved about the Action Research Approach due to the learning I gained from the experience. My commendation now has changed because I realise that the tight requirements of accreditation are not conducive to the learning experience that comes from action research. Part of action research involves taking risks and embracing failure. If you want a great learning experience, do action research. If you want to demonstrate your competence, do accreditation. In my opinion, the two should not run side-by-side. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Planning and Guidance</b></div><div>Having chosen the approach I would take, I planned out what I would use and started collecting early. I was VERY specific with pointing out the evidence and explaining this in my annotations. I also worked closely with the staff member at our school responsible for accreditation. I was upfront and honest with him, explaining my experience, my concerns and my fears. He took on the responsibility of being my supervisor.
We met together fortnightly before COVID to keep me on track and ensure that my documentation was thorough enough. More than ever before, I was open to feedback and willing to make any suggested changes. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Time Management</b></div><div>While it caused me great anxiety, I fought through whenever I had a good chunk of time, and worked to make things easier to come back to when I had small pockets of time available. Fortunately I scheduled my observation lessons at the end of 2019 and the first few days of 2020, so by the time COVID hit, I had already finished these.
Due to the challenges of COVID, we had the option of extending the deadline. Initially I intended to take this option, so that I wouldn't get caught out by a mad rush to finish up. However, my supervisor assured me that I would be okay to hand it in earlier, thus finding out my results before Christmas. This made sense as I had all my evidence and was mostly through writing my annotations, and just needed to finish up a few things and get the Head of School Report. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Being Thorough</b></div><div>I really went over everything with a fine-tooth comb, using the checklists they gave to make sure I had covered EVERYTHING! My supervisor also went over everything and was responsive to my panicked emails seeking clarification. Never in my life prior to this had I been so thorough. By the time I handed it in, I couldn't find fault with anything. </div><div><br /></div><div>And I passed with no need to resubmit. This was an incredible relief. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I learnt</b></div><div>Through this experience I've learnt that there are times when perfection is required. Times where I have to go above and beyond to ensure I have been thorough in meeting and demonstrating requirements. Times when I have to make sure that what seems logical in my head is spelled out clearly and explicitly for others. I've learnt that I can draw on the expertise of others for feedback along the way rather than trying to do things all on my own. And I've learnt that I can recover from my failures, but the memory of them probably won't pass!
My self-confidence definitely took a hit from this failure. I didn't realise how much so until last year when, having finally conquered this challenge, my confidence seemed to lift again. I think on some level I was worried that I wasn't worthy of being an Experienced Teacher after all. That my skills weren't up to it, and that it was not just accreditation that I was failing, but my whole career! While that wasn't always on my mind, there definitely were times that I doubted myself. </div><div><br /></div><div>These days I have friends doing their accreditation, and the main advice I have is: </div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Don't do the Action Research method. </li><li>Get started early and plan what you will use. </li><li>Be thorough and explicit when showing your evidence and writing annotations. </li><li>Keep checking with their documentation to make sure you are within the guidelines. </li><li>Get feedback from someone who knows the process well.</li></ol></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-83498587835427953612018-05-15T18:29:00.000+10:002018-05-15T18:29:23.497+10:00My Journey with ISTAA Experienced Teacher Accreditation #6Unfortunately this journey didn't have a happy ending. It fact, it feels like my biggest fail yet. While I was putting everything together, it felt like I was on track, however I failed to meet most of the descriptors according to the criteria the AIS had, and once I failed I had no means for resubmitting. My disappointment over this has been a real struggle for me. Usually if I've failed at something there has been something I could do about it to recover it. I tried everything I could think of here, but it has come to the point where I just need to let it go, learn the lessons and move forward.<br />
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I'm taking a year off accreditation and then will reapply at the end of 2018, but this time will choose the Standards Based Approach. I hope to try action research again, but not in an assessment capacity, and only if I have someone to walk with me through the process. I think I bit off more than I could chew.<br />
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I still believe, however, that there were many positives that came from my attempts at action research around Growth Mindset, formative assessment and feedback this year. Personally it has helped me to deal with the setbacks better (including this one!) and has greatly improved the relationships I have with the students I teach. In my opinion - though difficult to prove - students academic results have improved as a result of the actions I put in place - be that related to growth mindset, formative assessment or feedback.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-32847021959659926302017-09-17T18:37:00.002+10:002017-11-27T22:01:04.873+11:00My Journey with ISTAA Experienced Teacher Accreditation #5Wow! The past year has been crazy busy as I have worked through the Experienced Teacher Accreditation as well as working on my Masters of Educational Leadership. I've thought about blogging a few times, but just haven't had the time or head space at the end of the day. Now, having reached the end of my accreditation, I thought it a good time to tie up the loose ends here.<br />
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<b>Overall</b><br />
My overall evaluation of the Experienced Teacher Accreditation - Action Research Pathway, was that it was a very worthwhile use of time and excellent professional learning. I went into it hoping to make good use of the year and hopefully learn along the way. I knew I needed to do the accreditation, but I didn't want to spend the year just trying to tick things off a list of descriptors. The action research pathway was the answer to this.<br />
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<b>The Challenges</b><br />
There are many elements to juggle within the Action Research Project, and it takes some time to get your head around it all. You still need to be ticking off descriptors and collecting evidence throughout the year AND it should be related to the action research project. I found myself second guessing myself a lot throughout the process and not really sure if I was on track. There were no success criteria or word counts or any other guide for what was required for parts like the Description, Analysis and Evaluation. I'm hoping I got there in the end, but won't be surprised if I need to revisit some things in order to get final approval.<br />
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Going in I didn't really know much about action research, and I still feel a little in the dark about that. I ended up finding some readings through my university which helped to clarify a few things, particularly as I came to the analysis stage. I struggled to understand whether I needed "hard" proof of my findings, or whether it was about interpretation. I feel I ended up with a little of each just to be on the safe side.<br />
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<b>My Project</b><br />
For my project I investigated the impact of Growth Mindset on Year 1 students' academic achievement through formative assessment and feedback. I felt that Growth Mindset coaching would make students more receptive to feedback, resulting in improved outcomes. I used <a href="https://ideas.classdojo.com/" target="_blank">Class Dojo videos</a> as the stimulus for discussion in mini lessons and then followed through with Growth Mindset feedback and statements. I also used parts from "The Growth Mindset Coach" by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley. Following on from this I worked with students on giving and receiving feedback.<br />
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<b>Results of my Action Research</b><br />
I used a Mindset questionnaire at the beginning and end of the project to determine how students' thinking changed throughout. It also showed me students with a tendency toward a fixed mindset, making it easier for me to target them with individualised coaching when they were struggling with a difficult task or unwilling to attempt something challenging. The results from this questionnaire showed that students had shifted toward a growth mindset during the project.<br />
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I also looked at students' academic progress during this period and found that their reading levels improved by a greater rate than my class during the same period last year. At the end of the year I will have some comparison data for spelling as well.<br />
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Beyond the quantitative results, there were also the experiences of the students in the class. I selected some case studies and found that there were significant results amongst students who began in the lower quarter of the class. For example, one made significant progress throughout the project and was bumped up to a higher level for spelling, reading and maths, and he rose to the challenge each time. Another made HUGE gains with his reading, going from a PM level 10 to 27 in just six months. These results suggested to me that while all students benefited and improved, those who were lower performing and also had elements of fixed mindset had the most to benefit from the program.<br />
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I had thought that it would be through feedback that improvement would be made, but now I think that the change in mindset actually impacted in many ways:<br />
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<ul>
<li>students were interested in feedback and could see that it was to help them learn</li>
<li>students wanted challenging tasks and were happy to put in the effort to learn</li>
<li>students realised that they could actually do things if they just stuck at it</li>
<li>students felt free to engage and contribute ideas, knowing that they wouldn't be shunned if they made a mistake</li>
<li>as their teacher I didn't give up when they persisted with bad habits, but rather kept working at it with them, knowing that they can change - even if it takes longer.</li>
<li>I got better at giving immediate feedback when I could see there was a problem, or making a note to return to it soon.</li>
<li>I enlisted the help of parents to work on some things when the class had moved on to something else</li>
<li>I made an effort to cater for all students - providing a challenging task for all - even when this made things less streamlined and comfortable.</li>
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<b>Going Forward</b></div>
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Having been down this path, I'm afraid I can't go back. I'm hooked! From here on in, I know the Growth Mindset will be a part of who I am and how I teach. I will also continue to work on improved formative assessment and feedback to complement the Growth Mindset coaching and ensure that all students are pushing toward their potential.</div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-55486992357048599422017-04-09T08:42:00.000+10:002017-11-27T21:30:52.533+11:00My Journey with ISTAA Experienced Teacher Accreditation #4<h3>
Getting Some Guidance from the AIS</h3>
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When I last wrote about the Experienced Teacher Accreditation process, I had just completed my literature review and project proposal. At that time I was not entirely happy with what I had put together as it had been a bit of a rush towards the end. I really wished that I could have more time to get it right. I was also somewhat limited in the academic literature that I had access to at that time as I was not connected to a university.<br />
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This term I received an email to say that someone had reviewed my writing and had provided feedback for me. I looked over the feedback and felt a bit stumped. The person who had read my work was confused by the way that I had put my information together. She thought that I was saying that students develop a growth mindset through receiving feedback from formative assessment. But what I was trying to say was that students benefit from having a growth mindset when receiving feedback from formative assessment. </div>
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The AIS contacted all the teachers involved in the Action Research Pathway to let us know about two professional development opportunities in which we could meet with the reviewer to discuss our work further and also receive further information about the process. Feeling uncertain about what I could/should do to improve my literature review and project proposal, I thought it was important to attend one of these days. I got the "ok" from work and headed in last Tuesday.</div>
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It was a huge day, and very brain intensive. By the end of the day I had a migraine and still had to go back to work for Parent Teacher Interviews! The great thing was that I got a lot of clarity through the process and now feel I have a better sense of where I am headed. I still need to put at least a day's worth of work into sitting down and restructuring things, but I now understand more about action research and the importance of being clear about the constructs and how they relate to one another. </div>
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I enjoyed hearing about the variety of projects that teachers are working on. Everyone was so passionate about their choice of topic. I heard lots of people sharing their sentiments about how they were worried their project was too big, but they really wanted to explore all the parts. Some people, like me, had begun working on their ideas last year, and one had already presented on her findings at an international conference! Lots of people were talking about what they will focus on for their project, but already considering the other questions that have been coming to light that they would like to investigate as well. </div>
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I feel that this professional learning session was really beneficial because it helped to reinvigorate us as well as providing the nuts and bolts of what needs to be done. It was encouraging to hear the experiences of others in the process and to realise that we all generally felt as much in the dark when it came to formulating an action plan, completing a project proposal and writing a literature review - none of which form part of our usual teaching role. Many people expressed how challenging this had been having not done any form of formalised learning since graduation, plus doing it alongside normal work load and towards the end of the year with so many other time pressures. </div>
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Going forward, I feel excited about where my project is headed. My question is now: What is the impact of Growth Mindset on Year 1 student academic achievement through formative assessment?</div>
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I have spent this term building a supportive classroom environment and teaching students about the Growth Mindset using a variety of videos including those available through <a href="https://www.classdojo.com/" target="_blank">Class Dojo</a>. I am using elements from the lesson plans in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Growth-Mindset-Coach-Month-Month/dp/1612436013" target="_blank">The Growth Mindset Coach</a> and I have been working with my students on the language that we use in the classroom when facing challenges. </div>
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Next term I will focus more on giving, receiving and using feedback. I need to spend some time these holidays thinking though exactly what this will look like and the data I will be collecting. I will also revisit my literature review, this time with access to a wider array of resources (due to other studies I am also doing now) and adjust my project proposal accordingly.</div>
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For those considering this option for 2018, I believe that they're allowing more time for the projects in the future. I would highly recommend this pathway for the accreditation because you learn so much through the process. It is incredibly confusing at times, and frustrating, but through the process you make changes to the way you do things and find a new level of excitement in what you do. Teachers that I spoke with said that the changes they have made have become a part of the way they do things now. They can't go back to how it was before. </div>
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What are some of the things that you have found useful for invigorating your teaching? What things have helped you to make changes for the long-term?</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-39872180776098741652017-03-30T21:17:00.001+11:002017-03-30T21:22:12.701+11:00Study Techniques for Busy PeopleOn top of my usual teaching load and working through my Experienced Teacher Accreditation, I thought I'd finish off my Masters in Education Leadership this year! I knew that it would make for a busy year, but I don't think I realised just HOW busy things would be. As I started first semester at University, I had to get used to the whole online environment and figure out how to get the readings for my classes. One of my biggest struggles has been finding time to do the readings, so I decided to get creative with how I do this. Here's what I worked out:<br />
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<b>Let Siri do the reading </b><br />
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I don't live too far from work, but each day I have over an hour of commute. Ordinarily I have used this time for listening to podcasts or enjoying some of my favourite songs. I now use this time to listen to the readings I need to get done.<br />
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Step 1: Download the readings and send them email you can access on the iPhone or iPad.<br />
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Step 2: Go into email, download file and import with iBooks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXP2XnLv_S_n4O0ppamN43EtSylTFE0ykXeCmLx7femrXY86k20DW7ILUjINtEadqtFClNCkVa64M0zSy7JoY9D1lbh1J3rDj28Zle-4KLnD3WydOqef8CknXE4fuGIFWlqDPwuPs2pWM/s1600/IMG_1008.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXP2XnLv_S_n4O0ppamN43EtSylTFE0ykXeCmLx7femrXY86k20DW7ILUjINtEadqtFClNCkVa64M0zSy7JoY9D1lbh1J3rDj28Zle-4KLnD3WydOqef8CknXE4fuGIFWlqDPwuPs2pWM/s320/IMG_1008.PNG" width="179" /></a></div>
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Step 3: Change settings. Go into General, then Accessibility, then Speech. Toggle Speak Screen.<br />
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Step 4: Open the reading in iBooks. When the reading is displayed, scroll down from the top of the page using two fingers. This will bring up a control bar and Siri should begin reading the page.<br />
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Siri doesn't pronounce all words correctly, and I found it amusing that she struggles with some words that a techy 'person' should know - like ICT and "geeking out" and "technologies". Ideally it would be great to be able to teach Siri how to pronounce the words that she is getting wrong. Perhaps this is something Apple will build in at a later point in time.<br />
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<b>Annotate the readings with Notability</b><br />
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I got a new iPad for Christmas, with the intention that it could help me through my studies this year. So far I've been really pleased with how it's working out for me, and I LOVE having the Apple pencil. After I have listened to the readings, I need to return to them in order to prepare a response for the assessment of the course. I like to be able to scribble down ideas and highlight the important parts to come back to. For this I use <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/notability/id360593530?mt=8" target="_blank">Notability</a>, and then I don't have to cart around a pile of papers everywhere. Please note, this is an app that needs to be purchased from iTunes.<br />
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Step 1: Go back to the email I sent the readings to.<br />
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Step 2: Import the reading with Notability this time.<br />
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Step 3: Go into Notability and respond to the dialogue box - either select the pages you want to import, or import the whole thing.<br />
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Step 4: Open the file and make notes using the available tools. I prefer to handwrite and use highlighter, but you could add text or post-its if that is your preference. For my other posts about using Notability, go <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/search?q=notability" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<b>Build a YouTube Playlist</b><br />
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There have been a number of YouTube videos as part of my course materials this semester. Again, these are things that I would prefer to listen to "on the road" or walking my dog, rather than eating into official study time. Making a playlist to store these, and logging into YouTube on the various devices I use means that I can access the videos easily wherever I am.<br />
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Step 1: Log into <a href="http://youtube.com/" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.<br />
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Step 2: Go to a video you want in the playlist.<br />
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Step 3: On the bottom left, select "Add to", then at the bottom of the dropdown box choose "Create New Playlist".<br />
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Step 4: Enter a name for the playlist and select Create. Your video can now be accessed within that playlist, in your "library".<br />
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Step 5: To access your playlist on your mobile device, log into YouTube with the same account, select the Library tab. Find your playlist and play your video.<br />
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Another benefit of logging into YouTube is that it will suggest other relevant videos, given what you have been watching. This can help to provide further exploration and depth when researching the topic.<br />
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The next thing I need to find a short-cut for is collecting citations for the texts I use. I have been using the <a href="http://www.citationmachine.net/" target="_blank">Citation Machine</a> to help with this, but I really should get better at collecting the citations as I go, rather than having to chase that up when I use them in my work.<br />
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Do you know of any other time saving study techniques that you could share to help other busy people?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-10366443215907307862016-12-15T08:35:00.000+11:002016-12-15T08:35:41.326+11:00The Blogger Behind this Blog #8<h3>
My Mindset</h3>
Lately I have been reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322" target="_blank">Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck PhD</a>. This is the sort of book that challenges the way you see things. Even when you think you already have a growth mindset! It makes you look at your life and your choices differently. I really want to take some time over the next week or so to think about what it all means to me, but I find myself pondering on it all the time as it is. Today I was thinking about it in relation to my learning.<br />
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As I understand it, people with a growth mindset have learning and growth as their goal. People with a fixed mindset have maintaining their ego as their goal. Generally we have a combination of both of these mindsets at play to some degree in our lives.<br />
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<b>In My Primary School Years</b><br />
So, when I look back on my life as a primary school student, I realise that I always tried to be a couple of steps ahead of my cohort. This was initiated by my mum, who started teaching me at home before I went to school. As she tells it, I was a willing learner, so this was not a great challenge for her. Because of the head start I had, I was always a little ahead of my cohort when it came to academic subjects. I liked being at the top of my class and worked to stay there. At times I was competitive, and I would say that even though I put effort into my learning, at that time I felt that some people were born smart, others pretty, others sporty etc. (This is fixed mindset thinking.)<br />
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<b>Entering High School</b><br />
This general mindset didn't actually change in high school and I received high grades and recognition for my achievement. That said, I also enjoyed the learning experience and tried to select assignments that fit with my interests. I was happy to take on an element of challenge in an area that I was interested in, and willing to put in extra effort to demonstrate my learning in unique ways. (This is growth mindset thinking.) For subjects I was less interested in, I still got the assignments done, but more as a rush job to hand something in on time. I remember a particularly poor attempt at a science assignment that I left until the last minute.<br />
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At the end of year awards one year I was given an award for excellence in PE, and to this day I have felt that there was some mistake there. I was one of the smart kids, not one of the sporty ones. Why should I get an award for PE when there were other far more sporty kids than me! Interestingly though, it has helped me to realise that I don't have to be exclusively "smart"!<br />
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<b>And on to University</b><br />
When I was choosing subjects for Years 11 and 12 I chose subjects that would help me with teaching, in particular - psychology and sociology. As a result I got a high distinction in Human Development at University, which was really an extension of what I had learnt in Year 11. Another easy grade to get was a high distinction in Educational Futures and ICT as part of my Graduate Certificate, due to the amount of background experience and prior learning I had in the area. I also felt passionate about these subjects and loved being able to explore them more. The hardest grades I earned were credits for Global Development Education and Data Communications. They were hard because they were so foreign to me and I had so much catching up to do in order to get into the right frame of mind for them.<br />
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When I was in my early twenties I tried to write children's books and completed a Diploma in Children's Writing via correspondence. I gave up before I had anything published, and tonight as I read some of the stories I wrote all those years ago, I wondered what would have happened if I hadn't given up on this challenge. At the time I gave up because I felt I should be pouring my time into building my teaching capacity as that would lead to consistent pay. I think that in terms of my writing - I had strong writing skills, but boring plots! Maybe this is something I will return to, or maybe I've found my outlet through blogging and modelling writing for students.<br />
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I'm now on the verge of starting my Masters degree, and I've been contemplating my intentions. Why do we get degrees? Is it to prove we are qualified for a job? To suggest that we are superior? For recognition? Or to learn? Initially I was taking on this Masters course with the thought that I would smash it out and get it finished so that I had the bit of paper to say that I was done. But then, when I started looking at the degree more closely, I realised that some of the units include really helpful content that should prepare me for leadership in the future. How did I lose sight of the real reason for studying?! I love learning, so how did it become more about a piece of paper than what I would learn from the experience?<br />
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<b>The Next Generation</b><br />
My (kindergarten) son recently got his school report, with above average for reading/viewing and number/algebra. Like my mother before me, I started my son early with his academic skills through play at home. He seemed ready and interested. I wanted to make it easy for him to get As later, when grading kicks in. He is proud of his efforts with reading, and he loves puzzling over numbers. He wants to be the best reader in his class.<br />
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And so I find myself asking, where the growth mindset sits in terms of the ambition to be the best. I feel that there is a fine line between wanting to be THE best and working to do YOUR best. I don't want for my son to work at something only to be THE best at it. I want him to enjoy the journey and learn from the experiences. And when he is THE best, I want for him to keep striving. Or to complement it with developing another skill.<br />
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As you can see, my thoughts at this stage are just that - random ponderings as I grapple with a new way of seeing things and try to revisit how I have seen things in the past. I still have much to learn as I apply what I've read to my own life, to the way I guide my son, and to the classes that I teach. What an exciting journey!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-59009970394110853292016-12-02T23:37:00.000+11:002017-11-27T22:05:22.864+11:00My Journey with ISTAA Experienced Teacher Accreditation #3<h3>
Preparing the Project Proposal and Literature Review</h3>
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I thought I had been going along so well, but these tasks hit me hard. I had been watching/listening to Dylan Wiliam's webinars, reading bits and pieces I had sourced and trying so many new things in the classroom. All these things were good, but I needed to do so much more to actually pull everything together. It was due today, and (spoiler alert) I managed to upload it to my collection in time.<br />
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I think part of the struggle lies in the fact that the due date falls right near the end of term, while reports are still being proof read and prepared to send home. I thought my time-management was on track, but it has been very tight to get reports completed and then flow straight into the ETA requirements.<br />
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I started with the Project Proposal because I knew it had to be finished about a week in advance in order to get it to my Head of School for signing. My first attempt at this was a bit of a brainstorm event, where I just jotted down my thoughts about what would go in each section. When I returned to it, I padded out the initial ideas. I was very pleased to see that I could have a main question with sub-questions, as I had been really struggling with how I could cover all the things I wanted to explore with just one question. This is what I came up with as the main idea for my project.<br />
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<b>Growing our Minds through Formative Assessment and Feedback</b></div>
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<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="68"></col><col width="68"></col><col width="68"></col><col width="68"></col><col width="68"></col><col width="68"></col><col width="67"></col><col width="76"></col><col width="73"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td colspan="9" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 8px 8px 8px 8px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.44; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 6pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is an effective process to enrich student learning through formative assessment and feedback?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.44; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 32.6pt; margin-top: 6pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What actions can a teacher take to help students develop a growth mindset?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How can formative assessment be used more effectively to inform teaching and provide students with relevant feedback?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How can peer and teacher feedback (aligned with a growth mindset) be used to progress student learning?</span></div>
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Something I really struggled with when completing the proposal was the section on the collection of data. I feel that there are two purposes at play with the Action Research Pathway. One is to provide evidence of the achievement of <a href="https://www.aisnsw.edu.au/Services/TeacherAccred/ISTAA/expteacher/Documents/Et%20Standards%20and%20descriptors%202014.pdf" target="_blank">Experienced Teacher Standards and Descriptors</a>. The other is to collect data for analysis in relation to the questions of the Action Research project. And, while action research provides an opportunity for a teacher to demonstrate the descriptors, the data collected for the purposes of the project will be quite different to the evidence collected to demonstrate competency. I felt that these two forms of data needed to be separated for the purposes of the proposal, so ended up creating a table with data for the descriptors split under the headings: "Evidence of Standard" and "Data for Analysis". I'm hoping that this will help me to keep track of what I'm collecting and the real purpose for the collection.<br />
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Something else that I struggled with, just a little, was considering the difference between "expected benefits" and "expected changes". I'm hoping that my responses were different enough to meet expectations.<br />
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Given the nature of my project, I sent my proposal to the Staff Development Coordinator at my school for some feedback. She saw things that I didn't see, and struggled to understand what I meant in some of the sections. She made time to sit down with me to discuss things and I was able to make some changes. I feel that I could have continued to make more changes, but given the time restraints, I needed to get the document into internal mail so that my Head of School could sign it, and turn my attention to the Literature Review.<br />
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In the lead up to writing the Literature Review I found myself really loving all the reading, but terrified about putting the first words on a Google Doc. The blank page taunted me so much that I avoided it for quite some time, opting instead to mind-mapping and note-taking. In hindsight, I believe these were important for helping me to gather my thoughts, I just wish I'd started the whole process even earlier! For me, I was concerned about understanding the topic fully and making the connections.<br />
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Eventually I sat down and forced myself to begin writing, but even in that moment I was hesitant. I wanted a "sizzling start" that I push so hard for from my students. How do you write a sizzling start for a literature review? And then I re-read <a href="http://weaeducation.typepad.co.uk/files/blackbox-1.pdf" target="_blank">Inside the Black Box</a>, by Black and Wiliam, and realised that people don't want to read something dry and academic. We all want to be drawn into what we read. I had a false start that went for three paragraphs, and then, finally I got my idea:<br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 63pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oliver goes back to his desk and opens his English book. He knows the teacher will be doing the rounds in a minute, but he wants to take a moment to flick through to the next blank page. As he does, he smiles to himself, reading a sentence here and there as he sees the work he has done throughout the year. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wow! I remember writing this</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, he thinks to himself. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve come so far this year.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> He glances at the feedback at the bottom of the page…</span></div>
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And that's where I left Oliver's story. Full of questions about that feedback.<br />
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It probably took about 15 hours of writing and reviewing to finally get the review finished. I got sick toward the end with a cold, and was pleased when I finally got to the end. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to have my peers read over it and offer their feedback. We are all so busy trying to get our reports finalised and everything prepared for the end of school, so I just didn't feel right asking anyone else to read my writing. I also didn't have time to make adaptations based on any feedback they might have given me. I struggled with this since I have been seeing the power of feedback in my classroom, and learnt a lot from the feedback I received on my Project Proposal.<br />
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For both of these documents I had a guide for what to do, but no real guidance in terms of what is counted as a pass or fail. I feel I used a little poetic license on the literature review, but am not too sure whether it was too much. It's either my first literature review, or my first in quite some time, and I'm not entirely sure what was needed!<br />
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This experience helps me to understand some things about my own learning that can be generalised to my students and how they learn:<br />
<ol>
<li>Students need to have a clear idea of what is expected and to what level</li>
<li>Feedback is definitely helpful, but not always practical when tight for time</li>
<li>While deadlines are important motivators for completing a task, some students may not produce their greatest work within this timeframe. Some may be interested in polishing their work further after the due date.</li>
<li>What ends up on the page is not necessarily all the writer knows about the topic. A lot of information is filtered along the way.</li>
</ol>
I'm really excited about what I've been learning through my reading and experiences in the classroom, but will save those for another blog. For today I really just wanted to share my journey with the Experienced Teacher Accreditation in terms of completing the necessary documentation by the deadline.<br />
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I am a lone ranger in my school as far as the Action Research Pathway goes... Is anyone else doing it??? Please leave a comment if you are.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-15560984927350468222016-10-25T00:00:00.000+11:002016-10-25T00:00:04.940+11:00Tech Tips Tuesday<h3>
Getting Started with Seesaw</h3>
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This week I started using <a href="http://web.seesaw.me/" target="_blank">Seesaw</a> with my class as part of my exploration into digital portfolios and the power of feedback. I have been searching for something that I can use to collate my students digital work when using shared iPads. I wanted something that allowed for feedback from peers, students and even parents. I got the go-ahead from our ICT department to trial it this term and they loaded the app onto all the iPads.</div>
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During the last holidays I set up a login with Seesaw and added my classes. I made a test class to use to experiment with my son and get a sense of some of the issues that might come up with my class. It also gave us a chance to see what can be done and test out one of the Seesaw tutorials.</div>
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Prior to starting I wanted my students to understand the purpose of feedback, so we completed a couple of tasks last week that involved students seeking feedback, giving each other feedback and applying this information to their work. I printed out the appropriate signage for my class and set up management for the class such that student work posted immediately, they could "like" one another's work, but could not post comments.</div>
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My introductory lesson was just to show students the app and let them know that we would be using it. I demonstrated how they would log in using the QR code and the basics of how to create something and save it in their name. At this point I did not let students have a turn. Seesaw offers introductory lesson ideas to familiarise students, however I just wanted to get started with using it with our content and learning outcomes. I wanted for the task to be familiar enough for students to work with in a new format.</div>
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The next day we started Seesaw in our English lesson. I made a page for students to use as a digital worksheet. The task was the <a href="http://www.visiblethinkingpz.org/VisibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03e_FairnessRoutines/CircleViewpoints/CircleViewpoints_Routine.html" target="_blank">Circle of Viewpoints</a> thinking routine, considering the perspective of different characters from the first chapter of Charlotte's Web. We re-read the chapter first, then students recorded their responses in Seesaw. They enjoyed having the opportunity to read each other's work and "like" it. The work itself showed that students were thinking about different perspectives. Some students got to more than one perspective. Others only saw through one lens. It helped students to realise that there is more than one way of viewing a situation.<br />
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One of my students quickly figured out how to give himself a like from every other student in the class, so we had to have a discussion about only selecting your own name when saving your work or liking people's work. We also discussed the point of "likes" and how the value is diminished if you just "like" everything you see.<br />
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In our Literacy Group time, students completed another digital worksheet to show an understanding of synonyms. They rewrote the sentence I had used and changed the word in brackets into one of its synonyms. Once finished students used the draw feature to make a page about a word eg. Cold, hot, large, etc. (their choice) and make an audio recording to go with this. They enjoyed this process and were prompted to get out thesauruses to add to their list. The technical side of things was working really well. It was great to see them looking at one another's work.<br />
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That night I reviewed students' work and left them comments using the feedback feature. We then reviewed the work on the IWB and I taught students how they could make changes based on the feedback by using copy/edit and making a revised work sample. Students were keen to revisit their work and those who didn't get the opportunity expressed their disappointment!
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Every time I sat down with my students I found they were asking if we were about to do something with Seesaw. They were obviously hooked! On Friday I threw something together for them quickly, following on from our work on Charlotte's Web. I gave students the writing prompt "If I had a pet pig..." and they were off! They loved it. Some named their pig, others thought about playing rugby with it! Some students loved this task so much, and the ability to like one another's work, that they started to look for ways to give each other written feedback by Copy/Edit and then writing at the bottom of the page.<br />
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As soon as I clued on to this, I realised that I needed to introduce the feedback aspect properly and give them that freedom. We discussed the sort of feedback that we are wanting - feedback that is respectful of the other person's feelings and helps them to improve their work. And then they went to it. This is an area I would like to fine-tune with them some more, probably making some class charts with examples that they could use.<br />
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From a technical perspective, my students have definitely worked out how to get started, create, save and edit files, and how to logout. They are working extra things out for themselves and teaching one another. I look forward to seeing how their use of this develops in the weeks to come. I also look forward to being more creative with how we use it, drawing on photos and files as well.<br />
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From a skills basis, my students are learning how to use the iPad keyboard for typing, and they are learning where the keys are. They are also learning how to use the predictive text feature to help them when they are unsure of spelling. I was amazed how quickly they got their ideas down in text compared with how long it usually takes to write by hand. This may have been more about the motivation to get started than anything else! </div>
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This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-49927960532181283252016-10-15T22:00:00.000+11:002017-11-27T21:33:00.558+11:00My Journey with ISTAA Experienced Teacher Accreditation #2<h3>
Researching and Testing Ideas</h3>
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Since <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/2016/09/beginning-my-journey-with.html" target="_blank">I last wrote about my journey</a> I have been working at refining my ideas. I'm not one to focus completely on book research first and then shift to classroom research second. I tend to mix the two together and get everyone involved in the journey!<br />
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<b>Connecting with other Educators</b><br />
I've been chatting to people about what I am puzzling over. Having people to listen to my thoughts has helped me to work through what I am reading about and what I am seeing in the classroom. My colleagues are being very encouraging (even though I'm sure they're getting tired of listening to my ramblings). I've made new connections at work in my quest to find other people with an interest, knowledge and experience in the realms of assessment and feedback. I've also found some who may be able to help me work through developing the action research side of things. My colleagues have given me ideas and suggestions for other things I could try.<br />
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<b>Using Twitter</b><br />
Over the years I have developed my Twitter profile to include an extensive list of educators around the world. This is my professional learning network. If I'm to be really honest, I haven't been consistently great with this over the years. While I'd love to do it more, in reality, it does end up being both addictive and time consuming. I also find that I hit information overload quite quickly once I get started. Everyone is sharing great resources that I grab to read later, or feel inspired by in the moment. But I find that I end up with my brain buzzing in too many directions, trying to do too many things, and just can't keep up that sort of momentum. I have to try to find a workable balance. I'm trying to connect more effectively with people in this arena by popping along to Twitter discussions and getting involved with the conversations. By looking at my Twitter feed it's easy enough to pick up on whether there is a discussion happening and to get involved.<br />
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<b>#Hashtags</b><br />
After reading a tweet where someone asked for resources on peer feedback, I realised that I should be using hashtags to find resources about feedback. I did a search on #feedback and found a tweet about <a href="http://bennewmark.edublogs.org/2016/09/26/227/" target="_blank">the work of Ben Newmark</a> (@bennewmark). His school is trying new things in terms of feedback to students, and while I don’t want to take on board the whole kit and caboodle of what he is doing (particularly as it is designed for high school history), I really do like where he is headed in terms of making feedback meaningful. <span class="s2"></span><br />
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Ben’s school has stopped marking books and is now completing a Feedback form when students have submitted their books. He reads through the books (not worrying about marking spelling errors or leaving a comment) and jots down the things about the class’ response using a feedback form. He then makes a PowerPoint presentation that goes through the things that came up on the feedback form. He highlights the things students do well and shares these with the class as examples of exemplary work.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I liked reading about this system and am going to try a modified version of the idea, initially with my Maths class. I wondered what happens in Ben's class in terms of self-reflection to help them to make use of the feedback. Do students jot down takeaways that they will work on?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Another victory with the #feedback hashtag came another day when I discovered this tweet:</div>
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most insightful current <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/edresearch?src=hash">#edresearch</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/feedback?src=hash">#feedback</a> <a href="https://t.co/IrEEf7xICg">https://t.co/IrEEf7xICg</a> <a href="https://t.co/v4wWBxlMhA">pic.twitter.com/v4wWBxlMhA</a></div>
— David Carless (@CarlessDavid) <a href="https://twitter.com/CarlessDavid/status/785760386934984704">October 11, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<br />
<div class="p1">
This research, while difficult to digest, was exactly what I have been looking for. It looks beyond what makes good feedback, to instead explore what is required for students to engage with feedback and use it. After reading this, I was able to draft out a bit of a plan to use in the classroom. The researchers also outlined some gaps in current research - namely education prior to Higher Ed, and studies that look at the resulting behaviours of students rather than merely the reported behaviours. I'm excited to explore this further.<br />
<br />
Dylan Wiliam's Webinars<br />
I found some of Dylan Wiliam's previously recorded webinars online at <a href="http://www.dylanwiliamcenter.com/recorded-webinars/" target="_blank">The Dylan Wiliam Center</a>. I watched these and took some notes as I did so. It was good to hear his view on feedback. The results from studies have shown that feedback can also have a negative impact, thus the reaction of the student should be the focus rather than the feedback itself. I feel this is tied in with my ideas about encouraging student self-reflection in order to apply the feedback, and also providing time for the feedback to be used not just stashed away. Dylan said that the success of the feedback is about the relationship the teacher has with the student and knowing when to push and when to back off. One suggestion Dylan gave for activating students as resources for one another was to use two stars and a wish for peer feedback.<br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I feel that the challenge lies in learning more about how to provide the right sort of feedback (which may mean different things to different students), and how to help students to react positively to what they are told and use it to improve their learning further. This all ties together with the growth mindset, and a willingness to see failure as an opportunity for further growth. More of Dylan Wiliam's webinars can be found <a href="http://www.dylanwiliamcenter.com/webinars/" target="_blank">here</a> and he is about to run another webinar about Assessment Literacy on <a href="https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6908411155289166082?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWlRoalptVmtNalkzWm1NMSIsInQiOiI0VkgySmdkckpab3oyUkg3b2tsTlNcLzFQQXRwakl0YVdwTks3T3BkUW80NFJTR3BMM0o2TndYQzdQZzI4NUxjekZDVDY5d1VQamFYUXRBbU1IMGZGZ1FCWUxZWVwvXC9uUE1SODdkS1wvZjJHUGs9In0%3D" target="_blank">Wednesday 19 October 2016</a>.</div>
<br />
<b>Trying things out</b><br />
Term 4 started this week and I had my students back for the last two days of the week. Why wait, I say! We got straight into exploring some ideas with feedback. Very soon we are going to begin trialling <a href="http://web.seesaw.me/" target="_blank">Seesaw</a> to submit and share classwork and gain feedback from each other. In the lead up to this, I wanted my students to get a sense of why feedback is useful, how we can request feedback from others, how we can give feedback and how we can use feedback.<br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
I wanted to introduce my class to the concept of feedback. I wanted them to get a sense of the power of feedback for helping you to learn and progress forward. In our first lesson of the day students were working on a writing task and I found that students were asking me and one another for help with spelling words. I helped them at the time and then used them as examples for the next lesson.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I referred to this as an example of "seeking feedback" and pointed out how it helped them to be more accurate with their work. I then showed students the video of <a href="https://vimeo.com/38247060" target="_blank">Austin's Butterfly</a> as an example of how feedback leads to improvement. Students were amazed by how Austin's work progressed. </div>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/38247060" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe>
<a href="https://vimeo.com/38247060">Austin's Butterfly: Building Excellence in Student Work</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/elschools">EL Education</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<div class="p1">
<br />
I then explained that students would create a drawing of their holiday and that at any point when they wanted feedback they could take a strip of paper to someone they trust and get them to write down something good about their work and something for them to improve. They could then take the feedback and use it to improve their work. They could repeat this as much as they desired.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
What I found was that initially students wanted to get their work just right. It was almost as if the idea of peer feedback was making them think more critically about their own work. To begin with, I felt that the feedback that students gave one another was fairly shallow and opinion based. eg. "Please colour the white and the background." However when I paused to think of what I might have written, I didn't come up with anything better! This helped me to realise that part of the strength of feedback comes from having some sort of a goal to work toward and markers of what constitutes quality work.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
We continued this work intermittently over the two days, with students continuing to seek feedback from one another and re-drafting as desired. A lot of verbal feedback was being given by students and not being recorded on the paper strips. This suggested to me that students may prefer to give and receive feedback informally and verbally. This may be happening already in the classroom without me realising that it is taking place. </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
As would be expected, I found a variety of responses to this task. Some preferred to begin a new draft, while others made modifications to the original. Some were popular choices for students to go to feedback, while others weren't approached at all. Some students seemed more focused on self-review of work including one who did not get any written feedback.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Nothing Official Yet!</b></div>
<div class="p1">
Of course, I am yet to write up my literature review, and none of my trying things out is part of my proposal at this point. For me, these steps are necessary for me to get a proper understanding of what I am reading and to keep a check on whether it is based in reality. It's also about me finding what works, and seeing how things can be improved. I guess my next step is to get serious about the literature review and speak to someone about action research.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
If you have tried things out with formative assessment, feedback and/or growth mindset please leave a comment with link so that I can check it out. </div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-55039891669984583662016-10-11T00:00:00.000+11:002016-10-11T00:00:22.655+11:00Tech Tips Tuesday<h3>
How much screen time?</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUt0ctn6wrHaSfuk0D0cPFtFMDAESd9IBkqBUzU28CmSApAMX0BAQdo0NxWaXDht9Ue7lfhExUkitlO6vae1R_kIzH5Sl_BKGmdlUcrBpBC-quEcC2GgzI-RkxXrx9Gzz31bgh4Aikzs/s1600/Screentime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUt0ctn6wrHaSfuk0D0cPFtFMDAESd9IBkqBUzU28CmSApAMX0BAQdo0NxWaXDht9Ue7lfhExUkitlO6vae1R_kIzH5Sl_BKGmdlUcrBpBC-quEcC2GgzI-RkxXrx9Gzz31bgh4Aikzs/s200/Screentime.jpg" width="193" /></a>We have just finished having a two-week break from school and are heading back into our normal <br />
routines. By the end of the holidays, however, we'd fallen into some pretty bad habits. Daylight savings has meant that we have been more relaxed over bedtime for our son. And, as for screen time? Our son's use of screen time has allowed us to have more of a sleep in the next day! We've really had to work at getting out of the house - taking the dog for a walk, going for a bike ride, seeing the city and participating in the real world. These are all good things, but take effort!<br />
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In the past week I took part in a survey about children and video games. It really got me thinking about what is good and beneficial in terms of screen time.<br />
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Does your Aussie family play video games? Got kids under 13? Please add your experience to my research. <a href="https://t.co/D5WaqJzVEk">https://t.co/D5WaqJzVEk</a> - Thanks!</div>
— Dean Groom (@Type217) <a href="https://twitter.com/Type217/status/783246026014617600">October 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
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My son just got a 2DS for his birthday, so along with the iPhone he had handed down and the iPad he bought second hand, he is getting more than the desired screen time for a six-year-old. And it doesn't help that he is growing up in a home where Mummy is always testing out new apps and resources with him, and Daddy is an absolute whiz when it comes to working out the logistical side of things.<br />
<br />
So, this week we tried to come up with a solution in terms of screen time. My husband had heard of people instigating a daily limit for their children, so we decided on 30 minutes (not guaranteed - but dependent on what's happening and what will work for the family). We decided to add an opportunity for our son to "earn" more screen time by engaging in outdoor play, such that for every two minutes of outdoor play he banks an additional one minute of screen time. This banked time can be used on the day it is earned or rolled over (unused normal daily limit is not rolled over).<br />
<br />
Sound like all those terms and conditions you usually skim over? Wait... there's more! The walk to and from school does not count toward the extra time, nor does outside play as part of the usual school day. Television counts as screen time only when it is chosen as an individual activity. And Pokemon Go doesn't count as either screen time or outdoor play - the two cancel each other out!<br />
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As you are probably beginning to understand, we have a six-year-old who needs to know all the ins and outs so that he can make the most of all these minutes! It's early days and we are just trying to find a way to keep better track of how he is using his time.<br />
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That said, it does make me pause for a moment to think about my personal response to screen time. I probably spend far too much time looking at a screen and far too little engaging in outdoor play. Particularly in the holidays when I want to dibble and dabble and learn new things online.<br />
<br />
And then I could also play the devil's advocate and go against all that I fight so hard for and ask the question: Should we be limiting the amount of screen time used in the classroom? And if so, what is the "right" amount?<br />
<br />
Is screen time something that we should be putting limits on, or is it something that people should engage in freely and monitor for themselves? When is screen time a problem, and when does it become just a part of how we live our lives these days? And is that a problem in and of itself?<br />
<br />
What are your thoughts?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-1763428883475098422016-10-04T13:42:00.000+11:002016-10-04T13:45:21.819+11:00Tech Tips Tuesday<h3>
Apple Watch</h3>
<br />
So, I've been wearing the Apple Watch since they first came out in May 2015. I haven't reviewed it yet, and the second edition has now been released. So I thought maybe I should say a little something about how I've found it fits with my lifestyle, one year in!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyphDv3U82rYBieJnUsjP69yyKE7cAJ_4NSZ1I-YqbhKUyPdC2pDCHYIC0pesBH0zhPMJrsSycylVvq1ePTT73Pn3ZO-xfJ0nG0f5LxnNM_tgUdi4Fpyvhkx_LBUVU5opCH0XcxC7wA4/s1600/IMG_9840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyphDv3U82rYBieJnUsjP69yyKE7cAJ_4NSZ1I-YqbhKUyPdC2pDCHYIC0pesBH0zhPMJrsSycylVvq1ePTT73Pn3ZO-xfJ0nG0f5LxnNM_tgUdi4Fpyvhkx_LBUVU5opCH0XcxC7wA4/s200/IMG_9840.JPG" width="150" /></a>My Apple Watch is Series 1, 38mm case in Stainless Steel with the Sapphire Crystal face (or so the back tells me!) I chose the black sports band - hoping that it would blend well with my work attire. I haven't purchase any other bands and the original is still going strong after one year of wearing it every day. I recently fell while running the other day, and while the watch took a decent hit, the Sapphire Crystal face only suffered minor scratches as did the Stainless Steel and sports band (as seen in the photo).<br />
<br />
This is the most expensive watch I have ever owned, probably not the most beautiful, but definitely the most useful. I tried out a few different watch faces that looked cool, but ended up with the most functional for my lifestyle - boring but informative - Modular. At a quick glance I can see the date, time, upcoming events, temperature, fitness and stopwatch.<br />
<br />
To be honest, there were a couple of hiccups early on that bothered me - I seemed to be churning through the battery, both on the watch and on my phone. After dropping my phone in "the sink" I couldn't tell whether the battery issues I was facing were related to that incident, or whether it was the extra drain from the watch. Rather than replace the phone battery I decided to get a charger case to keep my phone going. Now I have enough phone battery to get me through the day, and my watch has only run out of battery on a couple of occasions. Generally I plug both in to charge as I go off to bed at night. Not the most elegant solution to the problem, but it's working for me so far.<br />
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In a lot of ways, it does what my phone does for me, but up close and on the go. Also, people are used to seeing someone pull out their phone to check on messages etc, and it has a bad reputation. By doing it on the watch, it is much less noticeable. That said, when I start looking at the watch in the company of others, people do tend to think that I'm checking the time and feel concerned that I have somewhere better to be!!<br />
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At times it can be frustrating to wait for the wrist flick to wake it up, especially when tapping the screen is not an option eg. when cutting up meat for dinner, but generally it is pretty good. Another trick comes when trying to show the watch to someone else. The amount of times I've turned my wrist to show someone and they've come back with "All I'm seeing is a black screen!"<br />
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I love the flow of information to my watch. I use it frequently to check the time, the weather and to see how I'm going with my fitness targets. I use it to set timers with my class and my son to try to get things done in a certain amount of time. My favourite feature at school is when I'm not really sure how to spell something. Siri sorts me out pretty quickly and my students are suitably impressed.<br />
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I keep my watch on silent, so love that I can feel when a notification has come. I'm the only one that knows that it's there, so can time when to check on it without causing a disruption. I love that I FEEL my watch telling me my phone is ringing even before I HEAR my phone ringing and can cancel the call quickly if I've forgotten to silence my phone. I like being able to send a quick message from the watch, or try my luck with the dictation feature.<br />
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There are of course fun bits, that are interesting to play with - sending your heart beat, drawing little pictures, viewing your photos and taking a call. It's also interesting to have Apple telling you when you should stand up and take a walk, and now with the recent update, telling you when to inhale and exhale!<br />
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I love my watch. I wish it was prettier without being more expensive. It's hardy, going strong and I would struggle to go back to a watch that doesn't tell me as much. I'm not sure of all the features of the new watch and haven't been in to the Apple Store to play with it yet. But it can only get better, right?!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-76733781385742703102016-09-27T00:00:00.000+10:002016-09-28T18:52:05.232+10:00Tech Tips Tuesday<h3>
Using ICT to Enhance Learning About 3D Solids</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqt_aWK8-ffy6ZjFZbpD0I4hAJHtjOvPcQ5gzdd0Z7zx4qGF2NB5rQy0UkfdxsvJHHvEKw9hxugrdha-rr_33bX4q3LE-6I37pRC28aga8uHC7Nl1MIJvqO8iWqFt7k0lyZiFUXs1TpY/s1600/IMG_9159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqt_aWK8-ffy6ZjFZbpD0I4hAJHtjOvPcQ5gzdd0Z7zx4qGF2NB5rQy0UkfdxsvJHHvEKw9hxugrdha-rr_33bX4q3LE-6I37pRC28aga8uHC7Nl1MIJvqO8iWqFt7k0lyZiFUXs1TpY/s200/IMG_9159.JPG" width="200" /></a>As I headed into Term 3 I had grand plans about integrating ICT into the Maths Program. We had great success earlier in the year with the use of <a href="http://www.teaching.com.au/catalogue/mta/mta-bee-bots-early-years-robotics" target="_blank">Beebots</a> and basic programming lessons to give purpose to the language around location ie. left/right/forwards/backwards/up/down. Given that, I had high expectations for the use of <a href="https://www.makersempire.com/" target="_blank">Makers Empire</a> and 3D Printing as part of our learning about 3D solids. I wanted for students to be able to explore and build 3D solids on an iPad and then see them turned into a physical object through 3D printing.<br />
<br />
<b>Implementing the 3D Printing Task</b><br />
We staggered our teaching program across the year level to allow for shared use of resources across the term and arranged for our ICT Coordinator to come and work with our Maths classes during the last week of our 3D Solids learning. When our ICT Coordinator came students logged onto Makers Empire with student logins and she taught them the basics of the different aspects of the app. Students had some free time to explore and then worked on designing a building that used the 3D solids they had learnt about in class. They selected the one that they wanted printed, calling it "This is it!" to make it easier for me to find when it came to printing.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjea8PDoPCqDCs36I-Qcv7NaTELw9AkJC9zMAHNgvk9mr_mjtRvqsaNeqwbVRRLq4wEtOUiTX5O9wffXaGLRc67tjzf3QQQuXTOTAYXxs9AvkioCISjZT2s3ktPPlLLBL437Cs_z6yVsTI/s1600/IMG_9580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjea8PDoPCqDCs36I-Qcv7NaTELw9AkJC9zMAHNgvk9mr_mjtRvqsaNeqwbVRRLq4wEtOUiTX5O9wffXaGLRc67tjzf3QQQuXTOTAYXxs9AvkioCISjZT2s3ktPPlLLBL437Cs_z6yVsTI/s200/IMG_9580.JPG" width="200" /></a>All was going well until it came to the actual printing. We got some quick training on how to use the printer, but when I sat down to do it, it wasn't as easy as putting some paper in a printer and watching it do its work. The plastic didn't always come out smoothly where it was supposed to, so I had to sit and watch as it did its job to make sure it didn't mess up. These jobs were taking about 2 hours to print, so as you can imagine, I couldn't be there to babysit the machine the whole time as I had actual teaching to do! A couple of times the machine made a mess while I wasn't watching, leaving the jobs ruined and the nozzle in an icky mess.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1XdUr5k_kr-8IXww4KxqBPQyovK-flUs8Pc7x6wqm52zNds7rPFZsDpjglw6ukiWYPq08q95DDihaKLQGW87_aG-sjjvqMqUBlEiSsd3Q5sR8n4WWbiKHIT1XYOsMyj24mxTw4vDWsI/s1600/IMG_9585+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1XdUr5k_kr-8IXww4KxqBPQyovK-flUs8Pc7x6wqm52zNds7rPFZsDpjglw6ukiWYPq08q95DDihaKLQGW87_aG-sjjvqMqUBlEiSsd3Q5sR8n4WWbiKHIT1XYOsMyj24mxTw4vDWsI/s200/IMG_9585+2.JPG" width="200" /></a>A couple of jobs did make it through to completion, but only because I sat by the machine, cleaning gloopy bits off the nozzle as it worked. Then there were also the creations students made that didn't work because of their design. They looked great as digital creations, but when trying to print with plastic, they just weren't practical.<br />
<br />
We haven't labelled it a complete failure yet, and maybe I'll get the chance to print a few more during the holidays, but it was far from a huge success! I am not ready to call it quits on 3D printing, I just wish our printer was a bit more reliable and easier to use. I guess I have a few more failures to work through before I'll be able to enjoy the successes. I'm sure the first paper printers were not without their faults either. I have vague recollections of the poor quality of colour printing from my teenage years.<br />
<br />
<b>Other Successes</b><br />
That said, we did have some other successes using less complicated ICT technology this term. Students took photographs of 3D solids from different perspectives and created a <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pic-collage-for-kids-best/id977081997?mt=8" target="_blank">PicCollage</a> to share with others. These looked great when printed and we displayed them on the wall. They also built solids using construction materials and took one photograph of the net and one photograph of the solid and recorded the audio naming the solid using <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/explain-everything-classic/id431493086?mt=8" target="_blank">Explain Everything Classic</a>. These were combined using iMovie and shared with the class for revision. In another lesson students built a 3D structure using blocks, took a photo and then demolished their house for another group to rebuild using the photograph as a guide.<br />
<br />
When I look back over all the ICT successes with 3D solids, the problems with the printer seem minimal. My students still walked away with an excellent understanding of the names and properties of 3D solids and an ability to work with them in a range of ways.<br />
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What have been your early experiences with 3D printers? How did you overcome the challenges?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-35891795000917071942016-09-26T15:26:00.000+10:002017-11-27T21:35:53.934+11:00Beginning My Journey with ISTAA Experienced Teacher AccreditationDue to my recent school move, I've found myself in a position of having to go through accreditation to demonstrate my level of teaching. In NSW/ACT Independent schools, this means applying for Experienced Teacher Accreditation with ISTAA (the Independent Schools Teacher Accreditation Authority). I'm not sure of all the logistics, or whether this is a requirement in all independent schools, however it is required in order to move up the pay scale in my school.<br />
<br />
So, I applied and am now on the Experienced Teacher Accreditation journey. As you might imagine, this journey is mostly about capturing evidence of what is happening in the classroom in order to prove that I am demonstrating the descriptors of an Experienced Teacher. To make matters even more complicated, I have chosen the Action Research Pathway, which involves choosing an action research project, doing a literature review, putting forward a proposal, collecting data relating to the action research project, and reporting findings.<br />
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So far I have mostly been trying to get my head around what is required, and testing out a few ideas I could use as my action research. The biggest challenge I am finding so far is selecting an action research project that is simple enough to be achievable, yet broad enough to encompass a number of descriptors I need to demonstrate.<br />
<br />
<b>Areas of Interest</b><br />
<br />
My plan at the moment is to focus on the use of formative assessment and feedback to enhance student learning. I have some examples of this in the classroom, but would like to improve the way my assessments are recorded so that I can analyse for patterns. I'd also like to improve the quality of the feedback that I provide, to make it more explicit and to ensure that students are able to use it to improve the next time they face something similar. This also means providing opportunities for students to make the adjustments and try again before too much time has passed. I'm also interested to see how students can reflect on their learning more effectively.<br />
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I'd also like to explore where parents fit into all of this. Is there a way to provide better feedback to parents along the way so that they can be addressing issues when they are relevant, rather than waiting until reports? Do parents want to be part of the learning process, or would they prefer it all to be done in-house?<br />
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<b>Documentation</b><br />
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Documentation forms a large part of the experienced teacher accreditation. Teachers need to be able to demonstrate in physical form a lot of the things that usually just take place in the day to day teaching environment, or sometimes within the teacher's head. Teachers make observations on how students are managing content and make adaptations in response to these observations. This is all unseen or at least unwritten. For the purposes of the accreditation, these things need to become seen and written.<br />
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In an attempt to do this, I've taken on using some tools a little more intentionally. Key tools so far are: Notes linked through iCloud, Notability and iDoceo.<br />
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I've begun recording my thoughts and actions in Notes on my phone/iPad/computer, similar to a diary. This is helping me to record those things that are happening during the day that may slip from my mind as time goes by. I'm finding it is also really helpful for organising my thoughts. I can add pictures that help demonstrate things, or photos of weird diagrams I draw on paper in attempt to make sense of the confusion!<br />
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I'm using Notability so that I can annotate the descriptors and highlight with a range of colours. I may also use it for annotating readings as I do my literature review.<br />
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iDoceo is a tool for managing assessments etc for your class. I am using it to help me with recording assessment and I am particularly liking the new rubric feature. I'm able to quickly make and use rubrics, collating the data at the same time. I decided to make a "class" for myself as well, with columns for all of the descriptors. I can now collect evidence and jot down ideas as annotations for all of the descriptors, and therefore track how I am progressing.<br />
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<b>Moving Forward</b><br />
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As I continue with this journey I need to get serious about reading up on feedback and formative assessment. A few names that come to mind are John Hattie, Dylan Wiliam, and Dan Haesler. In looking quickly at Dan's website, he doesn't specifically mention "formative assessment and feedback" but from working with him at my previous school, I know that it is part of his repertoire. Perhaps the focus of my action research should be "growth mindsets" of which formative assessment and feedback are a large part. That gives more direction to what I am considering and provides a stronger starting point. That leads to the work by Carol Dweck, which will keep me busy for a while!<br />
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What suggestions do you have? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-78782772076735891652016-09-14T06:44:00.001+10:002016-09-14T06:44:57.687+10:00Tech Tips Tuesday<h3>
Using Opinion App for Podcasting</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILkWxXKQXiTyeo0ipo-oWU-jjHOX4_qp9mynvm5LDjjzGLWVoL8Uia0ecEeUYR5BDkmRdCzmfomHYatEWLUKq1brIGXD3Yw6JbttLbEj18AWMkdSPBr4Sqd2_1AV8klEUyWJHul2ra7I/s1600/IMG_9719.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILkWxXKQXiTyeo0ipo-oWU-jjHOX4_qp9mynvm5LDjjzGLWVoL8Uia0ecEeUYR5BDkmRdCzmfomHYatEWLUKq1brIGXD3Yw6JbttLbEj18AWMkdSPBr4Sqd2_1AV8klEUyWJHul2ra7I/s320/IMG_9719.PNG" width="177" /></a>Last week I was reminded of the value of recording and sharing audio. I decided to attempt podcasting again, but this time with my class and my son. <a href="http://www.shellyfryer.com/" target="_blank">Shelly Fryer</a> has been using <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/opinion-podcasts-record-edit/id926260308?mt=8" target="_blank">Opinion App</a> for podcasting with her class and it sounded really good, so I downloaded the app and tested it out.<br />
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For my first attempt at school, I kept it simple and asked students about their thoughts on Book Week. I recorded on the playground in the morning before school, and then invited my own class to add their thoughts as I went through the roll. I dabbled with some Garage Band myself, and made a little introductory tune (which one of my students says sounds too sleepy)! Uncertain of my school's policy for uploading podcasts online, I exported the recording as a file and then was able to add this to our internal website. I'm not sure if anyone has listened to it yet, as it's hard to know whether parents access the website.<br />
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Yesterday we recorded another episode, this time about how students were feeling in the lead-up to our school musical. I thought that I would do another after the musical so that students can see how their feelings changed. We also added a sample of the students singing one of their songs.<br />
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Opinion App is free, with the option to unlock unlimited recording (currently for $5.99). The free version allows you to record for 10 minutes, and so far I haven't needed more than this.<br />
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<b>Getting Started</b><br />
When you begin, you need to create an account, decide on a podcast name and upload an image to represent the podcast. If you're doing this with students it is nice to get the students to create the image. If you are planning to import audio you've created elsewhere, for example an opening song, it may be helpful to have a Dropbox or Google Drive account. Once you've completed these steps, you're ready to begin recording.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxw2YFudSl8yrfDbg5RGBoQbSHN33zQbRNg0TQrlpn1ZI_vOSiyE4jZTU2O1O6CrBUYJP03XYMQrGxTgDEiEQNt6ldfuDzg1FuHAQNrJCBmtJXAhqA1VhfQEmkWhvoCTa5w2CbeqJdOTI/s1600/FullSizeRender+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxw2YFudSl8yrfDbg5RGBoQbSHN33zQbRNg0TQrlpn1ZI_vOSiyE4jZTU2O1O6CrBUYJP03XYMQrGxTgDEiEQNt6ldfuDzg1FuHAQNrJCBmtJXAhqA1VhfQEmkWhvoCTa5w2CbeqJdOTI/s200/FullSizeRender+10.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Import</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>How it works</b><br />
It is really simple to use, with only three main action buttons and a settings button.<br />
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To import an audio clip, select the middle button and find the location of the audio you wish to import. To navigate to Dropbox or Google Drive, select Other Apps/Locations/Dropbox or Google Drive. If you don't see what you need in your options, select More and then turn on the storage you would like to access. (You will probably need to have these Apps on your phone already.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidb_XdpHS7iWdu5nXl7uIicdxW6BtRv_2byA2mCYkELLkfaeX0VP5lkDyg4zOCmrAiHx_H7z6Sz4R-l1LWdPxzQhKnC4ZXT4sMkhYT3NSH6wSrbPyucI59kKrKfgXUyLU-tanoQTONjxU/s1600/FullSizeRender+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidb_XdpHS7iWdu5nXl7uIicdxW6BtRv_2byA2mCYkELLkfaeX0VP5lkDyg4zOCmrAiHx_H7z6Sz4R-l1LWdPxzQhKnC4ZXT4sMkhYT3NSH6wSrbPyucI59kKrKfgXUyLU-tanoQTONjxU/s200/FullSizeRender+7.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Record</td></tr>
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To record, simply push the record button and once the little face comes up, start speaking. Press the record button again once you're done.<br />
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To edit a recording, tap on it and then select whether you want to delete it or trim it. I had one of my students record his full name and was able to use the snipping tool to edit out the unwanted part without making it sound stilted.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtF5zhZxy97mxBA95sGdn16E_H7s0SWdJRzwPTADcDZyR5Rp7NiVOkDCRKMSkuk4MAuI6jQzYfXNnsa3vowyJTlf44bb4BHKqvhWNJbBI49b7OMvaU3HGKme25z90Nj_0ZbedptprgpX4/s1600/FullSizeRender+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtF5zhZxy97mxBA95sGdn16E_H7s0SWdJRzwPTADcDZyR5Rp7NiVOkDCRKMSkuk4MAuI6jQzYfXNnsa3vowyJTlf44bb4BHKqvhWNJbBI49b7OMvaU3HGKme25z90Nj_0ZbedptprgpX4/s200/FullSizeRender+8.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Play, edit or re-order recording.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To change the order of the recordings in your podcast, drag using the right side of the recording bar on the main page.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVISSEyxnnxbXWQmMsp1B4vYvfZf_2AEUHdqjdfqImwoNoNxz46lP7iVmkvV7lZ0i8_zkWsFiO2wIZbGmxN7oB0q6dn9GXDttE6kctyGUdaqgspZtqP5YzoXfhpELjEnJk-L-oM8bLWhM/s1600/FullSizeRender+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVISSEyxnnxbXWQmMsp1B4vYvfZf_2AEUHdqjdfqImwoNoNxz46lP7iVmkvV7lZ0i8_zkWsFiO2wIZbGmxN7oB0q6dn9GXDttE6kctyGUdaqgspZtqP5YzoXfhpELjEnJk-L-oM8bLWhM/s200/FullSizeRender+9.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Share</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To upload your podcast, select the "share square" and decide whether to post the episode or share it as a file. If you post the episode, you will be prompted to complete some additional information about the podcast and then it will be published online. Save the feed to direct people to it. If you would prefer to save it as a file, choose your preferred location from the available options.<br />
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<b>For more information</b><br />
If you want to create multiple podcasts or list your podcast on iTunes, the Opinion Podcasting website has more information in their <a href="http://opinionpodcasting.tumblr.com/post/117335279666/faq" target="_blank">FAQ</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-85515799732275496382016-09-06T00:00:00.000+10:002016-09-06T00:00:21.555+10:00Tech Tips Tuesday<h3>
Conversation Gems</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1y3v7Z0CUsT5xR_8_wyrLmlAzPnUutjLkTRYKDpGrGS4oYRZxFhKImMtAXhN3hOXBqxo06iGOqgDlx0hPOUATzWeO21Cwsmw9sJ-bVZ4Mve43I6of8Tb2_xaA0OWC8RLtqlVUfbnCNLo/s1600/IMG_9586.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1y3v7Z0CUsT5xR_8_wyrLmlAzPnUutjLkTRYKDpGrGS4oYRZxFhKImMtAXhN3hOXBqxo06iGOqgDlx0hPOUATzWeO21Cwsmw9sJ-bVZ4Mve43I6of8Tb2_xaA0OWC8RLtqlVUfbnCNLo/s320/IMG_9586.PNG" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How do you make the bumps bigger?</td></tr>
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Today I was listening to <a href="http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2016/08/28/podcast445-voices-from-ipadpaloozaou-the-ipad-media-activities-project-matrix/" target="_blank">Moving at the Speed of Creativity Podcast #445</a> and one thing that jumped out was the power of the voice. I realised that I've become hooked on needing pictures with my audio, and have lost my appreciation for the value of the voice. Wes Fryer is an excellent advocate for the recording of stories in audio format and this latest podcast got me thinking again. Thinking about how I've used audio in the past as well as thinking about how I could use it again now. I've been out of practice with podcasting, though I'm sure developments in technology would have only made it easier.<br />
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While my son and I ate dinner tonight, we listened back over some of the Voice Memos I have created in years past and we found it fascinating to hear some of the discussions we've had. I'm not sure what my inspiration was on the 18th September 2014, however something was, and it was the first time my son (then 3) had seen Voice Memos.<br />
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I'm sharing this audio recording, not because it's produced to a high quality and deserves to be shared, but more for the learning that happens in this moment. While slow at times, I feel it's a conversation gem. Hear his frustration as he struggles to understand what he is seeing on the screen of the phone. Listen as he solves the puzzle through responding to questions.<br />
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This is a snapshot of what we all face when trying something new with technology. The struggle of coming to terms with this new thing before us - What is it? What is it's purpose? How do I deal with it? Is it worth dealing with? Then, that experimentation to find the answers and solve the problems that are interwoven. And finally the support we get from others as we tie it all together.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="50" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://archive.org/embed/18092014658Pm" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="400"></iframe><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-28354249496689355402016-08-30T00:00:00.000+10:002016-08-30T00:00:11.725+10:00Tech Tips Tuesday<h3>
Explain Everything</h3>
<b>Simple Video Creation for Young Children</b><br />
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I have written about <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/explain-everything-classic/id431493086?mt=8" target="_blank">Explain Everything</a> (Classic) before, but it's one of my go-to apps due to how useful it is for a variety of purposes. My kindergarten son is now getting to an age where he wants to share his ideas with others and is looking for ways to do this. We recently used Explain Everything to make a review video for a Lego kit he completed. He wanted to ensure his face wasn't shown and this allowed us to put together a video with audio, images and videos. It also meant that he was able to record the audio in short bursts so that he didn't get tangled in his words or add more than he needed.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7fZqtPHVkHE?rel=0" width="320"></iframe><br />
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He then entered the Drone Challenge at his school, which involved putting together a proposal for how a drone could be used to help the community. They were invited to present their ideas in a form of their choice. As it turned out, I feel it probably took us less time to make a movie than it would have taken to make a poster!<br />
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Once he had his idea he drew some pictures in Sketchbook and saved them to his photo library. Then, using Explain Everything he designed a title slide, followed by a slide explaining how it would work, a slide pointing out the parts of the drone and a slide for who would use it and the purpose. As it turned out, the judges liked his idea and so he won the prize for his age group! Yay!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ukFoYW9w1fg?rel=0" width="320"></iframe><br />
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<b>In the classroom</b><br />
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Students can make short videos to demonstrate content knowledge. These can then be combined in a video editor (eg. iMovie) to make a class video that can be shared with the community on school websites or by creating an <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aurasma/id432526396?mt=8" target="_blank">Aurasma</a> aura. I did this recently with Explain Everything videos students made explaining the nets of 3D solids. I made a classroom poster with the Aurasma trigger and students showed their grandparents using class iPads on Grandparents Day.<br />
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Teachers can also use Explain Everything to collate student work and audio responses into a class product. I have done this simply by allocating a slide to each child, photographing their work and recording their audio as they explain their work. We then shared the final product in an assembly. </div>
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I'm yet to explore the Collaborative Whiteboard aspect and the Project templates. From a quick glance they look good, but may require an account. I'd love to hear from anyone who's already using Explain Everything Discover. </div>
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Other posts that might interest you:<br />
<a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/2014/06/tech-tips-tuesday_17.html" target="_blank">Exploring Fractions with iPads</a><br />
<a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/2014/06/tech-tips-tuesday_10.html" target="_blank">Explain Everything for 3D Solids and Location</a><br />
<a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/search?q=aurasma" target="_blank">Posts about Aurasma</a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-89915639182547418492016-08-29T20:39:00.000+10:002016-08-29T20:39:38.090+10:00Blogger Behind This Blog #7<h2>
Teacher Mummy</h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aJopetKOGmYI8Yjh88ByaE9M9eriCWwfPQSuAI0GC7_Osf-ngA4EruBWLSH8okV9guE_7R1Y9Z-sfnGPe7cCkjIDvzm_hCFwl79bRa_Pi_VXkNxPCOKdngbUpdgxTaQzCz4pbRJudI4/s1600/IMG_0152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aJopetKOGmYI8Yjh88ByaE9M9eriCWwfPQSuAI0GC7_Osf-ngA4EruBWLSH8okV9guE_7R1Y9Z-sfnGPe7cCkjIDvzm_hCFwl79bRa_Pi_VXkNxPCOKdngbUpdgxTaQzCz4pbRJudI4/s200/IMG_0152.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bad mummy - son plays ipad while <br />waiting for takeaway dinner!</td></tr>
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Today I thought I'd write about what it's like to be a Teacher Mummy or, depending on your perspective, a Mummy Teacher. Some days it definitely feels like the lines are blurred, particularly when I come home to readers and homework, or find myself comforting a student who has fallen over! As I drove home from work one night this week, I found myself puzzling over this situation and realised how much being a mummy changed the whole game of teaching.<br />
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<h4>
Before</h4>
My class used to be "my kids". I was with them all day at school and then they were in my thoughts all night. I worried over them constantly and spent my spare thoughts planning our learning experiences. As I spent all my spare time focussed on their learning, I thought they could be using their spare time to learn as well. I encouraged them to use online resources like Mathletics, SuperClubs, Spellodrome etc. When a student didn't get their homework done, or had a dodgy lunch, or even came to school when they were sick, I made a judgement - and more often than not, blamed the parents. At the same time, I blamed myself for my inability to fix all the problems the kids had with learning and behaviour. It took a while for me to realise that some things are just personality things that can only be guided, not fixed. </div>
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<h4>
After</h4>
My class are still my kids, but they are not my only kids. They get me during work hours, and still invade my thoughts, but when I am at home, the Mummy kicks in. It has to. There is so much to do, and so few hours. I don't have as much time to do all the extra bits. I still plan all the lessons and try to be creative and innovative, but it needs to be done with less time for pausing and pondering. I use the driving time to iron out the wrinkles. Haven't worked out the certificates for assembly yet? Think it through as I drive. Not sure how I'll play out the grammar lesson? Bounce some ideas on the way to work. Frustrated with how the Maths lesson went? Work out how to approach it next time as I sit and wait at the lights. Lunch is a quick breather, a bite to eat, and then an opportunity to get things done.<br />
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<h4>
Benefits</h4>
There are, however, some special benefits to being a Teacher Mummy, especially this year as I teach Year 1 and my son is in Kindergarten. My class benefits because I know more about the things that interest 6 year olds. I can talk to them about Minecraft and Pokemon Go. I understand about playing soccer on weekends or going to swimming lessons. I know what all the latest Lego sets are! I know what has worked to grab my son's interest in reading, and how to help him understand something mathematical - so can use this with my class. If I'm not sure how a lesson will go, I can test the lesson out on him first or run it by him and see what he thinks. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HkHO4nTVdsraD5feYf04LY-L8CbW6v4qSbHlABZ8RCjXvVrzuWhXU4hl6NsJjm5SIeRExHQ9K6fXTSgmx2LJbDH3gvAce3EtLjiW04RouUvPC8M50zpcfLXFmt-TgSpEKwOy11C9y7A/s1600/IMG_5163+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HkHO4nTVdsraD5feYf04LY-L8CbW6v4qSbHlABZ8RCjXvVrzuWhXU4hl6NsJjm5SIeRExHQ9K6fXTSgmx2LJbDH3gvAce3EtLjiW04RouUvPC8M50zpcfLXFmt-TgSpEKwOy11C9y7A/s200/IMG_5163+2.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teacher Mummy - son plays a game<br />to learn about numbers!</td></tr>
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The flip-side also has its benefits. I share with him the things that have worked with my class. His learning is stretched beyond what he gets in class. I'm usually able to weave learning into our time together without it feeling like learning. I'm able to prompt him as he reads or writes and feel confident that I'm not messing him up! When he needs to write a speech, I have an idea of what that should look like.</div>
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I understand now how parents feel when it comes to their kids. They love them, want the best for them and also have challenges when it comes to managing time. I get what it's like to try and get a kid out the door in the morning with everything he needs for the day. I get what it's like to deal with a bouncy kid in the afternoon when you just feel wrecked yourself. I get what it's like to have your heart break when your kid tells you that someone was being mean to him. There are times when I've forgotten to pack a fork and others when I have refused to buy another spare hat for the week in the hopes that the old one will show up. I've even stalled buying new shoes as it got close to the end of the year. It's nice to know how parents feel and to be able to relate to them with a different level of understanding.</div>
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<h4>
Challenges</h4>
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I feel that the challenges for me relate mostly to my connections with my son's teacher and school. </div>
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I find I'm always trying to evaluate whether he's in the best place - and that's even when he's at the same school. I rarely get to any of his excursions or special events (even when I was at the same school). I barely know his teacher and how he's REALLY doing at school. <br />
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Time is also a challenge. There are times where I feel a terrible parent, dropping my son at before school care as soon as the doors open and picking him up from after school care after a staff meeting. When I've been at the same school, it's been just as guilt-laden. I struggled to get work done in the afternoon once he was in the room, asking for afternoon tea and wanting to play with me. There are also times when I really want to be able to spend more time working on something school related and just can't fit it in once I'm home.<br />
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What are your thoughts on this? How do you balance your home life and work life? Please leave a comment to share your thoughts.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-41598352838233338812016-08-23T00:00:00.000+10:002016-08-23T05:33:18.686+10:00Tech Tips Tuesday<br>
<h3>
Lego WeDo 2.0</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_NP2aPC2O6BPRWE0aOkuUzY4AjmludSkg-dkste-ppEROQ_a6zJJADQNLRCwPPMDkztDQwvKRfSGaULTrybdan2QqFQwUOlylKdi-gu6Bdzzb30PeYdw6q460kocedMxWU-L_7hBsNbI/s1600/IMG_9357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_NP2aPC2O6BPRWE0aOkuUzY4AjmludSkg-dkste-ppEROQ_a6zJJADQNLRCwPPMDkztDQwvKRfSGaULTrybdan2QqFQwUOlylKdi-gu6Bdzzb30PeYdw6q460kocedMxWU-L_7hBsNbI/s200/IMG_9357.JPG" width="200"></a>This year I took on the role of STEAM facilitator for my area. This hasn't been too large a role, but has prompted me to pay more attention to what we are teaching and programming in the STEAM subjects. I have also been considering how to make connections between the STEAM subject areas, and how to set tasks for students that will involve them in solving problems using skills and knowledge from a variety of the subject areas. With this year's Science Week theme "Drones, droids and robots" we thought we would take advantage of this to get students involved in robotics.<br>
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Towards the end of Term 2 we purchased a class set of <a href="https://education.lego.com/en-gb/lesi/elementary/wedo-2" target="_blank">WeDo 2.0 Lego sets</a>. With these sets students can build and modify a variety of Lego robots and programme them using the WeDo 2.0 app. I can't recommend these sets enough - they are simple to use, the app walks you through what to do and they don't take too long to build and enjoy! Students collaborate while working with them and learn to solve problems together, make adjustments and get creative in their designs. They learn basic engineering and programming skills and explore scientific concepts through experimentation.<br>
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<b>Getting Started</b><br>
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When the sets arrived the Lego pieces arrived in their little plastic bags and needed to be sorted into the sections of the container. We had purchased 12 sets (a class pack) and so this was no quick job. I managed it by taking a few home at night and sorting while I watched TV! The benefit of doing this sort yourself is that you quickly learn where the pieces are stored and how many of each piece there should be. This means you are better able to help students find what they need when they get stuck.<br>
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In preparation I also charged up the Smarthubs and numbered each kit with a sticker for the lid and base. I followed the instructions from the manual (available on the website) to rename each Smarthub to make it easier for students to connect to the right robot. I learnt the value of this the hard way! I kept the cardboard boxes to store the kits in and found somewhere to store them.<br>
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<b>Introducing the Kits</b><br>
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I introduced these kits to my students and walked them through the first couple of sessions to teach them the basics. They built their confidence with this and then I guided them in coaching the other Year 1 classes using the Kids Can Coach approach described <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/2015/12/tech-tips-tuesday.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I explained the importance of taking care of the kits and gave instructions on how to organise the workspace when using them and how to pack up properly at the end.<br>
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<b>Science Week</b><br>
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Once each class had completed the basics with their coach from my class (1.5 hrs), we were ready to attempt another project. We found a project related to some science we completed earlier in the year, which involved building a tadpole and transforming it into a frog (1.5 hrs). Two classes paired up and went through the process together. I used the interactive whiteboard to walk students through the early steps in the project - thinking about the changes during a frog's lifecycle and documenting these changes - and then let them go when we reached the building stage.<br>
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The app takes students through building a tadpole and then adding the back legs. It is then up to them to consider what changes to make to turn it into a frog. It was exciting to see the variety of ideas students used for front legs and the modifications that were made as they began programming their robots to move. For those who progressed quickly through these stages I suggested thinking about how the robot could "see" (using the sensor) and croak (using the sounds available). Students explored the programming side of things, initially beginning with the code provided and then making modifications to suit what they were wanting to achieve.<br>
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To finish off the week we had a timed challenge where 2 students from each class built and programmed a frog in 25 minutes and then raced them in front of the grade. The tension was great as the frogs raced off and classes cheered for their representative!<br>
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<b>Going Forward</b><br>
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My plan now is to find opportunities where the robots will link in to the science units we are covering in class and to add it to the programmes for next year. We will also use the sets in our STEAM lunchtime program with students in Kindergarten and Year 1. Our students are very excited to use these sets and are benefitting from the learning experience.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-32249534385506560652016-08-20T11:55:00.001+10:002016-08-20T11:55:59.346+10:00More MovementI made another big move this year, but this time it wasn't just my place of employment. <div><br></div><div>Rather, we packed up all our belongings and moved state. As always, there's been a bit of an adjustment period but now we're coming out the other side and I feel like it's easier to do the day to day living as well as take on the challenges that spark interest and infuse energy into my teaching practices. </div><div><br></div><div>I'm very happy with the school I've landed in. The people are friendly, the students energetic and easily motivated, and the resources are fantastic. When I look at what we're doing and where we're headed it sits well with me. </div><div><br></div><div>This post is really just a quick one as an update, but I hope to put a few more out in the coming weeks to share some of the new things I've been trying with my teaching. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-55655766788402135432015-12-08T00:00:00.000+11:002015-12-08T00:00:04.316+11:00Tech Tips Tuesday<b>Pair Programming</b><br />
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I have been further dabbling with code and programming in my classroom using Scratch. My students got on board and are enjoying trying it out and creating new things. They've taken to it quickly and have found ways to add complexity to their designs.<br />
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This week I wanted to have my students working with a partner on their programming. This was in part for the benefits of learning together, and in part due to the limited number of computers. I found this amazing video about Pair Programming at <a href="http://code.org/">Code.org</a>, that explains the process so well, and in terms the students can understand. We watched it through before I gave my students their task.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vgkahOzFH2Q?rel=0" width="400"></iframe>
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Their task in this lesson was to create an animated greeting card for Christmas. I admit, my idea for this was not entirely unique, but rather inspired by the <a href="https://youtu.be/Ok6LbV6bqaE" target="_blank">Ted Talk by Mitch Resnick: Let's teach kids to code</a>. Mitch Resnick went looking for a Mother's Day card for his mum on Scratch and found a whole collection students had created. I thought I would carry that across to Christmas.<br />
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Students enjoyed working in this way to solve problems and create something new. They changed "drivers" often, allowing each to have an opportunity to work the mouse for some parts of the process. It was great to see the collaboration, and watch the knowledge spread across the class between pairs. Someone would call out in frustration "Ugh! I can't get my penguin to talk!" and within moments someone from another pair was helping them out. They learn together.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-80185497856897491052015-12-01T00:00:00.000+11:002015-12-01T17:05:07.508+11:00Tech Tips Tuesday<b>Kids Can Coach</b><br />
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I've discovered a method to help teachers integrate ICT in the classroom, that takes some of the heat off the teachers themselves. I'm calling it "Kids Can Coach".<br />
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<b><i>Here's how it works:</i></b><br />
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<b>Planning:</b> Teacher 1 and Teacher 2 (and even Teacher 3) agree on something that they would like students to learn to do with ICT - this might be new skills in a familiar app, or a brand new app.<br />
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<b>Preparation:</b> Teacher 1 learns to do this themselves, and has a practice.<br />
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<b>Lesson 1: </b>Teacher 1 teaches Class 1 with a demonstration and then supports students as they learn the new skills. Teacher 1 and Class 1 are now experts, and become the coaches for the next lesson.<br />
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<b>Preparation:</b> Explain to Class 1 what coaching looks like, and what is expected of coaches. Coaches are told "explain, don't do" and provided with a guide (success criteria) to ensure they cover all task requirements.<br />
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<b>Lesson 2:</b> The lesson is repeated with Class 2/3. Teacher 1 gives the instructions and demonstration, and Class 1 students are paired with Class 2/3 student/s to coach.<br />
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<b>Results:</b> All students have exposure to the new skills, and students from Class 1 have become experts. In future lesson series, the coaching class should be varied in order to allow all students to experience being the coach/expert.<br />
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<b>Variations: </b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Teachers 2/3 could also join in during Lesson 2 and learn alongside students.</li>
<li>Cycle could be more along the lines of: Teacher 1 teaches Class 1, then Teacher 1 teaches Teacher 2 and Class 2 with Class 1 coaches, then Teacher 2 teaches Class 3 with Class 2 coaches.</li>
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<b><i>Here's an example of how my Year 3 teaching team did this:</i></b><br />
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<b>Planning:</b> We decided we wanted students to learn how to retell a familiar story (with innovations) in a multimedia presentation using a drawing app (Sketchbook pro) and iMovie. I taught a <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/2014/10/tech-tips-tuesday.html" target="_blank">similar lesson</a> to groups last year, so this was an extension of this idea. I was "Teacher 1" and my class was "Class 1" for this example.<br />
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<b>Preparation:</b> I created a Storyboard worksheet for students to use to plan out their story and images. I introduced the project and told students we would be retelling the story of the Three Little Pigs. (We did extensive work with innovating this story earlier in the year). Students did the written part of their Storyboard.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1p2pry6JncvByBw8mZbANSzm06LcL9Uz3VnMf73dZQ5rJHyey0cgry83DXgP0MhGTnPES8FO2u9GIHee4J-ZiGR7OClv4q0feMvpcTRXddWlgW70oyjvVh6QjlKjG3ls3lA5ZrTaDZ8A/s1600/IMG_2463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1p2pry6JncvByBw8mZbANSzm06LcL9Uz3VnMf73dZQ5rJHyey0cgry83DXgP0MhGTnPES8FO2u9GIHee4J-ZiGR7OClv4q0feMvpcTRXddWlgW70oyjvVh6QjlKjG3ls3lA5ZrTaDZ8A/s200/IMG_2463.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I demonstrated drawing and colouring in Sketchbook Pro</td></tr>
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<b>Lesson 1:</b> I demonstrated how to draw with Sketchbook Pro, including how to "crop" so that parts can be reused for additional pictures. Students got started with their images. As students started to get close to the iMovie stage, I stopped the class and brought them back together to explain how to export the images to Photo Library and then import to iMovie. I explained the key steps I wanted them to take when editing the video and adding audio. Students produced their movies with my support.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_z-el6UgH2hia1PH0pPoPiFr835jZHyDKlhEFZpJxVMQrqpGE3lVfzAwGuhyuu_L9UzxcZXjwX1dH4g-ebQlU86JVfTob7O4-M736_hMTNbZv3KbAnDKGXk5d5Bak9DoTk-GzOtbXrU/s1600/IMG_2491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_z-el6UgH2hia1PH0pPoPiFr835jZHyDKlhEFZpJxVMQrqpGE3lVfzAwGuhyuu_L9UzxcZXjwX1dH4g-ebQlU86JVfTob7O4-M736_hMTNbZv3KbAnDKGXk5d5Bak9DoTk-GzOtbXrU/s200/IMG_2491.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I demonstrated how to crop pictures to add to another picture.<br />
(See how the pigs are the same.)</td></tr>
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<b>Preparation:</b> I talked to my class about the coaching process, and made it very clear that when we coach with ICT we try to keep our hands back. This is because the other person will learn so much more by doing it themselves than by watching someone do it for them. I listed the success criteria for the finished movie and displayed it on the IWB in the room for Lesson 2 so that students could refer to it when determining if there movie was complete.<br />
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<b>Lesson 2: </b>We gathered together with the other two Year 3 classes. I demonstrated the basic steps and tips for the project and then students were let loose to create. I moved around the room and monitored how groups were going. Students were engaged in the task and I was pleased to see that the coaches were allowing the others to do the work. I think it helped that they had had the chance to work through the whole creative process themselves in the previous lesson. They could then appreciate that this was not their personal creative work, so they felt free to provide support instead.<br />
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<b>Results:</b> Not all students completed in the lesson time, however they were able to work on these further during consolidation time. Students were very excited to share their movies in the special Movie Session we had the following week. All students developed the skills for using the programs and teachers gained some of these skills as they saw the process and assisted students.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1IDNZmDF4MC0yafuUn-mBK3STvtk0QEE6HGMtf9aO7dPtwaNGT98z_tOAY20Y5RO2RUFfrNz1xHd654WrM9qrCuc2oOEQunYGwbaGumb_5ceJmFez6zKLqke5fLdCRceFckPdXCbwnk/s1600/IMG_2494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1IDNZmDF4MC0yafuUn-mBK3STvtk0QEE6HGMtf9aO7dPtwaNGT98z_tOAY20Y5RO2RUFfrNz1xHd654WrM9qrCuc2oOEQunYGwbaGumb_5ceJmFez6zKLqke5fLdCRceFckPdXCbwnk/s200/IMG_2494.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students worked in a group of three, with one coach.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVX8fnXY4x2MdXP4GC1GL1PSJdgtI0PWn8o9cuSZMfpX7vtmb49ToegC4otEVe-Whsla2IYDA2HGyogx93QK10GhUofpgS-Utoz1J4bKa0WZgnsRAkxaqFDcmoqs53ZdiaF5Z9CV4bBQ/s1600/IMG_2500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVX8fnXY4x2MdXP4GC1GL1PSJdgtI0PWn8o9cuSZMfpX7vtmb49ToegC4otEVe-Whsla2IYDA2HGyogx93QK10GhUofpgS-Utoz1J4bKa0WZgnsRAkxaqFDcmoqs53ZdiaF5Z9CV4bBQ/s200/IMG_2500.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This coach is trying REALLY hard not to touch the iPad!</td></tr>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-69640996583823311532015-11-28T08:27:00.003+11:002015-11-28T08:35:20.175+11:00Calculating the Cost of a Simple Summer WardrobeAfter our lesson <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/2015/10/maths-fun-exploring-real-data-with-excel.html" target="_blank">Maths Fun - Exploring Real Data with Excel</a> students were eager to have a play with Excel themselves. We were reading <i>Onion Tears</i> by Diana Kidd, and had read about how the main character Nam-Huong had arrived by boat with only the clothes she was wearing. We undertook an investigation to find out how much it would cost to get a simple summer wardrobe for Nam-Huong.<br />
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We began by considering the items of clothing that Nam-Huong would need and made a list on the board. After much discussion, and a last minute addition of a dress, we were ready to move on!<br />
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I put my students into small groups and each was given an iPad and access to a desktop computer (because we didn't have a spreadsheet app on the iPads). They were also allocated a shop to use for their pricing. We used Target, Kmart, Big W, David Jones and Myer. Students found the online catalogue for their store and searched through to find the price of the required items. They then added these to their spreadsheet.<br />
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Once they had all their totals, they used the formula =PRODUCT(B3:C3) and filled down the column. Once they had all totals they used the formula =SUM(D3:D12) to calculate the grand total.<br />
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Once everyone had finished, groups shared their results with the class and we were able to compare the grand total of each store. As always, when using real data the "answer" is never straightforward and this led to some great discussion. For example, one store didn't have all the required items in the catalogue and even when they searched the store online they were unable to find the price for a pair of socks. Another group had trouble finding a hat, and ended up settling for a Santa's elf hat. And one group was paying $25 per pair of underpants - severely impacting on their total cost. When asked, they said quite innocently, "They were frilly." I'm sure they were exactly what Nam-Huong needed when she arrived in Australia...along with her Santa elf hat! I'm not going to tell you who came in cheapest - you'll have to investigate that yourself. ;)<br />
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Further discussion arose about the need to monitor your online presence as a business to succeed in the market place. We talked about how many people now shop online, making it essential to have a website that helps people to find and purchase what they need. From our experiences there are some stores better positioned in this marketplace.<br />
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We had a lot of fun with this maths investigation and students rose to the challenge and learnt new computer skills. The following week we set a homework task where students could collect and represent their own data. One of my students decided to calculate cost and labour for a new pergola using Excel!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-74953396980078835262015-11-26T20:24:00.001+11:002015-11-26T20:24:47.661+11:00Motivation for WritingI have been reading <i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Old School</i> by Jeff Kinney with my class of Year 3 boys and they have been LOVING it! I noticed a few copies making their way in to class early in the term, so jumped on iBooks and got a copy to display on the IWB. As we read together as a class the boys follow along on the screen, and some read their own personal copies. Sometimes I do the reading, other times the boys take turns.<br />
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Today we read the part where Greg forgets to put the lid on the toothpaste. One thing leads to another, and before the day is done Greg has manoeuvred the family car into a ditch! We loved reading this episode, and on completing we bounced off into our own writing. I paired students up with this <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Graphic-Organizer-Cause-and-Effect-157405" target="_blank">free worksheet</a> from MrsCroak at Teachers Pay Teachers.<br />
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After showing them how the <i>Old School</i> episode would sit on the worksheet, I got students to create their own storyline, starting from something simple and unproblematic. The buzz in the room was magic, and I was quietly pleased that they took to it so well at 2:30pm on a Thursday afternoon in the second last week of term! My students are typing them up in Google Docs and will use Sketchbook Pro on the iPads to add their own pictures in the style of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><br />
This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-74750509745234002652015-11-25T13:25:00.001+11:002015-11-25T13:28:11.582+11:00Signing out of Google Docs on iPadMy students share iPads with other students across the school, so it's really important for them to log off Google Docs/Drive at the end of a session so that others cannot access their account. I struggled at first to find an easy way to do this, so here's a quick step by step explanation. You could put this up on the IWB for students to follow:<br />
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I hope this helps your students to learn the process and keep their work secure.</div>
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This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586866476751222156.post-17481487073741867152015-11-25T06:01:00.001+11:002015-11-25T06:01:27.075+11:00A Twist on Christmas CraftThis year I decided to try something a little different for Christmas craft. As my students have been learning how to write procedures, I thought I would give them a chance to find an appealing Christmas craft and write up the procedure for their classmates to follow. The instructions I gave, can be seen <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H7EjOvVSqCaeKfXOS4WNt5BHn1GR6FTueq5DcD2hTLw/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojBOPqFfOQXJpzVT_TxT3-CrDK-lZva0-WpUUT-CvRz0Io-omd3oY6DQKvl3CJPswATlbfuDV9wUOqXqrLJ7HjYNIdlo5_OaogGWqJiah3blT_11cozvDszDf39Zq55mGvBZT5y-GBR8/s1600/IMG_6810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojBOPqFfOQXJpzVT_TxT3-CrDK-lZva0-WpUUT-CvRz0Io-omd3oY6DQKvl3CJPswATlbfuDV9wUOqXqrLJ7HjYNIdlo5_OaogGWqJiah3blT_11cozvDszDf39Zq55mGvBZT5y-GBR8/s200/IMG_6810.JPG" width="200" /></a>Students used books, iPads and classroom computers to research Christmas crafts and find one that they wanted to make. Some worked independently, others in pairs. They then wrote up the procedure for their craft using Google Docs. This was their first time using Google Docs so I was really pleased with how well they took to it. The pairs shared the document so both could add to it at the same time.</div>
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At the end of the first session students worked out which materials they would need in order to make a sample. Some sourced these from home or the art room, others gave a list to me. The following lesson we brought together the resources and students made a sample, taking photos as they did so and adding these to their original document.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj532spdNhoNlPNWqt0NEVydL5c_yyKPq-FgT7bnkYzQV8SBZLOzmoXvfy8_fj4GJ-iiZDNMQhnq5keKTrC7fYuzGuNUSmeD0pENTcDrkot-MIATekvaeoNmic4OvRR9VObAIgcPfXeFo4/s1600/IMG_6811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj532spdNhoNlPNWqt0NEVydL5c_yyKPq-FgT7bnkYzQV8SBZLOzmoXvfy8_fj4GJ-iiZDNMQhnq5keKTrC7fYuzGuNUSmeD0pENTcDrkot-MIATekvaeoNmic4OvRR9VObAIgcPfXeFo4/s200/IMG_6811.JPG" width="200" /></a>As always, the trick was then getting the file to a printer. So I set up a folder on our shared drive for students. They jumped on a desktop computer, opened their Google Drive and downloaded the document as a Word document which they saved to the shared drive. Moving to the computers also gave greater flexibility in terms of resizing images, and moving to word allowed for further wrap options with images. I was then able to send the contents of this folder to the printer for printing.</div>
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I shared this idea with the other Year 3 classes and we now have a great assortment of Christmas crafts to try. Next week we will set up rotations across all three Year 3 classes so that students can move around trying the different crafts and following the procedures.</div>
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This post originally appeared on <a href="http://www.teachingchallenges.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Challenges</a> by Penny Ryder.</div>Penny Ryderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384523856122217309noreply@blogger.com0