Searching for Time!

Wow, time has been so hard to find lately!
Some awesome learning has been buzzing around in the careers inquiry in Rm 8 lately.
Lots of thinking and realising that there are so many different jobs and careers around and how to go about thinking what they might be able to have a go at.
When doing individual reading assessments, every student has had time to share their careers inquiry highlights and new thoughts about their futures, secondary subjects, etc.  It seems to have been a most valuable inquiry from lots of angles.  The motivational guest presenters in science, who are such awesome role models, set it all off with such enthusiasm, the kids couldn't help themselves getting involved.  The scientists also incorporated some future thinking also, and talked about the subjects they needed to get into and on with their careers.

19.11.14

Well, it was some kind of week.  Oh, what? It's only Wednesday?  You have to be kidding.
The Education Review Office visit started here at lunch on Monday and finished at around 3.45pm today.  Seemed like good discussions and attitudes on all sides.
But, oh the tension and anxiety.  

In class we have had two main maths foci: fractions/decimals/percentages for Ruahine Group and algebra expressions,equations, patterns and graphing for Ruapehu and Rata.  We will continue specific lessons on these, with class hot spots: add, sub, mult and div working forms, and basic facts/Prototec and Mathletics.  Target students know the basic facts they need to work on and that is their homework focus, along with reading and finishing class work.
The other students are working on Studyladder themes for homework, with some English, science and maths.  All need to complete a reading log and some 'extra' work on their next step in English or maths - free choice!

The poster arrived from Mathletics today which explains the certificate system, check it out:

Mathletics Certificate Poster

Reflection: Raapa tekau ma rua, Whiringa a Rangi

Reflection: Raapa tekau ma rua, Whiringa a Rangi

Today we learnt how to simplify when there are two equations with multiplying.
We learnt to simplify a fraction with a pro numeral (letter) the same top and bottom, and they cancel each other out and leave the original fraction.
We learnt that brackets come first when following order of operations, followed by exponents etc.

In science, we learnt about how live organs are preserved to keep them alive to use for human or animal transplants.

In career studies we learnt that architects in Auckland tend to earn $5-20 thousand more pa than in any other New Zealand city.  (1st year architects can earn $50 to $80 Thousand pa.)

We learnt a lot about train drivers, their earning potential, what they do, and that there is a high chance of getting a job as a train driver.

Jobs that have to do with surgery and major medical fields, earn lots of money from about $150k all the way to $600k pa.

NZCareers is a great website.  It has heaps of careers and jobs listed, and gives lots of information to help people make choices about possible future careers.

Click this link to go to the NZCareers website.

NON VIOLENT CRISIS INTERVENTION!

Shane, Donna, Julie, Chris and I all completed a really interesting course here today which taught us about how to intervene when an individual is becoming unsettled, or verbally or physically reactive.  The facilitator was Matthew Willey, who is very experienced in presenting this PD. 

We learned the theory of NVCI, how to help avert unsettled behaviour, how to redirect students who are becoming anxious, and then how to deflect physical blows.  The key was safety, of individual, other students and adults, sorting incidents with violence or injury, and returning to positive communication with the individual as soon as possible, to re establish a relationship.  

We then practised methods of non violent intervention, from releasing wrist holds to defending bites, and finally restraining and moving an individual who is at risk of injuring themselves or others.  We practised many times to embed the methods in our minds and muscles, so that in the urgency of intervention, we will feel confident. 

We had lots of discussion about various issues and how to implement some safety plans.  These will be sorted into IEP's as needed for individual students.  

We believe Stephen is booking Matthew for follow up at some future staff meetings to revise the interventions we have learnt and to share them with the rest of the staff.  

Our maths lesson today again focussed on individual learning of next learning need.  Each student has a bookmark working through a strand at their learning level, based on an NZ text.  Learning ranges from Level 1/Stage 3 Numeracy, through to Level 4-5/Stage 8 Numeracy.  The texts used for individual learning currently are:
New Wave Mental, Books B through to G.
MATHLETICS WORKBOOKS: All numeracy stages and strands.
Nulake Maths Level 3 / 4
Nulake Maths Level 4
NZ Curriculum Maths - ON TRACK 1

It was good to have time to talk with some of my students' parents and whanau at Lamb & Calf yesterday.  I had a some chats about all sorts of things, but particularly about learning etc!  I find almost every parent wants to talk about how their child is doing and what they need next and how they can help at home.  It's awesome, and it doesn't matter when or where or how, because they are their child's key backers and we are lucky with our great parent support.

Today we started the Availll DVD Caption Reading programme.  The first DVD is HOOT, and all students, (half a class today!) made a really good start.  My target students actually coped very well, and are really keen and interested.  The reading and response activities are great because they are often competitive, and my kids say they really get what is going on in the movie much better when they read the caption, than if they just watch because then the plots sometimes just flows past them. 

It was really interesting when we finished the first session, because I asked the kids what we had been doing for the past 40 minutes, and they said watching a DVD and writing captions.  When I mentioned they had been reading with full concentration for more than 30 minutes they were really pleased with themselves and proud that they got at least 6 or 7 of the reading questions correct.  Buddy work help kept one target student up with the play. 

Using ICT to improve writing

I finally got round to putting some notes on a blog about how things are going with using digital technologies to help students become better writers.
We have been using Kidblog for over a year now and it is very good for year seven and eight students to use and they find it easy and practical.  They can publish some videos, and tellagami but we have problems stopping the Tellagamis all talking at once as soon as Kidblog is opened!
Kidblog is very easy and safe, and kids can post and comment but I have kept publishing rights.
Target students have really got into writing so much more purposefully and are keen to get better ideas planned, and into paragraphs, and are really seeing the need for better surface features and editing with a guaranteed audience of at least peers and often other students, teachers and whanau.

We have trialled Tellagami, which is great for improving short pieces of writing on a high interest topic that students really want to write then share orally.  Very limited time span of presentations for older kids, but very motivating and fun.

Then I found Storybird, and the awesome lessons for Ashurst School kids and teachers by Jill Hammonds.  Wow, she is awesome.  The students really got straight into the concept of narrative writing with Storybird after watching Jill's lesson and with a practical follow up by me, (after I had practised!) They really are so keen; I have boys who struggle to write, asking to do Storybirds.  We need to get them posted onto the new blog so they have a wider audience now.  Below is a sample of Storybirds, one by Chloe and one of Zody's Storybird books. Zody's is very quirky, and unusual but very popular with other students here, ?originality?

Chloe's Storybird Book


Zody's Storybird Link.

Next, the new style blog.  I will post again about Blogger!