A cool learning space?

Visit Northern Beaches Christian School (NSW). A 3 minute video showing and explaining the learning spaces accessed by primary students. Very interesting and not traditional like our school. Many positives to a space like this but maybe also some negatives. The idea of a flexible work space that can alter quickly appeals to me.

I wonder what we can do to make our learning spaces more flexible?

 

iPad and Web 2.0 Presentation

This presentation shows some of the iPad and web tools that I have used in my teaching in the past 12 months. Click on the enlarge icon (bottom right) so that all images and text are visible when viewing slides. If you would like to see the notes that go with the slides click on the link below the presentation which will take you to the presentation on the Slideshare website. The notes are visible on the Slideshare site.

Using TV Shows, Movies and Objects to explain Blooms. Are they useful?

Ed told me about some video explanations of Blooms Taxonomy using Seinfield, Pirates of the Caribbean and a guy talking about a drum. I have also been able to find 3 more including Nemo, The Andy Griffiths Show and using an iPhone. The videos vary between the old Blooms Taxonomy and the new Revised Blooms Taxonomy. My personal favourites are The Andy Griffiths Show, Nemo (simple easier to understand explanation) and Seinfield.

Seinfield

The Drum Explanation

Pirates of the Caribbean

Nemo

Andy Griffiths Show

iPhone

Critical thinking in junior primary

How often do we ask children a question, they reply with an answer that was not what we were looking for and so we tell them ‘the right’ answer? Generally there can be many answers to a question all of which can be technically correct. Do we dismiss to easily answers given by students when they are not the ones we were looking for? Miki Kano discusses critical thinking and how she feels it is important for young children to be taught how to think critically. She also discusses how this is not a part of traditional Japanese culture. How often do we ask our students ‘Why?’ or ‘How did you find that out?”

Linking Positive Brains to Performance

Shawn Achor on happiness and positive psychology.

How do we move from being average? How do we move the average up?

“90% of your happiness is not predicted by your external world but by how your brain processes the external world.”  Shawn Achor.

The implications of this comment for how students perceive school, home and social situations is great. When we look at people and see privilege we often conclude their lives are happy, if they grumble, we ask why, as if they shouldn’t because their world seems so perfect. Yet their happiness is not determined by what we see and how we perceive this but by how they see it and process it. This is another reason why it is important to understand what our students bring to our classrooms and how they view their worlds.

“If happiness is on the other side of success you will never be happy.” Shawn Achor

Not only is the content of this talk relevant for students but for the effectiveness and wellbeing of our staff at school.

If nothing else this talk is extremely funny!

 

Week 9 Staff Meeting AC/TFEL

Unfortunately this will be our first AC/TFEL meeting for the term.

 

The Term 3 (proposed) plan was for the following to occur:

R-7: Focus on programing, assessing and reporting to Australian Curriculum. Plus looking at the English curriculum during meeting times.

8-10: Focus on English. Tanya and Justin working together.

TfEL: Includes Liz, Tim, Rob, Dave and Nick looking at students feedback on our teaching. Ed and Caddy can slot into this OR may wish to continue focusing on the Maths/Science AC in preparation for next year i.e. looking at programing and assessing.

 

Proposed plan for week 9 Tuesday staff meeting is for:

Primary Staff

Primary staff to use this time to investigate the AC English Curriculum either individually or in small groups. Possibilities for this time are:

  • Have discussions around the curriculum itself. Get the AC website up and investigate/familiarise
  • Planning for 2013 using the English AC.
  • Look at and discuss with a colleague the work sample portfolios. Discuss how these compare with current student samples from PBAS. Can these samples be used to assist assessment in 2013?

Tanya and Justin

Tanya and Justin to use this time to investigate the AC English Curriculum either individually or in small groups. Possibilities for this time are:

  • Have discussions around the curriculum itself. Get the AC website up and investigate/familiarise
  • Planning for 2013 using the English AC. I know Justin has begun this process and maybe some sharing can occur at this time.
  • Look at and discuss with a colleague the work sample portfolios. Discuss how these compare with current student samples from PBAS. Can these samples be used to assist assessment in 2013?

One major issue here – last term Justin started the TFEL Student Surveys and handed them out. I asked him (without thinking) to meet with the TFEL group so he could have time to analyse his data. This however leaves Tanya with no one to discuss the English curriculum with. Can I ask that Tanya and Justin get together for a quick chat to decide if Justin is going to be with the TFEL group (and therefore Tanya is by herself) or work with Tanya on the AC English curriculum.

TFEL – Tim, Rob, Dave and Nick

Meet and discuss TFEL student surveys. Nick will show how he has analysed is feedback. Have some time to discuss/analyse results from students and what this means for our teaching (either with a partner or individually).

Ed and Allan

Can come and join the conversation with the TFEL group and we can share how we constructed our surveys and their analysis OR continue with your discussion around the AC maths curriculum which could include the following:

  • Have discussions around the curriculum itself. Get the AC website up and investigate/familiarise (you may be passed this).
  • Look at and discuss the work sample portfolios. Discuss how these compare with current student samples from PBAS. Can these samples be used to assist assessment in 2013?
  • Planning for 2013 using the Maths AC.