CoL Meeting #4

Russell's Korero:

Tonight we were reminded by Russell the history behind schooling improvement in our cluster. The slide below was written before the shift from the analogue to the digital age but identifies the 4 things that change the outcomes for our learners.

We need to link evidence to practise. Our inquiries help us to share what works and teaches others so they can apply this to own teaching domains.

Teachers strategise to maximise learning - eg: Learn to read v read to learn strategies must link to the domain it is being applied to. Students need to develop learn to read strategies so they can apply these when we teach them how to read to learn. Students need to want to learn and understand how they can improve their learning - Teachers need to stop being passive and ignite the motivation to learn through effort and application of strategies to increase engagement.

Teachers shouldn't blame students but should evaluate their success and reflect on how the teaching helped it happen and/or be aware of what needs to change. We measure success by value added. When we open the doors the learning is hiding behind we empower our students to want to learn, when our students want to learn they do learn. It is the power of our teaching inquiries that lets us evaluate, reflect upon and share the many different ways we unlock these doors.

Language in Abundance - Dr Jannie Van Hees:

Learners feel valued and included when language focus is personalised. Teachers need to see value of gifting language - how can we plan for this we learn best we when elaborate our responses by focusing and noticing language - we learn when we learn with and from each other. Traction is not being made as the opportunities for receiving language are inconsistent. Are we (teachers) gifting enough language? We need a balance of student and teacher talk. Children need to think before they speak to their peers rather than just mumbling an answer. Not learner - teacher but US as a class. Students need to be replying to students. Providing opportunities for our learners to use language in a way that engages them will help them become active participants in the conversation. If we encourage our students to explain their thinking by being in dialogue with each other we must remember to teach these skills as the potential for learning is astounding

Strategies to explore:

Talk together

• how do we do this - need to be in a u-shape, make eye-contact
• xxxxx said .......  Can we contribute back to him/her without asking a question?

To and fro talking or chain linking

• Effective conversation is not talking past each other to pick up message in the meaning - need to talk to / listen to.
• Need to get our learners to realise the ways connections are made through sentences.
• Links between paragraphs - sentence about one topic - buddy needs to say a sentence that supports and links to previous one - random sentences cannot be linked - Get students to stand up and can only link arms if they link sentences.
• A conversation needs to be more than just one reply (eg: 'When we opened our compost bin yesterday we saw so many crickets'.... 'that's because it's warm in there and there's food'... How can you add on to the first sentence without asking a question?)
• Make a template recording chains under each - so it becomes a discussion not just a response and comment, try to keep the chain going.
• Comment - comment that is not a question but includes the fact, values the speaker, and extends the conversation.