My wonderful classroom! I realized I have not explained a whole lot about our classroom and the structure of my teaching here at Swanson. So here we go!
Schools are set up here in Years (Grades). Swanson is a Primary school with Years 0-8. For Year 1, there is no first day of school for everyone. Instead each student begins on their birthday. The first day of school is in early February, but only students who are 5 years old by that time will start. If they are not 5 they will start on their birthday later in the year. So the Year 1 classes are always growing throughout the year. Now if a student doesn't turn 5 until after the 1st of July they will be considered a Year 0. This means that they will go through the rest of that year, from July till December, and then return the following school year as a Year 1. To make it
easier to understand here is a little chart:
Year 0 = 5 years old after July 1st
Year 1-2 = 6 -7 years old
Year 3-4 = 8-9 years old
Year 5-6 = 10-11 years old
Year 7-8 = 12-13 years old
When you graduate Primary School you are typically 13 or nearly 13 years old.
New Zealand schools are looking at closing the mystery gaps between teaching and learning. In other words they want everyone to know what is expected of them and what it will look like when they succeed at that expectation. They have created WALTs and WILFs. WALT is We Are Learning To and WILF is What I'm Looking For. For every lesson planned for the students we create a WALT that is written up on the board for the students to read. In the upper grades such as in Koromiko, the students are expected to write the WALT at the beginning of each lesson. A few examples of a WALT would be: WALT separate our ideas and information into paragraphs or WALT measure the volume and mass of 3D shapes. Basically it is the objective of each lesson written out clearly for the students to see. Another big difference between American Schools and New Zealand Schools is that: THERE ARE NO TEXTBOOKS OR STANDARDIZED TESTS IN NZ! The curriculum book that the Ministry of Education has set up is approximately 50 pages long for all of Year 0-8. That's it. That's all teachers and schools are accountable for. New Zealand has no nation wide curriculum which states what each student learns each year. Instead the individual schools develop what they feel students should learn at each level and the teachers determine how to go about teaching it. They have so much freedom! This is why NZ teachers are known for their creativity! This is obviously quite different from the United States where we have all our standards and benchmarks to meet. As for testing systems, the schools tell the testing companies what they want to have on the tests and they create it. Testing is also done according to the ability of each student. If two students in the same year are at different levels they are tested according to their level rather than a regualted level for that grade. Likewise, if two students at different grades are at the same level, they will take the same test. This offers a better view as to what their capabilities are. Rebecca and I looked at some of the tests the students took for Maths last term. I love the way the results are posted because it lists the areas they achieved at as well as listed their areas that needed work or had gaps. Rebecca is then able to take the test results and plan her lessons according to the gaps of the children.
At Swanson the classroom teacher is responsible for every subject taught to the students. We cover Reading, Writing, Maths, Physical Education, Library, Art, Digital Classroom, Handwriting, Maori, and Inquiry Learning. So unlike my last placement where we had separate teachers for Music, Library, and Physical Education, Rebecca and I plan it all. Though we have to teach each subject a number of times each week, we have a pretty flexible schedule in that Maths can be taught at 9am one day and 11:30 the next day. Its nice to have that flexibility because it keeps you from feeling as though you're doing the same thing day after day. Here's whats going on in our classroom:
In reading we are doing a novel study. We have three leveled groups of readers at this point. One group is reading The Twits, another group is reading The Killing Sea, and the final group is reading The Whale Rider. Each group has their own set of questions, activities, and other varying assignments which pertain to their group.
Maths also has three different groups. We have Tahi, Rua, and Toru which are Maori words for One, Two, and Three. Maths is organized very different here than in the States. In Green Bay most schools have just switched over to the Everyday Math program which is a cumulative program looping all years of school. Swanson School has just gotten rid of their program like that. Now instead of having a book to follow and teach from the teachers plan the Maths according to the skills of their students. They use different Maths resources and activity books for each group. When discussing and planning Maths with Rebecca I was surprised at how long it takes to plan Maths just for one week. We have three different lessons to write for each of the four days we teach Maths. So instead of planning four lessons, we plan twelve. It is very time consuming and requires a lot of planning and observing of the skill levels, but it seems to be far more effective and personalized for the students.
Inquiry Learning is the model of teaching children how to investigate the world. The Staff Meeting I did last week with Rebecca and Julia offered some tools and strategies to use during Inquiry Learning. Our class just finished a unit on Global Warming when I arrived and we are now beginning one that I am planning on Gardens and Plants. Our lessons will be centered around the students questions and interests. The final product of this unit will be a Veggie Garden Room 28 will be caring for. Right now our Inquiry Learning is being linked with Writing. I am assigning groups of students different areas to investigate about plants. They will research these topics and then write a speech/report to inform the class about their discoveries. So in writing we are practicing creating proper paragraphs as well as attractive titles for our reports.
Physical Education is focusing on Summer Sports Skills and Athletics at the moment. We are doing a lot of ball skills such as throwing, catching, fielding, kicking, etc. Our Athletics consists of Track events. We are doing a rotation between all Koromiko Teachers where each teacher is in charge of a different event. There is High Jump, Long Jump, Discus, Shot-put, and Sprints/Relays. Rebecca and I are in charge of the sprints/relays. I am very excited and I know my students will enjoy being out in the summer sun running around!
In Handwriting we are learning about poems. The students are given a poem which they must copy with beautiful handwriting as well as illustrate their page with a beautiful picture related to the poem. Maori will prove to be most difficult for me to teach. The students right now are telling time in Maori. He aha te tiama? Ono Karaka. (What is the time? 6 O'Clock) The difficulty comes when trying to pronounce the words properly. For example Maori is actually pronounced MO-dr-Ree. (Have you been saying it correctly?)
Friday afternoons in the Koromiko team are fabulous! They have created a time called Homework Club. The teachers assign team homework, meaning all five classes are assigned the exact same homework and it is varied for the learning levels. The homework is given out on Monday and they have until Friday to complete it. If the students did their homework at home then they have the option of choosing to spend the afternoon from 1:55 until the end of school at 3:00 in the Digital Classroom, the Games Room, on the Field, or doing a Special Project with one of the teachers such as cooking or paper projects. If the child did not complete the homework for whatever reason they go to the Homework Club room where there is one of the Koromiko teachers there to help them complete the homework. This is making sure every student is learning and getting all the help and support they need to be successful.
Welcome to our classroom!
One of the most important aspects to teaching I have learned here has also proved to be the most difficult. I have had to learn strict classroom management skills for some of my students. As with all new teachers to a classroom, students act up and try to see how much they can get away with or what you will allow them to do. In my class there are a few students who try to do what they wish with any teacher at any time, they have some behavioral problems which need to be handled properly in the classroom. Upon first arriving I'll admit that I was intimidated by the students acting up against me. I have never been in a classroom where the students spoke back to the teacher once they were caught misbehaving. Rebecca and I sat down and had a big discussion on classroom management skills. The first and most important rule she taught me was to always give 5 positive comments before giving one redirection. It is significantly more important to praise the students for doing the right task than it is to redirect them from misbehaving. We have our class desks separated into 5 groups. The students at each group try to earn points for behaving and working well during the day. We award the students points for getting on with work quietly, doing excellent work, being a good community member, and following direction. We never take away points from a group once they have earned them. At the end of a fort night the group with the highest points wins a treat of some sort. This could be going early for morning tea time or getting a special treat brought into class such as hot chips (french fries) and drinks. The points system works well in the class and the praise helps keep everyone on task.
When a student does misbehave Rebecca has taught me to give them two warnings and then it is a time out.When giving the warnings or the direction to go to time out you always state the behavior that caused them to receive the redirection. (i.e. 1. You're calling out while I'm talking which is rude. 2. That is the second time you have called out while I am talking. 3 That is now the third time you have called out while I am talking, go into the hall for a time out). Time out means the child goes and sits in the corridor for a few minutes. When I come out to get the child from the corridor there is little to no discussion about what happened. Instead we talk about what is to be expected when they return to the classroom. Again this is promoting the positive attitude and not dwelling on the misbehavior. Rebecca has given me some priceless advice for dealing with exceptionally difficult children. She has said "When you come to work each day imagine that you are putting on your white lab coat like a scientist. Work is to be work, it is not emotional. Always remember that you have your lab coat on and never become emotional with a child who is acting up. Know that a child may have a bad day where they are rude and act up; this is not a personal attack against you and it should not effect your perspective. You need to remain calm and deal with the situation professionally." She has also told me that once you are able to manage a classroom you are able to teach anywhere! I am no longer concerned or nervous about managing my classroom. I know exactly what to do in case something does happen, but above all I know that my students are bright and exciting! If I engage them then I know they will meet my expectations and succeed in school.
I am excited to bring back all the useful philosophies and resources provided to me while teaching here in New Zealand. It is wonderful to get a different perspective on teaching from another part of the world.
Schools are set up here in Years (Grades). Swanson is a Primary school with Years 0-8. For Year 1, there is no first day of school for everyone. Instead each student begins on their birthday. The first day of school is in early February, but only students who are 5 years old by that time will start. If they are not 5 they will start on their birthday later in the year. So the Year 1 classes are always growing throughout the year. Now if a student doesn't turn 5 until after the 1st of July they will be considered a Year 0. This means that they will go through the rest of that year, from July till December, and then return the following school year as a Year 1. To make it
easier to understand here is a little chart:Year 0 = 5 years old after July 1st
Year 1-2 = 6 -7 years old
Year 3-4 = 8-9 years old
Year 5-6 = 10-11 years old
Year 7-8 = 12-13 years old
When you graduate Primary School you are typically 13 or nearly 13 years old.
New Zealand schools are looking at closing the mystery gaps between teaching and learning. In other words they want everyone to know what is expected of them and what it will look like when they succeed at that expectation. They have created WALTs and WILFs. WALT is We Are Learning To and WILF is What I'm Looking For. For every lesson planned for the students we create a WALT that is written up on the board for the students to read. In the upper grades such as in Koromiko, the students are expected to write the WALT at the beginning of each lesson. A few examples of a WALT would be: WALT separate our ideas and information into paragraphs or WALT measure the volume and mass of 3D shapes. Basically it is the objective of each lesson written out clearly for the students to see. Another big difference between American Schools and New Zealand Schools is that: THERE ARE NO TEXTBOOKS OR STANDARDIZED TESTS IN NZ! The curriculum book that the Ministry of Education has set up is approximately 50 pages long for all of Year 0-8. That's it. That's all teachers and schools are accountable for. New Zealand has no nation wide curriculum which states what each student learns each year. Instead the individual schools develop what they feel students should learn at each level and the teachers determine how to go about teaching it. They have so much freedom! This is why NZ teachers are known for their creativity! This is obviously quite different from the United States where we have all our standards and benchmarks to meet. As for testing systems, the schools tell the testing companies what they want to have on the tests and they create it. Testing is also done according to the ability of each student. If two students in the same year are at different levels they are tested according to their level rather than a regualted level for that grade. Likewise, if two students at different grades are at the same level, they will take the same test. This offers a better view as to what their capabilities are. Rebecca and I looked at some of the tests the students took for Maths last term. I love the way the results are posted because it lists the areas they achieved at as well as listed their areas that needed work or had gaps. Rebecca is then able to take the test results and plan her lessons according to the gaps of the children.
At Swanson the classroom teacher is responsible for every subject taught to the students. We cover Reading, Writing, Maths, Physical Education, Library, Art, Digital Classroom, Handwriting, Maori, and Inquiry Learning. So unlike my last placement where we had separate teachers for Music, Library, and Physical Education, Rebecca and I plan it all. Though we have to teach each subject a number of times each week, we have a pretty flexible schedule in that Maths can be taught at 9am one day and 11:30 the next day. Its nice to have that flexibility because it keeps you from feeling as though you're doing the same thing day after day. Here's whats going on in our classroom:
In reading we are doing a novel study. We have three leveled groups of readers at this point. One group is reading The Twits, another group is reading The Killing Sea, and the final group is reading The Whale Rider. Each group has their own set of questions, activities, and other varying assignments which pertain to their group.
Maths also has three different groups. We have Tahi, Rua, and Toru which are Maori words for One, Two, and Three. Maths is organized very different here than in the States. In Green Bay most schools have just switched over to the Everyday Math program which is a cumulative program looping all years of school. Swanson School has just gotten rid of their program like that. Now instead of having a book to follow and teach from the teachers plan the Maths according to the skills of their students. They use different Maths resources and activity books for each group. When discussing and planning Maths with Rebecca I was surprised at how long it takes to plan Maths just for one week. We have three different lessons to write for each of the four days we teach Maths. So instead of planning four lessons, we plan twelve. It is very time consuming and requires a lot of planning and observing of the skill levels, but it seems to be far more effective and personalized for the students.
Inquiry Learning is the model of teaching children how to investigate the world. The Staff Meeting I did last week with Rebecca and Julia offered some tools and strategies to use during Inquiry Learning. Our class just finished a unit on Global Warming when I arrived and we are now beginning one that I am planning on Gardens and Plants. Our lessons will be centered around the students questions and interests. The final product of this unit will be a Veggie Garden Room 28 will be caring for. Right now our Inquiry Learning is being linked with Writing. I am assigning groups of students different areas to investigate about plants. They will research these topics and then write a speech/report to inform the class about their discoveries. So in writing we are practicing creating proper paragraphs as well as attractive titles for our reports.
Physical Education is focusing on Summer Sports Skills and Athletics at the moment. We are doing a lot of ball skills such as throwing, catching, fielding, kicking, etc. Our Athletics consists of Track events. We are doing a rotation between all Koromiko Teachers where each teacher is in charge of a different event. There is High Jump, Long Jump, Discus, Shot-put, and Sprints/Relays. Rebecca and I are in charge of the sprints/relays. I am very excited and I know my students will enjoy being out in the summer sun running around!
In Handwriting we are learning about poems. The students are given a poem which they must copy with beautiful handwriting as well as illustrate their page with a beautiful picture related to the poem. Maori will prove to be most difficult for me to teach. The students right now are telling time in Maori. He aha te tiama? Ono Karaka. (What is the time? 6 O'Clock) The difficulty comes when trying to pronounce the words properly. For example Maori is actually pronounced MO-dr-Ree. (Have you been saying it correctly?)
Friday afternoons in the Koromiko team are fabulous! They have created a time called Homework Club. The teachers assign team homework, meaning all five classes are assigned the exact same homework and it is varied for the learning levels. The homework is given out on Monday and they have until Friday to complete it. If the students did their homework at home then they have the option of choosing to spend the afternoon from 1:55 until the end of school at 3:00 in the Digital Classroom, the Games Room, on the Field, or doing a Special Project with one of the teachers such as cooking or paper projects. If the child did not complete the homework for whatever reason they go to the Homework Club room where there is one of the Koromiko teachers there to help them complete the homework. This is making sure every student is learning and getting all the help and support they need to be successful.
Welcome to our classroom!
One of the most important aspects to teaching I have learned here has also proved to be the most difficult. I have had to learn strict classroom management skills for some of my students. As with all new teachers to a classroom, students act up and try to see how much they can get away with or what you will allow them to do. In my class there are a few students who try to do what they wish with any teacher at any time, they have some behavioral problems which need to be handled properly in the classroom. Upon first arriving I'll admit that I was intimidated by the students acting up against me. I have never been in a classroom where the students spoke back to the teacher once they were caught misbehaving. Rebecca and I sat down and had a big discussion on classroom management skills. The first and most important rule she taught me was to always give 5 positive comments before giving one redirection. It is significantly more important to praise the students for doing the right task than it is to redirect them from misbehaving. We have our class desks separated into 5 groups. The students at each group try to earn points for behaving and working well during the day. We award the students points for getting on with work quietly, doing excellent work, being a good community member, and following direction. We never take away points from a group once they have earned them. At the end of a fort night the group with the highest points wins a treat of some sort. This could be going early for morning tea time or getting a special treat brought into class such as hot chips (french fries) and drinks. The points system works well in the class and the praise helps keep everyone on task.
When a student does misbehave Rebecca has taught me to give them two warnings and then it is a time out.When giving the warnings or the direction to go to time out you always state the behavior that caused them to receive the redirection. (i.e. 1. You're calling out while I'm talking which is rude. 2. That is the second time you have called out while I am talking. 3 That is now the third time you have called out while I am talking, go into the hall for a time out). Time out means the child goes and sits in the corridor for a few minutes. When I come out to get the child from the corridor there is little to no discussion about what happened. Instead we talk about what is to be expected when they return to the classroom. Again this is promoting the positive attitude and not dwelling on the misbehavior. Rebecca has given me some priceless advice for dealing with exceptionally difficult children. She has said "When you come to work each day imagine that you are putting on your white lab coat like a scientist. Work is to be work, it is not emotional. Always remember that you have your lab coat on and never become emotional with a child who is acting up. Know that a child may have a bad day where they are rude and act up; this is not a personal attack against you and it should not effect your perspective. You need to remain calm and deal with the situation professionally." She has also told me that once you are able to manage a classroom you are able to teach anywhere! I am no longer concerned or nervous about managing my classroom. I know exactly what to do in case something does happen, but above all I know that my students are bright and exciting! If I engage them then I know they will meet my expectations and succeed in school.
I am excited to bring back all the useful philosophies and resources provided to me while teaching here in New Zealand. It is wonderful to get a different perspective on teaching from another part of the world.
1 comment:
thanks - very interesting comparisons.
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