Supporting At Risk Students- Some learning from Jenny Tebbutt's workshop

Today I attended a course created and presented by Jenny Tebbutt about supporting at risk students in a mainstream environment. There were many valuable tidbits for me as a teacher to consider and apply to my programme going forward which is always a good thing. If you get a chance to have time with Jenny I thoroughly recommend it. 

Different learners have different strengths... think about the strengths your students possess.
A visual summary of some of the learning from today. 

The theory behind what she shared was even more valuable, it made sense and helped me to clarify my thinking. The basic theory introduced and discussed was focused on different groups within our classrooms spoken about as waves- 

• Wave 1- our learners who are confident and competent learners 
• Wave 2- our learners who are a little behind in their learning but with remedial programmes focused on building skills within curriculum areas can make significant improvement
• Wave 3- our learners with specific learning differences such as dyslexia and autism 
• Wave 4- our learners who qualify for specifically funded support due to severe learning or behavioural needs

The focus of the session was on addressing the needs of the Wave 3 learners as Jenny suggested that remedial programmes often do not address the specific underlying cognitive processing needs for these learners. So one solution offered was to address classroom teaching practice, taking on effective teaching practices for dyslexics which it is suggested improves outcomes for all learners... it is about teaching for DIVERSITY. 

Some questions to reflect on when considering teaching for diversity: 

• Are we playing to the strengths of our learners? Do they get to pursue their passions? How do you support them with their weaknesses? 
• How do we address VAKPOINT (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, print oriented learning styles) in our teaching to provide a multi sensory learning environment? Glenn Capelli has some great resources around this. 
• How well do you know about the learning needs of your students? (Consider BEES- Behaviour, Educational, Emotional, Social)
• What other information can you gain from running records? Think about visual errors, substitutions, omissions etc. 
• What structures do we have to support our learners? Think about your routines and learning environment... it is suggested that for 3rd Wave learners structure is vital to security in learning. 
• Are you explicit in your teaching? Do you use WALTS or success criteria? Do they know why they are learning what they are learning? 
• Are you teaching your learners skills and strategies so they can be self managing? Do they know how to use a highlighter to support their learning? What about mind mapping, brainstorming, using thinking tools, memory strategies etc? (For more information about these strategies check out Karen Boyes' Study Skills resources and courses) 
• What supports are you providing for your learners? How are you accommodating for differences? 
• How are you engaging with whanau (family) and the community to support learners? 
• How do you ensure that learners have ample opportunities to practice and improve? 
• How much feedback do you give to your 3rd Wave learners? It is suggested that we give these learners more feedback and feed forward so they know what their next steps are. 
• How does the learning environment cater for different learning preferences? 

There is a lot to consider but as Jenny suggested what we are really aiming for is to make best practice common practice and that's what all our learners rightly deserve. 

Letting it go

An old friend of mine used to say that if it isn't useful or doesn't bring you joy then get rid of it... she was talking about keeping a house clean and tidy. As I was tidying up our home today I started reflecting on this in two ways, both of which were really good for me.

Firstly, about the tidying up of stuff. I am a bit of a hoarder, I hate to waste things and often think that perhaps something will be useful for me or someone else at some stage so hold on to it. Yesterday I went clothes shopping at a second hand store, I spent NZ$95 but walked away with the following items: for my son- three sweatshirts, one woolen jersey, one pair of pyjamas; for myself- two skirts, one pair of pants, one pair of jeans, three cardigans and one pair of pyjamas. They are all good quality and in good condition. With all of these new clothes drying on the rack after being washed this morning I realised that they had served their purpose for previous owners and were then let go, so I went into my own closet and cleaned out clothing that I no longer needed or wanted. How liberating! I don't have to keep something just in case I lose weight, or gain it, nor do I have to keep it because someone gifted it to me even though it doesn't feel comfortable or look right. Someone else may love these items of clothing and that is just great.
I have been doing a lot around recycling, reducing and reusing lately... reducing being the first step in making a positive impact on the planet. When buying second hand I am reducing by not buying newly produced items and purchasing based on when I need something rather than just because!

Secondly, is the deeper significance of the statement and this is what I mused on as I was tidying up. Looking at what we do with our time and getting rid of that (as much as practical) which is not useful or does not bring you joy can be just as liberating as cleaning out the closet! Some of this comes back to being aware of what your goals are, what your dreams are and what is important to you, then apportioning your time accordingly. Our lives can be hugely busy but some of it can be busyness for busyness' sake rather than useful or joyful time spent.
Today we stacked wood, had lunch, did some gardening work, and tidied up around the house before preparing a roast vegetable risotto for tea... and time seemed to go so slowly, I felt like I had time for all of this without feeling pressured or rushed. This is because it was useful and I enjoyed most of it too, strange as that may seem, as some of that time was spent with my own thoughts and the rest with my family. It was great being outside in the fresh air on a relatively warm winter's day, knowing that the cooler weather was coming again.

In my role as a teacher I am thinking that this is as true for the classroom as it is in my own home. When we are so busy we lose sight of what is useful or joyful the joy of learning can disappear almost entirely. I am looking at my planning and stripping it back, focusing first at what is useful and joyful (for us all in the class)... I figure if we start there and then move forward from that then we might just strike the better balance.

Perhaps taking on the philosophy of getting rid of that which isn't useful or joyful (where practical) has the capacity to simplify our lives and help us get more out of the time we have? I think it just might.

Should staffrooms be No Moan Zones?

Below is a post that I penned over the Christmas holidays but didn't publish at the time as I was reflecting and focused on other tasks at the time including getting myself prepared for working in my new school. This is something that I have come back to and have decided to share... I do hope you find it useful to consider even if you don't agree with my suggestion... so here it is. 

I have had the pleasure of visiting many schools over the last fourteen years as an external education provider and I am impressed by the quality of education offered to so many children throughout our country. Teachers are often under huge pressure from parents, the media, the government and other members of the community and despite this they turn up and give the best of themselves for the children in their classes. It is admirable. I do worry about teacher mental health and wellbeing however. And one of the places I think we can start to address this is in the staffroom (and I am not talking about the biscuits we eat this time!) 

I am as guilty as anyone for entering the hallowed ground of the staffroom and declaring how a particular child or set of children or parent has really annoyed me then listing the reasons why they are difficult to work with. I used to believe that this was a healthy practice as it got it all out of my system and helped me walk back into the classroom with a fresh perspective. Now I am older, and I hope a little wiser, I think this was wrong. What I think I was actually doing was priming myself- who do you think I noticed first when I walked back into the classroom? It was the offending party from the morning tea conversation because inadvertently I was looking for them... now if they were doing something positive of course I noticed and praised them but the fact of the matter was I had mentally singled them out without meaning to. 

We do need to offload but I am not sure that the wider staffroom setting is the best place to do this. It creates negativity, and we start sharing war stories and worse still start may even act in a way that we would never accept from students. How would you respond to a small group of students talking about another child like this: 

"he's such a pain, I hate working with him" 

"I don't know why he bothers to come to school, it's a complete waste of time, he isn't learning anything" 

"he'll end up a criminal, just look at his big brother/sister, he's going exactly the same way" 

I know how I would respond. I would first ask how they would feel if someone spoke about them like that, I would explain that we don't have to be friends with everyone but we need to be friendly, I would probably go on to suggest that sometimes people behave in certain ways because of other things in their lives and so on. I might question them about how we could make a difference and come up with solutions rather than just moan about someone who isn't even here to defend themselves. I wouldn't sit down with them and agree.

Now I know that this sounds bad so please know that this isn't what staffroom conversations are dominated by at all. In fact most often it is sharing news from our own lives, telling funny stories about things that have happened in our classrooms and sharing some other things that are going on as well as planning, marking and sharing ideas. I just think we need to banish any moaning without solutions to another place and time. 

I am a big fan of critically reflective practice and Coaching Leadership and believe that this is an appropriate place for us to unpack the difficult relationships we are often faced with in teaching. In these situations where we have had a tough morning or day I would suggest that putting it down on paper is helpful to get it out of your head. Then arrange a time and place to talk through this with a peer/coach (and if you have a person on your staff that you are working with in this capacity that is brilliant) where the focus is on unpacking the problem, working through possible solutions and establishing some strategies to manage going forward. 

This year I am going to make a concerted effort to avoid the negative comments about students and take a positive solution focused stance in the staffroom. I also want to build relationships with my colleagues and have the staffroom break times being a place that is refreshing and restorative. As teachers we need to be mindful of our own mental health and wellbeing and I believe by making the staffroom space a low stress, positive, friendly space where we can be inspired and energised we are certainly taking a step in the right direction.

This is a timely reminder for me to keep my focus on the positive in our staffroom. I've been doing OK so far mostly but need to remain aware. :) 

Time Thief

Have you ever had a little job that you just didn't want to do? 

It's just a little job and you know it won't take terribly long. It's not a lot of fun to do. It's kind of irritating actually. And it's one of those jobs that you have time to do, there isn't a rush, the due date is ages away... well it's not right now anyway! Then the due date comes and goes and you realise it is now a job that you have to do but you've left it so long that it just feels like an anchor weighing you down and you now have a whole lot of other jobs piled up so this task stays in the pile and keeps getting shuffled around... 

Sound familiar? 

This is one of my bad habits. Procrastination. I get busy, I have a lot of irons in the fire and my brain feels like it is constantly shifting and every so often I have a little task like this that I let on way past it used by date... 

And the tasks that I leave are those that cause as little inconvenience as possible to other people usually, but they bother me. I often assess my to do lists according to impact on others and prioritise accordingly... not always smart. Knowing that these little tasks are there waiting for me to attend to them actually slows me down, it makes me feel heavy and slowly ebbs away at my motivation. 

By gum, procrastination steals my motivated productivity joy germ! 

What has prompted this small slice of life commentary you might ask? Well tonight I completed such a task. I'd demonised it, made it feel bigger than it was in actual fact and when I decided that I would complete it tonight well it has been like a revelation. I feel lighter. I feel able to move on with other things. 

I am even looking forward to what I hope will be a more restful sleep. 

All because of a little thing that I simply could have and should have made time for earlier. 

Lesson learnt at long last? I sincerely hope so. 

The Game of School Pt 2

Last time I wrote I was talking about the Game of School and sharing what I consider to be some of the unwritten rules of the game which could be quite disheartening for some so I thought today I would offer some new rules that could change the game.

The game of school does not need to be about winners and losers. It does not have to be one size fits all. We do not have to learn or achieve in the same way.

So if we are to look at classrooms/schools as learning communities here are some possible new rules to replace those old school rules I spoke about last time: 

1. As part of our learning community you are important. It is important for us to get to know each other. I want to know what you are interested in learning about, what you love to do then we can find ways for your interests to be included in your learning programme. It is also important that we learn ways to work together in this shared space effectively so we can ensure everyone has the opportunity to learn... let's work together on this.
2. In our learning community knowing the conditions that you learn best in is important. Do you like bright lights or darker spaces? Do you enjoy reading and writing, drawing, presenting orally or some other way to share your learning? Do you like to go outside or stay inside to learn? Do you like to work with others or prefer to work on your own? Do you learn more often by watching or learn by doing? There will be opportunities and spaces for you to learn in your best way, and you will get really good at managing your choices when the conditions aren't ideal too. 
3. How are you feeling today? Our feelings can make a difference to how we behave and sometimes they can make it harder for us to learn. Knowing about our feelings and being able to express them in a positive way is valued in our learning community.... if you need someone to talk to remember that there are lots of people here who will listen including your teacher. 
4. We are all learners in this community. I am given the role of teacher because I know a bit about the brain and learning and things like that but I don't have all the answers. I look forward to learning with you. 
5. Learning doesn't stop when the bell rings... we are learning all the time. Everything we do changes our brain so when you are playing with your friends you are learning, when you are walking home from school you are learning, when you are at practices you are learning, when you are playing video games you are learning, when you are talking to your family at the dinner table you are learning... you get the picture. 
6. We can learn in so many different ways, sitting and writing silently is one way but not THE way. We can talk to learn so please ask questions and share your understandings with others. We can move to learn, I often find that some of my best ideas come when I am walking so if you need to have a little walk to help your brain think then get moving. Music can help us learn too, so if you want to put what you are learning to music or share your learning through a song then go for it. Some people like to draw to learn, if this helps you clarify your thinking or build new ideas then by all means draw to learn. If you like to write notes, stories, essays or maps to help you think and learn that is great too. Some people prefer to read to learn, others like to watch or listen. We might like different ways of learning at different times or for different topics... this is OK. Talk to your teachers about this and see if they can help. You will be given many opportunities to learn in lots of different ways so you can discover what works for you and develop skills you might not even know you have. 
7. My job as the teacher is to help you discover your talents and develop skills. Sometimes this will be really hard but don't worry, our brains like a challenge. Sometimes this means you might need to do things you don't like, that can happen but we will help as much as we can. What we will do to help is work with you to understand why learning this might be useful or important. We will work with you so we are all clear about what being successful in a particular skill might look like. People in your learning community will give you feedback as you go along and we will help you set goals for your learning as well. 

This is just a start of what I think the new rules of schools should look like. Putting the energy and emphasis on the learner and their needs whilst building a co-operative learning environment where the work we undertake is meaningful and purposeful. 

Much of what I have written is happening in the hearts and minds of educators and I believe there is an intent in the Modern Learning Environment movement to further enhance this. How can we move rules and expectations like this to sit above the old rules of school though? Perhaps part of the answer lies in where we choose to put our energy and focus, how we approach our role and how we talk about teaching and learning in our schools and communities.

On reflection I think we are moving forward. 

The Game of School

One of the problems with the game of school is that there are rules but I am not sure many students are actually told the real rules which makes it harder to win at this game. And it's a game that they haven't even chosen to play, they've just been nominated to play it by a system and by a social convention that I am not even sure has been proven to be correct. 

Recently I read an article (I can't remember what it was exactly) where the author questioned whether modern learning environments, national testing and use of technology were beneficial for student learning as they were largely untested in practice. (I know people are doing inquiries on these things and studying them but I could understand the author's intent) As I was reading this it occurred to me that putting children in 'school' for 'formal education' so they can 'become learned' starting at 5 years of age is largely untested in terms of improved outcomes for our modern children too. Nature however provides a plethora of evidence that learning through play and at developmentally appropriate times seems to be effective. But I digress... let's get back to the current game of school... 

Now I think it is unfair that we don't explain the rules so I will do my best to start a list, if you know any other rules that I have omitted please feel free to add them in the comments, it can be quite complex: 

1. Firstly sit down, sitting down is important... it shows that you are listening (I know your ears are what you hear through but apparently your gluteus maximus has a part to play too) 
2. Now talking is good at times when it is invited and you talk about the topic at hand, do not get distracted by something exciting happening outside or what might be happening in your own life right now. 
3. We have standards that you need to aspire to and should reach by the prescribed time, these are mostly in literacy and numeracy. If you do not reach these standards you are losing the game. (Word for the wise, there is not much of a lead in period to this, at the end of your first year you will be measured so make sure you measure up) 
4. If you are losing the game you may be offered extra help that you must take, this will likely be more literacy and numeracy so I hope that you like those areas of learning or this is going to be one very long game for you. 
5. Play is what you do at morning tea, after you have eaten your lunch (and you need to eat your sandwiches and fruit first even if your biscuits look really yummy) and after school once you have done your homework. 
6. Don't argue with those in power, you are not in power. Do as you are told and all will go well. If you please your teachers this game will be easier to win. 
7. Be good, it is good to be good. Be good as often as you can. Avoid being naughty or bad, that is not good. 

Technically if you win at this game you will be considered educated and equipped to play the game of life (yes a new game but if you are smart and/or lucky, this time you get to make some of the rules- choose wisely)

Please note:  teachers do not make all these rules but they are expected to enforce them and at times are punished by the media and those in positions of power if they don't. 

Also note: there are many other rules and regulations that you will learn in one way or another during your participation as a player in this game. Some of them will prove useful once you leave this game like being kind does make a difference and persistence can lead to great things for you, others less useful like you are a failure because you communicate better through pictures than words. Be discerning about the rules that you take away with you. 

Disclaimer: I am a teacher and I believe strongly in education and learning, I am proud of my chosen profession. I believe in childhood and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities. I believe in relationships based on trust and love being the foundation of great learning for all. I believe that we all have talents and school can be a great place to nurture our talents. I believe that literacy and numeracy are important as are the arts, health and wellbeing, engaging with nature, understanding people etc. I believe that school should be a safe place for our children, where they are accepted and appreciated. I believe that our students are wanting school to be a different game to the one we played when we were young, I won at that game, I was (and still am) a people pleaser... it isn't always a healthy thing. 

Image from: http://pixgood.com/hopscotch-chalk.html

Teachers Matter Conference 2015

I know it has been quite a few weeks since I last wrote- I haven't been idle but focused on enjoying our summer in New Zealand and preparing for our new teaching year. A highlight of January was preparing for and attending the 10th Annual Teachers Matter Conference in Rotorua.

Karen Boyes in action in one of the workshop sessions

The conference was two full days of learning, connection and challenge. 

Silvia Rosenthal-Tolisano, of Langwitches fame, opened the conference. Her call to action wasn't the least bit subtle, through sharing stories of her own life and family she challenged us to change what we do in schools so our children will learn how to learn in meaningful ways that they need to as 21st century citizens who are likely to live into the 22nd century. We need to see modern learning as so much more than just knowing more stuff. Her call to action was built on by subsequent speakers and so the conference developed a thread that went something like this:

We need to change:

Hey there super cool teacher,
I need you to help give me the
opportunity to learn what
I need to in a meaningful way so I
can thrive in the world
I will live in! 

• because the world has changed and it isn't going to change back 
• our kids have changed and they need something different from us now! 

We need to take risks:

• our kids need to be allowed to and supported to take risks 
• risk adversity is something we are faced with more and more with our young people and how can you learn and solve problems if you are afraid to try something new? 

We need to make connections:

• with our students, with their lives and what is important to them 
• through sharing our stories and the stories of others 

We need to change:

• there are so many challenges, where do you start?  
• just take one step on the path to change... just one step at a time... but do it NOW! 

Steve Gurney shared some of his stories to support the notion that risk taking is healthy for our young people and we are doing them a disservice by protecting them from failure. Steve is an adventurer, inventor, engineer, risk taker and in sharing his story conveyed that by embracing our failures as part of our learning journey we can grow and achieve so much more than if we sit in the warmth of our comfort zone. We need to find ways to let our children learn to get comfortable with the uncertain and uncomfortable. As Steve spoke I realised this is not only such an important message for all of our children but for us as educators and parents as well. We need to take risks too, especially if we are committed to changing what we do for our children, we have to get out of our comfort zone and into the growth zone by embracing risk and failure as part of the adventure.

My Gen Alpha... ready to
take on some new challenges! 

The next keynote speaker was Michael McQueen who discussed generational differences and highlighted some challenges and opportunities presented for modern teachers with the young people that now sit in our classrooms. There were many moments where I smiled as I related to what was being shared, my son is apparently a Gen Alpha kid and when Michael was talking about them I recognised so much. Our children now are able to access so much information so they have a width of knowledge but not so much a depth, as Silvia had spoken about the day before it is not about knowledge itself but what you do with it that is important (I loved the term AMPLIFY that she used when taking information/knowledge and doing something with it then sharing it, which I guess I am trying to do here) Michael spoke about our kids being connected, and that when they ask 'why do we need to know this' it isn't just to be annoying, it is a genuine question and "because I told you so" isn't a sufficient answer any more as the notion of truth has changed. Our kids can check facts online before you can even start to defend your position. He reinforced the need to share stories as a way to bridge the gap between their truth and yours, sharing a perspective of the truth rather than declaring it as an absolute.

Our last keynote speaker was Chic Foote, a passionate clever educationalist who is driven by the need for relevance, meaning and authenticity to create real learning opportunities for our children. She helped pull the threads together with the advice to start somewhere, just one thing, and then build from there. Just one thing.

In amongst these thought proding and provoking presentations were a marvellous mixture of workshop presenters who gave us some opportunities to explore different topics in more depth... all things that worked in with what the keynote presenters were offering us. Ideas and learning that we could take back into our classrooms and schools (and homes) to start shifting and changing. I am only sad that I could not attend more of these myself.

I was impressed by the energy in the room, watching teachers actively sharing their learning and ideas with others, participating in the various forums provided and reflecting on their own practice. I felt proud to be a teacher in amongst this group and wished so much that reporters and politicians would see and feel what I did about the teachers in this room over these two days.

Karen Boyes, founder and director of Spectrum Education and the Teachers Matter conferences, ensured that this conference was about honouring teachers as well. As Karen said 'teaching is the profession that makes all other professions possible' and so the TM Conference is about creating a place to energise for the new year, make connections, learn and be given the opportunity to be inspired by some fantastic presenters. She has done this for ten years with determination, energy and enthusiasm and I am extremely grateful to have attended and been a part of this adventure particularly in recent years. For me it was a wonderful two days that I had prepared for in advance and am still processing three weeks later... thank you Karen.

Karen in action 

Below are some poems I wrote during the conference to summarise the keynote speakers and thank them, as Silvia pointed out it was another way of creating and then sharing learning/knowledge which I hadn't considered at all but it makes sense... there are so many ways we can respond to what we have learned and share our insights to create new understandings.

Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano

Global citizen, global teacher

Digital diva, connected leader

Sharing with us, some of the new rules

That we need to consider for the kids in our schools

Embracing the MOST IMPORTANT skill

Learning how to learn, so we will…

Teach for the NOW

Learning anytime, anywhere, anyhow

Steve Gurney

Inspirational goal setter who breaks *some/most* of the rules

Steve has asked us to take risks so we don’t become fools

Learning through your stories will stay with us heaps

And we’ll pass on what we have learned with our peeps

Success comes from belief and determination in pursuit

Of your dreams and desires with the attitude you choose

Check in on your beliefs and the changes you have made

Be curious and keep trying. You could just amaze.

Failure, Risk and Mistakes are part of the trip

So get out there, have a go, try again and let rip!

Michael McQueen

You started us with a trip down memory lane

And illustrated some key shifts with generational change

Truth, Resilience, Affirmation and Risk have moved

So this sets post modern challenges for us in classrooms

Story telling to offer guidance and share lessons for living

Build confidence, allow risk and let go of esteem giving

Our kids are different, they’re switched on and know heaps

But keep in mind that it’s wide and not deep

They’re also plugged in, grown up and empowered young peeps

Changing climate of classrooms and parenting too

Teachers are changing so embrace colleagues older and new

For helping us build empathy across generations we thank you

Chic Foote

Thank you Chic for helping us to see

That we need to look ahead and at our own history

Overwhelmed is a word many of us are likely to feel

Thanks for acknowledging this and keeping it real

Thank you for sharing your stories with us

Reinforcing that relationships and empathy build trust

We’ve celebrated where we have got to and reflected on where we’ve come

Then we will take action so we grow and have more fun

ONE THING you said, take action we will

With ONE THING for a start up this challenging hill

Embracing the future one step at a time

One step is a start so we will all shine

End of conference

Simply the best is what we’re about

But it isn’t perfection we looking out……………… for.

The best are the learners, dreamers and risk takers

Those that connect and become mistake makers

We are excited, overwhelmed and challenged it’s true

And that’d just the presenters, so how about you???

Let’s take what we’ve learned, share our stories and grow

You are simply the best so go out there and GLOW…….. like the stars you are!!!