Broader Views of Literacy

Today I lectured a group of approximately 100, 3rd year teachers’ college students. This lecture was part of a broader view of literacy module. To demonstrate what is happening in NZ schools I utilised many of the snapshots of learning on Software for Learning.
Snapshots of Learning illustrate how software and digital content, from Digistore and/or Software for Learning, have been integrated to support teaching and learning in New Zealand classrooms. They are intended as a taster to the software and digital content – an indication of how one teacher has recognised the potential to support learning. Current Snapshots of learning are posted on the Software for Learning website
Snapshots really are a wonderful resource to support teacher professional learning; those published in the last 18months drip of effective pedagogy and are written using the teaching as inquiry framework.
Some recently published snapshots include:
Using You Tube as an interactive presentation tool - Somerville Intermediate School
Children retell their stories through animation - Onehunga-Cuthbert Kindergarten
Te Reo peer tutoring using movie-maker and skype - Melville Intermediate
Access the full (and growing)collection here.
The Changing Face of Literacy - Powerpoint used during lecture.

The Changing Face of Literacy

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NZRA- Literacy Explosion Conference

I throughly enjoyed mixing with literacy guru's at this highly-engaging event.

A highight for me was Murray Gadd’s plenary, this focused on  supporting writing in Years 5-8.

The workshop notes are beginning to be placed on the NZRA website. 

The Registered Teacher Criteria wiki

This wiki was developed by the two national Digi Advisors. Our role includes promoting the use of digital content in schools including the use of key Ministry of Education sites such as Digistore and Software for Learning. We felt that there was little explicit reference to the use of e-learning in the criteria and that there was a place for a resource that helped teachers from all sectors to make the connections between the twelve criteria and the effective use of e-learning.

Teachers and schools could use this resource in a number of ways including:

• helping individual teachers to identify how their current practice in e-learning relates to the criteria in order to write to this in official appraisal documents;
• providing examples of how other educators are using e-learning in relation to the criteria in order to help teachers develop their own practice and set goals;
• supporting professional learning opportunities within schools that are focusing on the Registered Teacher Criteria and appraisal processes;
• providing a resource for school leaders to support teachers to develop goals related to the criteria which incorporate e-learning.

Registered Teacher Criteria and e-learning

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To view the full resource, click here:  http://registeredteachercriteria.wikispaces.com/

Walking the Talk: from facilitator to classroom teacher.

A local ICTPD cluster conference:  iteam,  gave me an ideal opportunity to share my reflections about the joys and pitfalls of integrating ICT into a Yr5/6 classroom.  Many thanks to Karen Mills, cluster facilitator,  for inviting me to be part of this event.

Facilitator2classroomiteam

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Updated Resource: Literacy Progressions and ICT

 Have you checked out the ‘Literacy Progressions and ICT’ wiki?

This popular resource has recently been updated to include a range of Digistore learning paths and further ideas including how to improve searching by using the "More tools" google search options.

Many thanks to  Jill Hammonds for her support and motivation in energizing this wiki.

Comments4Kids

My social networks came through again last week by providing me with some just-in-time, practical support. Thanks @NZWaikato via twitter for introducing me to Comments4Kids.

Comments4Kids provides a database of blogs; set-up to support students and teachers to find blogs to comment on and to get their own posts commented on.
In addition Comments4Kids also introduced me to the Comment4Kids Wednesday concept. Basically this involves the teacher selecting relevant post for their students to comment on. Read more here.

What we did?

I introduced Comments4Kids Thursday to my class of Year 5 /6’s .   We had previously developed criteria for quality comments. In preparation I searched the  Comments4Kids database for some relevant blog posts and linked these to our Learning Management System. Students were then given the task of responding to a blog post, using our criteria.

Reflection
It worked ‘ok’ for the first time. The students were highly motivated to view and respond. They worked in pairs and consulted our criteria before posting their comments. My next challenge is to locate blog posts that relate more closely to the work we are doing in class and that are structured in a way that invite rigorous comment.

Any support greatly appreciated.

Meaningful and Manageable Teacher Appraisal

I have to admit that I found it challenging to work out how a school appraisal system could harness the spirit of teaching as inquiry as well as encompass the twelve registered teacher criteria in a manageable and meaningful way.
Sharing this dilemma at Learning @School with Nick Rate (over a rotisserie chicken and a wine) was the break-through.
Nick discussed how a rich inquiry could and should encompass many of the twelve criteria.
So I had a go with my own inquiry question and have since used this approach with a whole staff.

NB. The writing in brown is reference to specific registered teacher criteria.
While it is still early days we are all excited about this approach and its focus on our learning.
This quote sums up the mood of this approach:
“Appraisal should be about improving competence not proving competence”.
What we did:
Staff meeting 1
Purpose:
To develop understanding of the ‘teaching as inquiry’ framework and explore possibilities for meaningful individual inquiries.
Staff meeting 2
To further develop our individual inquiries
To explore how the registered teacher criteria could enrich our inquiries.

Apprasial2ndmarch

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What’s next?
1:1 Coaching and Mentoring session focused on each teachers’ inquiry
Setting up a portfolio – hard copy or electronic. Workshops for staff on both.
1:2 Professional development facilitators are aware of and support the development of teacher’s inquiries throughout the year
1:3 Senior Leaders receive professional development around coaching and mentoring to support on-going high quality professional learning conversations
1:4 Teachers will be grouped together according to inquiry questions to meet as inquiry teams and given time to meet together to reflect on and support each other with their inquiries
1:4 Documentation will be developed from this work that captures the appraisal requirements and process, and that allows for consistent practice across the school