This term has been full on with class work, production and kapa haka. Most of all it has been a term where things are starting to fall into place, planning is becoming quicker and easier, AFL is becoming more prominent in my teaching and time management has become more effective. As a father, my priorities at home became far more important, so it was time for me to sharpen up. I am very passionate about what I am doing and did not want the time I was taking away from work for my family to affect my children's opportunity for learning etc. Knowing your children and understanding what they need, how to meet those needs and finding next steps are crucial. During this term I found myself assessing while working with kids and it set up my planning for the following week. Also having activities that can carry over multiple sessions helps and so does the use of technology (once the chn are trained).
Production was very full on and did get stressful. I relish the pressures of performance and encouraging the chn to be the best they can be through this avenue. I have seen chn shine during the production and watching those moments where chn feel 10 feet tall make my job worth while. The kids were amazing, they brought their best and as a teacher, that's all you can ask for.
Kapa Haka has been full on with production and Sepora's powhiri. I don't have a kapa haka background nor do I speak te reo but I have a passion for sharing my culture and performance. The principal likes his staff to be life long learners and I am definitely being a life long learner. This journey of learning about kapa haka has been hard, sometimes stressful but also gives me fulfillment, especially when I watch my class.
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Production: Morning of the performance
Tonight is the night and I am pretty nervous. The kids are going to be fantastic and I'm not worried about them. I am worried about the backstage logistics and transitions as we had some tough encounters yesterday during the matinee. We have moved on and found a solution for the problem which is great. Now we need to put it into practice.
Now to the positives!
I have enjoyed working with another teacher and co-constructing it with the kids. It's really powerful when you can get kids to get involved and take ownership. We have seen a few kids really step up and stand out to the point where it has overflown into class room behavior and attitude. From this experience, I have found that it's really important to pull on the strengths of the kids e.g. the ones who are musical or dance or perform in some way. When you can get them to use their craft and to create something, it's really powerful for their self-belief. It's all about my belief in 'finding what you have to say'. The process that really got me excited was when chn who I knew had a gift were restricted by the fact that they were used to being told what to do. That's when you can 'create magic' and talk to them about finding 'their voice' and getting them to discover that they can actually create things themselves. After they find a move that we could incorporate the smile on their faces is very moving and make me feel as a teacher I'm really fulfilling my purpose.
Now to the positives!
I have enjoyed working with another teacher and co-constructing it with the kids. It's really powerful when you can get kids to get involved and take ownership. We have seen a few kids really step up and stand out to the point where it has overflown into class room behavior and attitude. From this experience, I have found that it's really important to pull on the strengths of the kids e.g. the ones who are musical or dance or perform in some way. When you can get them to use their craft and to create something, it's really powerful for their self-belief. It's all about my belief in 'finding what you have to say'. The process that really got me excited was when chn who I knew had a gift were restricted by the fact that they were used to being told what to do. That's when you can 'create magic' and talk to them about finding 'their voice' and getting them to discover that they can actually create things themselves. After they find a move that we could incorporate the smile on their faces is very moving and make me feel as a teacher I'm really fulfilling my purpose.
Writing: End of Term 3
Term 3 is nearly over and I have been very proud of my progress with my writing this term. On a level 10 scale when beginning the writing focus my confidence was a 3. My confidence has leaped to an 8 and I feel like my teaching progress in this area has significantly increased.
The learning intentions I believe have been a big reason for why the chn are progressing. When writing they are very aware and clear in what they need to include in their writing. They also know how to be successful. Writing varies from child to child and there are a lot of skills etc to know and understanding when writing. I have found that taking on little bits as opposed to focusing on a range of things at the same time is more beneficial. The chn's work overall has improved and when they have practiced a single skill many times then it is retained.
Conferencing is another contributor to the success of the chn's writing. It's an opportunity for me to sit down with the chn and have more one on one time where we can talk about their writing and amend work. The chn are more appreciative of this and I know that they remember bits that we talk about as it's evident in their writing and they talk about it. It is another opportunity for me to work on things that the individual needs e.g. if one child out of the whole group uses a lower case 'i' every time they write the word instead of the capital, we can talk about it then.
My next focus is how to work with the lower level writers who are away for big periods of time. As I have found with 2 chn in my class, they have come back well below in comparison to when they left.
The learning intentions I believe have been a big reason for why the chn are progressing. When writing they are very aware and clear in what they need to include in their writing. They also know how to be successful. Writing varies from child to child and there are a lot of skills etc to know and understanding when writing. I have found that taking on little bits as opposed to focusing on a range of things at the same time is more beneficial. The chn's work overall has improved and when they have practiced a single skill many times then it is retained.
Conferencing is another contributor to the success of the chn's writing. It's an opportunity for me to sit down with the chn and have more one on one time where we can talk about their writing and amend work. The chn are more appreciative of this and I know that they remember bits that we talk about as it's evident in their writing and they talk about it. It is another opportunity for me to work on things that the individual needs e.g. if one child out of the whole group uses a lower case 'i' every time they write the word instead of the capital, we can talk about it then.
My next focus is how to work with the lower level writers who are away for big periods of time. As I have found with 2 chn in my class, they have come back well below in comparison to when they left.
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