A Cool Little Task in Problem Solving

While I was attending a great workshop at Ulearn16 based on Coding and Robotics I was introduced to a very cool little task in problem solving by Nicki Tempero and Jess Bond from CORE Education.  This involved using the printable coding cards from the Teacher's Resources found in the Scratch Jr website to begin the students thinking about coding and how it can work.


We undertook this task as a class yesterday afternoon, with the students discovering many things but most importantly their need to work together (collaborate) in order to complete the task I had given them.

They thought it was an easy one to do - choose one person to be a 'robot' then programme your robot to walk a square 4 steps x 4 steps.  We discussed the meaning of each of the programming blocks first - what could this look like as they created the program.  Then they were set to work.  Easy quickly became challenging with lots of discussion about which blocks to use.  As they discovered the blocks giving their 'robot' the ability to hop, say 'Hi', jump a number of times and so on their squares became more elaborate with actions added in at each corner.  Various methods were used to have their 'robot' move in the direction they needed it to, although as they begin to program the robotic kit creations yet to come there will again need to be some re-thinking.  Once the programming time was over they shared their programs with the class, looking at success and new learning that came from the failure to create the assigned shape.

For some it was the first time they had come across block programming in any form, for others it was a re-introduction but one still requiring some thought and problem solving.  It will not be the last they see of this activity as it is one we will use again in other ways.

And the Journey Begins... Again!

Once again my learning is moving on.  This time I am on a learning journey with my students.  While I have some knowledge of the waters into which my class and I are about to sail, I will be as much an adventurer as they are.

As a new teacher into the class I currently learn alongside at the beginning of last term it was important to build relationships and establish where their learning journey's were at.  Now it is time to get into the nitty gritty of my Teaching as Inquiry.  With the assistance of the Grassroots Initiative, established by the Ministry of Education, we have been and will be able to purchase the tools we need to make this journey.

Ulearn16 has also provided plenty of material to reflect on, implement and consider what learning we need as we make our journey.  There will be separate posts as I reflect on the Ulearn16 breakouts and keynotes over the next few days.

Currently, I have three different robots to begin to learn how to program - the students and I will learn together once I have taught myself and them the basics.  The future purchase of a couple of Makey Makey kits, a couple of conducting-dough electronics kit, and eventually a Raspberry Pi will begin our journey.  Using online coding tools such as Scratch, the new Apple app Swift Playgrounds and those available through the Hour of Code the intention is to introduce the students to tools they have not used before.

Minecraft is also on our radar, particularly with the imminent arrival of the EDU version, but to be used in ways different to what the students are used to.  This is definitely one tool where I will be the tuakana and they the teina.  An old favourite, Kodu, will be placed on the existing Windows desktops.  The use of my old Samsung S4 will assist in the introduction of Virtual Reality alongside Google Cardboard.

I am getting quite excited about the coming journey as we sail off into the somewhat unknown to make new discoveries and explore the possibilities that come with the acquisition of these skills.

How Well Do You Really Know Your Students?

For me relationships are key to building an effective environment for learning.  But what does this really mean? Are we really doing enough to find out about our Māori students, their background, the hopes their whānau have for them and what the iwi graduate profile might be? Are we making ourselves equally familiar with the families and their aspirations of our Pasifika students? For us to truly know our students this is indeed what we should be doing.

A friend and past CORE Education colleague raised my awareness of the need to know not just the surface features of our Māori students - pronouncing names correctly, knowing their whānau - but knowing the iwi to which they belong and all that this entails. For all of that knowledge goes into understanding and building a relationship with our Māori students. Janelle Riki-Waka presented at CORE Education's Emerging Leaders summit in Wellington which I was fortunate to attend in July. She also presented a similar message at Ulearn16, reviewed in a blog post by Nichole Gully - 'Engaging Māori Students and Whānau in Future Focused Education'. The 'guts' of it is the need for us as teachers to really understand and know our learners outside the classroom - their giftedness beyond academia, their language and values. When I say 'our learners' I mean everyone - another learning from my time with CORE is that what is good for students requiring differentiation in any way shape or form is good for all.
How has this looked in my classroom? Over my first weeks with the students I did begin by learning names and ensuring correct pronunciation but quickly moved on to finding out which iwi they are affiliated with, which marae they see as home and how involved they are with it. Three weeks into my time I was able to meet parents at the scheduled parent interviews. A key question for them was what they hoped for their child by the end of 2016. This was noted and considered as I look at where to next.
I also let my young man of Tongan descent know I was aware of the likely expectations his family have of him. He was most surprised to find I had the understanding I did. Our conversations, even the serious ones, are peppered with laughter and fun in the nature of talanoa. He still takes away the message intended and works harder on his own learning as a result. He was able to lead during Tongan Language Week and I find ways for him to lead - whether it is assisting the junior students or leading in sport. Giving his service to the school has and is happening in a myriad of ways. I look forward to the new surprises the rest of the year has in store for me from him.

Thinking in Keys Olympiad

As I arrive in the class and contemplate how to get to know my new learners I have hunted for a way to discover the level of their abilities in a real learning setting.  The Olympic Games provided just such a context to see them all in action.  The tool I chose to use was a tweak on an Olympic Thinker's Keys series of Olympic tasks.

I chose to create an assignment in Google Classroom, which they assured me they could use confidently.  This was the first assessment as it turned out.  Some students were able to use Classroom with ease, sending questions and messages using the assignment set as their tool.  They were also able to hand their work in this way at the conclusion of the timeframe given.  Others had to be shown and still others insisted they had handed their work in correctly, but had actually shared the Google Doc into which they had worked with me.

The next assessment turned out to be their ability to research for those keys that required researching.  I did not want to give them a straight out project to 'find out about the Olympics'.  Rather they needed to research in order to complete tasks, analyse their information and use thinking processes to reorganise their findings in order to fulfil the requirements of the assignment. This was something some coped with well, checking their understanding of the task with me before they completed it.  A large group blindly guessed their way through a number of tasks and did not understand the thinking required of them.  Of this group some were able to redirect themselves with encouragement, while others merely completed the finding out phase rather than the deeper thinking they needed to do to process the information and complete their task.

The assessment of the tasks saw me providing feedback to them via the comments function in Google Docs, while also adding suggestions to let them know the value placed on surface features such as grammar, punctuation and spelling.  As these were returned to the students several came to see me and thank me for the depth of feedback they had received.  This has allowed them to identify their next steps in learning and focus on the points I had made in the order they choose.  I should have had them record these reflections in blog posts of their own, but their blogs are yet to be set up.

The biggest frustration of the whole exercise was the lack of regard for deadlines that most of the students had.  Much of the time in class was spent with me trying to refocus a number of students to actually complete tasks they had begun rather than spending a great deal of time off-task.  This led to discussion about why it was important that they meet the deadline given in preparation for the assessment practices they will encounter as they move on to secondary schools.  Some were completely unaware that this was the case.  It has also led me to assess the need for scaffolding time management techniques in future to allow students to build their skill level with this key competency.

What else did I learn?

• Feedback, in-depth while sharing learning steps, is welcomed and I hop will be acted on by this group of students.
• Thinking skills should be scaffolded as part of future learning tasks.  A large number of students demonstrated only low level thinking skills, so teaching the higher level thinking skills must be a focus in the future.  When challenged to attempt these skills during this assignment the reactions ranged from acceptance of the challenge to tears, resistance and refusal to even try.  Some way to go I feel!  
• Listening skills must be developed, particularly in relation to following instruction and interpreting the task completion scaffolds that are offered by both myself and classmates.
• Continued and scaffolded use of Google Classroom is required so students are able to hand work in correctly, access the resources shared and, in some cases, actually find the assigned tasks.
• Research skills are needing to be taught.  Many students copied straight from their first source of information, without ensuring any accuracy, plagiarising the work they handed in. Others were able to do this but unable to reorganise their information to complete the given task.
• Surface features within writing require some attention.  The best way to do this is now upper most in my contemplations.  Do I teach specific skills as I have in the past or do I teach to the needs of the student as I notice them arise?  Or do I combine these teaching methods?

The use of Tony Ryan's Thinker's Keys has had the intended effect - assessment of the students in many ways.  Now those Keys have me thinking - what is the best way to manage the learning I have had about my students?

Changes Abound

Noting the date of my last post I realise I have been remiss at keeping this blog up-to-date.  I had looked to create a new blog but now feel, as the slack blogger I am, it is better to keep this one alive and healthy rather than have two neglected blogs.

So for those who check here regularly for updates - only to be disappointed - I should let you know that I have had a metamorphosis greater than the one I underwent last year as a CORE Education efellow, but stemming from the confidence I developed as a result.

My teaching at secondary level ended with 2014.  I am now working for CORE Education as a Learning with Digital Technologies (LwDT) facilitator.  This involves guiding 9 schools along their paths into the digital world, offering professional development and learning a heck of a lot about teaching effectively, and myself, along the way.

My world has moved from the paper-heavy classroom/school setting to an almost paperless work environment where Google is well utilized. I find myself sitting a lot more than I did in the classroom and am about to wage war on the weight I have gained as a result.  Moving consciously is an on-going challenge.  I travel more than ever before, both by car to the schools I work with and flying to hui or courses to extend myself.  My ability to incorporate my knowledge is growing, as is my realisation that part of my job is to actually make time during the work day to play with new tools and learn for my development - not something I am used to.  I love the ability to use glide time, be trusted to manage my business expenses and to just plain get the job done. I am part of the most amazing team I have worked with to date - and that is saying something because I have had some great teams in my teaching career.

I am freshly returned from a Microsoft Master Trainer's course in Sydney, have completed a paper through the University of Otago about Knowledge Building in Semester 1 this year and am working my way, sporadically, through my Developing Virtual Mentor modules, my Reo modules and the certification tasks for Google and Microsoft.  Apple is also on my hit list.  I have discovered I am not so fond of formal learning, much preferring the less formal world of modules and badge earning. But the learning continues no matter what.

I originally stumbled back across this blog as I looked for a platform I could use for sharing my Microsoft learning.  This may or may not be the place it happens - it feels wrong to blog in the oppositions space about my learning!  I now wonder whether a wiki is my best alternative.  The goal is to create a go-to place written in plain English, with links to Microsoft and other resources as required, so teachers like I was last year do not feel they are reinventing a wheel through lack of support.

Watch this space - it is going to continue to grow.  I have resources to add to pages established that I have discovered this year and probably new pages to create. It is going to be a pleasure to grow this as a resource I can draw on and for others to also access.

A Different Way to View Our World

I recently participated in the third Masterclass for my efellowship held in and around Wellington. We spent time becoming well acquainted with the data we had gathered, discussing our findings and what journey this was taking us on, as well as the ins and outs of research in general.

John and Shannon from CORE had found us an amazing Book-a-Bach right on the beach at Raumati.  Most of us spent some time walking on the beach reflecting on our projects, where they might take us next and the myriad of questions that were thrown up as a result of our research. It was just stunning.

Then came the challenge from Karen Melhuish and Chrissie Butler, also of CORE.  On our next school visit we were to change the lenses through which we viewed what we saw.  This was a huge eye opener with regard to the things we do in schools. I catch myself walking the mile in others shoes even now.

We were asked to look at what we saw from the perspective of a dyslexic parent, an autistic student and a new teacher aide.

As a teacher there were some things that were amazing, clever, well thought out and justified.

Then the lens shift happened.

Some of the things I had thought were amazing were not going to suit the parent or the teacher aide or the student. It was a huge shift in thinking for me. And a real introduction to the concept of Universal Design for Learning, something I had thought I had a handle on. Not so.

It is something I would love to investigate further - UDL fits in well with the research project I am undertaking and could, in reality, be a major component of the scaffold around teachers adopting e-learning practice that has been missing.

Oh look - another direction my project could morph into. Watch this space...

Time for a Change

January saw me move away from the teaching of intermediate students and into the secondary school system in New Zealand. It also saw me begin to mold and develop my thinking towards the final project choice for my e-Fellowship through CORE Education. As a result this blog is now getting a makeover - a name change being the first and most obvious change.  This will be teamed with more regular postings as I begin to develop my thinking over the coming months.

I am now teaching at Wanganui Girls College, my classroom time spent with some pretty awesome Year 9 and 10 Math students as well as some of the Year 10 girls being in my Health class.  Am I enjoying it?  You bet!  I am getting my head around the different structure of a secondary school when compared with primary/intermediate schools, at the same time as I am re-connecting with the deeper knowledge required to teach the Math.

The other, and equally important, part of my new role is as Director of E-Learning.  I have responsibility for developing this further within the school which has to begin with the placement of the correct infrastructure - wireless and introducing BYOD being our next major steps.  The past Term has seen me getting my head around O365 and what we can be using this for.  Moving past the glitches I am now confident we can make some real progress into collaborative learning. I am still feeling a little like my hands have been tied after the previous class I taught in being a wireless, 1-2 device driven environment.  Again, change is afoot...

March provided me with my first real taste of what the e-fellowship is going to mean. I finally met all of this years e-fellows, spending 3 days in some damn stimulating company.  Many thanks to Ben Britton, Marnel van der Spuy, Rebecca Power, Tim Gander, Anne-Louise Robertson, and Rowan Taigel - I am looking forward to our next face to face in a few weeks.

The general consensus in the surroundings our accommodation was set seemed to be that it was like being on camp without students. We were surrounded by the bush at the base of the Waitakeri Ranges.  That said it is the first time I have been on a professional development based in digital learning where wifi and phone data was not available or out of range after hours.  Our lunch on day two was testament to our addiction, when we were all glued to our phones tweeting, Facebooking and sharing our experiences with others. It did provide the grounds for solid discussion and the realisation we were sharing similar experiences in our own teaching environments. Discussion around the brazier was pretty inspiring.

Our mentors, John Fenaughty and Louise Taylor, took the opportunity to challenge our thinking and focus us on transformation through a series of workshops. Moments across the three days helped most of us crystallize our thinking into research projects.


We were also privileged to visit Stonefields School and Hobsonville Point Secondary School, which both provided us with some WOW! moments. Many thanks must be offered for the warm welcome we were given and the open manner in which our questions were met.  Claire Amos and Mark Osborne opened my eyes particularly to the possibilities of what can be if  we remove the silo system from secondary schools, teamed with the possibilities of creating modern learning environments from which secondary students can work.  I am well aware as we look at removing the desks and chairs from my cell that I should not over-furnish thanks to a discussion with Mark Osborne.

Stonefields School:

Hobsonville Point Secondary School:

I felt really lucky to meet past e-fellows at a pot-luck tea John organised.  Contacts and networks were made or grown and we know they are watching to see what we are going to add to the knowledge base they have already created.

The project is now taking shape - following a great Skype session with Louise it sounds like I know what I am doing.  My focus - supporting change in school so everyone can feel comfortable with e-Learning. My process is sorted and, apart from a few tweaks on current wording, the plan has formed.

Now to actions.  The first if these is background reading.  Future posts here will come from my reflections as I undertake this - a collection of aha moments that need expressing.  I am already part way into the first if these.  More in a later post - I promise.  Hence, the final reason for this blog having a name change.