Open Meeting Endeavour School 25 May 2017

ConnectED open meetings operate in a collaborative and flexible manner. The mode of learning are rounds of table discussions. Discussions are selected from a wide variety of teaching and learning topics. 

Opening speaker was Hayse from PB Tech. Hayse spoke about how we could use robotics in the classroom. This is the way of the future. We got experience Google DIY Cardboard and Smartphone Virtual VR Reality Headsets. The headsets provide a way for students to experience virtual tours for example in famous museums located all around the world. I can see many benefits to having one these devices. What a buzz for students.

Whats that old saying... "Around the world in eighty days" more like in an hour. This technology can be controlled by a mother board or tablet by the teacher. 

Drone Technology

How about this ... look up at the ceiling in the photo. This is the latest Drone type technology. Unbreakable! Yes, thats right unbreakable. It can break apart and be put back together like Lego. You would get brilliant aerial shots for those award winning movies we're going to make. Im sure there are lots of interesting things to be explored with this device. 

Table Discussion

Teaching as an Inquiry with 

Anne Louise Robertson

Facilitator CORE.

Follow the link to see full presentation:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sLX1ZGyk39vOVj1RKdOLP574fDkVdgOigUSeQOT1-PM/edit#slide=id.p

The question " WHERE DOES OUR INQUIRY COME FROM?" was a lead into our conversation around why Teaching as an Inquiry was important. Simply put as teachers we aim to achieve improved outcomes for our students. Reflection on your own practice and what you do to change is important. For example, making changes small or big in own practice can help you to identify how this impacts on progress for students. It may not be down to just hard data but rather it may be down to issues around student participation and engagement.  

We talked about Portfolios as a tool to create a sense of ownership and accomplishment for students. Portfolios also creates a window for parents into their children's learning.

What?

So what?

Now what?

Inquiry is about what we want to achieve for our learners. The process is simple. The NEED and the target group are identified. Setting a goal and what you are trying to improve is established and what strategy or strategies will you use to achieve success. Lastly, what future focus will be implemented to maintain progress.

Art for Arts Sake

What is ART ?

Wikipedia says ... 

Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts (artworks) expressing the author's imaginative or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power. In their most general form these activities include the production of works of art, the criticism of art, the study of the history of art, and the aesthetic dissemination of art.

Our focus for term 2 & 3 is visual Art. 

Art is a powerful way to express your ideas and feelings. Here are 
some examples of artistic expression in and around the city of Hamilton 
New Zealand.

    

  

        

Not a Math Person

'Not a Math Person'. How to Remove Obstacles to Learning Math:
by Katrina Swartz.

This paper looks at  Standford Math Educator Professor Jo Boaler and her push
towards change of mindsets. Jo Boaler believes ... what students really need is
"productive practice," approaching the problem from different directions, applying
the ideas and explaining the reasoning. This approach looks at deepening children's
understanding of math in real ways.

https://ww2.kqed.org/…/not-a-math-person-how-to-remove-obs…/

Our Bus Ride - Art for Arts Sake

We took a bus ride 

around Hamilton City

with our buddy class Room 8 

to discover Art in the city.

Rock Korowai

Meteor

Tui at the Meteor

Tongue of the Dog

Anzac Soldier

Claudelands Events Centre

Art around our school

Garden Art

Bruce Moody Session 2

Multiplication and Division overview
New Concept
Fundamentally different way of thinking sees adding as different from counting, multiplying

Children growing embryonic thinking into multiplicative thinking

Sees doubles as two sets at one time.

If a major mind shift is to happen:

• there is a need to clarify our objectives
• deliberate activity is needed
• attention to language is crucial

Multiplicative is not adding it is quantitative.

You can cannot go from skip counting at year 2 to mult-div at stage 4.

Repetition of count

• two possible referents
• two counts are happening
• there is a natural packaging

Everything needs to be visible

Lead children into the experiences so they can see the differences.

eg. 5 monkeys and 10 bananas there are two things going on. The monkeys are one item and the bananas are another item.

Place value is essential in their packaging of 10's

Year 2

• Skip counting
• Equal sharing
• noticing the repetition of things

Language end of year 2

• Package language
• Symbolic language
• grouping
• x2, x5 and x10
• T chart 
• showing students you have repackaged things but the number will always remains the same eg. 12 can 6 bags of 2 or 3 bags of 4 and it would still be 12.

Times is the same as lots of ...

Doubles

We want doubles to come together. We want children to see the link between the copycat number. Children can make links in stories.

Bruce Moody Modelling Session

Room 1 Stage 2

Using a model is what moves them from stage 1 to 2.

If I have $5 in this pocket and $2 in this pocket how much do I have?

Make it. 5 hand and 2 hand. Now show me. How much do we have?

Outlaw counting and go to a model.

Copycat doubles- with fingers. How much do we have.

Next level. Verbal first. I went to the beach and I made 4 sandcastles. So how many did we make. How many did I make, how many did my copycat William make? So how many did we have?

Number bonds

Matching unicon blocks with fingers. 3 and 2 . If one is guessing let them count the blocks but not group. discourage counting

Then I’ve got 5 and I give 2 to Brittnee. How many have I got? - hidden in hand

Repeat with 4 and1

Stage 3

10 people in my team. 7 are boys. How many girls.  

Other team 4 boys, how many girls?

IF you don’t know make it with your hands

Stage 4 is instant recall.      Stage 3 can use a model.

Teams - 10 in a team I have 5 girls and 5 boys

Make your own teams. Now tell me about your team, howmany girls? So how many boys. Does 6 and 4 make 10? Yes I am going to have this team. Now see if you can make another one.

Need a confident answer ‘yes’ if not confident ask them to count them. But aiming for them to know without counting. Does 3 and 7 make 10?

I’ve already got that team. See if you can make another one. Aiming for all the different no bonds combinations.

Creating a natural situation for 10 and 0 to come up. Still makes a team.

Mathematics - Bruce Moody

Opened with a Mihi.

Bruce is a former secondary school teacher and has been involved in Primary School advisory work since 2001. He was once a Numeracy Project advisor but never used a lesson from the booklets. He has presented many workshops and led Teacher Maths Symposiums. He has diploma in Te ara reo from Te Waananga o Aotearoa. Bruce is self employed Maths Consultant, based in Rotorua.

He combines research findings with practical classroom ideas. He helps to demonstrate pedagogical principles to teachers and 'earn the right' to be heard in staff meetings. 

What is the mathematics view?
Maths experts should teach maths.
Maths has its own way of communicating.

The change process - Existing practice versus Numeracy project ---- creating new
The Numeracy Project focus is on Number.
In mathematics - number and strands work together not kept in rigid compartments separate from each other.
Why teach a strategy that doesn't work.
We should teach General strategies. 
What do children actually need to make progress through the curriculum.
Much better to spend time on critical elements 
We want children to be successful with Place value and basic Bonds
Learning doesn't happen over night. 
Looking at number Bonds rather than number facts eg. there are six variations in the bond.
In mathematics education at primary school level, a number bond (sometimes alternatively called an addition fact) is a simple addition sum which has become so familiar that a child can recognise it and complete it almost instantly, with recall as automatic as that of an entry from a multiplication table in ... Subtraction and change unknown.
Models are important. They are the interface between teaching and learning.
Meaningful context enhances learning. Make it purposeful. How does the use of your materials support your maths. I want them to learn this bond so therefore I choose the resources to help them get there. We need to help children access 

Big question: how is the learning going in this process. 
Don't be busy or over teach. Give students time to process. 
Try not to interfere too much. Make sure there is some challenge for the children.