ConnectED Allanah King

Presenter Bio

Allanah King is a Learning Facilitator, working for CORE Education to provide Professional Learning Development for teachers. She is based in Nelson working mainly with schools in Marlborough, Nelson and the West Coast. She is an Apple Distinguished Educator, Apple Learning Specialist, Book Creator Ambassador, Google Certified Innovator and Google for Education Trainer.

She reflects on her learning journey via the NZ Virtual Learning Network, Twitter and a variety of blogs and websites. She enjoys learning, sharing and collaborating with others via online spaces and web sites.

Website: http://www.allanahk.com/

In this session we looked at the key attributes and components of an effective e portfolio and at how blogger can be used as a tool for evidencing STP's Standards of Teaching Practice Criteria ready for registration. The STP's now replace the 12 RTC's once used to only 6 STP's. They are supposed to provide holistic descriptions of what quality teaching looks like in Aotearoa New Zealand. In other words to better reflect our contemporary teaching context we have here in New Zealand taking in elements of knowledge, practice, best practice and research.

The idea is that your Professional blogs will be used as a major part of registration.

ConnectED July 2017

21 July 2017

The conference opened with speakers from the following Sponsors: Pb Technology and LINC-ED  


Keynote Speaker: Nathan Mikaere-Wallis

Ka Tikaka o Ka Roro

The Fascinating Brain

Nathan talks about the importance of brain development in the first 3 years of life. It is considered that it is the most important time of a child's life because in this time how the brain develops will influence their entire life span. Nathan goes on to say that the brain is designed as a tool for interacting with other brains and there is research to support that intelligence is not based on genetics but rather how a child is nurtured and initial relationships formed.

Epigenetics: Professor Flynn: The Flyn Effect: 

Intelligence comes from the first 1000 days of life. Nathan says it is possible to gauge the level of intelligence a child will have by the words spoken by the mother. A baby has to attach and attune to someone (usually the mother as the primary caregiver) for language to be established. By the time a baby is 1 they are gathering data developing a complex brain. Babies need to attune to one person for the brain to develop. The initial relationship is the most important. Intelligence is not driven by genetics but by many factors babies are introduce to in their early days of life through social and emotional growth, nurture, language and the environment.


Research strongly suggests that Home Based Care is the way to go with a new born baby for their first year. Babies develop a dyad with their primary and secondary caregiver. With rostered care (daycare) data has shown a significant rise in cortisol activity in the brain patterns of babies causing unsettled behaviour. 

The Frontal Cortex or the 4th brain is your intelligence. Frontal cortex development depends on the quality relationship the baby establishes in the first year of life. First born children are the ones who gain the most intelligence because they receive the most quality time. The more children there are in a family the more likely the youngest child will not have had the same amount of quality time as the eldest child.

Maturity comes to girls earlier than boys. For girls it is between 18 and 20years of age and for boys to reach maturity it is between 26 and 32years of age. Well that explains a lot. 

Perry's Neurosequential Model 
Limbic system is the parenting brain - the mammal brain otherwise known as the 3rd brain. According to Nathan this part of the brain is where your social and emotional skills are developed. He goes on to say that it is far more important for children to be exposed to play based learning developing children's interactive skills socially and emotionally. Children are not ready for formal learning until they 8 years old. I would agree. I have taught children that were not ready for school. I am of the belief that we need to consider changing the starting age for school. Making a change from 5years to 6years would be keeping in line with the rest of the world. What Nathan has been sharing all makes sense. The Government or Ministry really need to consider researched based evidence and take another look at national standards. They would have a better understanding of why children don't fit into boxes and the many factors surrounding low achievement for at risk students. 

Nathan pointed out a scale between factors of risk and resilience. 
The more positive factors build resilience the more likely there will be success for a child and more positive outcomes in life. The more at risk factors a child is exposed to will amount in low achievement and negative outcomes in life. 

Again, in Piaget stages of cognitive development children start to develop from the age of 6. Children begin to Plateau by the age of eight because thats when they are ready to learn. Early cognitive acquisition doesn't mean anything under the age of 7years because the limbic system needs need to be met. 
What matters for children under the age of 7 is emotional development knowing what their disposition of themselves is as a learner. 
Finally, "Meet the needs of the brain as it develops."

What does it mean to Master Mathematics?

Teaching for Mastery in Primary Maths

This article looks at the following:

What does it mean to master mathematics?

• All pupils can achieve in mathematics
• One curriculum - All pupils are entitled to learn key concepts and skills
• Focus on depth - Deepen understanding before accelerating content coverage
• Fluency, reasoning and problem solving

Teaching supports the aims of the National Curriculum

• Problem Solving

• Reasoning

• Fluency

Number at the heart

• Secure the fundamentals

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