Thoughts of Back in School(Reflection)

                     Returning to school after the second wave of Lockdown.

Pupils’ experiences of the lockdown period will have been very varied. For some, it will mostly have been a safe and enjoyable time. For others, it will have been challenging or traumatic. Schools and teachers are used to supporting their pupils through challenges that they face in life – the current situation will amplify those situations many times over.  

As a teacher, I am already aware of the experiences that my pupils are having, and as schools reopen, the specific challenges that the school community is facing will become more apparent. Supporting your pupils through this transition will draw on many of the skills you use day-to-day to provide personal and academic advice and guidance. 

Different pupils within the same class will have had very different experiences of the lockdown period. They will also have varying levels of coping skills and resilience in dealing with those experiences. Having an open mind about what pupils may be going through and how they will be dealing with it will be necessary.  

Pupils may not feel able to jump straight back into learning immediately when they return to school. Disrupted ability to focus is a common experience for children and young people who have experienced bereavement or trauma. Immediately returning to scheduled lessons might lead to disruptive behaviour as pupils get used to seeing each other again. Finding time to allow them to work through these conversations and get ready to learn could be helpful if you can schedule them in. 

The return to school may be the first contact that pupils have had with each other in many weeks. Launching straight back into the usual timetable is likely to be challenging, as pupils have had a long period away from the regular daily routine. They may also have lots of thoughts and questions about the time away from school.  Of course, there is also a need to make sure pupils begin catching up on work they have missed.

On the very first day in school, I will talk about rules in Level 2 at school. What are the expectations of the teachers and how students can be safe at school?

Teacher Well-being during Lock down

   

         Teacher Wellbeing During COVID-19 Lockdown

Schooling during lockdown constitutes some unique challenges for teacher wellbeing. Teachers are now working in a way in which they have never had to before—at the same time, facing anxiety about the current situation and uncertainty about the future.

Teaching is inherently social and communication is fundamental to everyone working in schools. Stay in close touch and share your fears and concerns openly and honestly with friends, partners, colleagues and managers to get some perspective.

At the same time, think about others you might be able to help in some way – in your school community, at home or in your other networks. A phone call, text, Zoom get-together – whatever the medium, it can make a difference to how you and others feel.

If working and delivering lessons remotely, make sure you keep in close touch with your teams who can be a great source of support in themselves. If you have worries, problems or anxieties in or out of work that will not go away, then talking to someone outside your situation can make a huge difference and can help you to find a way through.

“SMART teachers (Self, Motivation, Activity, Relationships, and use of Time) appreciate the tight connections between physical and mental wellbeing and the benefits of being active in this regard. 

"Engage in professional learning and adaptively apply this learning in practice."

Literacy Year 10 Reflection)

                           
                                      Why Literacy is Important!!!


Literacy is most commonly defined as the ability to read and write. Nowadays, ‘reading’ encompasses complex visual and digital media as well as printed material. An elderly person who can read the newspaper might struggle to get information from Google.

Similarly, different cultures will have different perceptions of literacy. Students need literacy to engage with the written word in everyday life.

This term(term 3) I am working on my year 10PDv/TBSM1 students literacy. I am very focused on their reading and writing ability; I always try to give them content to write and read in the class. I have used some research work on different topics such as geosphere, Fossil fuels and DNA. I am concerned about their writing and reading ability. I am trying to enhance their literacy so that they can do good in their NCEA Level 1. For this, I have adapted some ways: 

Encourage reading: Reading is the first pillar of literacy, so encourage young learners to immerse themselves in it frequently and intensely. 

Discuss texts together: Actively discussing what has been read encourages learners to make connections and think deeply about the ideas contained in books. 

Make use of the library: Immersing children in a vast range of texts encourage them to dive in and explore. There’s no better place to do this than the school or community library.

YR10 Student's work


"Select teaching approaches, resources, and learning and assessment activities based on a thorough knowledge of curriculum content, pedagogy, progressions in learning and the learners."

  "Gather, analyse and use appropriate assessment information, identifying progress and needs of learners to design clear next steps in learning and to identify additional supports or adaptations that may be required."

Yr 9Ttt-Reflection(Genomics)

SEASHORE ANIMALS

This week we continue Genomics with yr 9. Last week, students enjoyed the origin of life and tree of life. They decorate the tree of life and fill the gap by pasting animal belong to that gap. That was fun and enjoyable learning for students. This week, Dr Jannie nad Dr Thierry was with me in the class. Dr Thierry brought some sea creatures for students from Whanganui. 

He introduced himself and talked about Genomics and how it is related to our life. He also spoke about seashore creatures, and students participated in the discussion of rocky shore creatures and how they look like and who are dangers for them. Dr Thierry and Dr Jannie described seashore creatures like this: The rocky shore is a unique part of New Zealand's coastline and is a habitat which is home to many animals. The rocky shore is also at risk from human-made problems like climate change, pollution and loss of habitat.

Rocky shore life: Crustaceans: a group of animals that lots of different species belong to, such as crabs, crayfish, lobsters. Echinoderms: a group of animals that lots of different species belong to, such as starfish and sea cucumbers. Sea urchins/kina are echinoderms, though because they do have a shell they are also shellfish. Sea Slugs: live in rock pools. They are often grouped with seafood even though they have no tank. Shellfish: such as pāua, pipi, cockles (tuangi), tuatua, mussels (Kuku or kūtai), oysters (tio), cats eyes (pūpū), mud snails (wetiko).

Students observed sea specimens and drew a table and write down their behaviour, habitat and physical characteristics.

Male and Female Crab

"Seek and respond to feedback from learners, colleagues and other education professionals, and engage in collaborative problem solving and learning-focused collegial discussions."

Cook island Language week

       Cook Island Language week Celebrations in School

Cook Islands Language Week is held annually to celebrate the culture and identity of the Cook Islands. It also promotes the rich and distinctive language of Cook Islands Māori.

Cook Islands Language Week explores the values of diversity and respect. It encourages New Zealanders to share and understand other cultures by learning a new language, set of beliefs and cultural practices. From this, there is the possibility to see things from a different perspective and embrace other cultures.

Learning a new language gives us insight into new ways of thinking and to different beliefs and cultural practices. Everyone who learns the words of the Cook Islands helps to preserve them.

"Understand and recognise the unique status of Tangata Whenua in Aotearoa New Zealand."

Elephant toothpaste Yr 7&8 Reflection

                                                    STEAM

This week the topic was Fascinating water, so I decided to make elephant toothpaste with yr 7&8 students. Create a giant foaming reaction, and use science to wow your friends with this classic activity. With just a few ingredients you can make something that looks like foamy toothpaste being squeezed from a tube—but so big that it seems almost fit for an elephant.

 Materials: Empty plastic bottle, Dry yeast (found in the baking section of the grocery store), Warm water, Liquid dish soap, 3% hydrogen peroxide, Measuring cups, Measuring spoons, Safety glasses, Large tub or tray to catch the foam. 
1. Measure 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide, and carefully pour it into the bottle. 2. Add a big squirt of dish soap into the bottle, and swirl gently to mix. 3. To make your foam a single colour, add a few drops of food colouring directly into the hydrogen peroxide, and swirl the bottle gently to mix. If you want to give your foam stripes like some toothpaste, put the drops along the inside rim of the bottle’s mouth. Let them drip down the inside of the bottle, but do not mix.  4. In a measuring cup mix together one tablespoon of yeast and three tablespoons of warm water. Stir for about 30 seconds. 5. Pour the yeast mixture into the bottle then quickly step back, and watch your reaction go! 

Elephant toothpaste emerges out.

"Teach-in ways that enable learners to learn from one another, to collaborate, to self-regulate and to develop agency over their learning."

Fossil Fuels-Year 10 Reflection

                                        

                  Fossil Fuels with Year 10PDv/TBSM1

One of the chief complaints against nuclear power plants is the accumulation of waste and the potential dangers of that waste given possible, future hypothetical events. What is wholly forgotten is the topic of fossil fuel waste. Fossil fuel waste is “out of sight, out of mind.” It is thrown immediately into the air, mostly invisible to us. But it contains both CO2 and tiny fragments related to burning coal, oil or natural gas, and those particles cause immediate human injury and deaths.  This week the topic was Fossil Fuels and types. I tried different activities for my students. First of all, For one day, I discussed with students about fossil fuels and where we use fossil fuels, its advantages and disadvantages and also gave them some notes about Fossil Fuels. Next Period, I showed them a clip and explain to them how fossil fuels are formed. Next activity was Kahoot that was an online quiz. I tried fillups and different worksheets with students, and they really enjoyed it. 

In this topic, I gave them some research task about Renewable and Non-renewable source of energy and why a renewable source of energy is better than Non-renewable sources of energy. They did some research on this question and write up and share it with me. Few activities I have done on Hapara Workspace. With fossil fuels powering climate change, including global warming, a cultural change driven by education is needed to speed up the transition to renewable energy.

"Select teaching approaches, resources, and learning and assessment activities based on a thorough knowledge of curriculum content, pedagogy, progressions in learning and the learners."

Genomics-Reflection 9Ttt

                                   

    28 July 2020         Can Science explain Life?

This week we have stared Genomics in all year 9's in school. Students were very excited to learn about Life and origin of lie and who comes first on this earth? When I introduced Genomics, students listened very carefully and starts asking questions about Life, animals, birds. To begin with the topic, the first task we did in class was Find out similarities and differences between Primates and Homosipens. All students have done so well and tried to find similarities and differences. After that, I showed them a video clip regarding the Origin of Life. Students had so many questions regarding Life and how Life originate so we discussed and I try to give the answer to all students.

We did a Venn diagram to find similarities and difference between Primates and Homosipens. Then, I add whale in between and tell students to write characteristics, behaviour and habitat of all of three. I gave them A3 paper and divide students in the group and gave them a task. Students dis so well and very curious about their work. Next week I have planned, I will see Life tree to introduced Life of animals, birds, mammals, and humans.

"Engage in professional learning and adaptively apply this learning in practice."

"Create an environment where learners can be confident in their identities, languages, cultures and abilities."

First Week of Term 3

                                   Back to School

Prioritise for the First Day of School

Before we get into it, let’s take a moment to consider what’s really important on the first day of school. Figuring out what’s urgent and important helps us to prioritise. It’s tempting to believe that labelling every non-living thing in your classroom and making things look pretty is a top priority. But consider that decorating your classroom can wait and that other things are more important.  The most important thing to plan for the first day of school is ways to connect with your students, being to create a classroom community and to build relationships.
DON’T FORGET THE RULES  Go slow. Be deliberate. Very deliberate. Explain EVERYTHING. To the point where you think you’re going overboard. Every opportunity you get, go over how to do something both in the classroom and outside of the classroom. Chorally repeat them. Model them. Practice them. 

COOPERATIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES & ICEBREAKERS  Plan a lot of them. Plan more than you will need. You never know when you might have a little extra time to throw one in. The first couple of days/weeks of school are all about learning how to get along together in the classroom. Use every opportunity to build community and teach students how to get along with one another. It will pay off in the long run, later in the year.

"Develop an environment where the diversity and uniqueness of all learners are accepted and valued."