HPE

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• This year we started our compulsory 45 minute PE sessions. We are also required to do at least 2 ten minute fitness

• sessions per week. In room 3 we do fitness daily. We do Go Noodle fitness songs daily. This lasts about 10 to 15 minutes. Each day 3 songs are chosen. Term 1 we choses Footloose, I like to move it and Banana Banana Meatball songs from Go Noodle. Learners have really enjoyed doing these dance/ movement exercises daily. It has been a fun way for them to learn and follow sequences as well as exercise.

• I am very pleased at the learners enthusiasm to being active and participating in daily and weekly PE sessions.

• For PE , Term one, we focussed on co-operative games. This has been especially necessary as learners are getting to know members of their class. I used balls, hula hoops, skipping ropes and had learners work together using these equipment. As learners needed to use skills related to throwing and catching for example when playing with the ball. Lots of teacher modelling was needed in order for learners to learn the skill and understand what was required of them when completing a task. I also set up stations once learners had some experience using the equipment. Learners took a while to understand how the stations work, but once it was repeated they showed more confidence and understanding.

THE EARLY LITERACY PROJECT

This week the junior team were asked to read through The Early Literacy Project and share 3 things that resonated with us and 1 new thing to try/ implement or interesting.

I read and following stood out to me.

.Teaching of reading is better when explicit, structured and systematic

.Phonological awareness plays a big role.

.Text must support the learning not be the learning. 

Structure and everything is provided for explicit instruction. 

After we shared what resonated with us we we noted that we cannot discard valuable teaching as prescribed in Effective Literacy Practice (Years 1 -4)

INCREDIBLE YEARS PROGRAMME

Term one  I started the Incredible Years Classroom Management Programme course,  a six weeks course run by Lil Reynecke and Emily Maruai.  A  programme which promotes positive, pro- active and pro-social strategies which encourage best practice in classroom management. With the purpose being to reduce, challenging behaviours in learners and to increase their social and self-control skills.

At the first session we were asked to think of possible goals for ourselves around the Incredible Years Programme (IYP) . As well as a possible target learner that we would focus on during this programme.

My goal is to be able to successfully implement a variety of  strategies required to assist learners

displaying unacceptable social behaviour in and outside of the classroom.

Looking at the learners in my current class I could not identify anyone who displayed any unsatisfactory social behaviour. I will however revisit this early in  term two as I will be having 10 learners join my room and I will have a straight year one class then.

During session two we looked at proactive teacher strategies and developing a behaviour plan for relationship building. For example a negative display of behaviour from a learner could be poking and touching others on the mat, in order to gain attention. The class rules should be displayed and used to promote positive responses from learners. Therefore refer to the class rules and discuss the importance of keeping hands and feet to oneself and respecting personal space. Some ways of building relationships in this regard can be to use puppets to engage learners to display positive behaviour in relation to poking and touching others. Also using the Show me 5.approach. Walking feet, Hands to self, Eyes on teacher, Inside voice, Listening ears.

Some ways that I can be pro active include looking  at my  time table, structure, plan and allow for transitions, look at the positioning and set up of classroom and make changes accordingly. Use positive verbal as well as non- verbal signals. As well as having active breaks for learners. This could involve doing an action rhyme or song, exercise or walk outside. 

How do I do transitions in my room? Currently learners are accustomed to tidying up between lessons. Therefore the tidy op song is played and learners tidy up areas of the room and then proceed to the carpet. Before I start a new lesson I either have an introduction song eg Prior to starting writing we play and sing along with the Tricky word song.  I find this valuable as it settles learners as well as having them look and sing high frequency words which they will later use in either writing or reading.  It is also a great way to reinforce remembering hfw. 

We also discussed the importance of displaying a visual chart or  list of  jobs for learners to do in the class. This could range from putting out pencils, to opening and closing windows. This promotes learners feeling empowered and developing self confidence. Homework for the next session Read chapters 1, 2, 3 & 14. Bring your schools discipline / behaviour plan.  

Session three I was away with the flu. Therefore I will need to have a catch up session with either Lily or Emily at my school. The date is yet to be finalised.

 

PBFL

 

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING (PBFL)

This year we  started implementing Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBFL) programme at Panmure bridge. I really enjoy incorporating these lessons into my daily teaching programme as it links to class and school rules. The ideas for each lesson is quite easy to follow and especially effective with new learners to our school. Term 1 Lesson plans 2021

Learners in my room have responded very well to this programme. I have incorporated it into my Literacy programme as follows. When we have oral language (Turn and talk) learners share what they know prior to me teaching the lesson. We continue by having learners write about the specific topic of the week in their story writing. They then follow up by reading their story to their class mates or special friend. I intend to also have them record themselves reading their written stories.  I have also integrated with art as far possible, as learners enjoy art and it can be displayed for them to see. For example when they learnt the importance of wearing their school uniform they enjoyed crafting the Panmure bridge school T shirt with the school logo on the front.

Learners especially enjoyed this weeks PBFL lesson about not giving up. It was so great to integrate it

with Literacy, Drama and Art. We read the Keep Trying book together. Learners discussed things that 

they were learning to do like swimming, drawing, playing catch, during oral language. They then crafted

posters with captions focussing on what they were going  to Keep trying. 

Longworth Learning Through Play

Longworth Learning Through Play

This was a good refresher course as I have completed the Learning through play course at Auckland Uni, awhile ago. I liked all the practical ideas that were shared and I am pleased that we have Flying Fives weekly at Panmure bridge. As learners experience play in significant ways. It especially promotes communication and imagination among learners. In my class learners have been using the play equipment provided, this changes each term. Hence allowing the learners to explore a new play focus. They have particularly enjoyed the play shop where they have the cash register and money to explore with, as well as items priced to purchase. This has linked well to Money in math. Learners have been using the math vocabulary during  Play shop. Example money, change, pay, buy, take away, add. 

 I have recycle items in my class allowing learners to construct any object that they would like, encouraging creativity I would like to continue this next year, as it really helps broaden learners imagination and creativity. I am excited for learners to  explore play and the different forms of play.

A balanced reading programme

A balance reading programme

 Sheena Cameron and Louise Dempseys' course today was about implementing a balanced reading programme. It was great having Glen Taylor join Panmure bridge, as we had time to collaborate and share our current literacy programmes.

It  was good to be able to reflect on the components of the reading programmes and to reaffirm that we are on the right track and that our learners are being provided with a good reading programme.

I now have a few more follow up activity ideas which I will be including in my daily reading programme, which I am pleased about.I liked the Question dice which I can use for oral language as well as reading. With teacher support learners can roll dice and answer the question. We have focussed on the 5 W's and H so learners can be further extended by having specific questions on the roll dice. They will find this fun as well as challenging. The other example that I think will be valuable is the putting a quote or thought bubble as a magnet or sticky note in the big book. I like this example and think that it can be used when I introduce speech bubbles.

Independent Writing 

As well as working on teacher-directed writing tasks, student need time to write for their own purpose

while engaging with topics that are significant to them. (Effective literacy Practice  year 1 to 4 )

In my weekly writing program learners have an opportunity to do free writing at least once a week.  Initially learners needed a lot of teacher prompting. They now however really enjoy being able to choose their own writing focus. I find this very valuable as learners are able to explore their own ideas. These writing opportunities have helped me to get to know the learners interests. 

Using texts  (Instructional reading)

Developing readers' processing strategies

Teachers have a crucial role in helping their students to develop a network of reading strategies and awareness of how to use them. Providing rich experiences of purposeful reading, using an expanding

range of texts, is central to their development.

I have supported my learners by using the correct prompts during an instructional reading lesson. Example 

Tell me this first sound of this word?

What letter does it start with? What is the last sound in this word?

 Decoding has been an important  method used for learners to attend to detail in text and determine meaning. This has especially worked well with my beginning readers who are needed to give attention to every word, especially initial letters, while my fluent readers  are focussing on phrases rather than words. 

Teacher Inquiry: Backwards Mapping

Link to my backwards map

This week I met with Robyn Anderson, our in school COL Teacher, to collate my inquiry journey thus far. Talking through what I have implemented and the changes I have made to my practise after observing and researching best practise has made me realise all the work that has been done over the year. It is also amazing to see how far the learners have come and how the various experiences have helped them grow and develop.