Finding my Strenghts

I'm excited!

I've heard people talk about doing courses of finding out their strengths, and have always been a bit interested in it, but never looked further into it, but this weekend i'm getting my chance.

My husband and I are off to Wellington for the Scripture Union AGM, and as a part of it there are 3 workshop slots... I have chosen to take the strengths finder track. 

So I have already done a 45min online questionaire through the 'Gallup Strengths Finder' which has come up with my top 5 strengths, my task before the weekend was to read through and highlight what hits home most... while reading through there were lots of points that jumped out at me... as well as some that I didn't think were me at all... these are what I got (without the highlighting)...

* Strength areas edited after going on the course and getting the more personalised/less generic descriptions. 

Belief
It’s very likely that you may point out issues, problems, or obstacles before others see them. Some people label you a pessimist. Perhaps you reply, “I’m just being realistic. I sometimes choose to fix things before they wear out, break down, or become obsolete.” Because of your strengths, you feel much better about yourself and life in general when you have a worthwhile cause or project to which you can dedicate your mind, body, and spirit. By nature, you can sometimes place the needs of others ahead of your own. Driven by your talents, you might be determined to push for specific kinds of changes that could benefit humankind or Earth itself. To some extent, your desire to have an impact motivates you to enter into conversations with intelligent people. Sometimes drawing on their knowledge and ideas as well as sharing your wisdom is exciting. Perhaps some of these discussions redirect your thinking or cause you to reexamine your purpose in life. Instinctively, you place more importance on the purpose and value of what you do than on the monetary rewards that accompany success.

Responsibility
By nature, you periodically derive satisfaction from pulling newcomers or outsiders into discussions or friendly chitchat. Over time, you may have become more aware of your abilities or more accountable for your words and deeds. Maybe you claim to be more grown up than some of your coworkers, teammates, family members, classmates, or friends. It’s very likely that you experience pangs of remorse when you realize you failed to do something you promised to do. You feel awful when you do not do something correctly. You probably regret having compromised your basic values about right and wrong. Instinctively, you may strive to be a dependable person. Maybe you please people by being reliable. You might enjoy assuming accountability for certain tasks, projects, assignments, or commitments. Perhaps you accept these additional duties without making a fuss. Driven by your talents, you may want people to regard you as trustworthy, dependable, or reliable. Perhaps this yearning motivates you to do whatever you said you would do. Chances are good that you may reject the idea that telling a falsehood about something unimportant is acceptable. Perhaps you refuse to make an innocent social excuse to protect someone’s feelings.

Communication
It’s very likely that you might express your ideas and feelings so others take notice. To some degree, you delight in leading conversations, telling stories, making presentations, debating, or discussing. Perhaps the verbal give-and-take between human beings is something you value or do well. Chances are good that you like to amuse people with your stories. Your stories probably provide people with pleasant distractions from their daily routines, worries, and obligations. By nature, you may derive pleasure from spending time with people, rather than being alone. Perhaps this partially explains why you are thrilled when someone makes an effort to befriend you. Because of your strengths, you openly admit that you participate in friendly rivalries for fun. Perhaps you are comfortable letting people know what you do and do not value. Driven by your talents, you may feel comfortable speaking to a variety of individuals or audiences.

Arranger
Chances are good that you may be willing to juggle multiple tasks at the same time when it helps a person or a group handle a complicated project. Perhaps individuals who do their best work when they can concentrate on one activity appreciate having you as a partner. It’s very likely that you may avoid associating with people who lack integrity or have proven themselves unworthy of your trust. Because of your strengths, you routinely engage in group activities and projects. Often these benefit youth and small children. Driven by your talents, you periodically find better ways for people to cooperate. You try to identify the strengths, limitations, ideas, goals, or experiences each person brings to the group. You might set up partnerships so individuals can acquire the knowledge or skills they lack. Instinctively, you sometimes coordinate the efforts of diverse individuals without denying them their uniqueness. You might emphasize their common goals. You might call attention to their talents, skills, knowledge, backgrounds, or other traits. Perhaps you help people peacefully coexist. This may enhance their overall productivity.

Developer
It’s very likely that you might assist individuals by offering them words of support. Perhaps you emphasize what they do well or what makes them special. Driven by your talents, you may hope individuals choose to spend some quality time with you. Perhaps they have seen you put aside something you were doing just to help them. Your unselfishness might win the favor or friendship of others. By nature, you may embolden some people so they begin believing in themselves. Perhaps you help them realize certain things they can accomplish in the future. Sometimes you remind them about certain things they already do well. Because of your strengths, you frequently express your appreciation of possibility thinkers. Why? They create verbal pictures of the future that allow you to envision what is possible. Chances are good that you typically do whatever it takes to know someone on a personal level. The insights you gain help you bestow appropriate recognition on the individual. You instinctively understand the level of attention and the amount of time the person needs from you to feel truly appreciated.

This is the blurb from the SU website for what i'll be doing this weekend

• 'Strengths Based Leadership' with Toni Houghton.  Discover your God-given talents and learn ways to develop those talents into strengths that will benefit your team. Find out more about yourself and the way you lead...  There will be on-going development suggestions. Toni is a StrengthsFinder Coach, professional external supervisor, SNSP Advisory Group member, public sector manager, librarian, youthworker, elder, wife and mother. 

I'm looking forward to what I learn from Toni, and how I can use my strengths in all areas of my life!

Observations

Observations...  I love them!

A few months ago I wouldn't have been able to say the same thing, but now I have realised...

I CAN TEACH

and

I CAN REFINE

I have had two formal observations in the last 6 weeks (Reading and Writing), and countless visits by the Principal just coming to see how we're going... all this used to be scary, but now it's great!

I've come to fully realise, as I put above, that observations aren't to knock down what i'm not doing quite right, but they are to build up and encourage what's going well, to bring up any questions and to have professional discussions about next steps and what WE can work on. 

With writing, a goal of mine was to display more students work, so I got some publishing done and put it up on the wall... not the best display I had done, but the writing was up and I could tick the box.

haha no.

It was at a staff meeting that another teachers writing display wall was shown, and I realised what my goal actually was... Displaying achievements and examples of work which shows students who have been working on writing goals. Another teacher also found some display ideas around having the 'Writers Eye', so I took what I saw from both and adapted it to make it work in with my writing program and what the students were already used to (their goals).

 

So we already had goals in their books, but now we also have...

Editing pencils which cover many goals

Photos of students who have finished a goal sheet

Books on the wall when they finish their goals

and

Examples of students work who have been working on their goals

The wall went from boring to engaging as well as interactive!

No more static boring displays!

Today was a reading observation, once again wasn't scary (would go as far as saying it was awesome), and one next step was to be more explicit in the teaching of strategies so that the students could talk about what they were using when reading new words.

I had already found animal strategies I liked (free from Teachers pay Teachers), so I liked that it was a goal which I was already aware of... so come next week there will be a new interactive reading display, and 'collector' cards for my students to bring home.

Watch this space for how being 'explicit' about reading strategies go!

Effective Literacy Practice - Part 5

Instructional Strategies

ELP pages 76-79

Instructional Strategies are a teachers tool belt. It is what we began to learn at teachers college, it's what we added to during practicums, and it's what we continue to add to and take away from as we refine our teaching practice and continue to learn from others new ideas to meet our students needs.

We use our Instructional Strategies as 'Deliberate Acts of Teaching' (DAT's), as we focus in on teaching a specific learning intention. 

One thing to note is the 's'. 

While teaching we always need to be aware of the different learners and what will best meet their needs. There will never be a lesson with just one Instructional Strategy, but always strategies. Building on the individual's or group's prior knowledge. 

It's interesting looking at the table on page 77 and thinking about what I do in the class, the purpose and what I expect the students to learn from it. There is so much to learn in the first few teaching years, that DAT's are so important. 

When using my DAT's, I need to remember to always do the following...

(p78-79 for full explanation)

• Provide direct instruction
• Provide goal directed instruction
• Be deliberate
• Provide a class culture and environment that facilitates learning
• Maintain students motivation and enjoyment
• Use the same instructional strategies for teaching across the curriculum
• Be flexible and culturally responsive

All of these points work on scaffolding and knowing my learners.

If I jumped a Magenta level student to straight to Green, it might look impressive, but they would have missed all the building blocks in the middle. The scaffolding wouldn't be there for the student to achieve, and it would do quite the opposite, with it always being too hard. 

Vygotsky talks about someones 'Zone of Proximal Development' (ZPD).

Everyone is capable of achieving, but you will work best within your ZPD to scaffold and foster that growth. This zone is between what they can do independently and what they can do with support.

I found some good pictorial examples on this blog

Effective Literacy Practice - Part 4

Independent Reading

ELP pages 100-101 or on the TKI website

We have a reading challenge at school, to encourage all our students to read more at home, and through this we hope that engagement in reading, the enjoyment and students confidence will grow. 

To foster a culture of independent reading in my classroom I have a reading corner which has our library books, but also has 'mileage' books. The mileage books are ones that students have previously read in a guided lesson either that week, or maybe a few weeks ago. These books are kept in different boxes and the students know what ones to choose from for their group.

Having these mileage books helps to foster the idea of 'Reading for pleasure'. They aren't new to the students and they are something they can achieve. Through successes students often want to read these books more and more.

My library corner is also somewhere which is fun and safe. I have it 'under' a tree, and have coloured cushions. I can see the area from where i'm doing my guided group, but the students feel as if they are on their own to explore and have some space to read. 

Independent reading is also started at the end of most guided reading sessions. Where the students either turn around on the spot and read aloud to themselves, or find a quiet place in the room. Both instances I use to watch and monitor the students and if someone or a few is struggling, i'll pull them back alongside my and we can read together again. 

Effective Literacy Practice - Part 3

Guided Reading

ELP pages 96-100 or on the TKI website

Guided Reading probably takes up most of my planning time, but the more thought I put into it, I definitely find the better the lessons go.

From the ELP it says...

Guided reading provides a framework in which teachers can use instructional strategies to:

• Help students to develop an understanding of what is involved in reading and an expectation of success;
• Help students to learn, practise, and integrate their reading strategies;
• Help students to read new text successfully;
• Monitor students closely while they engage with and process texts;
• Develop students’ comprehension of and critical responses to text;
• Build students’ confidence as independent readers;
• Show students how the processes of reading and writing are integral to each other.

After teaching for a while and knowing the students, all these points come quite naturally when planning and thinking during lessons, but each of them definitely hold as much importance on their own as they do together. 

Successful guided reading is pinned on students feeling confident to give things a try. These sessions are when the new teaching happens. I as the teacher need to ensure that the student feels safe and confident in the group before starting to integrate the new learning and challenging the students in what they already know. 

From the planning, to the session to the followup, the lesson needs to be student appropriate, engaging, challenging at the right level and fun. Students need to want to be there, and need to want to learn. 

Reading during these lessons is always done as a whole group approach. I'm so glad that they've done away with the, what I call 'creeping death' approach. 

During the session it's the chance when I give feedback to the students on their reading. I've been working on giving feedback on writing, and as a class we're getting pretty good at knowing our next steps and star points now, but reading is something I need to work on more with them, so that they can articulate and know more clearly where they are, what they're working on, an where they're going to next/what they need to do to get there. 

I definitely find writing down the WALT with my students helps me keep focussed as well as remember to reflect back on it during and in conclusion of the guided reading session. 

Finding meaningful activities for followup, I find to be hard sometimes. So it's a nice reminder to read the end of this section with a list of ideas, but also with it saying...

"often the reading is sufficient in itself, and the best follow-up activity is simply lots more reading."

ELP Page 100

Brain Day - with Nathan Mikaere-Wallis

Today I was privileged to go on an absolutely brilliant professional development day run by Learning Network - New Zealand, which was titled...

A day designed to challenge the gray matter!

And it did just that!

Nathan Mikaere-Wallis was the presenter for the day, and he really knows what he is talking about. More than that, he can transfer his knowledge in a way which is engaging and provides consistent high level thinking (I highly recommend going to one of his presentations if you get the chance to, I would go again in a second!). Throughout the day I was thinking about what it meant to me, and my teaching, and what came up over and over again, how it related to my relationship with my students. 

I managed to take 6 pages of notes, but here I will pull out the points and thoughts that stuck out to me the most, and what want to take away from today and keep reflecting on. 

(eek, now that i'm done, it was very hard to cull down the notes... there's still lots!)

Throughout the day we covered:

The Physiology of Learning: The Growth and Maturation of the Brain.

Brain Maturation and the skills that we help Children to develop from Babies to Adults.

The neuroscience of Adolescence: The changes of puberty are happening earlier; How this affects practice for primary teachers.

Main point...

The FIRST THREE YEARS are the MOST important in brain development

Some points from the first session were:

The Physiology of Learning: The Growth and Maturation of the Brain.

• A 4 year old is a 4 year old - not a little 7 year old who you need to train as a 7 year old. Let them be the age they are!
• The earlier you learn cognitive skills doesn’t change who will get degrees. If you learn to read at 3 ½ you will start above your peers, but will plateau between 7 and 8 to meet your peers… BUT you will miss out on social aspects and learning how to 'be you' and cope.
• Brain engagement happens most with interaction.
• Piaget based education system - Stages of cognitive development - at 7 you’re ready for literacy. Having students at 5, means they’re being pushed to standards before their time. When thinking about their ZPD - the worry is, is that students (particularly boys) are put outside their ZPD and this can be a critical to forming decisions on their enjoyment and engagement in learning.
• Brain development happens earlier in girls than boys - a whole lot more girls are ready for learning at 5 or 7 or boys.
• First born are more likely to hit milestones faster (Female first born children have a double advantage) - Many people are putting the first child into care, and then staying at home for the 2nd child, the 2nd child then gains the first child aspect. 
• The human brain is made to be moulded by the environment they are in.
• Dyadic relationship - A good 2 way relationship - most important relationship. “It takes a village to raise a child” - Still have a dyadic relationship, but its the village wrapping around and providing the support. 
• Full brain development averages at 25/26 years old (Females between 18-24, Males 22-32).
• Students need to be anchored in a relationship with a teacher they can learn with. Most students come to school with a good dyadic home relationship, which means they can come into a school with changes and cope. If they don’t have a good dyadic relationship, you will find these changes harder.
• Cortex takes up most of the brain, 76% in a human - the bigger percent there is, the more intelligent. 
• Back - Motor/fight, flight or freeze. Basic functions - Blinking, breathing, heart beat.
• Front - Intelligence/Empathy/Emotional Control.

Brain 1 - (brain stem) flight, flight or freeze - in charge - Survival is most important.

Brain 2 - Sports/movement. Gross and fine motor skill. Rhythmic patterning - programmed in. 

Brain 3 - Emotions

Brain 4 - Learning and knowledge - optional - don’t need it for survival  - Frontal cortex. Thinking and learning. Spend the first 3 years deciding what to bring online. 

Brain 1+2 = Reptile

Brain 1,2+3 = Mammals

Brain 1-4 = Us

• You just need to have a ‘good enough’ upbringing to be able to engaged your frontal cortex. 
• Babies need to learn that they are being protected, so they can leave the stress of the world behind and learn. If no, they have been learning they need to protect themselves, and don’t feel safe enough for the optional extra learning.

• Teacher - Student relationship should have the students be able to relax and be settled for learning where they are comfortable and safe. Higher the quality of the relationship, the more the cortex is and can be engaged.

Some points from the second session were:

Brain Maturation and the skills that we help Children to develop from Babies to Adults.

• A 2 year old has double the brain activity an adult has - a teen’s brain gets close.
• Teenage brain shuts down for ‘renovations’. Shutting down (not completely 90%, 10% stays open - flashes of ‘ability’) helps with rewiring happen faster.

• Reading emotion - on facial expressions. Teens don’t have the same reading ability.
• Can take big risks, frontal cortex closed down.
• Talking 1 on 1 with teens work better and can have their cortex more open than with their peers too. When teens are with teens, they take bigger risks and their cortex shuts down again.
• Cicadian Rhythm - Sleep control - on average 2h change on sleep patterns (Melatonin and Cortisol regulate)
• Change in biological rhythm. Melatonin comes out more in the dark, lights inhibit this - blue light is the worst - many backlights are blue - don’t use electrical devices before bed if you want to sleep. 
• Memory and Alcohol…Most of us, it takes 24h after alcohol for it to be gone from any traces in the brain. Average for teens is 2-4 weeks. 
• Learning is the only sacrificial part of the brain we have.

Some points from the third session were:

The neuroscience of Adolescence: The changes of puberty are happening earlier; How this affects practice for primary teachers.

• Neurons = Brain cell.
• Neural pathways - a branch from one neuron reaches out and connects to another. Synaptic connection.
• Myelination - Consolidation
• Knowledge is making the connection, and myelin goes on each time it is practices. Around 90-100 layers of myelin (practice) to fix it in your brain. That’s when it becomes automatic.
• Myelin can form on both positive and negative pathways.
• Poutama - learning pattern often seen in a marae, symbolises leaning.

3 most important things about building strong brain connections are

Relationships

Relationships

Relatiosnhips

• Endorphins (what makes you feel good) - have a chemical connection with myelin. When endorphins are running through your blood, myelin gets laid down faster - happy kids learn faster. (not much research compared to cortisol - harder to get ethics to measure)

Building connections...

3 - Physical exercise (jogging in the morning gives a more active brain) - Some

2 - Laughter  - genuine - (good for learning) - More <if there is restricted movement it’s canceling it out>

1 - Singing - Most releasing of endorphins. I need to do more singing!

• Cortisol (stress) - Making sure you don’t keep your stupid ideas.Eraser of the brain.
• Strip away the newest learning in the brain (i.e. taking away the idea that touching a heater is good).
• Yelling at the class after morning tea will take away the newest learning.
• Dispositions are the set of attitudes and beliefs you have towards something.

If you’re in an environment which is unpredictable, your brain will be on edge. If it is predictable you can engage. Keep a safe, consistent and predictable with the students - calms the brain stem.  Provides a base for engagement.

Haha, SO MUCH!

Nathan was recently on National Radio, talking about

What 3 to 7 year olds need to learn

Today was absolutely brilliant. What a way to start the week!

It definitely has sparked an interest in me to find out more about development, but also look into my current practice and what I can do to engage more with my students.

Effective Literacy Practice - Part 2

Shared Reading

ELP pages 93 to 96 or on the TKI website

I completely agree with the ELP beginning the section on Shared reading by saying that it's an essential component of the daily literacy program.

I realised that I agreed with this when I was teaching New Entrants and my first lot of students turned 6 and had their 6 year check. I had been doing shared reading, but hadn't really realised the importance behind it. When I had the teacher doing the 6 year check told me that nearly none of my students could show a word or letter, and many didn't realise when a sentence was mixed up, I knew it was completely reflected back on me, I hadn't taught it... but I didn't know that was what I had to teach!

I soon after got my hands on a 6 year check form, and added into my Long Term Plan for shared reading all the different aspects that were checked for... 

In covering all of this, what I must never let go of is making sure i'm always modeling the love of reading.

For my shared book times with the class I choose a book that we use for the whole week, reading it daily and doing different tasks and activities with it throughout the week. That book always goes in the student library corner, so that they can read it during free choice reading time (and they love reading from the big books!).

Shared reading is always a fun time, I enjoy all the laughs when I flip the book around the wrong way, and the loud 'NOOO', when I start reading from the wrong page or muddle the words up.

It's great reading through the ELP. It re-focusses me on what good practice is, but it also gives me a 'pat on the back' reading through and seeing strategies I implement in my program that are listed as effective.  

Effective Literacy Practice - Part 1

As some 'in house' Professional development, the Junior school teachers are looking at 'Reading' this term, and we're doing our readings from the

Effective Literacy Practice - in years 1-4

(otherwise known as the ELP).

Many, if not all Teachers will have read through the ELP at some point. 

I know that we used it a lot at university, and over my last few years teaching, it's been referred back to, but i'm looking forward to going more in-depth with it, and having the chance to have professional discussions with my colleagues about what we have read, and how that relates to our own classroom practice. 

We started with page 12, looking at

'The Dimensions of Effective Practice'

Through pages 13-15 the ELP breaks down the different segments, the segments are also broken down on the TKI website.

Going through each segment (in no particular order), this is what it means to me/what I have taken from reading the ELP/TKI website...

While I did say that they are in no particular order, this one is.
For all of my classroom practice I believe knowing the learner is paramount. Everything else has it's place, and are all needed equally, but without the knowledge of your learner, you're missing a vital key. 
In regards to reading, it's about knowing what gets my students engaged, what makes them WANT to read and WANT to learn more. 

One way we do this in class is through making our own class books based on what we've been reading as a shared book, or what a group has been reading during their guided sessions.
Here is an example of a book we made based on the 'Ready to Read' book
"Smile!" Said Dad

I'm also finding that a part of engaging is helping the students to realise what they already know. If they know what they know, they can more readily transfer their knowledge of how to sound out new words in writing, to new words in reading (and vice versa!)

My next steps for engaging my learners is choosing more non-fiction texts that we can use to extend our knowledge of the world around us, and really link them into our interests and questions about the world around us. 

If I  don't believe they are capable, then they're not!

All my students have potential, all my students will achieve their goals and all my students will make milestones in their learning.

With this learning though, all my students will be taking their own paths, and they all will be starting at different points along the road. They all have their own goals.

My biggest expectation  for all my student sis that they will be risk takers in (and outside) the classroom.
Always willing to try something new, and 'give it a go', without any worry about failure.
My desire is that i'm creating a safe environment where the culture of risk taking is expected and praised. 

What tools from my belt am  I going to use today?

The teaching hours in our days zip by, which can be scary sometimes! I have my students for an drop in the pool of their education career, so i need to be deliberate and planned with my teaching.

Having a clear WALT (We Are Learning To...) is a basis of my instructional times, but also being fluid in this. When planning is done a week in advance, who knows how fast, or how long it will take to achieve some WALTS, but having the base gives direction.

Modelling provides a basis for all instructional lessons, giving a time to work along side my students to breakdown what we're learning for the day and recap or teach the strategies we need

This has definitely come with time, and I will continually be growing in this area.

I look back on my first year teaching, and realise I really did start with nothing, and filled my kite of knowledge throughout the year which I am continually filling.

Oh I wish I knew then what I know now!

I have been privileged to work along many experts, teachers who have been teaching many years, across many levels and with lots of different training behind them (i.e. ESOL and Reading Recovery).

Learning from these people has definitely shaped my practice, and i'm looking forward to all the connections I am going to continue to have in my teaching career, and what they will bring!

I have already touched a bit on partnerships in the one above, and really find that they help me so much to inform my teaching.
Partnerships aren't just with professional colleagues, but the partnerships I have with outside agencies, Whānau, the students themselves and their peers.

The more effective, active, planned and dynamic my relationships are with the people in my students lives, the more informed my teaching is.