Term 2 Inquiry Presentation

Gwyneth Pt.2

From this PD what hit home was how important it is for me to really implement the prompts. I can see how helpful it can be to a cohort of children if teachers are using the same terminology. This aside it got me thinking how i really need to make more of my reading time with my kids because i don't feel that they are getting the quality time they should be having, which would involve me using these prompts effectively. This is because other children are preventing me from fully engaging with my group. This comes in various forms which may include: 1. The disruptive child who refuses to engage with work 2. Tech problems preventing a child from beginning work 3. Children who don't know what they should be doing. My task from now on is to minimise these variables and make sure I have done everything I can to ensure my groups have the quality teaching time they deserve. To do: 1. Ensure each group's weekly rotation is well-thought through. That they are given sufficient time with me to complete EE activities independently. 2. Ensure EE activities are appropriately graded and do-able. 3. Make the reading rotation sequence clear to the class - to minimise the "Mr, I've finished" conversations. 4. Constantly enforce "the zone" 5. Be clear in my own mind about the WALTS of each session and what I want to achieve with each group in that timeframe. 6. Make this clear to the kids. 7. Share good work with the class.

Term 2, week 5: A few thoughts

Am trying to make the most of my group time and this is requiring me to create engaging, do-able follow-on activities. I also want these to be of value to the kids. I also am more aware of what is the best use of Explain Everything and am trying to create activities that are more suitable. I am also needed to engage the kids who are not working with me more as some of them are not engaged and being disruptive. I am also trying to: -Make the WALTs clearer to the kids. -Encourage more accountability through sharing reading activities on the blog. -Touch base with parents more often. -Be more free with my praise :) -Keep reinforcing my expectations. My throne (the sofa for kids doing the right thing to sit on) needs to go for a while. It has become a place for kids to throw themselves over and marshalling who should be "on the throne" has become a daily issue. I am hoping I can bring it back in term 3. I would like to introduce a hands-on word work activity in my reading rotation that gives kids practice in spelling or grammar and I am looking out for and thinking of what to bring. This might engage some of my lower level readers more than other activities.

The ongoing challenge.

Have had a challenging few weeks since Easter. My interesting boys have upped the tempo and day in - day out seem to be trying everything on to get a raise and get attention. They have not been responding well to how I have been dealing with the situation. I feel like I am not being respected by 3 or 4 of them. Seeing the principal & detention are almost regarded as a reward and there has been no change in behaviour. Growling results in a minutes silence - that is all. Positive reinforcement is hitting the edges but not the main players. -I think I need to strongly reinforce expectations through rewards as reinforcement. -Some of these boys may be unreachable and by focusing on them too much it is disrupting the learning of the others. -Will have conversations on Wednesday with parents re. reward systems for daily good behaviour.

Baptism by Fire

Audio to come

The 6 week point

Having tried to set up and maintain boundaries with my class, I have discovered some things that do and don't work.

To engage behaviour I need to:

• implement engaging tasks
• reward children
• move swiftly

In order to maintain harmony, I also need a roving eye and the ability to prevent disruption from happening. Nip it in the bud. This means:

• keeping a very careful eye on my interesting kids and where they are seated, how they are being and what they are doing.
• manage transition effectively with clear expectations and careful control
• put strategies in place to settle children when coming in from lunch/morning tea

As a teacher, I need to:

• be positive
• be calm
• be serious
• see everything
• be understanding
• be interested
• be very prepared

A small ask.

Some thoughts

By morning tea today i realised i had had an engaged class.  Why?  I think I had set up the activity and my expectations in a way that the students saw as me meaning what i was saying.  I was serious about what i wanted them to do.  There were some flaws in the activity (too long, even with my scaffolding, more was needed, my expectations re spelling were not made clear) but many of the children in the class were doing exactly what i had wanted them to do.

I had also set up a new reward "The Throne" which may have played a role.

Again, I am seeing that the key to behaviour engagement is in the activity. Those children unable to do the activity/lose interest act out or disrupt.

However, they need to value their work and finish activities and not cop out.  I will be working on strategies to ensure children make finishing their work to a good level a priority. This could also help with creating an engaged class.