About Me

Wanganui, New Zealand
Personal motto: no-one is free until we all are free. HOMETRUTH: The quest for a peaceful sustainable society begins at home. It begins with us. It begins in our hearts and minds before it can inform our actions. It begins with our cultivating our connectedness, compassion and sense of mutual responsibility, and teaching our children about these. When we habitually think of social justice as a matter of personal responsibility for one another, then we create the conditions for our young people to feel a sense of belonging and a desire to participate responsibly in social life. As teachers we need to be constantly learning, not only because there is always so much new research to engage with, but also for that precious understanding of the fragile subjectivity of the learner that enables the committed teacher to nurture the nascent spirited imagination of an emergent young adult. I HAVE A DREAM ..... TO FILL THEM WITH A LOVE OF LEARNING, A FEEL FOR THEIR POSSIBILITIES, RAMPANT CURIOSITY, TOOLS TO FIND, DISCRIMINATE, AND CRITICALLY EVALUATE INFORMATION, FINDING THE CONFIDENCE TO DISCOVER THEIR VOICES, THEIR IDENTITIES- AS INDIVIDUALS, AND AS CITIZENS.

Saturday, 31 March 2007

Block Course 1 Microlesson Review

PLANNING
After several false starts, I finally decided to limit my microlesson to something very specific which could be taught in 10 minutes. The three lesson ideas I began with were social studies topics and turned out to be far too complex for the time frame that was given. So I decided to teach the group how to count to ten in Japanese using the method of "active learning" which seeks to engage several senses in the learning experience, and also use the technique of word association to aid memorizing.

Thus the students would take from the lesson (learning outcomes) both the knowledge of how to count to 10 in Japanese and the understanding of how 'active learning' and 'word association' techniques can assist them in studying and memorizing material.

DELIVERY
The session went well and was a lot of fun. The group were a little bemused by my motivator as I didn't begin by telling them what we were going to be learning but instead tried to capture their interest and pique their curiosity by holding up a funny hat and asking them what it was. After several suggestions which all related to headwear, I pointed out that yes it was a hat, but it also was a learning aid.

I then went through the actions and sounds for counting from 1 - 10 in Japanese which made them even more curious.

It was at that point that I told them I had just shown them a method for learning very quickly how to count to ten in Japanese.

My peer reviewer subsequently pointed out that she thought that I hadn't been sufficiently clear at the beginning in communicating the lesson topic to the group, but after learning about motivators in our subject studies class the day before, I had quite deliberately chosen to keep them in the dark at the beginning with the intention of keeping their interest rather than risking some switching off when I told them what the topic was either because they weren't interested or knew already how to count to 10 in Japanese.

Either despite or due to the motivator's effectiveness, the group quickly were engaged in the lesson and the learning outcomes were achieved when the group were able to recite the words and actions after only a few minutes.

I initially took them through the sounds and actions, then asked them to practice it with a partner, for a minute. Then we did it again as a group. Each time they went through it, I assisted with reminders and they moved quickly from initially remembering the easiest ones to doing most and then, the last couple which people seemed to stall a little on.

Then I gave them the handout which showed the number, the word in English and Japanese, and the word written as it sounds and the accompanying action. They were then able to see how the Japanese word was written, having already learnt how it sounded and the sequence in which to say them.

The sounds and actions for the numbers 1-10 were
ICHI [1] 'Itchy' (Scratch your)
NI [2] 'knee' (knee)
SAN [3] 'sun' (point to sun or sky)
SHI [4] 'she' (point to girl)
GO [5] 'go' (march on the spot)
ROCKO [6] 'rocko' (rock and roll motions i.e. click fingers and swivel hips)
SHICHI [7] shi-chi (hold nose and do big fake double sneeze)
HACHI [8] hat-chi (put on funny hat)
KYU [9] coo (do bird-dance)
JU [10] ju (make corkscrew motions with the fingers down each side of the face for the side ringlets of Hasidic Jews

I explained the associations and these seemed readily meaningful to the group.

For the assessment, we went through the whole sequence together and it was clear that they had indeed been able to quickly memorize the numbers 1 - 10 in Japanese using this method.

I then spoke to them about using the method as a learning aid and encouraged them to remember to use it for study.

While I had been ridiculously nervous at the beginning, I quickly got into the energetic spirit of play that is crucial to making this lesson work. I felt that it had been a successful lesson in that the room had a lovely buzz, people were smiling and each had demonstrated that they had internalized and learnt the lesson.

My peer reviewer comments were thus:

" IN THE BEGINNING, THE DOUBLE LEARNING OUTCOMES LOOKED TOO DISTANT IN MEANING TO BE POSSIBLE, SO THERE WAS UNCERTAINTY ABOUT WHAT WE WERE TO LEARN IN THE LESSON.

THE EMPHASIS SEEMED TO BE MORE ON THE 'ACTIVE LEARNING' PRINCIPLE AND IT DIDN'T AT FIRST LOOK AS THOUGH IT HAD RELEVANCE TO LEARNING JAPANESE.

[SUGGEST] PERHAPS USING 1-10 IN JAPANESE AS AN OUTCOME. AND THEN USING THE ACTIVE LEARNING PRINCIPLE AS A METHOD OF TEACHING/LEARNING.

THE STUDENTS WERE ACTIVELY INVOLVED WITH THE LEARNING, AND REMEMBERED HOW TO COUNT TO 10. SO WE ACHIEVED THE OUTCOME BUT IT DID SEEM A LITTLE CONFUSING AT FIRST.

STATING WHAT THE STUDENTS ARE GOING TO LEARN AT THE BEGINNING CAN HELP BRING THE STUDENTS ON BOARD QUICKER TO THE LEARNING.

EVALUATION OF LEARNING: YES THEY LEARNT TO COUNT TO 10 IN JAPANESE.

FURTHER SUMMARY COMMENTS: CLEAR USE OF PERSONALITY. VERY WARM, BUBBLY FEEL TO THE CLASS. GOOD USE OF RESOURCES (THE HAT). HAND-OUT USED APPROPRIATELY TO SUPPORT LEARNING.
KA PAI E HOA. KIA KAHA!! " (Peer Reviewer)


Thanks to everyone for their participation and to my peer reviewer for her comments which I have taken on board. I am still undecided about the heuristic value of a 'confusing' motivator. This has been a valuable learning experience for me and has highlighted an area I wish fo focus on further in my research into teaching practice.

Note: The microlesson plan is attached below:


Micro LESSON PLAN
Year Level 9 Unit Topic : Japanese Language Lesson Topic: Numbers 1-10


ACHIEVEMENT OBJECTIVE: (an overall aim) STUDENTS ABLE TO COUNT TO 10 IN JAPANESE


Specific outcomes for fellow students to achieve by end of lesson.
Points emphasised to help students understands the task and achieve the learning outcomes.
Learning activities the students will be required to do.
Most appropriate method for measuring how well the students have achieved the Learning Outcomes.
Teaching/Learning resources used e.g. equipment, texts.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this lesson students will be able to:

· Count to 10
· Apply active learning.

TEACHING POINTS
Motivator

Funny Hat = Learning Aid

Actions/word association= Learning aid.

Pre-test: who can count to 10 in Japanese?

ACTVITIES

Action/Word association for 1-10.
Copy teacher’s actions and sounds.

Work in pairs to memorize.

ASSESSMENT
Group counts to ten in Japanese in unison using associated actions.
Funny hat.

RESOURCES
Whiteboard and markers.

Handout (numbers, words and English and Japanese and phonetics/ sounds of words.

Other: Cross curricula links / Links to Essential skills ….

Creative learning skill – ‘action learning and word association for enhancing memory.

Sunday, 4 March 2007

Another day, another chalkface

My second school (B) orientation experience was interesting in a number of respects - first - the contrast with the school (A) the previous day - the school, management, staff and classroom cultures were noticeably quite different as were relative size of the schools, their decile ratings and dominant ethnic groups.

What WAS similar was many of the teachers were using the same or similar teaching styles and classroom management techniques. Even if their personalities were quite different, I noticed that those teachers who kept a firm rein on proceedings the whole 50 mins, and were a little 'distant', maintained an orderly learning environment for all the students as opposed to those three classrooms whose teachers were trying to be 'nice', and yet the tone in the class deteriorated and many students became quite distracted so that the teacher spent much of the last 30 mins remonstrating with the students over their behaviour rather than teaching and facilitating their learning.

Thursday, 1 March 2007

Praxis makes perfect ...

The school I went to today for my first in-school observation was a small independent school of around 500 students, decile 5. The school was recently built and an attractive physical environment for learning. Place of entrance businesslike and didn't make an especial show of student work. The school culture places a strong emphasis on traditional Catholic and Maori values and has a special place in local history.

Difficult to assess how much the students buy into the school traditions but I feel the overall mood of the place to be calm and stable - not necessarily a consequence of the small size of the student body because the local girls college is of similar size but has a much more intense feel to it.

School discipline system is a Step model: Step 1 warnings, Step 2 class or if more serious, school detentions (using a yellow card system), Step 3 - phone/letter home, Dean informed, Step 4 student referred to Dean for further follow up.

The closest I saw to formal discipline in the 5 classes I observed today involved a teacher asking a student to come to talk to her (they both sat at her desk while the class got on with the set work.) These seems to be an issue over her behaviour which she wanted to resolve with him. She had reminded him at the beginning of class that he was on a warning. But other than that, the four teachers I observed (one teacher - 2 periods) managed the class with a deft comment here and there to greater or lesser effect. First period a Yr 11 Maths class: there were only 14 students and they sat at desks clustered in fours. Each student was working on a different unit standard. During the class, two students new to the school were brought to join the class so the teacher had also to find out what they had done and settle them in.

Few of the students seemed to want to do anything except chat and there was a constant hum of chatter. The teacher constantly circulated, working one onem helping, explaining and checking work, and speakijng across the room trying to get the others to stay on task. While she was patient and persistent, as learning environments go, it was quite distracting. There were too many demands for any one person to manage.

In the next class, a Year 12 Health class, there were seven students and they had a worksheet with some exercises and notes and lots of interesting graphics they were working through. The teacher (also a school counsellor) took them through the process of looking at pictures which can appear as different images depending how one happens to view them. Some could see both images immediately, some had to have it spelt out before they could see them. The teacher spoke to them about how our attitudes, point of view, perception shape how we 'see' the world but that others can see it differently. They 'got' it.
Then the guest speaker who was expected didn't show so I was invited to speak to them. I spoke for 10 minutes telling them about the way life ges in cycles through my own experience - first as a pub manager in London in the late 70s, next university and 20 years lecturing, and now, another life transition and beginning again in Wanganui with a new husband and training for a new career. The point I wrapped it with was that we can plan our lives, and then life has plans for us which intersect unexpectedly and so what ever has gone before, or is ahead, we should make the most of what is available to us today.

Next came the highpoint of my day - the most awesome social studies teacher whose teaching and classroom management techniques exemplified all the principles of best practice we have been exposed to this past month. They came in and got out their work books, got a magazine or book to read and read quietly for 5 minutes while T did the roll. They obviously had a good understanding of T's expectations of them and actually read silently. He started the class by asking some questions and answed one of them with the comment "thats a good answer but its not correct." The manner in which he spoke to the students was low key yet encouraging. He didn't try to be funny or chat them up or down. He kept the energy and momentum moving at asbrisk pace while taking the class through four different activities, made the transitions from one to another deftly with a few words that kept the momentum flowing. Totally organised and prepared. His talk to the class was calm and relaxed and minimal - every word counted. One particular teaching technique of his I liked was when he reviewed the previous lesson and asked a question, telling the class he wanted them to put up their hand when they knew the answer. When about half the students in class had their hands up, he asked them to go to someone who didn't have their hand up and discuss it quietly with them for 2 minutes. He told them clearly at the beginning of each new task or activity how long they would have to do it. For one activity they sat in preset groups and T took them through a short, general knowledge Kiwikid Quiz from an on-line resource. http://www.edugames.co.nz/Groups won points with each correct answer. The prize is a "Good as Gold" award and will be won by the group with the highest points in a few weeks time. A group loses points as a consequence of any misbehaviour by a member of that group. The class was focused and on-task for the entire 50 minutes.

I have his permission to return for on-going observation of that class through a number of its classes and also, to sit in on his classes on a regular basis. I have also asked him to be my mentor during my training process as he exemplified the kind of expertise I aspire to master.

I LEARNT A LOT AT SCHOOL TODAY. tOO MUCH TO EXAMINE IN DETAIL HERE because I'm tired and tomorrow I have another school to 'do' . Tomorrow, I am going to request to observe their Special Needs unit since I didn't get a chance to observe one at thew school I was in today.