May Edblog Challenge

Tuakana–teina
The concept of a tuakana–teina relationship

The tuakana–teina relationship, an integral part of traditional Māori society, provides a model for buddy systems. An older or more expert tuakana (brother, sister or cousin) helps and guides a younger or less expert teina (originally a younger sibling or cousin of the same gender). In a learning environment that recognises the value of ako, the tuakana–teina roles may be reversed at any time. (NZC - http://tereomaori.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-guidelines/Teaching-and-learning-te-reo-Maori/Aspects-of-planning/The-concept-of-a-tuakana-teina-relationship)

This year my Y10 class has taken hold of this concept and we have become this for the Room 8 (y1/2) class.  For the first two terms, twice a week, my students go in and read aloud to the students.  They have free range from the library to choose a text they are comfortable with.  More often than not they come back really excited as they have found a text that they loved as a child.  They then read the text themselves before they go in, and after interval, they then read aloud to a group of these students.  This term the roster is somewhat more determined rather than volunteered, as it is my hunch that reading aloud to these students is going to support and improve the literacy of the Y10 students struggling with reading.  

Feedback from the Y1/2 teacher is that she is seeing a growing confidence in the students asking questions of the younger ones.  They are inviting them to be critical listeners, often without even realising it.  She is seeing a growing strength in their speaking and reading.  I am seeing students come back with a more positive mindset about reading.  "They loved it Miss."  "They didn't care that I made a mistake." "They asked ME questions."  "They wanted us to read another story to them."  For my readers who struggle to engage in a text or level of the text that school tells them 'should' be reading, this readaloud opportunity gives them a positive reading experience.  Now to do the teacher thing and figure out how to record some DATA about it.  

Refresh - April

REFRESH

An NZ government reference group report from 2014 suggests that collaborating in regional networks in partnership with our communities produces better outcomes for students.  In Area schools, this collaboration and networking becomes all the more pertinent, as in the senior school, you are often the only 'expert' (yes, in quote marks for a reason) in a subject area.

This report goes on to state that "Education is the powerhouse of modern societies. To prosper, grow and innovate, New Zealand needs highly-skilled people — people with increasingly sophisticated skills and digital competencies."    It continues with a list of ten things that need to happen to support this within NZ.  The one that stood out for me was number 4.

 Create future-focused learning environments.   Design vibrant, technology-rich, cyber-safe learning environments. Make these environments flexible enough to serve multiple learning contexts, including one-to-one, small groups, collaborative and community learning. Put learning at the heart of the system.

I believe that the creators of #NZreadaloud5 have done just this.  This is my refreshed resource - a change in the way that I am using novels and story within the classroom to create a more future-focused learning environment.  We joined in Term One, which was not a great success - mainly due to both myself and the students not being that confident with the technology platform.  This term however, has been AMAZING!  My students are enjoying being read to each period (for at least 20 minutes) and then working in smaller groups on tasks, which are relevant and topical.  They then collaborate to post to Edmodo and have been getting feedback from other staff and students around the country.

I am enjoying taking turns making to share and then also using the created tasks of other staff around the country.  I am finding seeing how other teachers have posed tasks and learning activities has also given me the confidence that I am able to design more vibrant tasks for my students.  This supports a finding from the report that suggests  "that innovative teaching practices flourish when: 1. Teacher collaboration focuses on supporting peers and sharing teaching practices. 2. Professional development involves the active and direct engagement of teachers, particularly in practising and researching new teaching methods."

So, all in all, that is my revamped resource - and further inspiration from some amazing educators around NZ.  You all rock!

InspirARTion

I am trying out some Apps to see how they work.  This is InspirARTion, available for Chrome.