Developing and Consolidating Values

On Friday August 21st I listened to Russell Burt speak to the RPA (Rotorua Principal's Association) meeting about "Developing and Consolidating Values the Point England Way." This presentation was timely; we are asking the question at KMS...how can we turn around student behaviour? How can we collaborate as a staff to do this?

What do they do at Pt England?

First: The school selects all new innovations, after testing the 'fit'. (No teacher or group of teachers may branch off and attend random Professional Development.) The innovation is accepted only if:

• It will raise student achievement.
• It will motivate and engage students.
• It will develop the personal voice of students.
• It will build an authentic audience for the student work.
• It will improve behaviour.

Russell explains this is in this way: The school is about corporate innovation, not personal innovation.

At Kaitao: Are the different behaviour management needs of the different academies, met separately by separate PD/PL, fracturing the unity of the school vision? Or, by targeting the specific needs-example Boys in Education- do we build up the quality of the learning/behaviour in the academy, thereby addressing the school vision?

Second: At Pt England, behaviour is seen as a subject that must taught. To improve the behaviour of the students, they first recognise what is good behaviour. As a staff they identify the behaviour that they want to see (putting rubbish in the bin or example). When things are going right, what does it look like?

At Kaitao: It would be immensely useful if we made this a regular practice. What do we want to see? What do we want it to look like?

Third: A theme or value is taken for the year. This would grow out of reflections about the previous year. For example the value of honesty has been chosen for 2009. A memorable phrase or saying is then hashed out amongst the staff. "Keep it Real" is the catch-phrase for honesty in 2009. Further sayings are developed continuously throughout the year as needs arise in the school. For example, if the rubbish around the school was getting worse, then 'chuck it in the bin' became the catch-phrase.

At Kaitao: We teach values, we highlight one every week. Supposing we slow down and choose an overall value for the year, then make that our mantra. The other values will still be present and continue to be explored, but the year will have a focus. (Linda Woon spoke of the value of accountability at her BEST workshop. The need to concentrate on this value arose from a sports team at her school taking no responsibility for poor sportsmanship.)

Fourth: The saying/desired behaviour is then communicated to the school via assemblies, TV programmes and school news programmes daily, (DLOs, digital learning outcomes). Through sight, sound and motion, (SISOMO) multiple intelligences are appealed to. The creation of DLOs brings literacy (read, write, speak, listen) into the frame, through songs, dramatic performances, presentations, drama and korero.

One of the most successful ways to embed values thinking into the kids is to have them create jingles/short songs based on the message. These are the sort of tunes that stick to the brain and add a lightheartedness to the message. (If you drop it, pick it up is a message that we have...imagine the power of it if it is made into a short video with an original sound track!)

At Kaitao: Talented kids and teachers could easily provide original music as the sound track to student videos. Look at all of those wonderful boys playing guitar during lunch time.

Fifth: Importantly, the emphasis in the TV shows, daily news shows and all is on the value and communicating it rather then the quality of the filming or editing. Kids don't care...look at you-tube and what is popular there; it is the message that is important.

At Kaitao: Take a look at KTV...it is not perfect...it does not need to be perfect. This is a wonderful vehicle to teach values. Show it every day during interval and lunch!

Sixth: Kids feel empowered by these programmes. They communicate the values/messages to the school. The behaviour changes.

At Kaitao: Immediate first step is to identify the behaviour we most want to change. How students speak to staff is a big one...respect/consideration are the values. The create a saying...all the more powerful if it is in kid-speak. Then put the saying out there through DLOs using SISOMO!

Please comment.

Happiness!

Connecting to Our Contributing Schools

Last week I visited eight primary schools; our contributing schools in Rotorua and Ngongotaha. We will receive from two to seventy children from each of these schools and the visits are our way of connecting to these students before they arrive at Kaitao.

Two years ago I asked our student leaders how to best get the news out, to these years sixes, about how great we are as a school. Without hesitation they answered, 'WE have to tell them; they will hear our reasons more than they will hear your reasons.' Of course they are right. Children are far more interested in what their peers have to say; their peers will have a great influence on their choice of intermediate or middle school.

I am proud to say that our student leaders brought the news to these year sixes better than ever, this year. With confident, informative and sometimes humorous kid-speak, they delivered the message; KMS is your local school and it's in your best interest to go there.

We visit each school and perform a well prepared 'skit' which summarizes the point of view of parents, students and teachers. We then set up stations using display boards, which are manned by one or more students from each of the seven academies at our Middle School. Children then rotate, sitting at each display board and conversing with the students for about 5 minutes before moving onto the next 'station'.

We encourage year sixes to ask questions at these stations; they know many of the students who attended their school last year. Because enrolment at KMS involves choosing an academy that best fits them, our main point is, 'does this academy fit you?'

Highlights for our students and myself were were:

• The prinicpal who spent the whole visit with us; supporting the transition from primary to intermediate.
• The spontaneous 'thank you' we recieved from primary school student leaders at the end of some visits.
• The enthusiasm shown by some teachers for the leadership qualities developed in their past students.
• The chance I had to aquaint myself with special needs students coming to our school in 1010.
• The inclusion of parents at one school. We had not considered this, but what a wonderful opportunity.
• The aroha year six teachers have shown for their students and the care with which they pass them on to us.

Thank you to all schools who welcomes us: St Michaels, Kawaha Point, Selwyn Primary, Western Heights Primary, Westbrook, Sunset Primary, Ngongotaha Primary and Aorangi Primary.

Student Conferences: Assessment Directions

Directions for Assessment, March 2009, written by Hattie, Flockton et al is the focus of this blog entry:I have outlined the major imperatives listed in their document and made comments about where we are at KMS in terms of these imperatives.

Introduction: Our assessment priority must be to strengthen the self-assessment skills of our students, with support from their teachers and whanau.Assessment capable students are able to assess, are motivated to assess, are able to interpret information from assessment opportunities and are able to use that information to inform learning pathways. "Where am I now, where do I want to get to, and how will I get there", are the fundamental questions our students must be able to frame and seek answers to. Reflect, across each learning area on the capabilities of your own students.

There are nine 'musts-unavoidables-imperatives' of assessment:

1. It must be purposeful: Because the front of the book (competencies, principles etc) are linked to the back of the book (learning areas), then the RANGE of purposes for assessment are greater. Think about assessing whether your students are on track to becoming thinkers; curious about their world, for example.

2. Assessment must attend to all needs: Assessment must be inclusive and informative. At KMS we plan with our specific student needs and interests at the heart of it all. How often, however, have we included the students in the planning?

3. Students must have a greater engagement with their assessment: This is achieved by giving students ownership for their assessment and by giving them the skills to allow them to assess well. When a student meets with their whanau and takes them along the learning journey, they are engaging fully with their assessment results and the learning related to those results.

4. Longer term outcomes: Our students must become life-long-learners. We must model this by learning alongside them...we must develop in them the competencies, values and skills that allow them to become life-long-learners. We model the excitement of learning new stuff when we plan together as academies for example.

5. There must be consequences of assessment: The feedback to students must highlight their strengths, there must be built-in accountability for assessments, and all assessment must benefit student learning. There's no use in an assessment with no follow up. The way we have been addressing the follow up is by having the students set goals for all of the main learning areas each term.

6. Schooling must be a partnership: At the heart of assessment is the child...whanau must be involved. Hence the importance of every family coming to end of term sharing of portfolios.

7. The assessment information must be clear: The authors recommend rich descriptions of progress which are built up over time...think about your Learning Journals in this light.

8. Assessment information goes to all stakeholders: We must collect data and share this data with BOT and community as well as teachers, students, school leaders. Rememeber that in order to do this effectively we have an asessment schedule for school wide assessments.Then... all school wide data is entered by you onto e-tap.

9. Finally...we as adults must also be learners. This requires an open and trusting professional development culture in our school. Teachers learn first and foremost when planning and teaching, but also in their academies with their colleagues. Then as a school, coming together every two weeks for professional learning, we must embrace this philosphy; all present, all engaged, all passionate learners, all needs being addressed and met.

Please read this before Wednesday Week 2: Our PL is: "Student Conferencing".

Next Steps: Look for next blog!

Each August for the past 11 years, Beloit College in the USA has released the Beloit College Mindset List. It provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of the students we teach. Often we make assumprions about the life our students have led. This list is fascinating as it tells us about the frame of reference our students have; their view of he world. My favourite examples are:

They have never known the world without: Karaoke machines, nintendo, shampoo and conditioner in the same bottle or Harry Potter.

Professional Learning Term Three

Quality Teaching~Authentic Learning~E-Learning

E-Learning is one of our professional learning topics this term. Many teachers will have the opportunity to visit those schools where e-learning supports excellent pedagogy; where e-learning meets the needs of our students as 21st century learners.

At the RELLCo Cluster Conference on July 4th, we were privileged to listen to Dorothy Burt, e-learning advisor for Pt England School in Auckland. Teachers, she said, are often referred to as 'lead learners'. This is a powerful phrase; at KMS we excel at teaching because we love to learn ourselves. We understand that learning begins with 'not knowing'. We model 'lead learning' to each other and our students by embracing it in all aspects of professional development. The professional development meetings we hold bi-weekly embrace this kaupapa.

For your professional learning and motivation look at Room 18, Pt England's blog. These children recently advertised on-line for their own new teacher. The successful applicant was the one who replied in kind; on line!

Classrooms that embrace 21st Century have many 'cool tools' at their fingertips. Take a look at the selection of Web 2.o tools listed on our-pl-wiki. Many of these allow our students to publish their work in ways that are meaningful to them; in keeping with the world they are comfortably part of. Our primary means of engaging with our students is by understanding their world and all that is exciting to them from that world. It is on the world wide web that these children feel at home; their work can be published and comments invited.

The u-tube clip attached outlines three steps for creating a 21st Century classroom. In addition, we would emphasize the continuation our excellent teaching practices; the learners are at the centre, next steps in their learning are determined by formative assessment. All planning meets their explicit needs.