Friday Faculty Self review day

Today we are going to sit down and do our self review. We will be discussing a few things.
One of the things on my to do list is:
What is learning to learn and how will we incorporate it into our Mathematics Faculty.

I am going to share the following video with the teachers, and then illustrate a typical learning to learn environment by asking them to make me a slideshow/infographic of what "learning to learn" is.
I've already made mine, and then we will sit together and make a slideshow of :
What learning to learn will look like in the Bay of Islands College Mathematics Classes.





Guy Claxton: Learning to learn from Ministry of Education on Vimeo.

Give me an A....for ALGEBRA

Ooooh the Joys of teaching ALGEBRA to the year 9's. They always ask me: WHAT is Algebra and WHY do we need to learn it?
So yesterday instead of the normal way of doing it, I decided to start with that question and to give them a challenge:

• Google: What is Algebra
• Watch a few videos (find the BEST one, don't just watch one)
• Then challenge:

Make either a video OR blog about it OR write about it OR infographic, telling me: in your own words WHAT ALGEBRA IS.

the best one: will win a pizza just for yourself, you can tell me which pizza you like.

whaea Mina "

And they enjoyed it. Some of them made videos, some made slideshows and some made posters. I am sharing a few of their "answers". The best thing about it: They were so excited, and actually enjoyed their first experience of Algebra this year. What I also loved about this method, is that all the boys were done first, they used humour in their presentations, and they had the option to leave 15 minutes earlier to go to a music talent show of the other class, and they opted out, to stay and finish their work...

Rian's work Xavier's work Esicca's work

Mahuta's work Alisi's work Waimarie's work

Zhyon's work Hemana's work Maia's work

integers ROCK

Here is a link to me and my year 9 's doing integer rules.

This is how we learn integers and remember our rules for:
adding (row row row the boat)
multiply/divide ( I love rock and roll)

They also shared their learning with me. Some made wall posters and some made slide shows. Some of them sang the songs, and some made info-graphics.

I just love rock and roll...and my job!! I've shared a link to some of the students' learning ...enjoy!!

Waimarie's learning.

Alisi's learning.

Maia's learning.

Paytyn's learning.

Brooke's learning.

Te Rere and Tanisha's learning.

Essica's learning.

Tahnellah's learning.

Some hand-drawn posters, for the guys who did not have chrome books.
photo 1
photo 2

This is why I love every second of my rewarding job!!  Mathematics is indeed a performing art, and some days, just some days, I can be the rock star...playing my air-guitar and making my moves...

Tuesday PD with Kerry

This is the slideshow that our learning was based on today.


Reflective Questions:
How are you going on your visible teaching and learning journey?
I love this, and I am extremely excited about this. At this stage I am still in LEARN CREATE SHARE, and in a linear model, and would love to use this as a cycle. Students need to get over the "I don't want to share" attitude, into that it is a safe place to share.
What's working well?
The students need to know "how it works" and the processes in our class...what does sharing look like in our class?
What gaps do you have?
I still have gaps in the sharing part of the work; for example: some students are still sharing their learning with emails in stead of in the folder.  We need to work together as a staff, maybe a good idea to spend a week as a whole school in making our students "cyber-smart".
What help would you like?
For me it is important to know that the whole staff speak "with the same mouth", in other words. Have that first week, where we show students how to  use chromebooks, how to save work, how to share work, etc.  We can sit down as a staff, and see where the gaps are, that we can "fill" at this first week of digital training. Maybe, the staff can also be part of this initial training, so we all work in the same way/ and "speak the same lingo".
My next steps:
To make sure that I know how/where the students share/save their work. How to get them all to do it the same way. How to get students to blog every lesson to reflect on their learning. To encourage students to use the different ways to creatively share their learning.Every day's lesson on the daily planner will be in the 3 parts: L, C and S.
As I've said before:  We (all the staff) need to speak the L, C and S language, in order to get all our students working in this way.....UNITED WE SHALL STAND.
LLISTEN TO THIS VIDEO

TOD Monday 19 November 2018

To have TOD (teacher only day ) with loads of PLD at the end of the year ....

First thought: Really??
Second thought:  Okay, just one more thing on the growing list of things to do before the last day of this term.

I truly feel like this lady in the yellow dress.
The optimist in me:  Yay, another opportunity to learn something new
New challenge:  Practice this before I forget.

Today :
1. I've helped others how to learn, using a blog
2. I've helped others to make a new site
3. I've created my own professional site
4.  I've learnt more about:  learn to learn

I've copied Zorina's slideshow and made Zorina a screencastify (without sound) on how to embed the slideshow into her blog.

This slideshow shows my learning for the Learning how to Learn theory part of the day.

Monday....early morning blessings

I open my email to this:

Kia ora Mina
Just to say Thank you for all the work you do to support me, Chase and the students in our Junior and Senior math classes that we take. The websites you have created for them are fantastic. They use them so easily. In fact, if I need to know anything about the site, I find it easier to watch them navigate. Your screen castify’s are clear and to the point. I love your music choices, the supporting videos and the work you create for them. I watched Liam stop, think, replay and then mahi. The girls (Tahurimai and Haylen) often have 2 screens up (1 work and 1 usually not related). I monitor this using Veyonmaster. In this senior class they’re not likely to interface with us so I initiate engagement, as opposed to the juniors. It is quite the opposite and engagement levels with us is moderate (diff level of understanding I reckon). 
Anyways, well done. You’ve invested much time into this. Knowing your subject and the progressions of learning in the different areas of maths is huge and you do this so well. They do miss out on the vibrant, passionate presentations you deliver so well, but u can’t have everything. Thanks for all you do for our students in maths. Fantastic
Mama T to Mamafrika!

Tiere Maoate
Staff
BOIC


and then whilst busy preparing my classroom for the year 9 "attack", in walks one of my colleagues with a grapefruit (she overheard me saying on Friday that it is my FAVORITE favorite fruit)..with "there were only 3 left on my sister's tree, and I brought you ONE..."....when she walked away, I had tears streaming down my face...what a kind gesture...

and then, walk into the staff workroom, and at my work station: a whole bag of grapefruit!! from another caring colleague!!
WOW, indeed "early Monday blessings!!"
Thanks to all my friends, who are my BAY of ISLANDS COLLEGE  whanau!! 

quote for the day:

Live every moment
Laugh every day
Love beyond words
and
Leave a legacy.