Year 9 Revision for End of Year Science Test

This year it was decided that our students would only sit a one hour Science test instead of an end of year exam.  We had limited time for revision so I decided to get them to create posters based on the Need to Know lists I gave them for each topic.  There were lots of great discussions and I was really impressed with amount of work some of the students completed.  

They worked in groups of 2-3 students, were given a Need to Know list for one of the topics we completed this year.  Armed with there science books, a text book and an Ipad they set to answering the questions.  

There was some fantastic group work and use of the resources to find out the required information

Healthy Relationships - Kia Kaha Program

Today, I sat in with Year 9 ASP while they participated in the Kia Kaha program which is about building healthy relationships.  We talked about the importance of working with people and how good relationships are beneficial.  All different types of relationships such as siblings, sport teams, work collegues, all take work.  

The student's brainstormed, "What does a healthy relationship look like?"

They came up with:

See - smiles, team work, passion, honesty,
Hear - laugh, positive comments, healthy communication, compliments, encouragement,
Feel - happy, secure, safe, respected, loved, trust, important, special, heard, valued, included, 

We then watched a short video clip called Ivan by Gabe Pope.  It was about a student being picked on as he was poor and smelt. No one was speaking up. Some laughed, others ignored what was happening.  After class, a girl talked to him about what was happening, she showed support.  Ivan now had one person who was on his side, lead the way and others backed her and him. 

This discussion then moved on to how other people's words become your inner voice.  It is important to recognise that what people say is more about them. It can be helpful to tell yourself that "they don't know me so why should I take on what they say".  

Bullying is not ok.  If you are being picked on at school..how can you focus and learn.  If you witness bullying it is not ok to do nothing.   It is also important to remember that the bully might be a nice person but his behaviour is not acceptable. 

To sum it up, if there are healthy relationship in class there are positive outcomes and it provides a better learning environment.  Talk about people in a positive light, be respectful and show empathy to others.  Everyone is responsible.  It takes work but is worth it.  

My thoughts:  It was fantastic to see this topic addressed and I am pleased to see that they will be continuing with the Kia Kaha program next year.  It would be fantastic to see all teachers involved in the program as well so that we can consistently include the same messages in all our classrooms. Good relationships are important, we need to be mindful of others and the journey they are on. Working together is better than being against each other. 

10Ruru Christchurch Trip

After a roller coaster year with 10Ruru I was privileged enough to join them on a trip of a life time for 7 young individuals.  For all most of them it was their first time on a plane and they were terrified (some more than others).  My favourite moment was seeing one of the students go from sitting with a jersey over her head on the plan to sitting by the window gazing out at the magnificent view.  

Airport

Two weeks prior to heading down to Christchurch I damaged my ankle during a PE lesson so was on crutches.  I was determined to keep up with the group and participate in every aspect of the trip. Have to say though it was a relief to sit in a wheel chair and get pushed around.

Tired of using my crutches

For a lot of them it was the simple things, the things I take for granted, that were the most enjoyable for them.  Whether it was being taken out for a hot chocolate or being given $10 to buy themselves some lunch.

Lunch at Burger King

Going up in the Gondola's was a great experience.  Some of the students (and adults) were unsure about travelling up into the ranges in a tiny gondala but it was awesome to see them do it anyway.  Unfortuately, the weather wasn't the best so the views were not as spectacular as they could be but again it was just awesome to be able to share in a new experience with these group of students.

Gondola's (http://welcomeaboard.co.nz/gondola/)

We all walked out to the end of the Brighton Pier.  It was freezing!!! My favourite moment was seeing a couple of the girl's strike up a conversation with an older guy fishing off the wharf.  Their confidence and the respectful way they spoke to him was heartening to see.

Brighton Pier

This next photo was taken after we had all explored the Christchurch Museum.  The student's engaged in a number of the displays and overall they were respectful of the space they were in.    

Group photo after visiting the Christchurch Museum

On a tour around the city, it was inspiring to see what the people of Christchurch were doing to rebuild their city and the heart of their people.  The art displays around the town were beautiful and the use of shipping containers to build shops was inventive.  Amongst all the hope we also got to hear of the loss and witnessed the fall of this building.

Tour of Christchurch - Demolition of one of the many damaged buildings

At the International Antarctic Centre, we experienced blizzard conditions, went for a ride in hagglund and listened to a passionate penguin carer.  All fantastic learning experiences for our students and would build fantastic learning opportunities back in the classroom.

International Antarctic Centre (http://www.iceberg.co.nz/)

Overall, it was a fantastic opportunity for students and teachers alike.  The home backgrounds of these students is not overly positive and the opportunity for such an adventure wouldn't normally be out of their reach.  Through funding and a lot of hard work by Mrs Hale and amazing experience was possible.  I really hope they take all that comes their way, grow and learn.

For me personally, it was a fantastic opportunity to build connections with this students and teachers. Each student came along with a different life story, different strengths and challenges.  I need to listen to them and find the best way to support them. In order to that I need to leave all prejudice and came at each situation with a fresh pair of eyes.  I also gained an insight into organising trips outside of the classroom and it opened my eyes to what is possible within teaching.

Appraisel - To review and adapt teaching strategies for student research

During Term 4 this year, I worked with my HOD to work through the current appraisal process.  It is currently a work in progress but was a great place to start looking at what the appraisal system will look like next year.  

I really wanted to look at using questions and group work to improve student research when they were using the internet. 

Two key things we have been working on are:

• Formulating questions and using them to research a particular topic 
• Having distinct roles within their groups to help them work collaboratively

Questions

In Science we use brain cell questions.  1 brain cell questions usually starts with what or when and requires a short answer,  2 brain cell questions require the student to explain an idea and 3 brain cell questions involve detailed answers around comparisons or discussions.  

I would normally pose a big idea/key question and then we would discuss what things we needed to find out in order to answer the key question.  From here I would help them identify 4-5 questions they needed to answer in order to understand the main idea.  

Group Roles

The class worked in groups of 2-3 students.  There were 3 different roles recorder, researcher and

reporter.  The recorder was responsible for writing down the answers to the questions using the information that the researcher had found out.  If there was a 3rd member in the group they were responsible for sharing what their group found out with the class but if there were only 2 people in the group then the researcher was also the reporter.

Next Steps

During the appraisal process, I identified that I need to find some academic readings on group work and other strategies to encourage effective research.  I also want to gather some student voice on how my class felt about the use of questions and group work. 

Attached below is my appraisal documentation.

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Year 10 Camp 2013

3 Man Slingshot

 During Term 4, last year I was selected to go to Year 10 camp at the Christian Youth Camps near Ngaruawahia (http://www.cyc.org.nz/).

I was a group leader for activities were I could support and encourage the Year 13 leaders to step up into their role and also help motivate the Year 10 students.  It was a fantastic opportunity to work with students in a different setting and be able to build a relationship with them outside of school.

Mudslide

Waingaro Hot Springs

The activities ranged from mudslides, paintball, obstacle courses, rock climbing and biscuiting.  We also had a 3 man slingshot competition, a quiz, scavenger hunt, skits and went to the Waingaro Hot Pools on evening.

The range of activities provided opportunities for each student to shine, overcome fears and reach their full potential.



For me personally, it was a fantastic opportunity to gain skills about how to run an effective camp for skilled professionals.  I was also able to get to now some of the staff better.  I was also encouraged to step out of my own comfort zone which is always rewarding.

Quiz time

Obstacle Course

Feedback Friday's

Throughout 2014, I have used Feedback Friday's as a way of giving student's feedback on how they are doing with a topic and it also gives them the opportunity to give me some feedback on how they are finding things.  We have a number of assessments through the year which are graded, achieved, merit or excellence but I find that student's tend to read the grade and then not think any more about it.  I really want to build a culture of continued improvement.  I want my students to be able to accept failure and then grow from that.  It is still a work in progress but I am looking forward to building on what I started this year.  

Here is an example of the latest Feedback Friday that I completed with my Year 9 class.  This time I used it as a way of assessing our latest topic and I was able to giving each student feedback.  Both, commenting on what they did well and identifying what they need to work on.  

Year 11 PE Camp: Feeling the Fear and doing it anyway

During Term 2, I was privileged to attended Year 11 PE Camp.  We headed to Rotorua for 2 nights.  On the way we stopped at Adrenalin Forest (http://www.adrenalin-forest.co.nz/) were there were 6 different high rope courses, each one more challenging than the last. Adrenalin Forest is a one of a kind physical, mental and emotional challenge everyone regardless of their age, gender and skill.  I completed numbers 1, 2, 3 & 5, with the last one being the most challenging.  We were high on in the swaying pine trees hooked on to the guide ropes and we together attempted each new obstacle.  The group of Year 11 boys, who were completing level 5 at the same time as me were encouraging and supportive.  I was terrified.  Together we did it and were rewarded with an awesome flying fox ride back to the start of the course.  You can see my ride on the flying fox in this Post by Paeroa College.

On day two, we went Mountain Biking which is something I would definitely do again and we finished the day with a hot swim.  Then on the way home, we stopped at the Mount and Tuapiro to explore and take in the beauty of nature.