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August

Do you have a PLN?

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Tara Fagan


Image credit: Henkster

A few years ago Twitter, Google Reader and online communities were concepts I hadn’t paid much attention to. Now they are an essential part of my world. What’s changed? Why have they become so valuable?

These applications connect me to learning; they form part of my PLN (personal learning network).

What a PLN can do

This network is a collection of individuals’ ideas, links and knowledge that they share freely. It is personal—I tailor it, selecting who and what topics I will follow. It connects me to experts in the field—both known and unknown—all with amazing abilities to share. From these people I learn more about teaching and education, about reflection, about the latest applications and other topics that I am interested in.

My PLN challenges me to think and consider aspects that I may never have otherwise. It gives me opportunity to contribute and exchange ideas through my blog, twitter account and online communities. It’s exciting to have such access to a range of rich content.

Try building your own PLN

If you haven’t tried it out and want to give it a go, start out by subscribing to a blog of someone who inspires you, or follow them on twitter. Add people as you ‘find’ them and before you know it, you will have a PLN that supports you.

Good places to start online networking are:

  • ECE Online
  • The Virtual Learning Network (VLN)

My challenge to you is to explore and see what PLN you might build. If you already have a PLN, please post a comment and share some of your favourites with us.

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The CORE breakfast seminars are taking off in Dunedin—great food, great company and definitely great speakers!

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Jane Nicholls

Cathy Wylie Breakfast Seminar

Competent Learners research project: How important it is to know the learner

Today I had the privilege to listen to Cathy Wylie, Chief researcher at NZCER, talk about the Competent Learners research project. My key take-away from the session was how important it is to know the learner. And, for me, this was not just the individual learner in the classroom, but the entire facet of learners that we meet.

The competent learners project allows you see the issues involved for learners from the age of 5 right up to the age of 20.

So what does this mean for us as educators?

The research shows: quality early childhood education has an effect beyond socio-economic environment

This longitudinal study started in 1993. The initial research asked what impact early childhood education had for children, what were the aspects that mattered, and was there more impact for some children than others.

Cathy told us that they found quality early childhood education was still having an impact on learners at the age of 16, and that it had more of an impact than the education level of the child’s mother, or their financial situation.

What mattered was the interaction between the teacher and the child, how much the teacher knew the child and designed activities that engaged their interests. It was also found that print-rich environments were a key, and that language was crucial to learning.

The effect of early competency levels in later education

Now that the research has continued until the participants were age 20, further questions were explored looking at the pathways to NCEA. They wanted to find out how determinative are early competency levels, and what role do school and out-of-school experiences play in this pathway.

They found that students who left school with less than NCEA level 2 or equivalent qualifications were vulnerable.

Low early performance can be improved

Cathy reassured us that low early performance can be improved, and listed the following factors as being ones that make a difference:

  • Enjoyment of reading
  • Having leisure interests
  • No bullying/victim experience
  • Family income moderate or more
  • No adverse events
  • Positive family relationships
  • Friends in adolescence who are not engaging in risky activities

Factors that make a difference in shifting early low performance

She shared factors making a difference in shifting early low performance:

  • Shifts upwards start between ages 8-10
  • Attitudinal competencies higher than cognitive competencies at age 8
  • Good engagement in learning
  • Positive about their class learning opportunities
  • Satisfaction with school subject mix
  • Staying at school past age 16

Key risk age is around 10–14 years

Cathy told us that the key risk age was around 10—14 years, which when students are at particular risk for disengagement, and is a time when ‘high’ performers are also vulnerable. What really stood out for me was the role of the key competencies. “Attitudinal competencies higher than cognitive competencies at age 8”: the key competencies play a vital role in shifting early low performance.

The teacher’s role is critical

So the critical statement from all of this is that teachers play a key role. Teachers can make a difference by knowing their learners and focusing on the quality of learning opportunities.

The summary and reports from the Competent Learners project will be available soon on http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz

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Curriculum conversations – What schools are doing well

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Jane Nicholls

“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment to think about it.” A.A. Milne

Christine, Jane, Justin (CORE Education) workshop

Christina, Justin and I presented a curriculum conversation workshop recently. This post outlines one of the activities designed to allow busy teachers and leaders to take a breath, stop the bump bump bumping, and reflect on one aspect of their curriculum implementation.

What do the NZ Curriculum principles look like in our school?

Participants were provided this sheet of the NZC principles:

  • Principles continuum (PDF, 46KB)

With the principles sheet in hand, participants viewed the following video from Sylvia Park School and identified where each of the principles were evident.

The next step was to look at the NZC principles and place them along the continuum for their own school or classroom context from slight shifts in learning and teaching practice through to significant shifts in learning and teaching practice.

Participants compared their own continuum with the table on page 14 of the recent ERO research report Directions for learning: The New Zealand Curriculum Principles, and teaching as inquiry May 2011

ERO page14

In the report, ERO provide the following suggestions for next steps for teachers and leaders:

  • Review the extent to which each principle is represented in policies and plans and enacted in classrooms
  • Read and discuss Ka Hikitia: Managing success for Māori Education Strategy
  • Build deeper understanding of the process of inquiry
  • Incorporate teaching as inquiry into performance management systems
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Challenges to educators of Pasifika children: teachers telling and silence of children is cultural

Posted on August 10, 2011 by

Ruta presnting in Samoa conference

It was a privilege to have the opportunity to attend a conference that was held at the National University of Samoa early July this year. The focus of this conference was “Tracing footprints of tomorrow: past lessons, present stories and future lives.”

There were two presentations that challenged my own thinking:

  • “From telling to critical thinking for Pasifika student success”
  • “Multiple meanings of silence (le tautala) in a classroom”.

I guess I can relate to these papers from my experience as a student in the past who was struggling with finding my own feet in the New Zealand educational system, and working with Pasifika teachers in the Canterbury region.

From telling to critical thinking for Pasifika student success

‘’From telling to critical thinking for Pasifika student success’’ is a very common strategy that Samoan people use in family upbringing. I was brought up in this arena and strongly believe that it works in some contexts and it might not work in other situations. There is a proverb in Samoa: “E sui faiga ae le suia fa’avae”, which means, we can change the way we do things, but the principles remain the same.

From the teaching and learning perspective in relation to critical thinking, I strongly believe that each student is different and unique in his or her own style of learning. There will be some Pasifika students who are capable and confident in becoming critical thinkers. Others may need some initial guidance as a starting point to clarify any confusion in order to contribute to teaching and learning. We have our cultural beliefs and values that we bring with us, but these need to be unpacked and clarified in order to find other opportunities to work around them.

This paper contained similar information to the leadership professional development work that I did with one of the Pasifika supervisors in the Canterbury region about five years ago. In this case study she asked herself, “How can I empower my team to use critical thinking instead of using the telling approach?” It was hard for this supervisor to move away from the telling mode of giving instructions to the team. Her strong belief was her upbringing, and values of being a leader, or a matai, from a Samoan perspective. It was frustrating for her at times, and often the outcomes were negative. However, the effectiveness of modelling and developing a common theory of improvement—such as using strategies to unpack assumptions, practices and instructions—encourages reflective thinking, which leads to deeper understandings. And this changed her practice.

The strong message from this presentation was: how staff members encourage students to ask questions of themselves about what they read to promote self-regulation of their own learning. However, the presenters also argued that while Pasifika students have the understanding of the research question, the assignment question itself might be a barrier to the students. A great example of this was about connecting students with what they already know through preparing a sermon. In many ways this is similar to planning a research project.

How confident are you in using children’s cultural prior-learning in your teaching?

Do our questions consider sensitivity around cultural values and beliefs?

Multiple meanings of silence in the Samoan classroom and the implication for teachers

 The second presentation that challenged and provoked my thinking was “Multiple meanings of silence in the Samoan classroom and the implication for teachers.” Cultural values and practices have a large influence on students’ learning and practicing to be silent (le tautala)—a sign of respect. Le tautala is a cultural practice for communication, and is part of our cultural identity. Silence is an active and living component of Pasifika culture.

Traditionally, children are to be seen but not heard. There are so many layers that underpin this cultural practice, not only teaching and learning in classrooms, but also in family environments, village, church and the wider community context. However, this cultural value can pose some challenges for teachers and students when they are involved in deep conversations during teaching and learning. Again, I can relate to this practice, as I have huge respect for the people who are in leadership roles, and I have respect for those people who have knowledge and skills to speak and share their wisdom. Also, it is about knowing when to speak and when not to speak. However, being exposed to and living in the New Zealand society is different. Everyone is entitled to speak and share their own opinions.

Some theoretical perspectives on silence say: “Silence is not passive.It is an active behaviour that conveys culturally appropriate, meaningful messages that cannot be expressed through verbal communication, or that are best expressed through silence. Such significance and values of silence are often reflected in cultural proverbs and sayings, such as the Finnish proverb ‘a loud noise shows an empty head’” (Sullinen- Kuparinen, 1986, cited in Sunkim, 2002, p. 135).

How can you respond to students who are le tautala, or silent, when discussions and learning conversations happen in school environments?

From a Samoan perspective, I believe that it is important to understand the bigger picture of what is involved, and why some Pasifika students remain silent in teaching and learning. The modes of empowerment, relationships, modelling and collaboration are essential components that enable them to share and contribute their stories in the learning contexts. On the other hand, teachers have the responsibility to listen and ensure that Pasifika students understand the purpose before they ask questions or contribute to the discussions.

“O le tele o sulu e maua ai figota”. Through collaboration the most difficult challenges can be overcome.

Thanks again to CORE-Education for a fabulous opportunity to take part and attend this conference in my homeland.

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What Harry Potter can teach us about learning

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Karen Spencer

Harry Potter (Amazon)

We all have a little Harry Potter in us (go on, admit it). Haven’t we all dragged our heels on the way to the equivalent of Sprout’s Herbology class but thrilled at the unexpected lessons in transfiguration we pick up from our best friend, Hermione, or from mistakes made while trying to tackle a Boggart in a wardrobe? No? Just me?

Is Harry better off sticking to his dusty books, dutifully preparing for his OWL exams…or is he better to throw caution to the wind, and make the most of all the new learning that his midnight adventures throw at him?

Like Harry, who grabs opportunities to literally learn on the fly, we hear much talk about the value of one’s Personal Learning Network (PLN), of sipping from the river of information that is Twitter, or those online communities that support our “just-in-time” learning.

But is this enough for those of us who are educators in schools, with responsibilities to a community wider than ourselves?

We know, from the excellent Best Evidence Synthesis series (Timperley et al., 2007), that professional learning that makes a difference to students’ learning requires a bit more than a lucky dip in our Twitter stream. It depends on a complex range of variables, such as the context of our learning, the deep content, the notion of challenge (hard if you are stuck in an online Echo Chamber of Secrets;-), the multiple opportunities, and the learning process itself. Just because our lives are moving towards a mobile space where access to information is ubiquitous, doesn’t mean effective professional learning will happen differently.

Or does it?

What if those workshops that we dutifully attend don’t link to our contexts, don’t prepare us for what we must do each day? If Harry had just followed the textbooks, he wouldn’t have learned how to defend himself. Informal, “just-in-time” learning allows us to mediate and facilitate our own learning experiences, negotiate meaning for ourselves, on our own or collaboratively… in situated contexts that have relevance to us every day (Melhuish & Falloon, 2010 http://education2x.otago.ac.nz/cinzs/mod/resource/view.php?id=114).

So how to align the two?

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