Term 2, Design for Learning

Helping to design the learning for next term for Pounamu in terms of the technical, logistical side of things has been great - especially working with Muireann as she has great ideas, which I can then help make happen.

We’ve tried to give our overall weekly timetable enough structure so that within the structure we can have some freedom (“from structure comes freedom” Ben Witherford, 2015). We also have a focus on team teaching in lots of areas, although in others it will be possible to slip back in to “single cell” mentality. I believe we won’t, as we know we are all responsible for every child and are happy sharing resources and ideas. We also have the flexibility and adaptability to change what’s happening if the new, grand plan doesn’t work! Remembering that to be in a truly collaborative relationship we need to be dependent on each other to make our learning time work.

Having done this overall “schedule” when I started to pull apart what I needed to plan and prepare I then had quite a shock, and started to wonder about the sanity of our grand design!

• 4 reading groups x 4 times a week
• 3 reading rotations x 4 times a week
• 1 hour long concept
• 3, 15 minute concept “recaps”
• 5 writing lessons (structured, formal)
• 4 x maths stations
• 5 x phonics sessions
• 1 x formal PE

This to me looked like a lot of work! When raised with the team, the partnerships and team teaching came into play. Sharing resources and ideas with Muireann as we have one set of readers, the 4 of us planning concept with Emma (DATS) helping, team teaching writing with Muireann, being in a partnership with Eve for Maths, hopefully having a more formal approach to Phonics coming from PD in the school holidays, which leaves a formal PE session in which we are doing ball skills which we started last year.

It is still a lot of planning to do but at least we are doing it together!