SOLO, Pebbles and Clarity in the Classroom

I think this is going to be a post I keep coming back to as it feels like the cloud is lifting - all be it slowly, and that my thoughts are becoming clearer.

A few different streams of thought and PD are slowly coming together - Clarity in the Classroom, Pebbles and SOLO.

My takeouts from the Clarity in the Classroom readings so far, are around making it clear what a child is suppose to be learning, and the benefits this will have in building a learning focused relationship. This links to our pebbles (especially in maths) as the children know which pebbles they have and so know their next steps and so what they are learning - although we need to be more explicit with this. On another level we could start to link in SOLO which is all about making the learning intentions clear for all and the progress - how to get deeper learning by building on existing learning.

One element that is not always clear in all my lessons are my expectation of what they will learn, so if I don’t know this (or it’s not clear) then how are they suppose to know what they are learning? This might also explain why some children don’t push themselves - while they know their next steps there is no expectation that they will be working on them.

Lots of work to do here and I've made a start;

Pipeline Leadership

Ben talked to us this week about Pipeline leadership which I found fascinating. Ben quoted someone as saying “if an organisation is well led, it will be effective”. We are a very well led team (just like the ABs) and so our school should be a highly effective one.

Traditionally teachers are in Pipeline 1 – they just have to be concerned about themselves and their role.

Traditionally team leaders are in Pipeline 1 and 2 – where pipeline 2 is all about the team and growing others with a bigger picture lense.

Pipeline 3 is where the APs sit and they are focused on building capacity with the team of adults and Pipeline 4 is the Principal who has to be thinking and planning strategically.

In our environment Pipeline 1 and 2 overlap. As a team member I have to be in Pipeline 2 sometimes, as we all have to hold each other accountable for our actions, we have to grow each other, we work collaboratively so have to have an eye on the bigger picture, and we have to ensure that our teaming BPP is being valued. This isn’t just Muireann’s job, we all need to step up and do this.

I have to say that this is one of the reasons SPS is such a great place to work – the expectations are high and so when we meet those expectations, so is our performance.

Ben also introduced 2 new terms - FAE (Fundamental Attribution Error) and  Naive Realism.

FAE is something that everyone does - we attribute a consequence of an action to that person's personality - we blame them, rather than look at the context of the error and find out why. We need to do more questioning and less "jumping the gun".

Naive Realism is the belief that your view is right and that if only everyone else was as rational as you are then they would understand it too. This struck a chord for me! Thinking about the Herrmann HBDI model where I am predominately blue, this logical and analytical side of me can cloud my judgement when I reach conclusions faster than others or my logic leads me down a path where no-one else is willing to follow.
The great thing about this is that I am aware of this side of me and one goal I have is to slow down . If i'm trying to convince someone of something the burden is on me to explain it better rather than them to "get it".
Naive Realism will stop teams growing, so it is essential that I keep this awareness and question the why.

Linking with the "Slow down" theme here are some quotes Muireann found;

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!

Big Step 1 - Writing

Had a great meeting with Muireann this week and we broke down my first goal;

Go on a "Personal Writing Inquiry" I need to learn how to help my learners.

This is a huge goal and so to make sure I am progressing I need to break this into smaller, more manageable goals.

Looking back over this term (term 1, 2016) I have been focusing on ideas - making sure the children have something to write about. Starting each lesson with the mentors modelling the drawing of their ideas means that it is now automatic for the children. As we write over several days this drawing of ideas has become really important as it is a reference point for the children to go back to to continue writing.

Moving on, and building on this, I now want to focus on feedback - making sure it is accurate and timely. Next term will be a different set up for writing, and as we get more children it will become harder to see each child in every writing session so the reviewing of books and the feedforward to them will become key in making sure they progress.


Having broken this big step into smaller, baby ones, I now need to go and do the same for my other goals.

My Writing Inquiry

As part of my writing inquiry I decided I wanted to find out about childrens' attitudes towards writing so I designed  a little form that I completed with 2 writing groups today (the other 2 I'll do later).

Question 1 - the overwhelming majority do like writing - a great starting point! Have to make sure that this level of enjoyment doesn't decrease - no pressure!

When asked what they found easy, answers ranged from "writing I am" to "holding the pencil properly". Easy words and drawing a picture are the 2 most common answers which is interesting as a focus this week has been on drawing ideas.

When asked what they found hard, answers ranged from "nothing" to "everything"! Hard words and puzzled faces were the 2 most common answers. But other interesting points to note are "forming letters" (my words) from the younger children and it was also good to see some honest answers - "to start" from one of my chosen ones who does struggle to start. Showing great self-awareness from a 5 year old.

When asked what their goals were there was a difference in the age of the children  the Hot Air Balloons have generally been at school for 5 weeks whilst the Spaceships range from 15 to 45 weeks of schooling. It is clear to see that our focus as mentors has been on the finger-spaces, or perhaps it's the "wriggly worm" that has caught their attention. This is interesting as I thought my focus has been on the ideas stage but that is clearly not the message!

My final question was "What are you learning?" and some just looked puzzled as if to say "to write of course" and others said that. This tells me two things - firstly, that I need to be more careful about the wording of my questions as I was trying to find out the detail - the intentions, and secondly that we are not be clear about the learning intentions as none could really articulate this to me.

All in all an interesting wee survey and I will take the results back to the team, and alter some aspects of the lesson structure.

Slow Down

When reflecting on what was "On Top" for me this week the common theme was;

I need to slow down when it comes to;

• Writing -
• I want the plan to be working now!
• I need to work on my timing so children are enthusiastic - but I want to be able to do this now!
• How will I know that my teaching of writing is better? - I want to know now!
• Herding Sheep-
• With my mentor group I am definitely herding less, and they are more responsive - but I want 21 focused all the time (completely unrealistic I know!)
• Routines have changed and as mentors we are still getting used to this so I know I need to give the children time
• Claire give me some advice for the "late after lunchers" - a nice slow chat, and repeat it to chip away at the behaviours that need changing - rather than expecting one chat to fix it all!
• Concept - 
• I need to give children the ability to absorb what we are learning rather than rush my way through "it"
• I have been quite adaptable with this plan by changing as I have gone on - instead of an experiment per day we have done 1 every few days and written about it
• With my enthusiasm for what we're doing I have gone off tack slightly so I need to bring it back to the focus on Movement and Health and PE
• Maths - 
• We start Owling next week and I want to have the pebbles ready to go so life is easier for the Eagles
• Help set the children up for success when they are choosing during Maths time as they will know what the focus is for each area of the habitat
• This comes from a conversation with a child who was off task and when I pointed out that the focus was on ordering numbers a light bulb went off for them and away they went happy!
• I understand that to have buy in and understanding from the whole team we need to do somethings together, but I just want the pebbles up on their boards to help us all!
• This is also something I need to "Speak up" about as I am happy to set the boards up and then as a team we can do the Yellow, Visionary job of linking the pebbles to the activities and so on.
• Although having reflected further on all of this, perhaps all we need for now is a sign for each area with a picture the children can recognise so they know what to do with the materials available.

Finished Desired Realities

Found it quite hard to go back to my realities a week later - learning for me, I should have carried on whilst my thoughts were fresh! Despite this my image is finished as are my 3 Great Steps.

Step 1;
Go on a "Personal Writing Inquiry" I need to learn how to help my learners;

• Asking for internal support from experts
• Make the progressions portable
• Read, read and read!
• Follow my chosen 3 on their writing journey and use the learnings to help all

Step 2;

Be "an Architect of Opportunities";

• Differentiate the learning
• Use the environment
• Be adaptable to needs
• Observe and ask
• Let it go (accept and become more comfortable with adaptations)

Step 3:

Relationships - build, maintain and grow through;

• Respecting all (children, mentors, students)
• Listening and asking
• Getting and giving feedback
• Observing
• Read, read and read!

Current and desired realities

The whole staff PL meeting was all about using our goals from last year and developing our current and desired realities using the Patti Dobrowolski visual goal setting.
As with last year I found it hard to start but Patti's point that by starting to visualise things, you can see more clearly, worked for me. I started writing a list of where I am with regards to my goals and then from that came my metaphor and image.
It's still a work in progress but it links with my FA2 goal about behaviour management, and my growing understanding of whole brain thinking.

FA2

Following PL from Kevin Knight in January, a real focus for me is to make sure I have children at FA2 (or FA1, but they are only 5!) before giving instructions.

According to Kevin this means that the children are very attentive - quiet and still, some fidgeting, no talking, only 1 or 2 continue to work, children are attending. With 5 year olds I will aim to have none working as they are not developmentally able to be doing and properly listening - that will come!

One of my relationship goals for the year is around behaviour management and if I can nail FA2 then I think other elements of my practice will become easier.

So, how will I do this? Here is my game plan;

• Tell my mentor group what my goal is
• Practice with them

• get them to be noisy (FA6 or FA7!)
• call them to attention – using the 5 pattern clap we agreed on as a group of mentors
• practice the different techniques Kevin talked about;
• Sweep
• Praise
• Quiet voice
• Stance (body language), plus non verbal cues – wait with hands on head / shoulders etc so it is easy to see who is listening and focused
• Wait
• Tactical ignore (making it clear to all that I was ignoring the behaviour)
• State the obvious – in a neutral manner (so be careful about body language)
• Neutral prompt “NJ what should you be doing?”

Then I will need to be consistent in my actions and as Muireann said I just need to give it time so I will have to be careful that I don’t get impatient and lapse back into talking over them.

I’m going to monitor how I’m doing over the next couple of weeks and I have asked Muireann (and I will ask the other team members) to give me feedback based on this one (rather large) goal.

Appraisal Reflection

No matter what you call an appraisal it is still daunting – RSG (Reflect, Sharn and Grow) was a good way to think about it but at the end of the day I was still nervous!

The points that came out of it;

·      Acknowledgment and appreciation of my input into the team – taking it to the next level

·      Praise for demonstrating my understanding of the school’s values

·      Thanks for setting up systems for tracking student achievement – which I really enjoyed doing – my blue/green side coming out!

·      My goals have been aligned to the Shotover Teacher Criteria which gives me clear guidelines

·      Focus on relationships will continue

o   Immediate team is staying the same; which is awesome as these relationships have already been established.

o   New staff to connect with (and other habitat mentors)

o   New families and children to build relationships

§  Will use some release time to start this with children

·      Behaviour management is going to be a priority for me as I believe that to be effective you need good strong links with the children

·      Curriculum area to focus on will be Writing

o   Lots of goals in this area – making the progressions cognitively portable is a priority so I can confidently talk about next steps with the children

I was really happy with my appraisal and I feel valued and appreciated. I need to think of ways to support my professional development and development of my teaching.