The Golden Circle

Big discussion today about the BT induction in relation to the 3 circles – “why” (belief), “how” (principles) and “what” (practices). “Why” being the thinking circle, the fundamentals of your beliefs, the “how” being the principles surrounding those beliefs – the practicalities of how that can happen and the “what” being the actual practice – the doing.

Easiest circle is the outer one, the what – what do we do, or need to do. But there needs to change in the way of thinking so the focus is on the inner circle – the “why” are we going to do something (and not because we have to!). From the why we can then come to the how and then the what.

“What” is easiest to articulate simply because it is what we do, all the time. This is at the forefront of our mind, it’s what we do all day, everyday. I guess it could be thought of as the habits of doing and we all know just how hard it is to break bad habits! We need to flip this so at the forefront of mind is the why of something which will then make sure our actions are “justified”.

When coming up with plans we need to be able to validate an outer circle action using the two inner circles. For a BT Induction programme the what might be an observation, the how is that it needs to be done in a trusting, respectful manner, leading back to the belief that we are marrying the theory of teaching with the actual realities.

If an action on the outside doesn’t link with the principle of how it can happen or the why it should happen, then it is an action that needs to be re-thought. For example the practice of doing a running record each term…ask why? If it’s because you always have then that isn’t a good enough answer to justify the practice. It needs to connect with the belief (at SPS) that assessment is “for” learning not about learning. Therefore a running record should be done only to increase your understanding of the strategies being used so you can use this to improve the learning experience…. It becomes a “for” learning not an “of” learning practice.

Lots of food for thought with this discussion on the simplicity of 3 circles which should turn how you think upside down.

Week 1: Done and Dusted!

Congratulations, Tetli. Your first week is done and we are loving having you on board! Your focus this week has been about orientation including getting to know the children, the team and the ins and outs of what this space looks like...

At our first meeting, we had a very informal chat about the week that was including different learning and teaching models and the value that we hold with regards to relationships, trust and transparency. 

The learning, un-learning and re-learning is obviously going to be an on-going part of our cycle which presents a true "Climate of Possibility" in everything we do at SPS. There are many themes from the 'backwards bicycle metaphor that we can use to support our conversations and our journey.

Your timing is impeccable and reiterates the AKO model. From your induction, I too am learning and testing some of the micro stuff based on your feedback. It is hard to believe that we overlooked the traditional right of passage into a school ie, the key and PIN to the alarm! Instead I was determined to ensure that you were connected and able to collaborate from the start which meant ensuring your iPad and MacBook were good to go.

t's got me wondering if that's also an indication that the shift in our beliefs about belonging are changing also?

Tetli, as your Teaching as Inquiry blog evolves, it would be great to see the trends in your reflections related to the SPS Teacher Criteria. I suggest you get into the habit of labelling your posts with the relevant criteria. The word cloud created from your labels will help you track your reflections and growth in each dimension. Here's a wee cheat sheet that shows you how to pre-set your labels. 

Next week, we will meet with Ben and begin to develop our beliefs, principles and practices about working towards full registration and the mentoring programme. I am looking forward to learning with you, Tetli! 

Week 1 at SPS

Week 1 - Amazing is the one word summary. Was scared at the thought of not having a real "purpose" in the Innovative Learning Environment as all the other mentors are carrying on as normal, but my fear did not eventuate.
Day 1, Blue pebble Maths group
Day 2, Starlings and Waxeyes Reading groups
Day 4, Sparrows Reading group
Week 2 will be planning for Ben 10 writing group and teaching Ben 10 and Thunderbirds groups.

SPS really do walk-the-talk of collaboration. We're each planning different writing groups but not teaching all the lessons, PE we've decided on a theme and will follow the same lesson plan, reading groups are taken from each mentor group, as are maths groups. Concept time is a time to dig deeper and cover multiple curriculum areas, and there is still space in the week for a "joy"session - doing what you love as a learner / mentor. What more can you ask for?! 

It's the little things that help too.... SPS use hangouts to communicate with each other so there aren't 15 new emails every time you look at your computer. Discussing students is easy as all mentors are accessible, open and right there when you need them. Feedback is immediate, if you make a mistake and another mentor is there it is easily fixed (such as phonics - it's mmmmmm, not m m m!).

Then there is also the bonus of being surrounded by amazing mentors, absorbing what, why and how they do things to add to your repertoire. It is easy to feel somewhat daunted by this too, as they are incredible, but with a growth mindset I know my beliefs, principles and practices will just get refined and improved which can only be a good thing for the learners.

#mlap14 Maths Like a Pirate

I was a bit mean, on the timetable I put "MLP" and had them guessing what it meant. They all thought it stood for Maths, Literacy and Painting! Little did they know!!

Maths like a Pirate (#mlap14) has been amazing. Challenge 1 – bridge building was great, all students actively engaged in their mixed ability groups, and so competitive…a perfect example of collaboration and competition as per an #edchatnz twitter chat of a couple of weeks ago. 

Students identified so many areas of maths that were used and their bridges were all very different…one even held the weight of an average sized year 3 boy!  

 The marble run wasn’t quite as successful which I attribute to tiredness from camp and the fact that not all students knew what a marble run was! 

Discussion about why it is Maths like a Pirate and not a Princess or Dinosaur was interesting, students came up with team work, having fun and getting the treasure… a good start! Looking forward to this week’s build a tower from tooth picks and marshmallows!

Will check on the school's policy about posting photos on the web before adding to the #mlap14 blog.

Coming up for air!

Well I feel I can finally come up for some air! Two weeks of my own classroom and i’ve just about stopped looking over my shoulder waiting for feedback or suggestions about how to do things!

Being in someone else’s classroom is a blessing and a curse….so many resources, but finding what fits for me has been challenging and time consuming. I found that I wanted to use everything, and so became slightly over whelmed about what was available. The way I have overcome this at the moment has been to look at my plans and what needs to be achieved and then find the resources to fit. At first, I had the resources and tried to get the learning to fit…completely the wrong way to do things! It’s all about the learning – for me and my students!

What has also helped me cope has been 2 planning days; my class went to camp without me, so I was able to re-arrange the classroom so less students had their backs to the whiteboard, put up my resources to support the learning, and generally make it mine! I feel like I’m wearing my own shoes now, not someone else’s.

Can’t believe 2 weeks are done and only 5 more until the end of the year. Two jobs have come up at QPS so will be applying for them…fingers crossed!

SOLO

Before the previous teacher left I quizzed her on the use of SOLO within the classroom as I know it is used further up the school. She hasn't used it so a challenge I have set myself is to start using SOLO within the classroom. Might be slightly optimistic as there are only 7 weeks of school left for the year but if all I have achieved is that the students have an understanding of the different levels and how they can help them then that will be something!

I also believe it will be a great tool for extending some and encouraging others and unless I try I don't know how it will go down! Room 14 are going to be my guinea pigs!! Bring on the hexagons for tomorrow!!

Tomorrow....

Wow, one more sleep until I make room 14 all my own! Amazing the amount of planning I have already done...probably enough to see me through the first 3 weeks but I guess that is part of the joy of being a beginning teacher - you don't really know what will keep their interest, what learning will be achieved, what level they are at, and so on, until you are in the classroom and have started building those relationships. I would much rather over plan though than under plan and look like a lemon! The students don't know what I intend to cram into their day so if it's not all achieved it doesn't really matter!

Getting excited now!!