My Journey with Seesaw

 

My journey with Seesaw started with the first COVID 19 lockdown in 2020. Our school had just received the update that NZ was moving into alert level 4 which meant that all of NZ will go into lockdown. From what I can recall, we had less then 48 hours to prepare distant learning materials for our students. As a Junior team, we had to consider what our hardcopy learning packs will look like and which online platform we will use for our students home learning. I am not quite sure how we came to the conclusion to use Seesaw but after briefly playing around with it, I was already excited by the prospect of using seesaw to deliver our online learning. Technology excites me and I always welcome the challenge to explore new applications that will benefit my students. I quickly found Seesaw easy to navigate both as a teacher and a mum. The availabilty of pre made activities was also very appealing as there was a wide range catered for all learning levels and needs. I enjoyed being able to create my own activities specifically aligned to what my students were already learning in the classroom.

To help our whanau navigate this new platform of learning, I took it upon myself to create a youtube video to show whanau how to log into Seesaw. Here is the video I created for our whanau:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3fuarIvEdU&t=82s 

I used screen recording to create my video, then uploaded it onto imovie before adding a voice over to match my screen recording. This was my first time doing something like this and I was absolutely estactic with how it turned out. Thinking about all the whanau that could benefit from this short video really motivated me to make this happen. I always want our community to feel completely supported especially with their children's learning. Since many of our families already feel uncomfortable about online learning, I wanted to remove as much barrier and doubts to using Seesaw. My hope was to show families that we are all in this together even in lockdown. 

Flash forward to 2021, we are now in lockdown again and I continue to exercise so much gratitude for Seesaw. This time round there was no rushing around and no sense of urgency to find an online method for learning. With new students who have all started school for the first time this year, I also had to keep in mind that Seesaw would also be completely new to whanau. Thankfully, I was already using seesaw in class to record students learning and share them with whanau in term 2. Although this direction was not given or forced on us by management, I took the initiative to continue Seesaw in my classroom practice. It made sense for me to use it as a reporting method to keep families updated on their children's learning. After all, Seesaw was created to better connect whanau, students and teachers. 

As I look through my active students journals on seesaw, I am amazed to see the progress they are making in their learning during lockdown. I enjoy being able to give daily feedback on their learning and share activities relevant to their interests. It has been wonderful to also see their confidence grow using Seesaw tools and icons. I hope in the near future, our school will strongly consider using Seesaw as a live reporting tool for whanau and students. In the meantime, I will continue to use Seesaw as a record of my students learning if not for their whanau then for my own evidence of teaching and learning. 

Moving Smart- Perceptual Motor Programme

Facilitator: Wendy Perera

Introduction:

• Moving smart is an education and professional development company with a unique focus on the role movement plays in early childhood development and readiness for formal learning.
• How important is movement to thinking and learning? How do we connect the three?
• Moving Child is a Learning Child- the why around child development
• Kinetic Classroom Practice- reading the moves e.g. roll, hang, spin and be upside down
• PMP Parent Workshop- end of March

Morning Session:

What is PMP?
- aims to develop automaticity of the physical foundations necessary for success in the classroom
- achieved by practicing movement over and over again
- automaticity: doing something without having to think about it
- on the road to automaticity- cognitive (modeling stage, associative- practice and feedback, automatic- transfer activity into game situation where skill is applied e.g. learning how to drive a car
- every little person goes through this process- cognitive, associative, autmomatic
- very reliant on connecting the language to experience because this is where the real learning happens e.g. directional language
- how do you know automaticity is happening- child is able to tell a story, sing a song while they are moving
- the story of Millie's milk- lack of automaticity e.g. pouring the milk (learning control and how much pressure to place linked to the ability to control handwriting)
- we want to layer the thinking task on top of the automated task
- monkey bars (handwriting warm-up)- holding the pencil- research linked better handwriting control to girls because they used the money bars more- monkey bars can do certificate
- money bar competition with ECE Centre
- allow children to practice the movement over and over again- we can individualise each activity
- aims to be preventative rather than curative
- for ALL children in the first 3 years of school, with the first yea being the most important
- preferable that the programme is started in the first term of the child's first year i school and as early as possible
- important for class teachers to be involved in at least some of the sessions each week even when specialist teachers are conducting the programme
- recommended sports for children up to 7 year old- swimming and gymnastics

Why PMP?
- developmentally based
- teaches the body first
- develops movements patterns needed for classroom
- sequential
- teaches ONE thinking task at once

PMP Components:

1. Floor Session
- music and mocement
- preparing the body first

2. Equipment Session
- eyehand/eyefoot coordination; balance, fitness, locomotion, eye tracking

3. Language Follow Up Session
- real to symbolic- making sense of language through real whole body experience

4. Evaluation
- providing an ongoing picture of what the child can or can't do

In Early years, the body teaches the brain!

Understanding the Brain and how this is important to PMP:
1.  Brain Stem- survival part of the brain
- houses body survival functions ad primitive reflexes
- reflexes that children are still retaining which causes dilemma in their progress
- sensory, vestibular (control balance and eye movements), proprioception (spacial awreness)
2. Mid-Brain- movement part of the brain
- movement and motor skills
- fundamental movement patterns
3. Limbic- feeling part of the brain
- emotional engagement
- understanding/interpreting emotional
- messages ( including body language)
4. Cortex- thinking part of the brain
- formal learning
- abstract thinking
- symbolic understanding
- consequential thinking

FROM 5-7 years of age our focus should be on the Survival and Movement part of the brain

Why are we expecting to teach our children ABC (Cortex part) when they are working on Mid-Brain???
- real vesus symbolic learning e.g. James counting

building language- 10 to 18 months of life

Reflexes: emerges, used and integrates
- postural reflex
- primitive reflex
- babinsky reflex
- vestibular/moro reflex
- palmar reflex- integrated before fine motor, gross motor skills, enjoy tactile/messy play/manipulative play

Balance- Vestibular System
- needed from birth
- slow rolling, spinning, hanging and moving e.g. rolling on the towel
- balance, language, vision, emotional, muscular development and concentration are enhanced by      vestibular movements
- stimulates the reticular activating systeme to wake up the thinking brain e.g. James rocking side to side on the mat- by moving, it makes the cortex part of the brain activate

Reading the moves
- the spinner
- the chair tipper spinning
- the fidgeter
- the pencil breaker
- the fist
- the letter reverser
- the pretzel
- the mouth- motor overflow
- the slumber
- the toucher
- the clumper- no spacing

Bi-Laterality- mirrored movements
Homo-Laterilty- one-sided movements
Laterality- opposition movement
Cross-laterality- cross the midline

Times are changing- containersation
- technology
- safety restrictions
- stranger danger
- baby aids
- busy lifestyle

Intuition- proprioception- the sense of me
position- where am I
space- do I fit?
force- how hard do I push/pull
body awareness- what do I look like

real to symbolic e.g. a is for

What am I going to try:
- happy sticks warm up for handwriting
- sheep and cow gates- moo, baa
- crossing the midline activities
- creating more floor space in the classroom for movement e.g. crawling, rocking
-  real learning that can be transferred to symbolic learning 


Evaluation:

2019 KPS Callback Day 3

Intended Outcomes for today
- Vision and Values (What is this going to look like at our school)
- Long term planning but also moving away from being compliant (maintain a sense of autonomy and agency around our planning)
- Commitment to Actions- making sure we carry through with what we say


Goals this week- What does success mean at KPS for our students?

What is our role in helping our students find/seek success?

 This is what our group came up with:

Collective Summary


What planning is and isn't?
Some points to ponder:
The rules around planning works around our children.
Planning isn't just a fixed/generic template or graphic organiser- it has to be responsive to need.
Allowance to work in a way we work best- what works best for you?

Difference between long term and short term planning?



So.....what do we want in our long term planning?

• provocative statement, big question or idea
• where students are now
• intended outcomes
• vision and values
• time-frame
• learning experiences and resources?
• evaluation

Key Learning from today:

- long term planning is the skeleton

- weekly/daily planning is the flesh

- no set template for planning- use what works for you!

What am I going to try?

- allocate half an hour after school reflecting on my daily planning- take notes as I teach 

- go digital- reflections/anecdotal notes/observations in blue

- planning around the needs of ALL my students (not just thinking of them as groups of students i.e. red/yellow/blue readers, stage 1/2/3 math group)

Deep Learning

Deep Learning- Margot McKeegan

Objectives:
NPDL- the big picture

Linking to our why

Understanding the new pedagogies for deep learning

What does this look like

Reflect on what participation in the programme involves

Why deep learning? Why now?
Real life learning that stick with you
To foster deep learning so that all learners contribute to the common good. Address global challenges

and flourish in a complex world

Students talk about their learning- what do students at your school think about learning?
Really understanding we want to deepen our students learning- how are we going to challenge them,

empower them and make them active learners??

Michael Fullen

Deep Learning Competencies- 6 C’s

Tools for shifting practice

process + suite of tools
Collaborative Inquiry Cycle

Learning conditions- what deep learning is happening in the school?

New pedagogies- how do we think about our design? How do we measure?

Deep learning outcomes- linked back to the 6 C’s

2019 Callback Day 2

Intended Outcomes for today:
To develop a shared understanding of

• our school vision
• our school values
• longer term planning expectations

Two key ideas to ponder:

1. True innovation requires failure so don't expect to get it right on the first go

2. Focus on the important stuff- what is really important?

Why is it important to know our values?

At Kingsford School:

Manaakitanga is being caring and supportive

Hiringa is persevering when faced with challenge

Whanaungatanga is making connections and growing relationships

Pono is to act with honesty and integrity

Whakaute is respecting oursleves, others and our environment

Questions/Wondering:

What does success have to do with happiness?

If we know what our students are passionate about, why can't we use this to drive their academic success?

What does Whanaungatanga mean to me?

2019 KPS Callback Day 1

23rd January 2019

Intended outcomes:
To have a shared understanding of:

• Our school vision- Rapua te pai
• How we will know we have achieved our vision
• Our role in ensuring we achieve our school vision
• Re-establishing our school values- what do the values mean and look like in our school?

Whakatauki:

E hare taku toa, he takitaho, he toa takitini.

Success does not come from the efforts of one alone, rather from the efforts of the collective.

Ways of working- we all have something to contribute here, we all have something to learn.

I am here to be challenged in my thinking, just as I am here to challenge your thinking.

Our theme for this year is to not rush:
making sure we see things through and finding a balance/firm pathway to where we want to go

Outcomes for the day:
Share key learning outcomes
Co construct-  what would you like to leave this room knowing (within the broad outcomes for the
session?)

What is sitting front and centre for you at the moment?

Reading: https://velvetchainsaw.com/2012/01/31/10-brainbased-learning-laws-that-trump-traditional-
education/

Reflection: catch the wave, ride the wave (picture activity)

What does success mean for KPS? (Group discussion/reflection) uploaded onto
KPS Learning Community
https://plus.google.com/communities/114290378926258131327?sqinv=WFJkNGRrd0VCSjk4ZzBrcmd
1Skd3V0c5aWZTdEVnhttps://plus.google.com/communities/114290378926258131327?sqinv=WFJkN
GRrd0VCSjk4ZzBrcmd1Skd3V0c5aWZTdEVn

School Values- how are we going to define them and what will they look like in our school?

• Pono- At Kingsford School Pono is
• Whanaungatanga- At Kingsford School Whanaungatanga is...
• Hiringa- At Kingsford School Hiringa is ...
• Manaakitanga- At Kingsford School Manaakitanga is...
• Whakaute- At Kingsford School Whakaute is...

Reflection:

Making connections

Anna asked us to choose a picture we were instantly drawn too and within our group explain two
things.

1. Why we chose that image?
2. Come up with a motto inspired by the image relating to our practice

Along with Allen and Anna, I picked the image of the wave. It was wonderful to see that all three of us
connected the image to time with whanau from the past and present. I talked about the image as a
reminder of  going up North with my family to see the beaches and catching a good surf.

Allen had an interesting perspective on the image relating it to how children are often unpredictable
just like the ocean. Anna added to this by saying that the wave reminds her of times where teachers
are sometimes riding the wave or being thrown under the turnover. In other words, we all have our
good days and our bad ones too.

For me, I shared that the image reminded me to catch the wave of opportunities; take risks,
try new things! Last year as a first year BT, my goals were mainly centred around classroom
management and behaviour management. This year I would like to use the concept of catching the
wave to create a classroom culture of opportunities not only for myself but also for my students.

KPS Noho at Mataatua Marae

Facilitator: Henare King

Notes:
- powhiri- he tamariki, he tamariki, hetamriki (Chris)
- understanding tikanga versus learning te reo
- taunga of a name- every name has a story
- team building exercise- creating a song that relfects the experience of tangata whenua and the taking of their land
- student achievement versus whanau engagement

What was the highlight?
- making connections with my colleagues and learning more about their history, whakapapa and identity
- unity as a staff
- learning about good tikanga- transferring this back to our school and classroom

What aspect caused you the most diffilculty?
- having to be brutally honest with others and myself
- watching colleagues and friends express some very uncomfortable and painful stories

Was there any aspect that suprised you?
- 

Which aspects could you include in your own practice based on your learning experience?
- to develop an open classroom practice where parents/whanau are free to come inside and wait for their children, read to their children, write with their children, learn with their children
- to build a mana of tikanaga in the classroom e.g introducing waiata, karakia, pepeha and rakau games