Getting better

I'm having a better time at school now. I have basically taken over most of the class time except for about 5% of the class. My mentor teacher is taking the year 3's for maths.

This week while naplan is on I have been taking the 4's and one year 5 student on a design and technology activity. They were given instructions to build a shelter with the materials provided and to make it water proof. This activity includes students from may different levels of readiness and requires students to discuss in groups, find each others strengths to help with the building of this structure. I have also included all the instructions for this activity in a group folder. 

I am also taking every student for spelling. There are four groups all with different needs. The hardest part of planning this is the notes for the SSO each week. They take the three dyslexic students who have an IEP.

This is also a outline of my natural maths timetable for the week. This is from week 1 and I have edited it for week 3-4 for multiplication. 

Success!

Much better day today and yesterday! Was able to control the class better and managed my time well. I lowered my voice more in class today as well which seemed to be very effective to grab attention and was great for my throat.

Tomorrow is the end of the week and the students are finishing a timeline assessment for history. I have assessed most of the students maths unit so I am feeling pretty good!
 

I am just hoping the rain stays away for p.e tomorrow.

I have also reflected on how inclusion can be incorporated into my classes more. I have reflected on my groups and I am now more aware of certain students needs in these groups. Especially  the hearing impaired child, I have to actively be aware of where he is sitting in the group so he can hear the other students. I also have to move them to other areas so it is quieter for them. I have tried to make groups for non-literacy lessons to have higher and lower readiness students in them. This is to increase lower readiness students participation at a higher learning level. I have to be constantly aware of where my hearing impaired student is at all time. Especially in P.E where I do not have a microphone. This child needs to be close to me to hear my voice while out doors.
This is something that was discussed in EDUC4720 about accommodating the environment and my teaching approach to help all children equally. While it sounds like hard work in writing, it actually felt very natural and important to me to make sure this child was able to hear me.


Below are some notes from observations and planning from my notebook.

This is from watching my mentor teacher and making notes about what she is doing in class. I am making careful notes on the types of language she is using, especially questions.

This is a plan for my information report learning task. I was discussing with my Uni-liason officer about how I could differentiate this learning task for all readiness levels.

Struggletown

I had a struggle day today. I had planned for a NIT that I thought I had to do some planning. I was told as I was about to leave that it wasn't a NIT. CRASH BANG eeeeek. That's what my brain said to me.
Alternate plan. Planning for 15mins at Recess. I managed to do it all but felt rushed and hungry and tired for the rest of the day. I would like to say I managed but I don't know if I did.

A positive from the day- I managed to improvise a section of my guided reading when I found out I didn't have enough books. I split the threes from the 4's and 5's.

Note to think about- grouping for history. How can I make it better for tomorrow so they optimize their learning?


I have also reflected on how my classes are going in History. I am finding this class a challenge to differentiate but also rewarding. So far I have included a menu activity for the students exploration of the Peramangk people. I have also used the grouping chart to help with this. I have changed groups from 7 to 3 as this was more manageable.  I feel the differentiation is going well and students are working to their ZPD. While a lot of students need help to guide them on their way, once they have an idea, they can work independently.

Even though I have put all the information in the task folders so I do not have to explain 4 lots of instructions, I am still spending a lot of time in class being bombarded by students who want help. By bombarded I mean, they constantly come up to me to ask the simplest of questions such as "can I use pen instead of pencil". Students will be lining up 3-4 at a time to ask these questions while I am trying to give my attention to a student who needs help.

Due to this I have made a new technique to help me in class. This will also help with students to maintain a learning flow in the class. I have made a concierge board. Students will write their name on the board if they want help and then they go back to their desks and continue their work until I come to them. It is so far working really well and I feel less stressed with 4 students following me all the time and not learning! 

 I used this from the first assignment.
I have also allowed students to type their answers if they are struggling with writing. This was a reflection from the assignments.


Something else that I am doing this week and is allowing a student to attend the year 6/7 math classes. This student is a dyslexic year 5 student but excels at Maths. After discussion with the Mentor teacher, the 6/7 teacher and the Principal, we are trialling this student in the 6/7 class to see how he goes. I thought this would be a good idea as this student lacks confident in some areas of school due to his dyslexia and this extension will boost his confidence.  I thought about this idea after attending a dyslexia PD day as well as reading from the article by Krause (2010). This student has special needs in a disability but also has special needs for his high mathematical ability. He will also be able to attend the year 4/5 math lessons as well on some days of the week so he doesn't feel left out from his class and what they are learning. I am going see how he is going after two weeks and talk with him to see if he is enjoying it.


Krause, Kerri-Lee Dawn 2010, 'Learners with special needs and inclusive education', in Krause, Kerri-Lee Dawn, Educational psychology for learning and teaching, 3rd edn, Cengage Learning Australia, South Melbourne, Vic., pp. 326-363.

Week 3- taking spelling

This week I am taking all the classes now. This includes spelling where I have to make 4 groups with different content in each group. I also have to make SSO notes for the three dyslexic students who need aid during this lesson.
I think I have created a pretty good spelling timetable for this week. I allow each group to work independently but with guidance from myself. There is a Jolly grammar group, and extension group and two IEP groups.


I have reflected on my week two history learning task and I feel that my grouping went well. I originally placed students into three groups of seven and this caused chaos in the classroom. No one was helping anyone, people were being left out of discussions and learning was not happening.

I changed the groups to 7 groups of 3 and Hey presto! things began to change. I feel the way I differentiated the groups worked well to accommodate the students readiness. Those who had access to all of the sources were able to find the information needed and those who had access to no sources were able to go away and search for themselves.

I feel that differentiation is  becoming more of a habit with me in the classroom and I am constantly thinking about what to do next, with each student. I have been reflecting on the reading by Heacox (2009) and how make differentiation more natural and I am picking up on more habits here and their in my planning. While this reading reflects on gifted students, I am using her ideas during planning such as using feedback more, using technology, using rubrics and having anchor activities.



Only thing I would change is having students create a timeline on the computer for those who had trouble writing and spelling.

This weeks history learning task is to create a journal entry as if they were a famous explorer. Students will have the same task, but will have different access to sources and have the option of typing or cursive writing their journal entries depending on their readiness. 


Below are the different grouping information for my spelling unit this week.

Heacox, Diane 2009, 'Critical element: differentiating for gifted and talented learners', in Heacox, Diane, Making differentiation a habit: how to ensure success in academically diverse classrooms, Free Spirit Pub, Minneapolis, MN, pp. 136-152.

Week 2 ready to go

This week I am taking 85% of the classes. I am constantly thinking about differentiation and inclusion and how to incorporate this into my lessons.
For history this week, students are making routes and a timeline for history. All students will be doing the same task but they will be differentiated on their ability to research. Each group will be given a certain amount of resources to use and one group will have none given to them which means that they have to find all their sources them self. 

I am wondering if setting up a task like this is enough differentiation for the students in my class. As I am in a class with three different year levels and each of them with different abilities, I feel a little over my head in preparing work for them. I think my pre-assessments and formative assessment is helping me group my students into appropriate groups. I am just wondering if they will work to their Zone of Proximal development with the groups I have placed them in.

I also stress with these readiness groups, that I am not allowing for inclusion for the students to development their learning. While all students are being accessed to the same learning content, I feel that they will not work to the best of their ability in their groups.

I will just have to see how this week goes and reflect on it at the end.

I have spent all of Sunday and a little bit of yesterday getting the lesson plans and unit details ready for my placement teacher on Monday. This is my effort so far. It covers all lesson plans up until Wednesday.

A lot of work but I'm prepared for it.

Thursday week 1 + School information

I was feeling a bit stressed and tired this week. So many expectations and I don't know if I am meeting them all. I am overwhelmed with the amount of lesson plans I need to write and the time it takes to do this. I feel like I can present a lesson well in my head but writing it down adds new meaning to it. So far this week I have successfully pre-assessed students on prior knowledge on the discovery of Australia and I have differentiated this students into appropriate learning groups. Whether or not my groups are actually hitting the correct ZPD, I don't know yet. Bonus- I have figured out how to play capture the flag and have put the students in charge to set it up.
 Doing less work is good when the outcome is the same.

Lessons taught today: Fitness, Oral language, Maths, History, and Non-fiction Big day.  


School information:
Below is some information about the school from their website: http://www.heathfieldps.sa.edu.au/.
We are pleased you have taken time to visit our website. We are proud of our school and its long tradition of educational excellence.
Our school motto of Harmony, Progress, Success reflects the friendly, supportive and challenging learning environment of our workplace where children to develop skills, capabilities, understandings and dispositions to be effective citizens and responsible decision makers in a changing global society.
Our school values of Respect, Optimism, Dynamic Learning and Community are reflected in our learning programs and daily practice.

Our Site Learning Plan targets resources to: "enable learners to productively engage with changing times".
Our objectives are:

• the development of learners as powerful users of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technologies
• to develop students as socially responsible, empathetic and active decision makers.

Priority areas for this year include

• Literacy and Numeracy
• ICT new Technologies
• Science
• Student Leadership and Wellbeing
• Inclusive Practice
• Environmental Sustainability
• Global Perspectives

Features of Educational Program

• Indonesian as a second language
• Strong focus in Early Intervention, Assessment/Reporting and Literacy inclusive practice
• Strong focus on information and communication technology being integrated into all learning areas
• A focus on the outdoor learning environment including involvement in the development and maintenance of classroom gardens, maintenance and care of chooks and chook house. Green thumbs gardening group
• Continued focus and priority placed on the development of social skills
• Strong student voice structures
• Very effective and consistent behaviour management practices supported by a cross age buddy system
• Learning Assistance Program (LAP) and quality Special Education Support
• Clear and effective transition processes for preschool to reception students and Yr7 to Yr8
• A preferred policy of beginning of term enrolment for Reception children. This is negotiated with the parents and school staff
• A well equipped Resource Centre
• Private instrumental music program offering tuition in piano, guitar, trombone and flute
• School choir participation in the Festival of Music
• Extensive utilisation of the expertise of local community members to enrich the learning programs
• Strong links with Heathfield High, our local secondary school

• Co-Curricula Opportunities

  Heathfield Primary School has a reputation for providing a rich plethora of extra curricula opportunities for the students. This is possible due to the dedicated staff and the supportive parent body.
  Heathfield Primary School operates as an enthusiastic, cohesive community working together to produce an excellent learning environment for children
• 
  Sourced from  http://www.heathfieldps.sa.edu.au/. retrieved on the 05/02/2014.
   

During my first week at school (the planning week) there were many discussions that reflected these schools policies and ideas. It was evident from the start that the principal was highly involved in improving student literacy and mathematics ability while also maintaining classroom focus on students well being. This was through the play is the way program. It was also evident that the principal was highly focused on those students who need extra help and attention in class. He wished to review and update all IEP's for these students with the aim to reflect on what was going well and what needed to be improved on. 

My overall first opinion of this school was that it is a very friendly, warm and welcoming school that aims to create a learning environment to help all students achieve their best.

Day one and more school profile

Today I taught three lessons; Fitness (20mins), Maths (50mins) and Non-Fiction genre (50mins). The fitness lesson was a running game involving pegs and strategies. The maths unit was decided by the classroom teacher and we are focusing on decimals and Fractions. In the afternoon I had NIT. I felt that I had prepared very well for this day in particular in the holidays. I did however feel extremely nervous and felt I mumbled through my words. Good day Lesson plans Below: 

I put aims at the beginning of my lesson plans so I can say this to the students. This way they 100% understand what the learning intention is for the lesson.

 My grouping chart that I am going to be using throughout the 6 weeks. I took this idea from a Tomlinson video from a tutorial. It is the most effective and easiest way to put children into groups!I change it for each class and the students quickly go up to the chart to check what group they are in and then make their groups. I had to practice with the students for the first lesson to get into the groups as quickly as they could, but since then it has been smooth sailing. I LOVE THIS CHART!


 SCHOOL PROFILE:

Today I had a discussion with the school principal and the year 6/7 teacher. We talked about the school policies and lunch time enrichment programs. HPS has a large school grounds and students are encouraged to explore the grounds during play time. There are a lot of natural play equipment including a "pines' area where children are allowed to build cubbys using found materials. Students also have gardening programs, chicken programs, sustainability programs and team building programs during lunch time. The school also has active after school programs to encourage participation in sport.

The year 6/7 teacher informed me of the ways she plans in the classroom. She has 3 students with disabilities and has to differentiate the class to aid in their learning. These students have problems with literacy and some mathematics. The teacher actively plans around readiness and also inclusion which is important in a composite class. She has stated that she is finding the history curriculum difficult when the year 6 students are doing Australian History and the year 7 students are doing ancient Greece.  For this class, she has to separate the two year levels and then group the classes again depending on readiness. She allows for all students to access the content from the curriculum but at their own level.

In week 2 of term 1 I also drew a outline of my 3/4/5 class. It shows the 4 tables for grouping. Each table has a year 3 student on it and a year 4. Students have been placed in certain areas of the classroom to accommodate any special needs. She has placed the hearing impaired student near the speaker system, the student with anxiety near the front of the class and one student with dyslexia near the front of the class.