Toolkits

STEM

I attended the STEM workshop at the Te Ara Tuhura Toolkits run by the Manaiakalani cluster. I had not done a lot in this area and so was interested in how STEM is done in a classroom setting. The teachers who took it dedicated a whole morning to this STEM activity. The environment in which they taught this was a bilingual one in which there were children from the age of 5 to 11 years.

The process in which they went through was provocation, planning, creating, sharing and reflecting. They came up with most provocations themselves or gained a few ideas from the internet. I found this interesting as I think for me this would be a challenge to come up with something each week. They said it becomes easier the more you do it and if you just think about the things that are happening then it will help to come up with something. I like the planning process as it was detailed and there was a criteria for them to gain more points. I think I would adjust this slightly as the year went on to challenge them more. I would also be clear about the roles in which they do to help ensure everyone participates.
During the creating process the teachers explained they do not spend a lot on the equipment given. This made me think that it is an accessible activity for all. The sharing part is important and very much fit it in with the Manaiakalani way of thinking with putting an importance on sharing. This was done orally, however this could be done in other ways as well. The reflection process that they have just put in place would be interesting with the young ones, but she said they sometimes just orally say it. The reflection side of things would just finish things off nicely for the whole process.
I can see how this approach can help with our work with the children on improving their collaborative skills. It covers many areas of the curriculum which is great. I would like to try this approach to learning at some stage and would enjoy the challenge of coming up with a good provocation.

I am an Educator , I am an Innovator

The Mantra of An Innovative Educator (Video)

November 21, 2016 by George

I watched the video for this and some things resonated with me. Some of the statements are something that I think about or currently do. At first I had to really think what and how these people are innovators as it is not something I normally would call a teacher or myself.
There have been many changes in education in the time that I have been a teacher and being open to new learning is very important. I believe I do this and and love hearing about what people are up to that is different and think that it is important to not think that everything has to stay the same. I admit there are a few things that in my years of teaching that I have liked and struggled initially to change. But I have pushed myself to get past this and have been rewarded with learning new things and making positive changes to my teaching.

Working in a collaborative environment really helps to establish important relationships with my colleagues. It also helps with challenging my ideas and helps to spark new ideas in my teaching. It is good to get different perspectives on things which you can get from your colleagues when you are working in a group.

After watching the video and having a think about what they are saying I am beginning to understand the statement I am an educator I am an innovative. 

"I listen and learn from different perspectives, because I know we are much better together than we could ever be alone. I can learn from anyone and any situation."

More Talking in Math Class, Please

by Jeannie Curtis

George Lucas Educational Foundation

In this article Jeannie Curtis breaks things down into three tips on guiding math talks. 

1.  Spend Time Discussing Just One Math Problem- The purpose of this is so that the children answer this question in depth and use more than one strategy. This reinforces something I already do with my children by encouraging them to use more than one strategy however they have not really done this in a problem solving approach. 

2. Use the Power of Think, Pair, Share- I have used this method many a times and can definitely see the benefit of it when doing problem solving. By doing this it is does allow children to have more time to think about their answer and to gain confidence before they share in front of the class. 

3. Take Advantage of Discussion Aids- Use math tools, visuals and language support. I really like the language support idea and I plan to use these sentences including some others I will look for. 

I see that you used Math Practice _____when you __________

I think it would be more efficient to ___________

I will use your strategy next time because ____________

The part of your strategy I do/don not understand is ____________

When I was stuck I ___________

The most challenging part for me was _____________________

A challenge I have is it is important for me to observe the children in their talking so I can have an understanding of where they are at in their understanding and how much maths talk they use. 

Something positive I got from this article was that the children listen, watch and discuss maths and the more they do this the deeper understanding they gain. When the children listen to their peers then they can see patterns and make connections. The children will hear other ways to attempt problems which will definitely help them and open them up to new learning.