Methods:
Timetabling
Core subjects; Reading, Language & Maths will be taught for hour blocks each day. We are committed to ensuring that the components of the subjects have time allocated to them, are planned for and taught and that the outcomes can be viewed by Senior Staff.
This is not to remove the ability for teachers to integrate skills and processes, but to ensure that important components are not getting forgotten or
left out.
The Hour Block should include:
Maths
Basic Facts/Tables
Maintenance of concepts
Instruction
Group Work/Practice/Production
Conclusion
Reading
Shared Reading
Instruction
Group Work/Practice/Production
Reading To
Conclusion
Language
Oral
Spelling
Instruction
Group Work/Practice/Production
Conclusion
(In Jnr Classes, Handwriting will be included, in Y3 - 8 it will probably have to be held at another time)
Planning & Support
Toni is the Learning Co-ordinator for Pt England School. She will oversee Team and class programmes and liaise with contractors and facilitators. She will maintain an overview of how learning is delivered at this school. Toni will act as convenor of the Learning Pt. Committee which is made up of Russell, Garth, Kent, Toni, Keri, Helen Squires. Russell, Kent, Garth & Toni will also be responsible for in-class support and monitoring of the Pt England Planning and Learning Models and for the overall plan of staff mtgs, scheduled professional development and feed back to teachers.
We will continue to provide whole team release as regularly and for as long as we can afford and organise. We have kept Fridays free of Withdrawal Programmes so that we can use our specialist staff as release teachers. We would also use that opportunity to provide team training for our specialists so that all staff benefit from this arrangement.
We will follow a cycle of planning and training, followed by trial, practice, support and feedback, followed by analysis and evaluation, giving rise to further planning and training.
General
We still want teachers to exercise their judgement about the curriculum as they plan and teach. Plan for variations where appropriate for your class. When teaching, vary the time as appropriate. The Learning Principles are a guide to underpin our programmes and a way of shifting the focus in our planning and teaching.
Implementation
Teachers will:
use google sites to store planning
store student data in google docs, google sites
set achievement objectives that can be transferred to parent reports
adapt the use of learning tools to suit the level of groups and individuals
move students on a continuum from more teacher directed learning to more learner directed learning
develop rubrics for assessment that are understood by the learner and are clearly enunciated before work begins
provide meaningful feedback for student's work, using a variety of methods, to ensure all work is valued and leads to improvement
record assessment on rubrics in such a way that it can be stored in student portfolios and provide meaningful feedback to parents
as far as possible display timetables, rosters, learning intentions and plans for learning on classroom walls or dashboard as an aid to learning -
display strategies for thinking, problem solving and examples of learning processes on classroom walls/sites
plan rich tasks that promote higher order/critical thinking and learning
plan and teach with NESB approaches and agreed Literacy/Numeracy/Foundations approaches in mind.
provide daily opportunities for reflection and student voice
Embed Learn Create Share in the programme
Practices & Approaches
Teachers will select approaches that:
actively involve students in the planning, organisation and evaluation of their learning
assist students to progressively take responsibility for their own learning
build upon previous learning and develop new learning
cater for the diversity of students' learning styles
encourage student autonomy, initiative and risk taking
use raw data and primary sources along with manipulative, interactive and physical materials
offer students opportunities for success and support their self esteem and confidence
use enquiry processes, experimentation and constructivist activities to develop and challenge learning
encourage student inquiry by asking open ended questions and seeking elaboration of student initial responses
enhance cooperation, support and collaboration between students and between students, teachers and parents
value all curriculum areas and integrate where appropriate
encourage children to develop thinking skills as one of their strategies to improve learning
use Integrated Inquiry and e-learning as a major means of developing thinking skills
use classroom environment and display as a major means of consolidating the learning model throughout the school
Evaluation and Reflection
Evaluation and Reflection are essential aspects of the Pt. England Way and are powerful strategies to enhance teaching and learning. The co-constructivist and metacognitive approach used at this school rely upon the ability of the staff and the children to think their way through teaching and learning in both Foundations and Thematic work. Many opportunities arise or are planned into the classroom activities that enable the teachers and the children to evaluate themselves against a learning intention, rubric criteria or general expectation. This process not only involves critical thinking for academic work but also sports, health, behaviour, standards and values. Reflection leads to goal setting and improvement in skills, strategies, processes and attitudes.
The notes from school wide reflection and evaluation sessions are kept on google sites.
Formal Evaluation sessions carried out by staff:
Unit Plans
Teaching sessions
Special programmes
Professional Development
Events - cultural and sporting
School - wide initiatives
These sessions take place in the appropriate setting:
Team meetings
Staff meetings,
Special meetings,
Discussion groups,
Management meetings
B.O.T.
Curriculum groups
Online docs and sites
Children and Staff follow a similar method when Evaluating and Reflecting:
Usually the focus is ...
What were we trying to achieve?
Did we achieve it?
What worked well?
What didn't work well?
How do we know?
What are we going to do about it?
Helpful tools often used at this school are: P.M.I. Plus, Minus and Interesting - The Thinking Hats
These tools are simple and graphic and keep the process focused on the main idea.
Self Evaluation and reflective practice is an integral part of all planning and teaching, and in the more formal Coaching and Appraisal process.
Children are introduced to self evaluation and reflection about their own learning and behaviour and that of their peers, from the age of 5. The process continues throughout their 8 years at this school and is imbedded into all leaning. The skills will transfer to their life outside the school room and enable them to make appropriate decisions about their own lives.
When students share their work on their blogs they have to opportunity to reflect and evaluate their own and other's work. Teachers, Whanau, peers and the wider community also contribute to the reflection and evaluation process.
Parents are invited to reflect and evaluate aspects of the school programmes, events, focus points,
achievement levels and general issues when they attend Home/School Partnership Meetings twice per term. Issues are raised and in ethnic discussion groups parents freely talk about their feelings, ideas about the school and their hopes for the future. The direction the school has moved in has been fully discussed and reflected upon by the whanau and community members who attend the meetings.
Evaluation and reflection are an integral aspect of all teaching and learning and empower staff and children to participate in an ever increasing level of achievement at Pt. England School by inquiring into their practice.