Kia Ora,
My Name is Clarelle Carruthers. I am a passionate teacher currently teaching in a year 3/4 Class at Pt England School. I love teaching in a 1-1 digital classroom and embrace the Learn, Create, Share pedagogy. I have taught with both Chromebooks and iPads in my 5 years at Pt England school.
Personal Statement
I love teaching and feel lucky every day to have such a rewarding career. It is a great privilege and responsibility to teach the diverse range of learners who come to our school from many cultures, with a range of abilities and interests. I strive to be culturally responsive in everything I do as a teacher and actively reflect on my practice seeking advice from others and literature when I am unsure. Teaching for me is also about intervention, looking at learners needs and finding creative, innovative ways to challenge and extend learners while addressing those needs.
Statement of Collaboration
Collaborating is part of everyday practice for me and has been since I started at Pt England School in 2016. In my first year of teaching, I was privileged to be part of the MDTA program and to work collaboratively with my mentor teacher Helen King as well as many other teachers in my school, the MDTA program and the wider cluster. I have continued to foster and build collaborative practices by actively talking about and sharing what I am doing in my class both face to face with colleagues as well as on my professional blog, class blog, and my class site. In 2018 I have had the wonderful opportunity to collaborate through the MIT program working to build a strong inquiry with support from others and I have also been sharing my practice with a number of the Outreach clusters.
For the past Two years I have been a CoL Across School Teacher, in this role I have supported teachers with their inquiries and any needs they have discovered when developing their digital practice. while sharing my strength with others, I have also been able to bring back what I have learned from others to enhance my own practice. This role has continued to build my belief in the power of effective digital pedagogy and enabled me to build on my strengths. Many times I have been challenged to step up and learn something new or find a different way of approaching a topic or lesson and this has helped me to be adaptive to the needs of the teacher and student I work with.
Manaiakalani Class OnAir
Click on the link above to see all Class Onair episodes for 2020. You will also find episodes from 2019.
Below are a few episodes chosen to show effective literacy, numeracy and distance learning teaching. Each of these episodes is accompanied by the feedback it received from Anne Sinclair.
Morena Clarelle
What a joy to see the enthusiasm of your learners and the way they respond to the challenge you presented. The explanations they gave and the pondering you could see on their faces as they figured out what the text was about was so visible. The way you guided them with the prompts also helped them to be more confident and independent. EE is so good for doing the kind of work you are attempting with them and providing challenges to help them become more independent. It is so refreshing to see the use of concrete materials and substituting these with something else when not available. I loved Benji’s explanation of the purpose of the funnel and why it couldn’t be straight up and down. I can see how much you are enjoying this class Clarelle and what acceleration you are helping them to do.
Nga mihi nui and keep the ideas flowing.
Morena Clarelle and Sharisse
A great example of co-teaching, co-llaboration, co-constructing. It is so good to see 2 teachers working in tandem to create learning for the students in this challenging environment. But it is also a time and space when you can try different methods and pedagogy to engage the students in meaningful learning, not just busy work. You have become our Suzy Cato, Clarelle, with the bright, chatty connections you make with the class. I am sure your class will be enjoying looking for the next cool task you have designed for them. This lesson is such a good example of how students can share their learning with their parents and explain how they work things out. Isn’t it great working with a colleague and coming up with such good ideas? Team Carruthers is showing the way. Even though the Pandemic is brutal, it has also given us (Manaiakalani) opportunities and a chance to expand our ideas and practices to meet whatever the unknown ahead reveals. Congratulate Sharisse on a great lesson.
Keep up the good work!!
Loved it Clarelle! Great to see you using the ‘room’ and different camera angles to mix it up. The students were all involved and there was a lot of direct teaching going on without it appearing so. This is a good example of what you can do in Level 2.5 with consideration given to safety and well being. The connection you made to your own life with Barty by drawing the students in was subtle but effective. The follow up involved learning and extending thinking and so much enjoyment. What did the students decide for their own puppy? Choice also obvious.
Nga mihi
Learning sites & Distance learning
This years class site show how we as teachers lead learning collaboratively.
I worked with Jocelyn and Sharisse to design the site, checking with them at each stage, getting feedback and making changes.
This site was created During lockdown to immerse the children in the topic of science in a way the fostered choice and creativity. I also used this in the classroom at level 2.5 and shared it with my team and the wider Manaiakalani community.
Before the covid-19 level 4 lockdown. I began to create a site to model what distance learning could look like in the junior school. This then evolved into our site which we were ready to launch on the first day of lockdown with exciting content for our learners.
Sharing with the wider community through Tuhi Mai Tuhi Atu Teacher Meets
Holiday blogging has been a passion of mine since I first heard about the summer drop off. This is one of the holiday blogging challenges I set with open activities to engage learners.
Sharing with the wider community through Tuhi Mai Tuhi Atu Teacher Meets
Professional Feedback
“Clarelle is a colleague whom I have known for the past two years. I have regularly sought her advice and help on technology although we are in different teams.
I have always found Clarelle willing to help, knowledgable and effective in teaching me. She is always very professional and I value my working relationship with her.” - Susan Dwyer year 1 teacher at Pt England School.
“Hi Clarelle, Thank you so much for your help with my lower readers this week - you have given me so many ideas of how I can support them this term!” - Danni Stone year 7/8 Teacher Pt England School.
Dorothy Burt 26 August 2020 at 17:01
Such a delight to read this Clarelle. Congratulations to the children and to the teacher/s.
Diamonds are being made, indeed.
Phil @ Ako Hiko20 April 2020 at 11:41
Hi Clarelle, I really enjoyed this video. It's great to see how different teachers are connecting with their classes. It's clear that your team have a strong focus on the wellbeing of your students and also awesome to see the different choices available to students through your site. Have you had any challenges or innovative ideas around keeping engagement up in these Meet sessions?
Naomi Rosedale20 April 2020 at 10:23
Kia ora Clarelle, thank you for keeping us up to date with the responsive way in which Manaiakalani teachers are recreating and tailoring practice for distance learning. You are all an inspiration! I was wondering whether you could link us to the two resources you have screen-grabbed above (if they have been made available to a wider audience)? I would be most interested in the Top Tips teachers shared. If not perhaps you could summerise in your next professional blog post? Thanks again and stay well in your bubble! Naomi
Fiona Grant @ Manaiakalani 29 April 2020 at 11:57
Thank you Clarelle, have really valued the genrosity of time and practice from so many in our learning communities from across Aotearoa.
Thinking back to our cluster staff meeting last year "Connected Learners Share". This time as amplified opportunities to connect and share and so wonderful to see the relentless focus on the positive for the benefit of all.
ngā mihi nui,
Fiona
Share
Class blog
Professional Blog
Tuhi Mai, Tuhi Atu Teacher Meets
PES_Carruthers_AHeroLiesInYou.movCertifications
Assessment for learning
Assessment for learning, of learning and with learner is an important part of my practice and something I believe is important to do collaborative as a team as well as with learners in the classroom. Understanding the impact of your own teaching and the teaching of others helps our team to draw on each others strength and identify ways in which we can collaborative grow our capabilities.
