Design for Learning/ Learning focus culture/ teaching

My mentor teacher and school follow the following strategies to create a positive learning environment. My mentor teacher filled out the following document for me.

How I model and use above strategies in my teaching/daily interactions with learners 

• My Mahi system awards students 3 points for each lesson when they demonstrate our classroom expectations. The values are Aotea, Taupaenui, and Paepae. Aotea represents showing respect, Taupaenui means striving for excellence, and Paepae stands for being courageous. Although I cannot access my Mahi system, I inform my teacher of the points each student will receive at the end of the lesson. Typically, before commencing the lesson, I remind students of the classroom expectations. This approach helps in maintaining a positive learning environment.

• I enjoy incorporating PB4L (Positive Behavior for Learning) strategies into my teaching. I often praise and offer a treat at the end of the lesson to reinforce positive behavior in students. I expect them to listen attentively, participate actively, and engage with the learning task to the best of their abilities. After completing the learning activity, they can take a short break. If all students meet my expectations, they will be rewarded with a Lolly.

• Usually, I don't shout at students who display disruptive behavior during the lesson. I stop doing the lesson and keep watching at the students who are not listening. and ask patiently to be silent. This helps to stop bothering behavior. 

•  During the lesson, I encourage students to share their knowledge with the rest of the class, which helps me avoid boredom, and my students enjoy this strategy.

• I move around the class and use proximity control while students are engaged in the learning task. This helps me keep students on task positively and stop disruptive behavior.

• I have a few Māori students in my classroom, and some occasionally exhibit negative behavior. To encourage positive behavior, I integrate Te Reo Māori before the lesson. This helps show them how I respect their culture and identity and reduce their negative behavior.

The aim of this observation is to gain an in-depth understanding of the various strategies and techniques employed by my mentor teacher to cultivate a classroom environment that not only prioritizes learning but is also characterized by respect, inclusivity, empathy, collaboration, and safety. This observation will specifically focus on a reading lesson, providing a close look at how the mentor teacher approaches the instructional process. I am particularly interested in several key aspects of the lesson: 1. **Lesson Introduction**: I want to observe how my mentor teacher sets the tone for the lesson, including the strategies used to capture students’ interest and activate prior knowledge. I will pay close attention to the language and examples used to ensure that all students feel included. 2. **Student Interaction**: During the lesson, I will look for ways in which my mentor teacher interacts with the students, including how they address questions, provide feedback, and encourage dialogue among peers. It will be important to note how the mentor fosters a respectful and empathetic atmosphere during these interactions. 3. **Encouraging Participation**: I will focus on the techniques used to promote active participation from all students. This includes observing how the mentor encourages quieter students to share their thoughts, as well as how they manage group discussions to ensure that every voice is heard. Through this observation, I hope to identify effective instructional strategies that not only enhance students’ understanding of reading but also contribute to a classroom culture that values collaboration and nurtures a safe learning environment. Ultimately, I aim to integrate these insights into my own teaching practice.

The aim of this observation is to gain an in-depth understanding of the various strategies and techniques employed by my mentor teacher to cultivate a classroom environment after school holidays, that not only prioritizes learning but is also characterized by respect, inclusivity, empathy, collaboration, and safety. This observation will specifically focus on a writing lesson (to plan successful products to sell on the market day), providing a close look at how the mentor teacher approaches the instructional process. I am particularly interested in several key aspects of the lesson: 1. **Lesson Introduction**: I want to observe how my mentor teacher sets the tone for the lesson, including the strategies used to capture students’ interest and activate prior knowledge. I will pay close attention to the language and examples used to ensure that all students feel included. 2. **Student Interaction**: During the lesson, I will look for ways in which my mentor teacher interacts with the students, including how they address questions, provide feedback, and encourage dialogue among peers. It will be important to note how the mentor fosters a respectful and empathetic atmosphere during these interactions. 3. **Encouraging Participation**: I will focus on the techniques used to promote active participation from all students. This includes observing how the mentor encourages quieter students to share their thoughts, as well as how they manage group discussions to ensure that every voice is heard. Through this observation, I hope to identify effective instructional strategies that not only enhance students’ understanding of reading but also contribute to a classroom culture that values collaboration and nurtures a safe learning environment. Ultimately, I aim to integrate these insights into my own teaching practice.

                                                                                                                        Evidence 2

Lesson 1

This is my first whole-class Te Reo Māori lesson. In my role as a trainee teacher, I successfully met the Teaching Profession standard of Te Triti o Waitangi partnership by teaching of Te Reo Māori in my classroom. This initiative not only contributes to honoring the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi but also fosters a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students. This lesson has been incredibly beneficial in allowing me to actively practice and enhance my proficiency in using Te Reo Māori. All the students, including Māori students, showed enthusiasm for practicing Te Reo Māori.

As a teacher of Māori learners, I was able to show manakitanga by demonstrating integrity, sincerity, and respect toward Māori language. I tried my best to use accurate pronunciation. I think my Māori learners will see me as a teacher who uses Te Reo Māori in class and encourages them to speak Māori if they want, and their whanau will see me as a teacher who respects their Māori language.

After thoroughly studying the content of the 101 paper, I was able to develop a comprehensive plan for a practical Te Reo Māori lesson. The central theme of this lesson revolves around the question, "Ke te pēhea koe?" Delving deeply into the curriculum, particularly "Te Aho Arataka Marau Mō te ako i te Reo Māori (2009)," enabled me to select the lesson's achievement objective and learning outcome carefully. The ultimate goal of the lesson is to ensure that students can confidently inquire about and express their feelings to one another. The insights gained from various academic papers have greatly assisted me in devising effective teaching strategies and post-activity plans to ensure that students actively engage, participate, learn, and feel a sense of belonging.

Reflection on my lesson

In my role as a trainee teacher, I successfully met the Teaching Profession standard of Te Triti o Waitangi partnership by teaching of Te Reo Māori in my classroom. This initiative not only contributes to honoring the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi but also fosters a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students. This lesson has been incredibly beneficial in allowing me to actively practice and enhance my proficiency in using Te Reo Māori. All the students, including Māori students, showed enthusiasm for practicing Te Reo Māori.

As a teacher of Māori learners, I was able to show manakitanga by demonstrating integrity, sincerity, and respect toward Māori language. I tried my best to use accurate pronunciation. I think my Māori learners will see me as a teacher who uses te reo Māori in class and encourages them to speak Māori if they want, and their whanau will see me as a teacher who respects their Māori language.

The following formative assessment I conducted offered significant insights into the strengths and abilities of my students, as well as the necessary next steps for their learning in the above Te Reo Māori lesson. By carefully analyzing the results, I was able to identify specific areas where students excel and where they may need additional support. This information will be instrumental in planning my upcoming lesson, as it will guide me in selecting a relevant topic that aligns with their current understanding and interests. Additionally, I will be able to set clear learning outcomes and achievement objectives that cater to the diverse needs of my students, ensuring a more targeted and effective approach to their learning in the next stage of our Te Reo Māori teaching and learning.

During my above Te Reo Māori lesson, I sought the guidance of my mentor teacher, asking her to observe my teaching. Following the observation, she took the time to provide me with a comprehensive feedback letter. Her feedback was invaluable as it allowed me to gain insight into my teaching methods and pinpoint areas that required improvement.

  Lesson 2

The following video is one of my whole class teachings. I taught a math lesson to the whole class. I prepared the lesson with a PowerPoint presentation to help students visualize the questions I had planned to ask during the session. The lesson went well, and students engaged enthusiastically. During the activity, I used movements to support students who needed assistance and keep the class engaged. After students had completed their activity, we all discussed and shared answers. The confident students came to the front and shared their answers, showing and demonstrating how to solve tricky questions. This lesson made me think about preparing extra activities for students who finished their learning tasks earlier than others. This will help me keep those students quiet and not bother students who still need to finish the task.

In formulating this lesson plan, I drew on insights gained from a scholarly paper on conceptual understanding in mathematics (MTH 100-24A). By deeply engaging with the curriculum, I customized the lesson to meet pedagogical demands while taking into consideration the diverse strengths, abilities, and proficiency levels of each student. I meticulously tailored my teaching strategies to accommodate the unique needs and strengths of individual students, ensuring that the lesson was finely tuned to align with their specific requirements. Through ongoing observation, I diligently assessed whether students had met the intended learning outcome, enabling me to make informed decisions about their next steps in learning. 

I utilized following worksheets to evaluate whether my students had successfully met the learning outcome I had set for the above lesson. Each worksheet contained questions specifically designed to reflect the key concepts and skills covered during class discussions and activities. After carefully grading the completed worksheets, I was able to analyze the results and draw conclusions about my students’ understanding of the material. This assessment allowed me to identify which students grasped the concepts well and which areas might require further reinforcement or clarification. 

After marking the above worksheets, I employed a following formative assessment sheet to evaluate my students' understanding and determine their next learning steps. During the lesson, I focused on three critical aspects of probability: first, the ability to explain probability using descriptive language; second, the skill to express probability numerically; and third, the competency to solve word problems related to probability concepts. I identified specific strengths and weaknesses by systematically analyzing my students' performance in each of these areas. This assessment highlighted which concepts they grasped well and indicated where they faced challenges. As a result, I can plan targeted instruction for our next lesson, ensuring that each student's learning needs are met and that we build on their existing knowledge effectively.