Framework

So far the feedback from our colleagues has been positive. Due to the craziness of school life, we will add an additional week to the first and most likely second phase. Unfortunately, we’ve also had some illness with our teachers so the intention is to keep the time supportive while still progressing forward. I think there have been some positive benefits in Sam and I trialling things with the P/1/2’s first. Through the shared experience of teaching and planning for the juniors, I think it has given us a real insight into how the structure might work and a common understanding of what it’s like delivering this type of lesson to younger students. The experience working with 5 and 6 year olds was really enjoyable and inspiring to see how persistent and creative they can be.

Changes: A week of observing the current teacher and getting to know the students would be beneficial prior to taking lessons. After talking with Louise and Claire, I regretted not seeing how they operate prior to trying myself. Nothing compares to having the time to observe and talk to students about their learning.

Colleagues

I would like to acknowledge our amazing staff at Castlemaine North. Our junior team have been open, honest, patient and courageous. While all incredible teachers in their own right, the positive mindset and willingness to explore our purposed structure was vital for success. Having been in the senior school for the past 7 years, it was an adjustment to teach Preps and I felt supported to trial a new approach knowing that it was a collaborative experience, not an ‘expert’ showing them how to do it.

Timetabling

In my opinion, the creation of a timetable that scheduled PMS time with colleagues was a game changer. Having a planned time for working in classrooms and a debrief session each week enabled us to plan ahead and be consistent. Credit goes to our Principal for making this happen and prioritising the program.

Relentless consistency

I had a change in mindset in regards to creating the ‘perfect lesson’. At the beginning I wanted every student to be engaged, working at their personal best with a ‘perfect’ introduction and ‘perfect’ conclusion to consolidate the skill. This was exhausting! I didn’t achieve everything on my list and was constantly thinking about ways to make this achievable. So, I talked with my colleagues and Sam and went back the next day and tried again and again. This happened for 3- 4 weeks. I began to notice that while my delivery was steadily improving, my relationship with the students had improved (knowing names and setting expectations), recognising ‘teachable moments’ became easier and setting realistic goals in terms of the content was better, my approach to the lesson was consistent, but, the students ability to engage in task and share their thinking had dramatically improved.

A magical moment

I had a wonderful moment with the Prep / One class I was working with yesterday that made me realise how far we had come in the last 4 weeks. We had guests from another school visiting to see how we implement inquiry learning and I was asked to fill in due to their regular teacher being away ill. I used the prompt the junior team had created with a alteration to include myself and my son Mikey.

Storyshell

Belle and Finn are always losing their socks. I did the washing one day and I pulled out 11 socks. Some were Belle’s (the white socks) and some were Finn’s (the black socks). How many of the socks belonged to Belle and how many belonged to Finn? How will you prove it? – Amazing prompt by Claire!

Six adults (including our Principal) were watching me deliver this lesson and I couldn’t quite remember all of the words to the prompt and delivered a version of the story and ended on the line ‘who would like some time to explore?’ All the Prep / Ones got off the mat and began exploring. Some went to get some blocks, others started working it out using known facts and recording in their books. All of the small things we were building on over the weeks led to this glorious moment. My principal asked a student ‘What does Mr. Scott mean by explore?’ to which she replied, ‘It means that everybody can have a try.’

What I noticed: students were actively involved in finding and sharing their answers. My proudest moment was hearing prep students looking for more than one possible answer and getting excited about how many they could find. I credit this to working consistently and having the support of Louise to continue the work in her normal sessions.

It was really pleasing to have a discussion with Nicole and find that she had the same experience using the prompt in her classroom.