Reflection - Week 8 Term 1

This week has flown by - being only a four day week because of Easter!

I found this week that my biggest challenge was dealing with Parents, whether it be via email or within the classroom itself. This week we had our Camp Information Evening on Wednesday night which involved sorting out our Camp Parent Helpers and answering any questions that they may have. My team was very supportive in this area as I have not been on the Camp before so we tackled the questions together and managed a successful evening. Throughout the week however I have had to deal with other Parent concerns surrounding the students individual blogs, homework and cyber safety. I tried my best to put any concerns to rest and help each parent where I could, seeking back up from my tutor teacher where necessary.

As a class we changed the tables into a horse shoe shape two weeks ago. I am not sure that this table formation is working however as it makes it quite tricky for me to work with small groups. After Easter I think I am going to reconsider the arrangement and see if I can improve on the previous table groups that we had.

This weekend I have friends from England arriving who are both teachers over there and teach at the school I was working at before I moved back to NZ. I am looking forward to hearing how my old class are getting on as they approach the end of the school year over there (July) and comparing our different education systems. I know so far here in NZ that we use a lot more technology in our classrooms, for planning, class blogs, individual student blogs and a lot more! So it will be interesting to here their views on the differences and just engage in some educational chat!

Staff Meeting - Where We Are In Place And Time

Matthew Cameron Observation - Monday 21st March 2016

Observation – Matthew Cameron

Inquiry Lesson Room 8 – Monday 21^st March 2016

WALT: Unpack the Central Idea

·      Revise what we have done so far in UOI2

·      Reflect back on the UOI info central idea, lines of inquiry, learner profile

·      Central idea is the most important piece of info (what is a central idea?)

·      What have you done already to do with the environment?

·      3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) – Jack Johnson Song

·      Go over what a brainstorm is? What important things do we need to remember?

·      What have I done wrong in the title? – Links to Literacy

·      Where are you going to start? (Unpacking – Break it up and look at different parts, Tuning In)

·      What do you think are the key words? Set time for response (e.g. 5 seconds)

·      What are our planet’s resources?

·      Provides examples on the board. Models a starting point.

·      Links back to the Success Criteria (Are you successful?)

·      Shows an example of a completed brainstorm part way through the session.

·      Put a bubble around what you think is your most important idea. Ask students to take a risk and share what they thought their most important idea was – Link back to this at the end of the session. Encourages the students to reflect on their own learning.

·      Share ideas with a partner from another part of the room. Two minutes each and then you may be called upon to share back. Can be used at the start or the end of a session. Could repeat this session at the end of the UOI to create a formative/summative for the unit.

·      End session with ‘The big idea I walk away with today is…’

IB World Magazine

Reflection - Week 7 Term 1

This week has been a full on week!

At times I didn't know where to begin in terms of the ever-growing to do list that I had. I can now say at the conclusion of this week that I was able to prioritise what was important and slowly make my way through the many things that I needed to do.

One of the challenges that I have faced this week is writing summative statements for all of the students in my class based on their work during our first UOI. This is something that I have never done before so I struggled a bit knowing what to base them on. Thank goodness for my amazing mentor who talked me through it and gave me some great examples to work from. These are now all complete and just need to be checked over.

My class blog is coming along nicely. This weeks new challenge was creating a new header using canva.com. I will have to make time to create one for this blog! I am quickly realising that having a blog in the classroom is one of the most useful tools you can have. Everything can be put up on there in terms of lessons so you have all resources in one place that can be accessed at any point. It is also a fantastic record of the students learning and a great way for parents to keep up to date with what we are doing.

My Class Blog

My class blog is finally starting to get up and running. I am finding it a really useful tool in the classroom, however I am still learning how to utilise it fully.

Check it out...

Room 8's Blog

Reflection - Week 6 Term 1

I feel that I really pushed my students to the limit this week. We needed to complete our first summative task assessment for UOI1 - Who We Are and this seemed like quite a big task for all of the groups involved. I ended up supervising most groups during both breaks and lunch times in order for them to get their work completed by the deadline. This meant that by the end of the day on Friday I was absolutely exhausted! I was so proud of all the children in my class as they all put in so much effort and came up with some fantastic designs to represent our class.

School work has taken over my time outside of school a lot in the last few weeks and I regularly find myself working late into the evenings and on weekends. This has highlighted for me the importance of finding a good home/work balance so that I can rest and be the best possible version of myself for my students each day.

I have found that he routines I have set up in class are really beginning to come into play and I am feeling a lot more 'at home' in my teaching. I am still getting my head around making OTJs but I feel with time and experience these will fall into place.

The upcoming weeks are going to be very busy as we have hit the half way mark for Term 1. I will attempt to improve the way I approached, planned and taught the first Unit of Inquiry with the second one which begins next week.

Staff Meeting - Sharing The Planet

Staff Meeting - Sharing The Planet

Reflection - Week 5 Term 1

This week was one of the busiest weeks that I have had since starting at Berkley.

Two nights this week I had First Aid Training from 3:15pm until 8pm. This meant that there was no time outside of school for me to do extra planning etc. I feel that in terms of preparation for Week 6 I am behind where I would like to be and that I am going to have to catchup throughout the week.

The school server was down for half of the weekend also meaning that I was unable to access my emails, Google Docs (planning) or update my blogs. These days we rely so much on technology and this event has reminded me that it is so important to always have a back up plan.

On Friday I was out of class for the first full day since starting the year. I found myself worrying about what my class were doing and how they were getting on all throughout the day. I tried my best to plan so that the reliever had a good outline and idea of what I had in mind for the students to do.

My Friday was spent up in Auckland at Takapuna Normal School for the PYP New Zealand Network Auckland Induction Day. This was a great insight into how the PYP works at different schools and gave me some helpful ideas and activities to use for the Units of Inquiry. It was really good to network with some other PYP teachers who were new to the curriculum as well and hear their thoughts.

I am looking forward to a very busy Week 6!

PYP New Zealand Network Auckland Induction Day - Friday 4th March 2016

The PYP is all about inquiry. Starting point is the students' current understanding and the goal is to turn their experiences into new thinking. It is all about relevancy rather than quantity.

PYP is a framework to NZC.

Wonderwalls

Embrace questioning to help promote inquiry.
What questions do you have? No question is a stupid question.

Be Like Bill Task - Who We Are Activity. Using Learner Profile, Attitudes and Transdisciplinary Skills.

IB PYP Background

• Founded 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland
• Primary Years Programme (3-12), Middle Years Programme (11-16), Diploma Programme (16-18)
• PYP and Middle (Trans dis - subjects incorporated), Diploma (dis - one subject, next subject)

The Learner Profile is the only part that is the same across the three programmes.

Learner Profile

• 10 attributes of the profile.
• Front of most PYP documents.
• Promote attributes in child speak. Make it living with the students rather than just something that sits on the wall.

Ways to Promote the Learner Profile:

• Use deliberate acts of teaching e.g. principled - holding the door open for someone. Cards/Certificates for each attribute of the learner profile.
• Photos and what they think each attribute means (each person has to put their idea on the sheet with each attribute). In Room 8 we are... 10 photos showing each attribute placed below - part of class agreement.

Useful sites:

• pypattitudes.com
• thepedagogs.com (stickers)
• teacherspaidteachers
• inquiryschools.net
• Harvard Project Zero - Visible Thinking
• freeology - graphic organisers

Written Curriculum - page 10

• Plan with all teachers using PYP planner
• Summative task and evaluation
• Assessment - Formative and Summative

Knowledge - page 11

Shift Happens: Bringing Education into the 21st Century

Transdisciplinary Themes:

• These form your UOI.
• Use the key words in the descriptor to help you create a central idea.

Activities:

• Matching themes to their explanation
• Quiz using examples (the occ website)

Concepts - page 15

• PYP is a concept driven curriculum.
• Teacher questions come out of concepts
• Can have pictures round the room.
• The key concepts are presented as a question and are a provocation for the students.

Page 67 (Links to Subject Areas - Language, Maths, Science, Social Studies)

Activities:

• Concepts and Pictures - e.g. Twitter - What are our responsibilities? Come up with questions that are related to this. Link pictures to each concept and come up with key questions.

TD Skills - page 21

• Create goals using these skills.
• Use the skills as a point of reflection - "What TD skills did I use and how did I use them?"
• Make the activities authentic.

Activities/Tasks:

• Friar Diagram
• Rating selves in terms of skills 1-5 (Hand Signals) e.g. Organisation today?
• 'One TD Skill that you used well to was...' cards for end of day.

Attitudes - page 24

• "The rat with two eyes and five ears sails the seven seas"
• Attitude tree.
• Modelling real life examples of these attitudes in action.

Activities:

• Six word stories
• Be like Bill
• Essential Agreement
• Explore people in the news/books/films/TV and look at the attitudes that they are using
• Action plans
• Keep a diary/journal of the of the attitudes in their lives - use padlet and link to class and independent blogs. 'My PYP attitude diary'.
• Fail up - setting a task for students in class that is too difficult for them and get them to realise that they are not always going to succeed.

Taking Action - page 25

Nickelback - If Everyone Cared

• Why do we take action? To make a difference.
• Activities that will lead to some sort of action - Direct action, Indirect action, Raise awareness, Educate people.
• Action is something that happens during the unit.
• Use action to assess what students know or have taken from the central idea.
• It is about students intrinsically choosing to take action themselves.

PYP Planner - page 37-40

• Bubble Planner (two pages planning, two pages reflection)
• 6 units per year

Activities that highlight the use of inquiry:

• Petals around the Rose - five dice and looking at dot patterns. get students to figure out what the point of the activity is, to question, make connections, come up with theories, observe, be curious, take risks, evaluated decisions, reflected.
• Fish bowl - some students are participants, others are observers
• Connect, Extend, Challenge
• Tony Ryan's Thinkers Keys - Homework, Quick writes
• De Bono's 6 Thinking hats

What is inquiry? - page 28-30

The Fairy Scientist

• Inquiries can last from a few minutes up to a few weeks.

Kath Murdoch

• Thinking for themselves
• Teach students about thinking
• Provoke curiosity and wonderment
• Facilitate learning
• Making connections
• Big Picture
• Learning Intentions
• Process - 'Learning how to learn'

Example Provocation - Team Assembly - Teacher argument role play, deconstruct with students

Kahoot Quiz on MTPYPH

First Aid Training – Wednesday 2nd-Thursday 3rd March 2016

Fear

Expectations

Appearing

Real

CPR

Stop

Think

Observe

Protect/Plan

Scene Assessment

 

Level of Response

Alert

Voice

Pain

Unresponsive

 

Help

 

Airway – Head tilt and chin lift

 

Breathing – Normal is 12-20 RPM

Monitor for 10 seconds

1 or none – start CPR

2 or more – don’t need CPR

 

30 compressions at 120 BPM

1/3 deep or minimum 5cm

Adult – 2 hands

1-8 years – 1 hand

Infant – 2 fingers

2 Breaths – Optional

Stop when the patient shows signs of life or you are physically unable to carry on

AED – Automated External Defibrallator (Located in the office)

Asthma

·      Inhalers – treat bronchial constrictions

·      Issues:

o   Not using soon enough – therefore drugs won’t reach into smaller airways

·      Spot it early and use a spacer – the spacer increases effienciency and allows the drug to get to where it needs to go.

·      When using a spacer sacrifice the first spray then do 3-5 breaths per spray

·      Keep using the inhaler until the asthma attack ends

Allergies

·      Allergic reactions affect airways and the blood stream

·      Causes low blood pressure, low fluid and food, low gas (airways blocked)

·      Epipens – treat broncial constrictions (expire every 1-2 years)

o   Remove blue/grey end

o   Hold in fist

o   Inject in thigh

o   Hold for 10 seconds

·      Treatments for stings:

o   Detergent and baking soda

o   Vinegar

o   Stingos

o   Clickit

o   Antihistermines

Cardiac Disease

·      GTN treatment (2 sprays) for Angina - narrowing of the arteries

     Angina – Chest pain, shortness of breath, nauceous

·      Ways to avoid Heart Disease:

o   Fish Oil

o   Flaxseed Oil

o   Grapeseed Extract

·      Use one Asprin/Disprin to treat chest pain – chew it and move around mouth (decreases the adhesion rate of platelets)

Recovery Position

·      Arm closest to you straight above head

·      Leg furtherest away from you bent – heel up close to bottom

·      Grab the patients thumb with your thumb and support head

·      Roll towards you

·      Place arm that is up under the head

·      Place knee and elbow down on the ground to support

Log Roll

·      Spinal Injury (in the event of a fall, slip or crash – sudden disalleration, unresponsive trauma – injured or knocked out, significant injury above the collar bone)

·      Need to have C Spine control (wide hands and hold jaw)

·      4 People –  1 person C Spine Control, crossed arms x3 people, 3^rd person holds hand under leg

How To Utilise Outdoor Gear

·      Bed Roll:

o   Split

o   Fire starter

o   Drag mat

o   Bouyancy aid

·      Pack Liner:

o   Shelter

o   Rain coat

o   Sleeping bag

o   Vapour barrier

o   Signal

o   Collect water (basin for burn/drinking water)

o   Something to read/distract

o   Stretcher

·      Pack:

o   Splint

o   Ground layer

o   Pillow

o   Splint for spine (Waist strap round head, arms through and pulled tight)

o   Stretcher (2 packs)

o   Carry a person

·      Survival Blanket

o   Burn (black smoke)

o   Shelter

o   Collect water

·      Raincoat:

o   Stretcher (2 coats)

o   Collect water

·      Tent Fly:

o   Splint

o   Padding

o   Shelter

o   Collect water

o   Ground layer

o   Stretcher

·      Beanie:

o   Pad for wound

o   Padding between splints

o   Cool burns

·      Socks:

o   Ties

o   Padding

o   Cool burns

Burns

·      30 minutes cooling (3x 10 minutes)

o   First 10 – cool with water (running water is best)

o   Second 10 – cool the burn only

o   Third 10 – cover and cool (use gladwrap to stop water absorption)

·      Continue to cover and cool until help arrives

·      Cut around and clothing that is stuck or melted

·      Remove anything constricting e.g. watches, belts

Burns Reporting

·      Cause

·      Size (percentage in terms of your palm)

·      Depth

o   Red/Inflammed/Pain – Superficial

o   Red/Inflammed/Pain/Blisters – Partial thickness

o   White/Waxy/No pain – Full thickness

o   Black/Charred/No pain – Full thickness

·      Location on body

Choking

·      If the airway is fully obstructed and there is no sund the patient has 2 minutes before they become unconcious

·      Can make noise:

o   Encourage to cough

o   Heel of hand – hit middle of back in between shoulder blades

·      Can’t make noise:

o   Reach under left arm – hold them down

o   5 back slaps

o   Place other arm under

o   Make fist and place in the CPR position on chest – 5 chest thrusts 1/3 deep

o   Repeat until the object is out or the patient collapses

o   If the patient collapses let them fall – it could dislodge the object

o   If unconcious and not breathing carry out STOP and CPR

·      Must see doctor after any form of choking and treatment by first aider

·      If a larger person use 2 people

·      If a taller person knock to knees

·      Baby/Infant – 5 and 5 but support the child with chin in hand, lay on arm, complete slaps and then roll over, complete chest thrusts

ANYTIME THERE IS A CHANGE GO BACK AND WORK YOUR WAY THROUGH THE STEPS AGAIN

ALL DRUGS WORK BEST EARLY