I've been using this article to get people to look at the KCs in 'real life'. They can use it with their students as well. Get them to discuss the KCs the boys used, KCs that might have helped them and other ways KCs impacted on the story. (If you want to know more about it - one of the boys, Brendan, is my nephew).
This activity can be used with a school or individual teachers. I ask the teachers to choose a number between 1 and 8 and tell a partner (so they don't change the number!) and then they have to read that Principle and tell their partner what they have done that relates to it in the last two weeks. They then 'adopt' the Principle - fill in the 'Adoption Certificate' with something they are going to do in the next two weeks that relates to this principle. In two weeks they report back on what they have done.
Certificates:
A powerpoint that Robyn's been using to get teachers to dig deeper into the EPs. This goes with the Effective Pedagogies template further down this page.
Robyn:
These are some of the resources that I have developed to help schools with the NZC implementation. I'm happy for you to use them, but please keep my name and the name of the school on them. I don't mind you changing and adapting them but would be grateful if you could send me a copy of your adaptation.
Scoping SM Diagrams
Neil has digitised the diagrams for the scoping staff meeting.
This is the form that Parua Bay School used with the staff, students, parents and community to develop their vision and values - works for a graduate profile as well.
This can be a page in the school curriculum document. The principles are listed down one side and then they can say what the principle specifically looks like in their school.
This is a great way of getting before and after teacher voice. Ask teachers to circle the figure(s) that tell where they feel they are at with implementation of the NZC. Ask them to write on the back why they have put themselves there, then redo at the end of the year. This can be used with students as well. The numbers don't mean anything - probably a good idea to twink them out before photocopying. I'm not sure what the source of this is.
This chart compares characteristics of Centre of Interest, Cross-Curricular Learning and Inquiry-based Learning. It can be used or teachers to reflect on their practice. A good starting point for Teaching as Inquiry.
This is an outline of the scoping staff meeting I have been running. The results need to be typed up and taken back to discuss with the school leaders. Thanks to David for the first activity.
I usually do this questionnaire at the end of the scoping staff meeting to find the needs of individual teachers. Can be used to set up professional learning groups.
I have found this to be particularly useful to start off a conversation with principals and to find out what actually exists in the way of written documentation. It's often very hard for schools to pull everything together and this gives some good guidelines. It's not an exclusive list but gives some good 'bones' to hang the school curriculum on.
Adapted from Chares Sturt Council Community Engagement Model http://www.charlessturt.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=97 and Dr Cheryl Doig NZC Online 2009 http://bit.ly/a4xArz This is a template I developed to move schools from informing the community to empowering the community. It works best with schools which have already got some community involvement happening and are ready to move to a higher level.
I developed this template to explore what the principles might look like in a school and what more they could do. I have found it useful as a discussion starter with the leadership team and have also used it in a staff meeting with teachers in groups working on one principle each.
A template to familiarise teachers with the Effective Pedagogies - I find this useful for a staff meeting as a bus-stop or just with groups of teachers working on each pedagogy.
These statements from Royal Rd School are very comprehensive and still a work in progress so there are gaps. The process was the key - these were written by all the teachers over at least two staff meetings.
A really good way of getting beyond “We asked our kids what they want to learn” which can lead to shallow, obvious topics. This can be done by teachers and students. Blow it up onto at least A3. Give everyone small post-it tags and get them to answer the questions around the side and put their answers in the appropriate circles. The topics can then be sorted and categorised to find authentic topics for that school.
I have used this planner with syndicate groups and also in small schools. It is very comprehensive and I always tell them I expect t to change considerably as they trial it. I’m going to revamp it to sit under the school overview, but I have found this very useful especially with schools that are still moving towards inquiry-based learning. The first page needs a lot of deep questioning to get them to be explicit about why they are doing this unit and how it meets their students’ needs.
A huge list of Inquiry Learning/Cross-Curricular and Authentic Problem Solving Topics and Themes These should be considered in the context of the school’s vision and values. They need to consider the needs of their students and the connections to the student’s community and world-view. Some of these are very abstract – they are open to interpretation.
This is some work that David and I did to help Peria school to develop an overview for the year. This is basically a brainstorm of ideas that they could draw on in their further planning.
This is a technology unit (from TechLink) planned by Deb Green when she was teaching at Te Tii School. It is extremely well aligned to the NZC and a good exemplar. The blank planner I developed came from this unit.
This is an inquiry model I developed a couple of years ago with Whangarei Heads School. Whilst it is very comprehensive, it does give a good overview of what inquiry-based learning might look like. This was developed, trialed and adapted over the course of a year. Hopefully it looks different now! The teachers felt that the next step was to develop a visual model to underpin it.
Topics and Themes
Schools are starting to plan for next year - this is a huge list of possible themes for a year - or shorter.Key Competencies Activity
I've been using this article to get people to look at the KCs in 'real life'. They can use it with their students as well. Get them to discuss the KCs the boys used, KCs that might have helped them and other ways KCs impacted on the story. (If you want to know more about it - one of the boys, Brendan, is my nephew).Principles
This activity can be used with a school or individual teachers. I ask the teachers to choose a number between 1 and 8 and tell a partner (so they don't change the number!) and then they have to read that Principle and tell their partner what they have done that relates to it in the last two weeks. They then 'adopt' the Principle - fill in the 'Adoption Certificate' with something they are going to do in the next two weeks that relates to this principle. In two weeks they report back on what they have done.Certificates:
Effective pedagogies:
A powerpoint that Robyn's been using to get teachers to dig deeper into the EPs. This goes with the Effective Pedagogies template further down this page.Robyn:
These are some of the resources that I have developed to help schools with the NZC implementation. I'm happy for you to use them, but please keep my name and the name of the school on them. I don't mind you changing and adapting them but would be grateful if you could send me a copy of your adaptation.
Scoping SM Diagrams
Neil has digitised the diagrams for the scoping staff meeting.School Vision
This is the form that Parua Bay School used with the staff, students, parents and community to develop their vision and values - works for a graduate profile as well.Principles
This can be a page in the school curriculum document. The principles are listed down one side and then they can say what the principle specifically looks like in their school.Table of Contents
Blob Tree
This is a great way of getting before and after teacher voice. Ask teachers to circle the figure(s) that tell where they feel they are at with implementation of the NZC. Ask them to write on the back why they have put themselves there, then redo at the end of the year. This can be used with students as well. The numbers don't mean anything - probably a good idea to twink them out before photocopying. I'm not sure what the source of this is.Approaches to Learning and Teaching and the NZC:
This chart compares characteristics of Centre of Interest, Cross-Curricular Learning and Inquiry-based Learning. It can be used or teachers to reflect on their practice. A good starting point for Teaching as Inquiry.Scoping Staff Meeting:
This is an outline of the scoping staff meeting I have been running. The results need to be typed up and taken back to discuss with the school leaders. Thanks to David for the first activity.The NZC and Me:
I usually do this questionnaire at the end of the scoping staff meeting to find the needs of individual teachers. Can be used to set up professional learning groups.School Curriculum Documentation:
I have found this to be particularly useful to start off a conversation with principals and to find out what actually exists in the way of written documentation. It's often very hard for schools to pull everything together and this gives some good guidelines. It's not an exclusive list but gives some good 'bones' to hang the school curriculum on.Levels of Community Involvement:
Adapted from Chares Sturt Council Community Engagement Model http://www.charlessturt.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=97 and Dr Cheryl Doig NZC Online 2009 http://bit.ly/a4xArzThis is a template I developed to move schools from informing the community to empowering the community. It works best with schools which have already got some community involvement happening and are ready to move to a higher level.
The Principles in Our School:
I developed this template to explore what the principles might look like in a school and what more they could do. I have found it useful as a discussion starter with the leadership team and have also used it in a staff meeting with teachers in groups working on one principle each.Exploring Effective Pedagogies:
A template to familiarise teachers with the Effective Pedagogies - I find this useful for a staff meeting as a bus-stop or just with groups of teachers working on each pedagogy.Exploring Effective Pedagogies – small school:
I have found this template useful for discussing what effective pedagogies might look like in a small school.Pedagogies Table:
A copy of all of the effective pedagogies from the NZC. Will save you a cut and paste job if you need them.Dialogue Staff Meeting:
A bus stop of questions based on Tony Ryan’s talk at this year’s NZC conference this year. Gets some really ‘meaty’ discussion going.Sample Essence Statements:
These statements from Royal Rd School are very comprehensive and still a work in progress so there are gaps. The process was the key - these were written by all the teachers over at least two staff meetings.The statements from Whau Valley School are more succinct and were written over one day with just the leadership team.
Finding Authentic Contexts:
A really good way of getting beyond “We asked our kids what they want to learn” which can lead to shallow, obvious topics. This can be done by teachers and students. Blow it up onto at least A3. Give everyone small post-it tags and get them to answer the questions around the side and put their answers in the appropriate circles. The topics can then be sorted and categorised to find authentic topics for that school.School Overview:
A year's plan from Whau Valley School based on the topic of 'Northland - Our Place'.Blank Planner:
I have used this planner with syndicate groups and also in small schools. It is very comprehensive and I always tell them I expect t to change considerably as they trial it. I’m going to revamp it to sit under the school overview, but I have found this very useful especially with schools that are still moving towards inquiry-based learning. The first page needs a lot of deep questioning to get them to be explicit about why they are doing this unit and how it meets their students’ needs.Themes and Topics:
A huge list of Inquiry Learning/Cross-Curricular and Authentic Problem Solving Topics and ThemesThese should be considered in the context of the school’s vision and values. They need to consider the needs of their students and the connections to the student’s community and world-view. Some of these are very abstract – they are open to interpretation.
Peria – Our Place:
This is some work that David and I did to help Peria school to develop an overview for the year. This is basically a brainstorm of ideas that they could draw on in their further planning.The Oceans – Theme Planning:
Some more work that David and I have done to help a school with a year’s overview.Road Safety Unit:
This is a technology unit (from TechLink) planned by Deb Green when she was teaching at Te Tii School. It is extremely well aligned to the NZC and a good exemplar. The blank planner I developed came from this unit.Whangarei Heads Inquiry Model:
This is an inquiry model I developed a couple of years ago with Whangarei Heads School. Whilst it is very comprehensive, it does give a good overview of what inquiry-based learning might look like. This was developed, trialed and adapted over the course of a year. Hopefully it looks different now! The teachers felt that the next step was to develop a visual model to underpin it.