Brain Breaks

Last term I trailed using brain breaks to break up my teaching lessons and help to elevate children getting 'stale'at their desks.
Using physical activity challenges in the classroom helps children be ready to learn and remember information better. Physical movement increases blood flow bringing more oxygen to the brain and leads to improved concentration. Brain breaks can be used to energize a group after lunch or relax and calm a class before a test, or to break a block up before you start a new lesson. Well-developed breaks can help students stretch, develop flexibility, improve coordination, and gain focus for the next lesson.
The idea is to provide some moderate activity that gets the blood pumping so form and skill are not the focus of activity breaks. Some movements can also incorporate core academic concepts. 
During term 1 I gave a whole bunch of brain breaks a go to see which the class liked the best.  These ranged from movement actions and stretching at their desks, moving around the room and high fiving 5 classmates and songs.  Overall, the kids loved them all, but their favourites seem to be songs with actions.  Their favourite being the 'shark song' which i have posted below.

This term i'd like to try some other brain breaks and also get feedback from the kids and see what brain breaks they like the best.  Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly received!

Movie Making Term 2

This term I would like to get my class into movie making and creating using the ipads.  i thought i would start them off using 'itrailer'.  This is an app that helps the students put together a 'mini movie' in the form a movie trailer.  They use small video clips and photos to put this together.  Below is the success criteria i have create to help guide the groups:

 

I will post some links to the trailers when they are completed.

New Reading Learning in Room 14

During this holidays I have spent a great deal of time anaylising my reading data and looking at my lower learners of reading to see the areas where they were lacking.  My lower 4 students really lack in thier comprehension skills.  So this term I thought I  would trial a programme I read about online to see if this increases their comprehension ability. 

The RISE Menu System has been designed to encourage higher level reading comprehension skills in a fun, meaningful and very simple way:

R - Retell
I - Infer
S - Synthesize
E - Envision and Connect

Reading is thinking and understanding text.   This programme helps focus your reading instruction on what really matters: Higher Level Comprehension.

Using this menu system and the included response sheets to give students the instruction and guided practice that they need to develop comprehension skills.

The RISE Menu and response sheets are a perfect springboard for students to discuss their reading with each other, deepening their understanding even further!

Restorative Practice

What is restorative practice?

The essence of restorative practices is disarmingly simple: that human beings are happier, more productive and more likely to make positive changes in their behaviour when those in positions of authority do things with them, rather than to them or for them.

Restorative practice at Vardon School:

Restorative approaches was originally sought as an alternative to more punitive disciplinary systems and procedures where often there was little or no links between ‘wrongdoers’ and those they have ‘harmed’, nor any real connections between the punishment and the actual offence.

The reason I am so keen on the restorative approach in my class and school is because previous measures are also often failing to meet the relational needs of teaching and learning in 21st century schools. Increasingly schools are finding restorative approaches more effective in establishing long term lasting changes in relationships, more connecting of the members of a school community, more involving and hearing of victims, and more enhancing of climates of care within schools as a whole.

I’ve been reflecting on these two questions since our TOD when Marcus and Myra posed the following questions in relation to our work in restorative practise:

 

·         Think about a student who features regularly in our reflection book?

·         What reasons are they listed in the reflection book?

·         What could of you done differently with this student?  

 

The student that I have been reflecting on featured a number of times during 2013 (last year).  Generally during the first and last two weeks of a term.  Generally this student was in the reflection room for being off task, but occasionally for ‘bullying’ type behaviour against one child – name calling, and fighting.

 

In reflection of how i dealt with this student – i do feel that i did a great deal of things to help prepare this student for success with his learning and behaviour – things such as lessons durations tailored to his attention span, a behaviour smiley face book to monitor his behaviour during blocks and break times, reflective conversations where the student discussed how he was going with his learning and behaviour, incentives based on his interests – (4D shark, games of rippa rugby), consistent txt message and email contact with his parents.  A great deal of this students behaviour issues came about because of his short attention span during key learning subjects.

 

There are always other things I could have tried or done to have further success with the student.  Ideas I have had since reflecting on this student:

·         Tried some team building or relationship games with the student who he had friction with to try and build a more positive relationship between the two of them.

·         Included brain breaks during lessons.  This student’s attention span was extremely short – perhaps breaks within the learning sessions would have helped to stimulate his attention further.

·         Made even more of an effort to include some of this students ‘loves’ (sharks) into his learning tasks – read more books about sharks, maths that includes sharks etc.

·         Tried to incorporate more art based activities during key learning areas to hold his attention.

I’d love other suggestions you would have handled this student.  What kind of activities or learning situations would you provide?

Term 3 Reflection

Wow, what another super busy term!  I can’t believe how much we have crammed into this short term. 

Highlights:

·         Gymsport competition

·         Cross country

·         Pastel art

·         QR codes

·         Cultural Evening

·         Speeches

·         Children finding out more about their personal identity

Goals for term 4:

·         Have a go with Movie maker.  This was something I wanted to trial this term, but there just wasn’t enough time.  I’m thinking that I will use this to show our learning in either reading or in for our science learning in kitchen chemistry.

·         Start looking and my year 5’s and give them opportunities to take on leadership roles in our room

·         RP: this hasn’t been consistent and timetabled due to pressures and so much going on.  I want this to a non negotiable for next term for a couple of reasons.  Firstly because they are a great way for my class to bond, and secondly due to the nature of term 4 i think it will be essential to have time at least once a week for us to gather and remind each other about why we are such as strong team.

Ideas and new learning from the visit to Te Kowhai School 13 of August 2013

Was brave today and led a conversation about what i have been doing with QR codes in my class.  Was great to meet Kent who has a year 2 class and he shared how he’s been using QR codes with his year 2 class:

·         Vocaroo – voice recording tool where there is an option to get the voice recording published as a QR code.  Can save this as an image and load this up on the kids blogs

·         Get children to reflect on their learning about a piece of artwork – get them to record their reflections and print out the QR codes.  Then attach these to the kids artwork.  People can then scan the codes and listen to their reflections.

·         Book reviews using QR codes

·         Padlet – print this out as a QR code – children scan this using the ipad and it leads them to the padlet – he used it with a writing prompt.

·         He is now going to investigate how to use this effectively for some math challenges.

 

Check out my class blogs next week as we are going to give vocaroo a go for recording our mihis and creating the QR codes.

Ted Glynn Workshop

Here some of my notes and thoughts from the Ted Glynn workshop i attended as part of our staff PLD in the last school holidays.

Children at the Centre of Communities and Practise

Notes from Professor Ted Glynn Lecture 24 July 2013

A community of practise involves:

·         A community of practise

·         A domain of knowledge

·         A body of shared practises

·         Negation and construction of identities

 

A person’s identity is made up of the communities they are competent in.

 

·         Interactions enhance relationships

·         Relations that enhance interactions

 

Participation in a community of practise:

 

·         Engaging with other members

·         Accountability

Wenger 1998  - boundary objects, people and practises

 

Permeable Boundaries

Educators interested in inclusion need to consider the effect on learning of crossing boundaries between communities of practise.  E.G. communities of practise at home, and communities of practise at home.

 

Boundary Crossing

·         Sports team

·         Birthday parties

·         Shopping in the same community

·         Drive through the neighbourhood

·         Get seen in the community

 

Funds of Knowledge

·         Historical knowledge

·         Culture knowledge

·         Strategies

·         Resources

 

Find ways of respecting this knowledge

 

Uses phrases such as

·         ‘what is your knowledge about  . . . . ‘

·         ‘Can you share what you know about . . .’

 

Expertise – knowledge that comes from experience.

 

 

James Nottingham:  Believes that ability group can have a potentially negative effect – advocates grouping based on interest.