You see U - my first time running a session

Email about online tutorial sessions

The link above takes you to a copy of the email I sent out to my NCEA L2 Bio students (or their supervisor if they were Dual Students), letting them know about the online sessions I was running using YouseeU, an online meeting/chat-room platform.

It was Halloween on the day of the Cells session so I had to explain that my hat wouldn't fit with my headset on as well...

I had 4 students attend the session on Cells and one had her video running as well as using the messaging function. Everyone was able to log on and no one got kicked out due to overload issues etc. I was able to share several resources from my desktop and also started a "live" document during the chat to give examples of a technique for revising concepts. I had to pause to give the typists time to let me know that they had a question, and to give Y/N responses to questions I had asked. I had only contacted my own students for this first series of sessions so I wasn't overwhelmed by heaps of attendees, and this therefore didn't create issues with bandwidth etc, and this also made follow-up contact with the attendees (to send out requested revision resources via email) fairly straightforward.

I intend to use this forum in future and may look at offering a couple of sessions a term which unpack a complex topic or concept (such as cellular respiration in L2 Bio), and offer this to any students, not just my own cohort. I'd need a few more admin steps in this instance as I'd need to view details for any student attending if they weren't on my class list and would need to get their student ID number in advance (can't ask for it in public chat due to privacy issues)

I consulted colleagues (Kaye & Phobie - many thanks!) on the how/why/what and do's + dont's of setting up and running a YouseeU session, and had to learn how to book the session in to our system and the best way to share the meeting link with students.

My Pepeha - a work of art in progress

I put this together in Term 4 2016 and embedded it on the news page in our online learning platform for all subject homepages at the start of this year. Sound quality not too flash and definitely needs an overhaul for this issue, along with some improved pronunciation in places. A goal for 2018 - the new improved pepeha.

The process of doing my pepeha each time we have a new colleague in Friday Tikanga sessions definitely helped my confidence with pronouncing the kupu. Next up I aim to extend my pepeha to include more whakapapa.

Waiata Practice - progress so far

We're a bit unpolished, but have made so much progress since the first week of this term! Lots of fine-tuning still to be done; we know the words now which is a major achievement...
Great collegiality and modelling to our students that teachers are learners too.

Teaching - PTC 6

Teach and respond to learners in a knowledgeable and adaptive way to progress their learning at an appropriate depth and pace.

• Teach in ways that ensure all learners are making sufficient progress, and monitor the extent and pace of learning, focusing on equity and excellence for all.
• Specifically support the educational aspirations for Māori learners, taking shared responsibility for these learners to achieve educational success as Māori.
• Use an increasing repertoire of teaching strategies, approaches, learning activities, technologies and assessment for learning strategies and modify these in response to the needs of individuals and groups of learners.
• Provide opportunities and support for learners to engage with, practise and apply learning to different contexts and make connections with prior learning.
• Teach in ways that enable learners to learn from one another, to collaborate, to self-regulate and to develop agency over their learning.
• Ensure learners receive ongoing feedback and assessment information and support them to use this information to guide further learning.

Design for Learning - PTC 5

Design learning based on curriculum and pedagogical knowledge, assessment information and an
understanding of each learner’s strengths, interests, needs, identities, languages and cultures.

• Select teaching approaches, resources, and learning and assessment activities based on a thorough knowledge of curriculum content, pedagogy, progressions in learning and the learners.
• Gather, analyse and use appropriate assessment information, identifying progress and needs of learners to design clear next steps in learning and to identify additional supports or adaptations that may be required.
• Design and plan culturally responsive, evidence-based approaches that reflect the local community and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership in New Zealand.
• Harness the rich capital that learners bring by providing culturally responsive and engaging contexts for learners.

• Design learning that is informed by national policies and priorities.

Learning-focused culture - PTC 4

Develop a culture that is focused on learning, and is characterised by respect, inclusion, empathy, collaboration and safety.

• Develop learning-focused relationships with learners, enabling them to be active participants in the process of learning, sharing ownership and responsibility for learning.
• Foster trust, respect and cooperation with and among learners so that they experience an environment in which it is safe to take risks.
• Demonstrate high expectations for the learning outcomes of all learners, including for those learners with disabilities or learning support needs.
• Manage the learning setting to ensure access to learning for all and to maximise learners’ physical, social, cultural and emotional safety.
• Create an environment where learners can be confident in their identities, languages, cultures and abilities.
• Develop an environment where the diversity and uniqueness of all learners are accepted and valued.

• Meet relevant regulatory, statutory and professional requirements.

Professional Relationships - PTC 3

Establish and maintain professional relationships and behaviours focused on the learning and wellbeing of each learner.

• Engage in reciprocal, collaborative learning-focused relationships with:
– learners, families and whānau
– teaching colleagues, support staff and other professionals
– agencies, groups and individuals in the community.
• Communicate effectively with others.
• Actively contribute, and work collegially, in the pursuit of improving my own and organisational practice, showing leadership, particularly in areas of responsibility.
• Communicate clear and accurate assessment for learning and achievement
information.

Professional learning - PTC 2

Use inquiry, collaborative problem-solving and professional learning to improve professional capability to impact on the learning and achievement of all learners.

• Inquire into and reflect on the effectiveness of practice in an ongoing way,
using evidence from a range of sources.
• Critically examine how my own assumptions and beliefs, including cultural
beliefs, impact on practice and the achievement of learners with different
abilities and needs, backgrounds, genders, identities, languages and cultures.
• Engage in professional learning and adaptively apply this learning in practice.
• Be informed by research and innovations related to: content disciplines;
pedagogy; teaching for diverse learners, including learners with disabilities
and learning support needs; and wider education matters.
• Seek and respond to feedback from learners, colleagues and other education
professionals, and engage in collaborative problem solving and learningfocused

collegial discussions.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership - PTC 1

Demonstrate commitment to tangata whenuatanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership in Aotearoa New Zealand.

• Understand and recognise the unique status of tangata whenua in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Understand and acknowledge the histories, heritages, languages and cultures of partners to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
• Practise and develop the use of te reo and tikanga Māori.

Getting started - a catch-up whilst looking forward

Good morning dear Reader (almost lunchtime in NZ and am about to rush off to Kapahaka practice in a couple of minutes - more on that in another post).

I've utilised local knowledge (a colleague in the office) to assist in my decision to move from a Wix site to this blogging format as an ongoing record of my Professional learning. So - using Professional Relationships PTC-tick.
Now it's case of getting the PTC descriptors cut & pasted in, and starting to use labels in my posts.
I love learning how to use new software (new to me!) and this is not a chore, it's an adventure. Kind of like e-stationery... every teacher's delight n'est pas?