Tuakana-Teina at its best

 Last year while we were doing introductions, one of my learners mentioned, among other things that she HATED maths and then apologised as she thought that she had hurt my feelings. I quickly cleared that up by thanking her for her honesty and telling her that my job was not to make her LOVE maths; instead I just needed her to try.

I provided her with teacher-created CHEAT Sheets as well as short videos with teaching and learning strategies for each standard and also taught her thinking strategies. The latter would help in all classes and even at home/work. She ended up being a top achiever in MATHS and now claims that MATHS is one of her favourite subjects.

I bumped into her today and she mentioned that her year 5 sibling (aged 10) was struggling with maths homework and no one at home was able to help, not even her parents. She remembered the thinking strategies that I had taught her and she used them and what do you know.................it worked. Tuakana-Teina at its best.

Student voice

 I have been perusing student voice about what support/encouragement I have given them and here are a few responses, verbatim.

a lot of support and help if something needed to be clarified

Helping me when I need it.

General motivation

Noelene has been a huge help during during lesson time. I have learnt a lot of nothings whilst working on this standard.

all the support I need

Zoom calls to re go over what I was unsure about and leaving comments to help me know where ive gone wrong

She checked my work fast so I could correct everything I needed too.

positive rienforcement

🤷‍♂️

A lot of encouraging words and lots of help.

Corrected me with feedback, given encouragement, showed me the standard

She's Nice and is a great teacher

lots of verbal encouragement and great environment to achieve independently.

When she called my work beautiful

Sharing Good Practice

 We were privileged to be part of/hosting the inaugural conference for Education ministers and staff from 18 Pacific countries. It is always energising to share what we do in the hope that it helps our neighbours.

Feel free to click this link  to hear the impact our school has had on some of our learners.

Humble brag

I have always been of the belief that my responsibilities as a teacher include:

*cementing meaningful student-teacher relationships

*providing learners easy access to a variety of meaningful resources to help build their knowledge and confidence in the subject

*creating a class culture including high expectations regarding both behaviour and success

*allowing learners to work through their learning programme at their own pace while asking for help/feedback when they see fit 

*empowering learners to track their progress and not be solely reliant on me and

*sitting assessments when the learner is ready as opposed to being dictated by a year planner

I do not usually claim learners' success as my own as it is up to them to manage their behaviour, progress and subsequent success after I have provided the tools to help them be successful. I also involve the whanau by sharing progress or lack thereof and below are a few responses from my parents after only 2 weeks of their child being in my class.

Parent 1: Happy Friday and thank you for your email. I must say though, all credit goes to you with Trinity's work ethic. She has always struggled with maths and finds it even harder when she can't connect with her teacher, or get the help and support she needs. After her first maths lesson with you, she told me about how amazing you are as a teacher and your determination to get all kids to pass. Thank you for helping 

Parent 2: Thank you for this email Nolene. I have always had faith that Zayn can achieve amazing things if he had the right people around him in education to support him. So I thank you so much for the care you have shown my son. We have been battling the education system since he was in pre-school and are finally gaining some benefit from all of the headaches. He is now seeing that he is more than capable too!

Parent 3: You have no idea how delighted I am to hear this …always knew there was great potential there .. Just the other day he told me his favourite teacher was maths teacher because no matter how hard it is you always have a shortcut to do it. 

Thank you for this amazing feedback.

Have a great weekend

Parent 4: Awww 😥 Noelene, words are not enough to express how happy I am. Thank you so much for this amazing news and the process Elijah has been working on towards his learning.

Thank you, so much for teaching and helping Elijah with his learning and may God's blessing be upon you and all the teachers.

Thank you so much, Noelene.

I might juuuuust claim some of my learners' success this time; hence the humble brag, but still feel that it all up to them and their success is theirs alone....

Success with 24% attendance

One of my students with very poor attendance (24%) recently managed to work through her learning programme, sit the practice test and summative test and gained NCEA L2 mathematics credits. I was keen to hear how she did it so asked her to share her experience which I have pasted below.

The suggested videos were a big help because I was able to rewind or skip ahead basically learning in my own pace, I don't really like asking for help Infront of the class especially being called out to answer an equation on the board, and so learning in such comfort and stability made it so easy to focus.

Success depends on the second letter

Due to students self-isolating, we have had small rolls this week. On Friday morning, two of my learners walked in and verbalised that they were not in the best frame of mind to commit to their learning. One of my learners had been upset in their previous class and the other said he was too dumb to do maths. After a general chat to both, I realised that a motivational talk would not cut it, so I wrote the word SUCCESS on my board and said "Success depends on the second letter" One of my learners got it immediatley while the other needed more time to digest it. It seemed to work a treat as both produced work to a high standard. My take away is that transferring responsibility onto learners usually ends with the desired outcome as smart students make smart choices - have a fabulous Friday

THANK YOU

To all my colleagues and students (both past and present) over the last 30+ years of teaching, I would like to THANK YOU for helping me live my passion on a daily basis. I was recently awarded the Teaching Excellence award at Manukau Institute of Technology and could not have done it without you. Special mention must be made to Tamaki College and Manaiakalani for being a leading light in education and to Manukau Institue of Technology for giving me permission to do things my way aka the DUNN Way. My application highlighted my use of rewindable learning resources in the form of short, teacher-created screencast videos which learners could watch repeatedly and at any time as opposed to being solely reliant on my physical presence if they needed help. If you would like to watch the video which was used as part of my application, please feel free to click on this link...... and THANK YOU, once again

Managing self leads to academic success

My Level 2 Maths class have trialled the use of a Tracking sheet to help them self-manage (one of the 5  key competencies) their progress this term.

64 % of the class attempted their assessment before the due date and 100% of them were successful and gained 2 credits.

The tracking sheet is a visual way for students to see whether they have met the standard (green) for each activity and gives them the confidence to move onto the next one. Orange means that the standard has not been met either because work is incomplete or there are errors. Red indicates that there is no evidence at all for that activity. My L2 tracking sheet is shown below.

A few generous students gave me feedback on the use of the tracking sheet as it was their first time being exposed to one.

 

Taking responsibility for learning/success

I am so impressed by one of my "Jumpstart" learners who encountered something that she did not understand and instead of waiting for the maths period the next day, tried to figure it out for herself by accessing her CHEAT SHEET.

This is her message to me.

6 Dec 2018, 23:04
Hi Miss, 

I just want to make sure if I'm on the right track with my Conclusion in Activity 7: French/German PPDAC 1. From the site, there is one column of data that shows a question mark. So I read through the site where there was guidance for this missing data. I managed to understand what could be done to this missing data, I just want to know if I can talk about it in my conclusion as "predict" for excellence. 

Thanks. 

Her interpretation was spot on. By having a clear understanding of the requirements of the standard and the evidence needed for the various achievement levels, she was able to make headway despite coming across what could have been seen as a stumbling block.

Junior Exams

Our Year 9's did their very first high school exam on Tuesday, 19 June starting with mathematics.

I tried to create a rich task with a meaningful context covering the Number, Measurement and Probability strands of the NZ curriculum so that learners would actively engage with the context and also to set them up for contextual learning when they reach the senior school and do NCEA exams as we have moved away from teaching skills in isolation. Not only did learners have to show detailed evidence as to how they solved questions but they also had to search online to complement already-existing content; that encouraged active interaction with the task.



Our context was about Steven Adams gifting them 4 tickets to the NZ Breakers basketball game at Spark Arena. Measurement skills included
checking online for train times and fares
converting scale diagram measurements of the basketball court
finding perimeter and area of parts of the basketball court
finding costs of the train fare if discounts were given on the day (a good way to integrate between maths strands as this was evidence of Number)

Carls Junior and Sky City Hotel are sponsors of the NZ Breakers basketball team so we used the former context for our Probability strand where learners had to look online for menus and then find the probability of certain Carls Junior combinations and the latter context was used for the Number strand. Learners had to check online for hotel and dinner prices for them, a friend and 2 adults and then work out the total cost of the prize that they had won in NZ dollars. We incorporated ratio by having them convert the total cost from NZ dollars into US dollars as Steven Adams is based in the States and is paid in that currency.

I noticed these comment from 2 of my learner's exam papers....

Thank you Mrs Dunn for creating this awesome Exam paper for us!! it was really fun. Sorry if i got some questions wrong . :)

This test was difficult, I now know what to focus on and will try harder next time

I used the HIGHLIGHT feature on teacher dashboard to see if learners were on task and the DRAFTBACK feature from the chrome webstore to see how long learners were engaged during the 2-hour exam slot and the context certainly kept learners engaged.

Where there's a will, there's a way

One of my Maori learners missed both assessment deadlines in term 1 worth a total of 6 credits. Our goal for term 2 was to complete the current standard before the deadline so that we could catch up on opportunities that were missed earlier in the year. In order to reach that goal, the learner realised that attending school on a regular basis was the way to go. A student voice survey revealed that she wanted whanau support in the form of making sure she comes to school every day.

 I noticed that attendance at school improved slightly and on a particular day, the learner arrived at school at 1.20pm, just in time for maths. The end result was that the learner attempted and completed all her work with much confidence and achieved her goal of 4 MERIT credits.

She immediately reviewed content and expectations for her missed assessment from term 1 and a week later she felt confident enough to sit the assessment that she had missed earlier; she gained 3 MERIT credits. Within the space of a week, she successfully gained 7 credits all at MERIT level ......where there's a will, there's a way..............

Student Voice

Students were asked to complete a Pre-Test Confidence Google form and their responses are documented below. A similar form was completed with my level 1 class in 2017 and an overwhelming response was for the teacher to allow students to listen to music in class and for whanau to keep the internet on at night.

I took learner feedback on board and this year learners can listen to music on condition that they have an earphone in one ear and the other ear is free to hear instructions. It seems to be working.

How much effort have you put into your learning	What can your teacher do differently, to assist you in becoming successful?	What can your whanau do differently, to assist you in becoming successful?	What can your friends do differently, to assist you in becoming successful?	What support or encouragement has your teacher given you for this standard?	What can you do differently, to maximise your learning
Merit	nothing (2)	nothing (2)	less talking about other subjects, and to help each other	good advice, and encourages not only me but the class to work hard and gain credits	stay focused and to be more confident
Merit	Nothing I just need to work harder	Help (2)	nothing	to go for merit or excellence	keep studying on this assessment
Achieved	Just keep doing what shes doing.	nothing	Nothing	she has helped me with all my work	listen more in class and work hard
Merit	Help	Lend some help	Stop being distractions, also help each other out.	Positive encouragement and support.	Stay on task and try my best.
Merit	Nothing	Reminding to do ym homework so i can finish off tasks i haven't completed.	Help	To go for Merit	Study
Merit	Give me maths works to do at home	leave the net on lol	Nothing	Help	Help
Achieved	help me more	nothing because they dont get this learning because we will never use it and we dont need it	working along with me	Giving me feed back	Do some work at home so I can be prepared for the exams & the next day in what we`re learning
Achieved	idk	giving me some time to have a go at the work, and see if i understand.	stop influencing me	she has given me more then i expected	after school study
Achieved	always giving me feedback about my learning.	Its all under control.	nothing what can they do to help me	idk	idk
Merit	Nothing more. She does enough with supervision,help and making sure everyones ahead of time.	Keep supporting me and helping me.	stop distracting me and also don't go on their phones while i'm working next to them.	so much support and also she gives me more info about what are we working on.	listening more in class and move away from the people that i know is a distraction to my learning.
Merit	Just go into more depth when teaching lessons.	motivate me to do my homework	Work with me,and understand that together we bot can learn something.	She's done well above. She's pushed me and our whole class so far,to make sure we're updated with all the resources needed,and she motivates each individual by reminding us of the achievement our goals are set to achieve.	Keep my attendance up,and hand in assessment before due date!... And have a positive mindset..
Merit	give us more details of our learning	make sure that I have a devices in school	Be more supportive.	To try my best.	Be more on task.
Merit	Give us more work	Nothing. They're helping me all the can	try not to get distracted when learning	she encourage me by keep trying	try and distance myself from friends
Merit	Nothing really. I'm the wnos not paying attention	Nothing really. They've already pushed me in a higher state to achieve my goals.	Dont talk durning class time	For this standard mrs Dunn has supported me by giving me help and showing us examples on the baord	Finish my work dont let anybody talk to you
Merit	Explain and describe the tasks in a different matter, so we'll be able to understand and persuade ourselves to finish of tasks that're set for us.	Just to support me and help if needed.	Try not to distract me.	She has given me a lot of support and stuff, But I can't be specific right now	try and distance myself from my friends and pay attention more in class
Merit	Nothing really. just to continue helping us and teaching us until we understand.		Work in the same paste and multi task if you wish to work together.	I've already got support and encouragement throughout my time here.	Finish of my externals at home if I have time. Finishing off my work on time and being able to listen to instructions.
			stop distracting me or each other while doing work.	she's praised me for the work I have done and she supports us as we work.	Is to continue working hard and paying attention in class

Summary of Raising Maori Achievement in Maths

Quick Read of my year-long Inquiry about Raising Maori achievement in maths by making teaching, learning and feedback visible and by discussing data with learners
	Making teaching, learning and feedback visible and sharing NCEA L1 data with learners to inform my teaching practice so that there is a shift in academic achievement of Maori Learners
	50% of our Maori Learners achieved L1 Numeracy the previous year compared to our national decile equivalent of 68.7%. 2017 school target is 80%.
	NCEA L1 Maori learners in 1104MAT
	VTaL framework          Google calendar       Sharing data with learners       Goal setting        Literacy Strategies Teaching and learning strategies        Achievement objectives in “student speak”         Positive conversations Appreciation postcards                Communicating with whanau about how WE can best support the learner TOGETHER
	Communication with whanau about how best we could both support the learner for success. Both teacher and whanau had great faith in their ability to achieve. Learner efficacy improved as the quality and quantity of work met the requirements for NCEA L1 Constant reinforcement of teacher belief in learner ability
	"Every time you called my mum whether it was something good or bad it motivated me to do better in maths. The calls my mum received also helped me work harder to ask the teacher for help instead of acting like i know what im doing" Teacher Whanau Learner -talk less and give us more time to do our work -let me listen to music -Shes so positive and supports us better then most teachers. -keeping the wifi on at night so I can do late night studies -offer more support -do work -focus more -sit in the front of the class
	The end is now upon us and so I face the final analysis comparing 2016 NCEA L1 Maori data with that of 2017. Credits 2016 2017 0 credits (Maori) 33% 0% 1 std away from Numeracy (Maori) 50% 0% Numeracy (Maori) 17% 100% Numeracy (Whole class) 26% 39% Numeracy cross curricula (Whole class) 38% 47% My takeaway (using data of learners who completed the school year): Maori learners exceeded the college’s target of 80% getting numeracy There was a 13% increase in numeracy for the whole class (from 26% in 2016 to 39% in 2017) and for Maori learners, there was an 83% increase in numeracy (17% in 2016 to 100% in 2017) What did we do differently? Teaching and learning was more visible using ViTaL sheets and Google calendars and feedback was based on effort using NCEA achievement criteria The use of standard-specific literacy strategies were more explicit and deliberate: Chunking Word definition 3 level guide Mnemonics Donut Give one, Get one Academic achievement data conversation (both across all curriculum levels and for mathematics, for the year level, were shared and discussed at regular intervals)

What happened for the learners	Each learner had access to a teaching and learning Template for each Achievement Standard Algebra - Internal  3 credits - Numeracy ACHIEVED Form equations, Solve equations (line graph), Substitute MERIT Interpret data (in context) EXCELLENCE Create and solve your own equation Literacy Strategy: Chunking 3 Level Guide Achieved - Read on the line Merit - Read between the lines Excellence - Read beyond the lines Teaching Strategy Forming equations: Look for secret words: each, every, single, one, per; that number gets the letter Solving equations: =sum( Interpreting tables: Colour code cheapest prices and explain in context The Key Competency “managing self” encouraged learners to work at their own pace choose their desired achievement level for each std complete their learning programme by tracking their progress on a ViTaL sheet before sitting summative tasks Conferencing was done at the learner’s request and feedback encouraged learning conversations about how to progress to the next level Questions were answered with questions to promote independent thinking and proactive learners
What evidence do I have for this	Credits 2016 2017 0 credits (Maori) 33% 0% 1 std away from Numeracy (Maori) 50% 0% Numeracy (Maori) 17% 100% official Numeracy (Whole class) 26% 39% unofficial Numeracy cross curricula (Whole class) 38% 47% unofficial
What did I do to make this happen?	Teaching and learning was more visible using ViTaL sheets, Google sites and Google calendars Achievement criteria and Teaching/Learning Strategies were explained in “student speak” The use of standard-specific literacy strategies were more explicit and deliberate and understood and used by learners: Chunking Word definition 3 level guide Mnemonics Donut Give one, Get one Academic achievement data conversation (both across all curriculum levels and for mathematics, for the year level, were shared and discussed at regular intervals)
Wonderings about what next	Students - Can students continue to self-manage next year with a different teacher? Teacher - Strategies to engage more Maori whanau so that we can best support the learner together