Staff+Meetings

__//**Date:**//__ 29.09.11

__//**Present:**//__ //Jocelyn, Karen, Kawal//

__//**AGENDA**//__

ICT Reflections-

Pet Day - Programme reality; Kawal to direct students to place their bits & pieces in either Room 2 or Room 3. 0.5 hours update - Three days on alternate weeks Starting Wednesday Week 11. End of Year trophies / prize giving Wednesday, 14th December - any thoughts Small Schools Athletics Day - initial organization by Jocelyn
 * Matters Arising:**

__//**GENERAL BUSINESS:**//__ Running Records data and next steps - pleasing to see three students well below in Term 1 have moved into the Below category and that two students below in term 1 are now in the 'at' category. Next steps strategies have made a huge shift from the mechanics of reading to more understanding the author's message. Long Term Plan Term 4

__//**MEETING CLOSED:**//__ pm

__//**Date:**//__ 22.09.11

__//**Present:**//__ //Barbara Reid, Jocelyn, Karen, Kawal//

__//**AGENDA**//__

ICT Reflections- Pet Day - Programme available for consultation 0.5 hours update - Three days on alternate weeks End of Year trophies / prize giving Wednesday, 14th December Small Schools Athletics Day ICT - Photography: Editing Photos; Rule of thirds - keep photos on the intersection of the grids; Using images for writing; anymaking programme; Stain glass collage; photopeach - making slideshows.

__//**GENERAL BUSINESS:**//__

__//**MEETING CLOSED:**//__ 5pm

__//**Date:**//__ 15.09.11

__//**Present:**//__ //Jocelyn, Karen, Kawal//

__//**AGENDA**//__

ICT Reflections- Completed but with difficulty due to connectivity. Maybe we have a virus on our server? Jocelyn to contact Matt. EOTC - feedback on procedures. All staff seem happy with document and will go "as is" so it can now go to the BoT. Pet Day - Information and entry forms went home on Tuesday. We need to know what pets are coming with adults at lunchtime. Flower Show will go ahead regardless. Students can bring a model of an imaginary pet. Shared lunch at 12 Noon.

Writing moderation: Argument, Should animals live in zoos Using asTTle rubrics.

__//**GENERAL BUSINESS:**//__ e-asTTle request forms to be filled out and returned to Jocelyn asap so we can be registered to use this programme.

__//**MEETING CLOSED:**//__ 5pm

__//**Date:**//__ 01.09.11

__//**Present:**//__ //Jocelyn, Karen, Kawal and one other watcher// __//**AGENDA**//__
 * Minutes recorded in googledocs**

ICT Reflections Pet Day Lock own procedures EOTC
 * Policy and procedures
 * Rotorua Trip

__//**GENERAL BUSINESS:**//__

__//**MEETING CLOSED:**//__

__//**Date:**//__ 18.8.11

__//**Present:**//__ Karen,Jocelyn, Kawal and Barbara

__//**AGENDA**//__

myportfolio-Barbara showed us around, we created a staff group for discussions and sharing files etc.

__//**GENERAL BUSINESS:**//__ nieonline.co.nz Front page builder, Nikkis news diary (Current events)

__//**MEETING CLOSED:**//__

__//**Date:**//__ //**14.08.2011**//

__//**My views about**//__ //**reading "Inside the Balck Box".**//

Views about “Inside the Black Box”
 * My understanding of this topic is it is all about Formative Assessment, how to best integrate it in our classrooms to enrich the learning and understanding students about any topic. It is about sharing LI and SC with the students and then giving them feedback and try to incorporate self and peer assessment.
 * FA also helps teacher in reflecting about their own teaching. I really liked the idea of students doing self and peer assessment as it motivates them about their engagement, learning and self-esteem.


 * The effective questioning techniques where wait time is allowed and students are asked to talk to their partners about it and then share their response with teacher or whole class. But my biggest concern here **is how we can motivate our kids to do that during reading time. I tried it and it was not successful because some of students were asking and framing questions which were off task????? Some suggestions would be great…………**


 * Feedback to students should be about particular quality of their work, with a comment to where more improvement is needed. In this paper they talk about external rewards not the best technique. I was thinking to hook them in perhaps use both feedback and reward stickers and gradually wean them off from stickers…… just a thought.

Thanx for your thoughts Kawal, I agree with you about the sharing of LI and SC enriching the students learning and also feel this is becoming embeded in our teaching practice.I also feel we are actively involving the students more with the learning goals, daily reflections and self-assessments. However after reading this article I feel perhaps we need to be more consistent in our feedback methods to the students in order to help them achieve eg "focused marking" and "Teacher Conferences"

I agree with both of you. While reading this article the things that jumped out at me were: (We are doing some of these. What I'm looking for are our "next steps"))
 * we are well on the way to raising student achievement with what we do - learning intentions, success criteria, self-assessment, goal setting
 * change in student and teacher thinking and practice happens over time through quality interactions
 * improved formative assessment helps the low achievers the most especially through adjusting the teaching to their needs, teacher/student discussions about their learning and how their work can be improved, teaching the skills for self-assessment (linking success criteria so they learn the FA language and can talk about their learning), development of next steps
 * quality questioning allowing "think time" (as you mentioned Kawal)
 * students are usually honest and reliable when assessing themselves and others, often being too hard on themselves !
 * use formal testing to further learning - test what the student knows, give time for their self-assessment of the test, give time and guidance/conferencing to correct and practice errors
 * extension of students happens during the teaching and learning so they cannot avoid more difficult tasks
 * feedback improves learning where each student is given specific guidance on strengths and weaknesses
 * develop a classroom culture of questioning and deep thinking in which students learn from shared discussions with teachers and each other
 * effective learning takes place when teachers "clear away" obstacles set up by the student's previous difficulties (C with mult/div, so I should go back to the easy bits she knows and work up to the harder concepts - I know that, but I keep hoping it will click. After reading this article I realize she won't click until I tackle it in such a way to avoid frustration and conflict. I think she has set up a mental block about it!)


 * Barriers to improved learning - my observations**
 * teachers ask a question and no one answers
 * teachers ask a question and one child gives all the answers
 * teacher asks a question and gives the answer herself


 * Questioning Techniques to enhance motivation during learning and also reading time**
 * give "think time" so all students have a chance to come up with an answer - **thoughtful reflection**
 * "think, pair, share" - talk answer over with a partner and each group has the opportunity to share their ideas
 * teacher gives a range of possible answers and asks students to vote on the one they think is the best
 * ask them all to write down their answer, choose some to read out to the class
 * whole class lessons - discuss answers in small groups - I'd use our four class groups i.e.; Y3, Y4-Y5, Y7, Y8

I want to take C back to where she is achieving success with numeracy and plan a programme for her to raise her self-esteem, knowledge and strategies - unblock the speed bump!! Maybe I can do this through story problems to do with time? money? What else is she good at maths-wise? Jocelyn
 * Thoughts? Further Comments? What will you try next?**

__//**GENERAL BUSINESS:**//__

__//**MEETING CLOSED:**//__

__//**Date:**//__ 4/8/11

__//**Present:**//__ Karen, Jocelyn, Kawal.

__//**AGENDA**//__
 * 10 min wikispaces reflections.
 * Behavior for learning (As per discussions prior to school holidays)
 * 1) Jocelyn still needs to develop the 5 virtues program for us to run in the class.
 * 2) Can't find any books about formative assessment in the school, Jocelyn is going to look at home. Jocelyn has a copy of "Inside the black box" which she will copy for us to read by the next staff meeting for discussion. (12th August as Kawal and Karen will be at a Literacy course on the Thursday)
 * Teaching as Inquiry.
 * 1) Teacher Professional Learning Handout from Jocelyn for us to read and reflect upon
 * 2) Classroom Data Gathering (Teacher Observation) master copies handed out to everyone. These will be used for future observations.
 * Jocelyn Showed us the staff meeting and staff professional development timetable for the term.
 * Duty Roster same as last term, new copies handed out for everyone.
 * Need to do a new procedure for EOTC -Jocelyn to draft this and bring to staff meeting (26th August)
 * Assembly- Getting students to present work, making a roster for groups to present some work each week of the term.

Karen has identified Cohen needs specialized help. She is willing to use her Reading Recovery training to make a program to run with him during Guided reading time, if we can put him on in a group of his own.
 * //__SPECIAL NEEDS:__//**

__//**GENERAL BUSINESS:**//__
 * 1) Friday afternoon arrangements: Should Karen and Kawal still be meeting every week even though it doesn't count towards Kawals PRT time? Meeting during lunchtime when required to answer questions and make sure everything is running smoothly. Karen still entitled to CRT time therefore Kawal to teach Friday afternoons.

__//**TO FOLLOW UP:**//__
 * 1) E-mail Rae to change her literacy focus with us to writing to help with our focus-Karen
 * 2) Look out for the formative assessment books-Jocelyn
 * 3) Draft EOTC-Jocelyn

__//**MEETING CLOSED:**//__ 5pm

30/62011

Present: Karen, Jocelyn and Barbara. Apologies: Kawal

Geocaching- What do they look like, how to geocach. Looked at geocaching site with Pelican example.

Learning to use photoshop to animate student retell.

dicussed cybersafety agreement

Jocelyn played with Barbara's new ipad!!!!!!!!