Daily Reflection 1

09/03/2016

L1 MTR first day with most of the class present - Hokainga really has trouble staying on task,
rtlb joined the lesson today to observe him in class. Suggested buying pizzas for the class to
teach fractions (possible if they have money for this sort of thing - will see what happens,
could help with motivation for this class)

9DO my e-learning class has been going quite well - real mix of abilities in this class so I am
trying to provide activities with scope for extension for the top kids - I find google classroom
good for project type learning.

9 Music - my year 9 music class is going well, keiran needs some extension and band
opportunities, ben and Aaronn will need some extra one on one time.

Daily Reflection 2

16/03/16

We made Plaster molds for the electronics robot kits today - Went well, need large bags of
plaster - I ordered 20kg bag and we nearly ran out. Worked well to put Steven in charge of
box making as he has experience with tech wood - tupac and Izaya need to be in charge of
activities eg mixing otherwise they try to do nothing.

They are learning the process for vacuum forming using plaster to carve their molds.

9DO Going well with google classroom assignments, I need to set some more mathletics
activities and improve my skills with this programme. Judd and cody could do with some
extra help.

Daily Reflection 4

Date Worked Can Improve

18/03/16

Before Discussed reflection template with

School Phillip Calver PRT leader - He said I
should add an improvements made
column hence the title below

P1 L1 MTR - Working on rates and

ratios, Do now activities followed by
Practice assessment where I work
with groups and individual students.
P2

P3 L2 ELA Plaster moulds are clogging tools and

taking too long. Have decided to glue
2 by 4 instead and use power tools in
the wood shop to carve and shape for
the vacuum forming

P4 9MAT - Me and Sussanne have

shared our google classroom sites
with each other and we are able to
share and repost activities that have
worked for our classes.

P5 10MUS Need to choose some more modern

songs that the students like for the
introduction listening activities - to
gain more engagement

After Restringing guitars with broken

School strings
Improvements Made:
This part of my daily log - means I can keep a check on whether I have made the
improvements I have identified as weak areas.

I have designed a reflections sheet for my L1 mtr class which struggles with self-
management - The students reflect on their level of effort after each lesson and set goals for
the next lesson.

I have meet the goal set with my mentor to update my markbook with profiles and
comments.

Extra:
I am running a staff pool competition and have designed a poster and set the draw
Reflection Day 5

Date Worked Can Improved

18/03/2016 Improve

Before Whanau discussed credit

School counts

P1 L1 mtr - Class worked Vinnie RTLB was requested by me

really well, related lesson for this class - worked really well
back to success criteria this lesson having someone in the
which was co-constructed back of the room to keep students
on track.

P2

Interval

P3 Whanau credit count check Changed from plaster to Pine for

 - Just seniors to check their making the moulds - Much better
progress with NCEA for the tools, less mess and less
L2 ELA - Making moulds problems
for Robot cars

P4 9D0 - using suzzies google Working really well to share ideas

classroom assignment as a and activities with another teacher
repost

Lunch

P5

After School

To Do:
Print reflection sheets and make file box
Update BT Folder - dividers etc
Write invite for staff pool competition
2 by 4 for ELA
Workbook for Jared Konings
Talk to Jim about markbook
Update mathletics list
Relate reflections to Tataiako and School Values
Daily Reflection 6
Date Worked Can Improve Improved
21/3/15

Before Staff Brief

School

P1 9DO maths - class Currently they are set-up so the

finishing up two students share their assignment
google classroom like a google drive which sends
assignments me an email link - I need to
provide the doc for students so it
is linked straight to the classroom
site to streamline the process

P2 10MUS - scale and Taurian was play fighting and Offering choice in
chord work then threw a chair - I always find each lesson seems to
computer room to myself discussing behaviour with be helping with
explore music him - today I told him off and he student engagement
resources on the sulked the rest of the lesson - I and motivation
intranet need to try some different
strategies with this student -
school is trying to get funding for
support with this student

Interval

P3
P4 9MUS - Listening Using more modern
activities + scale music that the
and chord practice students like for the
listening activities is
improving student
enjoyment and
engagement

Lunch

P5

After
School

Reflective Log

24/03/2016 I have decided to change the way I do this after a discussion with the PRT
leader - My old way of using a table was a bit cramped and inefficient. This layout should
give me more freedom to update and include improvements and reflections. Reflections will
be shown in italics.

Week 8 Term 1 2016

9DO - This week we have been working on shape and angles using a mix of e-learning and
paper based activities.
24/03/2016 Reflection, I have been having issues with some students playing games on
their devices during class time - I have decided to include some more game or interactive
type maths activities in the hope of improving engagement such as Kahoot and activities
from maths is fun website

9MUS - This week we have been improving skills with chords and scales on guitar,
keyboard, and ukulele. They are also working on listening skills for instruments, genre and
time signature.
Reflection 24/03/2016 - I Have decided to ask the students to list some appropriate songs
that they like. Some of these will be used for the listening exercises and the students have
been taught how to find the chords and guitar tab to learn to play these songs. Students are
excited to learn songs of their choosing.

10MUS - This week we have been continuing to work through A-major and Minor scales as
well as chords.
Reflection 24/3/2016 Class going well - having issues with Taurian, Lashanika and Teina. I
have been putting these on Kamar where not much seems to be happening. Home contact
and Dean referral to Taurians Dad which has not lead to any change so far.

L1MTR - This week we have been continuing with number problems and getting ready for
the achievement standard.
Reflection 24/3/16 Some students are working really well. Still having real trouble with
Haukainga, DJ and Dre though - Ive discussed this with my Mentor Elaine and I think we
will move Haukainga to a different class where he does not have to do maths as he has very
low understanding and motivation but is also very disruptive.

L2ELA - This week we have been continuing with robot kits and wooden moulds. Class is
going really well with the wood work part but not so well with the robotics part.
Reflection 24/3/16 I believe this is due to some teething problems with the software and also
some computers are not working - I have been in discussions with Elaine to order some
laptops for the class as some old teacher ones are being decommissioned and we can buy
these at a cheaper price.

Week 9 Term 1 2016

9MUS - This week we have been continuing with scales and chords.
Reflection - 1/4/16 students are mostly working well and some are ready to be assessed.

10MUS - This week we have been working on scales, chords, and have started a new blues
research project on google classroom
Reflection - 1/4/16 Most of the class is very good but the same three students are making it
near impossible to teach - as before I have left records on Kamar, been in touch with Deans
and head of faculty but not much is happening yet except behaviour cards which are not
working yet.

L1MTR - This week we have been consolidating knowledge for the number achievement
standard coming up. Also working toward number unit standards.
Reflection - 1/4/16 Many of the students are working better than they have been with the
constant reminder that the test is coming up. I also managed to get some pizzas and we did
some fraction and ratio problems with these before eating.

L2ELA - This week we have been continuing with the project.

It has been going really well with the modelling but we have had some troubles with the 3D
printing software tinkercad - I have emailed tech support so hopefully they can fix this.

Week 10 Term 1 2016

This week I had a baby on Monday and was allowed to take Monday to Wednesday off -
This was quite hard as we were two weeks late and eventually induced so it was tricky to
constantly be planning to have reliever during this part of term where we are running lots of
assessments. I ended up setting up a test pack for the head of faculty to use for my L1MTR
achievement number standard. This was done on Tuesday/Wednesday and had to be
separate coloured pens etc. I got really sick during this period as well and had to take
Thursday off which meant I was only there Friday to see whats been happening and clean
up any mess and loose ends (Some students with special testing conditions were not
followed so I gave them some extra time and help with reading the questions etc.

End of term 1 break

During this time I have had to mark and load results for all of my classes (some moderation
still needs to be done) and plan and prep for the new units beginning next term. The head of
maths faculty has given us an assignment to write a statistics report to excellence level so
we can moderate off them next term

Term 2 week 1
L2ELA - 2/5/16 These guys are working on their robot project. They are going quite well,
some are up to vacuum forming but others need constant prompting to stay on task. I need
to order some plastic sheets for the vacuum form. 17/5/16 Reflection Plastic forming sheets
have turned up so next practical lesson we will have a go at vacuum forming their models.
Auckland supplier has been put on account so any future orders will be faster and easier.

9DO - 2/5/16 This class was quite hard to settle and get on task after the holidays. I think I
will give them some structured paperwork at the start of the next lesson to see if that helps
set the tone for a working learning lesson. This did help but Im still struggling with the noise
level in this class and they take a long time to settle for instructions

L1MTR - 2/5/16 Class starting measurement standard. I gave them back their Number
results, most have done well which was great to see - some missed the assessment without
a valid excuse so Im in the process of finding out if I can let them sit the assessment.

10MUS - 2/5/16 Many still need to finish their scales so I gave them a whole lesson on this -
some are working in small groups on songs and the trustworthy ones have been given some
time in the jam room.

Term 2 Week 2

L2ELE 17/05/2016 - Many Are now finished their models and are working on their 3D
printing files and car accessories. Laptops have turned up so more are now able to program
at once which should really help with progress. 17/5/16 Reflection Plastic forming sheets
have turned up so next practical lesson we will have a go at vacuum forming their models.
Auckland supplier has been put on account so any future orders will be faster and easier.

11/6/16 Reflection
Lunchtime raspberry Pi club has been going well and we had an evening where the Mayors
of Whangarei and Taupo came to speak and see what we are doing (Ill try to remember to
attach a photo below). I have also started supervising students in the weights room during
my free

Lunch times as they have paid and are only allowed in there with a teacher. I will ask if this
time can count for one of my Duties.

9DO has been going quite well. We have just finished the probability unit - A couple of
students were stood down for lighting fireworks in class but they are back now.

9MUS has been going well - they are starting to split into small groups and bands and most
seem to be enjoying this. Similar for 10MUS. Taurian has been a constant problem as is
Teina - I always load things in Kamar but nothing seems to happen. I gave Taurian to the
Principal the other day as he was spitting straight up in the air and climbing the outside of
the stairs over other students. He got sent home but is back like nothing ever happened.

I had a drop in Kae eke panuku observation in my ELA class and got a good review, Ill do a
reflection and attach in my folder.

We had parent teacher interviews over two evenings. I gained some good information about
some students such as bullying, learning difficulties, A SPELD test for Judd etc.
There has been a measles case so the school is attempting to get everyone to get vaccines
that cant provide records of previous vaccinations. I cant find mine so I will either do this or
get a blood test to show antibodies.

We had a teacher only day which was quite good - we did a bus tour around Whangarei with
Tohu and Jo who discussed the Maori significance of certain areas, then we did professional
development in faculties towards inquiry learning before some discussion on a new
appraisal technique that involves keeping an online portfolio.

Im not sure what to do about the workload. We seem to have meetings almost every
morning and afternoon - We have had two teachers leave this year due to stress. I am
constantly doing school work through evenings and weekends. I am supposed to do a TER
course this year as my registration has lapsed so I am worried about the strain that will
cause trying to do study on top the current workload.

TER Course Relections

Reflection Day 1

11/7/2016 Monday_Day one of course

Course overview, logins and some curriculum information.
Excited to make an electronic portfolio as we need to do this for PRT as well as Appraisal this
year in our school so it is good to do this in a space that will provide feedback.
Good to look into the curriculum with focus as in school this tends to be replaced with NCEA and
credit counts. T thought the video on NZ curriculum was interesting and I would like to show to
staff in my school.
Discussion on students sharing their learning rather than chalk and talk was good and I am
thinking of some ideas to teach in Music for the practicum observations.

Reflection Day 2

LI for today was to develop or further develop my understanding of the NZ Curriculum.

There were many different interactive activities today and I feel like my understanding of the
NZ curriculum has improved.

We touched on the 8 learning areas and compared Levels across the different areas and the
language involved. These were then presented which was a good way to split up a large
task. I feel like I have a decent understanding of these levels and how they relate across the
different subject areas.

Inquiry teaching was discussed in depth and a few misunderstandings were cleared up for
me. The main one being that teaching as inquiry is a completely different thing than inquiry
learning. Teaching as inquiry is about being a reflective practitioner. This needs to be regular
and ongoing, and the reflections must influence future practice in a positive way.

An activity that I really enjoyed was the Kahoot game, which was designed to encourage
deeper thinking using a reading comprehension activity. This gave me some ideas I believe
I can take to the classroom such as focusing multi-choice questions around a piece of text
and trying to include prior knowledge for figuring out answers. Note - try not to use any silly
answers, all should be plausible but there should be a best answer.

I also enjoyed the video from Carol Dweck. I will try to take on board the not yet philosophy
rather than fail as a way of discussing with my students that we are all on a learning journey
and at different stages.

Reflection Day 3

13/07/2016

Reflection

Discussing module 2 and 3 and the requirements for these.

I am feeling much better about these modules after this morning session. We have been
given a template which I think will be really helpful with the structure of my assignments.
AsTTle was also discussed in depth including the grade levels and how these relate to the
curriculum. I think this will be very helpful for me to work on the assignment but will also help
me with my day to day teaching. I will be better equipped to use the assessment data to
inform and improve my practice.

Reflection Day 4

14/07/16

We started by going over the exit notes from day 3 which is a really good way to recap and
answer any questions. This will be a technique I can see working well in some of my
classes. We discussed module 4 and used a rally table activity where we take turns writing
something we know about NCEA alternately in pairs. Then compared these in fours, and
then compared as a class. This worked really well to engage and create a bit of competition.
We went through some power points on NCEA and my understanding and ability to navigate
through both the NCEA and TKI websites has improved greatly as a result. I feel like some
areas with assessment have been clarified for me today and I look forward to taking this
knowledge to the classroom.

Reflection Day 5

15/07/2016

Today we focused on learning intentions and success criteria - we went through a

PowerPoint discussing the research behind it and how they should be structured and used.
We did a practice activity making a balloon dog with no guidelines or learning intentions to
emphasise the need for them.

I use learning intentions and success criteria in my classes every day and it was really good
to see some examples and discussion about these to see where I can improve them. Being
specific and making my LIs S.M.A.R.T will improve my practice.

We did some activities on feedback including an essay on urban Maori.

Week 1 Term 3 25/07/16

The person in charge of PRT has changed - we had a meeting where they said all
reflections should be learning focused. Mine have been about all sorts so I need to make
sure they are student learning focused from now on.

9DO Maths
I ran easttle for 9DO to get an idea of how students are progressing so far. I am also setting
a specific easttle for measurement so I can gauge progress on this unit which we have just
started.

I used and activity with post-it notes where I gave them a time limit and asked them to take
turns writing all they can think of for different aspects of measurement. This worked really
well and the engagement level was high. It was a good quick way for me to get an idea of
where the students are at.

L2 ELA
This class has been hard to keep on task lately - I think because it is a large project the
students feel like they have lots of time and no need for urgency. I may need to adjust how I
teach this to make it more manageable chunks.

L1 MTR
This class is a bit frustrating - most are sitting on 7 credits for numeracy and need 3 more.
The A/S for trig is very soon and most of the students are coasting. I try to convey the
urgency and importance of working in class and studying at home to achieve this standard
but most seem very unconcerned - I will make some home contacts to follow up.

Music
I have two new music classes for this semester and both seem good. The year 10s have
some tricky students that swear a lot but most seem interested in learning music and an
instrument. The 9s have been working hard and seem to really enjoy the class.

Week 2 Term 3 01/08/16

Parent teacher interviews this week. They went quite well and it was a good opportunity for
me to speak to the parents about the upcoming Trig A/S and the importance of working
really hard to gain these credits as none of their other credits count if they dont have
numeracy.

Week 3 Term 3 08/08/16

Discussing my reflections with the head of PRT, she said we should not be doing daily
reflections or even weekly ones but to just them whenever something significant happens
that we want to reflect on - this makes more sense to me but its a bit frustrating constantly
getting different information about what we should be doing as PRTs.

We had an open evening where I ran the Drama photo booth to help out. A few nights later
we had an options evening where I ran the electronics stand to discuss the course and show
some of the things we have been doing. Went well and it was good to discuss with parents
and students some possible future pathways.

Week 4 Term 3 15/08/16

9DO 17/8/16

I had a lesson with 9DO which is an e-learning class. 12 students either didnt have devices
or had issues with their devices I had planned a lesson where they needed their devices
so this has become a major problem for the class as a whole and their learning. I had to
organise some computer room space for these students which took some time so I have
decided to start doing book work with this class and I will send a text home to parents.
Students who have devices will have the opportunity to do work on these during the second
half of the lesson.

L1 MTR 18/8/16

I have been running the trig achievement standard and have noticed many students are
struggling to plan and design a ramp. Most of them have a really good grasp of trig and
pythag but seem unable to convert this to multiple real ramps. I have been careful during the
unit to do lots of practical work of measuring to find angles. The wording of the Achievement
Standard is a bit tricky but we spent a fair bit of time on this. I think I will need to do more
work on multiple triangle problems in one question as I believe this has thrown a few of
them.

TER 3/10/16
Reflection Day 1 Course 2
Morning class discussion and reflection on practicum and assignments so far
which was good to hear about classmates and their experiences. Overall I feel
like my AT programme has been slightly less involved than many of the other
students who had constant monitoring and planning assistance. This is probably
because I am a full-time teacher anyway but assistance was always there if I
asked for it.

We also had some discussion about module 4 and 5. This is very helpful as I
needed some clarification as to what is required for the rest of the course.

We had the Kei eke panuku group from team solutions speak to us about Maori
achievement and some of the initiatives in place. We had done pre-readings on
these, which was a good idea as I already felt familiar with the material. I was
looking forward to this session as in school I have some trouble remembering
which is which, as there is a lot of overlapping between the different categories
of Tataiako. It was good to see how they start sessions with introductions,
backgrounds and anything on peoples mind. The importance of breaking down
barriers before learning can occur. This will be good for me and my classroom
practice and I am looking forward to using these ideas when meeting new
classes or starting new units.

TER 4/10/16
Reflection Day 2 TER Course 2

We had a group arrive to discuss Pacifika students, some of the gaps and ways to
address these.

I have limited experience working with Pacifika students. They made an

important point that Pacifika people do not consider themselves Pacifika but
identify as Samoan etc. So it is important to learn about the actual cultures of
you students. I think the main point I took from this session to use in my
classroom is to make sure I value each and every student in my classroom. Learn
their name, some of their interests, and any cultural norms for them that I could
include in classroom activities. It is important to value and unlock their prior
knowledge.

They taught us some language activities, one in particular I found very good was
a circle where one person talks for a minute, then someone connects with
something they have in common and talks for a minute this continues through
the whole group. We did it as groups of 5 and it was surprising and amazing the
number of connections that came through. It was a very good way to get to know
peoples back stories quickly and find connections. I think this could work very
well in some of my classes.

TER 5/10/16
Day 3 Course 2
Reflection
Today one of the topics we covered in group work was e-learning and some of the
issues involved with this. One component of this is BYOD (bring your own
device). I have a BYOD class and have some problems that keep coming up. One
problem is students not bringing or charging their device. Every lesson there are
at least four students that dont have their own useable device and the most in
one lesson I have had was twelve without a device. The other problem is keeping
students on task as they have all of their own interests at their fingertips. I was
interested to see if there were some strategies I didnt know of to help with these
issues.

The main info we found centred around taking the time to set it up properly with
a contract involving the parents. Also time setting up software and teaching
students to use it properly and efficiently. The video we watched focused on
students taking responsibility for their own learning.

This is all good information but it is also currently done in the school to little
effect I think. Contracts are signed with parents about having a useable device.
Contracts and courses are run about expectations and digital safety with
students, who must then get parents to sign these. These things are done but
the problems persist many other teachers in my school have this same
problem. Facebook was blocked but they all get around it using proxy servers.

At this stage I dont really have any answers but will keep trying different
strategies, such as desks facing the walls so I can see the computer screens,
however the students dont seem to like this and neither do I.

It is a difficult problem as e-learning is important and has huge potential so I

need to find ways to make it work better in my classroom.

TER 6/10/2016
Day 4 Course 2
Day Reflection

For the morning session we had Joanne talk about inclusion. There were some
good takeaways from this lesson but one part I really liked was when she talked
about not treating all Maori students the same. I find that in my school if
students identify as Maori, they are then supposed to be treated as Maori and
Maori students learn this way and like group work etc. I have always had trouble
with this as I am part Maori and I notice many Maori students in my class prefer
different types of work and ways of learning. All people are individuals and you
cannot assume a person is Maori, Asian, Female, or any type of group and will
learn a certain way. In my practice I will continue to treat students as individuals
with their own preferences and interests. I will be careful in school though as this
is not a popular opinion.

In the afternoon we talked about good questioning techniques. One thing that
stuck with me was a technique called pose, pause, pounce, bounce. Pose the
question, give them time to think about it, ask a student for a response, and pass
the response to another student for their thoughts. This a technique I would like
to try in my class and think it could be very effective.

TER 7/10/16
Reflection Day 5 Course 2

This morning we have been doing work around students with English as a second
language. This has been really valuable for me as I have had limited experience
with this at secondary level. For me the really important takeaway was how to
relate the ESOL stages to year and curriculum levels. This will be very useful for
my classroom practice and as Irene said, often ESOL teachers will bring a
students to your class and say this student is at stage 2, so it is essential to
know how these stages relate to the curriculum to know how to meet the needs
of the student.

On a side note I am very happy to have been a part of this course. I did not want
to do the course and it has had a large impact on my life eg weeks away from
family, huge work and stress load, but I have definitely learnt a lot of very useful
information for my classroom practice. The lecturers have been great, very
experienced and very knowledgeable. I would definitely have preferred the
course to be smaller and in my area but am happy to have had the experience
and the learning.

I will stop using this method for reflection and use captioned photos for
significant events instead.