ACCoS Happenings Term 1 2018

So- what’s been happening ?

Initiatives Update

Last term saw a massive amount of work in each initiative. A summary of the three key take outs for the term have been highlighted by those leading the initiative.  

Teacher Agency - Catherine and Alaric

• Co-construction of a shared understanding of the concept of teacher agency between the ISLs and SMT of the schools in this initiative, building effective working relationships in the process.
• Co-construction of the teacher agency progression matrix with the ISLs, who then distributed and facilitated the collection of data from the teachers within the 4 schools in the initiative.
• Analysis of data to take place  in week 2 of term 2. Findings therein will guide our work for term 2 and onwards.

Learner Agency - Leigh and Mark

• We have aligned our understanding of what learner agency is, and co-constructed a shared definition that schools can use in their individual approaches.
• Collection of baseline data. We created a learner agency questionnaire to be carried out with a sample of students.
• A teacher survey was created as a self-assessment tool. ISLs undertook to complete this by the end of Term 1.

Where to next : An action plan will be developed after analysis of the data that has been gathered.

Writing - Erin and Clara

• Focus areas for PLG’s established across schools in initiative-Pedagogical approaches to writing-Extending teacher content knowledge-Identifying where the student fits in all of this?

Professional development for ISL’s -focusing on teacher inquiry cycle and developing rich, challenging question and understanding the Literacy Learning Progressions

Networking meeting early Term 2 which will  involve all teachers in this initiative. Intention is to set up across -school cycles of observation and critical feedback between the teachers.

Where to next:

• Creation of a survey for students to gather information on their attitudes towards how we teach writing and looking at effect sizes in relation to pedagogical approaches being trialed through PLG/’s.

Oral Language - Mark and Erin

Have completed baseline data collection at both schools with a random sample of approximately 50 Year 1 and 2 students.

Have established hunch and structural timeline of inquiry for 2018. Some key resources have been identified, including people from beyond our CoL who we hope to involve in future PD.

Planned collaboration and professional development between CPDS and RPS

Where to next:

Action plan being co-constructed and extension of  networking and collaboration  opportunities within CoL , and beyond Col - including ECE.

Mathematics/Pāngarau Initiative - Sonya and Sue

• Identified  maths as a strength in all three schools. Questioned if teachers were catering to the strengths of our learners.
• Historic learning data has been gathered over the past three years and this year student attitude data will be used as a comparison indicator to gauge how successful the initiative is in strengthening teacher pedagogy and content knowledge when teaching maths in our schools.
• Extending  involvement of our parent community. Schools are still working through how this will be part of their action plan.

  Where to next:

• Teachers sharing their learning in school, across schools and across Kahui Ako will be discussed when the teachers come together to share inquiry goals and to begin across schools collaborations.

Working with the Learner -Lisa and Sue

• EGGS staff have now all joined a cross curricular PLG for 2018 which relates to one or more of the 3 strategic aims for 2018: Curriculum design, Pedagogy for Innovative Learning and Building Relationships and Restorative Practices. Student agency is at the heart of all three strategic aims.
• The PLGs are furthering the cross curricular and collaborative connections between teachers.
• There are 14 ISLs and they have each identified how 'Working with the learner' and  'Learner Agency' will be developed within the PLG that they lead.
• Staff are developing their own Action Plans to identify research and strategies needed to enable the above. Staff are at the stage of researching, developing goals and gathering student data, under the supervision of the ISL.
• Cross curricular projects in the junior school are being developed between staff from different learning areas at EGGS this year.

  Where to next:

The two ASLs in the school are continuing to coach the ISLs and periodically meet them all together to share findings so they can learn from each other, and report back to the curriculum group.

Transitioning Early Childhood & New Entrants – Sarah Brown ( ISL at Kohia Tce)

• We have tapped into a need to create of local forum to rebuild relationships with 30-40 people attending our meetings.
• We have  set 13 goals for 2018 and have achieved four of them so far this year.
• We  had  a successful meeting in February on supporting children with special needs. Guest speaker, Felecia Tomich, shared resources and information on how we can support these children at a ECE/NE level.