Passion

As I reflect this week, I reflect on a number of things; the MOE training, our kaupapa and the our team discussions around the kaupapa.

For me all 3 are affected by the teacher student ratio and the restrictions a high student to teacher ratio can make.

Currently our kaupapa has 86 kids with supposedly 4 kaiako; but due to other commitments we are really working at 3 kaiako and sometimes 2 kaiako due to release.

The group being the developing inquiry (group B) should not be an issue but the starting point for these kids being both lack of idea and lack of understanding of the inquiry format.

In our team discussion a colleague commented as a criticism a group who were making fruit kebabs; how was this inquiry? Unfortunately this was the colleague who was unable to immerse herself in the kaupapa because of other commitments and  this group were in fact the group she had as her check in students.  I understood fully the criticism and know that this was a group I had  found myself working with. This group had lacked self-managing skills and were very distracted initially and this idea had come about by the fact that they had watched another group  I worked with make fruits kebabs as a trial for their cooking inquiry. They were convinced that this was their inquiry and I had to make it happen. And referring to the MOE training became argumentative (escalating) when asked why? as a link to inquiry.

Lacking connection to a passion, an idea and the understanding that kaupapa is immersed in the inquiry process takes time and when there is the impact of a large group.

At times, especially in block 3, when we have 2 kaiako in, it has this sense of babysitting.

I question why I haven't felt like this before as an advocate of inquiry projects. The impact of a hapori is that instead of 25 or 120 (as I have had in the past) there are 250+ akonga that we work with and knowing the students and knowng where they are at with inquiry and their passions are hard. Time invested into these rich conversations is crucial yet harder in the open space and number ratio.

My weeks have focussed on the need for a better student ratio  for learning in an open space and the MOE to recognise this.  I have a huge advocate for learning in ILE but would also am experiencing in my last two kaupapas large numbers  and learners new to the inquiry process.


I know that last year we tried passion projects badly; both due to  the lack of devices and the lack of buy in/knowledge of kaiako to an inquiry process. We instead integrated inquiry into our numeracy and literacy groups with were constant and we were able to know students and work with their plus one.

Something to think about below as we endeavour  to proceed...

Making it work for our learners- end of week one term 3

I begin the term refreshed and excited with the changes we have made to our kaupapa ako. Separating learners not by the choice of workshop but by their ability to work within the inquiry model and kaupapa ako.  

This image I sourced through facebook (Mindshift page) came to light as a I thought through the groupings. Mindset for our kids I feel is the biggest barrier to learning rather than the space or academic ability.

Many discouraged by change are quick to criticise and focus on the negative and loss of their known.

One such student who was negative, unsure, reluctant to fully engage (and going through a lot at home) understood the new groupings in her reflection at the end of week one. Initially Xharyah had to be escorted to her group. I will encourage to reflect again on the grouping and her next steps for the next kaupapa.

SOURCED from: facebook 

Taking a break- end of term holidays

These holidays were the laziest I have ever had as a teacher!!! I completely shut off from anything related to school; emails, work and i do not feel guilty or stressed in any way.
I feel refreshed and excited about the term.

This image resonated really strongly with me not only for our kids but for me personally.
An honest reflection: Terms four, one and two were for me about being stuck in the belongingness- focussing on being collaborative as a big team and not leading it or feeling like I have a voice or a voice overspoken. Throughout this time moving through the belonging/esteem segments as I was challenged and challenged myself. being used to having a niche in a school and a responsibility as such.

This term I feel like I'm in the a-ha/ self-actualization. 

For reasons: 

- love the new set up of our groupings actually focussing on kids learning pathway

- feeling a part of the team more

CORE top trends

In the past 5 years I have been using the CORE top trends to empower my thinking when  I was feeling a lone wolf. CORE as a company was a refuge for me for the last 5 years through the VPLD mentoring programme   I feel as though I am  eagerly awaiting  the release tomorrow.

I went back and had a look at last years and diversity jumped out at me.

Firstly as a proud moment of me of our hapori team and the changes we are making for our  next kaupapa ako cycle.

The first sentence states 'Designing for difference is impacting the way we organise and govern our societies and prepare for the future.

In reflection our previous kaupapa(s) we were expecting everyone to be able to run the Haeata inquiry process in their space and with the number of akonga that who on paper/physically  their  kaupapa.
We were limiting ourselves/stressing ourselves by making one-size fits for all when in actual fact our akonga were all at different stages of self-managing.

Leading into the parent conferences thinking through the challenging questions we  may receive, I reflected on the impact in particular the environment had on the social learning our akonga have to go through to be able to work in this space. And how we as closing school could not have really prepared them for this space.
I am a huge advocate of these spaces and excited at where we will take it but reflective of the impact these space have on our learning; for example Ruby.
She came to Haeata excited about change, enthusiastic about what she had heard, strong in ability but new to the community. Initially it was a culture shock- swearing, kids behaviour etc but as term 2 has progressed the 'girl' drama has for Ruby overshadowed at times her learning. RKF with her own device had chosen one kaupapa but because of the drama did not want to attend and instead attended another kaupapa at time- work wise did she work on her 'survivor' inquiry or did she work on a 'human rights' inquiry. In her words 'survivor was her favourite kaupapa so far' but was this because of camp  or the actual inquiry??? Socially RKF is struggling at times and prefers to hang with kaiako  at times. When we look at her link-ed are we seeing the best of her her learning or is it influenced/distracted by others.

Having just completed a kaupapa ako with a group that grew immensely throughout due to social connections I felt compromised initially that I wasn't teaching and that very little inquiry (in my gut0 was happening. I went from student led to teacher led (first/then) just to manage this group. Dividing our 50-60 into 3 groups- the independent/digital artists  to Clark; the reserachers/writers to Alicia/Sarah and the digital Maui /Matariki stars to me.
My reflection prompt for this:



So...... so excited after talking with Karyn re PD session last Monday and what we discussed as a hapori as a consequence of this for term 3- dividing the independent and the dependent for kaupapa ako.

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Cooperative vs Collaborative

My highs and lows this kaupapa have led me to reflect and refer back to the image I used as my continuum last year.

Our team of 4 progressed to mutual trust with elements of vulnerability - this was brought about of generating of our programme/ ideas as a group. We challenged each other, drove our culture of increasing agency in learners - I would love to say collaborative but definitely heading towards with more time and without the stresses of job interviews and then replacement procedures.

I look to us now and this kaupapa has for me emphasised how cooperative we are yet also sadly how selfish (love a better word but can't think of one) we are being.

Is it because of:

-release and preciousness of release? 

-resources -storage/ knowledge of purchases

-roaming akonga and learners not being followed up when not attending

-numbers of akonga vs kaiako/kaiawhina

-Are our systems  letting us down?

-are we looking after number one?

-have we inducted the new akonga well? 

-how do you new akonga fit  into a current kaupapa?

-wellbeing of staff-impact on this?

-extra-curricular commitments?

-frustration of kaiako following TOD

-engagement of kaiako at meetings?

-camps?  day trips? akonga & permission slips?

My #BFC630NZ chat this week:

This topic arose through personal reflections over the last 2 weeks; feeling at times I was struggling with the challenges of a large kaupapa group in an open space with little opportunity to be collaborative due to myself and  fellow kaiako release. 

My role became manager in an attempt to make accountability and reflection an asset of the kaupapa. 

This word  'enable' who I was a big user of featured in my thoughts instead as a 'negative' instead;

     - DH was unwilling to do any work because ET was not here to get his paint and picture. 

         This is a student I have worked with for now two years. Last year he was dependent on a 

         teacher and would only attempt work when he had teacher support. DH receives no funding 

         yet has this 'luxury'. Now DH is dependent on support- we enabled this..... why are we not 

         empowering him to work independently.

     - Our kaupapa ako group being so big- we hand out laptops to inspire/ assist with their artworks- 

        yet get frustrated when they are playing games or on facebook. 

My frustrations of feeling compromised over my lack of opportunity or battle to teach while feeling stretched to get around the group and ensure working was happening.

As a result I split our groups into 3, a group for kaiako-C, reliever and then myself to drive, motivate, check in with and eventually assess.  The past 2 days I have felt less compromised and concentrated on leading learning of a group with reciprocal positivity from the group.

Here's my twitter chat...

Our chat:

TOD webinar reflection-to be edited- just want for order

During our teacher only day we focussed on building relationships through circle-time, shame and trauma.