Audience, Purpose and Motivation for Writing

Prior to the session we read:
Alison Davis, Effective Writing
Chapter 8, Celebrating and responding to writing

The key ideas: 

• Having a clear purpose and audience for writing is highly motivating for students, and involving them in determining this is an effective way to build motivation. 
• Students can learn a lot about writing through investigating their own and other's writing.
• Maintenance of skills and strategies for writing is an important aspect of everyday class practice.
• Allowing students a choice in writing activities provides an incentive for involvement and an interest in writing. 
• There are a wide range of possibilities in the creation and celebration of writing. 

We used the ECG template to discuss the reading in groups. 

Senior Team 

Junior Team:

We asked why write? 




We used Coggle to make a list of our students and attach them to an audience that might work for them.

Exploring Active Demonstrating- Inspired by Murray Gadd

Breathing exercise by Gabrielle from the Focus 5 resources

We started off by John telling a story. He asked what we need to include in our writing e.g. punctuation, hooking reader in etc. "What are best words? Make a note of those… Let’s start writing."

Shared Writing- led by John

Shared writing led by Anna

Shared writing led by Carl

We set goals with a focus on active demonstrating. We will check in on these in two weeks. Active Demonstrating Goals

Triples is coming up in next week. We will be following the same format as last time. 

RECAP:

Purpose of Triples :

• Raise the writing achievement for all students.
• Share and critically reflect on our teaching of writing - identifying areas of strength and areas of improvement.
• Reflect, support, challenge, question, feedback, analyse, learn from each other.
• Leave the Triples session with clear actions to implement and improve student outcomes.    We will be coming back to these.

This TIME

Your lesson for observation will be with the same group that you taught the last time. 

It is also another opportunity to add feedback and progression to your Teaching as Inquiry. We are trying to align our TAI, PPG etc 

If your TAI is focused on improving feedback -  it would be good to see how feedback is being given and used by your group.       

Planning Template      

Teacher Inquiry Check In: Thursday 17th May

We started the session with a Kahoot quiz about Formative Assessment. If you missed the session or would like to take the quiz again, you can Click Here.

We discussed where we are at with our Teacher Inquiries in small groups. We all shared our next steps. 

We will be celebrating our inquiries in Week 9. We are all learning from each other!

Formative Assessment: Writing Focus, Monday 14th May 2018

Ximena started with a breathing exercise

General discussion in teams: What would a classroom in which formative assessment and feedback are happening look like sound like etc?  

The Key Messages from Dylan Wiliam:

1. Everybody is thinking all the time.

2. Make students do the work.

3. Only give give feedback that will be used.

What could these statements look like in action?

Seniors:


Juniors: 

Examples of feedback:  We shared a piece of writing and discussed different approaches to written feedback. We evaluated in pairs.

There is some consistency around pink and green. Teachers are generally picking out one thing to work on and one thing that is going well. Feedback is usually linked to a student's goal. The juniors are using symbols. We agreed that we write words above the words.

Seniors: P for punctuation, G for grammar, S for spelling. Simple marking.

Here are examples of exit tickets in Maths:

What could this look like in writing at your kid’s level?

During discussion we thought that exit tickets could be good if the questions were open e.g. Can you write a simile? Multi-choice might work well too. ARBs- short tasks would work well. We could collect a bank of exit tickets for skills. You could ask students things like how would you shape a green light question? Using exit tickets could be good for workshop planning.

Further Reading:



These are Ximena's notes from Dylan Wiliam course, Embedding formative assessment with teacher learning communities:

Learn it, live it, teach it, embed it! Thursday 10th May

Positive Education is an intentional focus on student and staff wellbeing. There are many facets to Positive Education and many ways to successfully implement ‘Pos Ed’ into any school community. The applied framework of 'Learn It, Live It, Teach It, Embed It' assists us at GGS to design and review our ongoing implementation of Positive Education
Learn It


A natural starting point for a school community is for the staff (both teaching and non-teaching) to learn the key tenets of Positive Education. A condition of employment at GGS is for all staff to complete a three-day residential course titled 'Discovering Positive Education', which is led by our School’s in-house training team. A key goal of this initial training course is to kindle curiosity in each staff member as they explore the elements of their personal wellbeing and discover the science of positive psychology. Over the past year, we have also offered residential weekend Positive Education training courses for our parents. These courses enable parents to gain a deeper understanding of Pos Ed which will hopefully directly assist their own wellbeing and indirectly assist the wellbeing of their family and friends, particularly their children. Parents who learn Positive Education are able to share a common language with their children and also report a strong sense of connection with the School which is then associated with increased student engagement.


Take-away reflection: How can your school help the adult members of its community (teaching and non-teaching staff and parents) to personally experience and benefit from the key tenets of Positive Education?
Live It


Living Pos Ed can mean many things. It can include: harnessing one’s character strengths in difficult situations; spotting and acknowledging character strengths use in others; fostering strong relationships with family, friends and colleagues; experiencing a broad range of positive emotions; nurturing a healthy lifestyle; practising habits of mindfulness; developing resilient internal resources; promoting deep engagement in work and leisure activities; striving towards goals which are aligned with one’s purpose; and contributing in a variety of ways to communities and projects which provide personal meaning.


Having started the journey of learning about Positive Education the aim is then for individuals to roll up their sleeves and endeavour to live by principles which support their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others. The late Professor Chris Peterson was well-known for his phrase "Positive Psychology is not a spectator sport." We concur and encourage Chris' point of view and encourage all members of our community to actively work on their own wellbeing. As wellbeing is a deeply personal subject it is necessary for individuals to tailor activities to their preferred style and situations. As individuals practise living Pos Ed they gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of each of the components of wellbeing and this enables them to authentically role-model and teach Pos Ed to the students.


Take-away reflection: How can your school environment assist and encourage individuals to actively nurture their own wellbeing? How are staff role-modelling the principles of Positive Education? How are you fostering your own wellbeing?
Teach It


Each school must determine how they wish to teach the key skills and knowledge of Positive Education to their students. At GGS we refer to the explicit and implicit teaching of Pos Ed to our students. The explicit delivery occurs in dedicated Positive Education classes from Years 5 through to Year 10, with students in Years 5 & 6 receiving half hour classes each week; students in Years 7,8 and 9 receiving one hour classes each fortnight and our Year 10 students receiving 90 minute classes each week. This culminates in over 150 hours of explicit Positive Education timetabled classes. Explicit delivery can also occur through dedicated Pos Ed Focus Days or through formal Pos Ed Pastoral Care sessions. At each of our Junior School campuses and at each year level in our Secondary School we have an annual Positive Education Focus Day based around a particular wellbeing theme. Themes currently include: Grow Your Mind Day; Five Ways to Wellbeing; One for all and all for one; Exploring Character Strengths and Community Wellbeing. Where appropriate student volunteers form committees to help plan, prepare and run these dedicated Focus Days. At GGS, our secondary students also participate in three Pos Ed tutorials per term, these sessions are theme-based and are run by individual tutors who are responsible for the care and development of a small team of approximately 12 students.


An important extension to the explicit delivery of Pos Ed is the implicit teaching of wellbeing concepts within the traditional academic subject areas. At GGS, each academic department is charged with the responsibility of making appropriate links with Positive Education in their subject area. This can take the form of looking at Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness index in Geography; completing a Family Tree of Signature Character Strengths in History; exploring the concept of Optimism in Art or understanding the impact of positive and negative emotions on the body’s chemistry in Science. It can also include fostering growth mindsets; incorporating brief pauses of mindful meditations into classrooms; promoting a sense of gratitude and focusing on effective feedback such as process praise. The goal is for the implicit teaching of Pos Ed to complement the explicit delivery of Pos Ed classes.


Take-away reflection: How can your school ‘teach’ Positive Education to its students? What is a logical starting point for your school? What is the next step to enhance what your school is already doing in teaching wellbeing to its students?
Embed It


To complete an integrated approach to Positive Education it is important for key principles to be embedded across the many facets of school life. Our goal at GGS is for students to almost not even recognise our intentional focus on wellbeing as it is just the way we do things here, it is ‘in the water’, it is the way staff and students relate to one another and the way wellbeing is considered and discussed in each element of the school’s co-curriculum.


At GGS, we continue to review and update our policy and procedure documents in light of the principles of wellbeing. We aim to have a congruence between what is being verbalised and what is being practised. In recent years we have modified our pastoral care, staff appraisal, professional learning and student recognition policies.


With all staff trained in the principles of Pos Ed, they can refer to a common language with students whether it be in the classroom, on the sporting field, in the school yard or on the stage. Careful consideration should also be given to the implicit wellbeing messages displayed in classrooms and school buildings. Regular references to the science and practice of wellbeing in school newsletters and school assemblies help reinforce the importance of individual and community wellbeing.


Take-away reflection: What wellbeing messages are communicated within your school culture and school environment? In what ways can you embed Pos Ed messages within your co-curricular programme?


Of course, implementing Positive Education in any school or organisation is an ongoing process and requires the commitment and teamwork of all stakeholders. Each of the four distinct elements of the Applied Framework detailed above require enduring attention and we wish all schools and individuals every success on their personal journey. At GGS, we have found it a tremendously meaningful and enjoyable journey and one we are grateful to be on as we continue ‘learning to flourish’

We had time to plan for our upcoming Positive Education Day.

Positive Education at Worser Bay: Monday 7th May

AIM = Refresh the big picture of Pos Ed at Worser Bay

• Start: song - Let it be--Uke Gillian, linked to positive emotions through singing
• Gabrielle led triangle breathing exercise, link to positive mental health

• Susie introduced the Flourish poster  Jigsaw activity with what fits into each domain - both bullet points and definition
• 
• Share plan for year - how are we doing…We have committed to teach and represent  Positive Emotions, Positive Relationships, music, and growth mindsets. We spent 20 minutes in teams developing plans for the next few weeks. Teams to report back in week 5
• Gillian shared some information about the Pos Ed spectrum with the provocation - where are you? Learn it live it teach it embed it. Everyone to read and consider for Thursdays session.
• We finished by looking at the view (appreciation of beauty and excellence), and sharing something you’re inspired by with view and with pos ed.

Actively Listening

“Nature gave us one tongue and two ears so we could hear twice as much as we speak” Epicetus

1. Listening completely- what stops us listening?

Bogged down in detail

Blinded or deafened by hot spots

Working to an agenda

Lacking focus

Making assumptions

Talking

Missing the non-verbal

Making judgements

In too much agreement

Physical environment

2. How do we interpret what we hear?

Combination of words, tone of voice, facial expressions and body language

So what would you be doing if you were actively listening?

Using supportive and encouraging gestures

Make eye contact but don’t stare

Reflect back with their words

Summarise and seek clarification if needed

W.A.I.T

What difference does this make for the other person/people as opposed to someone half present?

Practice: SPIRE buddies

5 mins each

PLD Social and Emotional Wellbeing

In a nutshell:  

• ‘Behaviour management’ initially impies negatives but with our POS Ed background we began thinking about positive aspects  - At WBS we call is ‘Social and Emotional Wellbeing’ with a focus on preventative and pro-active strategies to support relationships.
• We would rather focus on teaching kids ‘to be powerful’
• The Think sheet no longer fits with WBS values and philosophy.
• A trigger plan is a better tool that ensures we are planning and thinking about positive ways to respond to these.  Each case will be different however some similar situations will surface especially in the playground.
• The colour chart is used in different ways across the school.
• Words create worlds - What you focus on flourishes.
• Nathan Mikaere Wallis shared research about how kids will react and often do what someone instructs them ‘not’ to do.   This is because when you frame a “DON’T …...instruction” students will visualise that exact action. This results in them doing what they have been told not to do.
• Our praise, feedback, coaching and encouragement (Language in general) needs to be framed in the ‘desirable’ IE:  What we want to see …….
• We deal with situations - triggered events in private -  Maintaining and up holding the MANA of all.

Trigger may not also be the right word to use -  so in the pipelines