Technology Challenges!

If I haven't already mentioned, my students participate in technology challenges every Thursday where they work in groups to complete some sort of challenge. We've done things like create clothing from newspaper, make musical instruments from recycled goods, and create creative faces from soda bottles. The biggest learning intention for these activities is to get students to work together as a team, plan before they begin working, be creative, and use their resources wisely.

Last week we did a challenge where they had to try and build a shelter that would cover 3 people using newspaper, tape, and string. There was some good working going on, but in the end all of the teams really failed to create any sort of structure that would stand up. But we ended up doing some great reflection on what went wrong and what they could have done better so that for their next technology challenge they would be able to use that information to help succeed. And since for the shelter challenge they received such low marks due to the fact they didn't make much of anything, I awarded points for the best reflection on the experience and that helped determine a winner.

But the next week's challenge was where my students really showed a great deal of growth that made me so proud of them! This week they were given the challenge of creating and designing a flower that had the longest stem possible and that had the most creative flower on top. But the stem had to be able to hold up all by itself with no extra supports apart from the resources given to them in the challenge. For this challenge they were given 10 sheets of newspaper, 2m of tape, 6 m of string, and some colored paper. I was so impressed by how well my students worked at this challenge. When I walked around checking to see how well teams were working together, all of them were working as a team! There was really no fighting going on and most teams were having great discussions about how they should complete their flower. There was also a lot of great planning going on about how they should construct their flower and they were being very careful about the materials they were using. In the end, 4 of the 6 groups had a standing structure. One group's flower was very well designed and put together. It was a really great height and stood way longer than the 15 seconds required in judging. But one group kind of just got lucky with their flower standing the 15 seconds. It was by far the tallest of all the flowers, but it really didn't have the support that the second place flower received. But of the other two flowers who stood for the 15 seconds, one group got lucky on their 15 seconds and the other had a really strong structure despite the fact they did run out of tape. There was such so many good things happening within the groups. I was so proud!

After the challenge we did a bit of reflection on what went well, what they learned, and what they could have done better if they were to do this challenge again. My students had so many good things to say! One group had different jobs within their group and another traded off the responsibility of being the team leader. I was so glad that this was our last technology challenge because it really ended on a high. Great work Room 13!

This week is Week 8, so the end of the school year is drawing near. Both the students and the teachers are feeling it. I'm trying to keep my activities fun but also ones that will challenge my students and get them to think. We are doing a geocaching activity on Thursday that I really hope goes well. I think they will really enjoy it as long as I'm properly prepped for it. Lots of prep work this week. Keeping my fingers crossed it goes well.

In terms of travel, the biggest travel adventure I've been on since my last blog has been my trip to Wellington. I have a friend I worked with at camp this summer from Wellington, so we were able to stay with her and she showed us around Wellington which was really nice. I really liked the city. It had a lot of culture which was cool. I would have liked to look around more, but we only had a weekend. My biggest travel adventure I'm looking forward to is Queenstown. It should be really fun. Milford Sound looks absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to experience it for myself.

I can't believe I only have 2 weeks of school left! It feels like I've been here forever, but also that we just got here. It's a little strange. But I really can't wait to go home and see my family and friends and my kindergartners!

Halfway

I really can't believe that I am halfway through my teaching adventure in New Zealand. I feel like I just got here, but also that I've been here forever.

This past week I had some opportunities to teach all day. Monday my cooperating teacher was out of the room all day so we had a sub. It was really nice to get the opportunity to teach all day and really feel like I was the one in control. The kids couldn't just go to Mr. Maharaj for something. It was all on me. I do feel like I have a handle on the classroom though, which makes me feel really good about my teaching skills. The one thing I struggle with is when students continue to push me to my limit. I don't know the line where I need to impose a consequence such as leaving the room, or even going to the deputy principal's office. I tend to let things slide, but I know I get to make sure that these instances where students need to have a consequence more that a teacher look and verbal reprimand that I actually do something.

I had a great day on Thursday! In the morning block I helped beth with her GPS lesson, where we marked 6 waypoints around the school grounds and then in groups they had to find each of the hidden spots. It was so much fun! I'm going to be doing a similar lesson with my class in a few weeks and I'm really excited. After they have found each station they will have some sort of activity to go with their Communication Unit. It will be a great hands on activity that I'm sure they will really enjoy. Then in the middle block my class had their technology challenge where they had to create 3 musical instruments out of recycled materials and then play them for the class. It was so much fun watching them work in their groups and use teamwork to come up with some really creative stuff! Some of the instruments were just a lot of noise. But we did have some really creative ones that actually produced semi-musical sound. And then in the afternoon, I gave a lesson on video communication where we discussed how we use video communication and whether or not video communication is always better. My kids had some really great points that I hadn't even thought about. We're considering having a debate about it later. Some thinkers I have! So all in all it was a great day at school. It really gave me a reminder about why I love teaching.

I also got to Skype with my kindergarteners back home yesterday. It was so wonderful to see them. I miss them so much. They were so cute. I was welcomed by lots of kids shouting at once things like "We miss you!" "When are you coming back?" "Miss Webster, I love you!" So cute! Each one got a turn to get in front of the camera to say hello. But they had to stand on a chair to do it since the computer was up higher. So I would be talking to one of my students and a few other ones were jumping up and down in the background trying to get in the shot. So I'd just see random arms waving in the background haha.

I also have had two great weekends since the last time I blogged. Last weekend the three of us went to Rotorua which is towards the middle of the North Island. We got in kinda late on Friday night, but then on Saturday morning we went down to Lake Taupo and bungy jumped over the Waikato River! 47 meters up! It was so cool. After that we went down to the lake and then we looked at Huka Falls on the Waikato River. Then we headed back into Rotorua to get ready for the Mitai Brothers show that night which would teach us about the Maori culture. That was really great. I'm glad I got to learn about that since I am in New Zealand and all. And lastly on Sunday we did some shopping around the town where I spent way too much money but I did get a lot of gifts so that is good. And then this weekend, I went on my own personal adventure around Auckland. I went to the Victoria Park Market and did some shopping there, then to an art gallery, then bummed around Albert Park for awhile, then walked around Auckland University, and then headed back to Britomart to make my way back to Swanson. It was just a cool day because I really was able to feel like I was apart of the city.

Well onto a new week. Swanson is getting evaluated this week by the Education Review Office (ERO) so everyone is a little on edge. But it should be a good week regardless.

Assessment, Assessment, Assessment

Since we are here in New Zealand for the end of the school year, I'm seeing quite a bit of assessment of student learning since the teachers are preparing for their end of  the year reports. I'm glad that I'm able to see so much of the assessment because I think that is an area which I really haven't seen enough of. Especially in the older grades. Today I administered a STAR test which focused on vocabulary. Many of my students had made great progress throughout the school year which my teacher was quite proud of. Some other students who scored well in the beginning of the year and should have continued to rise, didn't which was upsetting to my cooperating teacher. But all in all, I am really interested in how my students are assessed.

I'm started doing some teaching here and there. I've been doing morning roll and news time, some numeracy, spelling, and starting next week I'll be taking on some guided reading groups which I'm very excited for. I can't say I'm overly fond of this age group. I can really see I'm much more comfortable with younger students and I enjoy it a whole lot more, but I really am learning about my classroom management skills. I really do not like yelling and so I've really taken to the being quiet until the rest of the class realizes they really need to quiet down.

One area that I'm continuing to struggle with is the planning for this age. Give me a lesson and I can get in front of the class and teach it, but ask me to plan out numeracy for the week and I feel lost. Part of it is I don't have a strong understanding of the resources (books, worksheets...) that the teachers here do. Experienced teachers can just whip out a set of worksheets on money like that, while I have to do quite a bit of digging in the resource room before I find what I want. I also don't have a good understanding of pacing for this age. I'm not always sure what they will be able to accomplish in a set amount of time. But that will come in time.

I'm finally starting to feel like a real member of the classroom. My students are really seeing me as their teacher and not someone who is just in there for a few days. That is making me feel a whole lot better and allowing me to enjoy school more.

Some side notes...

Last weekend Kristin, Beth and I traveled to Waiheke Island where we saw a bit of the island, tasted some wine, and did a bit of shopping. It was a nice day even though we were fighting the weather in the morning. Then on Sunday Rachel (my host mom) took Kristin and I to Bethells beach where we bush walked through some hills down to a nice beach where we had a small picnic. The scenery was beautiful. And Rachel, Kristin, and I decided to brave the cold and swim. Let me tell you, it was freezing. And I thought Lake Michigan could be cold! But we had fun. But we definitely appreciated the sun when we were trying to dry off.

This weekend the three of us (along with our host families) are going to Rotorua. We've heard a lot about this place so I hope it lives up to all the hype! I'm particularly excited about the Maori culture night. It will be a lot like a Luau, but for the Maori culture. Should be very interesting. I can't wait to share about this weekend's adventures!

Starting to Adjust?

Well I've been at Swason for about a week and a half. I've been trying to take in as much as possible, but it really is so much. I'm working with a whole new age group, one I have little experience with, in a whole new school,  with a whole new teacher, in a whole new country! A lot to take in. Everyone is very welcoming of the three of us from the states. That is making it easier to slide right into things. But there certainly are struggles as well. There are so many elements to the classroom that I have never had to deal with before like homework, independent work time, higher discipline issues, more assessment, and much more. Year 5&6 in New Zealand is very different than Kindergarten in the US I can tell you that.

But while observing my cooperating teacher and trying to understand how he runs his classrooms I noticed a few things that jumped out at me. He keeps his classroom very structured and set in routine. Since this is towards  the end of the school year for this group, they are set in their schedule and I am the one adjusting to it. While with my Kindergarteners I was teaching them the schedule and they were adjusting. I really had to learn to be the new person. Both my co-op teacher and I made it very clear to the class that I am still learning about teaching and that they are here to help me too. 

I also was able to notice how much assessment he uses within the classroom.  Which is really great for me because I really don't have a lot of experience with assessment beyond observation since the majority of my time spent in classrooms has been with young children. My teacher keeps a very organized running record of each students reading level. I was able to sit in on him evaluating a student that way. He tries to assess a student each day, so that he is constantly getting an updated review on where each student is with their reading. This also allows him to continue to challenge each learner.  He also does a great job using formative assessment. My students just finished up working on poem books, and he called each student over individually to conference with them one on one about their progress and things they should continue to work on. I really liked how he said that in New Zealand assessment is really used FOR learning instead of OF learning. That really shows that the basis of their educational system is about supporting students' learning instead of just tracking student learning.

One thing that really stood out to me was all of the differentiated instruction we have in our classroom. We have groups for everything! For pretty much every learning area (math, spelling, reading) there is a red (low), blue, green, and gold (high) group. Generally grouping student by ability level is generally a good thing because it allows the teacher to do lots of small group work to focus in on areas of weakness and continue to push groups to the best to THEIR OWN ability. But part of me wonders if my class is too focused around ability level. It is very clear in my classroom who is in the high groups most of the time and who is in the low groups. And that really has an impact on who they're friends with and who they relate to. The groups sit together so that is who they are generally surrounded by, so it makes sense that they would naturally grow to be better friends with those students, but my classroom has become quite cliquey from my perspective, and it kind of worries me. I also think that students would benefit from being grouped across ability levels so that different strengths  are shown and higher ability levels learn to teach their peers while the lower students learn how to learn from their peers. And we have done this a little with our technology challenge groups (more on technology challenges in future blogs), but I think more could be done.

Another thing that I think is really evident at Swanson is a value being put on breaks from learning to give students a break and allow them to come back into learning refocused. There are two breaks within the day. Morning tea is at 11am and then get 40 minutes to play and eat a little and lunch is at 1:10 where they get 45 minutes to play and eat the rest of their lunch. That is so much time compared to America recess, which is being eliminated more and more. Also in our first block of teaching time which is 2 hours, we take a short break in the middle to do some sort of fitness whether it be a quick run around the grounds or a game. It really allows students to get their blood flowing and brains focused back in on learning.

Well that has been quite a bit of reflection on my first week and a half at Swanson. Next week I'm going to be doing more teaching, so more to come about how that all goes.

On a slightly different note, Kristin, Beth and I had a lovely 3 day weekend (it was New Zealand's labour day) in Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula. We saw some absolutely phenomenal scenery including Cathedral Cove. It was all simply breath taking.

And so it begins...

Well here I am. In a new country. Things are different yet the same. We arrived in Auckland after an hour delay in LA and a 12 hour flight. Which would have been terrible if the flight was like our flight from Chicago to LA (cramped and uncomfortable), but really our flight to Auckland was as delightful as it could be. The food was delicious. For dinner (which we ate at approximately 3:30 WI time) we had a chicken pasta, salad and raspberry chocolate dessert along with a glass of wine. And then for breakfast I had a fruit platter (which was fresh and delicious), a muffin, yogurt, and tea. After I ate my dinner I slept for around 5 hours. Then I began to partake in the in flight entertainment. I first watched Sherlock Holmes, and then an episode of Big Bang Theory followed by How I Met Your Mother.  All wonderful. So really I have nothing but praise for Air New Zealand. 

We were greeted with open arms by our 2 host families at the airport and then drove home. Rachel, my host mom, took us on a walk around Swanson, which really is no more than a wide part in the road, but it is a nice little area, and then we walked around Swanson School. It isn't set up like any school I've seen in America. There are separate buildings surrounded by a courtyard/playground area. So you really have to walk to get anywhere in the school. Then we really just spent the rest of the day chatting with Rachel. Beth and Jan and Cory (her host mom and brother) came over and we chatted some more about our travel plans and such. Later than night we met Ken, Rachel's partner who is also very nice. But Kristin and I went to bed early because obviously we were quite tired.

Then Kristin and I got up the next morning to make our way to school. We picked up Beth along the way since she lives only a few houses away and walked to school (which is along only a few minute walk away). We met Rachel in her classroom and she introduced us to each of our cooperating teachers. I met my cooperating teacher and we began to talk about his classroom and how he structures it. The classroom is very set on routine and since I don't really know the routine yet I felt a little overwhelmed with the whole day. There are just those things that normally won't be upsetting/stressful, but when you are in a situation where you are out of your element and feel kind of confused, you can get quite stressed. But I'm sure that in time I will learn their routines and be able to follow along and help much more than I was today. Although I am still feeling a little anxious and nervous about school, I'm trying to stay positive and see it as a learning experience. I also keep reminding myself what Debbie Faase said in seminar that sometimes you learn the most by working with at teacher who you don't necessarily see eye to eye with in their teaching styles because you learn what you would change. 

All in all trying to look on the bright side of life (cue whistling). Kristin, Beth and I also planned a weekend trip for this upcoming weekend to Whitianga and the Coromandal Peninsula. We are very excited about that. We think we are definitely going to need that traveling excitement after a week of transition and exploration of our classrooms.

There are times when I still have to remind myself that I am in New Zealand! I still get blown away with that fact often. Truly incredible. 

The Final Countdown

Well it is getting closer and closer to that time. I only have 3 days left in Kindergarten in the US before I fly across the ocean to teach in Year 5 and 6 (American 4th and 5th grade) in New Zealand. I spent a lot of time packing this weekend. I still have a lot of editing of what I packed and last minute additions, but still I'm feeling reasonably ready to go. All of the teachers at Cormier (my US placement) keep asking me about my trip and are very excited for me. They can't wait to hear all about it when I get back. I'd love to be able to give a little bit of a seminar/class to the staff about what I learned while I was there. 

I've prepared a few lessons so that if I get put on the spot to teach anything, I won't get too stressed out trying to think of what to teach. Most of them are pretty general, but I really like them. I prepared quite a few icebreaker activities that I've had stored in the back of my mind after a summer as a camp counselor and a year as an FYE mentor. In addition to that, I've prepared a Thanksgiving unit, where I'm going to be focusing on being thankful during the holiday season. I also found two general friendship type lessons. One just being a book share where students form small groups to share their favorite books and then rotate so that they get to learn all about everyone's favorite book. I also have another one called Friendship Glyphs. That one is where they are drawing a picture of a person, but how they draw it depends on information about themselves. For example, if their birthday is in Jan they have red hair. Then you put them all up and students have to use the key to figure out whose picture is whose. I also prepared a math lesson about how long would it take to get here if I rode my bike, if I drove a car, if I took a train... Lastly, I came up with a cool goodbye unit where I show them all the places I traveled in New Zealand and then my students need to come up with a place where they would want to travel in the United States. And they do research and prepare a presentation on the attraction. 

Well, I'm almost ready to go! 

Why?

I have been lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to complete one of my student teaching placements in New Zealand. More specifically at Swanson Primary School near Auckland. There are so many things that I am looking forward to and there are so many reasons why I have decided to go. First and foremost, I hope to experience things that will not only change me as a person and my perspectives on life, but also change me as a teacher. There is so much to learn about teaching. More than I can ever learn in one place. I truly hope this experience will make me a better teacher by exposing me to a whole new way of learning. New Zealand's literacy education is one of the best in the world's and there is just so much to learn about that. But beyond their knowledge of quality literacy instruction, gaining new perspectives of all areas of education gives me a better opportunity to develop my own philosophy of teaching. There are just so many things in the classroom that could function differently in New Zealand than in America and I'm so interested in finding out what works better than what I've learned. In addition to that, it will be fascinating to find out what educational values they have in comparison to America and in comparison to the values that have been introduced to me throughout my teacher education.


Apart from what I hope to gain from my experiences in a New Zealand school, I hope to become more of a global person. I am very interested in learning about other cultures and how they live compared to the life I have grown so accustomed to. I want to gain a global perspective on life.


I'm very excited to create new relationships. And not only between me and all the wonderful people I'm sure to meet. I would love to create relationships between my students in New Zealand and my students back home at Cormier School. The things that both groups will gain by communicating with a classroom halfway around the world are so exciting! 


Overall, I'm excited to push my comfort zone because generally its the experiences in which you are most nervous about and scared for are the ones that are most worthwhile.