Met with Vinnie

Planning has begun.
Need to Meet with Sophie to go over plan and divide up roles.
Police Vetting will be the biggest pain - due to time.  This will hold it all up.

Get Parent more involved - What are their expectation, aspirations?

This is a bit "cheesy" but the information is excellent.  Engage students and connect with all parents.  A great video....

Becoming a Culturally responsive Teacher

Rules of engagement

PLC Discussion

Mike has approved the funding for a classroom visit to the Marae.  Next step is to contact Vinnie and Whare and discus creating a plan of korero for our learners.

How do I build cultural Competencies in the classroom?

I felt an overnight stay on the local community Marae would be an excellent experience and way to improve classroom culture and develop cultural expertise. I contacted Vinnie but sadly the cost was $400 for the class and we couldn't afford it. I wanted this early in Term 1 so we can build on those relationship and networks we formed.

Next Steps:

•  to possibly write a letter to Principal and ask if the school could possibly fund this?

• At the CoL Hui, seek out people and ask how to best connect with students (share my inquiry)

You got to REACH them to TEACH them!

My CoL Hui should provide wonderful PD in a coaching methodology.  I will learn and explore the unpacking of cultural responsiveness and what facilitating an inquiry within and across schools may look like.  The Hui is after my 1st PLC meeting but should provide some great ideas (by networking)  for working to improve cultural responsiveness in Hub 2.

Assisted Technology can make a difference for writing AND spelling!

Read this article

Assistive Technology Devices for Writing and Spelling.

 This document contains information on the range of assistive technology devices that can be used by struggling writers to increase the legibility, complexity, and accuracy of their written products. Many of these devices also support increased efficiency, productivity, and independence. In most instances, students use a combination of assistive technology devices to meet their writing needs.

The types of assistive technology devices used to support writing are determined by individual student abilities and needs as well as the required writing tasks across all instructional environments. In this document, assistive technology devices are organized into various categories based on the primary features or applications of the technology. Moreover, the age ranges for which the devices are appropriate are identified in the following categories: elementary, middle, and high school. Lastly, tools are linked to the various writing skill areas addressed in the Georgia Performance Standards.

The skills areas are briefly defined below. It is recommended that individuals utilizing this document refer to the standards to determine the specific skills that are addressed at each grade level. Writing Process Organizational Structure – Ideas are organized due to purpose (cause-effect, chronological) or genre (type of writing: persuasive, narrative, technical). Prewriting- Brainstorming- Ideas are generated based on the provided topic.

In order to facilitate retention of these ideas, notes, outlines or concept maps may be used. Drafting –The ideas generated in the prewriting and brainstorming process are recorded by the student. Editing – The student’s worked is checked for spelling, grammar, and mechanics errors. These errors are corrected. Revising – The draft is revised and this revision may include rewording sentences, adding details, and/or adding more content Use of Resources – The student uses a variety of resources to obtain facts related to the writing topic. This may include informational resources such as encyclopedias, Internet resources, literary books, or reference books such as dictionaries or thesauruses. Conventions Grammar – Includes subject–verb agreement, sentence structure and complexity, parts of speech, and word usage.Mechanics – Includes punctuation (commas, semicolons, end marks), capitalization, and paragraph indentations. Spelling –Includes correct spelling of words used in the written product. Legibility – Refers to spacing, letter formation, and size. Refers to the readers’ ability to read the written product.

The assistive technology devices referenced in this document are included to provide examples of different types of devices used by students with disabilities to accomplish educationally relevant tasks in instructional and access areas. The document does not include all assistive technology devices within a device category and inclusion of a particular device does not constitute endorsement by the Georgia Department of Education. Additional devices may be added to the document by contacting the Georgia Project for Assistive Technology.

Welcome 2017!

My Question:

If I improve learner agency through digital technology, cultural competencies and adaptive expertise, in the context of future focussed learning (using the Key Competencies) will it make a significant difference to the below boy writers in my class?