Mary's Professional Blog: March 2023

Attached below are our new group's Name & Task Board which we have started using this week. I used the example slide from RPI to re-create along with my colleagues one that is suitable for our team.

FRANGIPANI

GARDENIA

HIBISCUS

TEACHER WORKBOOK

The Teacher workbook is used as our Teacher Notes. It is a place where the student's assessment data is kept and tracked, sheets where the reading progressions are recorded and to make notes of wonderings, notices and students who are absent. Only Teachers have access to this sheet.

A screenshot of the Teacher Workbook & linked to the actual sheet

HAND IT IN GOOGLE SHEET

(screenshot & linked to the actual sheet)

This is a google sheet that we use to monitor and track students' work. They link their completed work and we use a color system to check. The key is on the right side, and easy to understand.

RED - work not saved to the right folder

ORANGE - The teacher has checked and left feedback for the student to go back and fix/complete

GREEN - Teacher has checked and is happy

BLACK - Student was absent

I have used a very similar system last year however, I used google slides because it was easy to separate each week's work.

Google LINK slides where students attach their work (From Literacy, LCS, Cybersmart etc)

The one thing that prevents my team from having a productive guided reading session, is TIME. We started on Monday using the Task Boards and going through each section so our team has a sound understanding of the expectation and especially how to use the Hand it in Sheet. This took up a lot of time as it was new learing for students and also the Teacher.

Tuesday came around and the wifi in the hall was not it! There was no INTERNET, no WIFI!

The last thing we want to see happen teaching in a heavily digital world. It was frustrating and annoying!

Also being in the Intermediate School, we have things like Technology, Swimming, Kapa haka, House Day Fun Run, trips, Sport Tournaments, Assessments & other extracurricular activities that happen. Finding the time to see your Reading group even twice a week can be impossible.

. We made the executive decision to do writing because every student can do this in their literacy book. Up till now (Friday) the wifi is on and off in the hall and have decided to use the planning for this week to kickstart next week Monday!

I enjoyed the Monday "Must Do" activity because it gave the students an opportunity to read the book at their own pace and break down the words that were new (by completing the word pyramid), almost like a frontload before seeing the Teacher. Hopefully, next week is better and we can get the ball rolling with utilizing the task boards.

We are very lucky to have a Senior management who want the best for us because doing participating in an intense programme like RPI can be overwhelming. You literally sit, listen and do some follow up tasks with 2 breaks from 8:45AM-3PM. It's info overload! I know you generally take 3% from meetings or PLD but daaayum, I am lucky if I remember even 1.5% Lol. With the help of our Tutor Teacher & Senior management Team they have come up with a half release day for Ronil & I so we can allocate time to go through our homework and see what we can complete. This happened because we voiced that Day 1 of RPI was intense and overwhelming. I see the benefits of this programme and support it's cause but I would recommend that an extra release day is given to anyone who particpates or homework should just be one thing a week not a list. I don't want to dissapoint anyone or feel like failure when the realities of time is an ongoing battle.