Collaboration, Innovation and enhancing teaching and learning. - Alexandra Primary

Collaboration, Innovation and enhancing teaching and learning.

http://www.alexprim.school.nz/ 

Alexandra Primary's journey so far... 
Adele Gott, Angela Scoullar and Simon Bell 

Creating a 21st century learning environment has been one of the major focuses of Alexandra Primary School over the past three years. Enabling, empowering and engaging our students have been key aspects of our curriculum development for 21st century learners.

Alexandra Primary School promotes a culture of anywhere, anytime learning where learning is a 24/7 disposition. Using personalised learning plans and flipped instruction we cater and engage a diverse range of students to reach their potential through a variety of contexts.

Over the past three years engagement has been a major focus within the school. Through research and data based decision making we decided to implement BYOD to increase student achievement and engagement.
Our results are showing that by engaging students in their learning by using a personal device and providing them with meaningful learning experiences then their intrinsic motivation to learn becomes increased.

Differentiation learning collaboration learning, personalised, connectedness, 24/7
Open learning, free, creative, global
Be prepared to be learners 
Supportive staff, all working towards same vision 
Justify and reassure to parent about the process - education of parents 
BYOB - Browser driven 
1 to 1 personalised learning and gives agency 


How is your school doing Professional learning?
Teckie Breakie - Resources added to google site 
Staff had to present snippets of their learning from PD (L@S) 

Parent teacher walk throughs  - viewing education in action 
Had to meet at office and sign in
Offer this every term for parents to view the school

Managing Change
Public meetings
eClass - opportunities for certain children that needed differentiation 
Understand and know your community - support and guidance 
What was the vision of doing this, be strong and stick by your guns

Personalised learning
Parents bring their device 
Put he parents in control of their knowledge
Parents getting something out of the change

Kids showing learning links 
Kids presenting to parents 
Making movies, sharing learning together

NO PUBLISHING on paper - Changing where you put work
Audience is much bigger 

PD = Learning to Learn
Staff look at their own practice and create their own inquiry around their need 
Staff using VLN to source information and networks 

Collaborative appraisal documents 
Accountability to Appraisers with information shared and gathered and journal entries 
Staff can view all appraisal documents and view development 
Personalised learning with Staff 

Meetings 
Integrating elearning PD and staff meeting 
BOT bought an ipad for each staff so staff are all working on the same platform 


Swoop
Management does spot check in classes. Hands off devices. Double click and see open apps 
Come down hard on inappropriate use. 

Personalised behaviour plans based on School Values 

Manaiakalani Innovative Teacher Academy 2013

Some amazing ideas and innovations shared at Manaiakalani Innovative Teacher Academy 2013 

Open Learning Spaces

Working from spaces
Children then complete learning from the range of places
Children have range of groups - Home Group, Literacy Group, Maths Group 
Rational - More flexibility to meet he needs of specific learners and groups of learners in order to lift achievement
Flexible learn with flexible learning spaces  
Everybody has access to every bodies learning 
Sharing the load of the teaching - Shared Care
Children needed to learn to be a successful learner - Teaching Key Comps 

Challenges:
Available space
Open Door Policy
Engagement 
Open Access to learning and teaching - Planning
Reporting and assessment practices collectively agreed on 
Structures around pedagogy
Co teaching vs Collaboration 

Benefits:
Flexible spaces
Flexible teaching opportunities
Village effect
Real life connections
Motivation
Shared responsibility 
Learning and support 
Flexibility in teaching accountablity  


Learners Ownership and Accountability  

Motivation of learners important 
Control = less creativity 
Independent creativity timetabled (with guidelines, expectations and sharing) 
Grouping accounting to Key Competencies 



Kids Driving Change, Creation Time 

Weekly Word e.g. Happy, passion, Love
Share this word in anyway you want, how every you want. 
Share at the end of the week what you did and how you achieved it 

Cognitive engagement 
Powerful learning and sharing
Impact on other children was positive 

Reflection
Too many lions
Are the children aware of the learning
Ongoing reflection throughout the process 
How were you contributing to the group and how your learning was developing 
Honest reflection
Assessment as learning - kids confidently aware 
Passion to learn 

The 5th Wall - Ed Talk Jamie Power

Jamie Power: The Fifth Wall from EDtalks on Vimeo.

Leadership for Innovation - Mark Osborne

“A leader is someone who grows other leaders around them while growing themselves”.

This session is a condensed look at ‘the missing Swiss-army knife’ of leadership: a set of tools that make leading (and growing leaders) easier. It will look at adaptive leadership and developing a culture of innovation, change leadership, strengths-based, servant and distributed leadership. Based on research into what makes organisations highly effective, there are a number of concrete things you can begin doing tomorrow that will help you to unlock the ‘change agent’ in yourself, your staff and your students to create a culture which encourages everyone to initiate change and innovation. 

Themes 

• Collaborate - Connecting and developing relationships
• Innovate - Innovation and sustainability
• Educate - Learning

Engagement with Mobile Devices - Karen Melhuish Spencer

How to Engage Learners with Mobile Devices

http://shift2learn.blogspot.co.nz/ 

How will we engage those hard to reach learners
How will we use devices to assist learning pathways
What are the capabilities of the devices we have


Golden Circle Simon Sinek
Adaption by Karen Melhuish Spencer Remember the WHO

Universal Design for Learning is about creating learning options that cater for everyone at the beginning. It's about:

• avoiding retro fitting and unnecessary differentiation
• recognising the invisible barriers that bury talent,
• proactively getting to know students and each other and then using that knowledge to create learning opportunities and environments,
• welcoming diversity and using it as a springboard to innovate,
• designing from the edges - planning from the diversest needs rather than from the mythical middle.

What this means: 
Maximises Learning for all students 
Curriculum Design - using ramps for people the need them. 
Flexible Curriculum that workd for everyone
What do we care about
Show info in different ways
Options and choice for children
What are the barriers, how can you eliminate them
UDL creates flexible pathways 
Scaffolds support for new concepts 
Multimedia as forms of support
Express what they know
Multiple means of engagement (not just one way) 
= learning opportunities for all! 

"Help me find my Doorway"

What can we access to support learning:

1. Mobile devices
2. Web based Apps
3. Ubiquitous connection
4. Shared and personal spaces
5. Networks  

Learning Without Limits - Enabling eLearning at Nayland Primary School

The Freeloader’s Toolbelt: 50 Tools to Help You Get Anything Free Online

http://tolzoh.blogspot.nl/2012/07/the-freeloaders-toolbelt-50-tools-to.html?m=1