Being Connected!! The second of the school's new values

If we are being both connected and courageous  ( te hono me te maia) :

We realistically need to look at our situation through a different lens. What are learners really needing right now? They need to fill happy and settled and some sort of normal routines being put back in their lives. 

They have been and still are being courageous by coping with what they have been through. They have now spent almost 10 weeks back at school where they are still be courageous and also connected: resilient, being part of a community, visible and included, sociable and flexible.

The past couple of years have been a challenge for our learners. And it continues to be. 

Through working with Devs and the new team to continue to develop the school wide concept and statement of collaboration I feel this will be a supportive tool for the learners so they can continue  to  build on their ability to be courageous and connected.  No one knows what lies ahead so in helping them to develop the skills of collaboration we are also helping to set them up with the resilience to be a life long learner and have the skills in their kete to cope with life after school.

To support my learning on the strategic goal around collaboration, I am also wondering how the use of Lego play and therapy,  role modelling and use of ENGAGE games, may enhance the children's knowledge and understanding of collaboration. Through these supports they may gain an insight into  what collaboration looks, sounds and feels like. The staff  are modelling the school valuesof courageous and connected

Soooooooo..

To align with my overarching goal, my other hunch is with the use of certain supports, children can learn the tools for collaboration with peers and familiar adults. 

These activities are chosen carefully so that they are happy and motivated to learn. 

For example we have played:

Musical chairs. Why? 

The children go to parties, but how do they react when they lose?

In a safe environment we support them around loosing, repeat, practice and don't judge.  
One child went from being very upset at not wining, to now saying it is ok to lose!! (It took a term of playing musical chairs about 3x a week)

However when we played:

Pass the parcel

The rules were shared and discussed. The discussion focused around is it ok to win, is it ok to lose?

The game was played and the end results were fantastic. The specific child did not win, did say it was ok to lose and also said well done to the winner! He was able to transfer his learning.

He also went on to transfer his learning to a race over an obstacle course. He lost 2 times, but his behaviour was great.

His and our next step is for him to transfer his learning to situations outside of school.

Joining the team.

If we are to look at a Sommerville whole school definition of what Collaboration looks like, then we needed to ensure that every pathway in the school has their voice heard. 

How do we do this?

I would like to introduce you to the wonderful people who have agreed to come onboard and joined the COL teachers and Devs:

From the top:

Devs (DP), Sally (teacher at Base),  Insha (Outreach teacher), Tom (Teacher at Tripoli, myself (single cell satellite teacher, 

Absent: Silivia (single cell satellite teacher), Adele (double satellite teacher)

Between us we represent the different learning areas of the whole school.

Welcome to the team everyone!

Be courageous: Using one of the schools new values to set the scene for this year's mahi

 Since this year is looking at things a little different: 

I am really keen on using my COL position to help an support a colleague with the development of a part of the whole school strategic plan: 

Goal- Grow great staff who collaborate to enrich learner outcomes

This will mean learning closely with our DP: Devs and Silivia my fellow COL from Sommerville

This will document our journey of collaboration from initial gaining and interpreting of staff voice to working towards common language used and common definition describing collaboration the Sommerville way. To also ensuring the growth of staff in the area of collaboratively, planning and teaching.

Possibilities for 2022

 Which  Achievement Challenge are you considering as an area of focus in 2022 and why? Include in your WHY both evidence and your own passion/expertise

• No 5: Improv the achievements of  students with additional needs of English/Key Competency using language, symbols and text
• Why: continuing on the collaboration journey, so much to explore, started collaborative journey when teaching in Stonefields, know how how significant it can be to learning for children and colleagues, 
• Carried on when begun at Sommerville, with Silivia and the Tash, both times in a double satellite. Now in single cell, so it looks different again.
• Strategic plan for school, just started on the journey. It looks so different to what experienced before because of geography: school is spaced out over 13 sites, also colleague began to look into our learners and how they can learn through collaborating with each other, learn from your peers is quite powerful.

What learnings from the 2017 - 2021 CoL teacher inquiries have informed or inspired your thinking?

• May have been 2017 as working with Anita at SF and she looked at using PE in literacy learning. This is significant to me as my learners now have physio activities and exercise that need and can be incorporated to learning activities
• Other Blogs: Adeles/Silivia's: as they are my colleagues and having a different take on the inquiry and the procedure. Both teacher's focused on played, but they collaborate when researching and sharing ideas and findings for inquiry: Built a good relationship with 4 or us, including Tash: still going strong today as Tash may be on maternity leave but she still manages to find research for me to read. Adele is always there to bounce ideas off of and collaborate in anything we may suggest.
• Tania Botha: NE  foundation skills
• Devs: influenced as she went on this journey by herself and she did say it was a bit lonely.

How would your work support Manaiakalani pedagogy and kaupapa?

• Manaiakalani is about accelerating and increasing levels of learning: our focus is just that, focusing on the learners needs. Our learners needs are related to breaking the barriers that stop them from learning, not just academic, but the key competencies and becoming a life long learner
• We have used the concept of learn, create share within learning: For example, satellites have begun to use children's passions: the children are learning more about their passion and each others, they create posters or objects related to their passion and then they share with their class mates, but also collaborate with other satellite to share their learning.
• Learn, Create share also relates to gaining knowledge around collaboration and sharing this information with colleagues, creating and adapting things together, in order ot make a plan that works best for our school.
• The concept is about the learners developing skills to live as independent as possible within a community.

Which elements of the extensive Manaiakalani research findings inform or challenge you as you think about this?

• Research does relate to increasing levels of learning , using different scaffolding and support systems. My specific research is connected around collaboration, one very significant eye opener was when Chris Brabeer shared with us a presentation on collaboration with myself and my school COL colleagues. 
• Other collaboration experience : when Tash and myself. joined discussions with Stonefields re using one language, school wide.
• Challenge: changing people's mindset, about the difference between cooperation and collaboration!!!!

How would you like to be supported in 2022 as you undertake this inquiry? 

How would you plan to support your colleagues in your school with THEIR inquiries and/or teaching in the area you are exploring?

• My SLTeam:  as it relates to strategic plan: already doing this with Devs.
• Visiting other schools: to see what collaboration looks like in different places, mainstream and specials schools: tried to do this but COVID, 
• Visit ECE centres: relating to play and organising of staff re collaboration
• Silivia and myself: planning on including collaboration for play and and collaboration activities in the timetable, young children together older and younger children, release days, so we can discuss findings and questions and next steps, other colleagues to continue to collaborating.
• As moving teams next year, into senior sector of the school, need to look to collaobrate wth colleagues as this is a new ares for me.

Improve the achievement of students with additional needs in the learning areas of English/key competency using language symbols and textsImprove the achievement of students with additional needs in the learning areas of

What are other Special needs school doing with regards to collaboration??

 I was lucky enough to be able to catch up with 2 colleagues who used to work at Sommerville.

They have both continued on their career paths and are now working at different Special needs school.

Here is a synopsis of our conversation with regards to what collaboration looks like in their schools:

Donna is now at CASS:

What does collaboration look like in your school:

• APs: they go into the classes they oversee in the first block and just be present, support, meetings are in the afternoon, this is to build and develop relationships with the children and the staff so when they are discussing anything related to classes and children they are aware of who they are actually talking about, and know who they are.

• It was mentioned a few times that the size of the school plays a big part in schedules and structure implemented.

• There are 4 topics each year/ every term the topics are swapped around, rotated

• The therapists are included in the planning.

• Everybody works on Tuesday, so whole staff meetings are the whole staff, and also have team meetings on Tuesday so everyone can attend: an agenda is shared and decisions are made as

• There are 4 teams and roughly organised into age ban

• Zumba is done together

• Classes do combine and practice for big events like wearable arts

• Space is an issue that is needed for classes to come together and they don’t have it. A new build is starting, so maybe then

• In term 3 and 4 the aim was for teachers to visit 2 classes, they choose 1 and the SLT choose one and they go with the teacher. But COVID
• Collaboration is used for PD, up skilling, this is done by using people's strengths, who is skilled in certain areas and then they use this for up skilling others, mini groups are created to share
• PD opportunities shared weekly, 
• During PD sessions, questions are raised and brainstorming happen

Across 3 special needs schools combine to do different events e.g a ball for the older learners.

Johnathan is now at Oaklynn:

What does collaboration look like in your school:

• Recently been through PD re collaboration with our therapists.

• There is now a therapist on the SL Team.

• When teacher’s were out of the room, the therapist spent the whole day in a classroom alongside TA. This gave them a big insight into life in a classroom.

• Other collaboration that occurs is that teachers do observations during CRT time

• Shared expertise as well, e.g TEACCH is embedded in school and there is a teacher whose strength is in this area so she helps others.

• In one part of the school  in a satellite: there are 3 classes: where there is a lot of sharing going on between the class, e.g children going to different class for different activities if it best suits their needs, use of TAs across the classes (this is done through necessity re behavioural needs and )

• Space has played a part in the ability to collaborate. Found that teachers need to be flexible.

• Relationships play a big part in how well the teachers collaborate as well: develop communication, need to like each other, synergy, personality, valuing others.

• Other things to consider when discussing collaboration: Empathy, respect, open to suggestions, risk taker, give it a go, open and honest communication, be involved, working with people, time, understanding, space, trust

• We saw collaboration between all Special needs schools in Auckland on the Staff Only Day: this provided opportunities for up skilling of all staff and using people's strengths.

• There is some resistance to change: some staff have been there for a long time.

It was really insightful to listen to how other special needs school collaborate, reaching out to colleagues at other schools is a good way to gather up to date information as what is going on in schools.

The staff only day has proven that collaboration is possible on a large scale in order to draw on people's strengths to up skill staff.

It also showed that there is a focus on including and collaborating with specialists. This is a journey that my school is looking at and review as we speak.

Follow up on carrying out next Steps

We are now 6 weeks into term 3 and we are in lockdown!!!!

But after gaining feedback from a variety of sources, during the school break and the beginning of term 3 I have addressed some of the next steps.

• To deal with things that are in my control straight away: talk to the other teacher and ask if we can increase the time with each

We now have an extra 10 mins at college, which is taken up with getting the children in and out of transport and organising the groups.

• Make sure that my team works more efficiently, make more time for transportion.

Now the TAs who don’t start til 9 meet us at college so there is no time issue at the beginning of the day, this means that we can leave earlier and actually be at college ready to start learning just before 9.

• Ensure participation and support with all learning when with the other classes

The speech and language therapist now spends time with a couple of learners, by supporting them with language learning, adults have groups and if need be an adult is easily freed up to to assist if necessary. We have made sure that organisation is better during the learning time. The adults involved in numicon have paperwork to guide them onto next steps of the groups they are working on.

• Discuss the issues with regards to worthwhile learning as we are using the teacher's expertise.

• Ensure that everyone develops an understanding of why we are doing the different outings.

This has hopefully been enlightened through this exercise and the feedback given by various sources. Going to learn with other classes and teachers, is to use each other;’s expertise but it is also about decreasing children’s anxiety as there is a lot of this especially when meeting new people and transitioning to new classes. It is about developing their social skills, being in different settings with different adults and children.

I do feel however more PD needs to be given around the importance of giving children opportunities to learn in different environments, with different teachers and children. This relates back to developing adults insight to children anxiety.

Feedback from all Partners involved in Collaboration across classes.

 At the end of term 2 I asked my team, children, colleagues who I collaborate with and parents their thoughts with regards to the value of collaborative experiences the class experiences:

Teachers feedback: 

• Very good as decreased anxiety for children with up and coming transitions

• Very good as uses teachers strengths when learning

• Very good as it helps build knowledge of how to develop social skills and ability to interact with others.

From children:

• Like it because they like going in the vans

• Like going to college

• Like writing emails to SLT

• Like meeting new friends

From the parents:

• Like it as it decreases anxiety issues for when children are moving classes next year.

From class team:

• Just one or two outings each week, as they spend too much time out of class.

• Not spend much time there so not much is learnt

• Concerns with the van

• Turn up late, not much point as children don’t do much in music

• Need to ensure that they children participate in activities so worthwhile for everybody

• Sometimes when we go to base and there's a lot of other kids and noise there, and our students seem to get quite overwhelmed and scared

Next Step:

• To deal with things that are in my control straight away: talk to the other teacher and ask if we can increase the time with each

• Make sure that my team works more efficiently, make more time for transporting

• Ensure participation and support with all learning when with the other classes

• Discuss the issues with regards to worthwhile learning as we are using the teacher's expertise.

• Ensure that everyone develops an understanding of why we are doing the different outings.