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.
Achievement Challenge
In 2022, I am going to continue my Focus on Achievement Challenge 5
Achievement Challenge 5 fits well within our School Vision-
”Students with special needs will learn and grow in an environment where their needs are individually cared for in a supportive educational environment.”
One of our School Strategic Goals is -To develop a Sommerville Curriculum that is responsive to personalized learning needs.
Implementing Play-Based Learning into our curriculum is our school-wide goal.
Therefore, My Inquiry continues to focus on Play-Based Learning. “How can Play-Based Learning be used to lift the achievements of students with special needs?”
Being a special needs teacher for many years has given me a better understanding to prioritize as to Why it is important for students with special needs to learn and grow in a learning environment where their needs are individually catered for.
Most students with special needs have learning barriers. An Individual Educational Programme is designed to cater for the learning needs of these students.
The Principal of Sommerville and the Leadership team are working hard on our School Strategic Plans as we are currently transitioning to a new Sommerville.
Developing a curriculum that is responsive to personalized learning needs are vital to students' achievements in our school.
Researching and Implementing Play-Based Learning into my practice last Year was a learning curve for me. Learning to adapt my practice contributed to my students' achievements. This resulted in a positive shift in their engagement and participation. Feedback from the parents at the end of last year's meeting was assuring and positive. Implementing Play-Based Learning into my practice totally changed the atmosphere of our hub.
What learnings from the 2017 - 2021 CoL teacher inquiries have informed or inspired your thinking?
There are always new challenges when exploring a new role.
What really inspired me was when 4 of us from Sommerville (COL teachers-Myself, Sharon, Natasha, and Adele) came together and worked collaboratively to support each other in this role.
To learn, create and share with each other empowered us to view different perspectives and change our practice where appropriate.
Opportunity to observe
Teachers often get busy teaching our tamariki and hardly have time to reflect on our own practice. Last year Adele and myself videoed ourselves in action. Then we met on our release days to analyze and reflect on our practice.
This really helped us to identify areas in our practice that we need to change to help shift the students' achievements. We came up with some steps on how to improve our practice.
This year we connected with Tania Botha from Glen Taylor School and discussed how important it is to get connected with our parents and Learning centers to ensure working together to support our students.
How would your work support Manaiakalani pedagogy and kaupapa?
Learn, Create and share is our Manaiakalani Pedagogy. Putting our students at the center of their learning. Teaching and Learning are keys to our students' achievements.
-Through Professional Development across the Manaiakalani schools. COL teachers come together to lead learning and to share our findings and experiences with others.
-Discussion through COL meetings to raise awareness and address learning areas that students and teachers needed to focus on.
-Through my blogs: To Empower others by sharing my research and practice. Visit other teachers' blogs to learn from their experience and to change our teaching approach to shift our students' achievements.
Which elements of the extensive Manaiakalani research findings inform or challenge you as you think about this?
Sommerville School may look different to other schools.
Our Research was connected to our school Strategic Plans which is Collaboration and Play-based Learning
-Focusing on students' barriers to learning.
-Student’s performance are below the National Curriculum standards
-We are not always focused on academics but we also look at Key Competencies. Lifelong learners.
My challenge when implementing Play-based Learning into my practice was
-Space
-Set up: To be accessible throughout the day.
-Resources
-Staff (effective play-based learning) not to take over.
How would you like to be supported in 2022 as you undertake this inquiry?
-More Visit to other special needs schools and Early Learning centres to see what Play-based Learning looks like in their schools.
-Release Days
Work collaboratively with Sharon (COL teacher) to empower other teachers so we can come together as a team to work collaboratively. We believe there's a connection between collaboration and play based learning. Learning, Creating and Sharing are keys for teaching and learning. Coming together will help shift the achievements of our students at a faster pace.
-Liaise more with my AP and leadership team to have more insight to the their plan.
How would you plan to support your colleagues in your school with THEIR inquiries and/or teaching in the area you are exploring?
This year I set my goal and planned to support my colleagues in different ways. Unfortunately it didn't go according to what I expected due to COVID Restrictions
Possible Plan for Next Year on How to support my colleagues.
-Staff Meetings
Continue to share my research and findings about Play-Based Learning in staff Meetings.
-Professional Development
-Liaise with my AP to contribute to our In-school Professional Development on Teacher Only days.
- Run a workshop and share my research, findings, experience and encourage staff to implement Play-Based Learning into their own practice.
Create a Playgroup
Sommerville is a big school. I intend to invite teachers who are interested in exploring play-based learning together with me to form a Playgroup. Run a Playgroup in my hub once a week and invite teachers and their students to participate. Collaborate with teachers and encourage them to extend playgroups into their hubs and invite others too.
-Observe me in action.
Invite teachers to observe me in action and explore the changes I made in my practice.
Colleagues can give me feedback too.
