Boys in Literacy

Ms George and I attended the 'Boys in Literacy' PD lead by Marshall Diggs. Here are some of the gems that I took away from the PD. It was informative
and very good!

1) LEARNING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAT THE RESULT - this was a phrase repeated throughout the PD. Sometimes as educators we can lost in the pace of assessments and deadlines that the learning can take a backseat. This phrase made me think about this very thing, what is essential in a student's learning journey - is it the number of credits or the skill and learning?

2) DON'T DUMB DOWN THEIR GIFT - When you over scaffold it can stifle the learning, they write bits of everything with no substance - This has made me think about my the scaffold practices that I give to my boys. I need to review as I want my boys to feel empowered with their own writing. I will help them as best as I can but I do not want to baby them through writing. I want them to feel free and empowered to use their voice in their writing.
Boys engage when writing tasks involve:

• Facts - what are the facts - compare and contrast the facts around the setting and compare to the conflict in the text
• Competition
• Humor
• Survival - The Cay (Theodore Taylor) links to survival/description of survival type writing
• Conflict - Write about the conflict with the Titans and the Olympians and the radical conflict in the text
• Adventure
• Overcoming adversity - write about an experience when you overcame adversity - link to the film Wonder (Julia Roberts) 
• Socially engineer the choices boys have when it comes to writing. 
• Writing is about QUALITY not QUANTITY

3) SAFE SPACE - Boys thrive in a structured learning environment - they feel safe and feel free from the put down of peers. 

4) EFFECTIVE PEDAGOGY - Effective pedagogy is about connecting and building relationships.
Always speak clearly, maintain eye contact, wait for compliance, repeat and estate instructions - never rephrase, use of inclusive language is not helpful - give the boys the headline not the paragraph. Boys respond best when there is visual representations (LADS - Listen and Draw Something) and when we de-escalate tension - go shoulder to shoulder before you go face to face.

Final take away quotes that stood out for me: 
"Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs" - Mandy Hale
"Speak to the boy before you speak to the issue" - Marshall Diggs
"Greatest contribution to the sector is not what you teach but who you teach" - Marshall Diggs

Reflection: Quality over Quantity

Sometimes we can be overloaded with information and advice on how to accelerate student achievement. A few questions that have helped me to filter through the information and really hone in what I think is essential in my journey, has brought a real sense on what is important for me. Quality over quantity.

Student Feedback: 
What are the three important things I would like my teacher to do help me learn?
Explain, one on one teaching, competition, interact, rewards
What helps me think for my learning?
Music, food, talking, space, breaking it down into easy steps/chunks, acknowledging progress

Points for educators to think about in response to student feedback

Quality of Professional Learning Conversations

Low Quality: 

• Considerable talk about student behavior
• Talk about teaching without connecting it to evidence of impact on the student's understanding of learning
• Talk about the data for the purpose of grouping students
• Talk about the data for the purpose of singling out teachers for for praise or criticism

High Quality: 

• Focus on student learning and engagement, surfacing challenging issues of practice
• Talk that uses evidence as a basis for collective inquiry into relationships between teaching and learning. Talk driven by a desire to learn
• Talk that uses data for the purpose of designing more effective teaching approaches and interventions
• Use data to learn about effective practice

What are some 'High Quality' learning conversations about particular students that I can lead in my department?

• Leading Partnerships
• Learners are active participants
• What are learners good at? Build on their strengths
• Who are they? See the learner
• Doing with them, not to them
• Setting goals and developing new relationships
• Ongoing sharing
• Celebrating successes
• Summarizing learning progress at key points in time to illuminate what has been learnt and inform future learning
• Parents and whanau would like more information about their child's progress, including how they can support their child's learning

Leadership of sticky change: Fullan

• Use the group to change the group
• Precision over prescription
• Feedback candor and autonomy
• See the forest and the tress
• Accountability as culture

Acceleration by design: 

Knowing your learners

• Tailoring teaching and assessments for individuals and groups
• Engaging with students' cultures and identities
• Adapting for students' literacy needs
• Adapting for students' attendance needs
• Involving whanau

Collaborating with students

• Providing choices for teachers, programs and assessments modes
• Being explicit
• Learning together with students
• Empowering students to take the lead in learning

Some ideas on involving students in their accelerated programs: 

• Speak with the students
• Breaking down into achievable steps - what is achievable?
• Looking at completing unfinished assessments
• Precise feedback
• Asking the student to come with work they are confident in completing