Week 11 Term 2 - Proactive > Reactive

REACTIVE:

Acting in response to an issue rather than creating or controlling it

Academic

When the achievement of our students is in a crisis something needs to be done. When there is no response to the need then the gap, the disengagement and the achievement can implode. As teachers, we have a responsibility to work with the data, whatever the current climate with our students and try and implement change. I mentioned in my earlier post about what the English Department were able to do (and continue to do) with the Student Achievement Data. This response that we have used as a collective is one where we are less reactive and more proactive with the changes that we need to make and what we need to do for our learners. Different strategies have been trialed since 2019 (student choice - student's choose the teacher who they want to work with/teacher intervention - teachers work with their students and closely monitor their progress, contacting home and talking parents about their child and teacher-teacher discussions around student achievement) - all of these strategies have been adopted within the English Department. I guess my point in this is that if we only REACT to the concerns with learners and their academic progress then we are not able to fulfill our job as their teacher and their potential as a learner. I am not saying that reacting is something that we should cancel - it is in our nature as humans to react especially when life seems to be in turmoil. But if the reaction is the only place where we move and function, how can we affect change and make an impact?

Pastoral

As a Dean, my day is consumed with different types of scenarios and situations that involve my year group (Year 11). Everyday is different and everyday carries it's own set of issues, dramas, victories and celebrations. I have been in the role as 'dean' since 2016 and in my short time in this role I have learnt very quickly that reacting to every situation and scenario is not always the best approach. I can remember my first year in my role as dean quite well. I spent majority of the year (as in Term 1, Term 2, Term 3 and most of Term 4) reacting to every classroom behavioral issue, pastoral concern - my reaction to the problem was a problem in itself. The problem being that I did not foresee or prepare myself (knowing the learner, understanding what works or does not work for them, speaking to staff) and instead I was reacting to the situation itself. By the end of the year I was tired and my energy/motivation tank was running on E. 

PROACTIVE: 

Creating or controlling a situation rather than just responding to it after it has happened

Academic

When the student achievement data was released at the beginning of Term 2 we decided that we needed to respond. The numbers were not great and we knew that as a department, we had to intervene as best as we could. At the time this was a particularly difficult because we were in lock down and had to prepare for online learning. Nonetheless addressing the results (or lack thereof) was and still is a priority. We had to, as a collective team, agree that the results were not great and that we had to do something about it. Being proactive is not always about the action before or after the fact. It is about looking at the whole picture - the good, the bad and the ugly - understanding what it is, how it came to be and where it can go. It is solution focused. Having that conversation - both as a department but also individually - was great because we had an opportunity to reflect on what we could have done better but more importantly what we CAN do going forward. As a result - the early intervention from our department - has meant that we were to able to identify who our students were (at the time) at risk of achieving and start working with them (albeit slow for some) towards achieving in English. 

Pastoral

Since returning from lock down I knew that there were a number of students that I needed to talk to. As the Dean for Year 11, I am understanding that there are many hats to wear - the pastoral hat, the counsellor hat, the relationship expert hat, the academic monitor hat - it is full on. But this is part of the package with deaning. In early May there were 34 students who had 0 credits in NCEA Level 1. Of the 34 students with 0 credits, 15 were current students who had on-going attendance issues and were becoming increasingly disengaged with their learning. I knew that this was something that I could not ignore or just react too (which is easy to do - get angry when you see them, question them about their lack of credits). But this approach would not bring the change that the students needed. I knew that the situation for these students in particular could get worse. So I shared progress reports, spoke to the students about the report and shared the feedback. In meeting with the students I encouraged them to speak openly and honestly about WHY they are in their current situation at school. All of this was helpful and useful in making me understand their whole picture, not just the snapshot that I see. The progress is promising (attendance, credit and attitude shifts are good and getting better). 

I have learnt a lot about leadership in the last couple of years. I have learnt how I want to lead and I have seen (from myself especially) how I do not want to lead. Leadership is not just a title but it is an action. Action is about doing as well as understanding. Being more proactive and less reactive is important especially with student achievement. Understanding this and applying this to how I lead has given me some much needed perspective. 

Week 10 Term 2 - #Trending

Trends come and go. We only have to revisit some of the trends that once saturated conversations, print media and social media - from the trendy bell bottoms in the 70s to the 'categorizing everything into a hashtag' trend that exploded on social media - trends continue to have influence the way we relate to other and to ourselves. Trends come and go, some trends I am sure most would rather see the back of (personally I am over the trend of 'social influencer'). Nonetheless the idea of a trend especially in the education sector is something that teachers are constantly analyzing and unpacking.

#LosingTime #Negotiate

Returning to school in Alert Level 2 was exciting and daunting. Exciting in that I was able to break out of my bubble, see my colleagues and work with the students. It was also daunting in that I knew that there was a huge task ahead of me, reintegrating my students back with the learning.

One class in particular that I was concerned about was my Level 2 English class. All through the lock-down period my online classes for my Level 2 English class would usually consist of 2 to 3 students. Most days I had 1 dedicated student who would show up to every class. It was disheartening and frustrating. I knew that when that when we had to return to school that this particular class (Level 2 English) would be the class where I would need to intervene, a turn around and acceleration for achievement was needed.

In my attempt to understand WHY there was disengagement from my Level 2 students, we had a open discussion in our first face-to-face lesson. The most common trend that I noticed from their feedback was that they did not have a working device and were waiting for a loan device. A small percentage of my class did a have a device but chose not to engage with online learning. The findings from the discussion (I wish I had created an online survey so I could have a record of it) although disappointing was important for me to know. Understanding the trend, whether it is favorable or not to what you are working with, is important because it help you understand the context, highlight the areas of improvement and what I have learned to understand and enjoy in that it can show you what is working. This here is where you can capitalize on the strengths and use that to drive what is needed.

I had little to work with the feedback I was given so my next point was to negotiate. I sat with each student and asked them to share their assessment, went through each assessment and highlighted the areas that they needed to work on and then negotiate a date and time that they would like for me to review their work and to give my final feedback. This negotiation was good for me because I felt that I needed to give the responsibility to the students and enable them to feel empowered to drive the assessment - I will facilitate. Once I complete my final feedback we would then negotiate again to confirm a final date for the student to submit their final draft.

Throughout week 6, 7 and 8 the students were able to turn things around and complete their first Level 2 English internal assessment. Out of a class of 20, 18 have passed. Reflecting on this increase in achievement, I believe that my student's respond best to the face-to-face learning. Online learning has been a part of our school for the last 10 years and I think going forward students and teachers need to buy in and engage. I also believe that my students responded well to the negotiation process as it gave them something to be accountable to and work towards. The one-on-one feedback discussions - both in person and online - was helpful for them and for myself.

#UnpackingTheData: 

Since the beginning of the term 2, SLT share the achievement data for the week. Every Friday night I go through the Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 English achievement data and do my best to analyse and count the data (I struggle with the counting part - math is definitely not my strong point!)

In Week 4 (May 4 - 8) the break down of our results looked like this:

Level 1 English

• Students with 0 Credits - 62
• Students with 3 Credits - 11
• Students with 4 Credits - 29
• Students with 6 Credits - 1
• Students with 7 Credits - 12
• Students with 10 Credits - 6
• Students with Level 1 Literacy - 34

Level 2 English

• Students with 0 Credits - 88
• Students with 3 Credits - 11

Level 3 English

• Students with 0 Credits - 63
• Students with 3 Credits - 4

Once this data was released it became a discussion point within our department. Unpacking the data, trying to see WHY the gap across all three levels were significant, what are the trends, what is working and not working and what can we do to support the students. Ms George and I met with each department member individually and we had a lengthy discussion around the students who were at risk of achieving. An intervention plan was put in place and we were going to monitor the progress each week. 

In Week 9 (June 8 - June 12) our most recent data break down looks like this: 

Level 1 English

• Students with 0 Credits - 34
• Students with 3 Credits - 14
• Students with 4 Credits - 6
• Students with 5 Credits - 1
• Students with 6 Credits - 10
• Students with 7 Credits - 22
• Students with 10 Credits - 22
• Students with 13 Credits - 3
• Students with 17 Credits - 2
• Students with Level 1 Literacy - 64

Level 2 English

• Students with 0 Credits - 45
• Students with 3 Credits - 45
• Students with 4 Credits - 1
• Students with 5 Credits - 3
• Students with 7 Credits - 1
• Students with 17 Credits - 1

Level 3 English

• Students with 0 Credits - 53
• Students with 3 Credits - 16

The trend shows that the intervention worked. The shift is noticeable and it is promising. The English Department have invested a lot of time and energy with their students, we are very grateful for this. The turn around in the last 5 weeks has been great and we are hoping to continue to build on this into term 3. There are many factors to consider but I believe that the silver lining in this is that early intervention is needed. This will help accelerate momentum, confidence and achievement. The trend shown above is the type of shift and acceleration that we would like to see for our students. Identifying trends and making an attempt to understand what is going well and what is not is important. Too often we can get caught up in what is failing that we can oversee the pockets of success. 

#FinalThoughts

Our young people live in a society where the need to fit in with the 'trend', follow the 'trend' and create a 'trend' is evident. The selfie trend is one that has had a huge impact on everyone - at one stage everyone has taken a selfie. This trend is defined as "A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media." For our young people the act of taking a selfie and applying a hashtag to a saying is a normal and automatic habit that they have become accustomed to. It is ingrained in how they interact socially and at times the trend itself can have a negative influence on not just how but who they interact with. What I have learnt about trends - whether it is academic focused or a social media trend - is that behind every trend there is a story. There is something on which the trend is standing on. There is an audience and a purpose. How you use or understand the trend is entirely up to you. How you understand the trend can influence how you see it and use it. 

Changing the narrative

NARRATIVE

A spoken or written account of connected events; a story. 

One of the dilemmas when it comes to teaching students how to craft a text is that they cannot see whole the picture. The lack of perspective and attention to detail - whether it is through creative or formal writing - and understanding of the 'who, what, where, when and why' in a narrative can suffocate student's in their writing. I am certain that all English Literature/Language teachers can relate and understand this. Assessment feedback is usually marked by repetitive guiding questions, highlighting grammatical errors - it can seem like an endless and tedious list of 'corrections to be made.' But without this (correction and order), students would not be able learn and amend what needs to be corrected.

An assessment that I am currently marking is AS 91480 (Close Viewing) for Level 3 English. At times I feel like I am rehashing the same feedback and it can be draining going through the same content BUT there is a silver lining in all of this. The dialogue online and in person with my students around the feedback has helped to improve their narrative writing, their opinion and take on the assessment. For some the result is immediate and for others it takes time to sink in, nonetheless this conversation around the correction needed with their narrative is important. Without it the students would not have the right tools to make the improvement that is required. It isn't rocket science, this is a give-in with all teachers. Constructive feedback results in better learning outcomes.

Students would not be able to develop and build on their argument without the guiding questions. Students would not be able to understand that their perspective is needed and important in understanding their topic without the questioning or challenging their opinion. When crafting a text conversational teaching and learning is important to nurture the narrative. This is all part of a healthy discourse in a teacher/student relationship that ultimately is geared towards providing a favorable outcome for the student. In order for the desired outcome to come to light (to be more engaged with writing, to be more critical when analyzing a text - just to name a few) - constructive feedback, correction and order is needed from teachers. It needs to be authentic and specific to the student's needs and ability. The students need to be able to understand the expectation and the teacher needs to communicate this effectively.

This lack of perspective and awareness of 'who, what, when, where and why' is not just an isolated issue in the English literature classroom. This is an issue and concern that is ingrained in behavioral issues outside of the classroom. Our youth live in a world where the culture around them (no I am not referencing their heritage) but the youth culture - is a space where the need to prove and publicize every move and every event is as teenagers say 'Bible'. The urbanized definition of 'Bible' is not associated with the stories of God and faith but is a term where it is 'used to express ultimate honesty, or to show that you are not playing around. Derived from the act of swearing on the Bible.' Our young people are impressionable and influenced by behavior and attitudes that at most times can have a negative impact on their perspective and understanding of the world and their place in it. Their ability to make sound decisions - decisions that show a degree of compassion towards others - is measured by this culture that dictates otherwise. When they are corrected or reminded that this attitude is unacceptable, they struggle to understand 'how' or 'who' they have affected.

The narrative that our young people write for themselves can be incredibly frustrating especially when educators, mentors and the community are trying to push them to drive a new narrative. With my students the gaps in their written narrative are gaps that have been addressed before but the 'correction' provided does not seem to stick. From the classroom to world, this gap is often seen in the poor behavior and choices that our young people fall for time and time again. The narrative at some point becomes a resurgence of the same story, same plot, same antagonist, same protagonist, same villain and the ending - well, much of the same. What will it take to change the narrative?

ALTERNATE ENDING

An alternate ending is an ending of a story that was considered or even written

Changing the narrative is needed with every draft of a text. Reviewing, reevaluating and reflecting on what you have written (does it make sense? Does it flow? Is there a variation of sentence length? Is there a link to the author's purpose?) is a necessary and important step in the crafting of a text. That is the beauty with writing and with creating a narrative. The beauty is that it CAN change, a writer's perspective and angle can change. That is one of the great and powerful acts in writing and word culture. We can shape, demolish then rebuild our writing narrative through the power of words.

Changing the narrative for the behavior of our young people is a process. It is an ever evolving process that requires patience, vision and leadership. It is an undertaking but like constructive feedback with writing, young people need constructive feedback with their behavior. They need to understand that there are consequences for their actions. Correction and order is needed in order for the change in the narrative to be effective. If we aspire of an alternate ending, the road to getting there may require hard truth and consequences to be implemented. In the written narrative, the power of WORDS can influence the shift in the plot and in the development of the character. How we correct and speak to our young people can have a lasting impression on how they see themselves. With writing it is easy to accelerate the outcome and to see the end the result. In dealing with young people, I cannot say that this result will act immediately. However WORDS do have power and it is important that not just teachers but all those in influential roles and those who are responsible for young people, that they use their words well to correct what needs to be corrected. To help alternate the ending and change the narrative.

Week 9 Term 2 - Let's get it WRITE (Year 10 Writing Program) - Setting Sail

Recap: Phase 1 'The Launch'

Phase 1 of 'Let's get it WRITE' - 'The Launch' - focuses on the basic and essential fundamental elements with writing. This part of journey enables students to explore what is a text, finding word groups, sentences, understanding the difference between independent/dependent clauses and verb/verbal groups. Essentially this phase is geared towards the learning or relearning of the basic elements of writing.

Phase 2: 'Setting Sail' 

The second phase of 'Let's get it WRITE' - 'Setting Sail' - is where the practice and learning from phase 1 becomes the foundation for the crafting of a text. In this phase the students are encourage to craft a text - whether it is a creative, formal, opinion, explanation piece of writing - utilising the key components of writing that was shared and unpacked in phase 1. At the beginning of the second phase the students will need to answer the following questions:

1) What is that you really want to write about?
2) What kind of text do you want to craft? Creative, formal, poetry?
3) Who is the audience?
4) What is the topic?
5) What is the purpose of your text?

This is an integral part of 'Setting Sail'. I believe that writing can be powerful when one is given the freedom to write about anything that they want. Initially the program was geared towards the students writing an explanation piece but I think that the freedom to choose the topic, audience and purpose of your text is engaging and powerful.

Once the student has decided on the type of text they want to craft, a focus on characterization and paragraph analysis will take place. The characterization section is particularly great because the students - whether they are crafting a text on a character or not - will have an opportunity to explore characterization and how to use clauses, sophisticated word groups and appropriate sentence types when describing someone. I would like to see the students choose someone that they know and write a characterization piece on them.

Review: How is it going so far?

In our most recent department meeting we asked the team how the first phase of 'Let's it get it WRITE' has been for them and their students. The overall feedback was positive and the student response has been positive too. I have spoken with a few Year 10 students this week about the program and I wanted to know what they thought of it. Here are some gems from the student feedback: 

"I am learning about texts, clauses and word groups. It is good for my learning because it makes my writing better."

"It is pretty all good - I like learning about it because it helps me find sentences easier" 

So far so good. The analogy behind the program is based on the concept of 'journeys'. It is important to take time and to make time in order for the writing to develop. I look forward to reading some of our student's writing! 

Week 8 Term 2 - Let's get it WRITE (Year 10 Writing Program) - The Launch

The Purpose

At the beginning of Term 2 the English Department discussed our goals for the 12 week term. One of our goals was to design a writing program for our Year 10 cohort. The initial focus of the writing program was to prepare our students for a E Asttle Writing re-test. This focus was influenced by the Term 1 results from the Year 10 E Asttle Writing test. The results were concerning as we found that many of the Year 10 students were graded well below the National average. Different factors were considered when we investigated the poor results, we explored and discussed the different reasons that contributed to the results. A mutual concern for the quality of the writing prompt from the test was something that we as a department believe is a reason why the student's did not take the test seriously. The more we discussed the issue the more we realized that the focus and goal needed to shift from resitting the test to engaging with writing. The underlying issue is that our students do not engage with writing and we wanted to design a program that enabled them to explore the art of writing - in all of it's complexity.

Who & Why?

The Year 10 cohort for 2020 are the focus group for the writing program. Their E Asttle Writing results for Term 1 raised a few concerns and the English Department wanted to collaborate on how we can help improve their writing. Our Year 10 students will be offered NCEA Level 1 English credits in Term 3 and will start Level 1 in Term 4 as part of our Jump Start program. In preparation for this, we know that we have to invest our time in focusing on writing. Writing is an integral part of our English program and it is important that the students are given the tools to know how to write well. Their transition into Level 1 will begin soon and as a department we know that it is vital that we engage them with writing, whether they are reluctant writers or not, we want them to know what the art of writing entails and that they are more than capable of crafting a text. Motivation is another key factor with why our students can show reluctance towards writing. The beauty of writing is more than 'writing to be assessed' - it is an art form that is important for our young people to understand and practice. It is an art form that can be lost in the age of technology, but it is a needed and essential skill.

What?

The Year 10 Writing program 'Let's get it WRITE' is made up of three phases that runs over a period of three to four weeks. The direction of the program is based on engaging students with writing.  Dr Jannie Van Hees has been instrumental in helping the English Department design the program. She is a wealth of knowledge and has a passion for writing in particular teaching writing. She has provided some great resources to use with our students. The English Department members have shared resources for the program which has been a highlight. It has been interesting to see other teaching practice and methods when it comes to writing. The three phases are Phase 1 'The Launch', Phase 2 'Setting Sail' and Phase 3 'Striking Out'. We have used the analogy of 'journeys' as the theme approach for the unit, as learning in general but learning about and how to write is a journey. The journey is one where there will be some challenges but with motivation and support, anyone can reach their destination. This post will highlight Phase 1 'The Launch' and what this part of the journey is about. 

Phase 1: The Launch

The focus of Phase 1 is to firstly get the 'student buy in' and secondly introduce (or re-introduce) the fundamental elements for writing - simply getting 'back to the basics'. 'Student buy in' is important in order for the program to function. Our students are our key stakeholders and getting them on board, understanding what the purpose is and their place in it, is essential because this is for them. Before any teaching starts we will use the first part of Phase 1 to launch the program by showing students a mosaic of clips of teachers and others explaining why they like to write. 

From here the student's are asked to reflect on why do they write. They can either write their reflection or record their reflection as a video log or audio recording. Here are the focus questions that the students are to reflect. 

1. What does writing mean to you?
2. What were some of the reasons why they write? (referring to the clip) 
3. Do you write?
4. When and why do you write?
5. What do you like and/or dislike about writing?
6. What is easy about writing?
7. What is hard about writing?
8. Why write?
9. What do you want to learn?

The reflection is a great way for our students to see what writing means to others and then reflect on what it means to them. We do expect our entire class to be avid writers however we do believe that all student's can write if they apply what they know and what they have been taught well. 

From here the remainder of Phase 1 is dedicated to introducing (or re-introducing) two keep components in writing - understanding what a text is, word groups and sentence structure. Dr Jannie Van Hees has provided some amazing resources for us to use with our Year 10 students. 

Dr Jannie's 'TEXT SAVVY' presentation highlights what a text is. For many of our students, their idea is usually associated with written or print text. This presentation introduces the definition of a text and the discussion around this will encourage students to understand that a text is not just print but also a sign or symbol that creates meaning. 

For some the information about texts and sentence is nothing new, for others while they may know this intuitively they do not understand the function or purpose. Regardless of where the students pre writing knowledge sits, the purpose of Phase 1 'The Launch - is to ENGAGE the learner. We are grateful to have Dr Jannie work with us and share her knowledge and expertise. I will post about Phase 2 'Setting Sail' in the coming week.