September 20 2021: 2:46pm - Online learning has it's pros and cons. Personally I enjoy the idea of working at your own pace and in your space. However I do miss the interaction with the students and being immersed in school life. One of the pros with online learning is that there is time and space to look beyond the classroom for inspiration. Like all of our colleagues and departments who have shared, we too are experiencing low attendance to our Google meets and the engagement overall from our students has not been great. It is easy to take this personally because we are all passionate about what we do and we want to give and be the best for our students. However low engagement and attendance during a lockdown is something that we cannot control the way we like. So we have turned our energy and focus into making sure that our online learning programs are flexible, relevant and engaging. The students who do manage to connect with us online, that is a win for us and we are focused on making sure that whatever we are doing is easily accessible and user friendly so that they can connect. This week I have asked the Department to share the teaching and learning strategies that have worked for them during the lockdown. The response has been positive and I have seen first hand the variety of texts and online tools that the Department have integrated into their online learning program. From using apps such as Padlet, Jamboard, Quizlet to learning about Minecraft to finding cool, local and relevant online texts to engage with our students - this lockdown has been an opportunity for the Department to use online learning not just as tool but create a space and platform to connect our students to English literature.
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| Some of the online teaching and learning strategies that the English Department are using during the lockdown. (Click on the image to access the presentation) |
In over 5 weeks the Department have found ways to connect with the students online in a way that is both engaging and meaningful. As English teachers we want our students to engage with a text, unpack a text, understand the text, craft a text, appreciate other texts - we are all about the texts. I appreciate the local texts that we have used over the last 5 weeks - we are constantly on the search for new texts (ideally local texts that the students can relate to or connect with). As we head into the final leg of Term 3, I think one of the best teaching and learning strategies we have experienced during the lockdown is the teamwork. We have learnt that staying connected, checking in with each other, expressing how exhausted we are and celebrating the positives - all of these things are super important to build morale but to also give a perspective in what can be a lonely and at times depressing period in lockdown. Hopefully we can continue to work like this as team and to find and utilize online learning in a powerful way.
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| The English Department 2021 |
September 21 2021: 3:00pm - "Dreams is when it is in your head, it is an actual vision is when you write it down. Most people are living their life in a dream land instead of an actual vision. Most people think vision and sight are the same things. But sight is what you see with your eyes open. Vision is what you see with your eyes closed." (Pastor Mike Todd).
The last couple of weeks have been full on for my Whanau group, Totara House. We have been busy online participating in both Tongan and Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Language Week celebrations. It has been a busy time but also a time for us to come together and work as a team. I am very grateful for the team from our mentorship team to the student body (he tangata, he tangata, he tangata) and in particular the student leadership team. As come to the last weeks of Term 3 I wanted to meet with my student leadership team and reflect with them. Discussing their learning and what do they want to achieve with their journey through NCEA Level 3. To discussing our Whanau group and what do they want to do in Term 4 and what legacy do they want to leave behind when they finish? I posed 5 questions to them and we had a good, robust discussion where they shared their thoughts and ideas.
Are you where you want to be credit wise? - May - Yeah but not really. I want more credits. I am waiting for my marks for History.
- Magnolia - Not really. I think I can do better with completing my assessments
- Toni - For me, I should've had more by now. Just need to complete my assessments
- Soana - I have quite a lot of work to finish.
- Sam - Finishing PE, History + Physics
What do you need to do over the next two weeks?- May - prioritize + continue to join classes.
- Soana - get back on a healthy schedule
- Magnolia - join my classes and use my time wisely
- Toni - Stay motivated and not get distracted
- Sam - Waking up early, attend classes
What do you want for Totara House in Term 4?- Soana - Maybe we should’ve been closer by now. More activities with each other, the students.
- Dodge ball
- Sam - try and get more of the seniors involved, participate in the house stuff - games, assemblies
- Toni - Socialize more, more group activities (get to know them better)
- May - team building
- Magnolia - finish off on a good note. Everyone know each other better and no act like strangers when it comes to assembly.
What can we do better?- Toni - We could try and get the students out of their comfort zone. Talk to the students
- Soana - Communication is key - with everyone
What legacy as a leadership team do you want to leave for Totara House?- Soana - staying humble
- May - motivating the younger generation, they can be leaders one day
- Toni - leave a legacy of Totara House being welcoming and a happy house, open to everyone, everyone is included
- Sam - giving off that humble vibe
- Magnolia - making sure they remember Unity, Teamwork and Confidence
I wanted the students to reflect on this as a team and to really think about their leadership. I wanted them think about what impact and influence they want to have on our Whanau group when they finish their term. As Pastor Mike Todd explained, I want them to envision, talk and write down how they see themselves as leaders and their intentions for Totara House. This, I believe, helps to give guidance and direction for how they will lead and operate as a team. I am hoping to collate the feedback and present it to the leadership team at the beginning of Term 4 and use this as a guide or directive for them as the enter the final stage of their leadership for Totara House.
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| Totara House Student Leadership Team 2021 |
September 22 2021: 11:59am - I love Wednesdays. It is the day where I do not have any classes, just one Google meet with my mentors in the morning. I use Wednesdays to catch up on any marking, communications with my students, checking in with my House leaders and getting prepared for our online house assembly. Today is particularly monumental for Auckland city as we are going into Alert Level 3. So it is much Alert Level 4 but takeaways, cafes, restaurants and businesses are open. There is a sense of comfort in knowing that there some type of normalcy coming back. I went to get a hot chocolate, bought some bakery food for breakfast (after my walk of course :D) and for the first time in a while, I feel a little more settled and grounded in the lockdown. I shared this at my mentorship meeting this morning. We all shared what we had for breakfast and caught up on how we are all doing. There were quite few matters to discuss pertaining to our House and I wanted to make sure that I thanked the mentorship team for their support and involvement with the House activities that we have during the lockdown. It really is a team effort.
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| Totara House Mentorship Team 2021 |
September 23 2021: 12:36pm - Today has been a good day. I have had two Google meets and was able to connect with a few of my senior students. They are working on their assessments and have a target to get them done by mid next week (the last week of Term 3). Online learning can be a lonely road and it is always affirming when you are able to connect with your students online. I have spent time emailing individual students and prioritizing the learning outcome with them. One of my Year 12 students messaged and said that he has been unable to attend online learning as he had to work during the lockdown and has only reconnected his internet connection this week. This is the reality for a lot of my students. Working during the lockdown (because they have to), it is a fine line that I have to be aware everyday. I cannot take my student's absence personally and I have to do what I can to ensure that the learning is open, available and accessible to the students. I have to have an open mind and understand that the learning may not be a priority for my students because of circumstances that they have to face in their own family. This is out of my control. What I can control is own my sanity and making sure that I have a learning program that is flexible for my students.
September 24 2021: Talanoa is an integral and sacred part of the social fabric of most Pacific cultures and traditions. “Talanoa is a generic term referring to a conversation, chat, sharing of ideas and talking with someone. It is a term that is shared by Tongans, Samoans, and Fijians. Talanoa can be formal, as between chiefs and his or her people, and it can be informal, as between friends in a kava circle. Talanoa is also used for different purposes; to teach a skill, to share ideas, to preach, to resolve problems, to build and maintain relationships, and to gather information” (Seu'ula Johansson Fua). I have spoken about this at my Whanau assembly throughout the year and introduced the Talanoa series in Term 2, where students from our whanau have the opportunity to share their journey with the house. It has been a beautiful part of our whanau time and the students are used to it. It is a time where the students can talk about their learning journey, challenges that they have faced, how they overcame it and sharing any encouragement to the house. The Talanoa is meant to be an opportunity where they students can build a connection with each other and ultimately build confidence in themselves. Today we heard from some of one of Year 13 mentor teachers, Mr Milford, who shared his pepeha and some of our Year 10 students who shared their some words of encouragement with us. Here are some of the highlights that they shared.
Daliz Betham (10TTt): "My 'why' is better or good future for myself and my family. I have goals that I want to achieve because I know that I cannot rely on my family forever. I have goals to reach and achieve, I aiming for a good future that will support my family here in New Zealand and back in the islands. My favorite verse is from the book of Proverbs 3: 5-6 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.' What the means for me is to acknowledge God in everything that I do and he will keep me on the right track."
Stephney Fifita (10TKh): "My 'why' is my family. My family encourages me and motivates me to do good. This is what drives me to do my best at the fullest potential. My quote/memory verse which is one of my favorites is Joshua 1:9 which reads 'Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go' This quote is uplifting because it tells me that I can be strong and courageous because GOD is on my side. My encouragement to Totara during lockdown is to be strong and lean in on GOD, he is always with you."
Anaysha Puaga (10TKh): "My parents are my 'why'. I am an only child and they support me 100% and I want to do well for them. A bit of encouragement from me for Totara is from James 1:2-3 'Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.' I understand at times that we can feel pressured and challenged. But this verse always reminds me to stay positive, keep a good mindset, when any challenges come your way see it as an opportunity to get back."
Week 9 is done!
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