My Space and My Place

levels. Dr. Jannie Van Hees

At the beginning of the year, when we first started discussing what the CoL focus would be for 2018, and with me already a year into my CoL inquiry, I was unsure as to how to connect "Language in Abundance"with my existing inquiry findings.   Not because what I was inquiring into was irrelevant to the concept of "Language in Abundance", but because my inquiry was and is focused around a framework; so essentially, a collective range of individual components and processes to enable accelerated achievement to take place.

My approach to addressing literacy for students within my inquiry process, focused more on the literacy associated with visibility and clarity of learning information for the students, as opposed to the literacy strategies for students.  This is reiterated in some of the Manaiakalani Inquiries presentation materials delivered by Rebecca Jesson, as shown in the image below "Are the instructions/ways to participate clear?"

Visibility and Clarity of Instructions

Some of the research materials that I'd been looking at with regards to visibility and clarity of learning information includes the following:

• Instructions https://goo.gl/bqk4Ap
• How to Write Clear Instructions https://goo.gl/StVytd
• Making Learning Visible https://goo.gl/TjXUP5

In terms of 'Instructions', useful take-outs from this resource link includes the purpose of instructions, as well as the features of instructions:


In terms of writing clear instructions, this research link focussed on three key areas:

1. Understanding the Task
2. Writing Your Instructions
3. Testing Your Instructions

This year I have been extensively trialing the use of Workspaces to communicate learning information to students, as well as collate evidence of student learning in order to provide students with both formative and summative feedback on learning tasks.  The trialing of the Workspaces is in comparison to the sole use of learning instructions that are embedded, linked and accessible to students via my Subject Google Site.

My next steps for further investigating the Literacy Lens of my Inquiry, is to identify the pros and cons of the use of Workspaces v my Subject Google Site, in terms of which resource (if either) is more effective in enabling visibility and clarity of instructions for students.

Achievement Challenge

Inquiry 2018

Manaiakalani CoL : Teaching Inquiry Framework

• Class discussions about context ideas
• Sharing completed tasks in Google+ as a tool to guide the learning of others
• +1 and Commenting on tasks shared in Google+
• Peer feedback in Evaluations

• Students can use Student Check Lists to track their own progress within this unit of work
• Wananga between kaiako-tauira to select standards according to their interest in IT and DigiTech.  The standards available in DigiTech can be located within the DigiTech site under each NCEA Level (Assessment Information, and, Overview and Calendar)

• Year Level Calendar, Project Instructions, Learning Activities, and Student Progress (Class Task Lists and Student Checklists) are embedded in the Subject Google Site, and visible to learners
• Year Level Calendar with Hyperlinked Learning Activities communicates the focus for the lesson each day and is a rewindable resource
• Project Instructions communicates the big picture of the project to students
• Learning Activities communicates the individual task requirements to students
• Student Progress (Class Task Lists) communicates to students where students are tracking at with regards to task completion towards completing the overall standard
• Communities provides examples of work to guide learning

• Use Class Task Lists and Student Check Lists to have discussions around progress and support for developing learning
• Wananga between kaiako-tauira to select standards according to their interest in IT and DigiTech.  The standards available in DigiTech can be located within the DigiTech site under each NCEA Level (Assessment Information, and, Overview and Calendar)

The unit of work that I am delivering for the JumpStart program in Term 4 is 11DGT Create a Web Page US18734.  The unit plan itself shows the extent to which VTaL Visible Teaching and Learning can be integrated into all aspects of learning within the unit of work.  The unit plan template has been developed by Middle Leaders in consultation with the Senior Leadership Team, Curriculum Committee and Teaching Staff, to encapsulate aspects of the Curriculum.

The following are sections of the unit plan that applies various components of VTaL Visible Teaching and Learning:

• Teaching and Learning - Learning Activities, Resources
• Assessment - Prior Assessment, Formative Assessment, Summative Assessment
• RISE Values - Respect, Integrity, Success, Responsibility
• NZC Key Competencies - Thinking, Relating to Others, Understanding Language, Symbols and Text, Managing Self, Participating and Contributing
• SAMR - Redefinition
• NZC Literacy and Numeracy - Literacy
• SOLO Taxonomy - Unistructural (Identify), Multistructural (Describe), Relational (Apply), Extended Abstract (Evaluate)
• Differentiation - Process, Learning Environment
• Kia Eke Panuku - Whanaungatanga, Mahi Tahi Kotahitanga, Wananga
• Career Management Competencies - Exploring Opportunities, Deciding and Acting

I delivered this presentation to staff during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, to outline ways in which staff could apply cultural responsiveness with regards to pronouncing student names correctly.  Whilst the presentation was delivered during Māori Language Week, the concepts around cultural responsiveness apply to students, staff and whānau of any background or ethnicity.