Body language, presence, mana of teacher

Written over 100 years ago, but strikingly parallel to 21st century pedagogy:

"It is not the highest work of education to communicate knowledge merely, but to impart that vitalizing energy which is received through the contact of mind with mind and soul with soul. It is only life that can beget life."

4 Attributes of a High Achieving Classrooms

Context: the fifth component of CRCM (Culturally Responsive Classroom Management) is “Building Caring Classrooms”

To describe that, Catherine Savage (2010) says, “There are four attributes of classrooms that scaffold high achievement for culturally and linguistically diverse students:

‘The first is a strong, caring, respectful relationship  between students and the teacher. The second is a caring, respectful relationship among peers, creating a culture in which everyone feels safe enough to take risks. The third aspect is a task-focused, calm environment that enables everyone to concentrate and learn, and finally, the fourth aspect is high and clear expectations for academic performance.’   (Ross, Bondy, Gallingane & Hambacher, 2008)”

I would just add that the teacher too, feels safe enough to take risks!

Savage, C. (2010). Culturally responsive classroom management in NZ. In V. Green & S. Cherrington (Eds), Delving into diversity: an international exploration of issues of diversity in education. New York: Nova.

What do I mean by "good" questions?

1. Write fifteen numbers between 5.1 and 5.2
2. *Suppose you can weigh all integer masses (that's just code for weights like 1, 2, 3, 4...) from 1 to 60 using just six weights, putting the weights into one pan of the scale and the object into the other. (So each weight is a number, like 1, 2, 5, etc.) 
1. Which weights are used?
2. What about weighing all integer massess from 1 to 1000, or 1 to n?
3. How many weights are needed if you put the weights on both pans?
3. A number is rounded to 5.8. What might the number be?
1. What is the largest possible answer?
2. What is the smallest possible answer?
3. Describe all numbers that round to 5.8
4. What do you think this graph might represent?
5. Find a fraction between 1/2 and 3/4
6. If your calculator's 5 and 7 keys are broken, how can you calculate 732 + 577?
7. In how many different ways could you design a box-shaped building using exactly 24 cubes?

Features of "Good" Questions

• Students are required to do more than remember a strategy.
• Students can learn in the process of answering the question.
• Questions have several acceptable answers.

Features of "Good" Tasks

• All students are able to start the tasks.
• Individuals or groups need to be able to work productively with minimal assistance.
• Explanations and reviews are given to the whole class (despite mixed ability - all hear language appropriate to the task, others' ideas and alerts individuals to a range of possibilities).
• Tasks should be easily extended, student who complete the work should be given extensions of the original task (not something unrelated).
• Tasks should require minimal teacher direction. The teacher does not tell the students how to do the tasks.
• More than one solution and more than one path to a solution should be possible.

Sullivan, P. & Clarke, D. (1991). Catering to all abilities through "good" questions. Arithmetic Teacher, October 14-18.

*Averill & Harvey (2009), p. 19. Wellington: NCER press.

Sobel (2004)

What kids need to learn

“In 1970 the top three skills required by the Fortune 500 were the three Rs: reading, writing, and arithmetic. In 1999 the top three skills in demand were teamwork, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. We need schools that are developing these skills.”
How a Radical New Teaching Method Could Unleash a Generation of Geniuses
Paragraph 7, Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/business/2013/10/free-thinkers/

"Teachers provide prompts, not answers, and then they step aside so students can teach themselves and one another. They are creating ways for children to discover their passion—and uncovering a generation of geniuses in the process."

Math Extension

Junior Mathematical Enrichment Programme

Problem Set 1

1.                    The natural numbers 1, 2,3...are written down in succession. What digit is the 2000th to be written down?

2.                    Which of the first 1000 positive integers are divisible by 2, 3, 4 and 5?

3.                    Two cyclists, 20 km apart start toward each other along a straight road, each cycling at a steady 10 km/hour. A bird released by one of the cyclists, flies at 20 m/hr until it reaches the second cyclist. It turns immediately, and flies back until it meets the first, and continues to repeat this process until the two cyclists meet. What is the total distance flown by the bird? (Not much calculation needed - it can be done in a few seconds if you think about it in the right way.)

4.                    Two thefts of money had occurred on a cruise ship, and the ship's detective was baffled.

A news reporter on board had reported details to his paper, but was not allowed by the detective to give the actual amounts involved.

So the reporter cabled        NEED

NEW

STORY

The editor, realizing that the line below NEW was significant and knowing that the larger amount stolen was all in $5 notes, was able to discover the exact amount stolen. Can you? (Assume that different letters represent different numbers).

5.               You throw two ordinary dice, and count the total. What total are you most likely to find and what is the probability of getting this total?

Development Band resources have been produced by the nzamt at each level from year 4 to year 10. Follow the link to find out more http://nzamt.org.nz/images/stories/pdf/dev_band_manual.pdf

Educultural Wheel

Haere whakamua

"Haere whakamua tonu (keep moving forward). I want you to have a go. Don't be afraid if you miss the point the first time. We fall down, we get up. Eventually we will get it right, we will get there and that is what matters. Haere whakamua..."

Huakina Mai (opening doorways) principles.

Teacher's Body Language & Demeanour

Get back on task!

"E hika, me whakatika to waka."

("Hey there, bring your canoe back on line.")

Discipline Strategy

Kia manawanui
Kia poto
Me Haere

Be firm
Be brief
Be gone

Relationships

and of the process of discovering something of others...

Penetito, W. (2010)

Whakatauki (proverb)

Ko koe ki tēnā

Ko ahau ki tēnei

Kīwai o te kete

You hold that handle of the kete,

I’ll hold this handle

And we’ll bear this load together

(thinking baskets of knowledge?)

Cybrary

This is good! Educational hash tags. http://cybraryman.com/edhashtags.html

E.g. "Create your own text book" - great activity for the class. http://cybraryman.com/digitaltextbooks.html

Males Underachieving

The first red column is Maori males - highest percentage leaving school without any qualification.

For full report see http://www.ero.govt.nz/National-Reports/Boys-Education-Good-Practice-in-Secondary-Schools-July-2008 - click "download report" - riveting reading :) (Seriously, I can't stop reading it.)