Napp inquiry presentation

Editor's Notes

• #6: Student Voice is about Learning . Research tells us that students learn more effectively when taught by peers (Batty, Rudduck, & Wilson 2000).‘Student voice’ is a partnership, where students learn through self and peer reflections. Flutter 2006, states that when students plan educational activities their investment, ownership, and consequent learning is greatly increased. Co-constructing the learning experiences and the success criteria empowers students to feel part of the learning process. The Inquiry process allows for student-led research, where students pose more effective questions (Fielding & Bragg 2003). Students will be more engaged when the context is realistic and they have opportunities to authentic learning.
• #7: Student Voice is about Evaluating Teaching . When students are given opportunities to evaluate lessons as partners and give direct feedback to the teachers, classroom teaching can be more effective. Both students and parents are key stakeholders in education – it makes sense to include the voices that education is intended to benefit, in research on education reform. (McIntyre, Pedder, & Rudduck 2005). Case studies discuss cases where students observe lessons along side teachers to give a student perspective on how a lesson is delivered. Other examples are of student voice being heard within the appraisal programme through oral informal conversations or structured surveys. School activity and teacher evaluations are more authentic and valuable when students are central evaluators and assessors of data (Dorman & Adams 2004).
• #8: Student Voice is about School Improvement . Students need to be placed at the centre of the learning community where leaders in education actively listening to their ideas and feedback. School improvement can meet needs more effectively when students are engaged as partners (Mitra 2005). By empowering students in the decision making, they will feel they have more of an investment in school improvement (Cervone & Cushman 2002). McLaughlin & Mitra 2003, state that listening to student voice can encourage adult leaders to make important decisions and effectively prioritize decisions in schools. Student voice on the BOT or open access to the Senior Management Team, strengthens trust in the partnership between students and adults. Policy-making is more effective when students are partners in the process (Evans and Anthony 2001).
• #9: Student Voice is about Developing Leaders and Promoting Citizenship . When students are given opportunities to take on leadership roles they are building life skills to prepare them for the future. Student involvement leads to significant gains in youth development goals (Mitra 2004, 2006). By supporting students’ social and emotional needs, schools provide a safer place and a more secure learning environment. Students are more inclined to take risks in their learning, when they feel their needs are met. Students actively involved in decision making both at a school community level and within their own learning pathway have a stronger sense of belonging. They begin to see themselves as part of the community with a right to actively participate. Engaging student voice throughout education teaches young people the responsibilities required to be a citizen in a democratic society (Freire 2005).
• #10: Student Voice Affects the School Culture. When the ‘student voice’ is embedded in the culture of a school, ‘classrooms become mutually supportive for teachers as well as students’ (Cervone & Cushman 2002). Involving students in decision-making transforms the attitudes and systems that underlay the culture of organizations, schools, and communities
• #11: Student Voice is about Diversity. We encourage our students to celebrate the diversity within the school community. Schools need to seek out a representative ‘student voice’ that reflects the perspectives of all students. Engaging student voice can ensure cultural, racial, economic, and social diversity in school improvement efforts (Rubin & Silva 2003).
• #12: Student Voice is about Integrity. While students make up approximately 92% of any given school's population, the decisions in schools are routinely made by the remaining 8% who are adults (Harper, 2005).
• #13: Red Beach Primary School, Auckland Used the ‘student voice’ to unpack their vision of ‘lifelong learning’, but soon realized they needed to do more work with the students when the students were unable to define what learning was. After collecting the ‘student voice’ they decided there was a need to use the ‘Language of Learning’ explicitly with students. A year later they revisited the concept of ‘lifelong learning’, the students were now able to articulate examples of learning. Today Red Beach Primary has ‘student voice’ embedded into the school culture ‘in our quest to truly personalize learning for each and every one of our students, we continue to listen in depth to what they are saying. We do realize we have much to learn from these wonderful children and will keep working to ensure that they can be heard.’ (Red Beach Primary school, Auckland)
• #14: Tawa Intermediate School, Wellington Teachers designed an Inquiry using the big question ‘What goes through the minds of young learners as they prepare for an unknown future?’ Using a wiki called Kidspeak they collected the ‘student voice’. Following the process of inquiry students reflected on learning experiences and together they designed ‘Student Teacher Needs Guidelines’. The teachers responded to the collected ‘student voice’ by changing their practice to support the student findings.
• #16: Posed the inquiry question to my team at the beginning of the year. Brainstormed ways we currently provided opportunities for ‘student voice’. Discussed further opportunities we could provide opportunities for ‘student voice’. Shared resources and readings to support the development of the team. Shared good practice and success stories at team meetings. Observed teaching using the formal appraisal system. Collected evidence, cross referencing planning, assessment and workbook evidence Surveyed the students. Discussed the results of the surveys with the teachers. Interviewed and videoed students about initiatives and opportunities teachers have provided.
• #17: Talent Portfolio used to collect and personalise learning to support ‘student voice’ Designed as part the WIS GATE Indentification this tool collects information on students and their prefered learning style. It is designed to revisit with students each term and add further information. At present it is not used as a whole school however it is a great way to capture ‘student voice’.
• #18: Goal setting in the team was based on the KC using assessment evidence to target key acedemic areas Students wrote a goal for each KC Student led ‘Student / Parent / Teacher Interviews’ in Term 1 & Term 3, sharing the goals. Parent agreed on the goal and teachers explained how they could all support the learning to reach the goal. Our school key competencies had a lot of student voice.
• #19: Ways in which students can: choose their own learning pathway critically assess their own learning and identify the next step in their learning learn from each other learn from authentic tasks that have relevance to their world ALL of these occur only after very precise modelling and introduction of all knowledge required for the tasks Room 2: AS We call it the WALT and it is co-constructed by myself and the students during the lesson. they are used for EVERYTHING and clearly recorded in books under the date. “ I got room 2 to come up with a peer assessment task for talking to a buddy in Maori about body parts. They co-construct the WALT and success criteria” Amy
• #20: The Team held a Team Event for parents sharing what the KC’s look like in Team Whero. We divided each KC and each class took on a KC. The students were responsible for organising the event, presenting to parents, creating visual aids and setting up the room. In Term 1 I scaffold to students the structure of Team Assemblies. From Term 2- 4 each class takes it in turns to run the whole assembly. They set up and create the visual aids to support the assembly.
• #21: Cyber bullying unit This unit used Netsafe as a scaffold to learn about different forms of cyber bullying. The students then got into groups and designed story boards with an authentic audience, Team Assembly. The students all produced very powerful videos or power points that had a far greater impact than a teacher standing in front of assembly with the same message.
• #22: The Team planned a Winter sports Unit that was led by the students. Teachers modeled the structure of a good P.E session and explained to the students the planning process. They then created a timetable for 4 students at a time to run P.E sessions. The students would usually choose a sport they had a strength or interest in. They take turns in teaching P.E lessons where they create the plan for the warm up, skills and game. Students take full leadership during the lesson. After each session time is given to reflect on the P.E session as a whole class. Again this is run by the students. One teacher in the team took it one step further and videoed each session. She then shared the video in a ‘Google Doc’, and placed key questions for students to reflect on.
• #23: Team Sport For Team Sport Year 7 & 8 students are mixed into 5 groups. We asked keen students to nominate themselves as Team Captains / Mentors. They then wrote a speech and presented it to the Team in Assembly. The students voted on the Team Captains. We then used these students to support and lead the team at sporting events. They were also used as mentors.
• #24: WRITTEN LANGUAGE Groupings designed to aid self and peer assessment Students taught commend / recommend statements to use in mixed ability literacy circles (3 or 4 students) to give constructive feedback on each others writing for both surface and deeper features. Buddy Writing - tasks where able and less able writers are paired. The more able writer must listen to the ideas of the less able and put these ideas into correct and eloquent written language Buddies are used in other situations like Reading or Unit
• #25: Peer Assessment is used in different ways across the team. We have a whole school writing rubric where students peer assess. In these examples the teacher has designed a checklist to reinforce the structure of the genre. The students tick as they work through the checklist. They then comment at the end of the piece on how they can improve next time.
• #26: Google Docs are used a lot within the team to collect ‘student voice’. Examples include sharing a document with the class before a School Council Meeting to collect ideas on certain issues. Using a video of a student led P.E session and getting the students to reflect on each aspect of the session with key questions posed by the teacher to develop further learning. Using website or reading as a discussion point to get students to add their ideas. Especially in a more sensitive subject like puberty. Google Docs are also used to assist planning when co-constructing ideas and in team planning with the teachers.
• #27: Inquiry is a focus within the team and we are trying to create opportunities for students to co-construct their questions and have an element of choice. You do not know what you do not know, so teachers create rich tasks or ‘rev’ the students up with a big question or learning experience. Teachers still provide students with the required knowledge and skills they require to access each step of the inquiry process.
• #29: Room 4 Science Unit “ IS THE AIR REALLY THERE?” UNIT (material world) After essential knowledge gained of what matter is and its properties students could choose a demonstration of any kind (mostly using youtube science as inspiration) that would prove that the air is really there even if we can’t see it
• #30: Whangarei Intermediate School Feedback and Feed-forward Survey Learning Activities 1) How does your teacher share with you what you are learning about? 2) How do you know what your teacher is looking for when they set you off on a task? 3) While you are completing tasks how do you know if you are on the right track to achieving what you are learning about? 4) Once you have completed your task what ways are there to check you have completed all that is required to demonstrate your learning? Teacher Feedback / Feed-forward 1) What do you think is meant by the words feedback and feed-forward? 2) In what ways do your teachers give you feedback or feed-forward about your work? 3) In your experience, what is the most useful way to receive feedback or feed-forward to help you complete your work to a higher standard? 4) How does your teacher let you know if you have achieved what you set out to learn? 5) How does your teacher let you know how to improve your work next time? Self / Peer Feedback and Feed-forward 1) Do you get the opportunity to reflect / think about whether you have achieved what you set out to learn? If so, how does your teacher allow you to do this? 2) Do you get the opportunity to write down how well you think you have achieved a task once you have completed it? 3) Do your peers / classmates give you feedback or feed-forward about your work? If so how does this occur in your class? 4) Do you receive written feedback and feed-forward from your peers? Next Step of Learning 1) How do you know how to improve in your work? 2) How do you know what level you are working at in each subject? 3) Do you know which level the average student at your age should be working at? 4) How do you know how to improve your work to get to the next level? 5) When you complete a test or assessment task, how you receive feedback and feed-forward? Goal Setting 1) Do you set goals in your class? 2) Do you share your goals with your parents / caregivers? 3) What are your current goals? 4) Do you regularly review your goals with your teachers?
• #31: Culture: As a team we have the skills to develop and implemement the shared goal and vision to provide more opportunities for ‘student voice’. 3 out of 5 team members had worked together in the past and the team already had a culture in which team work was expected and valued. Pedagogy: We all fostered the quality of ‘Ako’, we all participated in learning together, through action research. We explored links between teaching practice and pedagogy. Systems: We have a culture at WIS of sharing best practice. The model I used for change had been used successfully in the past and I particularaly liked the way it builds relational trust as we all participate in the learning journey. Partnerships & Networks: The middle and senior management team at WIS are on the Leadership and Assessment contract. This professional development, along with my professional learning on NAPP all supported me with leading change.
• #32: In a team of 5 teachers, only 1 teacher has remained constant. Leading change has not been a simple process. When all 5 components are present, complex change can occur. However when reflecting on how I managed the change I did not address all components when we had new members join us or had team members on leave, which has led to frustration and confusion in some cases. I believe I established relational trust with my team, however I did allow distractions that occurred along the journey to blur my vision. The change is occurring however it is more gradual than it would be if I had managed all components.
• #33: Formal appraisal observations of teaching all demonstrated use of WALT / WILF Cross referencing planning, assessment and bookwork indicated that student voice was present however it was not embedded in everyday practice. At the end of Term 1 & Term 2 I used the ‘Open to Learning Conversation’ model to discuss the evidence I had seen and teachers were able to discuss their action plans openly for where ‘Student Voice’ was present and where there were gaps in practice. The survey I designed was very open and tried to avoid leading questions. The results did not show that ‘student voice’ was embedded in practice in an explicit way. I presented the analysis of the surveys at a team meeting and discussed the fact that many of the respondents had still placed the teacher at the centre of decision making when learning experiences were designed. We discussed how appraisal evidence and evidence in paperwork analysis demonstrated we were including the ‘student voice’ in practice, however there was a need to makes links with the students and to be more explicit about why we were implementing change.
• #34: All the teachers in the team have embraced the experience and changed some form of practice to support ‘student voice’ in the learning opportunities they provide for their students. All teachers have had success stories to share, where they have been visibly excited at the student reaction to including them more in the planning, teaching assessment or reflection process. A shared understanding that allowing for ‘student voice’ promotes engagement in and enjoyment of learning.
• #35: When we explicitly talk to the students about ‘student voice’ and ask them to discuss examples they were positive about their experiences. They could brainstorm ways ‘student voice’ was present in their day to day learning experiences. The student survey however demonstrated that they do not understand the pedagogy of why these experiences support them in their learning. It is my summary that whilst we have provided lots of opportunities for ‘student voice’ to be present in the learning experiences, student thinking has not shifted to a ‘partnership’ in the learning process. I therefore believe it is more about embedding ‘student voice’ in the culture of the team to enable them to make the links between practice and pedagogy. I also believe as teachers we should not under estimate the ability students have to understand and therefore we need to be more explicit as to why we are changing our practice.