Solutions Hunters

A great afternoon listening to this bunch!  A group of dedicated - devoted and passionate teachers.   The barriers shared covered a whole range of things we face daily as educators!    In the image you will see what topics led our discussions.   From classroom practice of scaffolding through to the key competencies and the typical logistics of state schools.   We spent a greater portion of our time sharing about how we can or at least begin to overcome some of the barriers our students can face.

One thing I'd like to share here and didn't this afternoon (my forgetfulness) was the inability a teacher experiences from time to time to make connections with students.  In particular the students that we may find extremely quiet or disruptive.  This can be a real barrier to the student's learning.

My attempt to find a solution to this is talking with a range of experienced people.   This includes people who may have taught the child  or is experienced educator in the leadership team.  I've found time and time again that the team - wrap around actions of colleagues, whanau and community brings about the most change.  When we're all on the same page - the support and sometimes forced direction the team promotes has the student begin to change and in some cases get right back on track!

Thanks to the team of expert teachers and student teachers this afternoon.    It's a huge plus that we discuss these very things because we desire only the best for our Tamaki Tamariki.  

Connections

My previous posts speaks of connections we make with our learners, in particular the connections through the relationships we develop with the learners in our care.   This is a clip shared with me by an older friend.  I think it's worth your time to sit and watch.   Be reminded of how our connections set up the environment for learning - for achievement further than we can imagine.

After I watched this TED talk, I called a meeting with my son's Principal, I asked him if he would show this video during the next all staff meeting in November. He reviewed it, and said he'd be honored, and sincerely thanked me!~ Melanie Bell

Posted by Melanie Bell on Monday, October 28, 2013