Welcome to my blog! I'm Karen Belt, a Deputy Principal, working at Lynmore Primary School in Rotorua, New Zealand. In the past I have taught Years 0 - 4 and used 1:1 iPads to engage and motivate learners and improve student achievement. This blog documents my teaching and leadership journey and my learning processes with iPads in the classroom. I am a Google Certified Educator #SYD17 and I'm proud of having been a member of the inaugural Manaiakalani Digital Teaching Academy(MDTA) program and a Spark Manaiakalani Innovative Teacher (MIT) and an inaugural Manaiakalani Google Class OnAir teacher.

Monday 22 February 2016

My Spark Manaiakalani Innovative Teacher (MIT) 2016

Today was the first professional learning group of the Spark MIT cohort, and gave us an opportunity to share and critique our inquiry problems and the evidence we have collected which highlights the existence of our problems.  This was a great opportunity to think more deeply about the problem through collaborative discussions and ensure we are clear before we begin the Spark MIT inquiry process.  

The Problem Identified:

  • During a writing session, some learners struggle to produce even one sentence.


One of the things I did today was to brainstorm some hypotheses as to why this problem may occur in my class, as well as documenting the evidence that I have so far examined.



Hypothesis of Potential Reasons:

  • Writers who are reluctant and not motivated to write
  • Reluctant writers are therefore not practicing writing in order to improve (writing mileage)
  • Learners who don’t have an audience to write for


What Evidence Exists of the Problem:

  • Learners’ e-Asttle writing results at the end of 2015 and early 2016
  • Blogs with a history of writing completed to date for all learners who were at Pt England last year
  • Observations of learners in my classroom
  • Student voice – what my learners currently think about writing and who reads it



I've consolidated my Spark MIT inquiry question to:

Using an authentic audience to enhance the motivation and writing mileage for learners in my classroom.


1 comment :

  1. Fascinating thoughts Karen.
    When I think writing I think boys and 'handwriting"


    Graphite

    My son sits,

    Hunched

    Fist clenched.

    Dragging reluctant trails

    Of black smudge across the page.

    Pencil gripped

    Chicken scratchings

    Dancing

    Across his eyes,

    His words

    Spiraling down a black hole,

    Can't escape.

    The walls

    Bare of his thoughts,

    He pretends

    He doesn't care.

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