ERO Student Behaviour in Schools Study
Last year we participated in an ERO research study on what schools are doing to manage student behaviour, as we were identified as a school being very successful and deliberately focused on good practice in this area. Last term we received an emaiI expressing ERO's thanks to WPS for contributing to the behaviour in classrooms project stating 'your participation has been so helpful for enabling us to share good practice with others'. I have attached a copy of this report as it provides some valuable insights into student behaviour in schools.
The summary statement that heads up the report is as follows:
Good classroom behaviour is critical for creating learning environments in which students can learn and achieve, and teachers can be most effective. But ensuring positive behaviour isn’t just up to schools – it requires shared responsibility and deliberate, joint actions. This report describes the challenging behaviours teachers face in schools, the impact of those behaviours, and recommendations for action. Our companion good practice report also shares examples of how teachers and schools can effectively manage behaviour.
Wondering what the Government is pushing for with education?
The six priorities, Erica Stanford, the Minister for Education, announced yesterday are:
- Establishing a knowledge-rich curriculum grounded in the science of learning.
- Implementing evidence-based instruction in early literacy (Te reo Matatini) and mathematics (pāngarau).
- Implementing consistent modes of monitoring student progress and achievement.
- Developing the workforce of the future, including leadership development pathways (and initial teacher education).
- Targeting effective learning support interventions for students with additional needs.
- Using high-performing data and evidence to inform decision-making.
These have been the keystones of education over my 50 years in the profession. It would be great if successive governments have more of a bi-partisan approach to education and agree what these priorities need to have at their core so that schools are not subjected to change for change's sake after each election! However let's see what happens when the details of the changes start emerging. We are well underway with the MoE priority Erica has termed 'The Science of Learning' (aka - our work around Deep Learning and Student Agency).
With our Deep Learning we have worked hard at developing deep learners by equipping teachers to engage in high quality teaching strategies to teach our student learners effective learner skills. When teaching is done well, student learning outcomes are achieved, but the responsibility for continually achieving better student learning outcomes is not just the teacher's role. At what point do students take on responsibility for their own learning? Learners play a critical role in their own learning and that is why we are focusing more and more on learner agency.
But learning is not just the product of teaching. A teacher can be the best teacher ever and set appropriate learning activities and challenges, employ effective teaching strategies, provide feedback, but if the learner refuses to participate in the learning process or doesn't take on feedback, limited learning occurs and hence better learning outcomes for a student are not achieved. Students can avoid, opt for the easy task, get turned off by mistakes, won't act on feedback, are unmotivated and simply not interested in learning; such learners are passive learners.
John Hattie, a renowned New Zealand researcher and educationalist found that: 'Students account for about 50% of the variance of achievement. It is what the students bring to the table that predicts achievement more than any other variable'.
That is why our focus has and continues to be on teaching our children the deep learning strategies, so that our children progress to higher achievement through harnessing their own agency. Learner growth is about both skilful teaching as well as skilful learning. James Anderson, an Australian educationalist, with whom we have been working over the last couple of years calls this
learnership. We spent our Teacher Only Day before term 1 started, exploring the thinking around learnership and will be continuing to focus on this over the year.
We want to do more than achieve curriculum outcomes. Our vision statement is: Wānaka Primary School is a dynamic learning community where children respect themselves and others as they develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes that are necessary for taking an active part in an ever-changing society. It is our aim to ensure all children at Wānaka Primary School are given the opportunities to achieve to the best of their capabilities. The aim is a joint venture in partnership with the parents, teachers and children to achieve successful learning outcomes. Our mission is to ‘Empower a Community of Learners - Kia whakamana ai i te hāpori akonga’. We want our students to thrive in a rapidly changing and complex world. Our learners need a growth mindset. And James Anderson reminds us that learning is about creating and developing new abilities, the greatest asset in facing a challenging world and schooling, is a process of gaining basic abilities, and providing challenging opportunities to develop the talents and abilities you want or need. Learning opens up your choices in life. A growth mindset reflects the following attributes as learners:
- Recognise challenges drive improvement. They are to be pursued and embraced.
- Expect their efforts to be rewarded with eventual mastery, so they are more persistent.
- Understand that effort is the currency of growth.
- Seek feedback and learns from mistakes.
- Celebrate the success of others as they see evidence of effort and the growth it brings.
'The more our learners understand themselves as learners, the more they develop a growth mindset and more effectively engage in the learning process...A growth mindset makes productive learning everybody's default setting. It impacts motivation, choice and learner agency' (Anderson). So it isn't just up to effective teachers and teaching programmes - we all need to value and nurture the skill of learning or learnership, so it becomes a key driver and measure of success. This is our continued pathway and as we start to go deeper in our work with this we will keep you well informed through the newsletter and some parent info sessions for those of you who are interested. Parents are a key factor in successfully developing a child's learnership.
Fencing and Makerspaces - Are All Go!
Over the holidays builders have started putting in the storage areas of the makerspaces - you will see these fenced off in Pods 5 and 7 and they are also putting a beam across so we can put in see-through plastic curtaining to roll down on cold or windy days. We have yet to obtain funding for these curtains, as the Ministry Funding did not allow us to build the bigger storage areas we anticipated pre-Covid when they were first planned, let alone put in heavy plastic curtaining. I will be putting in some funding applications in the next few weeks to address these. Cooks Builders will have the Pod 2-7 makerspaces finished by the end of term, and they will do most of the building off site and move the structures in over times when children are not at school, as much as possible, to avoid any disruptions to learning.
The new fencing we have been excitedly anticipating is finally starting today. The fencers have set up an area over by the caretakers shed to store their fencing panels etc. It is fenced off. Please be aware that the fencers will be working, also over this term, to get this job done. So please keep your children safe and drop off cautiously, before and after school. The temporary fencing will only be removed as they finish the permanent fence sections. Please encourage your children to keep out of these construction areas when they are playing at school after hours. These are the final major jobs we need to get done around the school, apart from some leaky roofing repairs - it seems over the last 3 years we have been a permanent construction zone. Hopefully after this term I can hang up my hard hat!
Music Festival and Pantomime All Go
The UC Primary Schools Music Festival is being held at the Lake Wānaka Centre in week 3 of term 3, so the band and Sing Squad, along with a junior choir are all starting to learn songs in preparation. Please encourage your child to put their names forward for the Sing Squad if they haven't already.
Jennie and I will also be kick starting our Year 5 & 6 drama club this term ready to prepare for our end of year pantomime.
