Don't dumb it down and don't pitch it over the heads either
Mood:  blue
Topic: The daily grind
What a day! Totally pitched learning activity over the kids heads today. What a bugger. I am so annoyed at myself; especially considering I felt like the actual instruction part of the lesson went quite well.

I actually managed to modeled stuff on the board and all that kind of stuff. Man I totally misread that one of the kids was really upset about struggling with the work and he ended up really upset. I felt like such a mongrel.

Managed to salvage something in the next session at least have the kids not totally freaked out about the thinking strategies and stuff that I used so that at least if I use it again the kids will not be scared off by it.

Seems like I was being a bit paranoid about some stuff this morning. Think then that I have just been a bit off this week and have been personalising too much. Tomorrow is one of those all over the place days! No time for literacy rotations just time for the maths session and basically the rest of the day is all over the place with specialists and other activities. I guess that's life in schools and there's no point getting upset about it just try and make the most of it.

Need to really make sure that the kids really work hard on friday so we can get in a double rotation and complete the four activities for the week.

Well that is all I am going to rave about tonight so catch you later
Richard

Not the Day I expected
Mood:  surprised
Topic: The daily grind
It's the morning after the day before! Huh what a pathetic opening line. Well it is the morning after, and the day before did not go as expected. So I had to adapt I guess. I arrived at school with one set of things to do on my mind and ended up doing a whole different set.

I guess it was a lesson for me in being adaptaple and going with things as best as I am able to. Also the importance of being really clear in communicating intentions and commitments regarding things I take on to do.

It was a die of high drama. Our school sheep died. She died during labour: what was going to be celebratory become mass disapointment. We had tears from students and staff alike. Appropriate responses too if you want my opinion.

So anyway my day yesterday was spent in the IT lab which was a different environment than I was expecting but hey I adapted. I taught the last session in the lab and I was not that happy at all with how that went. I simply was not clear enough with my instructions and I raved on too much.

So next week or is it the week after (I am confused) when I present IT sessions I need to be really clear with what I am presenting to the children.

I have been feeling a bit off-beam so far this week. I am not really sure why. Those little voices in my head are telling me I have done something wrong, that I am just hopeless, that I am in effect a naughty little boy. I have some sense that my mentor is disapointed in me about something but I am not really sure why. Not even sure if this is the case at all or it is something I have just conjured up in my head. Anyway I am just trying to keep on going and do the best I can. When it comes down to it that is all I can do.

So I continue to strive to present the best teaching I can and to think about what I did and didn't do well. To improve upon both of these aspects in my classroom practice.

So now as I prepare to head off for humpday week 5 it is with a sense of anticipation, nervousness and excitement: a desire to teach as effectively as possible.

Cheers
Richard

A Pretty Good Day
Mood:  suave
Topic: The daily grind
Another day bites the dust. Day 1 Week 5 rolls on around. This morning was like a bit of a blur. Running around getting the weekly planners and stuff printed and photocopied, making sure they were all ok and stuff!

Today was one of those days in which I normally would not arrive until after the school day had started; but today I was there early as I was leaving at lunchtime in order to go into speak at uni. So I had the wonderful wonderful Assembly experience: and boy is it an experience! Basically the first hour of the day is just gone.

I don't know I think there is some value in the assembly thing, yet, with so much time lost with a myriad of things that happen at school it seems like we can't really afford to give an hour to an assembly on a weekly basis. Oh well such is life I guess.

I don't know what the go was today, yet I was feeling really off beam or something and was feeling like my teaching was way off or something. Don't know what the go was but my mentor said things were fine so all I can say is I guess I was off beam or something.

Anyway overall I am feeling fairly good about my teaching practice, not that I think I have got it all together, but I am feeling like I am going to get there in the end.

I am feeling like my assessment is leaving a lot to be desired at the moment. I really need to pull my finger out in this regard: need to make sure I am using "IAN" when teaching in a group; need to make sure I am transferring that data onto computer; need to make sure I am showing my mentor the assessment stuff that I am doing.

Feeling really tired now and got stuff to get done for tomorrow, for research project and for pd development so I should stop raving on and get on with it.

So Catch You Round - Like a Rissole
Richard

Week 4 bites the dust
Mood:  not sure
Topic: The daily grind
Hey now week 4 of ten down and it is nearly the half-way mark of this internship. Partly this is a woohoo and partly it is a bummer the time is flying by too quickly. I am starting to really believe myself that I really do have a passion for teaching: it is not just what I tell myself.

Feel like I really am going to miss the kids at the end of the internship. It is quite amazing how much the relationship builds in such a short time. I have this kind of sense in me that at the end of this term or the start of the next I am going to be really feeling at a loose end.

At least I have got the camp a few weeks into the term, so at least I will have that opportunity to touch base again with them, which will be cool!

Anyway I think that overall this week went really well; lots of disruption and all that but, generally we got the work completed. Well we got the literacy rotations accomplished anyway and 3 out 4 maths activities.

As for today, I think it was OK. Literacy session was good the kids managed to get through the work reasonably; other than a bit of chatting here and there the behaviour was also good.

Had a bit of a shamozle during the maths time today. Had a parent turn up to talk with mentor as I had the kids start their group activities. During the session I had one of the kids bump their head somehow on the white-board.

After this my mentor asked me the question of how I might have handled that situation on my own in a classroom. I think my response would depend upon what the kids were actually doing at the time. If they were busy with their work I guess I would quietly chat with the parent at my desk. If I was in the middle of a instructional teaching session then I guess it would firstly depend on who the parent is. If I felt as though I needed to somehow imediately facilitate a parent/teacher chat then I would possibly get the kids to stop and do some silent reading or play a game of silent ball or play some games, even possibly give them free-time. I think it is hard to have a pre-ordained response to the situation but is certainly a good thing to have considered at some stage.

Well it is now just after midnight and I have got to plan a weeks activities for reading, writing, and maths. Also need to get my research project question up and organised and plan a 3 lesson computer sequence. So I feel like I should get myself off to bed.

See you next time
Richard

Another day screams on by
Mood:  spacey
Topic: The daily grind
It was one of those days today with not a lot of time to deliver curriculum; with production rehearsal, Art, and Jesus and God there is not much time left to get through Literacy and Maths activities, not to mention any integrated activities or SOSE or Science etc.

Well even though this was the go it turned out to be a really good day actually. I decided to run with a change in my planned writing activity for the day. Went with a I am not a boring person activity based on a John Marsden novel. I feel like it went really well. It was really cool to do the writing myself as well as the kids; I think that was a good move to go that way with the activity I think it actually helped the kids to engage the writing task: especially second time around!

I think I succeeded with having less carpet time today. Even though there was a longish carpet time with the intro to the writing task I think I managed to minimise it by having my instructional times pretty on the mark with their pace and punchiness. I hope I am able to keep this going.

I have not done enough assessment this week by a long shot. I have neglected it i think. I kind of feel a but like what has been going on there is a response to the disrupted situation of the week with AIM and the shorter week due to curriculum day. So I have brought home literacy books tonight to go through their work so far this week. Along with this I have brought along trusty old IAN assessment tool to make some notes and add them in.

On that note I need to get on with that process. So off I go to read about all those exciting level 3 kids.
Chow
Richard

Sleepless at School
Topic: The daily grind
Man oh man not a good idea to teach after only a few hours sleep. I found it a real battle to stay focused today. Not a good thing to be teaching all day with the amount of sleep I had last night.

I spent the day really distracted from the things I should have been focused on: like interacting with the kids.

I did succeed in limiting the carpet time today; this was a positive thing at least.

Feel really stupid about the lack of supervision I provided during the maths session today with the paper-plane group.

Tomorrow I really want to make a much better effort to make sure I am supporting and scaffolding the kids with their learning activities. Especially in regard to their writing activities.

Just been sitting here looking into space for the past 10 minutes. Obviously that is a worthwhile thing to be doing: not!

Really want to spend some time playing with a website for level 3 this week comming up too! I guess it is a little above and beyond but hey it certainly can not hurt.

Well I need to stop crapping on now and get on with some other things that need to be done.
Richard

AIM Testing to test my adaptability
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: The daily grind
I didn't quite get myself organised enough to log on and write something last night at the end of the day so here I am at 6:30 am raving on instead!

Yesterday the first day of the week for me: curriculum day for the school and day off for me!!

I only had half the grade for most of the day. All the grade 3 guys had to to the AIM test! Today they have round 2, aren't they lucky.

So yesterday was a shamozle really, as far as stability was concerned anyway. I tried to maintain some sense of stability by just sticking with my programme as much as I could. It gave the grade 4's some sense of stability I think.

I think I actually managed it fairly well; got literacy and writing done and managed a full maths session too.

I ran a really good writing session yesterday. I probable talked too long but I did feel like it was mainly good instructional stuff. Want to make sure today that I really minimise that "carpet" time.

Speaking of "Carpet" time; it is one area in my teaching where I feel like I really need to improve a lot. I am really noticing just how easy it is to have the kids sitting on the floor for too long. I am noticing more and more how the kids get restless and are unable to concentrate due to sitting on the floor for long periods.

I have the aim today of trying to ensure that the kids do not at anytime spend more than 15 minutes sitting on the floor for instruction times. Just have to wait and see how that goes.

A thing I need to be really aware of at the moment is allowing the kids to take me off on tangents! I want to be really clear with the kids that I am not willing to engage in that type of dialogue when it is time for introductions to lessons etc. So today I think I will make a point of letting them know that quite explicitly. Also need to reaffirm with them that just because they have their hand up does not mean I will call on them; and of course the vice-versa as well.

Well do not have much else to say right now so will stop the Rave and get on with things
Richard

Curruculum Day
Mood:  chatty
Topic: The daily grind
No actual teaching today and not even attendance at a curriculm day: day off for this little black duck!

Well day off is not really the right terminology here as I am actually working; just not at school. So if I am not teaching today then why am I sitting here blogging? Good question! Well over the weekend I have been thinking about a few things: so I thought I would get them off my chest.

What the hell do you do when you get to the end of a teaching cycle and realise half the kids do not get what you have been trying to teach them. Other than tear your hair out of course. It just does not seem as simple as going over it again. There are just so many things that need to be done, so many outcomes, that need to be covered! It seems impossible. I mean it is really no wonder that the kids did not get what I wanted them to last week with all the interuptions to the timetable; but the term keeps rolling on and we keep rolling onto the next topic.

It all seems so bloody out of sync with how it should be. I mean how can I just move on to the next topic when the kids are not okay with what I have done. I feel really inadequate about this. I feel like I have failed majorly as their teacher on this; but I do not know what to do about it: how to make it up to them.

I have this tension sitting within me saying hey just go back and revise it; forget about moving onto the next topic just go back over what you feel you need to.

Is this life as school teacher? Is this one of the implications of the outcomes bases curriculum? That we are tied so much to covering outcomes that we plough on through the curriculum regardless of whether the kids are learning or not?!?!

It's like there is this big bad list of outcomes to be met this term and come hell or highwater we must meet them. But hey I guess I am raving on this front as there is really very little I can do about it.

Another issue I have been thinking about is how the hell do I find the time to teach the kids stuff like punctuation and grammar? It seems as thought it is just something you have to somehow teach situationally. By the time the kids get through their reading activities and then their genre writing activities, add to this maths and specialist classes and where the hell is the time to actually get them to look at the form and structure and style of their writing. Where is the time for them to play with their writing; to play with language???

For me this all ties in with the lack of place of letting them enjoy reading simply for the joy of it. I struggle even to find time for them to have silent reading time, let alone time to just sit and listen and enjoy story or narrative.

How can this so structured and almost clinical approach to literacy teaching actually encourage kids to love language and narrative and story. In the words of the formiddable Brittish writer Terry Pratchett "I need a narrative, where is the narrative help someone give me a narrative"

I mean sure genre writing is important, but surely it should be in the context of need. I mean really what is the point of teaching a child how to write a procedure without giving them a context within which to write it.

Hey here is a novel idea let's forget the whole early years programme and move into a true integrated curriculum! Let's forget about all those levelled readers and get kids reading things they aspire to read: what a novel concept kids reading what they enjoy!

Oh well this has been my little soapbox speel for the day. I will hop down now and move back into the real world of getting things done that just need to be done. Chow
Richard

CRT day two
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: The daily grind
Made it through another week! Woohoo! Today I had a CRT again, same one as yesterday. I think she was really bored so she kind of took over with some games at one stage of the day. She was really good with the kids and stuff, however I felt a bit like she was a little over the top with some of the things she said like I do not want to see any spelling mistakes.

Had my first birthday in the grade today so I had the fun task of getting the candles lit and the cake cut! Was pretty cool seeing the kids all celebrate together. I have to say I think primary schools are a lot better these days at including everyone in things, making sure kids are not left out.

It was fun singing happy birthday to the birthday boy, fun seeing the kids having fun with the words and stuff too. Was really funny watching the girls all try to get as far away when he cut the cake after I said if it came out dirty he would have to kiss the closest girl.

Got the kids to really focus on getting their work done today. Had them do two literacy rotations, well they did have a pretty slack day yesterday! Spent the one hour session after recess getting them to get their writing done and I am pretty sure they have all got it done too. Consequently I have lots of marking to get done over the weekend. Along with lots of planning too.

Even though I get to the end of the week feeling really stuffed; I have a sense of loss as I miss the relating with the kids. In a way I am tired and yet exhilirated. Its kind of weird I guess but I like it.

I feel like todays teaching was overall quite good. Had a few dead spots here and there while I was thinking what to say, but overall things were good.

So three weeks down and seven to go: the time is just flying by!! It's great thet the time is not dragging and stuff but I must admit I hope it doesn't fly by too quick. I am just soooo hanging out to get this semester over and get in there and start teaching for real.

Anyway must go got stuff to mark etc etc
Richard

A Day with the CRT
Mood:  lyrical
Topic: The daily grind
I had the experience today of team teaching with a CRT; well for the whole 2 hours of teaching I had for today that is.

I expected to have the kids try to have a bit of a go today. They were just there usual selves though. So for the time I had to catch them they were just eager to learn.

Made a good attempt at going back over the Maths stuff today. I think I have about 80% of the kids with a reasonably good understanding of what was happening with the process. Still need to go back and cover the extended notation process of multiplication; not looking forward to doing that. Just have to bite the bullet and see it through though.

Don't feel like I have much to say today really, so I think I will just leave it at this.
Richard