Monday 30 March 2009
Friday 27 March 2009
Heroes at Fendalton
As part of our school theme on Heroes we had a very exciting day today with visitors from a RNZAF helicopter. We managed to keep the visit a secret from the children so the arrival from above was even more special. The children loved seeing the helicopter arrive and winch one of the crew in and out. All the children had a chance to sit in the machine and ask questions of the crew.A huge thank you to the RNZAF for agreeing to come down to the school and give the children such a treat. It is fabulous when parents are able to use their connections to arrange exciting experiences for our children!
The Heroes theme is a year-long focus through which all the classes are looking at different aspects of the curriculum and learning about our key competencies: Thinker, Dream Maker, Team Player and Communicator. All these traits were on show today as the crew explained to the children what their job entails, how they have to work closely as a team, communicate well and are always thinking and problem solving.
We have also had visits from Police officers, Mid-wives and, of course mums and dads. Teaching the children about the key competencies through real-life people is so powerful and the learning is really coming to life!
Monday 16 March 2009
Gifted Conference in Rotorua
This weekend I attended the Reaching Forward conference in Rotorua. Attended by educators from all over New Zealand, the conference focused on how we differentiate our curriculum, teaching and schools to try and personalise the learning for all our children.
One of the most inspiring talks at the conference came from Robyn Boswell. She talked about the opportunities offered by the new curriculum to start by asking "who are we teaching" rather than "what are we teaching." I believe that this is key to changing the way that schools run and teachers teach to better meet the needs of 21st century learners. What and how we teach our children depends on who our children are. All children have different needs, understandings and ways of learning, and it is no longer acceptable for us to work from a one size fits all model for teaching. The challenge for all schools is to find a way to change how we teach so that we are meeting the individual needs of children much more effectively. There has been much talk in New Zealand in recent years about "personalised learning" but there has been no definitive answer to the problem. However we must continue to search for one. The world our children are growing up in has changed and education must change too, or we are doing them a great disservice.
The conference certainly got me thinking and excited about the times ahead. It is a great time to be in education. We are on the cusp of some really exciting changes and, at Fendalton, we need to be riding the crest of that wave.
One of the most inspiring talks at the conference came from Robyn Boswell. She talked about the opportunities offered by the new curriculum to start by asking "who are we teaching" rather than "what are we teaching." I believe that this is key to changing the way that schools run and teachers teach to better meet the needs of 21st century learners. What and how we teach our children depends on who our children are. All children have different needs, understandings and ways of learning, and it is no longer acceptable for us to work from a one size fits all model for teaching. The challenge for all schools is to find a way to change how we teach so that we are meeting the individual needs of children much more effectively. There has been much talk in New Zealand in recent years about "personalised learning" but there has been no definitive answer to the problem. However we must continue to search for one. The world our children are growing up in has changed and education must change too, or we are doing them a great disservice.
The conference certainly got me thinking and excited about the times ahead. It is a great time to be in education. We are on the cusp of some really exciting changes and, at Fendalton, we need to be riding the crest of that wave.
Friday 6 March 2009
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