Key Changes & Takeaways while Distance Learning

14th May 2020

Distance Learning started with a hiss and a roar. I found it easy enough to transfer what I would had been doing in class with my students and just move this online. The junior programmes seemed to be running well (apart from the myriad of questions I was receiving) and I really enjoyed what felt like more individual time with my seniors to give feedback on their internal assessments. However, prior to seniors completing their internal assessments I was finding that engagement levels weren't the highest and I felt that was partially due to my lack in creativity. Moving into Term 2 I was determined to create changes within my teaching and learning programmes to increase collaboration and engagement of students. So what were my key focus points of change?

1. Be creative

Our Level 3 students were moving into their biomechanics unit of work. At first I was stumped - how the hell was I going to teach this? Typically when teaching biomechanics students learn about a principle and then learning is reinforced with a practical and class discussion. How can I teach students about biomechanical principles while keeping it fun and how can I still check for an understanding? Students firstly learnt about the principle via Edpuzzle, before completing a practical task and then applying their understanding to some knowledge review questions. A few of my favourite lessons included homemade tenpin bowling to see Newton's Laws in action, homemade or online angry birds to analyse projectile motion and the use of yoga and pilates to identify principles of balance and stability in action. A few of the students awesome setups from these lessons are pictured below.

2. Increase Engagement

By being more creative with my lessons this instantly helped to lift engagement. As mentioned above I also used Edpuzzle to help me with this. Edpuzzle is a great way to set video tasks for students, while also tracking whether or not they have watched the video. However, the best function is the ability to pause the video to add a note or ask students either multi choice or open ended questions. In our following lessons we could then discuss questions all students struggled with or I could catch up individually with students regarding a principle they may have struggled with.

Other ways I tried to increase engagement in lessons was through completing knowledge review tasks on the content for the week. This worked particularly well with my IGCSE students who had tasks such as a Kahoot or to create a video applying their knowledge of the skeletal system. Not only was it a great way for me to see potential gaps within student knowledge, students also commented that they enjoyed these application activities and had more motivation to complete these rather than practice exam questions.

3. Increase Collaboration

I identified that while distance learning in Term 1 I hadn't been encouraging collaboration between students. Normally students are always collaborating in my lessons - why had I stopped? To introduce collaboration again I started off nice and slow such as a shared group document in Google Classroom where students had been separated into groups and had to work together to create notes on a particular joint. I then moved to Padlet where all students needed to contribute and then work with a partner to summarise all of the ideas presented on the Padlet and feed this back to the class like this example here. We then finally got back to the point where in a Webex call students were collaborating through the chat function, discussion and working together on a shared document.

4. Pre-recorded Videos

In Term 1 I found pre-recording videos really useful when helping to breakdown achievement criteria or specific questions in assessments for my seniors. Students also liked the idea of being able to go back and rewatch a clip of my explanation and how it was available for them to access when they wanted or needed it. To help with the myriad of questions form my junior classes I decided to enlist the same approach. At the start of the week we would meet for a Webex call. In this call we cover their tasks and expectations for the week. I would also prerecord a short video clip to post to Google Classroom of their tasks and expectations of the week and post this prior to their first lesson. This allowed us to briefly recap and go over questions in the Webex call and the breakdown of their task was also available for them to rewatch if they needed to. This was also followed up with an email reminder before the start of their remaining lessons for the week. This along with the familiarity of the routine meant that the number of questions I was reaching dropped significantly.

5. Wellbeing

The time in distance learning has also given me time to reflect on my own wellbeing. I noticed that before our 'holidays' I was so tired and felt like this distance learning meant that I was working harder and longer everyday. I also found that over the holidays I was turning to my school work for something to do leaving me feeling like I didn't get much of a holiday. I also attended a webinar on teacher wellbeing which helped me to put some strategies in place when returning to Term 2.

1. Collaborate - I didn't need to recreate everything. Instead reach out for help and ideas, which also helped with my creativity!
2. Work-life balance - Don't touch any work after 5pm & no work weekends (with the exception of a possible hour on Sunday to prepare for the week ahead - if needed).
3. Self-determination theory - control what I can - let the other things go.
4. Connect - catch up with colleagues and others in the profession, not only about work.

So What?

Although I'm looking forward to returning the the classrooms, continuing to build relationships and increasing collaboration once again I also plan to take a couple of these tips with me. I plan to take the pre-recorded videos with me, particularly for seniors with achievement criteria breakdown and explaining questions in an assessment. I also plan to hold onto the creativity of lessons rather than returning back to usual and what I have just always done. I am also looking forward to returning to more of a settled routine which helps me feel settled - I can also ensure I set time aside for myself.

Below is also an article I wrote in Term 1 for the school's e-news about our distance learning setup in PE.

Harnessing & Enhancing Assessments in Schools

29th April 2020

Name of Course/Programme/Seminar: Harnessing & Enhancing Assessments in Schools

Provider/Presenter: Stuart Kime

If I was to summarise the key things I took away from this Professional Development what would they be and why?

• There are 4 key principles that should always guide assessment; purpose, validity, reliability and value.
• I really liked the way Stuart explained how assessment, pedagogy and curriculum interrelate. He explained that assessment is only a tool for pedagogy which is guided by curriculum and that assessment is a tool used to understand the next steps when guiding a student through a curriculum and therefore can guide pedagogy.
• Tips for assessment while distance learning - ensure there is a slower pace and do fewer assessments however, do them better. This could be by varying the mode of assessment

How has this professional development challenged my thinking?

This presentation helped to remind me that testing and assessment are different, although testing can be a part of assessment. This is something I often get caught up in with my IG students. The tip of varying the mode of assessment has also made be consider the assessment I have been conducting with my IG students while distance learning. I have been completing the same style of tests that I would in class however, they are open book. I have actually found that some students have done worse in these open book tests than they do in a closed book test. I believe this is because students are focusing on certain key words to do with content and writing from their notes about that rather than reading the entire question properly. This has already made me think about how I can trial different methods of assessments with my students to see if I achieve better results.

What aspects of my practice would I consider changing as a result of this professional development and why?

His tip about ensuring a pragmatic approach spoke to me. He suggested that by revisiting content that was introduced earlier it can help students create more dependable and credible connections with their assessment. The example he gave is a teacher starting each class with 3 questions; 1 question on current content, 1 question on content from the last topic and 1 question from an old topic. This is definitely something I can introduce more in IG PE. Students quite often do well in end of topic tests. However, some students struggle when completing end of unit tests as there is more for them to remember. Normally this is not a strategy I bring in until Term 3 but is definitely something I could look at starting this term.

I am also going to trial different methods of assessment with my IG students while distance learning. Can I create a knowledge review that is more meaningful from a Quizizz or by getting students to create a video applying their knowledge rather than a test?

26/05: Reflection of 2.2

Reflection of 2.2

26th May 2019

What went well:

• Most students smashed the anatomy - this came through in student feedback where students identified that this was the easiest section

What could have been better:

• Students found the interrelationship slide hard. This was voiced both in class while completing the assessment and in the student voice feedback. This was also evident as some students chose to leave this last slide blank
• Students commented that they would have liked more one-on-one time throughout the assessment. I agree with this and when reflecting on the assessment I spent more time with 'needy' students who had a lot of questions or by checking in on students who I had previously identified struggling with the content. This meant that I didn't push some of my more capable students as much. This resulted in some students needing to resubmit their work as they are boarder line High Merit/Low Excellence

Changes for next time:

• Emphasis on referring back to anatomy slides at the start - quite often students complete this and then don't refer back to their anatomy. Is there a way to combine the biophysical principles more rather than laying them out in three separate sections e.g. focus the assessment on the prep, action and follow through phases incorporating anatomy and biomechanics and then using motor skills as a section later on how to improve? Will this create a more natural interrelationship?

09/04: Inquiry Update for 2019

Inquiry Update for 2019

9th April 2019

What’s happening and why?

• As this has been my second year looking into independent (2017 - L2 PED) and self-directed learners (2018 - IG PE) have found that a lot of strategies that I was purposely putting in place now come naturally.
• I find it easy to note the difference in the need between independent and self-directed learners and what is needed for different students at varying levels levels of age, ability and curriculum. This makes it easy to identify the needs of the students and action points that can be put into place.
• I am involving whanau and other support networks more effectively and earlier on. An example of this is identifying students who were struggling in IG after the first 6 weeks and contacting Housemasters, Mentor teachers & the Y11 Academic Coordinator to flag these students. This also lead to contacting home for a couple of these students. This has largely had a postive impact and in most cases has increased the work ethic of students in the class. Another example of this is that by identifying that I have a lot of priority learners in my Level 2 class I emailed home before the start of the written assessment with due dates and where they can go for support. I also broke down these dates with students in the lead up to their assessment, 3 weeks prior to them starting the assessment, so they didn't feel it had been sprung on them. Majority of students felt that going into the assessment that there were no surprises. They knew what was expected of them to reach an Achieved, Merit or Excellence.
• A new initiative for 2019 to help IG students identify weaknesses is that I complete a 'End of Unit Test Teacher Reflection'. An example of one of these reflections has been attached to this post. By doing this I am able to analyse what went well, what didn't and what needs to change. By completing this before handing back student test papers with results it gives me an overview of what may need to be revisited. Following this students are given back their test papers and are encouraged to look through these. We then go through common mistakes or questions that were not answered well as a class before students being able to ask their own questions about the test. Students then write in the correct answers on their test papers to help them with future studies.

What’s not happening & why?

• Although student ownership and accountability has increased within these classes from the start of 2019 to the end of Term 1 not all students are on board. I believe this is largely contributed to in the range of abilities in both my L2 and IG classes. The top students tend to take all advice on board where as those towards the bottom need more help in finding their own way. As this gap is large I have been trying to incorporate strategies to ensure I am still pushing those at the top and helping those at the bottom reach their level of success.

What am I going to do to influence what is not happening?

• This is something that I am considering looking into further and is a potential inquiry for 2019. How can I focus on differentiation in my senior classes to help push students at the top while not leaving those at the bottom behind? It was interesting to listen to Bridget presenting on her inquiry from last year as I could take and adapt some of her strategies such as scaffolding, key word lists, focus on fun/hands on activities in Periods 5 & 6 to help lift and students creating quizzes and mark sheets. I'm sure that there are other strategies that I already have in place to help with this that I could make more deliberate.

18/10 - PD: The Future of Education + Mind Lab Pop-up

PD: The Future of Education + Mind Lab Pop-up

18th October 2018

Name of Course/Programme/Seminar: Future of Education

Provider/Presenter: Frances Valintine

Last night I attended a talk about the future of education by Frances Valintine followed by a Mind Lab pop-up. Frances is the Founder and Chair of Mind Lab. I first heard about Frances through her TED talk about the courage to connect and the challenge she was laying down to educators.

A lot of her ideas come from 'The Policy of our Nation'. Key points include:

• We don't want to be just a consumer of new technology (social media etc), we need to utilize it
• NZ is experiencing a growing demand for digital citizens - this can easily be seen in the work force and job advertisements
• We currently have a lot of obstacles - is the traditional view on education one of them?
• This is about understanding the power of the tools we have available

Her push is to empower educators to take the leap and embrace change, to push the boundaries and challenge the traditional stereotypes e.g. do we need a classroom or do we need somewhere to learn? We don't need to get rid of classrooms but need to expand and allow students to realize they can learn everywhere. However, when change is involved people can panic as they lose their comfort zone. She expresses that what you know and the experiences you have had are really important as these help us build in the future ahead.

Frances also pushes the importance of the change in skills needed. Most schools focus on getting students through with a school qualification to move onto higher education. Unfortunately just getting a degree isn't enough anymore. 70% of employers in NZ are recognising that soft skills are more valued and highly sought after. An example of this that the ability to retain knowledge matters less but the ability to go and find knowledge is more powerful.

So what is your burning platform to embrace change?

*The book 'The 100 Year Life' was brought up in conversation and could be a good read

If I was to summarise the key things I took away from this Professional Development what would they be and why?

It helps to reinforce that we need to move away from what is seen as traditional teaching and teaching of and for assessments as this is creating a disservice for our students. This PD of both the talk and the Pop-up Mind Lab session have really encouraged and inspired me to take the Mind Lab Postgraduate Certificate in Digital & Collaborative Learning.

What aspects of my practice would I consider changing as a result of this professional development and why?

I feel like this time of the year was a great time to hear a strong message like this. As senior classes are coming to an end I am already picking apart my courses as to how I can improve on them and make them more interactive and interesting for the following year. This has inspired me to continue reflecting on my IG course in particular to see how I can make the course more interactive and memorable for students. I want to make learning more hands on through practicals, online games, learning activities etc. As I have now taught the course for a year, got my head around it and learnt through trial and error I feel like I will easily be able to reflect and adapt the course for 2019.

22/7: PENZ Conference 2018

PD: PENZ Conference 2018

22nd July 2018

July 9th to 11th 2018 marked the 60th National PENZ conference; Together, Towards Tomorrow. Across the three days I was able to grow my professional network and continue professionally developing myself. Below are some of my highlights and takeaways from the conference.


Session 1: Together, Towards Tomorrow Keynote - Wayne Smith, Margot Bowes & James McIntyre
I found this a refreshing keynote to start the conference. The key theme of the keynote was the development of the theory behind skill acquisition. Wayne Smith discussed the theory, Margot Bowes discussed how it can be implemented (where King's College was used as an example) and James McIntyre focussed on a primary lens. Overall the keynote challenged the old school technique approach found that can still be found within Physical Education. Two of my key points from this keynote session can be summarised in my two tweets pictured below:

Session 2: Presenting Our Scholarship Journey - Mallory Bish, Rob Paterson & Alex Smith
The first round of breakout sessions involved the three of us presenting about our Scholarship Programme and our journey over the past three years. The aim of the session was to share what had been working for us in the hopes that others may be able to takeaway aspects to trial with their own students. We shared info about our school, the outline of our programme, exemplars of student work, example of the process a student goes through, student feedback, criticality within our PE programme from Y9-13 before moving onto the Dragon's Den. The link to our presentation can be found here.

Feedback from teachers after the session was overwhelmingly positive. Some of this feedback came through the form of a Facebook post and tweet from Carl Condliffe (NZ PE Teacher). The feedback received allowed us to believe that we had met the aims of our session.

Session 9: ‘A Good Akina Man’ - Hastings Boys' High
Hastings Boys' High identified a need to help develop and change the character and feelings students related to school and their high school experience. They used to have an identity unit for four weeks in health at the start of Y9. This idea was also sparked from seeing the success of Gisborne Boys' High. The HODs and SLT came together to create a list of values that they wanted to instill in their Y9 students to create a year long integrated underlying theme.

Term One's unit was about respect; what is respect, why do students respect certain people, how do they show respect etc. They then instilled respect for the school through the idea that they are now apart of the school and the school is now apart of them. Students looked into history of all the houses, school song, school haka, colours etc. This linked nicely to the Health & PE curriculum by connecting to what was their old Hauora unit that got students to learn about their own personal identity.

I really liked this idea of an integrated identity unit and building respect for the school and its culture and traditions, while also acknowledging the individuality of each student. We could easily incorporate this into our Y9 program, especially with the linking of PE & Health for 2019. Students could look at why they are attending King's and the history of King's to develop a sense of identity and belonging.


Session 13: How do you know what learning is happening in HPE? - Chris Hurston
In this session Chris shared how he was using technology and apps such as Plickers, Google Forms & Seesaw to build reflective practise in his juniors. This reflective practise came in forms of students recapping their learning from prior lessons, getting students to assess their level of understanding against rubrics for self assessment and peer assessment. Chris also shared the importance of having a visible programme for parents and students alike to check in and see outlines of term topics, discussion points, assessment tasks, showcase routines/videos, short video clips of lessons, reflections and next steps. He used the app Seesaw to share this information with parents and students. This was the part of the session that stood out the most to me as I have been focussing on visible learning for both my students and parents/guardians. I wonder whether we could try incorporating this app or could use Schoolbox more affectively?

The takeaway key question form this session was 'what are you doing in your practice to enhance reflective practice?' When reflecting on this question myself I know that I have been focussing on challenging my juniors to reflect on what we are learning, why and how these skills can be transferable. I have also been focussing on creating more self directed learners in my IGCSE class.



Overall I think this is a range of takeaways from this years annual conference. It will be interesting to take these key ideas forward, particularly with the development of our new connected Health & PE programme for 2019 and how we can ensure this learning is visible to both students and parents/guardians alike.

3/5: 2018 Inquiry Plan - How can I create self-directed learners in my 11 IGCSE Physical Education class?

2018 Inquiry Plan: How can I create self-directed learners in my 11 IGCSE Physical Education class?

3rd May 2018

Why have I identified this as an important focus for me?
Cambridge is content heavy course. This requires students to work through content at a fast pace - content in which most students have not come across before. I have identified through student achievement data (end of unit tests throughout Term 1 & student voice) and Collegial Feedback (discussions with Alex) that students need to become more self-directed learners.


What initial steps forward am I going to commit to and why have I identified these as my first steps?
After having a hunch that this would be a good inquiry to further my own teaching practise, I collected student voice from my class around the three Teaching & Learning categories. These were relationships, motivation & communication. The results helped to solidify my thinking. Next week I am going to share these results with students and reinforce changes that will be occurring & why.
-After attending the Cambridge PD course at the end of last term and reflecting on my own practise I told students of changes that I am planning on implementing in Term 2. Students had an opportunity to share their thoughts about these changes - would they be positive & why/why not? Students were also able to add any extra changes they would like to see.

I have recognised that students need to be self directed in this course rather than independent (last years inquiry). I am going to compare and contrast independent learners vs self directed learners. By finding out the similarities I can refer back to strategies I used last year and see whether or not I will be able to implement them this year. By finding out the differences I will be able to focus on finding out new strategies I will be able to implement that will better suit the needs of self directed learners.
Once I have found new strategies I will be able to implement them, alongside the other changes I have already recognised. Then my aim is to collect student voice at the end of the term to see whether or not the data has changed.


How, by focusing on this, do I propose to contribute to and influence Student Achievement Outcomes?
By creating an environment that encourages self-directed learners I am expecting to see higher levels of motivation for learning. I am hoping that students will display qualities and behaviours such as; problem solving and seeking their own answers, seek feedback, knowing their strengths & weaknesses within the course and action a way to minimise their weaknesses, higher levels of collaboration - conversations where students are correcting each other and teaching each other etc.
I am hoping that these qualities will be visible. Also if students start to display these behaviours their test results should have a positive impact.


Who may I need support and assistance from and what might that look like as I look ahead to achieving success?
Alex - possibly professional readings, discussions, learning activities etc.
Melissa - possibly professional readings & pointing me in the direction of other colleagues that could help with strategies (ie observations)
Looking out for content on Twitter - posts, Twitter chats, English teachers in the IG curriculum etc.
Chris & other colleagues met at Cambridge PD course - help with IG curriculum?

12/4: Reflection - Term 1 Review of Junior Classes

Reflection: Term 1 Review of Junior Classes

12th April 2018

What's going on for my learners?

What does achievement data tell me about my current cohort?
Current achievement data from Junior classes, especially Y9s, show me me I need to focus on making learning more visible within my lessons. Although we start lessons with learning intentions and relate back to these through questioning both throughout activities and with a class discussion at the end of the lesson, some students are still not getting it. I am hoping that students are still adapting to the change from primary school PE but it is something I want to work on next term to see if there is a difference.

What am I going to do about it?
-spend more time reinforcing key terms & continually checking for understanding with individuals
-ensure students understand achievement criteria e.g. get them to break this down - how do they get graded for this unit, what are the differences between each of these levels
-see if there is a difference between work that is produced in class time vs prep time
-give students more written feedback on their work between submissions

Who are my priority learners this year? (Those in danger of not achieving)

I have a wide range of priority learners throughout my Jnr classes. Some have more than others and I have identified these students in their class spreadsheet with help from data from Synergetic in regards to ethnicities and SAP reports. Also after Term 1 I have noted other priority learners who struggle with learning intentions and handing in of assessments to an appropriate level and on time.

16/3: Reflection - Inquiry Update for 2018

Reflection: Inquiry Update for 2018

16th March 2018

What’s happening and why?

At the end of last year I identified ways to carry on and continue my inquiry of creating independent learners. I knew that I would have the IGCSE PE class as my senior class for the year. I was able to reflect on what strategies were successful last year with my Level 2 students and apply some of these concepts from the start of the year. Some of the successful concepts from last year were:

• introducing concepts such as checklists, ask 3 before me etc. at the start of the year
• the release of learning
• ensuring students understand the why
• using student voice to interpret teaching style/activities

Setting up the year

I ensured to start my year off valuing the importance of building relationships and setting expectations and routines. This included spending longer on setting routines - what happens at the start of a lesson, how to find things on iTunes U & submit assignments, how to use PDF expert, using class Quizlet for revision etc. My thoughts on spending time ensuring I do this well was that I would be saving time later on in the course. Overall I feel like this has been relatively successful. Students understand basic processes and this has saved time. Also if students do get stuck other students have been proactive in assisting.

Relievers & Student Ownership

The start of the year often brings disruptions to classes. Whether it's swimming sports and athletics or PE department camps.  As a result of camps, professional development and other inevitable absences such as sickness I have missed a few classes with my IG class. During this time students were left work complete with instructions on their iTunes U course. I simplified their work as much a possible knowing that not all new content they would be covering could be found in their textbooks. For content that was not easily accessible I left them notes in which they had to fill in the blanks and then had to answer some questions to show their understanding.

Just before returning to school I received an email from one of my students. In summary this email said that they did not think it was fair that they were left to learn this new content on their own, especially with relievers that weren't able to help them. This email was a response to my email to the class about the lack of work that had been submitted while I was absent. When I returned to class we broke this down and discussed student ownership. They identified that I do not tell the the answers and they need to seek them themselves, so I challenged why should it be different if I was absent. This discussion resulted in referring back to the range of places where students can revert to for help while learning new content. These included; textbook, iTunes U, notes, Quizlet, Google, classmates or myself.

I have been absent since this conversation and it was great to see that students completed and submitted all work as expected. I also noticed when students were studying for a recent test that they were referring to the wide range of resources available.
I have been trialling different teaching styles and types of activities with this class to show them that I am interested in how they like to learn and how they learn most effectively. I have also received informal verbal feedback and actioned this.


What’s not happening & why?

• Although students most students are starting to become more independent and show more ownership of their learning not all are. Certain students can be quite needy. Whether it is handing in incomplete work as they 'don't know what they are doing' or where to find answers. These particular students are also the ones that ask questions expecting me to give them the answers when completing activities. 

What am I going to do to influence what is not happening?

• I can introduce the use of checklists before students hand in any completed work. This could ensure that students have completed all tasks by utilizing all resources when trying to complete activities, have included key points for each topic, have broken down the questions and used appropriate sentence structure when applicable
• I am going to ensure I do some formalized student feedback & learner voice before the end of term to help construct my 2018 inquiry and see whether or not I will continue pursuing this inquiry or something similar