Design For Learning 1A

Additional note: In light of the pandemic and the ongoing struggles for kura, my first week of practicum was a challenging one. After the initial three days I was identified as a household contact and required to stay home therefore putting a halt on practicum experience. The greatest struggle this posed was the adverse effects it had on my relationship building and consistency both with staff and ākonga. 

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The first three days consisted of warm welcomes, meetings, and the shadowing of both a junior and senior student the day. The experience was nostalgic and yet refreshing. I was able to witness first hand all the ways kura has stayed the same and all the ways it has changed since my secondary education. 

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I quickly realised just how diverse a student’s day can look including classes in physics, visual arts, accounting, hard materials, dance, and health and just how difficult it is for ākonga to quickly shift their mindset from subject to subject.

 

The major standout between junior and senior classes was the specialization within disciplines and their difficulty. I was humbled during a senior physics lesson where the ākonga knew far more than myself within the field. The lesson also highlighted how disciplinary literacy is used within disciplines and how each course has its own unique language and set of skills. 

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It was enlightening watching how different kaiako approach situations and was highly beneficial to observe several of them across subjects. I was able to effectively note what techniques I liked and could bring to my own classroom: including a range of PB4L strategies.

 

I am eager to leave isolation and re-join kura to observe/participate in my AT’s lessons and continue to form relationships with the HPE department, staff, and ākonga. 

This week consisted mostly of observations, due to the ‘messy’ climate that comes with the end of a term. Most classes were finishing off modules and assessments therefore making it challenging to teach/co-teach a lesson. 

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This week, whanaungatanga was highlighted within the HPE department. As the department all worked together to accommodate the ‘messiness’ of covid and the struggles it poses for end of term assessments. Some classes combined whilst other split to allow ākonga who had been away time to finish of assessments, whilst those who had finished were able to participate in a practical setting. It displayed great manaakitanga/trust between kaiako and ākonga to ensure everyone stayed on-task. 

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This week I had one opportunity to take full control of a double period class – a practical assessment. My key learnings form this lesson was around transitions and how to achieve faster interchanges thus not disrupting the flow of the lesson. Further development should also focus on providing more specific feedback to ākonga allowing for deeper learning to occur.  

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Additional activities this week included a ‘marking’ plan and review session for a senior physical education assessment. This was highly educational and a great insight as to the processes around marking for future practicums. 

 

Another additional activity I was involved in was a lunchtime inter-school bowls competition. The kaiako vs ākonga competition was great fun, and remined me of one of the many reasons I have enrolled to become a kaiako – overall a fantastic way to end the term!  

Upon return to kura the initial two days felt disjointed from the first week. My priority was the re-formation of relationships and to continue getting to know the ākonga and kaiako within the HPE department. 

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My week consisted mostly of planning and observations of both my associate kaiako and other kaiako within the department in the hopes of gaining a border understanding of education strategies. My key learning/insights included how vast classes within the same disciplines can be, depending on the kaiako involved and their unique teaching style.  

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It was inspiring to see the different approaches to education, which highlight the different personalities of the kaiako in the HPE department. The louder more outgoing kaiako used their voice/humour as their key teaching tools, whereas quieter kaiako would have a more structured approach including non-verbal ques to signal that it was time for the ākonga to quieten down and focus. Most of the members within the department have years of experience (20+) and therefore have a lot of knowledge and expertise to offer and can make even the simplest of tasks seem easy. 

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Throughout the week I had two classes as kaiako under full control. My key learning was how important it is to be adaptable. Adaptability to change my lesson plan when needed even if it is ‘on the fly’ which was a challenging but rewarding task. Upon reflection, I would take an additional 5mins out of the lesson to jot down key teaching points to help with flow of activities and to ensure I do not miss-out anything important. 

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Two other areas for future development include working on the flow of a practical lesson (from task to task and between games) and the inclusion of preventative /correction strategies like PB4L within my classes for future behavioural issues/challenges that may arise.