Better Conversations

Practicing the habit of an inquiring mindset. "Why is this person talking/acting this way?" "What is underlying?" Knowing the background changes the way we act.

1. Empathy - having empathy towards ourselves. What is happening inside my brain? e.g. fear, judgement,... How am i feeling? I might need to clear my brain to be open to the other person. Put aside my own feelings. #itstartswithus

2. Cognitive Empathy - What does this person need right now?

3. Affective Empathy - How are they feeling?

These are some thoughts from Better Conversations by Jim Knight

Communication strategy

The most important thing is that I genuinely want to hear what they have to say.

Interviewing as Qualitative Research

A Guide for Researchers in Education and the Social Sciences

Author: Irving Seidman

A strategy from this book

Public voice - for others' consumption

Private Voice - what is really going on

I can listen carefully for the private voice. I can be curious as to what is underneath.

Instructional Coaching

Facilitative Coaching -  A sounding board. Teacher already know what they need to do. Through the questioning process the teacher recognises what to do and sets goals

Directive Coaching - An expert with an apprentice. Teacher does not know the practice. The coach with need to describe the practce and follow up that the teacher is doing this.

Dialogical Coaching -  Don’t give advice as an expert but position the teacher as a partner. Honour the autonomy of the teacher. Coach does not push own perspective but is not silent either.

 

Identify a clear picture of current reality. Using evidence of learner. The teacher indicates how close the reality was to the plan on Scale1-10. The teacher then sets a PEERS goal  - Powerful, Easy to achieve, Emotionally compelling, Reachable, Student focussed

Model it as the coach. See it before we do it. 

Implement - Teacher does it, 

Modify (modify goal, strategy, etc)

https://www.instructionalcoaching.com/research/

Futher Reading

https://www.amazon.com/Focus-Teaching-Using-High-Impact-Instruction/dp/1483344126

Film Festival

I have been working with teachers to support them in creating films for the Manaiakalani Film Festival.

Many have worked independently and have only needed a few prompts to get over the line.

I created this resource based on the work of Naomi Toland and using resources from the Manaiakalani teacher resources.

In August I led a Toolkit entitled Movie-making - Tools, Tips and Teacher Strategies. 14 teachers attended this and we walked through the process of taking a story idea to a visual portrayal and then a storyboard. 

I have supported one teacher step by step. Firstly in teaching her and her learners to create a film using WeVideo. From there she was keen to sign up for the Film Festival and openly said, "I will need lots of help".

We worked together on each part of the process. I am so proud of her giving it a go and what she has created with her learners. 

I have dived into the details and learnt more about storyboarding. I have underrated this important step in the past and now I would spend more time planning and getting feedback from others before diving into filming. This quote from Paerangi | Video 2 | What Makes a Good Story?  really resonated with me:

“...can you tell your story through images?.... so wherever possible 'show' rather than 'tell' and think about images carrying as much of the story, if not more, than dialogue.”

It is exciting to be part of the Film Festival and while I have cheered on and supported before, this is the first time I have walked the whole process from whoa to go. 

The Manaiakalani Film Festival will be shown on 13 November at Sylvia Park. At the same time, teachers will release their films on their class blogs for comments.

I'm so looking forward to all those learners seeing themselves on the big screen. For some, it will be their first time in a movie theatre!

Learning to Share

 Teachers are keen to share their learning.

In response, I led a refresher on blogging on Edublogs in their school.

The focus was on how to do things technically. Most already knew about the why of sharing learning and just needed reminding on the how or some support to get new learner edublogs.

We practised by creating and publishing blog posts on class blogs.

Here are some to take a look at. They would love a comment!

https://homntully.edublogs.org/

https://homnkaur.edublogs.org/

https://hompforsyth.edublogs.org/

https://homwmatautia.edublogs.org/

Some teachers are new to sharing on blogs. I think they sharing some great learning.

https://homavirk.edublogs.org/

https://homaaubreykirkwood.edublogs.org/

https://homhminhinnick.edublogs.org/

https://hommtaranaki.edublogs.org/

We finished with a wero or challenge:

  

I'm looking forward to where the sharing learning via Edublogs will take these teachers and their tamariki (children).

Same or Different

As part of our Professional Learning Group on Oneline Facilitation, we presented to our fellow facilitators about what we do. 

Our aim was to inform about what we do, our inquiry and to hear back from others about what we might do differently.

We gathered feedback from other facilitators to see what they undestood about the differences and similarites of face-to-face comapted to online facilitation.

N.B. The Jamboard has been converted to Figjam to keep as a record.

We will continue the inquiry.

Teaching the Teachers

 Once again, I am reflecting on my teaching online.

The recording is with adults. Teachers have chosen to be part of an Online Toolkit. This is one of the many termly offerings in the Manaiakalani Toolkits Online.

I recorded the video from within the Google Meet.

What I Notice

0:48 The recording does not show the chat! 2:18 I use time-fillers quite a lot, e.g. Umm... Ummm... 2:33 I am looking at a second screen. 5:46 Am I frozen? Checking in - can participants see or hear what they need? I was frozen henceforth! (Never had this before) 6:30 People are quiet - does that mean they are following and understanding? Perhaps I should be checking in more. I can see people on the screen although they do not show in the recording. 35:24 Good to hear people giving verbal feedback. Wait time is useful.

The content has been shared with people before we begin. It is rewindable so people can access it anytime and as many times as they need. 

Next Steps

People not being able to see me may have been a barrier to learning. I think for the future if this happens I should stop and try to fix it by stopping presenting my screen or logging off the video call and joining again.

A difference between working with adults and learners is that I rely on adults speaking up if there are questions or issues. When working with learners, having Hāpara Highlights means I can see what they are doing on their screen and can pick up issues early.

Perhaps giving adults other ways to show their understanding could be valuable. A jamboard to share a screenshot of the reader they created. A poll with pre-prepared questions for them to respond to would be another quick way to capture understanding. This could be done anonymously so as to get an overall picture.

Makes me think... Prepare, prepare, prepare.

Preparation is the key.

What Next with Online Facilitation?

This is a year 4 class where all students have their own Chromebooks. We use Google Meet for our online interactions. The teacher shares the Google Meet session on a large screen in the classroom.

I've included the complete lesson as recorded on Google Meet. This unedited recording provides an authentic experience, showing both successes and challenges. You'll notice instances where I make mistakes, there's a classroom announcement over the speaker, and we even spend some time discussing blog administration.

Initial Thoughts

I've realized that I tend to speak quite loudly, almost using my "teacher's voice," even though we're in a virtual environment on Meet.

Key Observations

1:00 We review and discuss the work students completed in the previous week. 4:30 Team teaching with the class teacher revisit past learning 5:10 I demonstrate concepts on the screen while the class teacher provides explanations. 9:03 Showing current screens on Hāpara Highlights 11:50 Chromebook screens are 'sharked' (half-closed) and learners are focused on the big screen 18:05 Exploring individual student work through Hāpara Highlights. 27:22 Teaching how to crop an image 44:24 I appreciate how the class teacher co-teaches by setting guidelines. 44:56 Some time spent on blog administration. 54:01 I teach the teacher but forget to share my screen!

What's Up Next

The teacher's proactive and enthusiastic approach is worth noting. How might I inspire other teachers to match this level of engagement during online facilitation?

During the blog administration discussion, most students remain on track. It's important to recognize that the length of these discussions might vary in different classrooms. In some cases, discussions might need to continue outside of the Google Meet session.

As is often the case, making mistakes during live modelling provides valuable learning opportunities. It's encouraging to see these moments put to good use.

Considering the students' level, I've realized that I tend to focus primarily on modelling the learning process. To enhance the experience, I could also provide rewindable resources like videos for students to refer back to during independent learning.

Additional Considerations

What aspects might I have overlooked? I'm open to suggestions on how I can improve my teaching methods. Is there anything you believe I should approach differently?

 

What works and what doesn't

I have recorded some online facilitation lessons and am reflecting on what works well and what doesn't.

It is always hard to watch yourself teaching and not cringe. I am finally doing it! Watching and ....

I notice that I say, “Alright!” quite a lot! Along with, "Alright, now..."

The recording is not showing the class unless they are talking. This is different from what I see when I am on the Meet where I can always see them. I think the reason for this is that I recorded the Meet using a different account as I was concerned about slowing my computer down too much. That means I am seeing what that account sees on the Meet. Not what I was expecting but not a bad thing as the focus is on what I am doing for the purposes of this reflection.

I decided to include the whole video of the session and add chapters to the video at the relevant parts where I noticed something to reflect on.

Watch the video on Youtube to see the chapters or use the links below.

2:28 Demo doing things online 'Is it in my Cybersmart folder?'

3:44 Two tabs open on Hāpara - Current Screen and Dashboard

8:50 Know the material inside out so I don’t do it wrong!

9:00 Loudspeaker announcements happen pretty often! Everything stops

10:06 Modelling takes longer than I think. I do talk a lot!!!

39:06 Timing is important

40:20 Clarification from the teacher

43:51 Talking to just the teacher - off the big screen.