Welcome to Teaching with a Feather
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The teacher must believe in the potential power of students, and must employ all their art in seeking to bring their students to experience this power.
Adapted from a quote by Albert Adler
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Hello Everyone,
Welcome to issue No. 14 of the Teaching with a Feather (TWAF) newsletter.
The end of a school term is a great time to 'look back' and reflect on all you have achieved for both yourself and your students.
This term I have been revisiting and working with TWAF team members, Michelle (Year 3), Tyson (Prep), Ashleigh (Year 2) and Rachel (Year 3), and their new students for 2016. It is a privilege to work with this team of dedicated and caring teachers. Watching them in action using the TWAF strategies with their students and hearing their success stories is a highlight. I am so proud of these teachers who are prepared to challenge themselves and their students by seeking new ways of thinking and implementing changes to their day-to-day teaching and management. I have included photos and feedback in this newsletter.
NOTE: If you are interested in participating in a Teaching with a Feather Journey, Expressions of Interest are now open for Term 2, 2016.
Have you ever considered taking on a challenge? Join the TWAF pilot program Hands Down Wins and use the strategies next term with your students. The program runs all year so jump on board and join the teachers who are currently using the three techniques and achieving great results. Contact me via email and I will send you all the details. robyn@teachingfeather.com
One of the frustrations that teachers can experience includes the reluctant students who produce little or no work and disadvantage their own learning and development. Check the new TWAF strategy called the Roving Grandma for 7 ways to motivate and provide feedback to all students and get those reluctant students back on track.
There's also a new Hands Down Wins resource for students, a lesson on Emotional Bank Accounts and a link to an inspiring website called The Granny Cloud.
Kind Regards,
Robyn Cotter
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Teaching with a Feather
What's happening in classrooms?
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The Pack Up Sign
Here's Michelle writing a 'pack up' message for her Year 3 students. They respond quickly and efficiently.
Student Feedback: I like to read what to do and then I get to do my own thinking.
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Michelle began the new school year determined to start on day one using TWAF strategies. Her excitement and enthusiasm as she shared her success stories provided a wonderful opportunity for her to reflect and look back at all she has achieved.
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Questions For Questions
Tyson continually asks his Prep students questions. 'My job is too keep them thinking. Using the Questions for Questions strategy has had a big impact on their thinking. They are very independent. I started day one and it has made a huge difference.'
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'The changes I made in my classroom during my TWAF journey had such a positive impact on social, problem-solving and thinking skills with my students. I have an array of strategies to use from day one with a brand new group of Preps in 2016.
... and that's what he does!
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The Roving Grandma Technique and Optimal Work Environments
Ashleigh started the year by setting up her classroom to provide opportunities to allow for her students to select their Optimal Work Environments.
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Ashleigh is using the 7 techniques outlined in the Roving strategy. The strategy is having a positive impact on every student and reluctant workers are beginning to shine.
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Writing for a Purpose
Here's an example of instructions that Rachel has written for her students. It's reading for a real purpose. Rachel is empowering her students to make decisions to influence their own learning and development.
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Rachel provides opportunities every day for her students to think independently. Writing instructions rather than verbally explaining tasks gets everyone motivated and working.
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Teaching with a Feather
The Roving Grandma
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Scenario:
Do you have students who are reluctant workers, rarely on task and difficult to motivate?
Do you have students who always work to the best of their ability, use their initiative and have a love of learning?
How do you provide positive feedback to every student during every lesson?
Become a ‘Roving Grandma’ and provide friendship, warm and cosy feelings, positive feedback, care and respect - just like grandmas do!
Roving is a powerful way to:
- Teach at the point of need
- Provide feedback
- Receive feedback
- Develop self- esteem
- Build relationships
Follow this link and find 7 easy to use techniques that provide positive feedback for EVERY student in your class EVERY day.
The Roving Grandma
Teacher Feedback: Here’s some great feedback from TWAF team member Ashleigh in Year 2. We have been team teaching together and using the Roving Grandma strategy to get the best from her students.
'The work you got out of my two reluctant workers was amazing! I was so proud of both of them - they kept it going for the rest of the day too. They couldn’t wait to come up and show me their stories.
Ashleigh continued to use the technique after our session. Here is more feedback.
'The Grandma technique is doing wonders with Miles - the smile on his face today was amazing!’
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Are you using Hands Down Wins techniques? Display this sign for students who are not sure of an answer to a question. For all the details follow this link and join the Hands Down Wins teaching community.
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Emotional Bank Accounts
Building Relationships
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How to build and maintain relationships - A lesson idea for your students
Begin by discussing the purpose of a bank account and making deposits and withdrawals. Explain to the students that you start an emotional bank account with every person you meet and they start one with you. When you are kind, honest, caring, respectful and friendly to another person you make deposits in their Emotional Bank Account. However, if you are unkind, disrespectful, uncaring and mean, you make a withdrawal.
Every time we offer a smile, a kind gesture, a friendly comment to people we work with, to our neighbours, the people who work in the shop, our friends - notice how it makes you feel, and observe how you become more and more wealthy with all your emotional bank accounts.
Students quickly understand this concept. When a student does something kind and thoughtful for another person remind them that they have made a deposit in that person's emotional bank account. It is a meaningful concept for students to understand and emphasises the value of building relationships with other people.
You and your students spend a year together in the classroom environment and creating a culture that values kindness and thoughtfulness will benefit every member of the class.
Emotional Bank Accounts ( Emotional/ Social Health) Activity Ideas:
- Introduce the EBA concept via a story. Use two glasses and a jug of water. Add water to the glass if a deposit is made to someone's EBA, tip water out when a withdrawal is made. Idea: Students draw 20 small circles about the size of a 20 cent piece in their book to represent blank faces. As you read the story they add features to the faces to represent the emotions felt during the story. i.e. the deposits and withdrawals.
- Discuss characters in the story. Did they fill or empty other characters EBA in the story? (Cannonball Simp By John Birmingham is a great story to read for this activity though most stories will suit).
- Students complete a t chart - Actions that add to my Emotional Bank Account. Actions that make withdrawals.
- Students develop a list of human emotions e.g. surprise, anger etc. onto small cards. What triggers these emotions? Discuss. Select 10 emotions and write/draw a scenario that would cause the response. Which emotions contribute to building your EBA, which ones makes withdrawals? NB: Do a quick internet search for emotional word lists to choose from or try the TWAF strategy Hunters and Gatherers. This provides a way for students to contribute to each others Emotional Bank Account as they gather words.
- Plan with a partner and act out a scenario to show how actions create emotions that add or withdraw from your EBA – be authentic/real as you role play.What did you see, hear, feel?
- Do a ‘So What’ Plan. What will you do to contribute to building EBA's with your classmates? Students can make a classroom display.
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Emotional Bank Accounts:
Use a story, a jug of water and two glasses as a visual resource to explain how deposits and withdrawals are made to a persons Emotional Bank Account.
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Teaching with a Feather
Professional Development for 2016
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Teaching with a Feather provides the following options to value add to your professional growth as a teacher
1. Participate in one of the Professional Development Program on offer in 2016
Note: Expressions of Interest are now open for Term 2, 2016.
Both programs are suitable for teachers at all stages of their career, from graduates to experienced teachers
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Grandma's in Clouds - Read about this inspiring program by Sugata Mitra - School in the Cloud
The 'Granny' provides positive encouragement, praise and support to enable the children to work as a community and take the lead in the child's learning; helping them to explore and develop their natural curiosity. This is all achieved via Skype! An amazing innovative program. Recommended reading.
The Granny Cloud
Resources:
New Hands Down Wins resource now available. Download a poster to provide a visual prompt for students when they are unsure of a response to a question.
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Teaching with a Feather Communication
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Teaching with a Feather Website
www.teachingfeather.com
Facebook and Twitter:
Teaching with a Feather Facebook - ideas, photos, quotes and information relating to the TWAF program.
www.facebook.com/teachingfeather
Newsletters:
A paid subscription provides exclusive access to all Teaching with a Feather strategies available on the website.
NB: In 2016 the newsletter is available for only $10 a teacher for the school year or $50 for a school subscription. There will be 8 newsletters published this year. (2 per school term).
Click here to access the registration page.
All previous TWAF newsletters are available on the website for you to access and read here: Please feel free to share the newsletter with your colleagues.
Previous TWAF Newsletters
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'There is no end to the opening up that is possible for a human being'.
Charlotte Joko Beck
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