Assessment Capability is a big factor when building Agency as it allows the learner to see their goals, next steps and work on ways to achieve these. I have been using visuals to build this with my Literacy group. We have been using colour coded checklists to get the children assessing their work to see if they have included all the features and if not it clearly showed them how to improve their writing. 

At the start of the year I noticed a lot of the children were waiting for me saying 'what's next' 'what do I do now.' However, since I have been using these checklists I have noticed the learner's building their ability to drive their own learning as they have these visuals to see what they need to include next. It is also improving peer and self assessment as they know they can work with a partner to clearly discuss next steps. We are still working on these qualities but I have seen great shifts since starting this visual approach.  

I have noticed that my learners have been developing their ability to reflect and take ownership of their learning since we have been building their 'powers'. I have given them personalised missions that they have to work on and if they are finding it difficult to be determined when learning gets challenging we have a chat about building their powers and think of ways they can help themselves. These visuals have been very helpful with my Literacy group and I am starting to see a shift in their mindsets.

Since joining the Agency team I have been thinking of ways that I can build the learner's power over their own learning and I have started to read this book by John Spencer and A.J Juliani. It has great insights into how we can go from just engaging the learners to actually empowering them to be responsible of their own learning. 

If you are a person who would rather look at images instead of reading research this book is great as it clearly and quickly gives ideas to empower learners. In our hub we have been trying to empower our learners by 'tapping into their interests.' We are allowing them to choose which trips they want to go on and justify why their trip would be the best - linking to their progressions as well as their passions. Since developing this project we have seen learners who we sometimes struggle to get involved start to take the lead in their group and make their own path. 

Empowering opportunities have included:
- Planning their own trips
- Personalising the challenges I give each child
- Asking the learners what they want to learn eg reading books
- Once they learn something I get them to create their own lessons instead of just repeating questions to practise they are applying their understanding by teaching their peers. 

Outcomes are not just a factor from teaching 
 ‘Proven’ approaches works if you have the same students every year 

Look at MCDonald ‘making sense of an uncertain craft  - widely uncertain triangle  - look at snap chat - teachers feel different on different days 

Its not given its not determined, adapting yourself as a teacher to your students 

• An approach to practise - look at how children learn 


• Inquiry learning is very different that is something that is planned for children to do 

Collaborative teams working around a common idea 



PAKURANGA TEACHING AS INQUIRY 

It is a professional learning journey that encourages teachers to challenge their learning and adapt their practise 

• Priority to the inclusion of student voice 

We can be blinkered by our past experiences and our beliefs 

Which students are being advantaged and disadvantaged in my lessons 

Spiral of inquiry
Student interview - what makes an effective teacher?
‘Knowing they have confidence in me.’ 
‘Not doing the same boring thing’ 
‘Treat everyone the same’ 
‘Teachers care about me and it gives me a confidence boost’ 
‘We are teaching them and they are teaching us'

LOoK UP
RELATIONSHIP PEDAGOGY 
​Russell Bishop 
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUE OF EDUCATION
INSTITUTE FOR EFFECTIVE EDUCATION 
Vivian Robinson  - Dealing with problem solving in schools 
- Vivian talks about dealing with problems in schools and leaders going from 'problem' to 'solution' straight away without even thinking about the analysis of the problem. E.g the inquiry process into what caused the problem, who does the problem have an impact on. 
Karl Popper - All life is problem solving 

Adaptive expertise - it could be inquiring into a strategy or it could be into a mindset 

‘Touchstone’ - did it lead to me sharing something new that leads to something better?

It was great to see how my inquiry can fit into the goals of the Manaiakalani Inquiries- Building  Language as the tool of meaning making and the tool of empowerment for learners to take ownership of their own learning.

Lanuage in a abundance - including reading more in our learning Highten the aquistianal potential 

1 step - I need to receive 
2 - I need to try out 

‘Gifting’ children with the language  v extracting

Flourishing learning potential through - Planning Preparing Providing
​Planning to provide the children with new language because if we model the language they can use - it builds a bank of language for the learners to access and this increases their potential. With Creativity being an essential part to stimulate the children's interests and motivation to lean. We thought about the importance of planning for creative opportunities in a range of different ways so it allows for all learners to find their passions eg whole body, digital, making with their hands or feet. 

We are learning as a community - you are not one learning from me (the teacher) you are learning from each other. 

Elasticity of the Brain - fluidly and flicker throughout ​

​Brains develop from right to left 


The prefrontal cortex 
This helps with planning 

If your going to label anything then label strengths 
Some children and others have ‘stuck brains’ 

‘Its like being on a fishing trip trying to see what bait we should use’ 

Most powerful way is verbal feedback ‘ I noticed…. ‘ ‘ I like the way you are…… your next step could be …..’ VALIDATION  
‘ Power of positive’ 

Teach the concept before asking questions 

If you have limited time increase the visual 
Humans remember gestures more than anything else 
Repetition / note making teach children to make notes 

Memory hang - Andrew fuller 

Importance of Empowerment

Since I have been looking at the importance of building a language for learning and developing individual plans for each child. I have become very interested in how the brain works and how this can help my understanding of each learner on a personal level. So I was lucky to have been able to go to a conference with Nathan Wallis and Andrew Fuller - who gave great insights into the learning brain. Here are my notes from the day: 

These are bullet points that explain this model but there is a link in the photo to help shed more light on it;
1 - Brain stem - 'Survival Brain' both 1 and 2 are known as the reptilian brain
2. Mid Brain/ cerebellum - responsible for movement etc 
3. Limbic System - Emotions
4. Frontal lobe - Literacy, Numeracy, Empathy
5. Parietal Lobe - visualising language that is spoken to you 
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​Electricity in the centre of the neocons 
Information is carried in the neutron pathways ‘ use it or loose it ‘ 
If you don’t know something you just haven’t generated the neuron pathway to know it 
Synaptic connection ‘aww moment’ we have to find out what creates it 
Not all neurons stay in your Brain forever - it uses milen. The more we repeat the new learning, the more the pathway gets covered in milen and the more the new learning gets cemented in our memory. 

Nothing sets off the neutron pathways than human faces 

Digital learning works as well as face to face building on the relationships that you start on top to face to face learning. 


Making connections - means you are linking in their network of motor neurone - already having dispositions. So the more we link the children's learning to their passions/ things they are interested in the better their understanding. 

Don't destroy the Love of leaning - in brain number 3 

Gifted children is a thing 

The make up for people can be genetics - hypocampus 
Success breeds success 
 

Endorphins allows children to learn if they are in survive mode (cortisol) you can not take in more information starts from evolution 
Top 3 release the endorphins - 
1 singing 
2 Laughter 
3 Exercise 

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BRAIN NUMBER 2 NEEDS A RHYTHMIC PATTERN 

Cortisol prevents a pathway from creating to make the child know not to do something - if you are learning with cortisol then you are breaking the pathway e.g. shouting makes it harder to learn  or the word ‘don’t use ‘ we should do it ….’ 

Cognitive training in the  parietal lobe - repeating saying what you want and describe the behaviour you want to see e.g. ‘sit down on the chair’ instead of ‘go to the seat and do not do that’ 

Poutama - its like a staircase - need opportunities to practise learning 
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