Increasing my use of Te Reo/ Pacifika/ Punjabi in my classroom practise

In the school in which I work there are 3 main language besides English; Te Reo, Samoan (and other Pasifika languages) and Punjabi.
One of my goals for my appraisal is to learn and use some simple phrases from each of these cultures. I have always been terrible when learning a new language... When I was in secondary school we had to learn Welsh, German and French to Y10. There was an "Encore Tricolore" student book which we worked through. At the end of each chapter there was a test. and you were given a 'report card' with ticks to show your progress.
"Simon introduce himself in French Confidently, satifactory, with prompts." (Tick)... I did SOOOOOO badly on these tests the teacher said it was not worth printing out my report card... personally I think that was purely a limitation on the report card. It should have read:

"Simon introduce himself in French Confidently, satifactory, with prompts, dismally."

Anyway, the upshot is that I am pretty terrible at languages, my tongue and my brain can't cope.... But I'm going to give it a go and here are a few notes to get me started. 

Te Reo

The first is Te Reo: The native language of New Zealand and the second language with which I am most familiar. When I say "Most familiar" I actually mean some key command and greeting phrases to use with students. Below is a short list of the ones I am currently attempting to use.

Simple commands

E tū  - Stand up
E noho - Sit down
Haere mai  - Come here
Turituri - Be quiet
Whakarongo mai - Listen to me

Simple greetings

Kia ora  - Hello, good health
Tēnā koe  - Hello to one person, thank you to one person
Tēnā kōrua  - Hello to two people, thank you to two people
Tēnā koutou - Hello to lots of people (more than three), thank you to lots of people

Pacifika

fa'amolemole int. please;

fa'afetai v. to thank;

talofa v. hello, greetings; 

Tōfā soifua

Goodbye

Other Useful phrases in Samoan

Punjabi Language 

Reference: 

• http://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/english/pub_e/classroom/appendix1.shtml
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• http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/samoan.php
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• Samoan in the New Zealand curriculum (PDF, 589 KB)
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• Other resources for learning Punjabi 

Te Toi Tupu – Maths focus on Measurement

First day of school and it’s a teacher only day. I’m not being paid for it but I need the PD.

The maths advisers from Te Toi Tupu came to school. We discussed Geometry and the teaching of measurement.

As a reliever visiting each class a couple of times a term I found this session amazingly helpful.  Taking a strand like this into the classroom is going to be so much easier than trying to teach number knowledge or strategy. The planning and delivery of those to are very specific, targeted to small groups and individuals and a there is a lot of room for error as I found last Monday.

So bring on the teaching of Strand is what I say.

The sessions and activities are very ‘discovery’ orientated, with practical activities and the opportunities presented to students to ‘figure it out’ themselves. 

The learning levels for measurement are as follows

     Identify

The first step in the measuring process is understanding that objects have attributes that can be measured. Initial experiences are needed to develop awareness of the attribute and to introduce the necessary language, for example, big, heavy, tall, empty.

 Compare and Ordering

When students are aware of the attribute being investigated they should be given opportunities to compare different objects. Adults realise that to say something is "long" does not have a lot of meaning. "Longer than what?" is a usual response.

 Non-standard units of measure

Some form of unit needs to be used if a question such as "How much longer is your pencil than mine?" is asked. Non-standard units are ordinary objects which are used because they are known to students and are readily available, for example, paces for length, books for area and cups for volume.

 Standard

Some form of unit needs to be used if a question such as "How much longer is your pencil than mine?" is asked. Non-standard units are ordinary objects which are used because they are known to students and are readily available, for example, paces for length, books for area and cups for volume.

 Applying

When students are comfortable and efficient in measuring and estimating using appropriate standard units, learning experiences can be directed towards applications of measurement and to the use of measurement formulae.

6.       Using appropriate units

SI Units used in school measurement

Length	metre (m)
Area	square metre (m2)
Volume	cubic metre (m3)
Mass	gram (g)
Time	second (s)

Non SI units

Time	minute (min) hour (h)
Angle	degree of plane angle (O)
Temperature	degree Celsius (OC)

Resources:

• Key mathematical ideas, click on the key at each level and thread to read the key mathematical idea.
• A maths dictionary for kids - Another wonderful resource from Jenny Eather.
• Assessment Resource Bank -You will need to know the ARBs username and password to access the specific examples and units.

Reflections 2: Boy oh boy

“Hopeless is hopeless, and don’t ever think that it ain’t”

Tripwire, Lee Child

Boy oh Boy, published by Pearson Education Australia, is authored by Dr Tim Hawkes.

That 'Hopeless expression' maybe one of the catchphrases in the novel but for a boy to not despair then hope needs to reside somewhere.  Boys need hope. When things go wrong, mistakes are made and even justifiable blame is apportioned boys still need hope.

“What is also important is that having suggested the blame and diagnosed the origin of the problem, the boy must be left feeling he is valued, safe and possessed of the necessary skill and inclination to avoid the mistake again.”

Dr Tim Hawkes

So what drives a boy to learn?

• He must be  encouraged to learn.
• Believe in a future that requires learning.
• Believe in his teachers.

But what discourages learning, beyond the opposite of the aforementioned?

It is the boy’s self-esteem. Or there lack of. If a boy is continually told he has behavioural issues or his thoughts and ideas are substandard then this will foster a negative self-image, which in term hinders long term self-esteem; which will prevent the brain from furthering knowledge and understanding. 

Parents, caregivers and teachers must give as much affirmation as possible but Dr Tim Hawkes warns against ungrounded optimism or care-free praising as the boy will see through it eventually and no longer lean on that person’s judgement again.

In short we must blame boys where blame is true and necessary. We give boys a hope and future for improvement and growth. 

Further viewing and food for thought:

Reflections 1: Boy oh Boy

Boy oh Boy, published by Pearson Education Australia, is authored by Dr Tim Hawkes.

This book is a practical and entertaining resource for those who wish to understand the needs of boys and how best to meet those needs. Using a refreshing mix of common sense and scholarly research, Boy oh Boy gives hope and inspiration to those interested in helping boys.

Over the coming weeks I will be reflecting here on my reading of this publication. I am not intending on copying large sections out but will identify, through quotes, a few ideas it may raise and then I will seek to comment upon it in light of my own practise and the boarder context of the schools I am working in.

Boy oh Boy

In the introduction Hawkes seeks to highlight the importance of a quality teacher. The list is as follows:

A quality teacher can:

• laugh with a boy.
• paint a great picture in the mind of a boy.
• growl while still maintaining a sense that the boy is valued.

My reflection

There has been a shift in this post-feminist world where boys should not act out. That they should know there place and continuously maintain a proper and right demeanour. However, I am of the opinion that there is a certain amount of 'boys will be boys' that should be seen as just that. I'm not saying that it should be the excuse for poor behaviour, rudeness or acts of violence. But each action should be seen in the context of the peer group the boy exists in.

A push is not merely a push. Depending on the context it could reflect a boy's frustration with continues verbal abuse. It could the roughness of friends playing together. It could be a single act within a hundred that is part of the pattern of bullying. Context is everything. I believe that we need to understand the lives of boys and boyhood as best we can to become better teachers.

• Can we laugh with a boy? Are we permitted?
• How can we 'paint great pictures in our boys' minds?
• And growling? So often we do this to dominate, thinking that boys need to know submission but really they are needing to be respected. The behaviour needs to distanced for the person. So the boy can see the behaviour not as a fundamental floor in their personality but rather something that can be addressed and corrected.