Learning
Literacy
The teachers in the junior and middle syndicates were lucky enough to take part in a Literacy Contract in 2009 as part of our ongoing professional development. This involved regular meetings, with the two other schools, as well as well as visits by a skilled facilitator to observe our teaching and guide us in taking new directions to help children's learning. We also visited and observed our colleagues teaching reading and/or writing and had them visit us. We had sessions with experts in their particular field of literacy. Each teacher involved set personal goals, reflected on their current practice and introduced new strategies where they could. All teachers changed their teaching practice in some way and tried various strategies to improve their children's learning. The aim of this professional development was to 'Improve Student Literacy Achievement in the Junior School and in particular to accelerate the achievement of those students currently achieving 'just below' or 'well below' achievement bands.' Our data at the end of 2009 showed evidence of accelerated progress, particularly in reading levels. We are continuing with this work in 2010 and are further being supported by the same facilitator. Literacy is a focus in our school and we closely monitor children's progress.
Numeracy
At Concord School we have embraced the Numeracy Project for a number of years. This project is a New Zealand-wide professional development initiative, which introduced teachers to a new approach to the teaching of mathematics.
The Numeracy Project is focused on developing children's understanding of numbers, and their ability to use numbers to solve problems. And of course, the children still solve number problems by counting, adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, or by using combinations of these.
The children are encouraged to discuss how they work out answers to problems posed, many calculations having been worked out in their head. They show that they understand maths by using equipment, diagrams, pictures, and by recording the methods used. They work by themselves and with others. The children can state what they are learning to do (WALT…) in guided lessons, discussing the various ways they arrived at their solution to a problem.
At Concord School the children are encouraged to learn a variety of ways to solve problems and then be able to choose the most appropriate way for each problem. We have a wealth of resources to support teaching and learning and use group Games Boxes as a fun way to reinforce the strategies the children have been learning as they progress through the Numeracy Stages.
The children at Concord spend between 60% (Year 5 and 6 children) and 80% (Year 1 and 2 children) of their maths time on Numeracy with the rest of the time being used for the other strands i.e. Algebra, Measurement, Geometry, and Statistics.
Grandparents Reading
A Concord School student reading in the school library.
We are very fortunate to have a group of keen and motivated grandparents that give up their time to share the joys of reading with our children. Groups of children of all ages meet the grandparents in the library every week with their reading books. The children read to the grandparents and they in turn read a book to the children. They talk about their books and experiences in a very supportive environment.
Celebrate 'n Share Time
Two Concord School students reading together.
Every fortnight on a Friday the children from each class go to another room to have a sharing time, where they celebrate the great things that are happening in their class relating to their learning and the programmes they are taking part in. This may be in the form of presentations, plays, shared reading and writing, or telling stories. There will be opportunities for individual and small group work, and for children to practise their leadership skills. They will be encouraged to use their strengths and the virtues in their positive interactions.
Reading Recovery
We are pleased to be able to offer Reading Recovery at our school. This is a programme, run by a specially trained teacher, offering daily one on one tuition for targeted children. The child would be between 6 to 7 and not progressing as well as we would like in reading and writing. The programme aims to accelerate their learning to bring them up to a level equal with their peers.
Rainbow Reading
This an extra programme using taped stories that we provide for some students to boost their progress through one on one teaching with a teacher aide. The books are bright and colourful and the stories are engaging for the older pupils.
HPP
This is an oral language programme for children in the junior and middle school that uses picture books to increase book experiences, develop language structures and confident conversations. It is run by volunteers who have been trained in the specific strategies of the programme and the 1-Hand method of exploring picture books.
Lexia Reading Programme
Children using the Lexia Programme.
We are fortunate to have the Lexia Reading Programme running at Concord school. The programme focuses on the skills of reading and language. It is computer based, with the students spending time completing literacy activities everyday. All the activities completed by the children are recorded; teachers can easily assess the student's progress.
Evidence has shown that the programme is successful in improving reading levels of a wide range of children.
We are grateful to have received funding from the Bendigo Trust for the purchase of this valuable programme.
Scrabble
In Terms 2 and 3 the Scrabble Club meets once a week during the lunch break. Here we play games and discuss the rules with new members. Two teams are selected for the popular local scrabble tournament run in August at the Dunedin Public Library. It is a great chance for the children to compete against other schools.
Australasian Competitions
We offer the opportunity for the Year 4, 5 and 6 students to sit Australasian Assessments. The tests are administered over a period of time at school and are sent to Australia to be marked. There are tests for computer skills, science spelling, writing, english and maths. There is a small fee for each test. The results are sent back to us to be used as further data about student achievement.
Curious Minds
Curious Minds is a time to think, create, make, and do. The programme is based around a topic where we discuss issues that surround it.
Curious mind activities.
Philosophy
We sit in a circle and have our turn to give our opinions. It's ok to change our minds as the discussion goes on, as we understand that other people have different views and ideas to us.
Set Activity
After the discussion, we often do an activity based on the topic or discussion. We use graphic organisers to help us organise our thinking eg we use a Venn Diagram to compare two things like clothes from 100 years ago and clothes of today. Another favourite is the 'What if…' chart. 'What if we all dressed the same?'
Choice activities
We have a variety of choice activities based on our learning styles eg art, maths, thinking, writing plays, etc. Sometimes we have to do activities set by the teacher, otherwise we can choose.
Curious mind activities.
At the moment, we are looking at Fashions and Fads. We are discussing who influences what becomes a fashion and why? We had a great discussion about school uniforms and democracy. When we vote on something, it's the majority vote that decides the outcome. More parents voted for a school uniform so now Concord School has a school uniform. Some of us think we look really smart and less likely to be lost on school trips. It gives us a sense of pride. But other children felt that it took away their right to choose what to wear.
At the end of our topic, we will be having a Top Model/Project Runway show with a variety of fashions for celebrities, dolls, and even a play. We also will evaluate what we have found out that was interesting to us and what we have learned.
Talk To Learn
Talk to learn is a practical oral language programme for use in Junior Classrooms. It is an innovative tool to meet the needs of students with delayed oral language skills. The programme is linked closely with the New Zealand curriculum.