Manaiakalani Convenors Meeting

Hornby Primary had the pleasure of hosting our third Convenors meeting of the year on Thursday. Tier 2 Outreach started this year with 5 new clusters. One of the many enjoyable aspects of the gathering is the meal on the Wednesday evening before the meeting. This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, or on this occasion, meet new members of Outreach. We chatted over lovely food and beverages at the Old Government Building in the Square. These opportunities should not be undervalued, they form the foundation for positive lasting relationships.

As usual we covered a number of topics. I will touch on four
1. Assessment data. In order to link evidence to practice, we require valid, reliable, longitudinal data so we can identify the practices that are accelerating progress and achievement. At this point, we believe JAM is the most reliable Junior tool.
2. Student and whānau voice. Student voice is crucial, what is working for students and what can we do better? The same applies for whānau and families.
3. Digital Fluency Initiative (DFI) which runs each Friday for 9 weeks each term. The course has a transformational vision based on Learn Create Share and is for teachers. Teacher feedback has been extremely positive.
4. Preparing for 2019 - PR and communication is crucial.
- how many devices will we need for new 1:1 digital classes?
- when do we let whānau know?

Be prepared for the following questions/concerns from parents
- games
- screen time
- handwriting
- wifi/brainwaves

One useful strategy is to get children to present their learning to whānau. From our experience, our children are our greatest advocates in terms of promoting Learn Create Share and the affordances of digital technology.

By 3pm on the day, we had covered a lot of ground with possibly more questions than answers, but very certain in the direction we are heading ... linking evidence to practice and accelerating progress and achievement for all our learners. I'm not getting off this bus!

WFRC Manaiakalani Outreach Wānanga Presentation

All eight Uru Mānuka Outreach Cluster Principals attended the Manaiakalani Outreach Convenors meeting at Pt England School on Thursday 26 October - a great effort! To have all our principals there on the day was fantastic and demonstrates everyone's commitment to Learn Create Share and the affordances of digital technology-  a very proud Convenor indeed!

Rebecca, Aaron, Selena and Cynthia from Woolf Fisher Research Centre (WFRC) presented our cluster data which included; classroom observation data, and teacher, student and parent questionnaire data. We had the opportunity as a cluster to investigate the data and identify patterns and trends that could inform our strategic planning for 2018. The information provided was invaluable as it enables us to link evidence to teacher practice.

Two possible cluster focus areas for 2018 identified:

1. Teaching foci - increase the amount of time spent on teaching strategy and critical thinking.

2. Feedback type - more descriptive and generative.

These foci may provide the basis for our cluster Teaching as Inquiry (TAIs) investigations in 2018. Cluster TAIs and the sharing of outcomes will develop greater consistency and coherence in our teaching practice and hopefully continue to accelerate student achievement across Uru Mānuka.

Another wonderful day with like-minded colleagues dedicated to making a difference to our learners lives. A special thank you to Russell and his team for hosting us, the WFRC team for their indepth analyses, Dorothy for her presentation, the Manaiakalani CoL presentations, and lastly but not least, Pat Snedden (MET Chair) for his ongoing support that makes all of this possible!

The Team