Manaiakalani Orientation 2019

It has been an informative two days attending the Manaiakalani Orientation for the

2019 school year with speakers Dorothy Burt and Fiona Grant.  With the first day about

getting to know Manaiakalani (the hook from heaven), the emphasis was on the fact

that Manaiakalani is about the people or “he tangata” that are in it.  I also discovered

more about the Learn Create Share model and the idea of “turbocharging” learning is

also a large part of this model, which allows us to do things with technology that we

could never do before!  What I loved about the “Create” element is that Manaiakalani

seeks to involve the whole body in this process. For example, using the hands, the

feet, the heart, etc. with the brain being at the centre of it all.

There are Five Affordances of “Learn Create Share” Model:

- Engagement
- Teacher Conversations
- Cognitive Challenge
- Visibility
- Scaffolding

The idea of “Visibility” or “Visible Teaching Empowering Visible Learning” was

a highlight of the session for me.  A great deal of emphasis was on the importance

of students being able to take charge of their learning and feel empowered.  Using

visible teaching through Google class sites (that are meaningful to them!) promotes

this as students can not only direct their learning online, but can also move forward

and become prepared for what is coming next.  It was expressed that when students

can look forward and be better prepared for classroom learning, this in fact works to

save educators time so that conversations with more purpose and meaning can take

place during classroom sessions.  The importance of whanau being able to view their

child’s learning was a crucial point as well, through use of Google sites to show parents

what is happening on their child’s learning journey.

Having become a part of the Manaiakalani whanau, my next goals are to engage in

more Toolkits and complete the Digital Fluency Intensive to improve my own skills and

become more digitally-aware and able!

Update: Play-Based Learning

We’ve had quite a go with play-based learning in our shared space this term!  We wrote
shopping lists to make our bird suet hangers and then made the suet ourselves and tested
it out.  We’ve seen our kids create patterns out of paper and squares, as well as build
intricate cities with animals and blocks.  We also decided to set up a Creative Space and
put bins of loose parts and brought extra recycled materials from home, which was very
environmentally-friendly as well.  

Here’s few take-aways from setting up our Creative Space (view photos here):

-Children were choosing this activity area during actual playtime because they were so
interested in designing their own pieces.

-Their ideas were being bounced off each other (oral language!) and when one child would
create something, the other students would try to create something similar but with additions.

-When creating a piece together, the students would have to discuss how they were going
to put it together - as well as change or alter it.

-Our design showcase encouraged the students to display the works they had made.

The students designed bracelets, hats, dog leashes, cars, helicopters, blenders - without
any motivation or direction from a teacher.  In my classroom, the students were constantly
asking if they could create at the space and it has been an eye-opening term of what they
are capable of when they are given the space to take charge of their own learning.  For next
year, it would be interesting to experiment with more intentionally structured play-based
learning and really focus on the oral language element to improve student literacy and
speech.

Learning Through Play and Discovery

When working with children, I am continuously amazed by their motivation and capacity to
explore through playing.  Countless times have I seen their eyes light up when they are
encouraged to simply play.  There is a different type of motivation that takes over - an
intrinsic one - that suddenly gives them their own wings to take the lead.  Indeed, it was
Jean Piaget and his Theory of Play which expressed belief in the ability of children from the
preschool age to be innovative and creative.

In the third term, in math specifically, I experimented with various math play ideas that

captured and maintained the children’s interest.  For instance, cookie trays that were set
up as ten frames where they would pretend to bake cookies with numbers on them. 
It was the monster play-dough that really caught their attention, as they had to make 10
different monsters and put the right number of googly eyeballs on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.
What amazed me about these games was that the children were so occupied and engaged
that I did not have to do much classroom management and was able to teach small DMIC
math groups with ease.  What was even more amazing was that when free play time came,
many students would choose to play with these math games!

As I myself am becoming more familiar with play-based learning, I have realised that it is
something that has to be put in place intentionally on part of the teacher.  Though engaging
math games and messy play are a start, play-based learning is a more intricate idea. These
intentional moments that are set-up by the teacher, develop questions and ideas that stem
from the children. Noticing this requires careful listening and the attentive ear of the teacher.
It is from that point, that the teacher directs the learning and uses their interests to ignite a
passion for learning. I am on a mission to discover interesting ways in which I can bring
intentional play into math and literacy.

In this last term, I have decided to experiment with impromptu play stations and messy play
in the classroom. This not only helps young children with their fine motor skills, but also
allows them to create as they go.  I plan to use these explore times as ways to understand
my students’ thinking and use it to direct their learning towards the areas they are interested
in - as learning to do so is a skill that need be practised and honed over time.

I am particularly interested in the following two areas when it comes to play-based learning:

How does play increase a child’s motivation and engagement in classroom activities?
How does play work to improve the oral language of a child?