Creating Community

Creating Community

We will take you through our journey from horizontal teams to vertical communities. We will

discuss the practicalities of day to day participation in community groups - How does it work? What does is look like? How do we plan

together? Students will share thoughts about working in a community.  We will look at our newly developed

community progressions based on the key competencies of Participating and Contributing.

Red Beach Vision

The TrialPlus Minus Interesting

• Strong sense of family

• 3 teachers on the same

journey

• Dialogue and

questioning skills of the

children enhanced

•Older children mentored the younger children

• Planning across the age

groups(stretch for teachers)

• Need for a common space to

meet as a community

How does it workSchool is divided into 8 communities of 3-4

classesMixture of year levelsEach year the communities are renamed and

regrouped generally according to our overall ‘BIG CONCEPT’ eg: 2009 – Scientist’s names – Science/technology focus – science fair

MeetingsGenerally no additional meetings

Communities once every 3 weeks or as needed

eg: production, planning, assemblies

PLANNINGIn 2008/2009 planned inquiry/topic as a

vertical communityFeedback from staff was that it was too difficult

due to the range of age levels and abilities2010 reverted back to horizontal planning

across the year groups. All same year levels plan together for topic/inquiry eg: all year 2’s plan inquiry together

Main Ideas/Questions/Links to other learning areasWe’re all in this together

Everyone has a part to playWe’re all paddling the waka in the same direction

Terminology:Job, tasks, working together,

Curriculum linksKey Competencies

Thinking critically Participate and Contribute ideas into class learning about the many different ways we can work as a community.

Managing Self Relating to Others

Resources Our School Community Unit, Staff, photographs, art – creating a waka, paddles

RBS Curriculum Aspects Checklist Lifelong Learning Qualities RB Hearts Powerful Learning Process Make a Difference

Global Learning IntentionHow a school community works together

WK LI-Iam learning: SC Delivery/experience1 About the different people in the school Recall by brainstorming all the people we know in the school (get it)

Look at photos and imagine what these people might do in our school (get it)Sort ourselves into pairs and distribute people to each group (sort it)

2/3 How to ask good questions to get more informationHow to interview people

Ask questions that don’t have a yes or no answer Think carefully about what I want to find out Speak clearly and slowly Ask good questions Listen to their answers

What do we want to find out? Ask: Job, task, how long they have worked here, what they like most, what they like least, why the chose to work at RBS (get it)Practice interviewing each other. One to video whilst one asks the questions (question, reflect, dialogue)

4 How to compare different people in our school using the role they do

Group according to: cleaners/property, office, teachers/principal, etc (sort it)Use a ranking ladder of importance according to children’s ideas. Imagine if we didn’t have Ms Tait/Jill etc, imagine if there were no children at our school

5 Why it is important to work together Everyone has a part to play We all count We’re all in this together

Improve our knowledge of others in the school. (use it)EVALUATION/REFLECTION

Powerful Learning Plan We’re all in this together

Sharon Hartley, Room 24, Term Four 2010

Links to the Key Competencies

Relating to others “Relating to others is about interacting effectively with a diverse range of people in a variety of contexts” (NZC, 2007)Participating and Contributing“Students who participate and contribute in communities have a sense of belonging and confidence to participate within new contexts.” (NZC, 2007)

PLUS MINUS INTERESTING

•Cross Grouping – older students mentoring younger students•Children mix much more with older/younger students than they would if just in their own year levels•Teachers get to mix and learn with teachers from across the year levels. •Lots of learning conversations about how to cater for students who need some “stretch” in their learning and for those students who need more support. How we can remove barriers to learning?•Empowerment of students (reading buddies/lunch dismissal monitors, decision making about community days)•Older students can help with ICT issues

•Finding time to get together

•Sometimes older children are not good role models for the younger students.

•Moving classrooms every year

•Some communities regularly schedule ‘community time’

• Get to know children across the school

Things to do togetherBuddy ReadingAssembliesCross grouping to teach Maori Fun Fridays – team building activitiesTripsCommunity singingWet day lunch monitorsProductionSharing of learningLunch dismissal monitors

Student VoiceReuben – Year 5

Olivia – Year 4

Madison – Year 1

Will share their thoughts about learning in a community

Open forum – time to ask the children any questions