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The New Zealand Post Primary Teachers' Association / Te Wehengarua (PPTA) professional issues update provides links and ideas for secondary school teachers. This term the topic is engagement, one of the eDscapes conference themes.
eDscapes’ themes are leadership, engagement and professional activism. Join us in Wellington, 18-20 April, next year and hear keynotes from Ben Levin, Judyth Sachs and Christine Richmond.
Christine Richmond is our keynote speaker focusing on engagement. Well known in Australia and NZ for her high energy presentations, her topic: “Engaging Adolescents in Learning: Practical Ideas to Enhance Good Teaching” goes straight to the heart of classroom teachers’ core business. Dr Richmond will also be running workshops at eDscapes.
 Behaviour Management: A Minimalist Approach (Hui Taumata paper - downloads in MS Word)
Transitions through adolescence
Meanwhile, in New Zealand, the PM’s science advisor, Professor Peter Gluckman, has released an interim report on his committee’s research into ‘improving the transition through adolescence.’ One of Gluckman’s aims is to encourage government to develop evidence-informed policy advice. This would certainly be a wonderful thing – although judging by recent MOE decisions he has his work cut out! Read the interim report:
Improving the transition: reducing social and psychological morbidity during adolescence
Behaviour support on TeachersTV
This site has a whole series of programmes focusing on behaviour and classroom management. TeachersTV always differentiates between primary and secondary needs – a focus that would be welcome in more of the resource development and provision here in Aotearoa. The website is constantly updated and offers some fantastic insights into UK developments, along with rich material for discussion in within your departments and branches:
Teachers TV behaviour hub
Grass Kart challenge
These kinds of co-curricular activities promote engagement with technology and a bunch of the key competencies, as well as encouraging students to follow vocational pathways into apprenticeships and training.
Southland Otago Grass Kart Challenge
Students as teachers – improve engagement and achievement
Notions of inclusion using student voice are all well and good, but what might that really look like in relation to engagement for learning? Have you ever considered the idea of ‘lead learners’? This school developed lead learners as part of their strategy to improve achievement, in the process moving their school’s GCSE results from the bottom five to the top 25% in the country.
Lead learners on Teachers TV (video)
Discussion frames for engagement
Here are a couple of discussion frames you can use for branch and other staff conversations.
 Discussion frame 1: Engaging young people in learning
Age-16 student engagement levels are linked to school attendance, NCEA achievement, and to teachers’ perceptions of student behaviour and attitudes (or key competencies).
• The biggest drop in engagement happens between ages 12 to 14
• By the age of 16, 36% are usually or always bored; 29% rarely or only occasionally enjoy learning.
• 25% wanted to leave school as soon as they could, or had left school.
Students said that in their most enjoyable classes:
• teachers are interested in their ideas and understand how they feel about things
• teachers provide scaffolded support—building on student interests, using relevant examples
• teachers are fair and clear
• they can see connections with the outside world and have practical activities.
Engaging young people in learning (pdf) Download Cathy Wylie’s full introduction to NZCER’s book
Discussion frame 2: John Bayley’s ‘top 5 classroom mistakes’
1. Saying to late students, “Why are you late?”
They will not give you the answer you want (“I am a poorly organised inadequate”) and it just makes everyone grumpy. Instead welcome them in and settle them down and deal with the lateness later on. Some teachers have a few chairs by the door for late arrivals.
2. Talking too much
We all bang away at students too much under the happy illusion that they are drinking it all in. They aren’t because not many people learn that way. Lesson starters are a good way to get students talking and give them an early chance to show you how clever they are…
3. Telling students what not to do, rather than what to do
“Too much noise”, “stop talking”, “Leave that alone”. The basis of assertive communication is focusing on the target behaviour. Starting with “I want you to…” or “I need you to…” is clearer.
4. Not giving clear behaviour instructions to accompany work instructions
In most lessons we give a bravura all-singing all-dancing performance for the first ½ hour (too long) and then ask the kids to do some work – this is often the point at which things become chaotic. The way out is to tell students nearer the start of the lesson what activities they will be doing and ask them what behaviours they will need to be successful.
5. Teaching until the last minutes, leaving no time for summing up
All over the country we teach at break-neck speed until the last two minutes and then do a supersonic sum up followed by a quick scream about homework. Use the last fifteen minutes for plenary and homework. Often students don’t know what they’ve learned until they’ve had a chance to sum it up for themselves.
John Bayley - Tips and downloads - Find these online, along with five ways to improve your teaching and five ways to support your colleagues.
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