SMARTER GOAL SETTING

Labour Weekend has been beaut weatherwise and spent at home (always nice). Jo headed to Gisborne, Ken into the bush and Renee came home and along with her, her friends. Gorgeous weather has made it magic yet work has encroached on the sheer luxury of it all. Gardening etc around home has been invigorating plus there has been the inevitable school work. I have thoroughly enjoyed the smattering of sunshine I've allowed myself, although being a greedy sun fiend, I would have loved lots more time out there. I've loved having the kids here and even with the house filled I feel as though I am at least making some headway into the pile up of school work that needs to be actioned.

Last night Renee and her friends went down to the beach surfcasting. I spent the time preparing for the Principals' workshop organised to happen on Friday and developing a draft Action Plan. And then there is the e-learning leaders day on Wednesday.

Today the kids headed out to the Bayfair shops in Tauranga when I stole the time to reflect on the sustainability of our e-learning developments within our schools. We're coming into our last year of 3 next year and need to make sure we make the most of every opportunity we have and set people up to continue their success.

I specifically spent sometime considering the goal setting processes and admit they need lots more rigour. How? My thinking shows that we need to develop our Action Research processes so that they impact more fully in all cases to improve student achievement outcomes in a rich and meaningful way. While this had been the intention this year and we can celebrate some success, we need to do more. Success has come to some. For others, I am not so sure.

I think the action research processes need to be more clearly defined, taking the tools far more deeply into learning. Goals set need to be acknowledged and supported within school performance development processes so that value and interaction can occur irrespective of any cluster initiatives. This is one way that sustainability and growth in teaching and learning practices using ICTs will continue beyond the contract term.

SMART then SMARTER

I came across the SMART goal setting process and as I found out more, I could see it working well in defining the thinking required. I designed a process to fit this and edited the action learning page on the cluster's wiki.

SMART GOAL SETTING:

S pecific
M easurable
A ttainable
R ealistic
T imeframed

I thought I was doing quite well and shared this with Renee. What a coincidence. She is working her staff through a very similar process but had an even better model. Aren't kids stimulating!

"SMARTER" was a concept introduced to me by R. i.e. All the above with the addition of
S pecific
M easurable
A ttainable Action Plan
R ealistic
T imeframed
E xtending
R ewarding

The ER makes such a difference. E could also represent Evaluate but hopefully reflection has now grown to a self managed expectation and is deeply embedded into teacher/learner practice.

I've researched more and know that there are other terms that can be applied but these ones have got my bells ringing. I can feel my passion and excitement growing.

This would work well for kids too. Perhaps simplified? Definitely could be part of the school-wide self-assessment and e-portfolio processes.

I've made an online form up for people to capture and record their goals, to stimulate thinking and to help in engaging and channeling that rigour. Posted it up on the cluster wiki so it is all ready for people to use from now on. Well ahead of the 2010 deadline. Yeehaa! What a great feeling.

Love it!! Think it will help in moving us into a more sustainable goal setting and growth process.

What Makes A Great 21st C Teacher?

We've concentrated a lot on the 21st C learner and I'm curious as to what traits educators think are important for the teacher in teaching today's learners for today's world? I'd like to unpack the 21st C teacher, coming up with a list of descriptives of a forward-thinking teacher. What would they be and do? A simple word list or phrase.... nothing fancy. Will post the results in wordle.





Cool! It worked. The questionnaire created in Zoho Creator can be embedded into any web page and so can the results. A great way to interact and collaborate. And after all isn't that what 21st C learning and teaching, like living is all about?! ;-)

Hmmm, so what are the possibilities here then....?

SPELLING CITY

Can spell most words from essential word list accurately

DIGITAL LITERACY

At a session with Rocky on the draft Literacy Progressions. Have downloaded the document so I have it readily available just like the NZC.

Teachers need a suite of tools as we promote learning for our students.

Woodlands Junior School (UK) has a wealth of interactive tools to engage our students towards new learning. There are links to literacy, science, maths and a range of inquiry areas.

"Ideas to Inspire" is a wealth of examples to help us as we make our conscious decisions to use e-learning tools which cater for specific learning needs. Check out "Ideas to Inspire".



And last but certainly not least, for a treasure trove of resources which support teaching and learning across the literacy progressions this resource has been devised. Constructed with input from the Tauranga group and added to by the Rotorua intake, this builds on the experience and expertise of the teachers who participated and contributed, superbly facilitated by Rocky.

Well worth putting a chunk of time aside to investigate and locate the recommended resources to help your learners.

WHERE DO WE STAND? http://bit.ly/15G89q

This is a such a good article. It ties in very well with Jody's comment (in the last article) and supports the "It all depends on your educational philosophy." stance.

Gary Stager suggests that it is the combination of a "vision deficit, meager goals and technological ignorance that limits the educational potential of technology". He asks us to place ourselves behind three points of a triangle with the points being manned by Papert, Snyder and Bork.

Snyder viewed the computer for the teacher. He developed his one computer classroom software and stands at the point where the teacher is the performer and the computer the prop.

Papert viewed the computer for the learner. His influence led to the development of Logo, an advocate of the laptop, believing the computer allowed learners to construct knowledge in ways and domains otherwise impossible. Hmmm, how many teachers are using these tools in this way today?

Bork viewed the computer for the system. He believed that computers assist in learning programmes where the computer can assess the learning need and then develop the programme to fit. Bork viewed most current uses of computers in learning as inadequate, often driven by technology issues rather than learning issues. Hmm, I wonder what he would recognise in today's classrooms?

Stager asks us to define what we see as the role of the computer.

1) If the computer is to deliver content then little teacher pd along these lines is needed. The impact will be negligible.

2) If the goal is to have the computer publish, prepare graphs, present content videos etc then the desired pd would be seen as teaching the skills of computer use.

3) If the goal is to have learners create, construct and collaborate then the desired teacher pd will focus on inquiry, thinking, learning and constructivism rather than simply computer skills.

3) I guess the question then needs to be asked: What do you want your classroom computers to do? The answers will then shed further light.

These answers can then be used to govern the funding investment for the classroom too.

Goal 2 above requires a cheap wordprocessor
Goal 3 requires the flexibility and creativity Jody speaks of. It definitely means online access to blogs etc as Tricia describes in her comment.

We then move on to ask - How many of our classrooms are over or under spec-ed? We need to ask - What, as a classroom teacher, am I striving to do with the computer? What does my educational philosophy encompass? Am I wanting to sustain our traditional teaching practice or transform learning?

These answers will determine the level of learning for all those who are part of that learning environment. Now that is some accountability!!

HOW DO WE MOVE TEACHERS BEYOND THE SUPERFICIAL NATURE OF "THE TOOLS"?

The last week or so has shown how valuable 'holidays" are to all learners. An opportunity to delve into new corners and stimulate thinking, to discover and ponder, to deepen understandings through deeper reflection. This is such a glorious luxury and one of the reasons I didn't attend a conference!

We are now in our second year of an ICTPD contract, my third now and while I am delighted at progress I still have a lot of unanswered questions. It is very clear that those who are using ICTs as an add-on in their classrooms, an extra to their teaching and learning practice will not sustain their e-learning practice. A new fad will come along to replace this practice, new developments will not occur and these people will drift like the wind into the next idea.

So what is it that works in changing teacher practice? I see so many seduced by an "add-on" nature of the tools, carried away with the superficial, a focus on the teaching of the skills of ICT... and sadly they are not only classroom teachers. PD providers can also fit into this category.

What is it that changes teacher's concepts away from the superficial to the deep understanding of the "why"?!

We have just over a year left of our present contract. We have come a long way and I realise we need to remember this. Perhaps the contracts are just not long enough? Yet we can afford no excuses. We nee dot make as much difference as we can in the time we have been allotted. We have a year left to get it right! No time to waste! So what do we need to implement, carry out, research, break through, strategise over etc. in preparing for our final year?

Unfortunately add-ons are not sustained. The competitive nature of "I've got a blog/wiki etc" and the extrinsic nature of how many hits I receive will wane. Is this perhaps why so many start blogs but don't continue beyond the "lollipop high', with teachers induced by their initial foray into the use of the tools? The fact that they are an amazing collaborative, reflective learning tool for any 21st C learner just doesn't cut the mustard. Teachers become unmotivated to keep the learning blog engaging.

How can we better get the message across? How ca we ensure that people understand that it isn't the tool that contains the e-learning life force. It is the teacher!! ICT tools sustain the power. It is the teacher that engages it, snares the learning opportunity and directs it to the greatest learning source.

How can we help teachers see this? How can we get them to go beyond their present practice? How will they see ICTs as a powerful e-learning tool, an intrinsic and much needed catalyst for learning?

I work with amazing teachers, dedicated and passionate learners who are learners and teachers. We all need to be this today. Teachers who have not simply been a teacher for 15 - 30 odd years. Teachers who have been teaching for all that time. The people I work with are inspirational. Many have kept their focus throughout the contract so entirely and delightfully on the learner and the learning. So what is the package that has ensured this occurs? Why has this worked for some and not for others. Why do some stand out so brightly while others camouflage themselves so cleverly?

I'd love to capture the essence of the passionate, bottle it and then set it free as a pandemic! I wonder how many would request inoculation?

I am searching for ideas which I will gratefully receive.

We have a year to make a difference for everyone, especially our students! No exceptions.

Have you some ideas? What are the ingredients of a successful recipe?

LEADING E-LEARNING

Are you an e-learning leader? Do you work with someone who is? What has made a positive difference for you? What things should be avoided?

Please share your ideas, tips and success strategies with us, adding a page for each entry and your name if you wish in the shared google doc below.

This builds upon the idea that "None of us is as good as all of us". Your ideas and insights will help.

BLOG WRITING TIPS & GUIDELINES

Thanks to Tim Comfort who put me on to these tips for new bloggers.
They come from: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2005/12/30/tens-tips-for-writing-a-blog-post/

1. Make your opinion known
Blogs are popular because they are written by people and not corporations. People want to know what people think; crazy as it sounds they want to know what you think. Tell them exactly what you think using the least amount of words possible.

2. Link like crazy
Support your post with links to other web pages that are contextual to your post.

3. Write less
Give the maximum amount of information with the least amount of words. Time is finite and people are infinitely busy. Blast your knowledge into the reader at the speed of sound.

4. 250 is enough
A long post is easier to forget and harder to get into. A short post is the opposite.

5. Make Headlines snappy
Contain your whole argument in your headline. Check out National newspapers to see how they do it.

6. Include bullet point lists
We all love lists, it structures the information in an easily digestible format.

7. Make your posts easy to scan
Every few paragraphs insert a sub heading. Make sentences and headlines short and to the point.

8. Be consistent with your style
People like to know what to expect, once you have settled on a style for your audience stick to it.

9. Litter the post with Keywords
Think about what keywords people would use to search for your post and include them in the text of the body and headers. Make sure the keyword placement is natural and does not seem out of place.

10. Edit your post
Good writing is in the editing. Before you hit the submit button, re-read your post and cut out the stuff that you don’t need.

For more information and tips on blog writing visit:

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/14/blogging-for-beginners-2/

From http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

VISUAL SEARCH ENGINES continued..

Still on the search. Have come across -

Search Cube - This looks great. The found sites just seem to keep popping into the cube so it is good to wait. Using the arrow keys on your keyboard allows you to turn the cube and access visual images of sites. Haven't found a place yet to turn on the Safe Searching option as Viewzi does.

O-Skope is a visual tool too but the need to "select a service" puts in an extra step which I see as a barrier.

Quintura for Kids: a family/kid friendly visual search tool. Trouble is a search for matariki didn't find any results. The site says you can embed Quintura into your own blog or wiki so I'll try it here. Not much good if we can't locate results though.

VISUAL SEARCH ENGINES

Wanted: A visual search engine
Missing: Searchme (seems it has been lost in action)
Came across: Viewzi.
Wondering: What are other teachers/students are using?
Reasoning: Our kids are such visual learners we need search tools whihc cater to this. Search me was great. It was handy to be able to create stacks.

PHOTOPEACH

Tonight I stumbled across Kevin McLaughlin's blog Steps in Teaching and Learning. Amongst other gems, Kevin shared the work he and his children have been doing with Photopeach. What fun!!

Quick and easy to use, I liked the fact that the slideshow is fully editable. You can go back and add more photos, rearrange and edit them, add and alter captions and music, and control the speed etc. I didn;t try out the quiz option but will when I find the need. Time now to add this little gem to our digital story telling list on the cluster wiki. Thanks Kevin!

HISTORY OF THE INTERNET

EASI SPEAK MICROPHONES

What a great little tool! I first came across the easispeak microphones during the Learning At School 09 conference in February where Garry introduced me to it at the Sitech stand. A purchase soon followed and I have continued to be delighted at the ease of use and possibilities uncovered in capturing sound files.

The first time I used it was to capture student voice. Passing the microphone over to the group, the children worked out very quickly how it worked. Other than showing them where the on/off switch was, no further instructions were needed. The portability, independence and ability to record, replay, add to and delete are great options. The 7 & 8 year old students were delighted to work all this out and then teach me.

One of the group, Andrew was a reticent speaker. He tended to hold back, leaving the talking to others. He had a lot to contribute but found it difficult to organise his thoughts and have them flow into the conversation. Passing the microphone around the group really illustrated the impact. Students recorded, palyed back, assessed and moved on. You could see the group rehearsing, analysing and thinking! When it came to Andrew's turn he took his time. People waited. Andrew's eyes were closed as he rehearsed, thought quielty and then aloud before he turned on the record button. He recorded, pressed play, listened, repeated the recording adding and clarifying and then passed on the microphone when he was happy.

The other problem, now eliminated when capturing any student voice, has been background noise. A microphone attached to a computer has to cope with whatever else is happening within the room and as you know this is not always conducive to great recording conditions! The independence, ease of use and portability of the easispeak solves this issue.

The microphone has impacted to improve these situations straight away.
- We can take the microphone with us where ever we go - on our walks, on class trips or to a quiet space when we need to record.
- The ability to rehearse, play back, delete and redo adds to content and clarity.
- Passing the microphone easily from one person to the next and having the users hold it in our own hands allows us all to predict our turn and prepare, increases ownership and responsibility, and improves participation and contribution.

Once the recordings were done, the black cap was removed to show the USB connection and voila! in a very short time the podcasts were uploaded and inserted via the computer. What a great little tool. So simple, versatile and transeferrable!

The microphones are now being used in all our cluster schools. They are being used -
- By both teachers and students to capture reflections on their learning.
- By students to record and playback their writing.
- In the process of transforming narrative writing into plays, cartoons, animations and movies
- To record student questions
- As a record of oral language
- By staff and students as they record interviews with visiting speakers, experts
- By students to record their times tables
- On class walks and trips to capture special places, sounds and observations. e.g. Hamilton Zoo

We are only limited by our imaginations. How else is this tool being used to enhance learning for you or your students?

VoiceThread: Building Collaborative, Community Oriented Learning Environments from Michelle Pacansky-Brock on Vimeo.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ANDRAGOGY & PEDAGOGY?

I find this table (below) very interesting, particularly the "permanence of learning" row. I know what I am striving for... and it does seem to reinforce my previous postings. Is pedagogy a blst from the past and should it stay there?

From http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/andragogy/index.htm

	Andragogy	Pedagogy
Demands of learning	Learner must balance life responsibilities with the demands of learning.	Learner can devote more time to the demands of learning because responsibilities are minimal.
Role of instructor	Learners are autonomous and self directed. Teachers guide the learners to their own knowledge rather than supplying them with facts.	Learners rely on the instructor to direct the learning. Fact based lecturing is often the mode of knowledge transmission.
Life experiences	Learners have a tremendous amount of life experiences. They need to connect the learning to their knowledge base. They must recognize the value of the learning.	Learners are building a knowledge base and must be shown how their life experiences connect with the present learning.
Purpose for learning	Learners are goal oriented and know for what purpose they are learning new information	Learners often see no reason for taking a particular course. They just know they have to learn the information.
Permanence of learning	Learning is self-initiated and tends to last a long time.	Learning is compulsory and tends to disappear shortly after instruction.

30+ WAYS TO USE WORDLE IN THE CLASSROOM

Thanks to Tom Barrett for this link sharing a multitude of interesting ways that wordle can be used in the classroom.

Mel's idea was a brilliant one too. Parent feedback to a survey was entered into Wordle and the display was really informative and showed direct links ot the school vision for learnning. What a clever cookie!

I wonder how others are using it...

XTRANORMAL - A GREAT DIGITAL STORY TELLING TOOL

Wow Wow Wee!!! Thanks to Twitter I've linked to this great tool. It is still in its beta site and because of this free at this stage.

Watch the video below and see why I'm excited.

Make your own mini-movie using avatars in four easy steps and all for free.

XtraNormal - great for creative writing, sequencing, structure and just having fun. Have students create their own show complete with camera angles and attitude. Story board first is a recommendation.

Don't let the kids have all the fun - go on in and make one to show them too. You'll have fun!

Visit xtranormal.com
I'm off to add it to the Digital Story Telling Page on our RELLco wiki Shows how helpful a tweet can be.

ADDING VIDEO TO BLOGGER ARTICLES:

Locate the video you want to add from the www video site it is stored on e.g. YouTube, Teacher Tube etc.

You should see a box referring to Embed: with html text in it

Copy all the html, the embed code offered within the Embed: box

1. Login to blogger with your ID.


2. Click New Posting.


3. Choose Edit Html tab (up by the Compose tab)


4. Move the cursor to where you want the code to appear and paste the embed code.
   
   
5. If you want a line break between this and the next line of text add where you want the break to appear
   


6. Click Publish Post button


7. Done. Please see the results

View your blog. Don't forget to refresh your page if it was opened before publishing.

TWITTERING SATURDAY

A wet ANZAC day in the Bay spent watching out for Marty at ANZAC Cove, Turkey via the TV coverage. No sign so far. However while watching I have enjoyed twittering around, catching up with my facebook, emails etc. Have enjoyed the time talking with people and catching up on their news etc. This brings me to some musings about Twitter...

A while ago I blogged about this social networking tool, querying its worth in my overflowing life. Then at a couple of conferences last year I found it invaluable. To sit in a room and listen to a speaker with no interaction is hard for me now and it doesn't have anything to do with getting old! It is about being able to interact with my thinking. Where people would have whispered and talked, disturbing others in the past, I can now twitter. This allows me to have my questions asked - and answered, hear what others are twittering in the same space, expose myself to new links and thinkings etc and come back to them all later when more in depth follow up is possible.

I found this video on YouTube and am still smiling. I guess it is about us as users. It is about us using the tool to meet our individual needs. Thank goodness I don't have an addictive personality... but then perhaps I wonder, have I??

Enjoy:



If you want to find out more about twitter:



If you want to join: http://twitter.com

If you want to meet me there: http://twitter.com/lwatchorn

IS THERE STILL A PLACE FOR PEDAGOGY?

The thought just wont go away! Last June I blogged about the place of pedagogy as opposed to andragogy (Knowles…)within a 21st century learning environment. The article focused around the pondering: Is it a case of only one (pedagogy as it is seen to apply specifically to children) or andragogy within the classroom?
I am still wondering....

Should we be examining a learning theory in light of the learning rather than the age of the people involved? My current leaning is more and more towards the principles of andragogy rather than pedagogy in a child centred classroom.

Two Definitions of Pedagogy From A Google Search:

o "Pedagogy , or paedagogy is the art or science of being a teacher. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction."
From en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedagogy

o "An educational approach characterized by teacher-centredness. The teacher is viewed as an authority figure and students are not generally involved in decisions/actions in regard to learning. Related concepts include: directed learning."
From: www.nald.ca/adultlearningcourse/glossary.htm:


I understand the word pedagogy comes from the ancient Greek paidagogos, the slave who took little boys to and from school as part of paideia. The word "paidia" (παιδιά) refers to children, which I guess is why people make the distinction between pedagogy (teaching children) and andragogy (teaching adults).


Two Definitions of Androgogy:

o "Andragogy is the process of engaging adult learners in the structure of the learning experience."
From en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andragogy

o "an educational approach characterized by learner-centredness (ie, the student's needs and wants are central to the process of teaching), self ..."
www.nald.ca/adultlearningcourse/glossary.htm


Aha! Perhaps the later definition is the key.


I am at the Art of Facilitation Course run by Joan Dalton and David Anderson. A poster displayed on the wall has caused me to reflect on my thinking and how it may have progressed since my June 08 article. I am feeling more and more that I lean towards pedagogy either needing to be revamped or trashed altogether. Wow! Now, this statement is a risk, a dramatic concept for me to publicly declare! As I do this, I wonder about the ramifications. Hmmm, I'll risk it.

The poster refers to the assertion that adults need:
- to be involved in planning and evaluating their instruction
- to use experience as the basis for learning activities
- to learn what has immediate relevance to their jobs/personal lives
- problem-centred learning rather than content-oriented learning.

Isn't this what we do and want for our classrooms? Why should the adults have all the fun?

Have a look at this link. Which on the list does not apply in a 21st C Classroom?

What am I missing?? I'd love some feedback and to have my thinking challenged.

Has the time come for pedagogy to be discarded and replaced with another term which encompasses all learners, recognising their cognitive ability rather than age?

What is informing our current practice and assisting us as we travel towards our vision for learning?

Pedagogy?

......Should it be?

SLANZA 2009

I spent yesterday with a wonderful group of people involved in school libraries, all keen to find out about this "new Web2 phenomenon". And did we have fun!! All created either a wiki or a blog and most did both! Hosted at Otumoetai College in their library and suite (for the hands on) we dived right on in. If you want to find out more, check out the SLANZA wiki which was set up last year for a similar foray. It is always so nice to work with Linda and thank you for organising it all. I was just able to turn up and have fun which I sure did!

I'm in Hamilton now and loving this weather!!

INSPIRATION IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

Here I am at Owhata School and loving it! I always feel so inspired when talking to Trish. The learning focus she has is wonderful!! I love listening to the enthusiasm and passion, Trish's reflections and ponderings as she shares her progress with her Junior class. I just can't get enough!!!! Trish is going to become a blogger too so others will get to feel inspired along with me which is great news. I'll post Trish's URL up here when we get going.... so watch this space!

WHO WANTS TO BE MARY?

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:

Interesting isn't it how the technologies we use have the power to change us as users. Reminds me of the first ATM machines that were put inside the banks, alongside the tellers, available only as much as the human versions were. It took a while for the thinking to alter and the new ways of doing things to occur.

Similarly I wonder about the tools as I consider options for sharing e-portfolios. Google Docs has such potential and again I ponder how these tools may alter what we do now. My thinking then meandered on to consultation over the school curriculum ( I really must learn to sleep at night) and I came across Dr Cheryl Doig's work in this area. She talks about our schools perception around engaging with our communities. Check out Cheryl's voice thread on the subject

I remember years ago a high school my children went to engaged us as parents in a community consultation meeting. Not much consultation and very little opportuntiy for engagement. Made me think - not about what was presented but how they could even consider this "community consultation and engagement". It was simply a Show and Tell. How many schools still see this as consultation, I wonder. What does that form of consultation tell us about what the school values?

What is the role of the school in reporting to parents .... ?

- informing (one way conversation, school decides),

- consulting aka "selling" (two way relationship, school decides),

- involving - (discuss, school decides),

- collaborating - (school and community decide together),

- empowering - (trust based relationships, joint discussions and decisionmakers)

PODCASTING TOOL:

Just discovered a nice new podcasting site - one which hosts your podcasts and prepares them for embedding into other web 2.0 applications.


I love it - it seems so simple, so clear in its processes. So much easier than some I have worked with (podcasts that is!:-)

Check it out: Podbean.com

"Education is not the filling of a vessel, but the kindling of a flame." - Socrates

LEADING STUDENTS TO AUTHORSHIP:

Thank you Mark for the invitation to blend in at the Nga Tii Roa cluster’s TO day. (Yeah I can hear the "Lorraine - blend???" comments. :-) I have long wanted to participate in one of Gail Loane’s workshops, ever since the 1990s when I heard Julie share her student’s writing following such a course. Today I found out why.

It is interesting to reflect on the successful strategies promoted to support authorship. I can see why I felt such a buzz. It links so much to what I believe, to what I do in my work.

21^st C Learning – Rich, Real, Relevant

We can’t give children rich lives, but we can give the, the lens to appreciate the richness that is already there.

~ Lucy Caulkins

Value the real, getting kids to see what is there, learning to look closely, to describe, share, to write what they see, feel and do and not what they think their teachers want them to write. To empower students. Their writings, their views, their reflection of their lives, are valuable.

“If nothing happens for the writer, nothing happens for the reader”

~ Gail Loane

e.g. Do sentence starters help make things happen for the writer? What do these contrived starters say about our beliefs as teachers? Is it perhaps that we believe students have little or nothing to write about unless we prompt them with a narrow sentence starter? If we start the story, who owns it? We saw examples of thin narrative. We want to engage in rich experiences, rich writing, rich authorship, rich narrative.

How many of us will begin our school year asking students to engage in a recount? How could this be made so much more interesting? Gail shared with us a poem by J.K. Baxter which began: “The town was usual enough: it had….” It was here we began. Rather than the usual recount we looked at what response this poem engendered for us. Did it trigger a memory, a visualisation? Any unfamiliar words? Emotional engagement? How were the words broken up? What effect did this have? Why did Baxter do it this way? What are the clues that tell us this was a small town… or being hot….

What if we replaced the word, “town”? By deconstructing Baxter’s poem we unpack the keys to this successful piece of writing. Once done it allows us to make our own reconstruction….

Inspired by James Kay Baxter’s poem & Gail Loane’s passionate facilitation –

The ditch was usual enough; it had

A dip, sheltering trees, the soft earth, pine needles

Covering the hollow at the end of our

Street. Seldom visited. My sisters, neighbours and I

Dug down, hidden from adult

Eyes with matches and stolen cigarettes

Dad’s pipe, sucked sharply, breathing

Life into the curl of charred tobacco

Scorched resin, soft earth, our secret place

A Sunday Afternoon.

~ Lorraine Watchorn

Just bought the book "Love That Dog" by Sharon Creech from Fishpond. Love It!!! It tells the story of a Jack who doesn't care too much for poetry, his teacher, Jacks learning reflections and his dog.