Monthly Archives: June 2014

Restorative practices teacher

Posted on by under Teaching 2014

Why negatives don’t work …
Presented by Adam Voight.
Have to have one things that we’re going to do tomorrow to make Wirreanda a more restorative school.
#restorativewss is the hash tag for twitter.
Inspire
Challenge
Provoke
Strengthen
Connect five non-content intentions.
Start to identify what we are doing that is already restorative.
Have to have small group discussion where we say what we want to achieve today … I hate that.
How you doing? Starting point of restorative practices.
This something that happens really well among Science faculty.

Reflection is the big push so the restorative practice framework can provide explicit practice to reflect upon.

Repairing harm and strengthening relationships.

First principle of fair processes … Engagement– Tell their story. E.g ask the perpetrator first gets them involved in the process.
Principle 2 Explanation why has the decision been made.
Principle 3 Expectation Clarity … Important bit to get right Includes penalties and sanctions that will apply for failing to honour the agreement.
The need for questions to take from past present to future.

Affective statements, affective interaction both at the informal end of the continuum.

Human behaviour

Every behaviour has a meaning and a context …. Get avoid or achieve something. It’s specific to people and situation.
Try strategy with different context. Think about to respond rather than react.
Different type kids
Help Me
Look at Me late, loud and laughing
Make Me power struggle get off the tennis court.
You’ll pay …. Behaviour doesn’t make sense go for the external help.

Change behaviours one at a time not in chunks

Resilient heroes.
Start with the discussion of resilience and then look for heroes who have shown this.
A PD day just about presenting ideas … Works with my learning style.

Flinders PD notes

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Changes to Science Courses at Flinders

Bachelor of Design and Technology Innovation
Involves.
Design. and innovation underpinned by STEM. Eg will be major in a stem subject. Will be scientists and engineers.

Next year engineering will have a common first year.

Australian Qualification Different levels from now on.

Network systems has become network and cyber security. Will contain industry certification

Palaeontology

Lots of potential teaching sites in SA
Ediacara

Emu bay on KI Cambrian 520 mil. Cambrian explosion. Has soft bodies creatures preserved.

October Pedy 120 mil polarised fossils.

Lake Frome Basin 25 mil
Lake Eyre .. Pliocene and Pleistocene

Rocky River KI late Pleistocene . Extinction of mega fauna
Eubanks in Burra region

Naracoorte Caves. Megafauna etc for last 0.5 mil

Megafauna trackways about 200 sites found recently. What animals inhabited same areas at same time?

The Bone Box

Links in different areas of science to the bones and how they are found and treated.
Eg chemistry pH of soils mineralisation isotopic half lives stable isotopes to interpret climate and food sources etc…

Physics
Thermodynamics, luminescence, biomechanics

Earth sciences
Changing environments identification of rock

formations

Everything in the bone box comes from SA research. Come with the information and usually a staff member. Science inquiry skills.
1 class at a time 100 students $5 per student.

Eg speed of movement through footprints in long jump pit. I can do that.

Nanotechnology.
Demoed some nanotechnology materials most of which I already have from teaching a short nano unit to year 9s previously.

After School PD 10/06/14

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Restorative practice exemplars… Bec Cousins presented an example about a Year 9 issue that was resolved through restorative practices.
Asked to respond to google doc here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BIxFAp5TJtfezCW7_HQeO7tJm6Vp4raRCgS08JQ1d94/edit?usp=sharing
Not iPad friendly but I got a few things recorded.

Next session about the edutech conference. To split into groups to get some of the experiences.
I went to the session looking at how our WAVE program utilises technology to cater for individuals. Presented by Kadri.

Landfll harmonic – beyond amazing – see video.
Interesting perfect storm of desire, hard work and innovation.
20% of students don’t feel connected to their schools. I thought it would have been more.

Week 6 Term 2

Posted on by under Teaching 2014

We entered the analytical chemistry competition and spent Thursday evening with the students doing their titrations.
8 Science finished and presented their findings about whether we could still make some important materials after the Mobile Phone apocalypse. The general consensus was yes.
9 Science collected and examined the micro-organisms living around us. Some were surprised at the amount of life we found and we have now started researching general information about microbes ready to create a Public Service Announcement about a microbe.
10 Science we spent this week watching short videos about the origin of the universe. Each added something slightly different and the students watched them individually while doing some small confirmation tasks around them. We had some good conversations.
11 Physics We didn’t quite get to the end of my plans this term, lots of days missed. We spent this week practising around energy including questions, practicals and finishing issues investigation.

Tournament Of Minds

Posted on by under Prof Development

Sort of accidentally I’ve ended up being part of the team to run TOM at Wirreanda. So tonight I’m at Flinders in the City for some insight into how to do it.

Resources not on the portal yet ….
Sample challenge and other documents going up ASAP. Can get a copy of sample challenge on memory stick.
Old CDs of old challenges available for $35 but old now.

Most people won’t have teams organised until week 1 Term 3
Worthwhile doing spontaneous stuff.
It’s catered at Flinders.
Email …. If can’t get on the portal etc.
sa-director@tom.edu.au

Put time into the who should be in the team.
Pick a team that will get on really well with each other and with you.
Set tasks to complete overnight on the weekend … If they bring it back they want to be in the team.
See hand out for more ideas.
They have to be able to work collaboratively. See hand out
Go with teams of 6 if you have to do so.
Drama presentation skills need to work on. Where to focus, use of space wisely. Practise at the front of the space, deliver from there. Really get into it. Don’t do accents. Be prepared for the worst to happens……
Get to watch a performance before theirs.
Spontaneous bit is important. Can the students make up questions for this part?

Circle game as judges… What is this what it could be used for? And other creative questions around it. Spontaneous is the only bit we can help them with. Can do think quickly activities at lunch time (we might have to go into lunch times. Everyone has to be involved in spontaneous so think about where they sit… Put the boss in the middle to keep bringing the others in.

Things to do this term … Top right second page. Quick thinking, quick answers.
Box of bits they have to put together.
Brainstorm an object eg friendships sponge up individual catastrophes is an example of question and answer.
One step away, two steps away, three steps away.
Play scatagories
Build on each other’s sentences to make a story.
Being positive in group how do you phrase it. Have to be positive together in Spontaneous … They get no feedback from the judges so can you talk to a person who is not going to rspond
No magic etc out of answers … Won’t get many points.
Do lots of past challenges…. Timekeeper one of the most important people.
In the six week problem write down every idea you have. Scribe in turns etc….
Talk about what the judges are looking for
How to elaborate. Use the whole time add more you can get more points.
See William’s taxonomy.
Go through the process before the six weeks see last few slides of presentation.
I’m going to have to use lunchtimes there is lots to do or after school encourage them to meet on weekends.
Important to fill in forms correctly.
Emergency kit with sticky tape, etc… In case of problems.
Map and know where to go.

Hints have a pizza night straight after school for hours let them work through.
Organise a decision making policy?
Stay away from things that are not acceptable in school.

Week 5 Term 2

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10 Science finished up with an exercise firstly testing and comparing cleaning cosmetics through a round of investigations where they looked at texture, smell, colour, pH and chemical composition. I intended to tie this in with the soap we made last week but lots of support needed completing the investigation. We also did a quick task to find out about the chemical structure and uses of some chemicals used in cosmetics and then provide the information on posters created on word. The posters submitted were well done.
9 Science investigation into why we eat food …. energy. So we burned foods and calculated the energy released through the increase in temperature of water heated by the food. Home work was to finish the report. The rest of the week was used to do revision tasks around digestion. Test on Friday. Mostly positive results.
8 Science. The great mobile phone disaster project continued. Students have now completed the research and made a decision about whether the materials can be made at home. Next week we’ll be creating the group presentations to class.
11 Physics. Research time and test on waves took up most of this week. We now have to choose the two sources of energy for use in space that will be compared in the presentation. Students have only one more research lesson, rest of the issues investigation is homework.

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