Tuesday 29 March 2016

SparkMIT Focus group and data

Focus group:
Year 4 and 5 students identified as Samoan.

Control group:  
This year's Year 5 students (who initially went 1:1 chromebooks with me last year).  I have chosen to have a control group as it will increase the validity of my data by minimising the opportunity for people to question any successes and link them to my teaching style and not my innovation. For instance if the data shows evidence of progress within my focus group, I could use my control group as comparative data to support the effectiveness of my innovation.

Priority learners are groups of students who have been identified as historically not experiencing success in the New Zealand schooling system. These include many
Māori and Pacific learners, those from low socio-economic backgrounds, and
students with special education needs.             ERO (August 2012)


We have Ka Hikitia as effective strategies to enable and assist our Maori learners, which we have seen has an impact on all learners.  The Pasifika Education Plan (PEP) works to address achievement, participation and engagement of our Pasifika learners.  I want to peel back the layers and focus on our Samoan learners. I've tried to capture these layers in a simple mindmap made via bubbl.us  


Data:
Data collected 2015 Term 1 and Term 4.  Endpoint data collected 2016 from Term 1 and Term 4. Supporting OTJ’s used to identify movement across the entire cohort.

Baseline Data:2015 Reading and Writing Achievement levels (Year 3-4 Samoan Students)
Baseline Data

Student
names
Year 3 2015

Student
names


CONTROL GROUP
Year 4 2015
Term 1
Term 4
EOY
Writing
Term 1
Term 4
EOY
Writing
Reading
OTJ
Writing
Sub-level
Reading
OTJ
Writing
Sub-level
Sub level
Movement
Reading
OTJ
Writing
Sub-level
Reading
OTJ
Writing
Sub-level
Sub level
Movement
HPS A
AT
1A
ABOVE
3B
4
HPS G
BELOW
1A
AT
2P
2
HPS B
BELOW
1P
ABOVE
1A
1
HPS H
BELOW
1P
AT
2P
3
HPS C
BELOW
1A
AT
2A
3
HPS I
BELOW
2B
AT
2P
1
HPS D
BELOW
1P
AT
2B
2
HPS J
BELOW
2B
AT
2A
2
HPS E
BELOW
1P
AT
2B
2
HPS K
BELOW
1P
AT
2B
2
HPS F
BELOW
1A
ABOVE
2B
1
HPS L*
n/a
n/a
WB
1B
n/a






HPS M*
WB
1B
AT
2P
4






HPS N
BELOW
1A
AT
2A
3






HPS O
BELOW
1P
AT
2P
3
*  students entered NZ directly from Samoa

This is baseline data I have collected for reading and writing. However my innovation will be centered around reading. It would be a bonus to see if there is any correlation between accelerated progress in reading and their writing (for this particular group). I am still refining the data and analysing the specifics. For example, this baseline data doesn't highlight vocabulary as needing improvement. I'll post about this again at a later date.

References
Ka Hikitia Documents
http://www.education.govt.nz/ministry-of-education/overall-strategies-and-policies/the-maori-
education-strategy-ka-hikitia-accelerating-success-20132017/
Education Review Office, 2012
http://www.ero.govt.nz/publications/evaluation-at-a-glance-priority-learners-in-new-zealand-
schools/background/

Saturday 5 March 2016

How to add a 'voice over' to your class site

I am passionate about whānau engagement and have been thinking about different ways to get my class site into the homes of our whānau. I have decided to try a voice over method. 

In this video I explain how I envisage this happening and show you how to do the same on your own class site.