The power of language

The other night a parent of our school and I were having an email conversation about a fund raising event. She sent me a proof of the advertisement announcing proudly 'I'm wasted, you know.' Well, I got it - really, I did. I understood she meant that on a Wednesday night surely she had better things to do and that really she should be employed by someone to be this creative (and she should - she's very clever!) Anyway after about 10 minutes I received another email frantically informing me that she wasn't drunk - she didn't mean 'that wasted'. I couldn't stop laughing for 10 minutes.

Then, this morning Mark (our Schools Officer) requests an urgent meeting and informs me that a cleaner had fallen off the top of a fridge and caused some damage. He then started whizzing through photos of other workplace health and safety concerns he had taken while I'm trying to envision Robyn, Marylin, Craig or Allan falling off the fridge. I asked 'what was a cleaner doing on the fridge?' He replied 'well, that's a good question!' I was actually aghast. We were then interrupted by the school photographs and I had to run off to the oval. (Mornings are completely silly in our school!)

After the photo I told everyone that we had an injured cleaner and everyone needed to clean up their kitchens and comms rooms to ensure we wouldn't have any more incidents. Out of the corner of my eye I could see all our cleaners standing there - none with any injuries! And then it dawned on me! Mark meant that a vacuum cleaner which had been put on top of the fridge had fallen off.

The power of language, and how we can be so easily misunderstood. The lesson is you just have to ask more questions - otherwise you'll be wasted after falling off the top of a fridge!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

What do they need a computer for? ... Digital Literacies for the information age

I remember when I was in Year 5 going home with a note from the teacher requesting that my parents supply a calculator for use at school. My Dad went off! I remember the ranting - it was all about the cost, and aren't your teachers teaching maths any more, and this is the end of kids being able to add up, and no one will get a job - the end of the world was coming it seemed. However, he bought me a calculator (and one for himself too) and I was so proud of it. I kept it in it's vinyl case and was amazed at what it could do. I had it for years (and wish I had it now as it would be an absolute relic!).

These days kids carry around a plethora of devices - iPods, iPads, phones, and lap tops - and the majority of these have the power to tap into and create more information than has ever been possible in the history of the human race. Being digitally literate is an absolute necessity in today's world - we are no longer talking about the future - in the words of William Gibson 'the future is already here'.

From  Educational Technology

So what are digital literacies? This info graphic sums it up beautifully.

Actually come to think of it - we've always needed these skills. I'm pretty sure my Year 5 teacher told my Dad I'd learn some of these skills using a calculator!

What is different about today is that kids need to be able to engage with these literacies using all the information at hand. In today's world, it's nigh on impossible to demonstrate initiative and entrepreneurialism or to collaborate across networks (for example) without a device in your hand. People without these skills may still be able to live happy and productive lives but the extent to which this is possible will be extremely hampered.

Today's modern classrooms encourage students to learn and demonstrate their progress by engaging in these literacies - and usually through the use of technology, the Internet, and information and idea sharing and construction. Teacher's work changes every day and it's a special teacher who can keep up with how kids are learning. I'm thankful to work with the best of these at Peregian Springs - teachers who truly believe in the power of technology, information and thinking; teachers who are not scared to set the boundaries and let kids go; teachers who can say 'I don't know the answer to that and let's find out together'.

Technology in classrooms has enriched all our lives; in many ways our jobs have never been more difficult but none of us care about that when we see kids developing vision, global stewardship and optimism through the practice of self-regulation, agility and pure grit. Technology brings the world into our students' hands and we have an imperative to ensure they have the skills and dispositions to harness the power and privilege that it brings.

Miss...there's critters in my hair

One very cool crisp morning in 1999 I was standing in line at the Eiffel Tower with Maddie - she was only just five at the time. I ruffled her hair and said 'Are you sure you don't want a hat on? It's freezing.' And to my horror I noticed small black insects marching up her parting - I'm not joking, it was like an African Safari! Immediately I was cramming her woollen beanie on her head looking frantically up and down the line to see if anyone else had noticed. The couple behind me were from Rockhampton and we had been having an amicable chat - next thing I'm behaving like a mad woman and they have chosen to put some serious distance between us by giving up their place and going to the back of the line!

Later in the day we went into a pharmacy, and in my really poor high school French, I stood pointing at Maddie's head saying 'Petite animaux...dans le cheveux!' I'm sure you've got the picture!

We had been travelling through South East Asia, Italy, Switzerland and southern France for five weeks... we both had itchy heads which I put down to too much indoor heating and not rinsing our hair properly of shampoo because of the notoriously bad European plumbing. I just knew while I was stuttering away with my Berlitz language book in hand that my head was full of them too!

Head lice... they strike cold fear through every parent. My head is itching just writing this! Head lice know no bounds - they are present in every school no matter the socio-economic level, how old the school is or how many children attend. And the only way to get rid of them is through sheer hard work! Brushes and combs in a plastic bag in the freezer, wash all bed linen and clothes that your child's head has come into contact with, vacuum furiously (for days if necessary), treat your child's head, (check your own and every other family member), individually pull out every egg, and then cross your fingers that everyone in your child's class has done the same. If they haven't, the chance of reinfection is high.

And unfortunately some don't see the African Safari until it's too late and these little critters have marched into everyone's hair again!

Take heart though. As children get older they do stop getting them - just make sure you always travel with a language translator (there's an app for it now) so you don't get caught out in a foreign pharmacy stammering away about small animals in someone's hair.

It's that time of the year again - NAPLAN

This week children in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 across all states of Australia will sit the suite of NAPLAN tests. NAPLAN is an acronym for National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy - however, we rarely say all that, and like many acronyms NAPLAN has almost become its own word!

NAPLAN is not a test of content (says the official website). NAPLAN is a test of the literacy and numeracy skills children learn in the year levels previous to the one they are currently in, for example, the Year 5 Test primarily assesses children's ability to write, spell, read and compute based on curriculum covered in Year 4 and built on from learning in Prep to Year 3.

There is always a lot of press about the Tests - who they are for, why they are bad, why we should and shouldn't be doing them, etcetera, etcetera... In the end, we have to do them, and over the years teachers have learned to make the best of it.

Our teachers work hard to ensure that that the curriculum offerings give children multiple chances to learn the skills that are tested. They prepare solid and sequential programs based on the Australian Curriculum, they streamline the programs to match each child's level, they continually assess children's development and make adjustments for gaps, misunderstandings and misconceptions, and they ensure children develop a certain test literacy to develop familiarity with the tool.

On the day, the tests will assess what children know using only one format with no room for asking the question in a different way, giving a child extra time to think or providing a clue or a hint - this is totally alien to the way in which teachers present their lessons every day but the children have had practice at this - probably since the start of the year.

In other words, providing parents have done their bit with sending children to school every day possible, getting them to bed early on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, ensuring they eat a proper nutritious breakfast, and making sure they are at school by 8.30am with their pencils sharpened, then they are as prepared as they are ever going to be. (Actually, it wouldn't be bad if this happened every school day - not just in NAPLAN week!)

At the end of the day, NAPLAN is just one point-in-time assessment that contributes to the total picture of each child's learning. It's not the sum of the picture and it's not a matter of life and death. It's just three short mornings out of the 203 days of the school year - and all children have had the opportunity to be well prepared for it - no matter what their level of achievement.

Best of luck to all our Year 3, 5 and 7 students this week - I know you will do your best, and this is all we ask.

Student Opinion - worth its weight in gold

Earlier this week I received an email from three girls in Year 7 asking questions about a learning strategy we are currently using in the upper school. The message was simple, it was persuasively written (something I was pleased to see given NAPLAN is a week away!) and the grammar, spelling and punctuation weren't too bad either!

Regardless of the mechanics of the writing, I was most impressed with their forthrightness, frankness and confidence to make their feelings known. I emailed Chris Wise, their teacher, to see what it was all about, and in our ensuing conversation about the learning, the current arrangement, the fact that we liked their final question and finally, what we were going to do about it, I realised how far we have come as a society.

As a twelve year old I would NEVER have questioned my teacher about classroom practices, let alone my very scary headmaster, Mr Evans - either in writing or in person. Not only wouldn't I have questioned them, I wouldn't have even thought of it! And if I had, I probably would have copped a walloping at home for being rude!

I love that our students feel comfortable enough to email me or stop me in the playground to have a chat about something they don't like (or even do like). And I love that I work with a group of teachers and teacher aides who firstly, don't view this behaviour as subversive or threatening; and secondly, embrace the opinions of students and consider their own practices in relation to it. It doesn't always mean we are going to change things to make them the way our students want them but we do think about it and discuss it.

This is persuasive political action at its best and I hope these three girls maintain this level of confidence to question the world around them as they grow and mature. Believe me - they are going to be a force to be reckoned with!

Good job, girls!