Children can also gather data through secondary sources, including books, photos, videos, and websites. After reading extensively about the project approach, I felt ready to implement it in my classroom. The school has a decades-long history in the neighborhood, and families have come to trust and love the educators there. Study participants included 13 pre-K children, my two coteachers, and myself. The children had a diverse range of abilities. Most children who enroll at the school can attend and participate independently, although some require one-on-one support with a therapist.
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My primary source of data was field notes, which I used to provide a day-to-day recollection of how the project-based curriculum affected the children. The Teacher Notes app on the iPad and iPhone helped me collect and analyze the field notes. I kept project planning journals using a notebook and the Evernote app on my iPad. The software provided me with flexibility because it was accessible via iPad, iPhone, and computer; therefore, I was able to take ample notes and continually reflect upon my plans and implementation. Helping children understand that they could find answers to their questions made a difference.
I collected work samples from the children—their writing, drawing, and artwork. Finally, I used videos, audio recordings, and photographs to document children in the process of working. At least weekly, I read and reflected on my field notes to identify emerging themes. At least twice a week during prep time, I reflected on my Evernote journal to help with planning. Organizing and maintaining this ongoing analysis helped tremendously with my summative data analysis. I then printed and sorted the notes by hand, which provided me with a means of discovering the themes that best captured the scope of my findings.
As I had hoped, I saw the children happily engaged and enthusiastic about learning as we developed our project—a study of the neighborhood. However, the journey also came with challenges and surprises not recorded in the literature I had reviewed. My findings are organized into three themes: To allow the children to get to know their new school and to provide some practice with research skills, we began the school year with a mini teacher-initiated project about the school before starting our child-initiated project.
Soon, the children adopted this new vocabulary. The children responded well to my intentional efforts to honor their questions, including those that were not directly related to the project content. For example, shortly after starting our neighborhood project, a group was working on a craft using glue sticks. We decided to open her glue stick and look inside.
After a couple weeks, I found that children started to use the research vocabulary and inquiry approaches more independently. For example, we read a book and then discussed the similarities and differences between our neighborhood and the one in the story. The emphasis we had placed on helping children understand that they themselves could find answers to their questions had already made a difference.
In addition to finding answers from firsthand experience, the children learned that they could find answers from books. They initially needed guidance and leading questions to help them locate secondary sources, but their abilities developed over time. For example, the children wondered what vehicles were in the neighborhood. So in mid-September, a group of children sat in a park and tallied vehicles, including cars, taxis, buses, bicycles, trucks, and ambulances. Upon returning from this research endeavor, a child wanted to build a bus from clay. Without teacher prompting, a friend went to the bookshelf to get a book that depicted a bus.
They looked at the book together to understand the parts of a bus and then recreated them with clay. This shift was important, as it was becoming clear that children were conducting a form of research and doing so independently. I found that children had continuous opportunities to learn and grow in all developmental domains as they meaningfully engaged in the project they had helped shape.
Children investigated by taking teacher-organized neighborhood walks to answer questions that arose in conversations and group discussions. One instance in which this inquiry was evident occurred when two girls independently extended an activity to create a large drawing of our neighborhood. After the walk, the class collectively summarized what we had found by completing our previously created checklist. When I made the list available so the children could add drawings of things they had seen on our walk that were not included on their list, the two girls took this activity to the next level.
This child-initiated task led to opportunities for many aspects of development and learning to take place. As the girls discussed which stores were in our neighborhood, they collaborated and developed their language skills. Fine-tuning their social skills, they negotiated who would draw each part of the neighborhood.
They used fine motor skills as they drew with detail and precision. When they were finished, they proudly shared their drawing with everyone, which was a wonderful social and emotional opportunity. The next day, the same child who had drawn the worker building created buildings with scaffolding all around themin the block area. They balanced the blocks and talked about symmetry as they completed their structure. I found that the active, hands-on experiences common to the project approach also helped some children stay on task.
One child had a great deal of enthusiasm and eagerness to participate, but it was challenging for him to contribute successfully and stay focused in the classroom. This boy loved our research walks through the neighborhood; he was able to stay on topic as we discussed the buildings while he was touching and looking at them. For example, he made many on-topic contributions to conversations as we peered into store windows.
There is a top and a door and a window. Throughout our study, the children showed excitement as we went on our research walks, and they were consistently focused and serious when working in the classroom. They were less excited about investigating our neighborhood, and I knew that to keep true to the project approach, we needed to conclude our study and share what the class had collectively learned phase three.
However, the culminating event presented some major difficulties I had not anticipated. When I suggested to the children that we conclude our project, they showed little to no interest. The next day I held a short planning meeting with the children to figure out how we could build our neighborhood. I brought out materials for them to consider, including pipe cleaners, paper plates, straws, streamers, boxes, and drawing materials. I hoped that the variety would give them something concrete to work with to ignite their ideas, but the lesson felt forced, and the children were not authentically engaged.
Support for gifted and talented education in Aotearoa New Zealand. It provides school stories and resources. The New Zealand Curriculum online. Donna Wheeler from Onslow College describes how she selects learning materials that connect to student's experiences. Te Toi Tupu NZ. A teacher describes how she uses Samoan language texts with her Samoan students. Julie McLaughlin recounts how she adjusted lesson contexts to make them relevant.
This book is available as an interactive QBook. Muijs et al, , p. In the first part of this video students share their views on what inclusion means to them. In Springboards to Practice, students identify common markers of difference. The language and messages used in the school about disability or learning support. Physical access to playgrounds and buildings.
How mobility support is offered to the student. Adapted from Springboards to Practice. A student with dyslexia outlines how teachers could support him in class. This frame rejects the notion of a 'normal' group and 'other' or minority groups of children and constitutes diversity and difference as central to the classroom endeavour and central to the focus of quality teaching in Aotearoa, New Zealand. It is fundamental to the approach taken to diversity in New Zealand education that it honours the Treaty of Waitangi.
A set of materials developed by the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education to guide UK schools through a process of inclusive school development. This planning tool has been developed for teachers by the Ministry of Education. It is designed to assist with developing a classroom curriculum that works for all students, from the outset.
Deficit-focused ideas about any students are very powerful and can strongly influence what teachers and other staff do at every level in any school Ainscow et al, ; Bishop, Berryman, Cavanagh, and Teddy, High expectations is one of eight principles in The New Zealand Curriculum. The high expectation principle calls for teachers to support and empower all students to learn and achieve personal excellence, regardless of individual circumstances.
High expectations in your classroom. The principle of high expectations. A parent reminds us that we are preparing students for life. John Robinson, HoD Learning support, talks of his intrinsic belief that all students can learn. Two students with low vision discuss the importance of high expectations. This section on New Zealand curriculum online draws together research, digital resources, and examples to support leaders and teachers as they consider the high expectations principle.
Sandra Gillies from Onslow College explains strategies that increase leadership opportunities for students. Some students have a vision for the future that is bigger than their personal goals. Recognise and value the practical support peers can give to each other. A skilled teacher optimises task sequences, not only to directly facilitate the different stages of learning cycles for individual students, but also to build up a peer learning culture that can intensify the challenges and supports for learning.
Listening and speaking are powerful learning modes for students with dyslexia. The Three Rs of Diversity: Teaching Strategies for Inclusive Classrooms Part 2: Information to support setting up a successful peer tutoring programme in your classroom. Created for the NZ Ministry of Education. Information to support setting up a successful cooperative learning programme in your classroom.
A literature review summarising cooperative and collaborative classroom strategies, produced by Victoria University of Wellington. Consider a framework such as Universal Design for Learning UDL to guide the planning of inclusive teaching and learning. UDL supports the design of the least restictive learning environments for students, where barriers are minmised and learning supports and flexibility are built in to the environment at the outset.
Working towards inclusive education in New Zealand schools p Linda Ojala describes how she uses a Universal Design for Learning framework. Use the UDL guidelines to create environments students can adapt and customise. Creating flexible and responsive environments allows students to make choices about: Consider how a solution for one student can be offered as an option for everyone.
Support learners to understand their needs as learners. Understand their motivation, the importance of emotions in achievement, and the social nature of learning. The theme of this chapter is that educational services and policies should be universally designed. Regular education should be accessible to all students in terms of pedagogy, curriculum, and resourcing, through the design of differentiated learning experiences that minimise the need for subsequent modifications for particular circumstances or individuals. Instead take an evidence-based approach. Focus on what students can do and articulate next steps in their learning that both the students and their families can understand and embrace.
A series of three videos that play consecutively. Canadian Association of Community Living Canada. To support a peer prepare for their first school camp, students at Houghton Valley School made a book using digital photos with captions. This commercial from Canadian Association for Community Living CACL demonstrates why there is no excuse for students with intellectual disabilities to be in separate classrooms.
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A short radio commercial from Canadian ACL with Jessica, a grade 5 student with special learning needs shares some of the prejudices she faces. This section on Assessment online offers strategies for developing next learning steps. It provides learning resources and readings. Students ask not to be separated from peers and request that teachers: Extract from Learning better together: Working towards inclusive education in New Zealand schools.
Back to the future: moving forward with practitioner research
A student with dyslexia reflects on managing her learning one section of a longer video. Brooke Houghton describes how she designs flexible learning environments. Anne Keneally describes how in partnership with students, the classroom layout and learning spaces were redesigned. Design for all learners by finding ways to: Include student voice in the design of the learning environment. Create flexible spaces that can be changed, rearranged based on student needs and preferences at the time.
Ask students what would help in their learning. Information for classroom teachers to support the development of student language and communication from the Inclusive Practices website NZ. Bring your community into the classroom and take your classroom out to the community. Linda Ojala describes how families contribute to the class programme.
Communicate and share information in ways that work for everyone, for example, social media, playground conversations, email, Skype, a notebook, class blog, newsletters with photos. Work with programmes or materials parents are using to maximise consistency and support for the student. Share information about out-of-school programmes that may boost self-esteem for example, groups for music, art, or sporting interests. Recognise areas of expertise and experience and look for opportunities to explicitly value and utilise them in the classroom. It includes guiding principles, focus areas and goals and actions to facilitate change.
Parents of students needing additional support outline their needs and how schools can best work with them to meet those needs. Key information is from the ERO report Partners in learning: An example of practice from a primary school and discussion questions are provided on this page from the Inclusive Practices website NZ. The relationships between whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, kotahitanga, and rangatiratanga school culture to build school and community culture are explained. Networks of support that can be accessed are identified on this page from the Inclusive Practices website NZ.
Resources and videos in this section of the Pasifika Education Community website focus on engagement with parents, families, and communities. Build relationships with local iwi and Pasifika cultural and disability groups. Involve your class in projects that support your community and provide authentic learning contexts. Pasifika Autism Support Group. An account of Te Kura o Kutarere School partnering with the local community, and supported by the innovative use of digital tools. It includes school examples. An adult with autism talks about how his school experiences set him up to succeed.
A list of national organisations that support students with additional needs and their families, compiled by the Ministry of Education.
Developing an inclusive classroom culture | Inclusive Education
Building a world-leading education system that equips all New Zealanders with the knowledge, skills, and values to be successful citizens in the 21st century. Did you want to Search all of TKI? Search all of TKI? Welcome to Inclusive Education. Culture Identity Language Learner profiles Relationships. Deficit language Identifying student needs Student voice. Valuing what each student brings to the classroom Many aspects of students' lives — their language and culture, their interests, experiences, and needs — remain hidden unless we actively include them in class teaching and learning.
Seek to understand the identity, culture, and language of each student and build connections with them. Knowing your learner NZ video. Knowing your learner to create an inclusive classroom Linda Ojala describes how she designs learning that works for all students. Closed captioning available in player Source: Knowing your learner NZ. See my voice NZ video Video source: Relating to students NZ video Video source: Strengthening relationships Liz Crisp of Mangere Bridge School talks about finding connections with students.
No captions or transcript available Source: Finding out where students are from video Video source: Whakapapa - where are you from? Finding out where students are from. Support students to develop their own learner profiles. Sample learner profile image. Depending on its purpose, a useful profile whether an official document or simply inquiry on your part can include: Learner profile benefits A learner profile tells teachers about a student. Developing a learner profile means your students can: Surveying students In the video Student Profiles , Canadian secondary teacher Naryn Searcy describes how she asks students about how they learn most effectively.
She uses this information in her planning: Use your knowledge about each student to plan effective teaching and learning. Flexible learning environments NZ video Video source: Teaching approaches — Down Syndrome Brooke Houghton from Onslow College describes how she designs flexible learning environments. Flexible learning environments NZ. Classroom approaches — Dyslexia NZ video Video source: Flexible supports Primary teacher Linda Ojala describes how she builds specific supports and choices for students with dyslexia into her planning.
Classroom approaches — Dyslexia NZ. Culturally responsive teaching NZ video Video source: Culturally responsive teaching NZ. Include students' languages and cultures in classroom practice and lesson planning. Engaging student languages NZ video Video source: Consider ways to Create opportunities for students to learn their own language.
Connecting experiences to learning NZ video Video source: Authentic materials Donna Wheeler from Onslow College describes how she selects learning materials that connect to student's experiences. Connecting experiences to learning NZ.