Kia ora koutou,
Content
- Principal Conference – update, notes, ponderings
- School Leadership & Student Council Update
Tai Tokerau Principal Conference 2024
As a member of the organising committee for the above annual conference, I was away most of last week at this event. We had a number of strong key note speakers relevant to education and learning. Some of the speakers I had heard before, but their messages were slightly different or for me the context of a different school changes the lens or perspective.
My notes and interpretations… here a some of my key takeaways
Dr Melanie Riwai Couch
Author of Niho Taniwaha – Improving Teaching and Learning for students
- Research stands the test of time – we should be moving forward with good research
- There is a danger of letting ideology get in the way. An idealogy is a set of opinions or beliefs of a group or an individual. Very often ideology refers to a set of political beliefs…
- Her book is a framework to support schools supporting teachers to take steps to create more inclusive, culturally responsive environments and improve teaching and learning.
- The importance of forming relationships
- What can I do to be good, better or best?
Dr Melanie Riwai Couch’s keynote has helped me think about my previous experiences, last year’s knowledge of Maungatapere School and given me a few ah ha moments and links to our school’s strategic plan.
Nathan Wallis – Neuroscience – what’s new
I have heard Nathan speak a number of times. What stood out this time was a simplified version of neuroscience that explains to teachers and students how they learn.
- Love grows brains
- Talk to your children all the time – language is the fastest way to grow a brain
- Academic ability is highly influenced by the first 1000 days of your life
- Teenage brains are a turbo of emotion
- Adult brain 90% frontal brain matured (thinking brain/frontal cortex – separates humans from animals) – 10% emotional brain
- Teenage brain 10% frontal brain matured – 90% emotional brain
- Female brains mature between 18 and 24yrs of age
- Male brains mature between 22 and 32yrs of age
- This means children and teenagers require an adult to guide them with their thinking and development. Children and teenagers are highly susceptible to emotion and addiction e.g. SCREEN TIME. The adults need to put in boundaries and be the adult with screens. It is really important to enforce a 40-minute screen time then a break. This gets the brain used to a break, otherwise the brain moves into an addictive state. Parents need to be the frontal cortex for the child.
I found Nathan Wallis fascinating and have screeds of notes, that I cannot do justice to:
- Brains only learn when happy – it is not possible to use the frontal cortex and take on new learning in a state of stress or anxiety
- Covid has allowed the world to spread mindfulness and well-being, which is really important in schools. Maungatapere School does this. I have some new ideas from conference.
- The number 1 impact on a learner is the relationship with the teacher
- Emotion anchors learning
- Endorphins are the fertiliser of the learning brain
- Cortisol is the weed killer of learning and brain connections
- Endorphins are released the most in children when
1. Singing
2. Laughter
3. Exercise / movement
- The above three reaffirms what we already know about how students learn. Pause Breathe Smile – is mindfulness programme that Maungatapere School uses to calm student’s minds and bodies after break times – this helps to prepare children for learning, who have had disagreements, or raised anxiety levels (cortisol released shut down of frontal cortex of brain).
- Regular singing, waiata and movement also helps all learners in the same ways.
- We are mandated to do 1 hour of READING / WRITING / MATHS learning at school each day. This has to be an integrated approach across the day with plenty of number 1,2 & 3 (above) mixed in for optimal learning.
I have come back inspired and full of ideas. Both deputy principals and our Junior Leader Daniel Cotton, also attended part of this conference with the above speakers. It will give us something to ponder moving forward. As Dr Melanie Riwai Couch stressed above, it is essential that we base our thinking on relevant research, when being influenced by ideology and political opinions and beliefs.
You may or may not find my summary notes in this newsletter useful. I just wanted to share a bit of
my enthusiasm for teaching and learning theory, research and practical ideas. These notes only scratch the surface and do not do justice to the speaker’s presentations. What is important for me is that I am very excited about working with the teaching team in relation to the goals, initiatives and actions within the school strategic plan.
School Leadership & Student Council Update
As part of our development of school leadership opportunities at Maungatapere School, influenced by our parent consultation, we continue to work through changes. I believe in doing this carefully and involving our staff in the process. This is my approach to school strategic development. To quote Dr Melanie Riwai Couch, ‘What can I do to be good, better or best?’ I would rather do my best job and take more time. Our development of student leadership roles will continue throughout this year on a timeframe that results in the ‘best’ and most thought-out process.
School Student Council – update
- Because of the above, our school council will most probably start at the beginning of Term 2.
- 57 x Y5-8 students applied in writing for student council – like a job application
- Our deputy principal’s shortlisted down to approximately half
- As of today, most of the Y7/8 interviews have been completed
- Once our final interview process is completed…
- The new structure will be Head student/Council lead 1x Y8, Deputy 1x Y8, Deputy 1x Y7, council members 3x Y5/6, 2x Y7/8. A total of 8.
- Following this process, we will move onto our new ‘House Leaders’ 1x Y7, 1x Y8 per house.
- We will also choose school ‘Ambassadors’ 2x Y7, 2x Y8.
- We had feedback that school council was a popularity contest, therefore we are really taking our time to do the ‘thinking’ to get the ‘best’ results for our leadership programme at Maungatapere School.
