Local History Hikoi

As a part of our professional development around local histories, Panmure Bridge Staff went on a hikoi. This was led by Scott (Tamaki College Histories Department) and Harley (Ngāti Pāoa tribe). This was a fantastic day filled with lots of information around the local area. It was great to hear the stories directly from the Ngāti Pāoa tribe. We went to  Maungarei, Mokoia Pa, Dunkirk Reserve, Point England and Karaka Bay. 

We were placed into small groups and we had the task of writing a small presentation about our designated area. My group was given Maungarei (presentation below). This had an incredibly interesting story behind it. 

 

My notes from the walk

Te Reo

Te reo maori is very important to include within schools. By starting off the day with a few questions and answers in Maori, my learners are being exposed to te reo daily. I believe this is important as encouraging the use of New Zealand's native language ensures we are able to keep it going in our country and it doesn't die out over time.

We always start off with a greeting - "Ata mārie LS1" 

Ask how they are feeling each day - "Ask your partner kei te pehea koe?"

This allows them to practice and think about what they are going to say. After this I ask random students "kei te pehea koe". They started off all saying "kei to pai", "i am good/fine". However they slowly started using other words such as hiakai (hungry), ngenge (tired), hōha (bored) and makariri (cold). Which was great to see as they are becoming more confident when using te reo in class.

After this they practice asking each other "he aha te ra?" (what is the date?"). They then use the calendar on the wall behind us, to help them say the date in maori. Then as a class they will be asked "he aha te ra?" and they will answer in sync with one another.

The last question is "he aha te huarere?" (what is the weather?). This is answered as a whole class and concludes our te reo for the morning. We are planning to add more maori sayings to the wall behind our desk so we can incorporate a wider range of te reo in the class.

Pause, Breathe, Smile PLD

On Tuesday we had a PDL dedicated to Mental Health which was called Pause, Breathe, Smile. This was facilitated by Janelle in LS2.

This directly links to the Code of Responsibility. Specifically 2.1 and 2.2 (Commitment to learners - promoting the wellbeing of learners and protecting them from harm AND engaging in ethical and professional relationships with learners that respect professional boundaries).

Here are my notes: 

Wellbeing supports are actions that we do in order to calm ourselves down when emotional. They aide our wellbeing. The five main wellbeing supports are broken into 5 categories:

• Connections
• Meaningfulness
• Physical activity
• Learning and Interest
• Quietude 

Pause, Breathe, Smile is split into an 8 week programme for the students. It teaches learners how to cope with their emotions and about being more mindful by showing curiosity, openness, acceptance and love (COAL).

By focusing on the day and not worrying about what the future holds, enables us to think more rationally and with calmness. Bring your head and feet to the same place, in the present

There are three parts to regulating attention, these are:

• Knowing where your attention is
• Knowing where it needs to be
• Directing it to where it needs to be

A study conducted by Harvard University showed that 47% of people do not pay attention to what they are doing. This study gave each participant a phone. They were sent three questions throughout random times of the day. The questions asked related to their attention and their enjoyment. These questions were:

• What are you doing?
• What are you thinking about?
• How happy are you?

Allowing learners to express their emotions without them being wrong is vital. As teachers we must have a neutral stance on their emotions in order to teach them that their emotions are valid. They need to learn how to express their emotions individually. 

Activities we learnt to do with our learners:

• Happiness chart
• Mindful movements
• Mindful breathing
• Mindful eating
• Gratitude task
• Drawing our breaths and turning them into pictures
• Number of emotions task

Overall it was a fantastic PLD. I have taken so much from it not only for myself but for my practice. I look forward to carrying out the 8 week programme.