The Tiger, March 10 2023

How do we know it works? ..because the children tell us in their interactions and responses. They mirror kindness and show they care about others in their interactions. They will also tell us we have missed them by saying in a louder voice “Hello, Ms. Karen/Zita”, they will hug us or they will tell us the stories of their lives. We are building meaningful connections…

Learning Walks

Every day I take a learning walk around the Primary School. Mostly, I take the first hour of the day but there are some days I have to fit it in around other commitments. 

Why do I do this? I make connections with both teachers and children as they begin their day. I listen and observe learning. I talk to learners and teachers. I pose questions, I listen to answers. I watch as learners struggle in the zone of proximal development. I laugh and have been known to shed a tear. I learn more from these daily learning walks than any formal teacher evaluation. I utilise this information when I join a group discussion regarding a learner’s development. I utilise this information in performance management meetings with teachers and/or the Head of School. 

This informal learning sets the tone for further development at school along with what Pasi Sahlberg calls the “big data”. It becomes pivotal in our growth and development.

P8 is in Performing/Visual Arts. 

In Performing Arts they are completing an upload of material to share with parents. They are using their iPads, Jim has very clearly indicated what needs to be uploaded and where. He roams and checks that everyone is on task. In Visual Arts, they are working on perspective. They have completed a drawing. They are then taking a photo and putting it on a sharing app so they can get the written feedback of their classmates which they respond to by going back to their drawing to make good use of the feedback.

The P8 teachers are planning. I interrupt them to discuss their up-coming overnight trip. We laugh and ask each other questions, find answers and respond to carefully thought out wonderings.

P7 is tranquil and peaceful. Two classes are in the process of writing - they are either drafting, editing, peer or teacher conferencing or publishing. All teachers are fully involved - one with a group of learners and two with single learners. There are two Learning Support teachers who are working with their charges. The third class is about to transfer some writing to a chart - to make their writing more explicitly available to others. Their teacher outlines expectations and the learners choose paper and set to work. Some discuss expectations and ideas, others begin work immediately.

Groups of P6 learners are presenting plays to their colleagues. They are focussed and purposeful with a few giggles here and there. The audience is fully involved. The teachers in the room are assessing the presentations - each has a clipboard where they record on their assessment tool.

P5 is in the final stages of a picture-talk activity with a teacher from another grade. The entire P5 team is involved; writing on sticky notes and placing them on a board. The picture is intricate and has many layers of meaning. There is very little talk in the room - the focus is on writing ideas and attaching them to the correct space. The lead teacher gives them a wrap up signal and the learners return to their seats to receive further instructions.

P4 is mostly outside. They are observing the seeds they planted the previous week. They have a booklet where they are drawing what they see and adding text where it is appropriate. Their teachers move throughout the group, supporting their recording strategies or making different suggestions. Teachers ask questions that provoke thinking or offer different perspectives.

P3 are in their classrooms. They are both on the carpet participating in their circle time where one child leads calendar work, another the daily message. They discuss their new goldfish and start the process of naming it. In one class, the learners  leave the carpet and head to activity centres. I help a child identify a sound from a picture, another is reading with their teacher and another completing a task with their teaching assistant. Everyone else is focussed on the task they have chosen, some move to a new task - learning has started for the day.

Some of the P1/P2 learners are choosing their play, while others are working with the teachers. There is a small group talking about a nest the teacher found. They are asking questions and sharing wonderings. They touch it with awe but continue to speak. Another teacher is leading a writing session - and I participate in the sharing and feedback element of the task. There is a teacher moving around the centre to ensure everyone is safe and meaningfully engaged - she manages learners back on task. Music plays, lights are low, voices are purposeful.

Welcome to Monday morning at Stonehill International School!

Have a lovely fortnight,

Karen Crooke,

Primary School Principal