Peer Teaching in Action

I look forward to the days that I am in the classroom. It reminds me how much I love my job, working alongside teachers and students with learning at the heart of all we do. Today was no different. I captured the above moment between two five year boys where one was teaching the other how to make a helicopter rotor from K'NEX. The language of learning was so constructive and a successful helicopter rotor was made. 

Learning from our peers makes sense as often we are at a similar stage in our development. The learning is fresh in our minds and that gives us an insight into how to frame it in a way that is relevant. Children are no different, they learn successfully from each other all the time, they speak the same language and feel comfortable to ask questions of each other if they don't understand. 

Peer teaching is a model we value here at Puketaha School and deliberately develop in our children. Often this is scaffolded by the teacher but often, because of the way we have designed our environments and curriculum, this happens naturally between learners. 

  

Collaborate Collaborate Collaborate

This is one of the main reasons we believe in our Modern Learning Environments - teachers working together to evaluate their impact on student achievement!

Children using the Purposeful Spaces for Learning

Today I was working in Ropu Mahuri so my photo of the day reflects this. I thought I would capture our children learning in their purposeful spaces. Here they are working on an art project for their Learning Journal covers. 

There were four different guardian groups operating in this space, each with their own unique learning activity, however the children had the opportunity to choose a physical space that suited the learning they were doing and what type of learner they are. Some chose an independent space in the cave and were so focused they were oblivious to me taking the picture, others chose a buddy space and the top photo shows two students collaborating on the one piece. 

These children are being supported to be agents of their own learning by getting to know themselves and the way they learn best. They enjoy having a sense of ownership of their learning and therefore are more fully engaged in the process. It is a joy to be part of.

From Tiny Acorns The Mighty Oak Grow

A carpet of oak mahuri.

Wandering around our Puketaha Paradise today I spotted tiny oak saplings carpeting the bark outside Ropu Puawai 5 & 6. I didn't think too much of it when I took the photo but as I have reflected more about why this scene took my eye I feel that this photo celebrates everything that we aspire to achieve at Puketaha School. Everything we do on a daily basis as leaders of learning is about growing and refining our practice in order to design learning that will take our tiny acorns in Ropu Kakano and grow them to be mighty Puawai.