Making the Junior curriculum concept driven and student-led

LEM and I have been chatting about how we could make the junior curriculum more relevant to the students and the world they live in. We started thinking about all the ways climate change could be used to hook into the science junior curriculum. How it could be used as a context for multiple content needs in science.

We threw around some ideas at morning tea time, then while my class were doing an assessment I started to pull them into a mindmap using Coggle to link the ideas of climate change, to the Science content, and on to the type of assessments or investigations that could be done.

The goal would be for students to investigate their own interests within a larger framework. When I started to link the content that is essential to Year 9 and 10 it turned out the whole two years could be investigated within the context of Climate Change in Year 9 or Sustainability in Year 10.

The intention is to allow teachers some fluidity in what and how they teach allowing them to follow the students interests. The assessments can be chosen by the teacher to be either a research investigation, using secondary sources; or a practical investigation collating primary data.
Each class would be constrained by having to do at least 6 assessments to report back on, at least 3 research and 3 practical investigations, and for each content strand in the Science curriculum to be assessed at least once. Students who are really into biology can do 3 Living World  themed projects, as long as they still do once each for Physical World, Material World, and Planet Earth and Beyond.

The teacher can follow the students enthusiasms anywhere on the mind map, or beyond if the students are so inclined. As the assessments are Nature of Science based they are comparable.

SNC has developed some good assessment tools, assessing skills not content, so they can be used across different assessment contexts, but still be comparable. The repeated use of these assessment rubrics, coupled with their explicit teaching in class will allow students to both identify what they need to do within an assessment, and identify what their next goals will be to attain the next level in their progression.

Wanting the best for my students

I have been taking a special interest in "I" in my Whanau class. He is a very capable student, and very good-natured and willing to give back. He can, with thought and planning, be successful in both the Maori and Pakeha worlds, and I am trying to help him navigate that.

Today we had a chat in Whanau about what he wants, in the short term and the long term, and we are starting to talk about his options. He would like to go into Carpentry. I have been talking to people that I know in the business and that may not be advisable as the industry in Whangarei appears to be controlled by a cartel keeping wages and movement between firms down. We are looking at Engineering courses, that allow him to fulfill family commitments, while earning, learning, and being a stepping to a full engineering degree.

We also talked about how we need students to go out and be successes in both worlds, then to come back and show others that it can be done. I later heard that he went to his friend in the next class and told him about our conversation, and he was all chuffed that I had called him one of the students we want as a role model.

School PD to Waitangi

The school trip to Waitangi was an interesting day. I have been to Waitangi a number of time, but not since the museum opened. I felt that the time in the museum was spoiled by the 'homework' we had been assigned as it prevented me fully immersing myself in the information on offer, but instead driving me down the path that had been set. I had hoped to have the time to look around for things that I could incorporate into my classroom practice, but I didn't have the time to do so.



How do we get kids to see that school is in their long term interest when they are only interested in leaving school now to earn money. They do not think longer term as to how the jobs that seem like big money now don't pay enough for a comfortable life when they have dependent or injuries.
Talking to Vinnie who had left school at 13/14 to work in forestry, and bought houses age 17 and 18, brought that home. Vinnie seems happy with his life, but not everyone will have his success, and Vinnie himself says it was at the cost of not seeing his family grow up.  I don't know how to compete with that when students have come from a background where "earnings now" are valued over learning or even "earnings later".

Passive Learners

10NR are very borderline learners. There are a number of them that are not engaged in learning, and I am struggling to find a path in for them. The ones that are capable are not interested in learning for learnings sake, but instead see Year 10 as an intermediate wasted year and will engage again when it is time for credits.
My usual strategies are not working. They are an odd bunch. They will passively watch something, and they will tutu with things, but not if it looks like learning activity. Although for Climate change they all opened the website and worked a bit at, for most of the class they work rate was so slow. It is highly frustrating when I can see that as long as they focussed that they would be moving mountains, but they are just so apathetic.

I am going to work on them having more video clips, and instant rewards. There does not seem to be any appetite for slog in this class. They don't appear to be any recognition that with hard work comes better rewards.

I'm going to have to ditch the daily quiz, as it is a waste of time until I can get some sort of engagement with the learning. I have persevered, and it is still a good tool to use with my other classes as a daily revision task, but this class might be better served with a mini video or similar, something they can passively sit through rather than actively read or write.

I don't like feeling like I am requiring less from my students, Ultimately if they can't read or write well their choices will be limited in life, and I don't want to do that.

Passive Learners

10NR are very borderline learners. There are a number of them that are not engaged in learning, and I am struggling to find a path in for them. The ones that are capable are not interested in learning for learnings sake, but instead see Year 10 as an intermediate wasted year and will engage again when it is time for credits.
My usual strategies are not working. They are an odd bunch. They will passively watch something, and they will tutu with things, but not if it looks like learning activity. Although for Climate change they all opened the website and worked a bit at, for most of the class they work rate was so slow. It is highly frustrating when I can see that as long as they focussed that they would be moving mountains, but they are just so apathetic.

I am going to work on them having more video clips, and instant rewards. There does not seem to be any appetite for slog in this class. They don't appear to be any recognition that with hard work comes better rewards.

I'm going to have to ditch the daily quiz, as it is a waste of time until I can get some sort of engagement with the learning. I have persevered, and it is still a good tool to use with my other classes as a daily revision task, but this class might be better served with a mini video or similar, something they can passively sit through rather than actively read or write.

I don't like feeling like I am requiring less from my students, Ultimately if they can't read or write well their choices will be limited in life, and I don't want to do that.

The Rock Cycle with 10NR

10NR have been more engaged in this Earth Science unit than for most this year. I believe it is a combination of a growing maturity and improved literacy skills, certain students having been relocated to another class and the change of teaching plans. I have been actively seeking more demonstative and interactive learning experiences and Earth Science is a unit where this is easier to do than in others.

Two girls went to the SSC immediately at the start of the lesson as one of them had red raised knuckles and the seond went for moral support.

Today was the rock cycle which was the perfect time to do a hands on activity. The crayon rock cycle. an oldie but a goody. I have done it a few times before, but I have yet to perfect the execution.
10NR were as predicted very enthusiastic about the smashing of crayons with a hammer, the jumping on crayon bits, and the melting of crayon bits. I'm never sure how much I am getting through to them as to why we are doing the activity and getting them to link the smashing and jumping with the weathering and pressure that they represent.

The theory work that came afterwards was resisted, but after Friday the girls were insistent on music so the deal was as long as the work was being done, they could have music.

Science as a junior option/ Science Fair Prep

I had a brainwave while talking to students about their options subject in the midst of an experiment into starch and photosynthesis.
Students enjoy practical work. Not enough have the resources to do their own experiments. We struggle to find the time to properly do Science Fair. Some students can't get enough of Science.
Solution: Add a Science Extension Option to the Options list that students can do for a semester which will include time to do Science Fair work.

Term 1 for Year10's -
Start with a grounding in planning experiments and data processing. Writing methods, drawing graphs, using proper language in writing reports.
Then support the students in independent research and experiments to prepare for Science Fair.

Test Post

In order to reflect on my teaching and my students learning I'm trialling blogger as a method to keep my ideas. Hopefully it will allow me to make little reflections frequently on what I am doing to better enable me to comply with the paperwork requirement.