Reflective Practice

In February this year our staff had the MOE come and give some staff PD.  It involved  whole school staff groups and focused mainly on prevention and de-escalation strategies.   It was a timely reminder of our responsibilities to ourselves and our students.  There were two sessions. Understanding Behaviour, Responding Safely (UBRS) Session 1: How the brain works.  This was not the most informative session I have ever been asked to attend.   Luckily our school went to a day with kiwi speaker Nathan Wallis (that looked into the developing brain the first 1000 days) in 2018 so most of our staff had been previously exposed to this quick lesson in brain development and anatomy.  It certainly doesn't hurt to hear things again - it wasn't interesting but no one died.  And, it was a good reminder of what we have learned previously.   Session 2: Dealing with extreme behaviour. This session was about how schools c...

I have always used chess and cup stacking in my yearly teaching programme - from nearly the beginning of my time teaching in NZ.  Learners of all ages are keen to get in and learn these “games”. The benefits of teaching chess to young learners is well known. But the benefits of cup stacking perhaps not so much. Cup stacking has many benefits for learning in the classroom.   Researchers have found that it targets specific areas of the body and the brain to increase intelligence, problem solving skills and critical thinking.  It is a fun yet and intense game. “What many teachers and educators may not know is the impact cup stacking can have  on a child’s visual processing skills and reading ability. Because the child is moving their hands so quickly, their eyes must also track the cups and the movement of their hands as they participate in the activity. The eyes naturally cross the midline to accomplish this task. These skills are very importan...