Elly Warnock

The following is a list of facts, traits and issues many would not recognize as a part of giftedness in children. Ten Facts You May Not Know About Gifted Children But Should 1. It is widely acknowledged that giftedness is an inherent attribute. Giftedness is present at birth, an inherited trait. Chances are very high that one or both parents of a gifted child, as well as siblings, are also gifted. Nor does giftedness discriminate against culture, religion, social-economic status. 2. Gifted children do not always excel in school. Being gifted is no guarantee of success in school or later in life. For many various reasons, a gifted child will not always score well on tests, ace every task or turn in their homework. Many gifted children underachieve in school and often drop out. 3. Gifted children can and do have learning disabilities. As with any child, a gifted child may have learning disabilities which can negatively influence their achievement in school. Unfortunate...

I am really excited to be getting back to teaching maths in the junior school. When I was previously in the juniors, the teaching of maths was very focused on Numeracy and in particular knowledge. I will be approaching this completely differently now after my PD with Dinah over the past 2 years. I met with Dinah this week and we primarily discussed the teaching of 1 to 1 counting through Strand.

One thing that we do well in NZ to respond/cater to/for diversity. Inclusive of families Use of own language (in SLC) Diverse Staff Strategic - set up people to 'look after' different groups within the school Diversity is not just about culture - family structures, personalising learning etc Empowerment Means different things for different people Being able to choose How do we TRULY personalise PLD for staff? We tend to organise through systems Schools have always been highly structured BUT how do you get consistency throughout the school e.g. agency the teaching of subtraction We need to be responsive to what is in front of us Being strategic is about saying no to the thing you want to say yes to. It is possible to set an expectation and coach your way to it. e.g. "It is an expectation that hui will happen every week, what can we do to achieve that?" "What are the barriers?" "What is the challenge here for you?...

http://www.bamradionetwork.com/bloggers/why-we-need-to-abandon-subjects-and-focus-on-big-picture-learning What a great article outlining the need to flip education on its head.  Why do we continue to try to make the learning match the real world or make connections to the real world? What we really need to do is teach the real world! This makes so much sense, yet traditionally in NZ and around the world, we continue to teach subjects in isolation.  This is not what life is all about.

I came across this great visual today outlining 12 strategies from Jo Boaler to help pupils learn and love Maths. Praise what children have done not the child. Always be a good Maths role model. Praise mistakes as learning opportunities. Encourage pupils to work on challenging problems. Help but don't do it for them. Encourage drawing wherever you can. Support pupils to make sense of maths at all times. Encourage pupils to think flexibly about numbers. Never time children as they work. Pinpoint the logic in incorrect answers. Give children Maths puzzles. Play games that use Maths. As I reflect on this list, I love the way that these strategies summarise the work that we have carried out with Dinah over the past two years.  My favourite?  Number 3 without a doubt!  Praise mistakes as learning opportunities.  This is something that I am passionate about - in fact we celebrate mistakes.  Kids know that I love it when they make a mistake. ...

Dear Teacher I am a student in the UCOL School of Photography, Arts and Design, Palmerston North. As part of my study I am undertaking a research project that sets out to investigate illustration as an educational tool for new-entrant school children. To achieve this, part of the project is to determine the perceptions of primary school teachers about child readiness for starting school and any resources that may be useful for teachers and pupils during the transition into a new entrant class. Participation in this survey is entirely voluntary. You will be asked to complete a brief survey that will take approximately 25 minutes to complete. Completion of the survey implies that you consent to take part in the study. Responses collected will form the basis of my research project and the basis for a report. All responses will be analysed on an anonymous basis. Only my supervisor, Andre Te Hira and I will have access to the data collected. All data will be stored securely...

Joy Cowley Poem - "I enjoy looking at other people's roads" What does the Treaty mean for us to RSS? The lens of Education Act 1989 - Principles of Partnership, Protection and Participation. NZ is both Bi-cultural and Multi-cultural. We have all come from somewhere.  What do we know about the first people who were here in NZ? 1100 - First people came 1769 - Cook 'discovered' NZ 1790 - Traders 1840 - Treaty 1860 - PN established 1931 - RSS began Language I use tells a story - we need to be conscious of what language we use. Were my descendants called to come to NZ? We all come from multi-cultural backgrounds - and we make up this nation. Who defines as Maori? How is that defined? Whakapapa (You are Maori if you can prove you are) If you have all of that, you can still choose not to be. We learnt as children that the Moriori were in NZ first, then the Maori came and 'eat and beat' the Moriori.  What in that is true?  M...