BT Talanoa - Week 4

 During this week's meeting, we focused on the importance of a classroom environment.  The classroom and the things it displays should provoke students to feel a sense of ownership of the classroom.

Students from LS2 were able to tell myself and DW a story of what happened at the Treaty of Waitangi using the different symbols on their classroom wall.  This showed very clearly how students should be able to connect with the things that are in their classroom and that the things that are displayed should serve a purpose and a function.

My biggest takeaways from this week's BT talanoa were :

- It is important to have a good mix of teacher and student work.  Things co-created by teachers and students may have higher engagement than things a teacher may have just made and put on the wall.  

- Student work will promote a sense of ownership and belonging in the classroom.  In order for students to engage deeply in learning for their sake, not ours, they need opportunities for ownership and responsibility.

- The walls in a classroom have the ability to be a record of learning - rewindable learning.

- Things like probing questions and provocations will allow for student discussion when the teacher is not present, or when visitors might come in and talk to students.  Engagement is the key to a lifelong love of learning.

- The images used in a display should prompt discussion.  

- Having key vocabulary on the wall will help students if you talk to it when you are teaching.  Eg : When you are introducing a task for the day, reference the wall!  In doing that, students will read it when they are working on the task.

- Your displays have the ability to show and help a student's learning - make the most of that!