Class on Air Observation

Class on Air Observation Notes

This week, I observed Kelsey from Pt England School teach a Year 5-6 reading lesson through Manaiakalani's Class on Air. The focus was on the text Journey on the Sea, with an emphasis on water safety and understanding the author’s purpose.

Lesson Highlights

• Before Reading: The class brainstormed water safety ideas after watching a video, connecting these to prior swimming lessons.
• Guided Reading: Students used Chromebooks to read the text, answer questions, and infer meaning.
• After Reading: They worked in groups to review the text, create water safety GIFs, and share their work on blogs.

The lesson connected to real-life experiences, making it engaging and meaningful. Students built on prior learning about the author’s purpose, and even quieter students felt encouraged to participate. Kelsey shared in her reflection that using Chromebooks instead of journals was a distraction for some students—a challenge I can relate to in my own teaching.

Takeaways : 

• Real-life connections keep students engaged.
• Being flexible is key when things don’t go to plan.
• Encouraging quiet students builds their confidence.
• Devices are great but need careful management to minimise distractions.

This lesson inspired me to use creative tasks and real-world links in my teaching while staying mindful of potential distractions.

If you would like to watch the Class on Air Lesson I have written about, click here.

Thank you Kelsey for sharing your mahi for us to learn from!

Pause Breathe Smile

I’ve recently completed the Pause Breathe Smile (PBS) mindfulness programme, and it has been an great experience. Through the six lessons, I gained new tools for calmness, focus, and self-awareness. These lessons have not only helped me personally but also boosted my confidence in leading mindfulness practices with my class.

Pause Breathe Smile is rooted in New Zealand’s identity and is deeply connected to Te Whare Tapa Whā, a Māori model of wellbeing. This has made the programme even more meaningful, as it ties in with Aotearoa’s culture and can be used in both mainstream and Māori immersion classrooms. Since 2015, PBS has been developed with experts to create resources in te reo Māori, including updated handbooks, audio guides, and videos for mindfulness exercises.

What I Learned :

The PBS programme consists of six lessons, each designed to build mindfulness and awareness. Each lesson begins and ends with a karakia (prayer) to help centre the mind. After completing the lessons, I feel more confident in applying mindfulness in my own life and teaching it to my students.

1. Lesson 1: Introduction to Mindfulness
   The first lesson taught me the basics of mindfulness and the importance of mindful breathing. It introduced me to the first foundation of mindfulness—awareness of my body.

2. Lesson 2: Finding Calm with Breath and Body Awareness
   This lesson helped me understand how to use my breath to activate calmness in my body. It deepened my awareness of how my body responds to stress and how to calm it.

3. Lesson 3: Gratitude and Beginner’s Mind
   I learned how practising gratitude can support mindfulness and how to adopt a “Beginner’s Mind,” which means staying open, curious, and non-judgmental.

4. Lesson 4: Awareness of Feelings
   This lesson taught me how to be more aware of my emotions and how to stay present, even when I feel upset or distracted. It helped me develop better emotional regulation.

5. Lesson 5: Understanding and Regulating Emotions
   In this lesson, I learned how to better understand my emotions and moods and how to use mindfulness to self-regulate and stay calm in difficult situations.

6. Lesson 6: Loving-Kindness and Awareness of Thoughts
   The final lesson introduced loving-kindness and the power of being compassionate towards myself and others. I also learned how to become more aware of my thoughts and how to manage negative thinking.

Completing these six lessons has given me the tools and knowledge I need to confidently teach Pause Breathe Smile to my students. I now feel ready to lead mindfulness exercises in the classroom and help my students develop the same calmness, focus, and emotional awareness that I have gained. By completing the course myself, I have a deeper understanding of the practices, which makes me feel confident in guiding my class through them.

As I continue with my own mindfulness practice, I’ll keep using the guided exercises available from the course. I look forward to sharing them with my students so they can benefit too.  I’m excited to see how it can support their wellbeing and growth.

Thank you to the Pause Breathe Smile for the time you took to teach myself and the other teachers.

2024 Teacher Inquiry Question

At the start of this year, I decided to focus my inquiry on improving spelling and phonological awareness in my Year 6 class. My goal is to explore how embedding The Code into my practice can increase students' word knowledge, particularly for those who are at risk or working below expected levels.

My inquiry question is:
"How can embedding The Code in my practice help increase students' spelling and phonological awareness, particularly for those who are below expected levels or at risk?" My teacher inquiry question links to Manaiakalani goals of: improving teacher practice, and making 1.5 Years progress inside a year.

I chose this focus because spelling and phonological awareness are foundational to literacy development. Many of my students, particularly those who speak English as a second language or face other challenges, need additional support in these areas. By improving their understanding of sounds and word structures, I hope to help them become more confident and competent in both their reading and writing.

To begin this inquiry, I have collected data on my students' spelling progress, which includes their spelling test scores as well as additional details such as their age, ethnicity, and student feedback (student voice). Below is a summary table of this data for my target group:

This inquiry is already reinforcing the importance of revisiting essential skills that may not always be fully developed by the time students reach senior school. It's clear that reinforcing these foundational concepts will benefit all learners, particularly those with gaps in their phonological awareness and spelling.