PENN Movie used as a learning tool.

 This year Room 26 has been fortunate enough to experience the making of our PENN movie. Usually in previous years I have not had the opportunity to  engage in the process of movie making with my class. It has been a great experience filled with lots of learning.

I was able to get one of my year 3's to read a 2minute script. He was the voice of our PENN movie.

It was most interesting to see how his confidence grew over the time that we were making our movie. At first it was seen as a chore for him to stay back 10 minutes after lunch, but then he was offering to, and his reading and fluency got better and better!

This motivated all the other children who wanted to be part of the process in some way. They would want to show their face in the movie and would constantly ask "Am I in it!"

But it wasn't just a great experience for them it was a great experience for me. I have never had the opportunity in the past of "working together" with my class to produce a quality movie about what they are learning inside and outside the classroom. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Inquiry for 2022.

 What an interesting few weeks we have had so far! It has certainly been filled with challenges. In todays staff meeting we talked about those many challenges that we as teachers faced in the classroom. We looked at the disadvantageous of  "mask wearing" The constant looking from the children as they struggled to understand what you were saying. This has an effect on the building of relationships which in turn has an impact on trust.

Wearing a mask certainly seemed to hinder the performance as a teacher. It has had a huge impact on "connectivity" not only with students but also with the wider community. I have been very lucky because I teach Year 2/3, which means wearing a mask is not mandatory when working with my children, but communication with whanau (& the wider community) is more difficult.

We know that this current situation will not be with us indefinitely and it has prompted the question, what future goals do I have for my learners? What did I want my classroom to look like in a "mask off" classroom/environment?

We know that in the near future "connectedness" will certainly be a theme (no matter the year group) that will be at the forefront of every teachers mind. We know that in the classroom it is the teacher who plays such an important role in their learning, social and emotional growth.

This idea or theme of connectedness certainly makes me wonder how as a "teacher" I will be able to foster relations between the children, the community and myself moving forward? This is certainly something I plan on exploring more as the year progresses.