Bikes in Schools - FINALLY!

Well, after YEARS of preparation and funding proposals, our 'Bikes in Schools' programme is finally here.  We managed to fundraise $60,000 to pay for this programme to be in our school, and the facility to be open to our community.
Bikes in schools offer our students an opportunity to learn about road safety on bikes and encourages a healthy, active lifestyle.  Over the last 6 weeks we have had our tracks designed and built, a storage container modified and fitted for over 50 bikes, and we've purchased 50 bikes in a range of sizes to suit our students. 

Having bikes in school has had a huge impact on our students playground activity.

Before we had our track, there would be an average of 5 students who would ride bikes to school in the morning.  Since the track was finished on day one of this term, we average 15 students bringing their own bikes to school.  We always thought our students were pretty active, always participating in games on the field or on the courts.  But, having bikes in the playground has taken participation up another notch.
Students who have their own bikes are free to ride them at break times and students who don't are able to ride the school bikes when their class is rostered to ride on our bike timetable.  Every week, each class is rostered a lesson time and a break time.  There are blank blocks of time on our timetable also, so anyone who wishes to get in an extra session in during the week, is welcome to book one by writing their block time on the staff message board.

We are also very fortunate to have 2 satellite classes in our school with 10 beautiful students with special needs.  Our school is next door to Sommerville special school.  We have rostered our satellite classes and Sommerville to also use the tracks and bikes.  Part of the programme implementation was bike training for teachers from Auckland Transport.  All teachers, including Teacher Aides, have participated in the PLD, and this has also been extended to Sommerville.  It's all very exciting! 
Teachers on duty, and those whose class have the bikes at breaktimes also get out on the track with their students.  We included 2 teacher bikes in our bike collection.  These bikes are all white and are 'step in' bikes with comfortable seats and mud guards.  Staff joke at how we all look like Mary Poppins on our retro bikes.  Children love to ride with the adults and there is always laughter and fun coming from the tracks at lunchtime and session times.

So, if you were considering bringing bikes in schools to your school, I would highly recommend it.  It doesn't matter what socio-economic background your community come from...there is funding out there if you look for it and have people committed to finding it.  This initiative is one of the best things to happen in our little school and just makes our place that little bit more special!

Less is More - Work Smarter, Not Harder!

Finland...the #1 country in Education in the world.  Children don't start formal schooling until they're 7, they have breaks every 15minutes in their day, they don't have a lot of 'formal testing' in their curriculum.  Reading about the Finnish system, I'm sure that every Kiwi teacher would be nodding their heads and raising an eyebrow at the idea of having shorter days, more non-contact time, children coming to school ready to learn, less curriculum to teach (fewer topics-more depth), less testing and analysis, fewer students, same students for 6 years (not sure how that would pan out with student/teacher personality clashes), and Masters qualified teachers.  

I found that I was constantly wondering what difference their systems and structures would make in the context of our schools.  New Zealand teachers consider themselves pretty good at what they do, and our system to be inclusive, cutting edge, indeed world class.  I work in a decile 1a school, where all students are nurtured through their learning.  We have a solid curriculum , that is current, engages students and achieves positive outcomes for our students..but, our achievement levels still aren't where we want them to be against National Standards. Teacher's work extremely hard,  many going above and beyond in striving to build upon their own teaching practice and providing students the best opportunities to learn.  After reading a blog post from FILLING MY MAP it got me thinking about the Finnish mantra "Less is More" and how this would work in our crammed curriculum.  I began reflecting on our expectations of classroom teachers and the pedagogy and practice of what they teach. 

It's not uncommon to hear of teacher stress levels being at breaking point due to the curriculum expectations and pressures put on them.  I believe our curriculum is sound and that we need to work smarter not harder in its delivery.  I related 'Less is More' mantra to Maths PD we are currently undertaking.  We've been encouraged to cut back on the number of problems we give students in a math lesson and focus on one problem solving activity.  The purpose for this is to have teachers and children drill into strategies through talk.  Lessons go for up to 45mins and children finish with a more in-depth look at the 'how's of problem solving.  Instead of solving 5 problems in one lesson, one problem is completely unpacked and each possible strategy explained, examined and shared with the children/by the children.    These groups are often taught in whole class or half class settings - meaning children are specifically taught by the teacher daily.  Teachers monitor learning, moving around the room looking for examples to be shared when the group comes back to share their problem solving strategies.  When the group returns the teacher engages in 'talk moves' (specific questioning techniques).  While sharing different strategies, the teacher then directs students in making connections between strategies, giving an opening (if warranted) for explicit teaching.

Before this approach, Teachers usually would have up to 4 or 5 maths groups in their classes, giving groups 20-30mins of rushed lessons to push through a guided strategy and then a number of similar examples for students to practice as a group, in pairs and finally independently...only really seeing each group twice a week (more often obviously with younger students - but shorter lessons to get through everyone).  These lessons are heavily teachers directed.

Literacy Across the Curriculum offers more when focusing on one topic and bringing depth to it through all areas of the curriculum.  Once again, we're looking at working smarter here.  Making connections to a single topic across the curriculum gives students opportunity to delve into a theme from many different angles and gives teachers opportunity to be creative in their practice using a variety of tools, media and pedagogical approaches in teaching their students.  With this variety, differentiation is more simply met.  Ultimately student voice and student direction should be the goal for teachers to nurture and grow students in to their learning.   I believe if we can simplify our teaching, we can grow the learning in a broader sense.
The less is more mantra...something to think about in our teaching!

TALK MOVES example - taken from YouTube