Provocations at OrmPS

This is my first year thinking about and teaching provocations in the classroom. Provocations are discussions, ideas and activities that are thought provoking around interests, questions and creativity. Here at Ormiston Primary, as learning coaches, we are to consider our learning habitat as a fifth learning coach. As mentioned in our meeting, a well designed and resourced learning space enables provocation creation.

As a team we are now in the process of planning and setting up provocations within our habitat to best suit our learners around our four vision principles: Curious, Capable, Connected and Collaborative. Our provocations are set up first thing in the morning when the learners come in and will hopefully spark curiosity before, during or after a deliberate act of teaching anytime.

Here are some of what the learners did this morning for provocations.

New Zealand Sign Language Classes have begun!

There is a NZSL unit here at Ormiston with learners with hearing impairments and deafness. In partnership with KDEC the unit is designed to cater for learners in the Flatbush/ Botany area who have hearing difficulties. We are fortunate to have Kaori who has found Shona to teach us NZSL classes.

Shona taught us the Sign Language alphabet, how to greet others, how to say please and thank you and how to sign the letters of our names and how to get NZSL Learners attention. It's a great opportunity to learn more and teach other learners across the school.

Week One at OrmPS

The school year began yesterday (Thursday) and I was eager to meet the learners in our habitat. But also, the ones in my hapu group. At Ormiston Primary the students are referred to as 'learners' and the team as 'habitat'. My hapu group is the core class of learners that I will be teaching for literacy and numeracy. My role at the school is now a 'Learning Coach' which is the term used for teachers.

The lessons or tasks and activities throughout the day are named differently. Instead of fitness, we use the term iActive. iExplore from my understanding are activities driven by the learners and iExperience is where the activities are driven by the learning coaches (teachers). These new terms are different but with time will slowly catch on. iDevelop is literacy and numeracy learning.
There are no bells at the school so everything is run by the clock and kept to time. Learning coaches out on duty inform the students of when iBreaks (morning tea and lunchtime) are over and send them back to class.

There are no rubbish bins at the school either. It's a waste free school. There are recycling bins for paper, plastic and tins as well as a bin for recyclable paper. There is also a bokashi bin for some of the food waste. Every other piece of rubbish is put back into learner bags and taken home to dispose of.

It's been a great first week and I've learned so much. The children are very sweet and some are helping me to learn the basics in Mandarin. I'm looking forward to a great year.