Needs of Maamaloa Side School

In deciding on what to do as a Social Action Inquiry project, I identified three needs of

Maamaloa Side School and they are listed below:
1. Resource pack.
This resource pack would be comprised of a deflated soccer ball (the students love soccer, felt
pens, pencils, pens, paper)

2. Fundraise for bathroom floors and fixed plumbing

The tiled floors are uneven and broken. The plumbing for some toilets and the taps in the
handbasin is faulty.

3. Restricted teaching styles resulting in lack of engaged students.

Most of the teachers at Maamaloa Side School teach lecture style, in the traditional way from
the front of the classroom. They do have some Learning Experiences with the students, but they
are sporadic.

Causes of these needs

Resource pack:
Felt pens, crayons and paper are used constantly at Maamaloa Side School and consequently
run out. Felt pens and/or crayons especially are used in at least two lessons a day per class.

Broken toilet tiles and broken plumbing

Not too sure why, but the floors of both the boys and girls bathroom are uneven tiling, allowing
for spilled water to pool and create a slippery surface. Also the plumbing for the hand basin and
the toilets is faulty, sometimes the pressure does not stoop. Consequently, these two combined
make for an OSH nightmare.

Restricted teaching style resulting in lack of engagement from students

This teaching style is the one they remember from their childhood, they are trained secondary
teachers, even if presented with another teaching style they stick with the lecture style as it is
easier and it is safe its what they know.

My Social Action Inquiry Project:

I have chosen to focus on the teaching style which, while in and of itself is not bad or wrong,
when students are taught using only one method, they are not actively engaged the whole time
and their brains are not coaxed into higher-level thinking.
I chose to focus on this teaching style to its lasting effects it has on children. Many students,
myself included, have forgotten the many lessons we were taught in High School due to the
focus being to learn by rote. We had to memorize something for a test or exam and then when
that was over we could forget about it. 5 years later and I dont remember what trigonometry is
this is something that was taught and used throughout 3 years of high school. In fact, having
only lecture style teaching has many disadvantages for the students that is (Bajak, 2014).
With the focus on the effectiveness of the teaching style used by most teachers at Maamaloa
Side School, I am targeting their practice and hoping to provide some helpful tips that will grow
them in their professional skills and pedagogy. The use of resources to reinforce a lesson
detracts from the lecture style approach, when actively engaged with, and heads towards a
collaborative learning approach.
When students are actively engaged, they learn better (Lorain, 2015). With this active
engagement, they are then developing higher order thinking which leads to deeper learning, not
just superficial learning like I have experienced from high school.

I understand that I am only 23 with a full year of teacher training behind me, but little experience
in teaching a classroom. Added to that, I am white and a westerner. These can lead to
catastrophic results when handled incorrectly. For example: if I was to go into Maamaloa Side
School and tell them they are doing it all wrong and that they must change this, this and this,
they would hate me, get offended and angry. Personally, I dont mind offending people but only
if it is for Truth. In this case, I would have been insensitive, arrogant and blind to act this way.
Therefore, I have concluded that the best way to help grow the teachers skill set, and
confidence in these skills is to get alongside them and learn collaboratively. Hence the
scaffolded learning, the gradual progressions into individual work and the end progression into
actually using a resource to teach in a classroom with me there.
Although this would be scary for the teachers, I believe it will benefit them and their students
hugely. After this Professional Development course, they will be able to teach using resources
confidently and securely. This confidence also encourages confidence in the students.
Having the knowledge, confidence and understanding in how to use resources effectively and to
their fullest potential then gives room for a second Professional Development training time
based on differentiation, how to differentiate and why it is useful. However, firstly, the teachers
need to know how to use the resources to their fullest potential.

This is a brief matrix of sequential Professional Development lessons to be run through with the
Tongan teachers. This would need to be facilitated by someone who has completed their first
two years of teacher training or is already a Primary school teacher. It is important to ensure that
the Tongan culture is not quashed in favour of New Zealand culture.
I hope to return to Tonga next year, and if so, I would like to run a Professional Development
course portraying these lessons and going through them with the teachers. In this plan, the
teachers in Tonga are referred to as students. For this to feasibly work, there would need to be
a team of people who come with me to Tonga.
It is a lot to expect for Tongan teachers to spend their own personal time on Professional
Development when they could be spending time with family. So, if I had the privilege of
returning to Tongatapu next year with a team, I would ensure that the Professional Development
ran during school time. The other members of the team could then relief teach in the classrooms
while the teachers are receiving Professional Development training. Consequently, the team
that travels with me will also be either training teachers or trained teachers.
Lesson Teaching Learning Assessment Why
Number Experience

1 Every child is The students are to The students Tongans by

valuable and every write a song and sing have written nature are very
child is different. it based on how and sung vocal people.
Imago dei. (Genesis children are valuable. song. Having learning
1:27). Since YHWH loves them, experiences that
everybody is so we should too. engage their
created in the image culture
of the Father, it is acknowledges
important that we their culture and
realise our students respects it.
are too. As a result,
we should treat
them with love and
respect. They
deserve the best
from us, they will
spend more time
with us during the
day than they may
with their family. As
a result we need to
make sure we are
giving them the best
we can.
2 Discuss how a book After returning to They have This is beginning
can be used for class with other come up with to get them to
more than just students, in pairs the two ways to think about how
reading. Read a students are to come use the to use the
book. Share my own up with two different resource. resources and
picture book lesson ways they might use Teacher to get the most out
plan (attached this resource. assess. Give of them.
below) to give good
practical example. feedback 3
Take students out of positives to
class and into a one negative.
classroom to teach
the children. The
teacher is to model
how to use the
resource effectively.

3. Repeat beginning of Individually, students They have This is

above lesson with a to come up with come up with re-cementing the
different resource. three different ways two ways to idea/knowledge
Find out what each they might use this use the that anything can
student is currently resource. resource. be used as a
working on in their Peer assess. resource.
classroom. Class
brainstorm on ways
to use the resource.

4. Teacher to recap To create a lesson A lesson is Students will be

prior learning and using the resource. created using actively engaged
then discuss how In pairs, students to the resource. in using a
anything can be use anything as a resource and
used as a resource. resource for learning The lesson challenged in
about language targets how to do it. This
(Tongan or English). language. stretches them,
but also gives
them comfort as
they have a
partner.
 5. Individually, Students to create a Students to Students will
students to create lesson based on the share what conclude the
any resource to resource they would short
teach about maths. teach. Professional
Teacher to give Development
example of training taking
something they ownership of this
could do. learning
Brainstorm as a
group. Prompt
thinking.

6 Very little teaching. Students to create a Peer This is another

Recap of what has lesson using their assessment step in helping
been done. resource and teach it on how well the teachers to
Students are to to their normal class. they used the take ownership
create another resource. of learning how
resource, or find to make and use
one that is resources.
appropriate for a
specific learning
area and create a
lesson integrating it.

References:
Lorain, P. (2015). Teaching that emphasizes active engagement. Retrieved on 13 June 2017
from: http://www.nea.org/tools/16708.htm.
Bajak, A. (May 12, 2014). Lectures arent just boring, theyre ineffective too, study finds.
Retrieved on 13 June 2017 from:
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/05/lectures-arent-just-boring-theyre-ineffective-t
oo-study-finds.

BTI Individual Lesson Plan

NZC Learning Area: Class/ Group/ Level: 2
English - Listening, Reading and Viewing Date:
Social Sciences Duration: 50 Minutes

NZC Key Competencies & School Values:

Thinking - Students are thinking critically about what they have done that hurt someone else
Relating to others - Students are developing skills in which they can use to maintain relationships

NZC Achievement Objectives:

English - To understand that personal experience can influence the meaning gained from texts
Social Sciences - Understand that people have social rights and responsibilities

Prior Learning:
Can write
Know what being kind looks like
Know what being mean looks like

Learning Intention:
Learning that every action and word has a consequence

Success Criteria:
How will students know if they have been successful?
They have written a reflection including what they could have done differently
They have talked about what they are going to write to two other students

What evidence of learning will I gather & assess?

Assessment will be based on what students have written in their reflection detailing what they did, and
what they would do next time.
Assessment will also be based on how well students do when they talk to others about what they are
going to write. If all sound confused, spend more time with them, going over what they could write.

What materials/ resources will I need to help the children learn?

Whiteboard markers
The Bear with the Sword by David Cali & Gianluca Foli
Bucket Dipper Poster
Bucket Filler Poster
Pens/Pencils for students
Poster paper
Google Doc for differentiation

What management strategies will I use?

If a child is repeatedly being disruptive, they will sit next to me, separate from the child they were
interacting with.
Will use counting down softly.
Will use finger on nose to show you are listening strategy.

How will I introduce, engage & motivate the students?

Read the book, and Shaving foam
What learning & teaching sequence will I use? Timing:
Get students to sit down on the mat.
Showing just the front of the book, what do you think will happen next?
BDA Questions.
Before:
What do you think this is about? Why?
During:
What do you think will happen next? How do you think the *animal* feels
about it?
After:
What do you think happens after? How long do you think it took for the
trees to grow?
What are some of the ideas in the book? What made you think that?

Discussion around ideas in book - actions and consequences. Would you

have wanted to be the bears friend at the start of the book?
Everything we say and do has a consequence. What we say and do
affects the people around us. This includes our friends. We want to make
sure that what we say and do helps people to want to be around us.

Everyone has an invisible bucket that they carry with them everywhere.
When the bucket is full, they are happy. When they bucket gets dipped
into, or emptied, the person starts to feel sad.
Show clip upto 4min 30 seconds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyYEJcUiDcg

We want to be Bucket Fillers.

Put Bucket Filler picture on board. Bucket Fillers are people who do nice
things and say nice things.
Bucket Dippers are the opposite - they are people who make others feel
worse. Put Bucket Dipper on board. Bucket Dippers say and do mean
things.
Split class into groups of 4. They can get a poster page and write ways to
be a Bucket Filler or a Bucket Filler, with both clearly labelled.

When allotted time is finished, discuss with the students: when the bear
first started chopping down the trees and then went around trying to find
who had made him lose his home, was he being a Bucket Filler or Bucket
Dipper?
What are some ways we can be Bucket Fillers? Write their ideas on the
board around the picture of Bucket Fillers.
What are some ways people can be Bucket Dippers? Write their ideas on
the board around the picture of Bucket Dippers.
What kind of bucket is a good friend? Are they Bucket Fillers or Bucket
Dippers?
Each person, think of a time you said something or did something that was
not very good. Think of a time when you were a Bucket Dipper. Now think
about what you did next. Did you try to be a Bucket FIller afterwards?
You will be writing a reflection about it. To help with this though, you will go
to two other people in the class and explain to them what you are going to
write about.
E tu, talk to two people about what you are doing your written reflection on.

What differentiated learning & follow up activities do I need?

Each student will pick their own group, so they can choose who will be in it. The groups will consequently
have varying levels of students. The groups also will have the opportunity to write on the poster, draw or
search up pictures to respond to the questions and put on a Google Doc.

How will I conclude the learning & allow student to articulate their learning?
Written reflection on past experience - what they would do instead.