Brunch MAGIC leads into session one #edchatnz The start of the school year and the shift to greater student agency

Waking up on the North Shore of Auckland...

 Woohoo - I love my friends! Thank you all for a fabulous catchup! Thank you all for the MAGIC you are in my everyday life! And a HUGE thank you to Catalina Cafe for the sensational hospitality over this conference!

The start of the school year and the shift to greater student agency

Mandy Heim & Chhaya Naraya
Starting with the telling of the story... Having passion and commitment to the individual learner at the start of the year, sets the scene for the learning MAGIC that will happen all year. Starting the year by connecting!  

Alan November - Who owns the learning?

Start the year with every staff member introducing them self on a QR code.  Allowing all of the learners to connect almost 'f2f' with their educators.  Letting the learners hear our story, feel our passion. Keep it real, short and meaningful.  Letting the learner see us in an environment that matters to us.  

Using modern learning pedagogy - relationships and individuals matter the most.  Videoing self is a great start to connecting with the learners. 

First few days model:  From Alan November's 'first five days';

• Set up for important conversations;
• Learning mentor groups;
• Significant connections with learners;
• Quality conversations before academic conversations;
• Set up rotations for learners to hear messages;
• One chance to engage and connect;
• Sharing your story - welcoming your students;
• Students travel to rotations;
• Students trained to lead;
• Peer support groups;
• Cross grouped student support;

First 5 Days of School

Finding ways to ensure all learners have caring, identified significant others.   

Relationships matter MOST!

"They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Invest in people habits, relationship habits.

Learning mentor sessions:

• ice breakers;
• key conversations - goals, home life, uniquenesses;
• stress or pressure factors;
• lead in to these sessions with a sheet of questions enabling the learners to write or doodle what they want to share;

Challenges with students wanting to share and engage can be reduced with time allowed for the learner to draw, doodle, write, share what they chose to share.  Conversation starters are key to the development and sharing. 

Personal connections lead naturally into online or virtual connections.  Making the most of any f2f connection to establish real relationships and ways of being, and ensuring these skills are transferrable to conversations and relationships in the online world.

Allowing the learners to provide feedback and reflecting on the start of the year.  Capturing real evidence and acting on this.  T@I in action!  Learners with agency, teachers with agency!  

MAGIC session!  Thanks so much for the sharing, open, honest, real way to make a difference for everyone of our learners!!!