Y13 Taika Waititi Film Study

This year I've been teaching Year 13's (ages 17-18 aka 7th form) for the first time in my teaching career.

At the start of the year I had upwards of 50 students enrolled in my class. After some quick interviewing of my students to assess who actually:
a) wanted to do Y13 English Alternative
b) should be there (credits from last year) or in the generic English course
c) didn't want to do English/didn't need Level 3 English for the beginning of their careers next year

Once I had significantly dropped the numbers with the help of my amazing colleagues who found better places for them - I was down to about 45 students I think.

During this time I somehow managed to get them all reading and analysing the epic short story 'The Signalman' by Charles Dickens and later on - the two equally fantastic New Zealand short stories 'Her First Ball' by Katherine Mansfield and 'His First Ball' by Witi Ihimaera.

Eventually the class was split into two alternative level classes - and my amazing colleague TC is now working with me to continue this course.

Now that I had about 23 students - we could breathe a little easier and actually get some work done! :)

In walks the first assessment: US 3491 -  Write a report.  (3 credits)

At first glance, it looks like an easy assessment. It's a unit standard and all the students need to do is compare and contrast two texts and share their findings.

When we started teaching it and figuring it all out - it was a bit more indepth.

Films studied:

'Boy' and 'Tama Tu'

The analysis was easy and hard going at the same time. The report writing itself was and continues to be (some still have not handed it in....- cut off date is end of the term!!) Partly because of the structure I'd created for their report paragraphs - but mostly because it was a higher level of thinking and writing than they possibly had done before in their last years class. Y13 is a huge step up - even for the alternative course.

The assessment asked for the students to show their understanding of the director's purpose, how effective he was in portraying this through the key aspects and lastly evaluate his effectiveness in regards to how they related with it.

So this is how I asked my students to structure the paragraphs:

Topic Statement
Examples of key aspect
Explanations of key aspect and how they have impacted you/audience
Purpose (what the director was meaning and the purpose in creating the text)
Evaluation of effectiveness in portraying a key aspect in the film
Response - what you thought about what the director did - why it had an impact on you/audience

I've had four good reports handed in - about three that are in the near end stages and a few that still need more guidance and they are expected to go to the homework centre to get it done.


The next 'assessment' needs a bit of explanation... 

Mainly because it's a three part assessment.

AS 91480 - Close reading of visual texts (3 Credits)
US - Contribute as a team or group towards an objective
AS - Create a coherent oral text

The end product is an oral text where they present their findings and show their understanding of what the director did, why and how. Of course also how they related to it and the effectiveness etc. The best part about this is that there are loads of ways they can do this part - as a seminar, lesson, workshop, video, etc etc etc etc

Before this can happen though -  they have to collate information and techniques and analyses on two short excerpts - or in our case - two short films. And analyse their findings and think about how they relate to them and how they've been impacted in some way as the audience and why the director did it and what the director made them think etc.

Films studied: 

'Tama Tu' and '2 Cars, 1 Night'

Best part of this series of assessments is that they have basically done most of the groundwork about the background of Tama Tu in the last assessment and can solely focus on the technical aspects of diegetic sounds, shots, cinematography, mis en scene etc

The other best part so far - is while watching 'Two Cars, 1 Night' - my students were discussing aspects of the film with technical terms as they watched it, questioning it, and discussing the backgrounds of the characters and already started to think about why Taika Waititi used these characters, how he used them etc.

This is awesome because it showed me that they get it... and that they can do it. And most of all.. that when they get stressed out and say they can't - I can remind them back to the first time we watched it... and every other time since.

At the moment - they are collating the data and evidence of the film.

We've started to analyse our own information using the below questions:


Before we can attack the questions - which are rather wordy for that reason - I've decided they need to unpack each one to know what they've actually got to answer. We've already done a bit of this - with the first question:

On Monday we'll continue with this - perhaps unpack the rest of the questions - because the next two lessons I'll be in Wellington for PPTA meetings - and so they'll continue working on their answers and paragraphs... why? because it's an easy way for them to cut and paste info into a speech transcript for their speeches later. Smart aye :)

To do the collating of the information - they're working in teams or groups - and hopefully will stay in those groups for the presentation side of the close reading assessment. I love how interconnected these assessments are. Really the only way to do it too. :)


I'm hoping that my Y13's have their collated information ready by the end of the term (three weeks to go!!) and then come next term we can teach our Y13's the techniques of good presenting and give them some more ideas in how to do the presenting side. Hopefully make it less scary as each student has to speak for six minutes each.

Where I see us going next....

The next assessments are the Visual and Verbal assessment as well as the extended text teaching and learning - for their final exam in English at the end of the year.

Well be using one film for the next two assessments - though I'm pretty sure my colleague will agree that we'll let out students choose any of the films or texts we've studied this year for their visual verbal text creation.

I've bought the two copies of the film we will be doing - and in case my students find this post I will update the film later. But if you know Taika Waititi's works well - you'll know the one we're doing :)

Also - am stoked that 'What we do in the Shadows' comes out this week and that I'll be in Wellington during the hype and that there have been HEAPS of interviews done by Waititi and Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) - in character might I add.

Links for 'What we do in the Shadows' here:
Trailer for WWDITS - thanks to Youtube and DeliciousNecks
Film Website
WWDITS on IMBD - Thanks to IMDB
Werewolves not Swearwolves - Trailer
Viral Marketing at its best - Thanks to NZ Herald and David Farrier
The WWDITS Facebook Page 
#DeliciousNecks - Twitter


Links for 'Boy':
Boy on IMDB - Thanks to IMDB
Trailer for BOY - Thanks to Youtube and EastCoastCrazyHorses
The Film Website

Links for 'Tama Tu':
The Entire Film Here - Thanks to NZ On Screen
The Film Website
28th Maori Battalion Website

Links for 'Two Cars, One Night':
The Entire Film Here - Thanks to NZ On Screen
TCON on IMDB - Thanks to IMDB
The Film Website

Links for last Waititi film: 
To come later :)

Links on Taika Waititi:
TedXDoha - The Art of Creativity - AMAZING. - Thanks to TedXTalks and Youtube
Taika Waititi Fansite


Links on Visual Techniques:
Mis En Scene - Makes total sense - Good for students to take notes.

Te Kotahitanga Series: The idea of being "too soft" and also having high expectations

Eventually all of my ideas and thinking around using and implementing Te Kotahitanga will be in one blog - but for now... here is a small... but potentially huge idea that I had on my drive home from the supermarket.

Recently my Y10's and I have been reading the novel 'The Bone Tiki' by David Hair. It is easily one of my favourite New Zealand historical novels.

I say its an HN mainly because it delves deep into our Maori culture and plays with a lot of traditional and relevant themes around culture, the idea of being Maori and what it takes to BE Maori and also the many elements of Maoritanga and Maoridom. It offers historical events and helps show to a relatively young audience some of their own history in their own words - with likable and relevant main characters.

Anyway - last week I set my students a couple of chapter summary and homework tasks. Simple enough - just needed maybe 10 minutes of their time at home. However, they didn't do it.

We spent the next English lesson going through most of the first one - of which it was an absolutely fabulous lesson. Loads of kupu hou (new words) and they seem to now have the linguistic bug of looking for new words by searching in the dictionary for definitions and through the thesaurus for synonyms.

A few lessons later once we'd managed to get through the next chapter (issues around that...will get to that in a minute..) - I gave out the next chapter summary. We did the cloze activity together as a class at the end of the lesson and the rest they were expected to do for homework.

They didn't do that either.

Following lesson I asked a colleague whether I was being too.. where she interrupted me and said the words "too soft." I continued, "too lenient."

For me there are a couple of issues - well more than a couple:

- access to dictionaries at home
- completing homework - when there possibly just isn't time. Extra curricular activities, family expectations, church, community tasks etc.
- access to the internet or someone who can help them (maori kupu)
- remembering what happened in the book
- not having the book to reference at home

Because - it's not that they can't do it. They do it quickly and efficiently in class. They are eager for my appreciation of them completing the task to the best of their abilities and they often suggest new words to add to the already humoungous pile of kupu hou we are collecting.

It's slightly frustrating with the access to internet, dictionaries etc - even more so that I'm STILL on the hunt for the lost 30 or so books that have seemingly dissappeared into thin air - despite emails, questions at staff meetings, surveying and asking staff I see, and asking students to be on the lookout as well. And... despite the Google Docs Booking sheet I created... and there was only one other booking made (on the whiteboard...old booking system) and my colleague that booked the previous way didn't look on the online booking sheet. So - am forced to only have 9 books in a class of 23. Slightly difficult. I will find the rest eventually. Preferably BEFORE we finish the book.

But the students can do this. Me being "soft" isn't a factor to them being able to complete the tasks.

In any matter - I don't think I'm being "soft" though I can understand where my colleague was coming from. It harks back to my Tapu series. Everything does.

I have high expectations for my students to do their work. I try to make it as interesting and as relevant as possible. Perhaps I am a bit too lenient in regards to homework being completed in class rather than having meant to be done at home.

After that quick conversation - I did dicsuss with the students about my expectations - they completed the set work from the last chapter and we moved on with reading the next chapter. I marked their work and they all did well.

What is the problem then?

That being understanding of a students' situation or even the knowledge that they have so many other things going on in their lives, that sometimes setting homework is just irrelevant and doesn't get done - can be construed as being 'soft'.

In NZ - the word 'soft' comes across as not being 'hard' enough.

'Soft' means a plethora of different words in NZ. Being 'hard' has similar connotations - of course in the opposite direction.

The real problem is that 'soft' has a particular negative connotation that I'm too nice.

I am a compassionate person, and often try to see the situation from the students perspective before anyone elses. When you have 33 students all complaining that they don't have time to complete homework at home - you have to listen and change what you're doing.

And sometimes you do need to be 'hard'.

I have high expectations - I don't allow my students to use the word 'gay' as a negative connotation and I expect my students to act positively towards and with others. I expect students to have an open mind and be interested in learning. At times I often have too high an expectation. Not to say I should lower it or make my expectations more easier.. I just have to reassess the situation and co-construct with my students - and that's okay.

But in a world where some students only get hardness - sometimes they need to see the other side to it so that they can choose who they want to be and how they want to act and react towards others.

And that is all. :)

Kidblog Journey...The Beginning...

So - Thanks to a PLN colleague on the VLN - I found out about kidblog.org

It's a pretty sweet little blog site - for school anyway. Easy to create a whole class set of blogs. Will continue to tutu for a bit before I get too carried away.

I am in the process of pushing through a letter home to my students as I won't be here next week for parent teacher interviews - will be in Wellington for PPTA meetings instead.

In the Google Form (that I am printing out as well as giving the link in the letter...) I've asked for permission for parents so I can set up and start these blogs. Will be sending out more information about that later once I create some sort of policy around this - it comes back to digital citizenship though... Just want to cover my behind and also make sure my students are safe as well.

This blogsite looks pretty cool though - particularly because I was able to create a bulk set of users in one swoop... and made some pretty awesome passwords for my Year 9's that relate to their personality... and since we are doing lots of vocabulary work at the moment - they'll love that their personality (from my perspective anyway) can be shown in a word. One of my students today chose the word inquisitive in his spelling words - we discussed what it meant and the synonyms for it. Was an impressive 20 minutes where he talked me through the words he'd chosen (that I wrote down as he'd hurt his arm yesterday) and gave me synonyms for each. The word inquisitive is definitely him. He continues to ask questions and is so polite, helpful and conscientious of the class and his own learning. Love it. He's truly started to get the values of our school and is showing them. Impressed.

Anyway... it's a start.

Still so much to do. At least I only have three more pieces of writing to mark and enter and then the seniors are done. Then just to do the junior report comments and add in their marks. :) They're not due til next week but since I'm away I want to get it done now...... so feeling the pressure still. But sitting at my desk with the music blasting and seeing the mess on my desk is not helping. I should just move away to one of the other desks and keep marking........ but then my belly is rumbling... brain remembers I got paid last night... and I wonder ... couldn't I just get this marking done somewhere warm... and more importantly while I'm eating? Hmmmmm. Stream of consciousness for the win.


And... a very tentative first posting as me - but teacher me :) Miss L's Year 9 English Class 2014

Stressed...

Marking to do.

Relief to create for next week.

Reports to write.

Results to enter before tomorrow.

Students haven't handed everything in.

Students not focussed.

Quickly getting frustrated.

Losing own focus.

Feeling the frustrated tears feels.

Still have classes to teach as well.

Why I agreed to do a workshop on Twitter at #NZATE...

Twitter is probably the best way to connect with other teachers.

It has revolutionised aspects of my own teaching style.

I have met other passionate teachers and have even met some face to face.

Now of course, this isn't to say that my real life colleagues haven't made an impact. Because they have. And on a daily basis. I'm so greatful for the people I have in my life and the colleagues I work with are absolutely fantastic.

What Im getting at is that Twitter is powerful. It crosses boundaries like water and countries and cities and school boundary zones.... even school departments.

If you're already a bit of a social butterfly, like myself, Twitter becomes an extension of what you already do.

For me, Twitter has taught me lots of new things and Im so thankful to the people in my Professional Learning Network to continue to allow this to happen.

Sometimes... scratch that... as teachers we are nearly always too busy to add something else extra onto our already full plates/bags/boxes of things to do.

Twitter is that little oomph I need at the end of a stressful day. With other passionate teachers to remind you to pick your load up and continue flying.

A few months ago I redecorated my house... sure it wasn't anything crazy like painting.. it was merely blu tacking pictures, inspirational quotes etc around my house. Some pics of these are on the #whoiamwhatido post. In particular is this one:

Every day when I get a drink of water, wash the dishes, fill the dog's water bowl, refill the hot water bottle... I read this again. Maybe only a small section but it reminds me to fly in formation.

Often in teaching we feel that we're isolated.

I know for certain as a new teacher I felt this way. So much so I chose to stay in my isolated prefab room to ensure others wouldn't mock my teaching or tell me I was doing x wrong. My thought processes hadnt moved far yet from a victimized psychology and I was constantly worried that what I was doing was wrong and felt that I didnt know what I was doing.

Part of this is of course the falsities I created as truths while growing up, and some events that stuck in my head while going through teachers college and doing practicums... at that time still very fresh in my memory.

Interestedly enough I never felt isolated while studying my BA in history and english... perhaps because there was a stronger sense of collaboration in those faculties.

But surely... we as teachers should be even more collaboarative. We should be encouraging others because thats what we do with our students.

Why then do so many student teachers come out of teaching college feeling incapable? Is it the weight of having all tjose futures in your hands? Surely part of it...

From personal experience.. I think it has a lot to do with teaching student teachers about the fact that they're on their own. Like my first mentor H said, "It's the only job in the world where they leave you in a room and let you 'get on with it'."

Why is this?

In a day and age where we have information at the tips of our fingers we were taught by past teachers who hadn't been in the classroom for over 10 years. We learnt the value of curriculum and what pedagogy was... we even had a few token sessions on Te Kotahitanga. Now I love my university that I went to. I rave about it to whoever asks. But I learnt more about teaching on practicum than I ever did while at teachers college.

I learnt that there were a huge structure of school politics bubbling behind the face of a school, and that to lead change - you had to be prepared for the firing squad... sometimes literally.. and of course metaphorically.  I learnt that not every teacher had good practice nor 'best practice'. What's more is that I found it increasingly difficult to be given an associate teacher I got along with. I'm not too horrible a person... but in teaching, especially as a student teacher (IMO) alot of the success and failure you recieve comes down to how well you get on with the Associate Teacher you are paired up with.

Teaching is a personable sport. You have to get along with others to make it work. If you don't have that personality style then you better have fantastic classroom management.

Those are things I learnt while on practicum. And thats just from the teachers. I of course learnt much more from the students.

While on practicum.. I can count on two hands the teachers who made a positive impact on me. They had a relaxed and calm manner with their students and they related to them. They made everything they were doing somehow new and interesting.

What teachers forget is that they dont need to be isolated. They shouldn't fear being observed by others. They shouldn't fear getting criticised or giving students the power in their lessons. Above all else... teachers shouldn't fear collaboration.

Because teachers are so busy.. they forget what it was like to be a new teacher.. that for a new teacher every lesson is a mindfield.. and as you get better you learn how to set up routines and how to improve behaviours and set expectations etc. Because teachers are so busy they forget that they can ask others for help. That an answer is at the end of the hallway or at a response of an email.

Because teachers are so busy they forget to keep up with the latest in teaching pedagogies and curriculum. Teachers get stuck in the way they were taught and how they've been teaching for x number of years. Because teachers are so busy they forget that they dont need to isolate themselves from others.

That's why Twitter is awesome.

Create an account. Search some famous people and follow them. Then what? Perhaps I'll search new teachers... Ooh, I found #ntchat. New Teacher Chat.. but the time differences will make it hard for me to get to view and add to the discussion.. 

Go back to teaching. Forget about Twitter.. wonder why there isn't a NT chat for NZ teachers. Attempt to make a hashtag. Fail. Go back to teaching. Wonder if there are other communities for teaching. Find some radio broadcasts by the Teachers Lounge. Get an oomph.

Go back to teaching. Find out about TED talks. Wow. Find out about spoken word poetry. WOW. Find out about Freedom Writers blog online. Find out about #edchat. Find out about issues that relate to my students. Find out about #edchatnz. WOW!!! So busy though...

Change school. Start fresh. Focus on teaching. Make new friends. Go back to teaching. Focus. Extra - curricular activities.

New year. YES YEAR. Nominated for PPTA.  Go to Wellington. Meet other passionate teachers. Re-introduced to Twitter. #edchatnz #edtech #educamp #eduignite #techrev BYOD. PB4L. Busy. Teaching and collaborating. Learning. Teaching and learning. Sharing. Learning. Focus. Passion. Fresh. Be asked to do a workshop on Twitter. Know that you don't know everything. But going to do it anyway.

Create a google form. Ask others to tell you why they like Twitter as an educator. Write blog posts... alot of blog posts. Think about why you like Twitter.

And now I'm here. Join the Twitterverse. The Twitter Staffroom.

Get relevant PD. For you.

When you want it.

Try. Fail.

Try again. Succeed. :)

The Bone TIki

http://backyardbooks.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/the-bone-tiki-david-hair/

Proposal for ULearn 14, Conferences and Presenting

The proposal for ULearn14... 

I've said everything I needed to say. I need to add a bit of bolding on the fees section perhaps, but I've added info on current research and policies - including the Min of Ed's recent Future Focussed policy/report from Friday just gone.

Regardless of whether I will be able to have the registration fee partially funded or not - I'll still go. I'll just have to be really onto it with saving money - rather than putting it all onto bills straight away.

Finished writing my proposal last night... not sure what else I need to put into it. Have attached the SPANZ report and the basic 10 Ministry of Education guidelines for future-focussed learning.

At the moment I'm thinking about trying to sort out both ideas for presentations next month.

CLESOL Conference - 10-13th July (I'm presenting via webcam with Sonya Van Schijiks on the 12th)
- My experiences teaching bi-lingual students

NZATE Conference - 9-11th  July
- Workshop on Twitter and use as a teacher/educator

Both presentations can only come from my own experiences, and from what I've learnt from others in the process.

I'm worried that my experiences, brief and therefore in my opinion, inconsistent as a strong proof for evidence and clarity, will not be valued. Worried too that there will be possible backlash. This worry is what has since prevented me from making any surefire ideas about what exactly I'll say at the CLESOL presentation.

I feel like the Twitter one will be an easier - though in a lot of ways also more difficult mainly because I see the reactions and can gauge how my workshop attendees are feeling and how it's all going.

A difficult part for both is that I don't even know how long I need to talk for.

I suppose another difficult part is this is the first time I've been given the chance to show what I know in the world of teaching.

Up until being given the opportunity, I've been 'gun-ho' in sharing my thoughts. I'm quite a shy person when I'm put in the spotlight.. until I get to know people then it's hard for me to stop talking.

I'm also a competitive person, and with these opportunities, I'm really only competing against myself.

Queen's Bday Weekend - Monday

Had a great talk with a colleague today at school while meant to be marking.. at least I managed to get my planbook sussed and thought through the next few stages of a few assessments and differing classes. The stage challenge crew are looking fantastic! Can't wait til the actual competition!!



Despite being encouraged by lots of people (twitter and school colleagues, mentors and whanau) -  there is still that self-doubt niggling at the back of my mind.. but to be honest... I can do this. I can. I just need to get organised... and possibly get another sleep under my belt.

Positivity is key.