During our staff hui we spent time discussing, reflecting, reviewing many areas of our centre and teaching practices and the degree to which we are including effective, evidence-based strategies that promote positive behavior.
How supportive and inclusive is our learning environment for all tamariki?
Below I will outline some notes to myself made during this assessment - areas for goal setting and improvement.
Establishing a positive Climate: Ensure arriving and leaving routines are unhurried, planned, personal. - I want to be more available for parents at these times to build relationships, meet needs of learners, and share learning etc.
Constructing values: displaying values
Developing and promoting expectations: ensure expectations are displayed - ideas behaviour treaty, gentle hands book.
Establishing consistent routines / Supporting transitions: co-construct routines with tamariki - could do for taniwha group, kai was hads etc, display and teach routines - make a mat time sign. Make it fun, transition songs chants.
Creating a safe inclusive space: Make signage culturally inclusive. Greetings in different languages. We could reach out to whānau to have more culturally inclusive events during the year.
Support tamariki to understand, express, and regulate their emotions: Could use more visual aides - feelings. Empathy stories idea.
Helping tamariki support others in their learning: Ensure tuākana have opportunities to take leadership roles. Include tamariki in routines, set-up/enable older tamariki to lead activities.
Helping tamariki solve social problems during conflict: take a preventative approach, teach/promote problem-solving skills, prepare tamariki for specific situations that cause conflict. I feel I'm still emerging in this area but am constantly observing how other teachers use preventative strategies, manage group activities, and provide social coaching during conflict and emotional outbursts.
Support tamariki to manage their learning: Extended interactions with tamariki about their plans, projects.
Provide rich and varied learning opportunities: organize more community involvement in our centre, outreach to more schools in the area - ideas: school visits. music, arts, environment/conservation, Matai Whetu Marae.
Knowing about behaviour / Responding to Problem: I have a lot to learn in this area, again constant observation of strategies used by other staff and what has worked for myself. A huge part of this is knowing your learner and building a positive/trusting relationship with them. I have observed over the past year how our learners' behaviour is not fixed but very much goes through phases. Reasons often being reflective of home-life - new siblings for example, or just age and stage, being emotionally immature compared to peers can cause frustrations for individuals. I love the philosophy behind He Mapuna being - responses to behaviour are mana-enhancing and preserve the dignity of all involved.
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