Inquiry Group - Student Voice

What went well this year in DVC?

Getting my credits before the deadlines.

Basically, everything.

Me getting all my credits before the deadline and ms ferguson helping us achieve without getting a NA.

I think what went well, while being in this Graphics class, I have improved more in my drawings and developments of those drawings.

The group activities that we did earlier this year in DVC including the no rules game where we had to create our own rules from scratch went well.

Everything went well in my opinion, by doing assessments, designing and etc...

I like the fact that they have brought up deadlines and group activities. My plan for next year is to work much tighter around deadlines to keep us all up to date ( letters and phone calls home with regular updates, after school sessions, regular looking at each other's work to see themselves in relation to the rest of the class). I also feel that the group work was a very positive point this year so will be doing much more of it.

Why do you think this went well?

Because of how fast I am at finishing the work.

I think this because i was put into graphics and it went well because i managed to achieve in all the internals with the help of Ms Ferguson.

Ms ferguson helping and hurrying us up to finish so we can pass quickly.

Because overtime I was clueless about creating something new and improve, but over the year I excelled more and ended up getting a few excellence in my projects, which I was very pride of.

Because all the groups were supportive with each other's set of rules and adapted to them and had a good time together.

Because I was able to meet my goal into getting excellence credits, and I got the help that I need in order to achieve this goal.

Supporting each other has been a definite positive this year and needs building on in the other year groups too. I am so pleased that they are feeling pride in their progress over the year and they are feeling the benefit of trying hard to improve.

What did not go so well this year in DVC?

Just struggling last minute for the last internal when i decided not to take the wearable tech internal serious from the start.

Trying to complete the tasks on time

When i'm doing my final design for my chair I had a lot of mistakes and improvements that needs to be done.

Being naughty and get into trouble a lot in the start of they year.

My first project which was the Poster designs on my architecture

I think that the commitment of attending after school catch up classes to complete unfinished work did not go so well for most students.

Students who disturbed the class

I find it interesting that they highlight similar things that I would. For example, not coming to the offered after school study classes which would have helped them a lot. Also, the bad start some of them had on the first project when they were still settling into being a Year 11 student. 

Why did this not go so well?

Because when ms was away i didn't do the work left behind and i just used it as free time.

Because it was hard to progress when you stumble across an obstacle

Because I did not apply what Ms Fergerson told me to do to make my work better.

Me hanging around the wrong people and at the wrong time.

I wish I did better and got a excellence for this project, but I'll work hard next year.

Because some students that needed to complete their assessments did not turn up when it was necessary to do so.

Because they were a distraction.

I too was worried about the time that I had to be away this year and the fact that hardly any of them did the work that I had left for them to do. This has lead to a huge rush at the end of the year which I was hoping to avoid this year. It was also a factor in the students who failed to complete the last project.

How could this be made easier, better for the future?

Be a better person at listening and focusing on my work.

Just for myself, i could improve on my free hand sketching and being able to cope with the struggles of trying something new.

If there was more time to explain and guide across the obstacle

I will apply all the techniques and imporvements that she told me to do so it will be easier for me.

Just to listen to ms, focus on my work more harder and to just be a better person.

Focus more and do more work in order to get an excellence endorsement for graphics

I think what would make it easier in DVC for the future, is to group those who work consistently with people who need help, that way, students will be able to learn off each other in a way that will lead to success hopefully.

I could avoid there distracting and just focus on working hard even more

I like the feedback about taking time to explain and work around the speed bumps we come up against. I think we spend too much time forging forwards when we need to slow down and focus on the things that need more work when we need to.

Choosing the group s for them is an interesting one. I am never too keen to do that in  case I put them with people they don't like. I might try it once and see how it goes.

Student voice about how they like the lesson instructions presented to them.

For the past 4 years, I have been using Google Plus Communities with my classes. We put our work on their so everyone can see it and give feedback.
I have also been using it increasingly for lesson instructions, links, examples ect, on a day to day basis. This started as a good place to put instructions when leaving relief work but it got used more and more for every day lessons.
The NCEA communities are here.
Level 1
Level 2
Level 2

This year, the school as a whole has made a move towards using Google Calendars more with the students. I have been putting lesson instructions and links on to the calendars. These are embedded on the class site and onto the front of their portfolio sites.

I have tried both methods this term and then tried not doing any online method, just relying on me telling them what to do when they come in the room.
Today, I have asked their opinions about this and what they like / don't like.

Here are the questions that I asked them and their answers :-

"Hello. I have tried putting the lesson instructions onto a calendar this term. This calendar is on the front of your personal Google Site. I have also continued to put instructions and examples in the class communities.
I want to know what you have used the most, liked the most, noticed.
I have not used these methods for the whole term on purpose to see if you noticed when one was used and not the other."

• It was helpful all the time, because with having the instructions on the calendar we could keep up to date with our work.
• Because they were easy to understand even when Miss wasn't in class.
• cause computer sometimes slow
• it had precise instructions
• I like the instructions because when its easily for me access my work faster
• I just like it because it helps me
• I just like it because it helps me
• I liked it because it helps me understand what I need to work on and shows me what we are doing each day when we have graphics.
• I like the instructions on the calendar cause when we straight away get in class we can login and check the calendar to see what today task are.
• I like having the questions being put up on the calendar because easy access to view.
• I like the instructions put into the calendar because easy access to it
• I like it because it's easy to access things.
• The calendar is great, because if we are lost we can just check the calendar.
• I like it because it helps me understand more 
• Because they we easy to understand when she was absent

• It was very helpful for me, when the teacher put up instructions on the community.
• It also was easy to read when she wasn't here
• its algood so were not always nagging what to do 
• Just the same opinion in using calendar but a lot easier to access (for me) because we receive an email every time there's a new post. 
• I like the words the community has did
• I liked it because it helps me 
• I liked the community instructions because it show our progress and where we are at. It also gives us feedback from the teacher to know what needs to be done. 
• Cause it was confusing
• Don't really go on the community site.
• i like using community because it has visual instructions and teachers can give us examples through pictures
• I like using the community for instructions because you don't have to sit and listen to your teacher talking for 10 minutes, telling you what you're suppose to do.
• I like the community for instructions because I'm usually on the google community rather than the site, and also it's simple.
• I like it because it helps me more 
• Because they also were easy to understand when she was absent

My main takeaways from this :-

• The students seem to like the calendar and community equally.
• The students appreciate the "rewindable" factor about both methods.
• The students like the community as it is more visual (I like it for this reason too!)
• They also like the community as they can look at each others work and support each other.
• They like the easy access of the calendar.
• Some of them liked the way the instructions seemed more precise on the calendar.

So.... I guess I am going to move into Term 2 using the calendar and the community.

That's OK...

Planning to include Kia Eke Panuku

All through last year, the whole staff had sessions all together where we focussed on Kia Eke Panuku. 
I have to admit, that I struggled all through this. I could not see what I was doing and how it fit in, or what I was not doing, so what I needed to focus on.

I began to see the light a little towards the end of the year when a fellow teacher and member of another team I am in told me what she thought I was good at. The light bulb wasn't fully on but it was beginning to glimmer.

This is how I decided to move forwards :-

In the spirit of Kotahitanga and Ako, and a focus on Level 2, as they were the topic of the Change Committee,  I got two of the current Level 2 students last year to help me design the course for this year. Blog post 1   Blog post 2.

The main way I am approaching it this year, is to include group work in NCEA. I had restructured the Level 2 course to include a couple of Technology standards as well as the DVC standards. This way, if I got the project structure correct, the students can pick up 2 standards worth of credits for one project.

While dong this restructure, I looked really carefully at where I could include group work instead of the students producing everything by them selves. We already did a little analysis work together in out Google Plus Communities and I have found this to be very beneficial as the students find the analysis to be the most difficult part of the work. Where, then, could I include group work to support them as they were producing project work? With NCEA having such an individually assessed structure, I had to be careful what I planned here so I don't stop the students from achieving the requirements of the standards.

The first standard we are doing at Level 2 is a Technology standard, AS91354.
The students are working in small groups interview their client, produce mood boards to show their client and to analyse what the physical and social aspects of the problem are. Link here to the tasks.
They will produce individual priority lists, specifications and design briefs, but we will still structure this work together.
It is the first time trying this, so I wanted to find out early what the students thought. If they are positive about it, then I can build group tasks into further projects.

I sent them a Google Form that was anonymous, so they could be honest with me.
Here are the questions I asked :-

• Did you choose to do Level 2 DVC this year or were you put into that option line?
• Did you do Level 1 DVC last year?
• How easy or difficult are you finding Level 2 DVC this year? Please tell me in your own words and give reasons if you can.
• This is the first year that I am trying to include some group / team work into some of the NCEA tasks. What do you think of this as you have been doing a little of this by now. You can talk about good and bad points here.
• Do you feel more comfortable moving into more individual work now that you have done activities together?
• Do you work together in teams in any other of your lessons?

Here are some of the answers I have received so far. It seems that I am going to be building more tasks like this into the following projects. (they are unedited)

It was good communicated with new people from overseas, other schools but also getting to know other pasifika children that has the same skin colour as me

I think that its a great idea being able to work and help each other because we all stay up to date.

I would rate from difficult 1 - 10 easy confident
= 10 easy confident because we all help each other as a team even when somebody falls back we always seem to catch up together.

Its alright because some of the topics we could work in groups which would make things easier for all of us

I would feel comfortable working individually but I still recommend that team work is the best! :)

Yes that would be brilliant because i love how partners communicate and help out another person because being as brothers is the best thing that you will ever have in your journey.