Collaborate with your school’s leadership team and colleagues to identify areas where your inquiry will make a powerful contribution to the wider school and cluster goals.

TAI2020WRFC Inquiry question#2: 
Collaborate with your school's leadership team and colleagues to identify areas where your inquiry will make a powerful contribution to the wider school and cluster goals.

My Inquiry focus for 2020:How can I accelerate learning in my Year 12 calculus mix ability class so that Maori students (and other students) can gain at least 14 credits, endorsements, and pathways into the year13 Calculus course by focusing on Algebraic skills and literacy strategies to promote contextual based questions. 
Specific Outcomes:
• Facilitating year12 students’ pathway into the year13 Calculus course.
• This includes gaining at least 10 internal credits.
• Students must also pass at least 1 external exam.

By the end of the year, the Maori (targeted students) and the rest of the class can experience success in their learning bypassing at least one external and getting Merit / Excellence endorsements in Mathematics.

This is a mix ability class of 23 consisting of; 3 Maori students, 10 Tongan students, 5 Samoan students, 3 Cook Island Maori 1 Pakeha and 1 Asian. This class has great diversity and last year only two of these students endorsed with merit.

There are four different types of learners in this class. One group is working at the Achieved level, the second group is working at the Merit level, the third group is working at the Excellence level and the other group is working below the Achieved level.

I am very excited by the challenges of mixed ability classes and am interested in catering effectively to every learner in the classroom.

To make this effective, I have made the following initial plans with my students:
• Course booklets in order to cater according to their ability.
• Whanau engagement.
• Weekly study classes two times a week and holiday classes.
• Interactive activities, video lessons, Geogebra, Desmos 3DGraphing calculator, etc.
• Collaborate with MIT, Future tech, Ex-students, and other tertiary providers to promote Engineering, Architecture, and  Medicine.
• Collaborate with my old school.
• Organise sites/ workspace/unit plans/ yearly planner and weekly planner.
• Organising year planners, Daily planner, workspace
• Literacy strategies with Dr. Janni Van Hees and Mrs. Latu.
• Research into effective teaching strategies- te kotahitanga
• PDs if needed
• Apply SOLO taxonomy effectively.
• Working with Lenva Shearing.

Teacher in the same department:
There is three internals which I offer in this program which is common for all year12 classes. As an Assistant HOD, we have decided on a collaborative approach to the common standards which we teach. I am going to support my colleagues in teaching the skills and content of the course in order to maintain consistency and cater to every student in the classroom.
I have made the following to support/collaborate with my colleagues
• Marking and internal/external moderation.
• Weekly catch up with colleagues to keep everyone informed and on the same page.
• Updating unit plans every topic before the head of the term.
• Organise sites/ workspace/unit plans/ yearly planner and weekly planner.
• Organising year planners, Daily Planner, and workspace.
• Literacy strategies PEEL structure, Chuck, Chew and Check strategy.

Contribution with the other departments:
• Sharing my blog.
• Collaborate with school differentiation planning.
• Literacy strategies, SOLO taxonomy, and online resources.
• Sharing success during staff meetings.
• Collaborating within school CoL leaders.
• Collaborative Leadership Inquiry between Ms. Hinarau Anderson, Mrs. Elenoa Telefoni and me.

Contribution to wider School and cluster goal:
“School Goal 1: Maori Achievement-to raise Maori achievement and cultural visibility that 85% of the Maori students will achieve Level2”
“Mathematics Department Goal3: Year 13s to leave college with sufficient maths skills to get into their chosen vocational pathway”
• My inquiry will be a powerful contribution towards school goal one and fulfill the department goal too.
• Collaborate with MIT, Future tech, Ex-students, and other tertiary providers to promote Engineering, Architecture, and Medicine.
• Contribution to differentiation planning.

I am excited about the challenge this year brings with a mixed ability class, collaboration with  my colleagues as well as collaboration on teaching.
I strongly believe that collaboration adds motivation and value. When we work together with teachers we can identify the common challenges, analyse common data, and can test our instructional approach.

My Inquiry class