Lockdown Learning and the difficulties that come with it...

After our CoL PLG meeting last week, I couldn't help but think about my next steps for my CoL inquiry.

We're back to online learning and we as teachers know the impacts of how this can be difficult for some of our learners.

My target group a.k.a THE PASHISKA BOYS were so amped, so passionate and enthusiastic about our PASHISKA WAY project. So, to break it down, my intervention design was project based. This idea was initiated by myself, due to it being effective last year. The only difference is, my boys were planning everything this year.

The intervention was to launch the project in Week 9 where the boys would host their whanau, our classroom and our principals to what they call "THE PASHISKA WAY". The boys planned to use the last block of a Thursday afternoon (23rd September) to prepare an island feast for the guests and perform for them as a form of entertaining the guests while they enjoy their food. The performance was going to be a mash-up of cultural dances from the Cook Islands, Tonga and Aotearoa - where the boys were from.

Planning the intervention involved:

-the boys writing a proposal of their project to Mr Herlihy

-a letter asking for funding to Mr Herlihy (again)

-brainstorming what the day would look like

-researching recipes of what food to make

-writing a letter to parents/caregivers

-dance practices during lunch break

-meeting with myself x3 a week to share what they had come up with and discuss our next-steps.

Come Week 4 of this term, NZ goes into a nation-wide lockdown. The intervention was put on hold.

To keep the energy and motivation - I endeavoured to meet with the 6 boys online, separate to our class sessions. First meeting was meant to be yesterday via google meets. Only one student responded. It's disheartening because I know it's out of our control.

My goal is to try and meet with the boys online. Talanoa about ideas and ways we could continue the project. Could it still work? Is there a next step?

This intervention is driven by the learners, it's authentic and it allows the teacher to step aside and let the learners show their full potential and what they're capable of. These boys are not at the curriculum level they should be working on, but this project provided opportunities for the students to WRITE, BRAINSTORM, TALANOA, RESEARCH & PLAN something that was meaningful and valued by them.

A couple of years ago, I had real success with my group of boys I worked with for my CoL inquiry. The first time I met with the Pashiska boys last term, it only felt right to share my 2018 success story with them. I shared my presentation with them, showed them pieces of writing produced by those boys in the beginning of 2018 and at the end of 2018. I wish I had a camera to snap the reaction from the PASHISKA boys. This was how I hooked my target group in to my 2021 CoL inquiry.