Maths is all around us! Collaboration with Auroa School

Maths is EVERYWHERE! It surrounds us in nature and technology. Everyday tasks such as driving, playing sports or cooking, require us to use Maths.

Maths influences our daily lives. Galileo said, "Mathematics is the language with which God has written the universe."   

In collaboration with our friends at Auroa School in Taranaki, we asked the students to put on their "Maths Eyes" and look for Maths around them. We started adding to these slides in lockdown. 

Can you answer the questions? Can you create your own Maths questions? 

The purpose of having Maths Eyes is to show that Maths is meaningful and it is not just something that we do in school. 

'Why is it important to have Maths Eyes?

• Having maths eyes promotes the usefulness of mathematics – Everyone has maths eyes they just need to be opened. Involves individuals, parents, children, young adolescents, pensioners, teachers, tutors.
• Having maths eyes builds confidence in mathematics.
• Having maths eyes encourages the use of the real world as a starting point for the relevant exploration in the maths world.
• Having maths eyes provides excellent opportunities for linking education (primary, secondary, adult) and community.
• Having maths eyes provides a platform for adults and children to share their maths eyes in their everyday life whether they are shopping, walking, driving, at sports events – everywhere. Open a channel for dialogue about real world mathematics.
• Maths Eyes provides parents with opportunities to talk about mathematics that are not related to homework
• Having maths eyes promotes active citizenship and informed decision making.
• When teachers, and tutors have maths eyes they can identify real world starting points for mathematics teaching and learning that are relevant to the social, cultural and educational context of their learners.
• Developing maths eyes helps to create a new inheritance for future generations –‘ we are all real world maths people’

This list was directly quoted from the Maths Eyes Website: http://www.haveyougotmathseyes.com/

Playing Maths games are fun!

Inspiration Book: Inspired by Matisse

Our Inquiry is called, "The Inspiration Book." We asked: How do artists use Art to share ideas and influence change? We are looking at the purpose of Art and why we do Art.

On Friday, we were inspired by the work of Henri Matisse. We are dialling up our strength of Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence! We are getting ready for our Arts Celebration. Watch this space...

Please have a look at our Matisse inspired Art:

Positive Relationships - Back to School!

We were all so happy to welcome students back to school on Thursday!

In conversations, emails and Seesaw posts, students said that the thing that they missed the most about school during lockdown was friends! Our focus on Thursday and Friday was to spend time reconnecting with each other. The research says that social relationships are an integral part of happiness and flourishing. You can read more In the Institute of Positive Education - Literature Reviews.

The Institute of Positive Education- Positive Relationships review summarised: 

Positive Relationships and Flourishing: Relationships between whānau, teachers, friends and other members of the school community help students to flourish!

Relationships and Accomplishment: Relationships benefit student achievement. It helps motivation and engagement in school. Relationships also help students to communicate, which sets them up for success in later life. 

Emotional and Social Intelligence: 

We aim for students to develop:  

1. the ability to perceive emotions in self and others

2. an understanding of how emotions influence thinking and decision making

3. understanding the emotions of self and others

4. managing and regulating emotions

At Worser Bay School we strive to uplift the mana of others by being inclusive and having a mutual respect. 

Active Constructive Responding: We have been sharing positive experiences. 'As people tell their story they relieve and savour the experience thereby enhancing the positive emotions drawn from it... This research supports the importance of encouraging students to take the time to be genuinely and sincerely supportive of the accomplishments of their family members and peers.'

Using Strengths- Gratitude and Forgiveness: These strengths help to enhance Positive Relationships. These link with relationship satisfaction and increased happiness. 

The Flourish Model

Positive Engagement at Home

My sea life diorama

The 'Flourish' model is a road map of what we want for ourselves, our students, our teachers, our whāanau and our communities. This model is at the heart of what we do at Worser Bay School. We strive to develop a culture of wellbeing towards ourselves and others. Social and emotional learning is inextricably linked to academic learning outcomes. It’s this holistic approach that we value the most - where supporting the building of a student’s character is just as important as the academic. It’s not a case of either/ or.

Our Year 6 leaver profile states that students leave Worser Bay as connected, curious and confident thinkers. This means that they leave with a strong sense of Positive Engagement. it is important that our students experience concentration, interest, and enjoyment while taking part in activities that they find motivating.  

Positive Engagement is about getting into the "flow." This is a concept describing those times when you are completely absorbed in a challenging but doable task. 

We have loved seeing many of our students getting into the "flow" during lockdown. 

"This is my car and truck that I made. It took me 386 pages to make it. It took a lot of time and I finished it."

"This is our bird feeder we made with the help of dad"

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi was one of the first psychologists in Positive Education to identify and research flow. He describes 8 characteristics of "flow."

1. Complete concentration on the task

2. Clarity of goals and reward in mind and immediate feedback

3. Transformation of time (speeding up/ slowing down)

4. The experience is intrinsically rewarding

5. Effortlessness and ease

6. There is a balance between challenge and skills

7. Actions and awareness are merged

8. There is a feeling of control over the task.

"My construction project. I’m really enjoying building."

Jake: This was the Huia I finished yesterday! It was very hard. We didn't make it its natural colour of black because you couldn't see the lines and the separations of everything.

"We’ve made some superhero puppets, writing a script and painting a background and putting on a father's day puppet show for dad."

Cleo: I was inspired by abstract artist and thought that I could do something similar of Gus (my dog).

Kura: My Art inspired by Matisse

Haru: We put some Shapes on top of the painting to cover stuff and that's how we got the shapes. We used a toothbrush and a paintbrush. I put the colour on the toothbrush then I hold it at the end where you use on the canvas. I pressed the toothbrush on the end of the paint brush and went back in forward. The paint splattered on to the newspaper and painting. When we took the newspaper shapes away there was white shapes there. My grandma show me the technique. She is an artist.

By Emelie

"for the art competition, I made my dream vacation HOBBITON, even though I have already been there. I still like it."

"We made some burgers with some sesames seeds and rosemary."

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says,"When we’re challenging ourselves with a task, our mind reaches full capacity. If the activity at hand happens to be something we enjoy and we’re good at, we achieve a flow mental state — and it can leave us feeling ecstatic, motivated and fulfilled."

We need to be in stretch zone!

The more we (or children) spend in the stretch zone, or flow the better our lives will be for well- being and overall happiness!

Tō tātou whakapapa - Family History Inquiry

After a very successful sharing of family taonga/heirlooms and stories at the beginning of Term 3, our attentions turned to digging a little deeper on our own history. We became curious! What caused our ancestors to move around? What experiences did they have? A great chance to make some connections not only to our Aotearoa New Zealand History Inquiry but also some of the history of the world at large. 

We began exploring, by interviewing family, friends and grandparents and doing some background research. Then it was time to sort and create - either through historical fiction, biography or artistic expression. 

In the middle of all this, we were plunged back into a nationwide level four lockdown. Fortunately this played right into our hands. It meant we had a much more direct line to those interviewees. More time and space to check out artefacts, photos etc. The Inquiry rolled on, and for many of us it gained momentum. 

When we meet again, we are looking forward to celebrating this learning with each other. For now, here are a few examples of our mahi. Enjoy! 

Family story collage - what an amazing mix of countries/cultures!

Wellbeing and Positive Relationships.

 We've been tackling the big questions this week

'What makes you flourish?'

'What makes you well?'

'Why is connecting with others important?'

We've had some rich discussion around connecting with others, especially at the. moment. We are noticing we miss the classroom, our friends, playing together etc etc..
so why is connection so important? 

The Science:

Having positive relationships with others is important for a number of reasons.  Relationships are believed to foster good health by increasing the desire to care for oneself, encouraging health behaviours such as good diet and exercise, and increasing positive emotions that have a beneficial impact on bodily systems (Cohen, 2004). Overall, feeling connected to others is believed to play a key role in good physical and mental health throughout the lifespan. Cohen & Wills (1985) found that connection with others offers a 'buffer' for facing adverse events in life. Connecting with others can help build our own resilience and ability to 'bounce back'. 

In our session we've talked about what good friendships look like, how can we connect with others positively. 

'A good friend listens when you are talking' this idea has come up a number of times and we wrote down what makes a good listener.

Inspiration Book- Our New Inquiry

This week we are kicking off our "Inspiration Book" Inquiry. 

Why do we make art?
What is/are the the purpose/s of artworks?
What is the value of art and why does this differ according to culture etc.?
How can artists influence or effect change?
How can ideas and issues be expressed and explored via The Arts?

 We are so INSPIRED after our trip to the City Gallery and Wellington Museum.

Please add to our Padlet. What inspires you?