Expo First for New Zealand E ducation expos are common in the UK, Europe and US, but not in New Zealand or Australia. Opus Learning is bringing more than 200 education suppliers together in Auckland in September the first expo of its type in this country. The exhibitors cover all aspects of goods, services and resources schools use, and includes a wide range of seminars and workshops. Lea Campbell from Opus Learning was at the annual UK Education show in Birmingham and said teachers and administrators there consider the expo the one event they must attend “It’s the forum for exchanging ideas and information within the education industry. NZ conferences and expos are subject or technology specific. Knowing that one event that brings everyone together is considered the most valuable and relevant experience overseas makes launching NZ-ED an exciting challenge,” Lea said. Working from their experiences at overseas events, international companies such as HarperCollins have been quick to book exhibition space, and others have welcomed the concept as long overdue for NZ. “NZ-ED seems to be exactly what
people have been looking for,” Lea said. “It will showcase and support New Zealand education at all levels from early childhood to tertiary. “It will be a one-stop show for all educators and administrators and represent the full range of products, resources and services that support New Zealand schools. Professional development workshops and launches or demonstrations will run concurrently in rooms alongside the exhibition hall,” Lea said. The inaugural show will present a broad range of resources and ideas, bringing together educators and education supply businesses. There are opportunities for networking; professional connections will be made with fellow educators across different levels of education, across subject areas, with associated organisations and support networks. These connections extend through the Pacific and the world. Educators who attend the show will have the opportunity to learn, share ideas and interact with new resources and innovations for teaching and learning. Professional associations and other groups can book rooms and use NZ-ED as a backdrop for a regional or national meeting. The bonus is an extensive trade fair onsite, showcasing
materials to meet the needs of the school and classroom. Set to become a permanent fixture on the educational calendar, education stakeholders will be able to build relationships and establish ongoing professional rapport between educators and educational supply companies. The concept is modelled on the UK Education Show developed by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) in the UK, who are about to celebrate their eightieth year as a trade association. BESA Director General, Dominic Savage will open NZ-ED. “The expo gives educators a costeffective way to view products and services under one roof, allowing them to get advice and experience, to compare and take advantage of show specials and offers. This makes effective use of staff time and school money,” Lea said. “The show is not open to the general public so schools will have full access to specialist resources. The entry fee is low, with $30 per day allowing access to all PD sessions, the trade exhibition hall and guest speakers which include Nigel Latta and Debbie MayoSmith. Practical seminars and workshops will run over the three-day programme, presented by
LEARNING AUCKLAND
educators and industry experts covering a wide range of subjects, and designed to be informative, hands-on and practical. Examples include Sciencein-a-Van’s session, which will encourage teachers in science education and arm them with experiments to do the next day. Young Enterprise Trust will offer sessions on financial literacy across the curriculum and experiential enterprise education, and show how schools can achieve
the NZ Curriculum vision of creative, energetic and enterprising students. Compared with many conference fees, the cost of this event allows all educators from schools around the country to attend any single or all of the days and have access to the PD plus the expo. Opening hours Thursday and Friday 10am – 6pm allows after-school attendance and Saturday 10 – 4pm allows classroom teachers to attend. k
Talking with children
Teachers and parents are important role models for children to learn to speak and think well.
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hildren starting school need support so they can talk to teachers, talk to friends, talk to learn, talk to have their needs met, talk to share their ideas, and talk before, during and after reading and writing. Talking is an important way for children to understand the world. It is easier for a child to learn to read and to write well if the child has good oral language. Teachers help children to join in conversations. They choose ways to talk that are best for young children to learn ideas and language: not too simple, not too difficult, not too fast, not too slow, not too long, not too short . . . what we call ‘in the Goldilocks zone’. This means children can understand and also learn to use the language they hear. They can then try out how to say what they mean and what they hear. At school, teachers model how to talk. That’s why they use a mix of simple and more difficult words and sentences. A child can understand the talk well enough and can learn new words and ways of saying something. Teachers share talking turns with children. They really listen to what the child says. They encourage children to say more, not just speak one or two words. What the teacher says back to the child is connected to what the child says, maybe by adding more - something extra or new. This way, a child practises what they can already say, and grows
ideas and language at the same time. We call this support ‘scaffolding’ gifting something more or new to a child. In the classroom, every child is encouraged to speak their ideas for all to listen to. Listening and talking go together. At home, parents and whanau are the teachers of language. Your child learns how to use language from you. Just by talking with your child you are helping them grow their language. No matter how old or young your child is, or whether your language is English or another language, like our teachers, you can: • Have conversations with your child about anything. Both you and your child take turns to speak and
listen. You share and your child shares. Really listen to what your child is saying and gift back to them something more or new. • Try out new words and different ways of putting sentences together with your child. You are the model for how your child learns to speak. • Talk with your child in a way that shows you value and enjoy what they have to say. A child’s thinking is special. Enjoy this and use it as a way of knowing your child better and for your child to learn new ideas, new knowledge, and new language. • Read as often as you can with your child, with lots of talking together before, during and after reading the book. Talk about the
title, the pictures or photos, the ideas in the story, the different words used in the story and what they mean. Book talk is important to help your child better understand the meaning and words of the story. It helps your child’s thinking, speaking and reading to grow.
k For more: Read the book: Expanding Oral Language in the Classroom: or an article: Expanding expression, expanding cognition; Clear communication for all kids; Talking the talk. Have a look at: www.learningauckland.org.nz Contact: j.vanhees@auckland.ac.nz
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alking practice is so important for a child. By talking a lot and often, children learn to share confidently what they know and are thinking, and get better at speaking. Help children build oral language skills by using language with your child that is . . .
. . . not too simple. . . . not too difficult. . . . not too fast. . . . not too slow. . . . not too long. . . . not too brief.
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Survival kit In 1976, British playwright Arnold Wesker published Words as a Definition of Experience. Wesker put forward the idea that teachers could make a selection of about a dozen ‘concept-building words’ such as intimidation and irony, and explore two such words a year throughout students’ school life. Wesker noted that an attribute common to children failing the school system was their inability to communicate verbally. His idea was that by using art, literature, history, technology, politics and more to explore each word, students would build a ‘language survival kit’ that allowed them to describe to themselves and others how they felt about the world around them and their place in it. The debate could be what words to choose for Wesker’s ‘survival kit’, and why.