Seesaw is an app we use frequently as a way of inviting parents and whānau (family) right into our children’s classrooms...but how ?

Seesaw acts as a window into what your child has learnt, expressed in their own voice, as a reflection on their learning experience. 

Here is a sample of one such learner reflection that perfectly shows us how our Merrin ako (teaching and learning) strategy creates powerful, eloquent, self-motivated and connected young thinkers. 

It’s Keeshah’s Seesaw reflection on her ako. What does it tell us about the progress of this Merrin star? Firstly, it shows us that she is really invested and engaged in what she has been learning with her teacher. It is clear she has been thinking deeply about her relationship with her ako and that she recognises where she has arrived at and what her next steps should be. So she is reaching for the steering wheel of her own learning and is actively engaged in her own self-improvement. This is of critical importance to the speed at which she will be able to improve her skills - there will be no waiting to be told by someone else what her appropriate next steps should look like. 

What does her reflection tell us about what her learning experiences are? Well, it’s clear she knows what the point of her learning has been. And that the teacher has made this very clear for her. It’s also evident that she has been interacting with rich technical language. We see this in the way she is becoming fluent with the professional vocabulary of the topic at hand. Great preparation for high school. She also demonstrates she is becoming a critical thinker, already possessing the ability to evaluate her experience and performance in a way that informs her as to where she is sitting in relation to her goals. 

Most importantly though, we can see that she is aware of being a learner who belongs to a community of others. She is asking them ( she’s asking us) for feedback, for critique so she can assess the accuracy of her own judgements. And this is where you come in - with your praise, encouragement any suggestions or growth comments you can respond to her with. 

So a Seesaw sample like this not only gives parents and loved ones an insight into a child’s learning, it’s an invitation to carry on the thread of learning beyond 3pm and tie trusted voices into it...to enrich, broaden and compound the wonderful learning she has achieved during class, while providing an up-to-the-minute window for parents into the rich learning that is being fostered by her teachers at Merrin.