Week 32 - Activity 8: Changes in Practice and Future Plans

Mind Lab has been a pretty amazing 32-week journey, during which I have changed, and added to, so many aspects of my practice. Some changes have simply been to add a new ‘app’ or website to my existing tools, some have consolidated my thinking around an area, some have forced me to change a way that I do things, some have challenged me to try something that takes me out of my comfort zone (like sharing on social media), but the key change for me has been the revelation of how important it is to write down reflections.

My key change has actually been in my reflective practice and the way that this has led to me developing my own professional learning journey for the future.

In my very first Blog Post, back in Week 17, I commented that “I have always said that a good teacher is a reflective teacher. They are constantly thinking about their experiences, analysing them, devising next steps, and putting them into action in the future. I know I do this all the time, usually in the car heading to and from work.”

And that after completing the readings I realised, “This week's readings have been of great benefit to my mindset of written reflections. They have clarified my thinking and shown me that reflective practice is more complex and detailed than it seems. Whilst I believe all teachers are constantly reflecting, I now realise that the effectiveness may be lacking due to the neglect of writing them down, and the lack of understanding of how it can truly transform our practice.”

I finished by saying, “In conclusion, my journey will be confronting; others’ reading my reflections, hard at first; creating the routine of writing things down, but rewarding in the end; as the task becomes the norm. I should probably start with finding a great speech to text app so I can record my ‘musings’ in the car.”

I have not yet found the speech to text app that I thought may help me, but I have discovered that the act of recording my reflections is incredibly rewarding and has helped to consolidate so much of what I have learned on the course.

Using the Ministry of Education’s Teaching Standard document I have identified that the Professional Learning section best fits the change that I have identified.

 

(Educationcouncilorgnz, 2018)

Now what? Using the model, The Cycle of Experiential Learning, recommended by Osterman and Kottkamp (2015, p.70), let’s look at my journey…

Problem identification: In the past, I have tended to try ideas gained from Professional Learning courses without really thinking about them, ‘why I am using it?’. It was a rather Carte Blanche approach.

Observation and analysis: This didn’t really bother me as I would take and leave what suited me and what didn’t, again not really thinking about the ‘why?’

Abstract reconceptualisation: I was ‘forced’ to reflect in written form as part of an assignment for Mind Lab. A change in my practice happened.

Active experimentation: I embraced the reflection models and discovered the vast advantages, I found that I had a clear plan as to ‘why’ now, and where to go next.

What next? I plan to continue on this reflective journey. I am confident that I can now embark on my own Professional Learning journey in a less piecemeal approach. I want to sit down and find the research that aligns with any new approach I find, rather than just trying things willy-nilly and seeing if they work. I plan to continue my blogging, we are working through the spirals of inquiry at my school at the moment, I will use my blogs to question my assumptions as I work through the new learning stages and when considering if I am making enough of a difference.




References
Osterman, K. F., & Kottkamp, R. B. (2015). Reflective practice for educators: professional development to improve student learning.(2nd ed.) New York: Skyhorse Publishing.

Ministry of Education (nd). Our code, our standards. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/our-code-our-standards

Week 31 - Activity 7: Indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness in my practice.

The video “Introduction to Culturally Relevant Pedagogy” (2010) suggests that cultural responsiveness is not a one size fits all approach It is more than just understanding the tangible, visible aspects of a culture, the language, music and arts, it also about the intangible, invisible aspects, the values and belief systems of that culture. This explanation resonates well with my own thoughts. For me cultural responsiveness is not tokenism, it should be embedded in who we are, as well as in our teaching practice. Teachers are the bridge builders, making connections and building on the children's prior cultural knowledge.

In my own schools’ charter, alongside the vision, mission and core values of the school there is a section that focuses on Māori dimensions and Cultural Diversity.

(School Charter - Strategic and Annual Plan 2015 -18)

The Aberdeen School Māori Education Strategy informs programmes in Te Reo me Tikanga Māori at Aberdeen School. All students at Aberdeen have the opportunity to participate in and celebrate the unique cultural heritage of Māori through the Māori Mentorship programme and school-wide Kapahaka. All reasonable steps are taken to ensure that provision of instruction in Te Reo Māori me Tikanga Māori is available for all full-time students. Our provision for ngā mea Māori (things Māori ) is acknowledged by the wider community and the Education Review Office report, 2014. Aberdeen’s Pasifika Education Plan provides for regular parent hui and we have implemented weekly Pasifika cultural opportunity.
Aberdeen School acknowledges and values the cultural diversity of Aotearoa with provision of a wide variety of programmes and celebrations which acknowledge Aberdeen’s multi-cultural community. Aberdeen School ESOL teacher/programme provides quality support for students who are from non-English Speaking backgrounds. All Aberdeen students participate in the many special multi-cultural celebrations that occur throughout the year.

We use all available human resources at the school to implement the strategy. We have a Māori mentor programme set up that allows the students in the Year 5 and 6 bilingual unit to become leaders and share their knowledge with the school. We honour the diverse peoples that make up our community through our regular assemblies recognising celebrations from around the world. The families and students of each culture participate to help create authentic events.

So what does mine and the schools cultural responsiveness look like in terms of the Mauri Model (Pohatu, 2011)? Pohatu (2011) considers three states of being Mauri; Mauri Moe, the inactive state, Mauri Oho, the state of being proactive, awakened and Mauri Ora, the state of being actively engaged.

I think we have teachers at our school across all three states, some may be unsure, shy, not experienced in other cultures, some are making an effort to consider and respond to cultural needs and some are proficient in building those relationships in authentic ways. We have three bilingual classes, junior, middle and senior school, and our our new Principal leads by example with a masters degree in education that specifically focussed on Māori education..

Myself, I believe I fall into the Mauri Ora state, my own background and experiences have informed my practice and I do not buy into deficit thinking for the Māori children in my class., or any other culture.

So where to next for my school? I think we are definitely heading in the right direction. One of the four strategic aims of our Kahui Ako is Cultural Responsiveness and the role of one of our Within School teachers is to unpack this to share with the staff. And with our current Principal at the helm, the goal of embedding cultural diversity into everyone's practice should follow.

References

Teaching Tolerance. ( 2010, Jun 17). Introduction to Culturally Relevant Pedagogy.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGTVjJuRaZ8

Pohatu, T. W. (2011). Mauri - Rethinking human wellbeing. MAI Review, 3, 1-12. Retrieved from http://www.review.mai.ac.nz/index.php/MR/article/v...

Week 30 - PRACTICE- The Broader Professional Context - Activity 6

Governments and systems around the world need to be cognizant of global and local trends that will impact on countries, cities and individuals. The research and studies that outline key trends can inform and dictate changes to guidelines and ministries. For this Blog I would like to focus on the changes that technology is having, specifically for education.

A Brave New World

The impact of technology and the pace with which it has impacted our lives has been huge and encompasses so many aspects, across a range of everyday activities. I know for myself that I rely on technology every day. I would consider that the complete loss of technology would have a severe impact on how I conduct my day, indeed the few times that I have lost internet access or not had access to my phone I have broken out in a sweat and wondered how I will cope.

The internet itself has changed the way that we shop, find out new information and even watch television. It has changed the way that we stay in touch, the way we communicate, the way we share our lives. The internet is even portable now.

The way we use technology is changing. I have a smartphone, interestingly the task that it performs least often is actually phoning others. There is an ‘app’ for everything and the use of those apps is now the main function of my ‘phone’.

So what does this mean for us in the education sector? For me it means that teachers can create a more self-directed approach to a student learning., it means that we can collaborate across distances, it has opened up the 4 walls of a classroom and allowed us to venture out, and others to be invited in. It has allowed access to information and knowledge that I did not have as a primary school student. For me it has meant a total rethink of my classroom practices and pedagogy, it is an exciting time to be a teacher.

However, as teachers, it has meant that we have needed to keep pace with the rise of technology. I am lucky, I have had an interest in technology in the classroom since computers and laptops became readily available. I have learnt alongside my students and I make an effort to stay on top of new devices and how to use them, I am passionate about the need to enable our students to be future focused learners. The education sector needs to be mindful of how to support, and mentor those teachers who perhaps struggle to adopt these new technologies

We, as teachers need to ensure that students know how to be discerning of the information they find., know to keep themselves safe online, and know how to effectively sort, manage and make sense of the open world that they now live in.

In order to do this we need to know how to do this ourselves.

References
OECD. (2016) Trends Shaping Education 2016, OECD Publishing, Paris.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2016-en

National Intelligence Council. (2017). Global trends: The Paradox of Progress.
National Intelligence Council: US. Retrieved from
https://www.dni.gov/files/images/globalTrends/documents/GT-Main-Report.pdf

Week 29 - Using social online networks in teaching or professional development - Activity 5

For this blog post, I would like to focus on how I have used social media in my teaching, rather than professional development. The reason for this is that I am not new to the collaborative aspect of my professional learning and making use of social media, however, I am new to using it in my classroom as a teaching tool.

There are 2 online formats that I am using this year in my classroom, Seesaw and Twitter. Seesaw, as a way for my class to connect with their parents (and each other), and Twitter, as a way for my class to connect with other students around New Zealand through Chapter Chat.

Seesaw
"For Students
Seesaw empowers students to independently document their learning.
For Families
Seesaw gives families an immediate and personalised window into their child’s school day, and makes communication with teachers seamless.” ("Seesaw - Student Driven Digital Portfolios", 2018)

Chapter Chat
Mission (from their facebook page).
“Welcome to Chapter Chat, a Twitter Book Chat for New Zealand kids. The twitter chat is based on a chapter book which is read aloud in class.
Chapter Chat was originated by Stephen Baker and is currently run by Stephen, Mark Lorenzen and Jodi Hermond.” ("Chapter Chat", 2018)

Both platforms have the children totally engaged in their learning, the knowledge that they are sharing their learning, thoughts and ideas in an authentic way to an authentic audience inspires them in a way that traditional methods does not.

They look forward to their weekly Tweets and the feedback from other children around New Zealand and they often ask if they can share their learning with their parents through Seesaw.

The parents also appreciate being able to see what we are learning in class and can give instant feedback. Seesaw is an effective way for me to quickly communicate reminders and events to families and whanau.

Chapter Chat (and Twitter) allows us to connect with 163 Year 5 and 6 classes all over the country. My class has independently decided to find out where around New Zealand some of the schools we are following are, that’s how motivated they are.

There are of course challenges and limitations to both platforms. Not all parents are able to connect in with seesaw for a variety of reasons, the most common being internet access. We do have 21 families connected out of 29. And my Principal had concerns about the use of Twitter in the classroom, we sat down and set out guidelines around expectations. I had already embarked on a vigorous digital citizenship unit so we have encountered no problems as yet, and I don’t envision any in the future.

I am looking forward to leading the class through some aspects of seesaw where they can give feedback and feedforward to each other, but that is the next step.

References


Chapter Chat. (2018). Facebook.com. Retrieved 7 March 2018, from https://www.facebook.com/ChapterChatNZ

Seesaw - Student Driven Digital Portfolios. (2018). Seesaw. Retrieved 7 March 2018, from https://web.seesaw.me

Week 28 - PRACTICE - Influence of Law & Ethics in Practice - Activity 4

As teachers we are often held up to be pillars of communities, role models, as examples of good social behaviour. We need to be mindful of how we conduct ourselves ethically and morally, especially in these times of social media.

When I think of ethics and morals I think of the relationship to our values and virtues, our beliefs, our principles. The New Zealand curriculum has sections on values and principles.

Schools often have their own examples of virtues and values, my own school has formulated a statement that encompasses the values that we, as teachers, encourage in our students.

Aberdeen School Values

We have a strong school culture at Aberdeen with students demonstrating our core values of respect, co-operation, responsibility and determination. These values are fostered across all aspects of school life. We empower our learners to be confident, connected, actively involved lifelong learners.

And of course there is the code of standards for teachers, which looks at our commitment to society, the teaching profession, learners, and families and whānau.

So what about when we come across an ethical dilemma in our lives? I am pleased to say that I have yet to encounter anything that I think applies to this weeks task, but it is something that I am very aware of as I bring my students into the digital world.

In this digital day and age, our lives are often more public, more available than they were in the past. I talk to the children in my BYOD/eLearning class about being mindful of our digital footprint and how what people see of us on the internet can influence others’ perception of us.

But what about when the line blurs, and you receive friend requests from existing parents and/or students? Let’s apply the Preston and Samford with Connors' model (2002):

1. assessing the situation - what are my personal views about who my friends are on social media?

2. considering dispositional factors - am I comfortable with what I will be sharing?

3. making a comprehensive assessment of the alternatives - Will not friending offend?

4. making a judgement - No, not while I am teaching them.

5. documenting the decision and being able to justify it. - explaining to the parent/child that you are not comfortable to friend them at this stage.

I do have past parents and students as friends (the students are all in their 20s and it is more their posts that I block from my newsfeed, Hmmm) however, I am confident that my posts are innocuous and infrequent so am comfortable with that decision.

References

Education Council. (2017). Our Code Our Standards.Retrieved from: https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf

Kia ora - NZ Curriculum Online. (2018). Nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz. Retrieved 10 February 2018, from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz

Cranston, N., Ehrich, L. C. & Kimber, M. P. (2004). Towards an understanding of Ethical Dilemmas Faced by School Leaders. Principia, Journal of the Queensland Secondary Principals' Association, 1, pp. 1-3. Retrieved from: http://eprints.qut.edu.au/732/2/Ethical_Dilemmas.pdf

Preston, N., & Samford, C. with C. Connors (2002). Encouraging ethics and challenging corruption. Sydney: Federation Press