Week 32 - Activity 8 Applied Practice

32 weeks of thought provoking and practice changing learning is coming to an end. Although I have grown a lot and my practice has changed in many ways this blog will reflect (using Rolfe’s (2001) reflective model) on one key change in my professional practice, in relation to the theme of professional relationships (from “Our Code, Our Standards” ) and how this change may continue in the future.

What

Professional relationships (Ngā hononga ngaio) has been a key change in my professional practice as my relationships with whanau have strengthened through introducing Seesaw as well as with my colleagues as my leadership skills have evolved, particularly with rolling out the Seesaw initiative across the junior school. How I communicate with others has become more effective as I have become more aware of how to effectively build relationships and communicate with students, whanau and other professionals to develop relationships focused on students learning and wellbeing. I began with a passion/problem around the lack of regular communication with parents in a busy modern world where many of our parents work full time. Through MindLab assignments I explored the possibility of using Seesaw as a possible solution. Through consultation with stakeholders we identified a problem of wanting to have more regular meaningful three-way communication with students, parents and teachers. What drove me to make this change was not having the time to have regular face-to-face conversations. I felt that it was important to implement the change to develop greater professional learning focused relationships with students and whanau.

So what

Osterman and Kottkamp’s (2015, p.70) model, the Cycle of Experiential Learning, got me thinking about my professional relationships. I began with great enthusiasm by trialling Seesaw to share learning and communicate between school and home. However I have found this level of enthusiasm hard to maintain. From observing, collecting feedback from parents and analysis of data parents responded well to the initiative with only a few parents needing encouragement to participate. However, some of my colleagues needed additional encouragement. This allowed me to utilise Robinson’s (2009) early, late and laggard adopters. I reconceptualized by looking at the perspectives of my colleagues and reflected on the speed at which we had agreed to roll out Seesaw (slow to ensure all classes joined at the same time). Although we agreed to all invite parents at the same time there was a discrepancy with teachers not accepting parents to join until they felt they had enough on Seesaw for them to see. This has the potential of losing some of their early adopter parents. From this I identified a problem of not offering enough professional development and examples to support the staff in the initiative. Reflecting on Osterman and Kottkamp’s (2015) active experimentation stage I identified that even though parents and teachers may have been enthusiastic about using Seesaw, getting them to regularly and actively use it requires a change in behaviour. I learnt that even when taking into account different infusion adopters things may need to change along the way and people may surprise you.

Now what

I would like to further explore my own development in how to lead others through a change initiative such as Seesaw, including different ways to support different learning styles and the laggards (Robinson, 2009). I would like to develop this in the future by also increasing my understanding of how I can use Seesaw in different ways that may engage colleagues, whanau and students. I would like Seesaw to become second nature to teachers, students and whanau within our school to enhance professional learning focused relationships.

References

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

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 (2017). Our code, our standards. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/our-code-our-standards 

Robinson, L. (2009). A summary of Diffusion of Innovations. Changeology. Retrieved from http://www.enablingchange.com.au/Summary_Diffusion_Theory.pdf

Week 31 - Activity 7 Applied Practice

This blog will use Rolfe’s (2001) reflective model to discuss indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness, focusing on learning activities and a need to develop planning. 

What

At the beginning of my teaching career I viewed Māori as just another group of students in my class that I needed to teach. I got frustrated with the emphasis that was placed on tracking and supporting Māori students when I viewed all my students as needing my support. Over the years and through the research I have done, I have begun to change my view. Cultural responsiveness can be defined as “using the cultural characteristics, experiences and perspectives as conduits for effective teaching” (Gay, 2001, p.106). My school is currently focusing on learning activities, with increased expectations of teaching with cultural responsibility. We are having Māori professional development including professional learning of celebrations and Te Reo lessons with a focus on pronunciation. I found this rather confronting at first as I am not confident at speaking/learning languages but with the focus of my learners at the forefront I have increased my use of Te Reo in my classroom. Although we have a big focus on these learning activities, an area that could continue to be developed is our planning and assessment. At the moment there is no clear guidelines of what is expected to be taught at each year level to develop a progression of Māori and Te Reo. 

So what

Milne (CORE Education, 2017) argues that culture and cultural identity cannot be left to be taught in a timetabled slot. It needs to be modelled, taught and underpin all learning across the curriculum, throughout the school day. Using Milne’s action continuum I think my own practice is predominantly in the purple stage. This year with focusing on cultural responsiveness, through my leadership role, a focus on communicating with whanau and Kaupapa Māori principles in my MindLab studies I have been dipping into the green and red stages. My school has a policy on recognition of cultural diversity that states that “We recognise, value, and celebrate the different cultures represented within our school and wider community, in a variety of ways” (Maraetai Beach School Board of Trustees, 2017). This policy states that as a school we integrate cultural perspectives across the curriculum, share cultural knowledge, practices and beliefs as well as communicating with whanau such as newsletters and hui. Although this is stated in our policy and we strive to live it; are we doing the best that we can to acknowledge and teach Māori “as Māori”?

Now what

Savage et al (2011) states “as teachers invest in learning through relationships with their students, they might then take responsibility for learning to shift their pedagogy in ways that benefit students academically as well as socially and emotionally” (p.195). Professor Russell Bishop (Edtalks, 2012) states that Māori are just as capable of being educated as any other group of people. I believe teachers need to embrace Māori culture and offer learning experiences that all students can relate to that also acknowledge tikanga and āhuatanga. I think if we continue to develop this through professional development and embedding cultural responsiveness into our daily practice then Māori will continue to benefit as they learn and feel valued “as Māori”. Through continuing to think about how to be culturally responsive I need to consider new ways to engage my students. I need to continue to develop my pedagogy and range of strategies. By doing this the planning and resources that are lacking in my school may improve as the students and whanau become one of our biggest resources.

References

Bucher, R. (2008). Building cultural intelligence (CQ): Nine Megaskills. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

CORE Education. (2017, 17 October). Dr Ann Milne, Colouring in the white spaces: Reclaiming cultural identity in whitestream schools.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cTvi5qxqp4&feature=em-subs_digest

Cowie, B., Otrel-Cass, K., Glynn, T., & Kara, H., et al.(2011).Culturally responsive pedagogy and assessment in primary science classrooms: Whakamana tamariki. Wellington: Teaching Learning Research Initiative. Retrieved from http://www.tlri.org.nz/sites/default/files/projects/9268_cowie-summaryreport.pdf

Edtalks.(2012, September 23). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. [video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49992994

Gay,G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2),106-116.

Maraetai Beach School Board of Trustees, (2017). Recognition of Cultural Diversity School Docs retrieved from http://maraetaibeach.schooldocs.co.nz/

Milne, A.(2017).Coloring in the white spaces: reclaiming cultural identity in whitestream schools. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Savage,C, Hindleb, R., Meyerc,L., Hyndsa,A., Penetitob, W. & Sleeterd, C.(2011) Culturally responsive pedagogies in the classroom: indigenous student experiences across the curriculum .Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 39(3), 183–198:

Week 30 - Activity 6 Applied Practice

Using Rolfe, Freshwater, and Jasper’s (2001) reflective model this weeks blog will discuss a global trend. With many trends to choose from I have decided to reflect on digital learning and technology in education. 

What

The trend of digital learning captivated my attention as I feel I use a lot of digital tools and devices in my teaching but often wonder what impact it has on students learning and how I could better utilise a balance of digital tools and my own teaching to enhance students learning, to better prepare them for the future (academically and digitally). The digital leader at my school has developed a digital fluencies rubric to support teaching and learning (aligning with the new curriculum). Through using this rubric I have moved beyond relying on apps such as mathletics and sunshine online/classics. These apps allow the students to learn through playing games and earning points as they focus on practice and consolidation. I have found that to prepare junior students for digital learning they need to have relevant learning experiences that enhance their learning whilst being engaging and teaching them the digital skills that they will need for future learning. My recent literature review indicated that professional development is a key factor in addressing this trend. Teachers need to be up skilled to best prepare students for developing technologies in an ever changing world, which is what I am currently trying to achieve with up-skilling myself as well as sharing my expertise with other staff.

So what

Daggett (2014) highlights the importance of schools needing to keep up with advances in technology. Furthermore Daggett discusses how much technology we use and rely on in the modern world, “Using technology thoughtfully for instructional purposes will allow us to stretch learners’ thinking in ways that will lead to success in today’s increasingly global economy and rapidly evolving digital environment” (Daggett, 2014, p.4). Digital learning is a global trend as “education has a role to play in providing the skills and competencies needed to operate in this new world” (OECD., 2016, p18). Thus presenting further problems for schools of how much time, professional development and resources (money) should be put into digital learning whilst also engaging learners, and keeping systems and technologies current (CORE education, n.d.). This impacts on mine and others teaching of preparing students to be lifelong learners so they are able to adapt as the world and technologies change.

Now what 

Mastering the balance of the use of digital tools for learning and the personal learning relationships of myself with my students is a task I am still perfecting. I have many students who lack focus when working with me and want to rush through their work to get to a digital task but then are not gaining the instruction and learning that they need to progress from the digital task and often stray from the assigned task. Therefore I need to develop learning tasks and teaching that can enhance learning and reflect my students learning styles. I also need to use my technology expertise and leadership role to lead by example as well as support other staff in up-skilling. As we are time poor I plan on using my growing confidence in sharing online to use our school Google+ account for sharing lessons, research and ideas with staff. My school is already working with the new digital technology curriculum, however from discussions with other schools in our Kahui ako this is not the case across our community of schools which raises the issue of equal opportunities across schools and within schools.

References

CORE Education 2018 Ten Trends document. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://core-ed.org/core-education-2017-ten-trends-document/finished#uff

Daggett, B. (2014). Addressing Current and Future Challenges in Education. Retrieved
from http://www.leadered.com/pdf/2014MSC_AddressingCurrentandFutureChallenges.pdf

OECD. (2016) Trends Shaping Education 2016, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_ edu-2016-en Daggett, B. (2014). Addressing Current and Future Challenges in Education. Retrieved from http://www.leadered.com/pdf/2014MSC_AddressingCurrentandFutu reChallenges.pdf

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Whittaker, L (2018). Digital technology overview; MBS Digital Fluencies 2018. Retrieved from http://www.maraetaibeach.school.nz/files/Copy-of-Digital-Fluencies-updated-Feb-18.pdf

Week 29 - Activity 5 Applied Practice

For this blog I will reflect on my use of social online networks and Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) in my professional development, using Jay and Johnson’s (2002) reflective model.

Step 1

I use a range of social online network tools, however, I prodeminently use Facebook and Google+ as social networks and forums for professional development. I engage in professional discussions, teaching ideas and learning conversations. I find this is a great way to gain ideas and expand the teaching community that I engage with. I feel that I am good at gaining professional development from these tools but am only just beginning to share my own ideas and knowledge. I am a passive user of various Facebook groups (NZ teachers (primary) Facebook group , Seesaw Teachers and Arty Farty Teachers). However within our school teachers Google+ group I am a more active participant as I share readings, youtube videos, ideas and professional development links with the group. I feel that that the School Google+ is not working as effectively as it could. This could be due to the small amount of teachers that we have so the expertise bank is not as broad. The conversations that I find valuable on other networking sites are the ones that our staff have around the school, as we have a very face to face culture.

Step 2

Through discussions with colleagues and from the MindLab Social Media Tool survey I found teachers prefer to use; social personal networks (Facebook, Google+) and Social forums (Facebook groups, Google+ communities) and Social Streams (Twitter) for their own professional development. A few of my colleagues rave about the use of twitter. Whitaker, Zoul and Casas (2015) discusses the value of growing a P2LN through Twitter. Rehm and Notten (2016) also suggest “Twitter can contribute to the continuous professional development of teachers by initiating and fostering informal learning” (p.215). Through these discussions, research and my reflection on PLNs I have reactivated my Twitter account that I created in week 7 of the MindLab course. I would like to improve how I use social personal networks, social forums and social streams for my own and others professional development. I can improve what is not working by using these tools more regularly and actively contributing to build and invest in PLN networks. This will not only require me to make time to regularly use these tools but also to contribute. Rehm and Notten (2016) state “we must find the time to consistently “take that one minute” to invest in other people as well as ourselves” (p.13). An alternative perspective from my colleagues is spending too much time in our busy lives to achieve this.

Step 3

The implication of using social online networks for professional development is finding the time for effective engagement whilst also being conscious that I do not get stuck with online trawling. This reflective process has highlighted the importance of engaging in social media tools, not only for my own professional development but also the impact my engagement has for other professionals. This will require me to be brave and to put myself out there. Whitaker et al. (2015) suggests a Folllow 5, find 5, take 5 approach to establishing P2LNusing Twitter. To ensure I don’t get trapped in the online world I will use Whitaker et al. (2015) steps to become an active participant in Twitter, whilst managing my time and contributions; “ask a question, share a resource, respond to a comment tweeted out by someone else, and, lastly, tweet out something personal” (p.6).

References

Jay, J.K. and Johnson, K.L. (2002). Capturing complexity: a typology of reflective practice for teacher

education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, 73-85.

Rehm, M., & Notten, A. (2016). Twitter as an informal learning space for teachers!? The role of social

capital in Twitter conversations among teachers. Teaching And Teacher Education, 60,

215-223. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2016.08.015

Solis, B. (2018). The Conversation Prism. Retrieved from: https://conversationprism.com/

Whitaker, T., Zoul, J., & Casas, J. (2015). What connected educators do differently. New York, NY:

Routledge.

Week 28 - Activity 4 Applied Practice

Using Rolfe, Freshwater, and Jasper’s (2001) reflective model this weeks blog will ‘Critique and address issues of law, regulations and policy in practice using a reflective model’ using school policy documents as well as teaching codes and standards.

What?

My ethical situation occurred last year when a student found inappropriate images, while using pic kids. The student then proceeded to show the images to other students. Due to the app they were using and that they used voice search instead of typing meant that we were unable to find the search history to see what words had been searched. The dilemma was what I did in reaction to the situation - either do nothing or act on the situation. I referred to the school digital policy and involved the digital team leader in the situation. We consulted the school cyber safety agreement that states that students may lose access to the ICT services and devices. As a result the students parents were informed and the student lost access to all devices for a week. I also had conversations with the other students and their parents who had seen the inappropriate images. The digital leader contacted our provider to ensure the filters would not let such images through again. I also taught additional cyber safety lessons.

So what?

I recognised that other children had seen the images and that it was possible for it to occur again and processes needed to be put into place to stop it from happening again. This also implied that they did not understand inappropriate screen images and what to do if one appeared. The time between cyber safety lessons was too long for it to have the best impact. I knew that there were filters that stopped images from getting through but was unaware that some images could still get through, particularly through different apps. This was new learning as I  became aware that pic kids app does not have the ability to trace what students search for. The school policies on digital technology and cyber safety and the cyber safety agreement form supported the actions we decided to make. Ehrich’s (2011) decision-making model outlines critical incidents for a dilemma. The relevant ones that apply to this scenario are public interest and global context because it involved the student that searched the images, the students who viewed it and all of their parents. The regulations in Our code our standards (Education council, 2017) support this with codes around commitment to learners and commitment to family and whanau. I interpreted these regulations and school policies to support my decision making by putting the students wellbeing first as well as ensuring that I informed all the relevant people and putting suitable actions and teachings into place to try and prevent further incidents. I also ensured the consequences were suitable in regards to the requirements outlined in the school policy documents.

Now what?

To support in ensuring this does not happen again I need to ensure that students have more meaningful and purposeful activities to complete when working on the devices so they have more directed searches and outcomes. I hope that this will keep students from doing their own searches which could lead to inappropriate images.

Ensure regular cyber safety lessons are being taught to remind students of how to be safe online and what to do if they see something inappropriate.

If this situation was to continue to occur it might mean restricted use of the devices or removing the app due to not being able to monitor the searches.

References

Education Council. (2017). Our Code Our Standards. Retrieved from:

https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/file...

Ehrich, L. C. , Kimber M., Millwater, J. & Cranston, N. (2011). Ethical dilemmas: a model to

understand teacher practice, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 17:2, 173-185,

DOI:10.1080/13540602.2011.539794

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions:

a user’s guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Maraetai Beach School Board of Trustees, (2018). Responding to digital incidents.  School Docs

retrieved from http://maraetaibeach.schooldocs.co.nz/

Maraetai Beach School Board of Trustees, (2016). Digital Technology and Cybersafety.  School Docs

retrieved from http://maraetaibeach.schooldocs.co.nz/

Week 26

Inquiry question

How can shifting pedagogy through professional development support digital learning and teaching in the NZ curriculum?

I have broken down the ethics that I will need to be aware of when completing my collection methods. 

Week 25

I keep getting myself in a spin… I changed my literature review question so many times as I continued to read deeper into the research. I ended up with this question - What is the impact of digital learning on the New Zealand curriculum and teaching pedagogy? I wrote my literature review with a key Kaupapa Maori focus, woven into each subtheme. However for some unknown reason I deleted New Zealand from my question at the last minute and am now having serious writers regret over my final submitted question being…. What is the impact of digital learning on students learning the curriculum and teaching pedagogy?

Now that I am beginning to think about the next assignment I do not want to end up with the same feeling after submitting it so would love some help with clarity before I get too swamped down with assignment 2.

My original focus was around leading teachers to make a digital change and the research I discovered during my literature review was very focused on teachers needing professional development to teach students digital learning across the curriculum. I decided that I did not want to focus on how to lead change but on the research that I would need to support the reasons behind changing pedagogy to being more digitally focused.

After all this ramble….. I am left pondering my teacher inquiry topic/question for the next assignment. Currently I am thinking…

How can shifting pedagogy through professional development support digital learning and teaching in the New Zealand curriculum?

Week 25 - post literature review thoughts

I finally submitted my literature review! I ended up with a further revised question as a I narrowed the scope.

I feel some relief with having worked so hard on it to now have it completed however I also feel nervous with still having about 6 tabs of research articles open on my laptop that I would have loved to have used. I just did not have the word count to include them all. I will forever be left wondering if some of the articles could have been better to use than the ones that I used... wondering if some of them had better links across the sub themes of my topic.... however I needed to commit to what I had done. Maybe I can use them for further research projects.

Hopefully I can be proud of what I have achieved.

Week 24 - Literature Review Thoughts

I have been doing lots of reading to answer the question posed in my previous blog post. Once I started reading I found that my question was almost two questions, one on leadership and one on digital learning.

Once I had reflected on that, I found that I was being pulled to the digital learning readings and delving more into that research.

I reflected on what I wanted to achieve from this inquiry... I want to support my team in introducing a new digital initiative of SeeSaw. Once I began to think about the team of teachers that I will be leading I found that the issues that may arise could be around why? Why are we starting a new digital initiative? This made me wonder if my literature review should focus on digital learning and its impact on students and teachers so I can use the research findings to support my change initiative.

Therefore my teacher inquiry is likely to still be focusing on leading change but the research of the literature review will hopefully support me in doing this through justification of the digital learning on student engagement, curriculum and pedagogy.

Week 21

My original inquiry question developed in previous weeks task was;

• How can I inspire and lead teachers to implement change in their practice through the use of Seesaw? 

I had in depth discussion with my MindLab CoP group and worked through the inquiry working template below to revise my question. My question continued to develop as I did some initial research and identified that the key area that I wanted to focus on is leading change in my junior syndicate.


Inquiry question(s) working template

Turning your inquiry topic(s) into an break-down inquiry question

Turning a break-down inquiry question to an initial teacher inquiry question

Turning the initial teacher inquiry question into an initial literature review question

From working through this process, I think that the literature review question that I would like to focus on is

• How does leading teachers in a new digital initiative affect teachers daily practice in the junior syndicate?

I would love to know what others think of this question

Week 20

What do you immediately identify as some of the greatest areas of need for your students?

• Behaviour 
• Learning links and engagement between school and home - students not doing home learning, parents busy and not knowing what students are learning 
• 21st skills to develop learning skills 
• Using digital tools to complete tasks and learning, constantly off the set task. 
• Roll out of Seesaw - new strategy for other teachers that I am eager to implement. 

What is one thing you can do differently in the classroom/in your practice today that could address that need?

• Engagement through digital tools 
• Seesaw 
• Set technology lessons to develop skills with set criteria (could link with Seesaw using activities) 
• Leadership for Seesaw across the junior school 

Reflective Questions for thought

• I would like to improve collaboration with whanau? 
• I am really curious about leading change with colleagues? 
• I think using the devices for a set task/activity would really make a difference? 
• I would like to change how devices are used across the junior school? 
• What would happen to my students’ learning if I did used Seesaw more to not just share learning experiences but complete tasks? 
• How can I implement Seesaw across the junior school? 
• How can I improve leading other colleagues with change? 

Integrating the Principles of Kaupapa Maori Research into my Teacher Inquiry.

“Whānau - the extended family structure principle. The whānau and the practice of whanaungatanga (family connectedness) is an integral part of Māori identity and culture. The cultural values, customs and practices that organise around the whānau and collective responsibility are a necessary part of Māori survival and achievement. There are many examples where the principle of whānau and whānaungatanga come to the foreground as a necessary ingredient for Māori education, Māori health, Māori justice and Māori prosperity.”


http://www.katoa.net.nz/kaupapa-maori

Week 19 - Community of Practice Activity 3

Potential inquiry topics

• How can I lead a collaborative inquiry to support teachers in improving CoL targets? 
• How can I inspire and lead teachers to implement change in their practice through the use of Seesaw? 

Reflection

I am part of a few CoP’s such as my junior syndicate team, school Professional Learning Communities (PLC), Communities of Learning (CoL) leaders, and MindLab study group. Wenger, McDermott & Snyder (2002), defines CoP’s as “groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interaction on an ongoing basis” (p.4). My MindLab CoP is a group that is a joint enterprise as we are like minded teaching professionals who are focused on using what we are learning to create change in our own practice and within our schools. We have developed mutual engagement through support each other throughout our MindLab journey, building a trusting and reflective culture through our own supportive learning community. We also have a shared repertoire through in depth discussion and sharing our communal resources to support each other's learning and professional practice. As all members of the MindLab CoP have similar passions we are driven by a love of learning and wanting to develop professionally, particularly with digital teaching and leadership.

My MindLab CoP had some feedback towards the wording of the inquiry questions which I changed to make them more specific, measurable and purposeful. This discussion also altered the focus to leadership theories as this is a main focus for my professional development. Robinson (2009) supports this with his discussion of the use of the diffusion adopters. Although the collaborative inquiry impacts some of the MindLab CoP they commented that they can not impact on the decision making or have much influence or input into this inquiry. 

One member of the MindLab CoP works at a different school and has been using Seesaw for over a year, across different year groups. Therefore we would be able to support each other by promoting further learning through Seesaw and sharing ideas of how we can support learning with their collaboration and blended learning, through uploading everything into Seesaw, using the blended learning approach. Smythe (n.d) supports this by discussing research that shows that blending traditional education approaches with digital can increase engagement, improve learning outcomes and give students greater satisfaction. Webster (2012) also states that “technology in the hands of our students means that the classroom walls become almost theoretical; no longer would each room need to contain them and their learning, they would have access to everything and everyone that could possibly help them along in their learning journey.”

My CoL CoP suggested that my collaborative inquiry question has the power to have valued impact on students and the teachers that I lead with the new collaborative inquiry approach. “Collaborative inquiry provides a structure for educators to lead and learn together productively” (Donohoo & Velasco, 2016, p.3). However they did comment that we have limited time constraints and deadlines with set release days that may impact on my professional learning progress in this area.

Although both inquiries are based on leading change, my MindLab CoP is more supportive, invested and collaborative with resources to support my learning and development. My CoL CoP is heavily restricted by time and deadlines. Due to this reflection, I now want to focus on the Seesaw inquiry as my MindLab CoP will be able to contribute and support my learning and I will be able to contribute to their inquiries in a similar way. 

References

Donohoo, J., & Velasco, M. (2016). The transformative power of collaborative inquiry (p. 3). Thousand Oaks, United States: SAGE Publications Inc.

Jay, J.K. and Johnson, K.L. (2002). Capturing complexity: a typology of reflective practice for teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, 73-85.

Smythe, M. (n.d). Blended learning: A transformative process? Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. Retrieved from https://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/download/ng/file/group-3740/smythe---blended-learning-a-transformative-process.pdf

Robinson, L. (2009). A summary of Diffusion of Innovations. Changeology. Retrieved from http://www.enablingchange.com.au/Summary_Diffusion...

Webster, A. (2012). Beyond the classroom walls: breaking down barriers with technology. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2012/sep/10/technology-schools-breaking-down-barriers

Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press.

Week 18 - Applied Practice Reflective Activity 2

Theme 2 - New views of equity, diversity and inclusivity discussed
using Gibbs reflective model (Finlay, 2009).

Description

I have changed my teaching pedagogy from what I have learnt through my mindlab journey. This years cohort of diverse students present with a range of fine motor abilities as well as attitudes towards learning. I have adapted my practice to be more inclusive, through social groups with learners that have different needs, moving beyond differentiated groups in the core subjects to making differentiated groups and individual learning for all learners across the curriculum as well as facilitating learning through a servant leadership approach.

Feelings

I felt that a big shift towards the wider view of equity, diversity and inclusivity discussed in Bolstad, Gilbert, McDowall, Bull, Boyd & Hipkins (2012), came during reflection and realising that what may work for one class may/will not work for another diverse class. I felt that I could adapt what had worked well last year to meet this years learner needs. However this years class is very unlike last years. Coming to this realisation made me feel deflated that such a successful 2017 could not be repeated in a similar way. It brought to mind Albert Einstein’s quote

This influenced how I reflected and changed my practice to develop my current students skills to work in a diverse 21st century community. Allowing inclusivity through engaging them in a 21st century model that they otherwise wouldn’t have been included.

Evaluation

I found it difficult to change how the task was achieved, especially when it was for one student in particular. My team leader and I discussed the need to meet the diverse needs of my class across the curriculum. Bolstad et al (2012) agrees with this approach, sharing an example that states “we openly discuss the situation for each child and recognise that programmes, expectations and routines will be different for different children. While many of these children have significant challenges, they also have significant skills that others do not” (p28-29). Changing my approach to the task contributed to greater learning and an enhanced level of skills whilst also engaging all of my diverse learners.

Analysis

My lack of knowledge of my students as learners created an issue in an initial art lesson which escalated to everyone, including myself, dreading art lessons. Absolum (2006) suggests “learning-focused relationships are about using the considerable potential in the relationship between teacher and student to maximise the student’s engagement”. Although this is always a focus of my practice, particularly at the beginning of the year, understanding my students across the curriculum is an area for improvement. By adapting my approach and changing my teaching pedagogy to a more inclusive and diverse model I have shifted the focus to “produce clades, life-long, independent learners with the capacity to live, work and prosper in a whole range of as yet unknown new environments” (Bolstad et al, 2012, p.26).

Conclusion

My practice has positively changed in my postgraduate journey. I can adapt and change my teaching pedagogy to best meet the needs of my learners, through developing strong learning focused relationships whilst fostering equity, diversity and inclusivity.

Action plan

“Rather, the future-focused education literature suggests we need to adopt a much more complex view of knowledge, one that incorporates knowing, doing and being. Alongside this we need to rethink our ideas about how our learning systems are organised, resourced and supported” (Bolstad et al, 2012, p.2). I could also alter the task and offer a variety of tools that could be used to complete the same task. This could be achieved by setting the task as a problem that the students need to solve and it is up to them how they solve it or present the outcome. I will continue to approach art (and all curriculum areas) with diversity and a range of tools to accommodate the needs of my diverse learners.

References

Absolum, M. (2006). Clarity in the classroom. Auckland: Hodder Education.

Bolstad, R., Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012). Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching — a New Zealand perspective. Report prepared for the Ministry of Education. Retrieved from https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/schooling/109306

Finlay, L. (2009). Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/opencetl/sites/www.open.ac.uk.opencetl/files/files/ecms/web-content/Finlay-(2008)-Reflecting-on-reflective-practice-PBPL-paper-52.pdf

Week 17 - Applied practice

After reading Finlay (2008) and working with my MindLab study group I began to reflect more deeply on how I reflect. I constantly reflect on my practice privately and with colleagues. I am critical about my practice and willingly change my practice when and as needed. I make anecdotes to my plan, make notes in modelling books and have discussions with colleagues. For example if my students are not on task at the beginning of a writing lesson then I take into account the students' cues and reflect on why. I then may get the students to come back to the mat to either discuss the topic again or change the topic completely to gain better clarity. I make notes on my plan and in my modelling book for future reference and formative assessment. I then reflect with my colleagues as we plan together, we discuss what has gone well and how we can support our learners with our next steps. This works for myself, my students and my colleagues as we work well together to share our ideas.  

However from the research that I have done for this activity I have realised that I need to use more research and use reflective models such as Jay and Johnson’s (2002) reflective model. Continuing with the writing example I could use research about writing such as Sheena Cameron and Louise Dempsey’s The Writing Book (2013) to help support future change. This is what we endeavour to do in our school teaching inquiry, reflecting against our own hunch, beliefs and values but if I use research and wider reflection beyond self reflection I can challenge my own thinking. If I am not looking beyond my own thoughts and beliefs then I am not likely to change my perspective.

According to Finlay (2008) critical reflection is “understood as part of the process of life-long learning (p.1). Critical reflection-on-action should “review, describe, analyse and evaluate their past practice with a view on gaining insight to improve future practice” (Finlay, 2008, p.1). Within the mindlab course activities I noticed that others find frequent reflective practice easy when it is with colleagues or by themselves. Sharing reflections with the wider professional community is not something we are so good at and an area I also need to develop. Regular reflections that occur within our own heads and with colleagues have value that can be added through sharing with a larger community or professionals. I can improve this by ensuring I make time to use research to support my critical reflections and sharing these via my blog. I started this blog when I began my MindLab journey but I feel that I am only just beginning to become truly reflective of my learning journey.

Finlay (2008) has made me think about my perspective of reflecting as needing to be more than what I do currently in my teaching bubble. There is vast knowledge, expertise and experience just a click away that I could be tapping into to continue to enhance my professional development. This perspective will influence my reflective practice as I become more open with my reflections through sharing my critical reflections online and becoming a more of an active member in collaborative formats outside of my school colleagues such as blogging, being an activities participant in the New Zealand Teacher facebook group, other teaching/education groups and twitter groups. As a PLC leader in my school I will use the reflective model to improve my leadership practice and support my followers in their reflective learning journeys as we work through our collaborative teaching inquiries.

References

Cameron, S., & Dempsey, L. (2013). The writing book; A practical Guide for Teachers. Auckland, N.Z.: S. Cameron.

Finlay, L. (2009). Reflecting on reflective practice. Practice-based Professional Learning Centre, Open University. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/opencetl/sites/www.open.ac.uk.opencetl/files/files/ecms/web-content/Finlay-(2008)-Reflecting-on-reflective-practice-PBPL-paper-52.pdf

Jay, J.K. and Johnson, K.L. (2002). Capturing complexity: a typology of reflective practice for teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, 73-85.

Week 14

Multi Local

Rituals - where do you shop? Where does the food come from that you eat?

Relationships - facetime or physical who do you spend your time with in a week?

Restrictions - where are you able to live? What passport do you hold?

Analogy

Considered images and their analogy of culture and how to work effectively across cultures.

We saw all 4 pictures as a set and decided it depended on perspective.

• Big fish and little fish. Big fish appears big but if zoomed out it may not be big compared to a whale etc. Fish is not aware of the water as it knows nothing else.
• House in the distance behind the sea. The house looks like it is on the water but there may be land between.
• Camera lense. Can zoom in and out and focus on different things. Wide and close up lense views.
• Iceberg. Wide iceberg at the top to narrow above the water but what is under the water.

Relating back to our students… it is our perspective on the learners and that to be culturally aware
we need to be aware of what we can’t see. Not just understanding others but understanding ourselves and our perspectives.

Curriculum Principles

A report by the ERO looked at how well the eight principles of the New Zealand Curriculum
were represented in classrooms  The eight principles studied were:

• Coherence
• Community engagement
• Cultural diversity
• Future focus
• High expectations
• Inclusion
• Learning to learn
• Treaty of Waitangi

The report found that “Cultural diversity, future focus and Treaty of Waitangi were the least well represented principles in approximately a third of classrooms. These three principles were not evident at all in about a sixth of classrooms.”(Educational Review Office, 2012).

Education Review Office. (2012). The New Zealand Curriculum Principles: Foundations for Curriculum Decision-Making. Retrieved from http://www.ero.govt.nz/publications/the-new-zealan…

Digital

Engagement and agency

Working in Google docs and measuring the engagement in comparison to writing in their writing books, their cognitive engagement was greater as they had to focus on achieving their goals.  Their behavioral engagement and the emotional engagement improved through the collaboration with their peers as they developed relationships through communication and feedback.

Working with Seesaw has brought similar results with students asking to engage with the program and extend their cognitive, emotional and behavioral competencies.

Student Agency

Martin (2004, p. 135) characterises agency as "the capability of individual human beings to make choices and act on these choices in a way that makes a difference in their lives”. However, although we might believe that the most transformative learning comes from the learner’s own agency, Lindgren and McDaniel (2012, p.346) underline that “giving students the sense that they have control and the power to affect their own learning is one of the great challenges of contemporary education”.

Lindgren, R., & McDaniel, R. (2012). Transforming Online Learning through Narrative and Student Agency. Educational Technology & Society, 15(4), 344–355.

Martin, J. (2004). Self-Regulated Learning, Social Cognitive Theory, and Agency. Educational Psychologist, 39(2), 135-145.