Week 32 / Reflective practice - Key change in professional practice

This blog entry will reflect on a key change in my professional practice using Rolfe's model of reflection. I will also evaluate this change using The Cycle of Experiential Learning recommended by Osterman and Kottkamp (2015). Lastly I will briefly share my plan for future professional development.  

Step 1 (What):

One key aspect that has changed as part of my professional practice since beginning the Mindlab course has been that I am more confident in collaborating and sharing ideas with other colleagues in my own school, across other schools in our local area and also online. This course has highlighted the importance of having professional learning networks and encouraged me to put myself out there in order to better my practice rather than working in isolation. 

This change in my practice has allowed me to meet the Standard of the Teaching Profession - professional learning. This criteria set by the Ministry of Education for professional learning requires teachers to "Use inquiry, collaborative problem-solving and professional learning to improve professional capability to impact on the learning and achievement of all learners."

Step 2 (Now what): 

Problem Identification

I have been teaching for 7 years at the end of this year (2018), and I had begun to feel a bit stagnant at the end of 2016/17. I hadn't been to observe any new ideas and felt as though teaching was not exciting anymore. I decided that I needed 2018 to be the year where I tried something new to up skill and reignite my passion for teaching and learning which is why I signed up for The Mindlab. This has been a game changer for me and has helped to build my confidence in sharing and learning with/from others in the teaching profession. 

Observation and analysis

I have gained new insight into the value of developing and engaging with professional/personal learning networks. It has been rewarding for myself as a professional to be more willing to try new ideas and share problems or issues I am having in terms of teaching and learning with other colleagues. It has also been great to collaborate on assignments with others as I feel a I have gained a deeper understanding of course material and how it can be applied in the classroom through discussions I've had with others. 

Abstract re conceptualization

Connectivism is a new learning theory I have found myself really connecting with. I am a person who enjoys discussing new ideas and concepts with others rather than mulling over them myself. I prefer to hear the opinion and perspectives of others as this helps me to critically analyse and make up my own mind about new information and ideas. According to Siemens (2004), connectivism begins with the individual - as it involves the individuals knowledge and ideas to be fed into a network, which then feeds into an organisation/institution. The cycle then feeds knowledge and ideas back to the individual therefore allowing individuals to remain current through the network they have formed. 

DeWitt (2016) states that PLNs enable people to stretch their thinking, share ideas and resources and help bring out people's best. I have learnt that in the digital age, it is vital for us as teachers to value professional/personal learning networks and also encourage this for our students so they can be the most successful and knowledgable they can be.

Active experimentation

As a result of becoming more collaborative with those in my school, the wider community and online; I have made the following changes to my practice to help this grow more:

• Made my professional blog public to break down the barriers I once had up.
• Share my ideas more in staff and syndicate meetings.
• Comment more on other professional social networking pages.
• Seek ideas from others who have tried new learning approaches or dealt with similar issues I am facing.
• Encourage my students to share their ideas and learning more both in the classroom and online (through their own public learning blogs) and also seek knowledge using the same process. 

Overall I have learnt that sharing my own ideas and opinions is not such a daunting task and that we all benefit from each others sharing of experiences. 

Step 3 (What next): 

My next step for my future professional practice is to delve more deeply into blended learning and how I can design a classroom programme that effectively implement the use of 1:1 chromebooks. I am planning on using my PLNs to seek and discuss resources and information to learn more about this and also branch out and add to my current PLN. 

References:

DeWitt, P. (2016). Collaborative Leadership: Six Influences That Matter Most. Thousand Oaks CA: Corwin

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

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

Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. eLearnSpace. Retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

Week 31 / Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness

This reflective entry will focus on my understanding of indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness and critically evaluate how mine and my school's practice has been informed by the two aspects including planning & assessment and learning resources.

Step 1 (What):

My understanding of indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness is recognising that our students do not come to us as empty vessels waiting for us to fill them up. They come to us full of their own experiences, values and knowledge. It is up to us as teachers to ensure that we take the time to get to know our students - their strengths and weaknesses, their likes and interests their whanau and values. I have always believed that building relationships is the key to any child thriving in any learning environment and figuring out what makes them tick as learners is the key to them being successful. I could relate a lot to what Russell Bishop discussed in his video on edtalks about providing relationship centred education where learning is co-constructed and students are aware of what they need to learn and how to get there - a learning centred relationship.

There are two areas I would like to focus on in this reflection. The first being planning and assessment which I feel my school does well in. The other is learning resources which is an area I would like to improve in - particularly those that are relevant to my students and our local area.

Step 2 (So what): 

Firstly, I feel that planning and assessment is an area of strength and sits more in the green area of the action continuum framework developed by Milne (CORE Education, 2017). This is because when planning units and assessments, we have our students needs at the centre. We take the time to get to know them as learners and make sure they are fully aware of the assessment process - meaning they know how each assessment works and why they are doing it including the level they are at and any goals they have are co-constructed. Teacher planning is informed by formative assessment and it is good practice in our school to be responsive to student's needs. Cowie, Otrel-Cass, Glynn & Kara (2011) point out that "Culturally responsive pedagogy thrives when teachers ensure that students have multiple and diverse opportunities to develop, express, and receive feedback on their understanding"

The second area of focus is one I would like to improve more in - developing learning resources that are culturally significant to our community and the children at our school. I feel I've previously been stuck in the blue/purple area of the action continuum for this area as my language and cultural knowledge is not the best it can be - only sticking with the bare minimum in terms of kapa haka practise and basic Te Reo Maori integration.

Step 3 (What next):

A more collaborative approach to developing learning resources is needed to take this aspect further. This will include students, their whanau, teaching staff and local kaumatua. I am in the process of getting to know the local stories that are significant to Ahipara in order to co-construct digital resources where my students are empowered to educate others in our community about this special place. I feel it wouldn't be right for me to develop the resources to tell these stories in isolation and instead would love for my students and their whanau to be the ones who develop and share this knowledge in the community. Cowie et al. (2011) state that a teacher's need to find ways of bringing students funds of knowledge and expertise into the classroom - and this is the perfect way for them to share their knowledge and expertise with the rest of the school and community. The challenge lies ahead not only achieve a greater level of cultural responsiveness but for it to continue to grow.

References:

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

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., & Jasper, M. (2001). Critical reflection for nursing and the helping professions: A user's guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Week 30/ The Broader Professional Context

This reflective entry will focus on analysing the global trend of the impact digital learning is having on schools and their students. It will look at it from my own classroom perspective and also that of its global impact on our students future career skills and requirements.

What: 

One global trend that is relevant to my practice is the impact of digital technologies. My students have all had experience with using a range of digital technologies whether it be in the form of a home computer, tablet or their parent's phones. My students are very young (6, 7 & 8 years old) and they already had a vast range of digital skills before they entered my classroom e.g. gaming, photography (selfies) or social networking. Therefore it has been made a priority in our school to educate our students to develop digital citizenship which enables them to have a positive impact in the rapidly evolving digital world. Daggett (2014) discusses the need for schools to embrace digital technologies rather than fight against the movement in order to keep learning relevant and engaging for our learners. 

So What:

Digital technologies is not only impacting on students engagement levels in the classroom but also their ability to acquire the necessary skills needed to get a job in the future. As Daggett (2014) points out, middle level jobs which were popular in the 1970s, 80s, & 90s around the globe are now being/have been replaced with computers which do a more efficient and cost effective job than their human counterparts. As a result, it can be assumed that more is needed in terms of digital related education such as coding, to enable our students to be better prepared for the many digital take overs we are already seeing. Our students need to more skilled in not only the use of digital technologies as consumers, but as developers and software designers to ensure their career choices stay relevant for the future. 

Now What:

It has taken a long time for the New Zealand education system to provide suitable support for schools and teachers in the area of digital technologies. Some clusters of schools are streets ahead of others in terms of developing digital learning programmes. One example of this is the Manaiakalani cluster of schools. This cluster has developed a research based digital programme and experienced the success that is possible when blending digital technologies with traditional learning techniques. They have witnessed a huge increase in literacy learning in the 11 years they have been running which can be seen in the research reports and evaluation available on their website. The success of this initiative has lead to a number outreach clusters around the country and provides a huge amount of support and professional development for schools and teachers. Our school has joined an outreach cluster this year.

With the world changing faster than it ever has before, governments have had to think quickly to adjust education to adapt to the change in employment prospects for their citizens (Pearson, 2013). The New Zealand Government has responded to this global trend, by developing a new digital component to the New Zealand Curriculum document. Here it outlines learning outcomes and requirements for all Year 0-13 students in New Zealand. The Minister of Education Chris Hipkins (2017) has summed up the relevance and importance of this document in the following quote -  “The digital curriculum is about teaching children how to design their own digital solutions and become creators of, not just users of, digital technologies, to prepare them for the modern workforce."

There are now multiple professional development opportunities the Ministry of Education are providing such as the Raranga Matihiko initiative which aims to educate New Zealand teachers and their students by providing hands on digital technology experiences for students and guided planning opportunities for teachers. My class participated in this fantastic opportunity this week at the Waitangi Treaty grounds. 

References:

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

http://www.manaiakalani.org/home

Hipkins, C. (2017). New digital technologies for schools and kura. Retrieved from:
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-digital-technologies-schools-and-kura

Pearson. (2013). Global trends: The world is changing faster than at any time in human history.[video].Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdZiTQy3g1g