Changes in Practice

Reflecting on my 32 week journey is exciting as I consider where I began and where I have got to, after undertaking the most intense professional development so far in my teaching career.  One of the most exciting things though is how it has pulled all of the other PD I have engaged in together.  It has definitely been challenging at times, managing assignment deadlines with my classroom teaching and other professional responsibilities, trying to give time to my collaborative teaching partner as well as my colleague doing Mindlab with me, as well as juggling my busy family life.  But it has been rewarding and I can now see how much I have developed my professional knowledge as I have engaged with new learning and become a better teacher.  

Osterman and Kottklamp (1993) discuss how learning is most effective when the learner is actively involved in the process, when it has a purposeful context and when the learning is of a collaborative nature rather than done alone.  It is more likely they say, that there will be increased engagement from the learner and therefore be more effective. 

This is definitely the case for me personally and links well with Criterion 1 from the Practising Teacher Criteria (PTC) and eLearning: "Fully certified teachers establish and maintain effective professional relationships focused on the learning and well-being of ākonga". I completed my Mindlab journey with a teaching colleague from my school.  Had I not done this I know that I would have not found it as purposeful.  We were able to collaborate throughout the process, share our ideas, learn from each other and have rich professional conversations around the content of the course. We also had the benefit of being able to link it with the context of our school and our learners.  This had great spin offs for us both personally and professionally. Being able to collaborate with all the other Mindlabber's and connections made through my online social networks has also been invaluable and something I hope to be able to carry on beyond 'Week 32".  

Since I began I am also now working in a collaborative teaching space and has required a huge shift in my practice which I believe this course has prepared me well for.  AS PTC Criteria 6 requires "Fully certified teachers conceptualise, plan, and implement an appropriate learning programme."  I now do all my planning collaboratively and on google Docs, engage in daily professional discussions around best practice related to my research and the BIGGEST change would be that our Teacher as Inquiry has now become much more of a living document and we engage with it at a much deeper level.  

Leading from that, I have focused much more on the 'why' of what I do rather than the 'what'.  Criteria 8 states that "Fully certified teachers demonstrate in practice their knowledge and understanding of how ākonga learn". In my year 2/3 class I now run a much more inquiry based literacy programme with strong links to developing their technology skills.  The students have much more choice around what they are learning about, whether they work alone or collaboratively at different times and their 21st century skills are being developed daily, particularly collaboration, communication, creativity and problem solving.  It has been exciting growing their digital literacy skills and it has pushed me to keep trying new things to keep up with their enthusiasm.

One thing I know after completing this course is that we have to change.  If school was still like it was 10-15 years ago we would struggle to engage our students of today.  And why should they be taught in the same way?   The world is different, technology has made a huge impact and will continue to do so as the world they will work in will look completely different to today. So my dream is to integrate a more future focused curriculum with my knowledge about what best teacher practice looks like and to keep sharing, leading and learning with my colleagues as two heads are better than one. 

And as my blog suggests.... I'm not there 'yet' ... but isn't that what teaching and learning is all about!

REFERENCES

Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R.(1993). Reflective Practice for Educators.California:Cornwin Press, Inc. Retrieved on 7th May, 2015 from http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files.

Ministry of Education (nd). Practising teacher Criteria and e-learning . Retrieved from http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/

Crossing Boundaries and Creating Connections

My Interdisciplinary Connection Map

So what is this interdisciplinary approach that we use all about and what does it mean for me? In our Mindlab notes this week they give a definition of interdisciplinary collaboration from Andrews (1990) as  "when different professionals, possessing unique knowledge, skills, organisational perspectives, and personal attributes, engage in coordinated problem solving for a common purpose" (cited in Berg-Weger & Schneider, 1998).

In our profession, building connections is a very powerful tool of the trade. I believe that we use this approach all the time without even thinking about it. When I sat and really thought about all the connections I have in my professional capacity I was actually quite staggered (and no doubt I have missed a few too). I reach out to so many people for support and in return share my personal knowledge and skills with them on a daily basis. 

The Thomas McDonagh Group. ( 2011, May 13) in their video discuss how it is our job to broaden both our own and our students horizons and that we need to reach out to others and bring them into our space so that new connections can be made.  They mention the importance of having a shared language to communicate in when making these connections to help build pathways for our students to help their future growth. 

In my plan, three areas of future focus were highlighted for me:

• To start making more personal connections for my students outside of their classroom.
• To increase the amount of parent engagement and involvement with their children's learning - e.g. through our class blog. 
• To continue to grow and develop my teaching practice in our new collaborative space. 

In my collaborative classroom practice I will be working closely with my teaching partner in our junior classroom.  We work together to develop our joint Teaching as Inquiry Plan and develop shared strategies and goals to support our learners. We also seek support from outside agencies, like the RTLB, and we involve our Teacher Aides in our planning as well. 

We plan collaboratively and are always looking for ways to make learning more authentic for our students.  One of the biggest barriers we have is time to do all of this.  Working collaboratively has many advantages but does take time to meet and plan with another person.  It is also essential that we are all on the same page and striving for a common goal.  

It has the advantage that because we a working so closely we are able to have 'in the moment' conversations about students and teaching and learning that maybe is or isn't working so well. We find that we are always sharing our knowledge and skills with each other and using each others strengths to support our learners.  Together we have to problem solve and find new and creative ways to improve learning for our students. 

I will also be connecting closely with my year 2 and 3 students. Currently I am working on developing both their inquiry and technology skills. This is something I began last year and am in the process of trying to enhance to really bring the 21st century skills into their learning.  For me this means giving my students more power to make choices around their learning yet still having high expectations of their outcomes.  It is exciting to watch their creativity develop and problem solving skills as they learn to "App Smash" and present their work in new ways. 

It also means that I have to share their learning goals around this with their parents as well.  Parent engagement can sometimes be limited so I have to search for new ways to really get them involved with our class blog which is where we share most of our learning outside the classroom. This is a work in progress!

References

Berg-Weger, M., &. Schneider, F. D. (1998). Interdisciplinary collaboration in social work education. Journal of Social Work Education, 34, 97-107.

Mindlab, Week 31 class notes. https://app.themindlab.com/course/release/714-week-31-practice-crossing-boundaries-and-creating-connections

ThomasMcDonaghGroup. ( 2011, May 13). Interdisciplinarity and Innovation Education.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDdNzftkIpA

Professional Online Social Networks

As an educator, I find that social media provides a fantastic platform for sharing and learning and enhances my professional development.  I began using Twitter after being at a uLearn conference a few years ago.  It really is one of the best free tools for professional development that I have come across.  I'm an avid consumer of information but not so big on the producing, with only dabbling in a bit of tweeting of my own.  Melhuish (2013) would probably say that I am a bit of a 'lurker'. She also points out that for the professional learning to have most impact participants need to be actively engaged and not just reading information, and I know I have some work to do here.

I enjoy being able to follow what interests me and being able to connect with like minded people but I also realise that for it to probably have more impact on my professional development and practice I probably need to step up and become more proactive myself.  Through my blogging with Mindlab I feel that I am developing my confidence to share in an online forum. I have also got a lot out of Google+ and have found being a member of the Mindlab community extremely worthwhile to increase my professional knowledge.  I would like to investigate the Virtual Learning Network (VLN) as several of my colleagues engage with this network and say it is worthwhile.

One of the biggest challenges I find is not having enough time to read through the screeds of information and research available on social media sites.  It can sometimes feel a bit like information overload to me and can take huge amounts of time wading through, searching for the most interesting and useful content. Melhuish (2013) highlights the need to have a clear focus when engaging with information online, it would be easy to get off track if this wasn't present (as I have personally experienced!).

I teach a year 2/3 class.  In my classroom I have a class blog which is a place where we share learning and happenings in our classroom. I also have a blog to share my students responses in reading as many of them are choosing increasingly to present their work digitally.  The children are taking more ownership of what goes on the blog this year, particularly those who I have for a second year. It allows them to share their learning beyond the classroom and provides a link to home and other family and friends.  I would like to see the blog used more effectively by our parent community and have them engaging more and giving the students comments on their work.  

We use YouTube a lot in our room,  for research, supporting our learning and also for music.  As my class are younger, I often make QR codes if there are particular things I want them to see to try and keep them safer online whilst also trying to teach them about cyber safety and being responsible digital citizens.  At this stage I don't use social media with my learners mainly because of their age.  I can see that there could be benefits of collaborating with others beyond our classroom and globally but I see that there could be some challenges with safety and also the possibility of some parental concerns.  Food for thought for the future. 

Reference

Melhuish, K.(2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’ professional learning. Master Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrieved on 12 March, 2017 from https://app.themindlab.com/media/32455/view

Legal and ethical context in my digital practice

As Alan Hall (2001) points out, digital technologies have advanced rapidly over the last 30 years and they provide many wonderful opportunities for learning in and beyond our classrooms. It is my responsibility to teach my students to use these tools in a responsible and positive way as, on the flip side, there are many hidden risks involved with this new technology too.  

The Education Council of NZ highlights how online platforms enable us to "create, share, adapt and reuse content, engage in digital dialogue and collaboration". The teaching of these skills is paramount in my classroom as I attempt to develop 21st century skills in my learners.  

Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, What is Social Media

I endeavour to teach my learners to be responsible digital citizens. In our school we require our students to sign am internet safety agreement each year as we discuss with them their responsibility when engaging in online learning.  This needs to be revisited on an ongoing basis as the students develop their skills and inquisitiveness over time. They need to know that when they are online the usual classroom rules apply for their behaviour.

Likewise, social media has brought with it a whole new range of issues.  As a teacher I recognise that I am under increased scrutiny when I engage in these platforms because of my profession, which therefore requires me to think carefully about 'how' I am engaging with social media and 'who' I am engaging with. 

As a teacher practicing in New Zealand I am required to follow a Code of Ethics for Certified Teachers.  The Education Council talks about how we need to strive to the highest of standards in our professional roles as we are "in collaboration with colleagues, learners, parents/guardians and family/whānau, as well as members of the wider community."  They also point out four fundamental principles that we are governed by:

• Autonomy to treat people with rights that are to be honoured and defended
• Justice to share power and prevent the abuse of power
• Responsible care to do good and minimise harm to others
• Truth to be honest with others and self.

It is therefore my role to be a professional role model when engaging in social media, especially with our school community. I find social media a source of inspiration and a place to share and learn.  I have a class blog, use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc but I don't particularly want my school community knowing my personal life.  I have had the issue of parents 'requesting to be friends' on my personal Facebook page. This can cause an ethical dilemma as over time you do become friendly with many of these parents as you teach multiple children in their family and they can take it personally if you do not accept a friend request.  If you accept some parents, where then do you draw the line if parents who you would rather not accept request a friendship online. 

A few years ago I did accept a couple of parents as friends who I had established a long time relationship with.  Now I find that I ignore new requests as our school has a spoken policy now of not engaging with parents within our personal online personas.  

Hall (2001, p.5)) has provided some guiding questions to help teachers' decision making when dealing with ethical issues that may arise:

• “Which stakeholder should be given priority? Why?
• What restrictions are there to your actions?
• Which courses of action are possible?
• How should the course of action be implemented? “ 

In using these questions to help guide my decision making, I have to consider the schools standing on this, my personal responsibility and the outcomes for the school community.  I now can say to parents that that it is a school policy to not befriend parents in a personal capacity which can take away that personal feeling for parents. 

REFERENCES

Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0

Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, 2017. https://teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/

Hall, A. (2001) What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from 
http://www.etiquette.govt.confidentiality/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers

Week 28 - Indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness in my practice

I found delving into cultural responsiveness a very reflective process this week as I work in a school with an increasingly growing multi-cultural make up, quite extreme to my own schooling. Currently we have around 10 different cultures in our school and about 17% Māori students. As a school we are always looking for ways to become more culturally responsive, to involve and include our parent community where everyone feels they are welcome and valued.   

We try hard to communicate with our community and provide opportunities for them to engage with their children's learning and with each other.  Our goal setting interviews have become more of a conversation with whanaū about their children rather than a sharing of teacher preset goals to help build stronger relationships.  Bishop (2012) talks about "relationship centred education" where relationships are absolutely paramount to build a culturally inclusive environment and that caring for people is at the heart of it.  He says that we need to have "learning relationships" with both our students and our parents. 

Our goal setting interviews are a special time together where everyone has a voice (students, parents and teachers), so we can develop valuable insight and really get to know our students.   We co-construct the students learning and social goals so that everyone has a say and a responsibility for supporting the student. Personally I find that this time is so valuable for relationship building and we have had positive feedback about how parents found these interviews compared to previous years. 

This year our school learning focus is Tūrangiawaewae (standing place).  This resonates well with all cultures.  Everyone has something that they can link to and everyone has a story to tell.  Storytelling is such a powerful way for students to be able to express themselves in the classroom and to have their voice heard.  We have the challenge of making sure that the culture in our classrooms allows for all children to learn, have their voice heard, to feel included and valued, and to experience success in their learning.

Bishop (2012) talks about Agentic teachers being those that are supportive of their learners.  He says that "Agentic teachers are the key to making a difference for Māori learners". For this to happen learning needs to occur in a real life, culturally sensitive context that the students can relate to and bring their own prior experiences to.  When this is operating in a classroom, learners are more engaged and there is often increased attendance.  

For me, I believe my classroom culture needs to be one where I place high priority on developing strong relationships with all my students and really knowing who they are as people as well as learners and where to help move them to in their learning journey.  We are on a learning journey together as I work on ways to improve my practice. 

References

Bishop, R., Berryman, M., Cavanagh, T. & Teddy, L. (2009). Te Kotahitanga: Addressing educational disparities facing Maori students in New Zealand. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5),734-742

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