My Learning Journey- Now and After

Activity 10: Reflection

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I have come to the end of my journey at The Mindlab, my postgraduate programme. Despite the challenges, frustration and the intensity of this journey, it has been a valuable experience that is building on my professional development.

Just as I teach my students to reflect on their learning, I intend to reflect on my learning journey against the 12 Practising TeacherCriteria (PRC) in e-learning.

PRACTISING TEACHER CRITERIA

Professional Relationships and Professional Values

Criteria 1: Establish and maintain effective professional relationships focused on the learning and well-being of all akonga.

Last year, I attempted to start a class blog through the site called Kidblog. However despite some of the great features it provided, I didn’t feel satisfied. There was no consistency across the school (because it’s not a requirement), parents with multiple children found keeping up with the many learning sites confusing, students forgot their login/password, there weren’t enough space etc… This year, the school decided to set up class blogs through Microsoft, which links with the school’s main page. This way, if teachers chose to create blogs, it could be done under the school’s support with more privacy and safety. It made it easier for students to remember their login and password as it links with their personal school email address and the school became the main administrator. Parents could view the class blogs via a link in the school’s webiste. With the school having already paid for it, it meant less limitations. Now I continue to maintain effective professional relationships focused on the learning and well-being of all akonga through a more secure and supported blog.

Criteria 2: Demonstrate commitment to promoting the well-being of akonga.

As a BYOD school in the senior area, we place great importance on students being safe online. At the beginning of the year, we explore what it means to be a digital citizen. This is to set the students up with online skills to keep them safe, to be responsible and on ways to get support. It also sets up rules so that students understand my expectations online before they can use their device in class. This means I can integrate effective online resources to personalize their learning, knowing the students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to be safe online.

Criteria 3: Demonstrate commitment to bicultural partnership in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Evident in my assignments through this postgraduate course is my commitment to bicultural partnership in New Zealand. Through the paper, Research and Community Informed Practice, I researched into the topic of ‘gamification’ and showed evidence of community engagement reflecting Kaupapa Maori and Te Noho Kotahitanga. I was able to do this through both my literature review and my teaching as inquiry project plan. Furthermore, my previous blog post on cultural responsiveness shows evidence of commitment to all students in my community. 

Criteria 4: Demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of professional personal practice.

My commitment to this postgraduate course is one example of my ongoing professional learning and development of professional personal practice. I was taught that reflective practice should be established as learning habits and be used frequently to inform and improve practice- and that’s what I am doing now. I have also participated in professional development courses and meetings, such as for Matheletics, Skoolbo, Mathsbuddy, Microsoft, Musac and more.

Criteria 5: Show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning.

In a school of nearly 700 students, I am the first and only staff to be undertaking this study at The Mindlab. I have been able to show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning by sharing the knowledge I gain from this course. I have also led syndicate meetings on using some of the tools, such as Kahoot, which is now being widely used. I have become known as someone who is competent in using online tools with more teachers and students coming to me to ask for help. I have also explored and discussed my leadership through assignments in the paper, Leadership in Digital & Collaborative Learning’.

Professional Knowledge in Practice

Criteria 6: Conceptualise, plan and implement an appropriate learning programme.

At the beginning of this course, one of our first papers was called, Digital and Collaborative Learning in Context. We explored various digital tools and how it could be used to foster collaborative learning. We were taught lots of different websites, apps and digital tools that were potentially effective learning programmes. I took them back to my classroom and was able to conceptualise, plan and implement appropriate learning programmes. Some examples are Kahoot, Booktrack and online brainstorming, just to name a few. These programmes haven’t replaced learning but they are tools being used effectively to support learning.

Criteria 7: Promote a collaborative, inclusive and supportive learning environment.

Our class blog is one example of how I promote a collaborative, inclusive and supportive learning environment online. On our blog, students share their learning and are encouraged to leave constructive feedback or encouraging comments. I have also used short video clips from Youtube and the literacy-shed to foster collaboration in the classroom. Kahoot is another great example that creates a collaborative, inclusive and supportive learning environment. 

Criteria 8: Demonstrate in practice their knowledge and understanding of how akonga learn.

There have been some valuable learning through this postgraduate course, especially the discussions; some things I hadn’t even heard of before this study. Learning about the flipped classroom, agile and growth mindsets, design thinking, gamification etc have all impacted my knowledge and understanding of how akonga learn. In practice, this has challenged my thinking in ways of assessing students’ learning. This has helped me make informed decisions when analysing assessment information, what assessments best suit individual students and how assessment results are used (Criteria 11).

Criteria 9: Respond effectively to the diverse and cultural experiences and the varied strengths, interests, and needs of individuals and groups of akonga.

As evident in my previous blog post on Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness, I am able to respond effectively to the culture of my teaching community as a staff member of my school by addressing the needs and desires. This blog post is another example of how I am being culturally responsive by reflecting against the PTC. 

Criteria 10: Work effectively within the bicultural context of Aotearoa NZ.

As a result of this course, I have been able to competently integrate online tools to support my students’ learning. One of the most latest online tools I have integrated is Kiwikidsnews. This website keeps learners in touch with the world, as well as our own country, in a child-friendly way. Although I set required tasks (reading a specific article and completing the follow up task), students are not limited to one piece of information in a specific location. They are able to access information on national, international and sports news, as well as the ‘odd stuff’- interesting facts. This programme allows me to work effectively within the bicultural context of Aotearoa where children’s knowledge are not limited to their immediate community but to their country. 

Criteria 11: Analyse and appropriately use assessment and information, which has been gathered formally and informally.

(Refer to criteria 8)

Criteria 12: Use critical inquiry and problem-solving effectively in their professional practice.

In the paper, Research and Community Informed Practice, I chose to research into gamification in education as my teaching as inquiry. I developed my inquiry questions and in order to go about seeking answers, I explored lots of readings and wrote a literature review. As a result of this, more questions were developed, especially with the concept of gamification being new in education. I developed my own teaching as inquiry project plan to seek answers.

What Next?

Now that I’ve completed the course, I have two main goals to look forward to:

1. Teaching as Inquiry: Although I’ve researched into an area of interest because it was a requirement, my goal is to continue to dive into areas that interest me. I am probably doing this every day without even realising, but my goal is to actively seek and act on the questions or interests with clear intention to develop my professional practice.
2. A Reflective Practice: as mentioned earlier in this blog, I believe that reflective practice should be established as learning habits, rather than seeing it as a formal writing or thinking process. Again, I am doing this constantly without realising, but my goal is to model this as a learning habit to my students by often thinking out loud, writing reflections with the students and sharing my own learning on our blog.

This journey has been long but so has its impact on my professional practice and development. Although my journey at Mindlab has ended, my learning journey hasn’t.

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Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness

Activity 9: Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness

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Science may provide insight and new understanding about our world but it may not always have the solution for everything. But fortunately, indigenous knowledge built over thousands and thousands of years could.

Vygotsky’s social development theory recognises that learning occurs through one’s interaction with their environment, where learning and development occurs within a sociohistorical and sociocultural context (Bochner, Duchesne, Krause & McMaugh, 2010).

‘The true direction of the development of thinking is not from the individual to the social, but from the social to the individual’ (Vygotsky, 1986, p. 3)

For example, a person who has worked on a dairy farm for their whole life may hold more knowledge and understanding about the structures and systems than someone who has just graduated with a Bachelor in Agriculture.

There has been a growing recognition in governance structures and industrialization of the world having negative effects on indigenous knowledge and the environment. This is resulting in western scientists turning their attention to indigenous knowledge for solutions, proving that seeking help from local experts is just as valuable and constructive.

So how is education being responsive to the various indigenous knowledge of its community? How are schools being culturally responsiveness to its community?

Culture is not exclusive to race and/or ethnicity. It refers also to the unique features of a community- its demographic makeup, including location, age, gender, language/s spoken, local history, Industry and economics.

Willow Park School is culturally responsive in many areas. But only two areas will be addressed in this post: communication method and school-wide activities.

Committed and responsive to the large Chinese community, the school holds a termly meeting for Mandarin speaking parents as another form of communication for this community of parents. Korean and Japanese parents are also welcomed to come. The parents decide what they would like to be covered in the meeting and is passed on to the Principal. For example, one meeting was about ‘inquiry’ and another was explaining the school’s decision to change to ‘multiage classrooms’. Throughout the meeting, parents are able to translate to each other as the Principal addresses the topic at the front.

In another example, a community health survey revealed that the local people, including parents, wanted more sports opportunities and more involvement as a school. As a result, the Board of Trustees have decided to resource a Sports Administrator person, which is not common to find in a primary school. I can testify through my experience at Willow Park that the school is greatly involved in sports, providing students with lots of opportunities. This, as a response to the community’s desire, is an example of how Willow Park School is culturally responsive in the area of school-wide activities. There is also a separate sports page on the school website, with a further link to a separate website just for sports. This can be found at (www.sportsground.co.nz/willowpark/11002/).

A culturally responsive approach makes a community stronger.

Reference:

• Bochner, S., Duchesne, S., Krause, K., McMaugh, A. (2010). Educational Psychology for learning & teaching (3^rd ed.). South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Cengage
• Vygotsky, L. S. (1986). Thought and language. (A. Kozulin, trans.) Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (Original work published 1934.)

Ethical Dilemmas in E-learning

Activity 8: Ethical Dilemmas in e-learning

Hands up if you’re a teacher and you have a personal social media account. (ME!!)

Now hands up if your students try to add you as friends on your personal social media account. (ME!!)

Whether it’s a past student and is no longer under your care, or whether the student is a current student of yours, it’s a dilemma many teachers are struggling with nowadays, including myself; especially in this digital era.

I have a Facebook account where I share personal information with my friends and family. It tells them what I’ve been doing, where I have been and who I was with at a particular time. I teach a class of year 6 students, 10-11 year olds.

Do I really want my students to know my personal life through social media? No.

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Despite my effort to prevent this by using my middle name on Facebook, students somehow manage to find me and send friend requests. This reminds me how vulnerable I am online, no matter how secure my privacy settings are set at.

Are my students old enough to have a Facebook account? No.

Although not mentioned on Facebook’s main page, the help centre recognises that ‘to be eligible to sign up for Facebook, you must be at least 13 years old’. This information can also be found in the ‘terms and conditions’ page stating ‘You will not use Facebook if you are under 13.’ So how do these students have an account in the first place? Well, that’s not my place to say.

How do I reject professionally?

According to the Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers, ‘Teachers will strive to develop and maintain professional relationships with learners’, so the answer is pretty clear- I don’t friend my students. Instead, I talk to them personally and explain that I cannot accept their friend request due to legal requirements and to maintain the learning relationship we have. Although I may remind students the legal age restriction, I don’t tell students off or ask them to delete their account because firstly, it’s an outside-of-school account that students use for their personal use and secondly, I’m not their parent.

The Code of Ethics state that teachers need to ‘ acknowledge the rights of caregivers … and respect lawful parental authority’, therefore justifying my actions of trying to balance between the fine line. 

But the real dilemma is, what about past students who you want to keep in contact but at the same time not share your personal information? According to the Code of Ethics for teachers, ‘the primary professional obligation of registered teachers is to those they teach.’ Does this mean I can friend past students? Then do parents take full responsibility for underage use of social media?

My solution:  I address this dilemma by…

• No social media contact with all current students
• No Facebook contact with all students, including past students
• Parents have legal authority and responsibility over what their children do online outside of school in relation to personal social media accounts
• In order to keep in touch with past students, I allow them to follow me on Instagram, which I created as a result of this dilemma and for the purpose of students only.
• I have no control over what students do online but I can try to create a safe online platform where I control the content that I upload by separating my personal and teacher media platform.

Although this dilemma does not directly link to my teaching practice in the classroom, it relates to my professional practice and the Code of Ethics I adhere to as a registered teacher in New Zealand.

Reference:

• Facebook help centre: https://www.facebook.com/help/210644045634222
• Facebook terms and conditions: https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms
• Education Council (nd). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certficated Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0

Social Media in Education

Activity 7: Social Media in Learning and Teaching

I spy with my little eye something beginning with ‘C’… Connections!

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A misconception or misunderstanding is that teachers simply use technology to keep up with the trend. However this is not the case. Educators recognise the value of prior knowledge and how connections are vital in creating new knowledge and learning. To ignore and separate technology from education means to disconnect learning with their real world. Technology enables us to make wider connections through social networking platforms. It’s not the use of technology that makes a 21^st century classroom; it’s using technology as a vehicle to drive student learning through wider connections.

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As a teacher, I use social media to enhance my professional development outside the classroom. For example, I am part of two different groups on Facebook, NZ Teachers (Primary) and BEd Primary Class of 2013, where I communicate and share ideas with teachers around New Zealand and with my fellow graduate teachers. Content ranges from activity ideas to current educational issues and trends that shape our profession. This connection allows me to connect with teachers in different contexts and therefore make new knowledge and build existing ones to strengthen my practice. Another social platform I often use is Pinterest where I find and connect with amazing creative ideas other teachers have to share. Youtube is another significant social media platform that enhances my professional practice through watching videos both in my own time and during educational gatherings, such as meetings, courses, lectures and more. There are many more social platforms I could share with you that enhance my professional practice, but the point is I use social media to connect with other educators to exchange ideas that shape my teaching in some positive way.

Some key features of social media that I identify as being beneficial to teaching and learning are the ability to share ideas and connect with others through communication. Among the many social media platforms that I use in my teaching and learning classroom, the two most beneficial ones are Youtube and blogging. Youtube is a bank of inspirational videos that are perfect for introducing topics, teaching new concepts and virtually has the potential to teach anything you want. Blogging allows students to share their learning with parents at home, friends and other students across the world. Not only can they share, it allows students to get inspired and communicate with other students to make connections with their lives and their world.

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However, everything has its challenges and ipads in classrooms can sound too good to be true. Along with all the benefits of technology come the challenges and obstacles as well. Technology in the classroom requires teachers to be aware of potential challenges when integrating social networking platforms into teaching activities. Although schools do their best to put in place security systems to filter content that may not be appropriate to our learners, there are limitations to keep students safe online. To best equip students for the challenges they may come across, I spend the first term of the year inquiring into Digital Citizenship so that students are aware of the responsibilities, expectations, dangers and consequences of what they do online. But there are still the inevitable challenges that exist, such as easily getting side-tracked by irrelevant content that pop up on the sideline or the nasty comments they could possibly receive from thoughtless strangers. Then there are the technical challenges such as Internet connection, missing devices, inability to login etc., which one teacher cannot physically handle. Fortunately, we have a school technician on site who can help students with technical issues. Overall, I do believe that the benefits of using social platforms outweigh the challenges and therefore there are greater advantages from using social networking platforms in teaching and learning than to stop it all together. It comes down to training the students to be safe and responsible online, as they would offline.

Personally I feel that Youtube best supports engagement with my professional development as it allows me to use this tool for whatever purpose I need at any time (for both learning and teaching) unlike other platforms that have limited routines and purposes. It keeps me engaged as I am a visual learner and the same idea can be explained by different people differently to fit different learning styles.

Issues and Trends in Education

Activity 6: Issues and Trends

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We all agree that the world needs to change. We may point in different directions and identify different areas in need of change, but the commonality is that we want the world to change for the better. The fact is, change is constantly happening and faster than you think; almost too fast that we often feel like we’re chasing after it. We live in such a fast-paced society that we don’t realise how fast the world is changing until we actually stop and look back. We notice trends and results that can either be beneficial or cause problems, perhaps even both, despite our good intentions.

As I explored the changes in education, I noticed trends and problems that influence and shape my teaching practice.

Today I intend to discuss:

• The trends and issues of digital devices in classrooms
• The shift in focus from facts to skills.

1. The Trends and issues of digital devices in classrooms

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The awareness of digital citizenship continuously grows as technology changes the foundation of education. Integrating devices into student learning and encouragement of BYOD has become more common and normal. This digital trend is influencing New Zealand and international education, as well as my own practice. To address this trend, I have become a learner myself by undergoing a post-graduate course at The Mindlab, studying Digital and Collaboration in Learning, in hope to take digital learning to the next level. Teaching in a decile 9 BYOD School with a class of Year 6 students, all my students have access to the Internet at home with the majority of them owning a personal device. We also have 6 class laptops and 2 tablets supplied by the school for students to share, as well as a teacher computer. There is a new Future-Focused Learning Unit at school, as well as professional development opportunities with various companies (e.g. Microsoft, SKOOLBO, Matheletics, Mathsbuddy etc). Clearly, technology highly influences and shapes my practice in this 21^st century. Many of our class tasks are online, such as reading on Kiwikidsnews, math goal practice on Mathsbuddy, basic facts practice on SKOOLBO and sharing their learning on our class blog, just to name a few.

However my passion to manipulate and take advantage of such powerful tools means that I have also encountered some problems. Last year I really struggled to understand and practice the different levels devices can be used in a learning context, and I believe many educators may feel the same way. To address this problem, our syndicate team set goals using the SAMR Model (left) with the guidance of Emma Winder. Fortunately, the many development opportunities and my commitment to this goal (through my study) allowed my team and I to competently utilize technology into teaching and learning, from ‘Substitution’ to ‘Redefinition.

2. The shift in focus from facts to skills

Significant changes that are constantly happening in the world means we are probably preparing our students for jobs that don’t yet exist. I remember sitting in a very clean classroom 15 years ago copying out a picture of an eye-ball off the whiteboard into my very neat science book and carefully labeling the parts. And to this day I remember this lesson not because I remember what I learned about the eye (honestly I don’t), but because it felt out of context and is useless information to me. Today we would be able to find this with the click of a button. Mentioned in a video clip called Did You Know 2015 is that “the computer in your cell phone today is a million times cheaper and a thousand times more powerful and about a hundred thousand times smaller than the one computer at MIT in 1965” (3.50sec).

Now that we recognise what meaningful learning is- information that is relevant and helpful, there has been a shift in focus from passing down facts to teaching life-long skills. We know more about the brain now than ever before and that enlightens us to new information on how learning happens. This shift in education influences and shapes my practice of teaching. As a result, we are supported with updated professional development courses, such as with Nathan Mikaere-Wallis (brain expert), Jon Winder (boys writing) and Mark Treadwell (key competencies), just to name a few. So instead of facts, I teach research skills, inquiry skills, problem-solving skills, strategies and key competencies. New Zealand's education system may not be the best, but it is world-class (Ministry of Education, 2014).

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Reference:

Ministry of Education. 2014. The New Zealand Education System: An Overview. Retrieved from: http://www.fendalton.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/NZ-Education-System-Overview.pdf 

Being Connected

Activity 5: My Professional Connection Map

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“Only through our connectedness to others can we really know and enhance the self. And only through working on the self can we begin to enhance our connectedness to others.” – Harriet Lerner

Connections

Being connected is clearly not a new topic for today’s people, especially with the endless possibilities our technology allows today. But there is more to connectedness than social networks.

Personal or professional, having connections is clearly important to growth and development. As a teacher, my professional connection is important as it provides opportunities for myself to grow and develop to benefit my classroom practice.

I have illustrated on the map above both my current and potential professional connections, with the blue bubbles representing the benefits and challenges for each connection and red bubbles to represent potential benefits and connections. For example, a major impact on my practice comes from my connection with the students I teach, who come with different backgrounds, cultures, needs and talents. With this connection, there is potential for students to be in their element and become the source of knowledge in their area of expertise in the classroom or across the school. I aim to put this into action by setting up regular student-run meetings. Furthermore, my connection from both the students and the community allows me to have professional connections with parents, who have the potential of learning opportunities with various areas of expertise.

Another connection includes the team of teachers in my syndicate whom I work closely with on a daily basis. This connection allows ideas, resources, support and expertise to be exchanged and have the potentials of team teaching and wider connections to schools and teachers to benefit and positively influence my teaching practice and pedagogy.

Interdisciplinary Environment- What is it and why use it?

Interdisciplinary, as explored by Mathison & Freeman (1997), refers to the approach where educators seek to “combine disciplines to enhance the learning in one or more of the disciplines” (p.11) to allow application in real life situations because knowledge is connected, not separate. This is recognised as an essential skills for success in the 21^st century.

Mathison & Freeman (1997) provides some justification for the practical use of interdisciplinary as providing opportunity to: (p. 24)

• Have more meaningful relations with students
• Teach cognitive skills associated with ‘real life’
• Motivate students
• Increase student achievement
• Promote positive attitudes toward subject matter
• Create more curricular flexibility
• Diminish scheduling problems
• Integrate new and rapidly changing information with increased time efficiency.

However I believe it is important to mention that Mathison & Freeman (1997) explain that although teachers have reported positive experiences with the interdisciplinary approach, there isn’t enough evidence to actually support this.

As teachers, we are constantly expected to make decisions on our feet and improvise because no experience is the same. Connectedness and interdisciplinary teaching is definitely a step towards the right direction, but it’s the teachers’ task to determine what is best for the students in different situations at different times.

Reference:

• https://bubbl.us
• Goodreads. (2015). https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/136386-only-through-our-connectedness-to-others-can-we-really-know
• Mathison, S. & Freeman, M. (1997). The logic of interdisciplinary studies. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1997. Retrieved from: http://www.albany.edu/cela/reports/mathisonlogic12004.pdf

My Community of Practice

Activity 4: My professional community

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Community of Practice- So, what is it?

‘Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion 

for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.’ 

(Wenger, 2015, p. 1).

Wenger discusses the three crucial and defining characteristics of communities of practice as being the domain (a shared domain of interest where members are committed to the domain), the community (members interact and learn together) and the practice (members are practitioners whose interaction develops knowledge).

Today I intend to explore and share my community of practice through the following questions:

1. Who are the stakeholders of your professional community? In what ways do they influence your practice?
2. What are the core values that underpin your profession and how?
3. What changes are occurring in the context of your profession at this time? How would you address them?

1). The stakeholders of my professional community are the people who make Willow Park School.  

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They include: 

• Principal
• 2 Deputy Principals
• 27 Teaching Staff
• 6 Specialist Teachers
• 6 Teacher Aids
• 650 Students

Within this community, I believe I am part of a smaller community made up of my syndicate team of 4 year 6 teachers. The above stakeholders influence my practice because we share the same domain of educational interest and the staff are passionate about and committed to this profession. We interact on a daily basis with intent to share experiences and learn off each other. As educators, we are practitioners where our interaction is our main source of knowledge and develops a shared repertoire of resources:

‘experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems- in short a shared practice’ (Wenger, 2015, p. 2)

This community supports me by allowing me to use the group’s strengths to improve and develop my professional practice while supporting my weakness through a shared source of knowledge and skills. 

2). Core values that underpin my practice are positive relationships and acceptance of diversity.

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My teaching philosophy strongly believes in positive relationships with teachers, students and classmates, which leads to a safe learning environment. On top of that, I teach acceptance and tolerance to my students so that there is trust and respect in all forms.

There is no doubt that “relationships between teachers and students are at the core of every classroom” (Bochner, Duchesne, Krause & McMaugh, 2010, p. 507) and that this be a positive one. This positive relationship is the beginning of an effective learning environment that leads to higher levels of student engagement, positive attitudes towards school and investment in class work (Phelan, 1992). Pianta (1999) says that this positive relationship between students and teacher can be characterized by communication, and emotional and academic support. In order to build, maintain and improve this relationship, it is necessary for teachers to learn and appreciate students’ personal interests and their backgrounds and provide meaningful learning by making these connections in class.

These core values that underpin my practice are important to me as an educator in my community because it supports and builds towards the values outlined in the New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007). These values are excellence; innovation, inquiry and curiosity; diversity; equity; community and participation; ecological sustainability; integrity and respect. I believe I do encourage, model and explore these values to my students and my community of practice.

3). Some changes occurring in the context of my profession at this time are future focused, 21^st century skills and digital competencies.

In this rapidly changing digital world, the importance of effectively integrating digital technologies to educate young minds is widely being recognised. My students today live in a world where their lives are surrounded by technology and to some degree, dependent on them. I believe my generation was the beginning of this change and I strongly support this change in education as it promotes the positive relationship technology has with education and its potential to be used at its best.

As a result, our school now has a unit for Future Focused Learning and professional development meetings to effectively integrate technology in our teaching. Some examples for content delivery are Skoolbo, Studyladder, Mathsbuddy and Matheletics, with sharing and presentating tools such as blogs, Kahoot, Booktrack and more.

To further address this change in my context, I am currently undergoing a Post-Graduate Course at The Mindlab on Digital and Collaborative Learning, which has fed into my classroom and my community of practice.

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Reference:

Bochner, S., Duchesne, S., Krause, K., McMaugh, A. (2010). Educational Psychology

                     for learning & teaching (3^rd ed.). South Melbourne, Victoria,

                    Australia: Cengage

Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington:

                    Learning Media

Phelan, P., Ann, D., Hanh, L., Cai, T. (1992). Speaking up: Students’ Perspectives on

                    School. Phi Delta Kappan. 695-704.

Pianta, Robert, C., (1999). Enhancing Relationships Between Children and

                   Teachers. Washington. D.C.: American Psychological Assn.

Wenger, E. (2012). Communities of practice: A brief introduction. Retrieved from

http://wenger-trayner.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/07-Brief-introduction-to-communities-of-practice.pdf

Reflecting on Reflective Practice

Activity 3: Reflecting on Reflective Practice

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After reading Finlay’s (2008) article ‘Reflecting on Reflective Practice’, a few interesting points were brought to my attention. Although the term ‘reflective practice’ can often be found describing teachers in action, there isn’t a clear single definition of what it is and how it should be done. Finlay offers different understandings of reflective practice with ideas ranging from deep thinking to critical dialogue with other professionals.

Despite all this, Finlay gives a general definition of reflective practice as ‘the process of learning through and from experience towards gaining new insights of self and/or practice’ (p. 1). My personal opinion is that every individual is different and therefore may reflect differently on different aspects of the same experience, depending on their perspective of the experience and what aspect they might be reflecting on. So this complication in defining reflective practice in action can be seen as understandable, even expected, and therefore very difficult to create a single definition to fit everyone. 

Today I intend to explore the 2 questions:

1. What point(s) in the article captivated my attention and in which way?
2. What reflective model do I find most suitable to use and why?

1). You’ve got my attention!

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Schon (1983) identified two types of reflection, reflection-on-action (thinking after the event) and reflection-in-action (thinking during the event). Schon argues that because of the complexity of professional practice, professionals need to practice both reflection-on-action as well as in-action to revise, modify and refine their expertise. This idea really simplified my understanding of reflection, especially as a PRT. I am constantly reflecting during and after teaching (implicitly and explicitly) but never had the correct terminology to describe it while documenting my progress or observation reports. Further more, Finlay explains how ‘Schon believed that as professionals become more expert in their practice, they developed the skill of being able to monitor and adapt their practice simultaneously, perhaps even intuitively.’ (p. 4). However novice practitioners, lacking the ability to make decisions on their feet and improvise, tend to stick to rules and procedures, making decisions mechanically. Schon suggests novices to ‘step back and, from a distance, take time to think through situations’ (p. 4). As a novice myself, it is clear why this point has captivated my attention. It made me reflect on my reflective practice- whether I reflect both in and on action, and whether I do step back and take the time to make careful decisions. Although I understand the purpose and benefits of Schon’s statement, I also agree with Ekebergh’s (2006) argument that ‘it is not possible to distance oneself from the lived situation to reflect in the moment’ (p. 5), at least not for a high level of reflective thinking.

2) Reflective Model- The most suitable

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The reflective model that I found most suitable to use as a beginning teacher is Jay and Johnson’s (2002) model (table above). The reason for this is because it provides a range of reflective questions which provide starting points and act as prompts to elicit deep reflective thinking. It is an effective tool that encourages and supports a wide audience, not only beginning teachers. The three dimensions of reflection identified are well intertwined and its ability to recognise alternative views, perspectives and research allows for a wide audience to adapt and use. Perhaps another big reason why this model stood out to me is because I use a similar model in my own classroom through questions like these to support and guide my students when teaching deep reflection- and it works. 

‘Let us not forget that the model is a tool, not a mirror’ 

(Gordon, 1984, p. 243, as quoted in Finlay, 2008, p. 7).

I consider Jay and Johnson’s model most suitable to use because, as Gordon points out, it is a tool which can be adapted to best accommodate one’s reflective process. It should be used as a helping tool rather than a set of rules to follow.

To conclude, Finlay’s article has brought to light some interesting points on reflecting on reflective practice. Despite the multiple and contradictory understandings of reflective practice, it is clear that reflection is a defining feature in development and growth as a life-long learner.

Reference:

·      Finlay, L. (2008). Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/opencetl/files/opencetl/file/ecms/web-content/Finlay-%282008%29-Reflecting-on-reflective-practice-PBPL-paper-52.pdf

·      Jay, K., & Johnson, K. (2002). Capturing Complexity: a typology of reflective practice for teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18(3), 73-85. Retrieved from https://teachsource.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/jay-and-johnson-on-reflection.pdf

A Learner's Reflection (Part B)

Activity 2: The change in me

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Key Changes in my Practice

Reflecting on the last 24 weeks of study, I have noticed change in my practice. 

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Going Digital

As a BYOD school, our syndicate looked at the SAMR Model (developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura) in depth last year, hoping to effectively incorporate the use of digital devices in the classroom. However, despite the professional development and our enthusiasm for change, the results didn't reflect our hopes and intentions. The main reasons for this were due to technical difficulties related to problems with Wi-Fi, students unable to access their account, not enough devices and laptops not responding. However this year, with more students bringing their devices and the school's new lease contract, it has become possible to make more use of technology. The websites and ideas I have gained from this course have made a significant change in my practice. I am incorporating technology on a weekly basis with tasks that range from content learning to blogging. My teaching-as-inquiry project on 'gamification in education' has further developed my knowledge in this area and has influenced my practice. I have become a leader in my own way where fellow teaching colleagues often come to me for tips and advice. The biggest influence this course has had on me is my confidence in using technology at a deeper and meaningful level.

For more reading on the SAMR Model, visit: http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/Teacher-inquiry-into-e-learning/SAMR-model 

Teaching like a Learner

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As a learner myself undergoing studying, I am reminded of the challenges and the complexity of learning. How often as teachers do we create new learning? We spend so much time planning what we are going to teach and how we will teach it that we forget how hard it is to make new understanding. Teachers go on professional development courses to learn helpful tools to help with teaching but not so much new content learning like we expect from our students daily. This learning journey has allowed me to relate to my students and understand the stress and challenges they might be going through, even if it seems so simple in my head. It makes me a patient teacher. 

Every year, I have started the year by explaining to my class that I do not know the answer to everything. I share with them that I am a learner on my own journey as a teacher and that we will learn from each other. In Room 1, we are all teachers and we are all learners. 

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Leading like a Leader

As a beginning teacher, I had considered it normal, even expected, not to be a leader but to sit back, observe and learn. In other words, watch and learn from the more experienced. It began during one of my early assignments on leadership when I learned about myself as a leader in my own way. I have now become a confident teacher whose ability to lead is not determined by the type of teacher registration I hold. I know I have strengths in certain areas, just like I have weaknesses, which I am now practicing leadership in. I am confidently leading syndicate meetings (104 Year 6 students) and I am overall a confident leader, both inside and outside the classroom. My secret fear of leading students on school trips is no longer a problem that I worry about anymore. Now, I lead like a leader. 

A Learner's Reflection (Part A)

ACTIVITY 2: The metacognitive process

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The past 24 weeks has been a tiring yet exciting journey, juggling full time work, PRT requirements and studying, all the while trying to balance my social life. But I don't regret my choice in undergoing this course as it has been a valuable experience- the content and the people I got to know. And it is true that I've spent my weeknights and weekends studying, but as a result I have gained some valuable knowledge that will feed into my professional practice and help build a steady foundation on this journey as a teacher. It keeps me moving forward and stretches my thinking. It is a healthy challenge for me.

Today I intend to reflect on the last 24 weeks of study at The Mindlab. Something I often say to my own class is “there is never an end to learning”, and now I’m really proving it to them. My class have been very supportive and often ask me how I am doing with ‘managing my time’, something else they are practicing through personalised learning. It’s motivating that I am walking the talk, modelling what I teach to my students. In turn, it inspires them to go on their learning journey along side their teacher.

On this journey, I have learnt about myself as a learner.

   I am a Leader

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One of my earlier assignments required me to look at myself as a leader. As a beginning teacher, my first thought was “oh no, I’m doomed!” I did not see myself as a leader; I had leaders all around me but I certainly wasn't one. I was the newbie here and I considered myself unfit to be leading anybody in this profession at this stage. But much to my surprise, that’s not what others thought of me. When I interviewed my students, they saw me as a leader who was fair and provided guidance; my colleagues saw me as a leader by taking on roles and responsibilities for the syndicate, such as planning trips, leading syndicate meetings, sharing resources and knowledge I had gained from my PRT courses and from The Mindlab. Through this experience, I learned that I was in fact a leader, a good one. I realised I didn’t have to be standing at the front of the crowd to be a leader; I was a leader in my own way.

  I am Interpersonal

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I learned that I enjoy learning with others through socializing and meeting people. I enjoy the company and the immediate feedback I am able to get from discussions, and I find satisfaction when my thoughts and ideas are shared and agreed on. It was only later in the second half of the course, which is designed to be self-study, that I realised I’m a social learner. And although I am not a social learner all the time, I can say that I enjoy learning with others most of the time.

Gardner’s multiple intelligences, explained by Lane, identifies an interpersonal learner as some one who is:

“understanding, interacting with others. These students learn through interaction. They have many friends, empathy for others, street smarts. They can be taught through group activities, seminars, dialogues. Tools include the telephone, audio conferencing, time and attention from the instructor, video conferencing, writing, computer conferencing, E-mail.”

For further reading: http://www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html

Another interesting read I found was the research on what happens in the brain of interpersonal learners:

·     Social: The frontal and temporal lobes handle much of our social activities. The limbic system (not shown apart from the hippocampus) also influences both the social and solitary styles. The limbic system has a lot to do with emotions, moods and aggression.

You can find more information on this at http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/

  I am a Kinesthetic Learner

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I have always been a kinesthetic learner, but it wasn’t until this assignment that I really reflected on myself as a learner. I benefit from active learning and can’t sit still for a long time. I can get fidgety and I know that I have a short attention span. I take multiple breaks when studying or doing my assignments and need to physically take a break, such as walking around or stretching. This is probably why I enjoy learning with others, where I am interacting and not required to sit and listen.

However, I do have a fairly good memory when it comes to learning and I wonder if it’s because I chunk my learning into sections, rather than a whole piece. But that’s just my theory!

If you would like to read more on this type of learner (and more), visit: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/type-of-learner-infographic/

This reflection reminds me of my own students and how different each of them are. Everyone learns differently and that's why it's important our students learn how to be a learner in their own way.