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:
- 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.
- 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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