Changes in Practice.

This song says it all, my journey, my song

Reflection is learning, and learning leads to more reflection, “Learning, they argue, is most effective when the learner is actively involved in the learning process, when it takes place as a collaborative rather than an isolated activity, and when it takes place in a context relevant to the learner (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989a, 1989b; Prestine & LeGrand, 1991).”

What a journey this has been! When I took on this challenge I thought ok so I’ll learn some new digital apps, learn how to help my students work together, it’ll be fun. What did occur was so much more than this. I have learnt about myself as a teacher, as a member in a collaborative learning community and my understanding and knowledge has imprinted and improved my pedagogical beliefs.

For me reflecting on my practice and understanding why I did things the way I did was eye opening. I faced my fears and misunderstandings surrounding technology in the classroom and learnt to use it in far more meaningful and engaging ways, as opposed to replacing pen and paper and looking up stuff.

My classroom practice is more innovative, more open to students leading the way. In fact it is one of the reasons I have made the pedagogical shift and why I learnt so much about technology in the class as I let my students be the expert. We learnt together, working collaboratively to integrate collaborative technology into our classroom practice. More and more my students are taking the lead, showing innovation in new ideas I share, and in the sharing of their knowledge. They have become more confident problem solving, critically evaluating ideas and even technology, weighing up their needs and purpose to what the different digital tools offer.

I have gained a far deeper appreciation for the Teaching as Inquiry reflective model we use at our school. With my growing understanding I saw the purpose of the process and incorporated into my practice more effectively. I learnt to critic my own actions, looking at ways I could improve my results and bring about a more effective program for my class.

My understanding of 21^st century learners and 21^st century skills meant that I could begin preparing my students. We used the language, broke them down into the skills and together we worked on improving them. My students questioned the relevance of what they were learning, or told me the relevance of what they were learning. They were able to choose an inquiry, and use collaborative tools and skills to work together to complete an inquiry where everyone knew what was going on.

I grew, my knowledge grew, my practice evolved and improved, I was better able to use the tools school was promoting while gaining the confidence to share what I had learnt. I have become a better teacher, a better leader, a better learner. Surprisingly it has also awoken the higher learner in me, I want to go on, learn more so that I can understand, so that I can be a better leader so that I can share what I learn. It is exciting times ahead, and yes I am changing, but I have learnt I don’t have to do it on my own, I can ask my friends, colleagues, students and family. Through this I will get stronger and become a more innovative constantly changing teacher of the 21^st.

Thank you for sharing in my journey!

No reira Tana koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa

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/RefPract/Osterman_Kottkamp_extract.pdf

Retrieved from Youtube Published on Oct 26, 2013

Jennifer Hudson - I'm Changing (scene from DREAMGIRLS) HQ

INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION

All the experts work together like cogs in the greater scheme of things providing the best educational opportunities for our 21st century learners.

Now I read this and it screams everything we have done this year. It talks about Inquiry based learning (real in-depth inquiry), collaboration and learning communities and I have to say it excites me. Throughout this course we have picked up pieces of the puzzle, created some of the pieces and as time progressed we shaped the puzzle with our new found knowledge. Exciting stuff right!?

So let’s get stuck in, what is interdisciplinary learning? To me it screams inquiry based learning and then some! Firstly it is about picking a theme and not a topic to study, so rather than study a famous New Zealander, it’s more identify a New Zealander that has influenced your life and others. This gives authenticity to the task, provides the gateway for the student to connect to their topic and you still explore famous NZers. So straight away I can see links to reading, writing maths and social science. Dependent upon what the New Zealander is well known for it may link to other areas in the curriculum. The interdisciplinary part in my eyes is linking to the experts of these curriculum areas. Tapping into their knowledge and skills and adding this to your own personal kete of knowledge. Maintaining those connections and indeed adding your knowledge and skills into this intricate weaving, strengthens the community of learning you are creating.

With the development of these communities brings to the fore our skills in collaboration. Learning together not only face to face but online, through a variety of communities. This also includes online resources such as Youtube, Tedex to name but a few. What is becoming more exciting is our students are accessing these sources independently and bringing them to share. Collaboration encompasses our peers, students, whanau, community and experts. Developing the skills of communication, empathy, negotiation and self-awareness and so important to insure the collaboration is purposeful, positive and sustainable.

In our school we have curriculum teams and there are members of the core areas in each team. So our curriculum teams meet and then feed back into their syndicates. Each term we have a science or social science focus. As a syndicate we plan collaboratively, integrating all the core subjects through the inquiry. Each curriculum member feedbacks back into the integration insuring both coverage and authenticity of tasks. What is really exciting is teachers are not reliant on outside experts or providers but also finding and sharing of online resources through social media. Students are even beginning to feed back during the initial planning stage.

Is it yet another passing phase? The latest “fad” in teaching? Or is this the way of the future? Whatever it is I believe it has the potential to truly meet the needs of our learners, providing a gateway for greater involvement in the learning process for our learners, whanau and contributing experts. It also provides opportunities for teachers to share expertise and to learn from each other. I think if we plan this and teach the skills needed to insure its success we have a powerful tool that will produce learners best suited for our ever changing future.

Social Media in class

Already I hear the gasps of horror from some educators and parents, but do we really understand it? I will admit I was at first hesitant, seeing as generally I use social media for a purely social purpose, sharing what I have been doing and staying in touch with family and friends. It wasn't till recently that I began using social media (admittedly just Facebook at this point) for something more. I began to use it to forge connections with other professionals and it was at this point I began to see how this tool could be used in the class, and a way to connect with parents. One of my biggest concerns has always been around maintaining a safe community for our students, to which I realised educating them around cyber safety was vital.

What is social media? Social media is considered all forms of social communication, more often online. It is quick, instant and crosses oceans and cultures in a single bound. When it first began it was generally used as a tool to stay in contact with friends and family, share updates, play games.As technology has evolved photos, videos, private messaging has changed the face of social media along with it the purpose of why we use it. Today it is still used for socialising, sharing pictures and videos with friends and families. Now professionals are creating communities of learning, sharing ideas and stories and providing moral support, for others its advice as they embark on personal professional learning, gathering information and guidance globally. People are using it to promote themselves, their companies, to sell and buy it is a living online community/society. This is the world our students are already citizens of, so what does this mean for us?

In Using Social Media in the Classroom, Kathy Cassidy refers to the fact that our students are living in a digital world, they are growing up with it. If it’s how they have been learning surely has educators we should seize this tool? For some educators this is exactly what they have done but for many they are hesitant. Partly because of safety and partly because they themselves do not know how to use it. This is a crisis facing many educators, technology they do not know is featuring more and more in the classroom. In the New Zealand Curriculum as part of the vision it states, “who will seize the opportunities offered by new knowledge and technologies to secure a sustainable social, cultural, economic, and environmental future for our country” (2007) So we need to learn how to use these new technologies and social networks.

I believe the video by Netsafe highlighted some important points;

1.     What is the purpose of using social media?

2.     How will it benefit your students?

3.     How are you going to use it?

4.     Processes must be put in place to keep everyone safe.

So before we rush in we need to know why and how we are going to use it. We need to make sure we understand how to use it and most importantly we need to educate our students, insure they are safe and informed digital citizens. But I think it’s more than that, we need to make sure their parents are also safe informed digital citizens. So the world and our classrooms are changing.

Personally I need to look more into it, research and talk to peers before I take this step,

References

MOE (2007) The New Zealand Curriculum Published for the Ministry of Education by Learning Media Limited, Wellington, New Zealand

New Zealand Teachers Council.(2012). Establishing safeguards.[video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49216520

Tvoparents. (2013, May 21). Using Social Media in the Classroom.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riZStaz8Rno

Ethical Dilemma; to share or not to share, that is the question.

Teaching in and of itself is fraught with a minefield of ethical dilemmas. We are the caretakers of the future, people place their children in our care, to which we must not only educate but safeguard their physical, emotional and moral wellbeing. “Teaching in schools has long been considered a moral activity (Wilson, 1967; Tom, 1984; Goodlad, Soder and Sirotnik, 1990) largely because it is recognized that how teachers fulfil their public duties influences the lives of vulnerable young people.” Hall, A. (2001)

Ethical dilemmas are everywhere in today’s education system, and more and more, simply saying no is not an option. Teachers are turning more frequently to their peers for advice and support as social media, the internet and technology has made the sharing of what was once private so easy. Nowadays everyone has a mobile device, almost always with photographic capabilities, and texting. So what do you do, texting has made communication almost detached and impersonal far less than a phone call anyway. Which leads me to my first dilemma.

My mobile phone number. I have never handed out my number as the potential for students getting hold of it, or having a parent constantly texting, was in my mind crossing the line. I am their child’s teacher, I care about their wellbeing and will work with the parent to insure the best possible outcome. I am a pretty private person by nature so when a parent rang the school and left a message for my number I was resistant. I spoke with my principal as often schools have policies as well but he saw no problem with it, I felt I had to give out my number. So what do you do? Do you say no? Create a wall between the parent and the school? In this case I have been lucky, the parents who have had my number have used it respectfully, only when needed and only during school or afternoon hours. For some parents it has been away of staying in touch with the school and opened communications between home and school. So what do you do?

Another major issue is social media. Where do you draw the line? More and more schools are having to deal with the fall out of cyber bullying, perpetuated out of school, over social media and bought back into the school. Students hunting you down and sending friend requests, then demanding to know why I haven’t accepted them. Students accessing social media at school when they are not legally old enough to have an account. Do we have the right to say no when their parents have said yes? Social media has opened the floodgates of access and accessibility.

In regards to social media with my class it has actually been a relatively simple solution, honesty and alternatives. In regards to friend requests I simply explain that my FB is my private life, shared with family and close friends. Yes they are my students and I care about them but I won’t be accepting their requests, they accept this. Social media access at school is more complex.

In regards to accessing social media at school the policy is, it is not legal for them to hold an account therefor it is not legal for them to be accessing social media using school equipment or while they are in our care. Plain and simple. What I have done is created safe alternatives, such as google classroom and ClassDojo.

There is no easy solution we must stay safe and keep our students safe. 

Culturally Responsive or just great teaching?

This is a topic to which I seem to be at odds with a lot of educational peers. When I hear the words culturally responsive I immediately think of all the cultures within our classrooms, not just Maori students. Now don’t get me wrong, I am Maori, I acknowledge historically education has much to answer for in regards to Maori and education. I also acknowledge that Maori are still struggling academically, yet more are achieving than ever before, but to be honest it frustrates me when they are singled out in education, how can we teach Maori better, how can we give them authenticity in their learning? The same way you acknowledge all learners in your class!

You build relationships with your students, acknowledge them, who they are, what they believe, their values, give them a voice no matter what culture they are! Russell Bishop in his video, A culturally responsive pedagogy (2012) identifies 6 key indicators for highly effective educators for Maori.

Firstly, they care for Maori as Maori. They acknowledge who they are, their background, beliefs and values. They provide a safe environment for their Maori students to celebrate who they are and how they learn.

Secondly, they have high expectations for Maori achievement, no deficit thinking here. If you set high standards, expect high standards, provide opportunities to produce high standard displays of learning, this is what you will see.

Thirdly, the learning environment provides opportunities for Maori students to dip into their cultural knowledge and experience and incorporate it into the learning context. Building those links and allowing a connection between themselves and their learning.

Fourthly, providing feedback and feedforward. Acknowledging what was done well and what their next steps might be. Taking it to the next level is providing the feedback and then co-constructing their next steps and or learning context. Providing greater opportunity for a more active role in their learning.

Fifthly, they use a range of teaching strategies and tools, engaging their Maori students and catering their learning styles and needs.

Sixthly, these highly effective educators use evidence of their students learning to guide their teaching. They also insure their Maori students know their achievement levels and what their next steps are in achieving success.

For me, these are the key signatures for all students, no matter what culture. I went through the education system a long time ago, before all the amazing changes and progression that has occurred in recent years that have addressed many of these criteria. Yet for all that I never missed out because I was Maori, never was denied access to anything because I was Maori, and I achieved. I was an above standard student, identified in primary and right throughout my schooling. When I eventually dropped out, it had nothing to do with education, but everything to do with family dynamics.

I believe Professor Bishop has hit the nail on the head when he states it is about developing relationships, learning relationships with students, to forge those connections, to earn the trust of the learner. Yes I’ll admit I often felt no connection to my teachers, and didn’t relate to them, but I did connect to the learning and the purpose of the learning.

I think two things; One if Maori are still not achieving, can it solely be placed on the head of education, and Two what if we focused on all our students, acknowledging and celebrating all cultures, all learners, building positive learning relationships then perhaps all students will achieve. 

References

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

Image retrieved from digital source - https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/koha-nga-pikitia-maori-1987

Is this the future of education?

What trends are shaping the future of education? What global influences are weaving their way into the very fabric of our education system? Are these trends an accurate prediction of the future, or fanciful musings of industry? So many questions, but is there really one answer?

According to the NMC Horizon Report, there are two long-term trends: rethinking how schools work in order to improve student engagement and therein innovative thinking, as well as a focus on deeper learning approaches such as problem or challenge based learning. (2015) Both of these can only be positive but also reflect the changing needs of education. The one common factor is that the child has become the central focus, and is now more than ever entering into a partnership with their educators, driving and focusing the learning.

The current struggle education is facing is WHAT will our students need in the future. With the speed technology and our industry is evolving, the possibility is real that by the time students leave the education system much of what they have learnt to use may have become obsolete or outdated.

Teachers are having to constantly re-evaluate how and what they teach. Our students are coming through as emerging or developing digital citizens and if we want to engage and develop their potential we need to be prepared to learn and use these tools.

How has this come about? Technology and change is increasing in speed, developing and evolving like the “surfer” riding wave of education. It is gathering speed, drowning things too slow to get out of its way and surging towards new shores in the future. Not only do we as teachers need to insure we are not drowned, we need to be riding that wave, teaching our students how to surf the tides of change.

Global trends do influence education, as it is for many the very purpose they are in the education system. To learn the skills and gain the knowledge to gain employment within an industry of choice. So it stands to reason, that as these industries change, their needs change, so must how and what we do within education to insure they are able to meet these needs.

 It is because of these changes it really is nigh on impossible to predict what students will need for the future as innovation and creativity are shaping the future. So what do we do? We teach Inquiry based learning, where students learn to become critical thinkers, question what is, and problem solve what could be. Where collaboration is power and communication key. Innovation and negotiation are integral parts of completing an assignment. Students need to be risk takers, curious and brave as this is there future. There is no one solution, no one key to the future, more and more students of today will not only be shaping tomorrow, they are doing away with the key!

So what does this mean for us, the educators, trained in the curriculum and traditional methods of education? It means my friends we too must ride the wave, if you don’t know how to surf, it’s time to learn!

I personally am very proud to be in the New Zealand education system. They are striving towards the 21^st century, using inquiry based learning as a way of preparing our students for the future.

It is time for change, and as rather dramatically shown in the attached youtube clip, education must change if it is to meet the needs of our 21^st century learners. The people vs the school system

References

Image -

https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=surfing+the+waves+of+change&espv=2&biw=982&bih=963&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiw49zO6uHPAhWr3YMKHbJeDfgQ_AUIBigB&dpr=1

Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., and Freeman, A. (2015) NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf

Ea, Prince. The People vs the School System (2016) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqTTojTija8

What is school culture and climate?

Such a powerful question, we often say we want a welcoming environment where everyone feels safe and valued, but this cannot happen without thought and action.

Lets start with school culture, this in itself is of 2 parts. The first part is created by the leadership team. Their role is vital in creating a culture of learning within their staff and students that is sustainable through transitions of both staff and students. The second is the culture reflects all within the school, so having an environment that celebrates who we are and where we come from.

Next is school climate. This again is driven and guided by the leadership team, with the flow on effect of the staff creating this climate both in and out of the classroom. The climate or wairua of the school will be experienced by all who enter and reflect the heart of the school, its values and all it holds dear. Just as every school is different, so are the communities surrounding it.

Challenges can be linked to lower socio economic areas, where students must overcome poor housing, hunger, language barriers and a lack of basic necessities. In the Principal sabbatical report notes, “ The majority of the impacts affect how a child is able to access education.” (2014) A flow on can be a reluctance for parents to enter a school, due to language barriers, shame or negative prior experiences in schools. Our role is to break down these barriers and equalise learning opportunities.

There are agencies that acknowledge these challenges lower socio-economic and work to support schools in overcoming some of these challenges, such as Fruit in Schools and KidsCan. They provide food for breakfast and lunch, socks, shoes and jackets, and even stationary and camp fees.  

Our school is a decile one school and deals with many of these challenges students face. Our leadership team, Senco team, teachers and the BOT work to create and maintain a culture of excellence for all, in fact this is our school motto. This is supported in the video, William H. Trusheim, Ed.D. (2015), refers to the development of a positive climate. He acknowledged it can develop by default but it is more likely if it is developed by intention, led by the leadership of the principal.  It does not focus solely on academic excellence but recognises and celebrates excellence in all areas. Our three school values are Respect, Passion and Personal Responsibility. We celebrate these and start each term looking at what this means in our school and personal lives. It is the foundation of the language used, it is alive and thrives thus, our culture is maintained and sustained. It is visible in every class, our hall and office area.

Our climate is positive and safe and maintained through the use of Restorative justice and open communication. We want to empower our students so they are celebrated and given leadership opportunities wherever possible. We run parent workshops in relation to what they want as well as the major curriculum areas. This is so our parents are empowered and can support their child’s learning.

Regular newsletters, our school website, and an open door policy means our parents are informed and feel welcome to come in whenever they feel the need.

I suppose the biggest challenge once you have established a school culture and climate that reflects its community, it is maintaining this and insuring it is sustainable when you have changeover of both students and staff.

References

Academy for SELinSchools. ( 2015, Apr 28).What is school culture and climate? [video file].Retrieved fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-_NvhlcusQ

Gargiulo, S. (2014). Principal sabbatical report. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Professional-information/Principals-sabbatical-reports/Report-archives-for-2007-2014/Secondary-award-recipients-2014/Gargiulo-Salvatore

Community of Learners

What makes up a community of learners? Is it the same for everyone? How does it work? What is it? So many questions, which is surprising considering no matter what vocation you are in, no matter where you are in your life, you are in some way in a learning community.

So What is it? Etienne Wenger describes it as;

"Since the beginning of history, human beings have formed communities that

share cultural practices reflecting their collective learning: from a tribe around

a cave fire, to a medieval guild, to a group of nurses in a ward, to a 

community of engineers interested in brake design. Participating in these 

'communities of practice' is essential to our learning. It is at the very core of

what makes us human beings capable of meaningful knowledge.

So as I see it, a learning community is a group of people who have come together around a shared passion or purpose, joining their knowledge, skills and expertise to learn together as they strive towards a shared goal. These people work together, contributing what they can, teaching and learning at the same time or ako. At times one may have to stand out to guide, direct, or educate but the success is dependent on the whole. This has long been an established human practice, the key today is fostering these communities as the needs are ever changing.

So lets look at this in practice, we'll use my role as Literacy Leader within my school. Our shared passion or purpose is to raise achievement within our school. Our principal is very passionate about this and works alongside the Literacy team discussing data, strategies and possible support or resources. The literacy team works together sharing knowledge, leading PLD's and supporting workshops. We also crunch the data, identifying strengths and areas for improvements. We then take this back to our teachers in our syndicates and pool our ideas, share where we need support and resources. Our BOT they come together and look at the report and ask, "How can we help?" Then we have our parents who ask the same question, "How can we help?" So we hold a writing workshop and we show them whats happening in class and we show them what they can do at home, using their expertise and knowledge. We hold another for reading.

All of these people, all of these actions form a community of learning. Each person is valued, each holds a piece of the puzzle, each shares the same passion for the shared purpose. They will contribute towards the purpose to the fullest of their capacity, "People adopt and adapt practices that they see used and valued by those closest to them, and they make these practices part of their own identity and expertise." (Ministry of Education, 2007)

As a mother, a daughter, a teacher or a student my community of learning changes and fluctuates. In some i may be an expert, in others I am learning seeking to link my understanding to that shared by others, therein building my expertise. Adapting to these changing roles and learning to listen and ask for help when i need it, helps me get the most out of my communities.

Who belongs to your community of learning? Are you fostering your communities to get the most from them?

Ministry of Education (2007) New Zealand Curriculum . Learning Media

Wenger,E. (2000) Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems. Volume7(2): 225-246

Reflections are the key to growth

Kia ora and welcome to take three of this blogging escapade. Of all these papers I think this may be my most challenging as it requires regular written reflections. After reading and watching videos about reflections I realised I wasn't completely reflecting on my practice, I was leaving out the important WHY I did what I did.  I have introduced reflective writing to my year 8 class, and they noted up until then they had been more descriptive than reflective so it's been time for me to reflect. I realised they reflected the way I asked them them to, and without expecting more I got what I got. I guess I didn't have the full understanding until I pulled it apart, and I realised if you don't know the WHY of what you do you can never truly address it or bring about sustainable change.
As a reflective practitioner I want to be the best, learn from my mistakes and continually grow my pedagogy and knowledge so that I can best provide for my learners, growing them also as reflective learners. So here we go, after much procrastination and learning to breathe underwater or drown under the workload I begin my blogging journey.......again