Saturday 21 November 2015

Activity 10 - Reflective Practice - Putting it all together

Way back in March of this year I was really excited to be embarking on this postgraduate course in Applied Learning.  It is now coming to an end.  There have been lots of ups and some downs over the 32 weeks.  I have met lots of interesting people, learnt and played with lots of awesome new gadgets and apps, been challenged in my thinking and ideas, struggled through some assignments, shared lots with my students and colleagues but most of all I have gained so much to inform my teaching practice and reflected critically on where I am at in my teaching path.  Doing this course has been hard work but all worth it.
Criteria 3/9/10
  • Demonstrate commitment to bicultural partnership in Aotearoa / New Zealand.
  • Respond effectively to the diverse and cultural experiences and the varied strengths, interests, and needs of individuals and groups of ākonga.
  • Work effectively within the bicultural context of Aotearoa NZ.
As the Cultural Co-ordinator at my school, these criteria are very important to me and I feel I definitely met this criteria over the course of this programme.  Embarking on this course has further opened my eyes to other teaching styles and approaches that could be used to respond more effectively to the diverse needs and interests of my students.  Undertaking the research in the Research and Community paper on how mindsets relate to the learning and achievement of Māori and Pasifika students enabled me to delve further into an area that interests me and enables me to better address the learning needs of these students.


Criteria 4/5
  • Demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of professional personal practice.
  • Show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning.
Over the last few years in my teaching career I have taken on more and more leadership roles.  The Leadership in Digital and Collaborative Learning (LDC) paper was particularly interesting to me as I learn and grow as a leader in the education arena.  LDC2 made me reflect on myself as a leader and analyse my leadership style.  It was also great to get some constructive feedback on myself as a leader to help me become a more effective leader and teacher.


Criteria 6/7
  • Conceptualise, plan, and implement an appropriate learning programme.
  • Promote a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive learning environment.
This course has shown me new ideas and approaches to implementing successful learning programmes in today’s educational environment, for example blended learning, flipped classroom, self-directed learning etc.  I have used some of the approaches in my own classroom and found them very successful.


Criteria 12
  • Use critical inquiry and problem-solving effectively in their professional practice.
During this programme we have been exposed to a lot of professional literature, which we have had to analyse, discuss and reflect on.  These opportunities have enabled me to reflect more deeply on the effectiveness of my own practice and how it affects my students learning and wellbeing.


Two goals I have for my future development are:


  • Get more involved with my PLN on Twitter.  
I have been on Twitter for over 4 years now and have a good amount of followers, however I have found that I am more of a consumer on Twitter than a contributor.  My goal is to start interacting more regularly with my PLN and contribute my reflections and ideas.
  • Be a leader for change in my school
The last few years have seen me try many new things in my classroom.  I am already a leader for in school in a few areas but with the implementation by a colleague and myself of an MLE, I am looking forward to sharing my learning journey with my colleagues.  Our school is looking to implement this pedagogy and mindset school wide, encouraging more learner agency in our school and I am looking forward to help lead this change.  


I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this learning journey and I wish all NZ teachers would embark on it.  Our students need teachers who are future focused, want to do the best for their students, take risks and step out of their comfort zones.  If this is you and you want to be the best teacher you can be...do this course!


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

Activity 9 - Evaluations of the cultural responsiveness in practice

One of my passions and areas of interest is Te Aō Māori, so being culturally responsive in my practice is extremely important to me.   I have been the Cultural Co-ordinator at my school for the last 2 years and part of the Cultural Committee for the last 5 years.  To me it is crucial that all New Zealand students are exposed to have and have explicit teaching and learning in Te Aō Māori and Te Reo Māori no matter what their background.    


At Elm park School (EPS) approximately 15% of the students are Māori and 20% are Pasifika and there are clear expectations on implementing Te Reo Māori and Tikanga Māori in our school and classroom programmes.  We have a document called the Elm Park School Te Aō Māori Overview which outlines the aims and expectations in Te Aō Māori by the end of 2016 based on the curriculum document.  To enable teachers to meet these expectations, teachers have been supported with various professional development opportunities over the years including Te Reo Māori sessions held in staff meetings, a number of teachers attended Wānanga ō Aotearoa courses, and support from staff in the school who are proficient in Te Reo Māori.  I also established a site called Te Aō Māori (https://sites.google.com/a/elmpark.school.nz/matariki/home/te-wiki-o-te-reo-maori) to help support teachers in teaching and incorporating Te Reo Māori in their classrooms.   This site included numerous resources, lesson plans, ideas and information for teachers and students to refer to and use.  I have also shared this site with other schools and teachers in our area as many schools don’t have a clear Te Aō Māori policy or expectations in their schools.   


At EPS the use of Te Reo Māori and tikanga is fast becoming the norm and continues to strengthen as teachers become more confident in using Te Reo.  Many classes now start and end their day with a karakia (we have 2 versions - non-denominational and Christian based - taking into consideration that our students come from many different religions and backgrounds).  We always perform a Powhiri for visitors and new staff to our school, including Beginning Teachers.  We celebrate Matariki, Te Wiki ō Te Reo Māori, the Treaty of Waitangi with school wide activities and events including our whanau and community.  


Establishing these expectations at EPS has seen Te Reo Māori strengthen over the years and it is becoming embedded in our everyday teaching and learning.  It has moved from being tokenistic to becoming meaningful and relevant for all our students.  As I get new classes each year it is exciting to see how much the students know and be able to build on that rather than starting from the beginning.


References



Activity 8 - Legal Contexts and Digital Identities

My school, Elm Park School (EPS) has been an online school for a number of years.  We began eportfolios approximately 8 years through the KnowledgeNet platform, and after we rolled out Google Apps for Education 3 years ago in the school, we changed to online blogs as a platform for our eportfolios.  We have also trialled BYOD in our school for the first time this year and have decided to roll this out to all Y4-6 students next year.  All these initiatives have implications in terms of ethics and accountability of all the parties involved ie. school staff, students and whanau etc.


Every students in our school from Year 0 has their own blog which they use to show their learning and reflections.  The blogs are open to the world, unless otherwise requested by a parent or guardian that a student’s blog be made private.  This is in line with the requirements under the Education Council Code of Ethics which states that teachers must “respect their privacy.”  Also in line with the requirement under the Code of Ethics that teachers “protect the confidentiality of information about learners obtained in the course of professional service, consistent with legal requirements”, only first names are used in the blogs and all assessment information and reporting, which is also done online, is kept on a separate site which only the teacher, student and parent/caregiver has access to.  The Education Council states that we must keep “parents/guardians updated and involved in what’s being shared on blogs and on-line spaces created for teaching and learning” and we encourage our parents to check their child’s blog regularly and make comments on their learning.


All our students have their own Google accounts which includes their own email and youtube accounts.  Being such a connected school has many advantages and is fantastic but has also meant that we have had to be very careful in terms of ensuring that our staff, teachers, students and parents understand how to be cybersafe and responsible users of the internet.  As such we have established a very clear set of guidelines around cybersafety and cybersafety forms that all parents/caregivers sign when their child enrols in our school.        


An ethical dilemma that I, and other teachers everywhere, have is the interactions with students and parents on email and social media, especially Facebook.  I have had many friend requests from parents and current and ex-students on Facebook.  As the Code of Ethics on Social Media states, it is important to “consider ethical risks” when engaging with students and/or parents on social media.  I have ignored friend request from current students and students’ parents, however some of my students’ parents were personal friends of mine before their children became my students.  In this instance I have remained friends with them on Facebook but I am very aware of the content I upload and discuss.  I have discussed this dilemma with other colleagues, especially about friending ex-students on Facebook.  Some are of the opinion that is is OK after they have left school, although personally I still don’t feel very comfortable doing this.  Some students follow me on Twitter and this is not something I can really control, other than blocking them and because I predominantly use Twitter as a PLN, I am not uncomfortable about students or parents following me in this forum.     


References


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

New Zealand Teachers Council. (2015). Teachers & Social Media . Retrieved from http://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz

Activity 7 - Professional Online Social Networks

"Social network sites afford members freedom and autonomy to construct and develop their own understanding in collaboration with others"  (Melhuish, p.40).
  • How do/would you use social media to enhance your professional development?
I have used social media to enhance my professional development for a number of years, in particular Twitter, the Virtual Learning Network (VLN), and Facebook.  I discovered the benefits of using Twitter as an educator about 4 years ago when I first attended ULearn and since then I have been an avid user.   It is a fantastic platform to build a Personal Learning Network (PLN) and connect with other educators across the world.  It has enabled me to find some great resources, have interesting conversations with other educators around the world, share ideas and constantly inspires me in my teaching.   

  • What are some key features of social media that you have identified as beneficial for teaching and learning?

“The ‘connected educator’ is not just a reader or viewer, but an active participant in ongoing discussions and planning efforts” (Saxena, 2013).

  1. Collaboration
The ability to collaborate with other educators from all around the world, rather than just within your own local school community.  Students are able to connect with other students around the world and learn and share ideas.
  1. Sharing resources/Ideas
The amount of resources and ideas that are being shared on social networking sites is phenomenal.  Gone are the days of creating everything from scratch.  Educators are extremely generous, sharing people who are happy to share with other educators and we all benefit from that.  
  1. Building a supportive network
Teaching can be a really lonely profession.  Using social media sites and having a PLN can be a great way to connect with other educators, find out what they are doing, ask questions, get advise etc.  
  1. Keeping up to date
Keeping in touch on social media enables educators to keep up to date with new technologies, apps, on-line resources etc which is essential in today’s fast paced and ever changing environment.  

  • What are potential challenges that teachers need to be aware of when integrating social networking platforms into teaching activities?
  1. Can be distracting
Using social networking platforms can be distracting for students and the purpose for using them needs to be very clear and relevant to the learning.  If students aren’t clear on why the social media is being used then it can be seen as just a novel way of doing a lesson and not for a specific, genuine purpose.
  1. Cyberbullying
There is the risk of cyberbullying happening on social networking platforms.  Students need to be explicitly taught how to use social media appropriately and how to react if they come across cyberbullying.  

  1. Technical issues
There is always to risk of technical issues interrupting these sessions eg. internet outages, equipment failure or malfunction, lack of devices etc.

  • What social media platform do you feel best supports engagement with your professional development? Why?
The social media platform that best supports me in my professional development is Twitter.  There are many educators on Twitter and it is an easy way to connect with them.   I find it helpful that I can quickly glance through and find conversations, ideas, comments that interest me and engage with those educators.  Also because you have a limit of 140 characters your tweets need to be to the point and less waffle than a blog or Facebook post.  The ability to get quick feedback to questions etc is also advantageous.  

References
Melhuish, K.(2013) Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’ professional learning. Master Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrived on 05 May, 2015 from http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/han...
Saxena, S. (2013) Benefits of Being a Connected Educator.  
Retrieved on 15 November 2015 from

Saturday 14 November 2015

Activity 6 - Contemporary issues or trends in New Zealand or internationally

Core Education identifies ten trends for 2015 and I have chosen two issues that I find most relevant to my practice.  

Screen Shot 2015-11-22 at 5.02.41 pm.png
(Image from Core Education Website, 2015)


The first issue is Learner Agency and the second issue is Maker Culture.  Both these issues are particularly relevant to my practice as I have changed my pedagogy and classroom programme substantially this year to a more student directed learning environment where my students have increasingly taken control of their own learning.  

Learner Agency
Core Education (2015) identifies Learner Agency as a shift away from teachers owning the learning process to students having more ownership.  “When learners have ‘the power to act’ in their learning, they have what is known as ‘agency’” (Core Education, 2015).  


A colleague and I made the conscious decision to establish a Modern Learning Environment at our school two years ago.  We changed our traditional classrooms, which were adjoined, into our own MLE with the blessing of our Principal.  Last year was the experimentation year where we tried various things but never really got to where we wanted to be; which was allowing our students to become self-directed learners.   As this year has progressed my colleague and I have made a concerted effort to establish a self-directed learning environment and mindshift in our students.  This is working very successfully now and we have had teachers from many schools visit our classroom with a view to doing similar things in their school.  Indeed this is in line with one of the three issues identified in an ERO report in 2012, “Issue One: The need to shift the focus to student-centred learning.”   Many schools, including EPS are now working towards providing Professional Development for teachers with a view to enable students to have more Learner Agency.


Maker Culture
“The Maker movement has grown out of a desire to use technology for active creation rather than passive consumption” (Core Education, 2015).  This is a huge issue in New Zealand education as technology becomes more available and advanced.  As an ICT Lead Teacher at my school, one of the concerns I have is the danger of only using technology to consume rather than create.  As I have grown in experience and confidence in ICT over the years I have made a conscious effort to use technology in my classroom for genuine purposes that enhance learning rather than just using it for the sake of it.  Many teachers are still learning how to use technology effectively in their classrooms. To prepare our students for the future in this 21st Century, we need to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to be able to use technology to create and help solve problems rather than just consume information etc.  


References


CORE Education. (2015). CORE's 10 trends 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
Retrieved 26 October 2015 from CORE Education: http://www.core-ed.org/thought-leadership/ten-trends


Education Review Office (2012).The three most pressing issues for New Zealand’s education system, revealed in latest ERO report - Education Review Office. Retrieved 26 October 2015, from http://www.ero.govt.nz/About-Us/News-Media-Release.