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
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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.
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Criteria 4/5
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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.
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Criteria 6/7
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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.
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Criteria 12
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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.
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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