Week 32 Reflective practice - key change in prof practice

I’m really grateful to be able to use Rolfe’s Reflective model to critically evaluate the professional change and learning journey I’ve experienced over the past 32 weeks. In addition to this framework I’ll be using the Cycle of Experiential Learning, by Osterman and Kottkamp to assist in scaffolding my thoughts.

Step 1 - What?

I think the biggest shift in my thinking occured way back in week 9 when the idea of management vs leadership was explored. This resonated with me because I had just recently entered into Middle Management and I felt totally under prepared for leading a large team and being part of a CoP that was making decisions for the school moving forward. This fitted in well with Criteria 3 Ministry of Education (2017)  Professional relationships - Establish and maintain professional relationships and behaviours focused on the learning and wellbeing of each learner. My perspective and confidence grew as we explored different leadership styles and we started to apply these to changes in our class. I particularly gained huge personal and professional insight after reading about Agile and Servant leadership. Combined with the fact we were able to embark on this learning journey and work collaboratively made it both a beneficial and rich experience.  

Step 2 - So What?

According to Osterman and Kottkamp (2015) identifying the problem is the first step and certainly for me once that became clear it opened up a pathway for change.

Identifying the problem: I wanted to see more innovation of ideas within my class and within my team, I wanted to see a move from old methodology towards a culture driven climate and that team work needed to be valued over tracking and monitoring.

Observing: In both my team and class there were learners who were very prescriptive in their approach to things. Anecdotally if a model was given or a checklist presented  it would be followed to the letter.

Abstract: Through our research into Agile in the classroom many new possibilities opened up so . It opened up the development of 21st century skills such as collaboration and problem solving using the Bransford and Stein (1993) model. Agile lent itself to creating a growth mindset environment, an opportunity to discover and evolve growth within the Key Competencies. Agile was flexible and allowed everyone to build on their successes and that  “changes in teaching practices and improvements in student learning across a range of valued outcomes are complex problems that require a process of continual experimentation, learning and refinement.” (Breakspear, n.d., pg. 68)   

Experimentation: We adapted Kanban into our curriculum and into our team so everyone could see where each team member was. We re-contextualised how we assessed by aligning to Gaming where points were given throughout activities that focused on effort and problem solving. We learned how to reflect as individuals and as a squad.  We looked at what we did well, what we could do better and what we can start improving. The interesting result was an increase in both cognitive and emotional engagement.

Step 3 (What Next):

The next step for me is to incorporate Design Thinking with the Agile classroom. I want to explore how Design Thinking as a mindset, a framework for problem solving and how it will germinate creativity and engagement within my students. I would like to explore how an Agile classroom would tackle Wicked Problems where I could examine more fully using this framework for problem solving, the framework and as a vehicle to improve creativity and engagement. I would like to explore how we could use an Agile classroom using computational thinking experiences and in reference to using the new digital curriculum. I can see the benefits of Agile in our syndicate where we can work collaboratively more effectively. I'm motivated to exploring other avenues of learning, particularly the Masters of Contemporary Education.

References

Bransford, J.D., & Stein, B.S. (1993).  The Ideal Problem Solver: a guide to improving thinking, learning and creativity (2nd ed.). New York, NY: W.H. Freeman Company.

Breakspear, S. (n.d.). Embracing Agile Leadership for Learning - how leaders can create impact despite growing complexity. Retrieved from, http://simonbreakspear.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/AEL-Article-Embracing-Agile-Leadership.pdf

Ministry of Education (2017). Our code, our standards. Retrieved from

https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/our-code-our-standards

Osterman, K. F., & Kottkamp, R. B. (2015). Reflective practice for educators : professional development to improve student learning.(2nd ed.) New York: Skyhorse Publishing.

Week 31 - PRACTICE - Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness in my Practice  

I will be using Rolfe’s model of reflection to look at my critical understanding of indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness.

Step 1 - What?

My education journey was a privileged one where high expectations were both explicitly and implicitly made known to me, where opportunities were available, financial boundaries didn’t exist and a family culture of academic success was the norm.  It wasn’t until I entered tertiary education that my assumptions were challenged. When Dr Ann Milne CORE Education (2017) commented that we make assumptions of whose knowledge actually counts it resonated with my experience. I can’t change my experience but I can identify the areas I can educate myself. In Bucher’s (2008) nine megaskills for understanding one’s own cultural intelligence I identified with needing a lot of improvement. I will look at school-whānau communication (targeted surveys to see if their needs are being met) and learning activities (working with Te Aho Arataki Marau mō te Ako i Te Reo Māori - Curriculum Guidelines for Teaching and Learning Te Reo Māori)

Step 2 - So What?

I will use Milne’s presentation at ULearn17 as an evaluation framework  to reflect on our school practice in terms of the culturally responsive pedagogy. Using this a guide Id put our school between the blue and the purple, which in reflection is not where we need to be if we want, as Prof. Russell Bishops suggests in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, (Edtalks, 2012), to create a learning context where Maori can bring themselves to the learning conversations and make sense of the world. At Orewa Primary our motto is ‘Where Everybody Is Somebody-He Tangata Ia Tangata’ and our mission - Orewa Primary School is committed to empowering students to achieve personal excellence in a learning culture which values all. But are we valuing all, and if not why not? We have a cultural group,  we work within the NZ Maori curriculum and as educators we attempt a few key phrases but increasingly we are realising we need to commit more. How do we know this? Our latest survey to Maori parents suggested that they’d like to see a Kapa Haka group established in addition to the cultural group and more connection with our local marae. We need to acknowledge and make changes on what our Maori community want. I’ve also realised that in my Learning Activities I am according to Milne’s enlightening talk from uLearn 2017 just starting on the purple.

Step 3 - Now What?

Prof. Russell Bishops (Edtalks, 2012) suggests as a school we need to gather evidence of student performance to guide our priority learners. We need to create a school wrap around environment to assist and support our teachers and PD needs to be of a high quality. We need to keep moving forward with the development of Te Kotahitanga (Ministry of Education, 2011) where the learning process is reciprocal between teacher and student, where being connected and relationship based is desired and self determination is recognised. We need to create and keep going an open dialogue where conversations help create learning context and we keep in check as Dr Ann Milne (CORE Education, 2017) suggests is our racist backdrop where we make assumptions of whose knowledge actually counts. I think if we can do these things we really can create an environment where Everybody is Somebody.

References

Bucher, R. (2008). Building cultural intelligence (CQ): Nine Megaskills. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

CORE Education.(2017, 17 October). Dr Ann Milne, Colouring in the white spaces: Reclaiming cultural identity in whitestream schools.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=5cTvi5qxqp4&feature=em-subs_digest

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

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001). Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Ministry of Education (April, 2011) NZ Curriculum Update 

Retrieved from https://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/content/download/7379/107778/.../NZC-update-7.pdf

Week 30 - PRACTICE- The Broader Professional Context

Using Rolfes model of reflection I am going to address and reflect upon certain parts of my teaching practise that are defined as contemporary and global trends in education.

Step 1 - What?

Daggett (2014) points out the fact that we are operating in a digital environment that is fluid within the context of a global economy that is always changing. Indeed, the National Intelligence Council (2017) comments that the way we communicate, work and spend our social time is changing as information and technology develop. As educators we are starting to come to the realisation that Blended Learning is a way to help equip our students prepare for a world where technology is always transitioning. My classroom experience is similar to what Daggett (2014) points out as a ‘hybrid’ system, that is, combining traditional and blended learning. I’m trying to achieve an environment where my students are invited to embrace digital literacy and computational thinking experiences within an existing traditional structure as I’ve realised this is how they live their lives beyond the classroom...navigating both worlds.

Step 2 - So What?

Digital learning is a global trend as “education has a role to play in providing the skills and competencies needed to operate in this new world” (OECD., 2016, p18) and technology is adapting and improving daily as is the use of it. Its is increasingly becoming more accessible and more entrenched in our day to day living. Daggett (2014) believes there has been a 44% increase in technology use for communication between 2008 and 2014 in the US. We can only assume that these figures are a reflection of what is occurring globally and therefore New Zealand. Certainly by 2020  the Ministry of Education (2018) intends to fully integrate the curriculum to reflect these changes. This provokes some thought for our Teaching Practice; that is, how can we keep up with a trend that is changing and evolving so quickly? The OECD (2016) discusses how some trends are slow moving and therefore easier to manipulate and design while others are dynamic and move at a pace that is fast moving and changing. It seems being flexible and responsive, two suggestions by OECD (2016), seems to be a sound suggestion. It would seem that being flexible and responsive in this time of ‘disruption’ is the only way that schools “will flourish in this new environment” (Daggett, 2014, p5). This impacts on my teaching because it requires a leap into the unknown within a very fast paced, ever evolving global trend. and as CORE education (2018)

Step 3 - Now What?

I count myself to be very fortunate that I am within a school that nurtures the cultural of embracing technology. We have a strong CoP within our school that focuses on initiating and supporting change. In fact when we look at the new Digital Curriculum it is clear that we have been engaging in many of the practices for some time. They realised that when you add new technology it changes everything “because technological change is not additive, it is ecological” (CORE, 2018, p4). With this mindset incorporating things like BYOD, embracing social media, virtual reality platforms and the suite of applications all combine to create a very exciting environment.

REFERENCES

CORE Education 2018 Ten Trends document. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://core-ed.org/assets/Uploads/Ten-Trends-2018.pdf

Daggett, B. (2014). Addressing Current and Future Challenges in Education. Retrieved from http://www.leadered.com/pdf/2014MSC_AddressingCurrentandFutureChallenges.pdf

National Intelligence Council. (2017). Global trends: The Paradox of Progress. National Intelligence Council: US. Retrieved from https://www.dni.gov/files/images/globalTrends/documents/GT-Main-Report.pdf

OECD. (2016) Trends Shaping Education 2016, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2016-enDaggett, B. (2014). Addressing Current and Future Challenges in Education. Retrieved from http://www.leadered.com/pdf/2014MSC_AddressingCurrentandFutureChallenges.pdf

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Week 29 Activity 5: Using social online networks in teaching or professional development

Week 29

Activity 5: Using social online networks in teaching or professional development

Step 1 Descriptive Stage

I’m the first to admit that I am a reluctant teacher in introducing social media into my teaching practice.  I fundamentally have an issue with the content that seems to me to be often self indulgent and that my personal experience of social media, particularly Facebook, Twitter and Instagram had not been that productive! Therefore, these in particular has not been part of my professional practice or PD. As Melhuish (2013) points out education is not a solitary experience but more a social one. Through this Mindlab study I’ve come to realise that I do use a range of social media platforms in my teaching without being overtly aware of it.  For example, I belong to three Education Google + communities, I regularly use Google Apps, Kahoot’s that are shared, Trello to track progress and comment on and last but not least I’m sure Tour Builder as part of Inquiry.

Step 2 Comparative Stage

When I look at my MindLab peers responses to the Social Media survey I realise that as a profession we aren’t using a wide range in social media platforms. It appears that Facebook and Google+ (Social Networks) and Facebook groups (Social Forums) are by far the most popular. This makes sense when you take into consideration the opinion of Whitaker, Zoul, & Casas (2015) who defined learning networks as being places where the people involved have shared interests and common goals. For me the step to be on par with my colleagues is not huge. By embracing Facebook and Twitter to help connect with other professionals is not that difficult as I have experience of it in my personal life. My challenge (and it would appear most of the survey participants) is to experiment with more diverse types of social networking.  Whitaker et al (2015) believe that we can transform by stepping out of our comfort zones to find value in our connection. By joining teacher focus groups on FB and being alerted to PD through Twitter I believe I can become more connected and informed. I like the idea of using blogs, not just to share but to also critically evaluate my own viewpoint on what others may be sharing and through videos like Ted ed and Youtube I can get a global viewpoint and be part of a ‘collective conscientious’ of educators.  Indeed Melhuish (2013) has stated that belonging to social networking groups enables a community to share its expertise. Who knows? I might have something valuable to offer! Looking at the survey there are a number of platforms I have never heard of so I’m enthusiastic to take a closer look at them.

Step 3 Critical Reflection

In moving forward I think it would benefit my teaching practice if I engage with more social Networks and Social Forums. By investing in professional Learning Network I believe I can become a educator who is connected Whitaker et al., (2015) and by proxy a more informed educator. An easy place to start is by following the formula suggested by Whitaker et al., (2015).  By using follow 5, find 5 and take 5 is a good place to start in taking responsibility for taking responsibility for my development as a professional. As mentioned the shift is not a huge one. If I want to embed in my students a growing awareness of citizenship and opportunities in the digital world Magette (2014) I need to be role model and have a more positive and constructive online presence.

References

Magette, K. (2014). Embracing social media : a practical guide to manage risk and leverage opportunity. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. (Available in Unitec library).

Melhuish, K.(2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’ professional learning. Master Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrieved from, http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstr eam/han…

Whitaker, T., Zoul, J., & Casas, J. (2015). What connected educators do differently. New York, NY: Routledge.

Week 28

In this weeks blog I will be discussing a situation that occured in my practice that required using a reflective model from Rolfe, Freshwater & Jasper (2001) .

What

Last year I had a student who was using his school gmail account to communicate with his mother about what was going on in the class, what he was learning about and general interaction.  Although this wasn’t what the school email was designed for I let this slide as the purpose of the email was not being abused. I had taken into account his personal situation where he was a child of divorce and was in shared custody so at times needed to touch base with mum because he missed her. However, it soon emerged that this parent was asking about other students, how they were doing, instructing him on how to do his work. In some instances he complained to his mother that he was being told off and how it wasn’t his fault..  The mother then forwarded the emails to my principal to make a complaint about how I was being unfair to her son. Minero (2017) talks about digital technology/communication is giving parents a deeper look into their children’s performance and experience in the classroom, unfortunately this is an example of how as teachers we can be maligned by a parent if they have an agenda.

So What

I had put myself in a compromising position as I knew he was using his email to communicate with his mother during the day. While the Practising Teacher Criteria and Code of Ethics Criteria 3 Professional Relationships (Education Council, n.d.) require me to engage in strengthening relationships with family and whanau I don’t believe this was the method or format to do so. I understand that as educators we make moral decisions all the time but in this case I took a ‘grey zone’ Kakabadse (2003, cited in Ehrich, Kimber, Millwater, & Cranston, 2011) because in the first instance it did not appear to be. If I used Ehrich et al.’s (2011) decision-making model it would outline the critical incidents for a dilemma and isolate some of the competing forces. Our school had an established ethical framework for school email addresses that I did not follow and within an institutional context the school had an established culture, practices and and expectations of how school email addresses were to be used. And of course there is  a wider global context of how schools and parents might view the use of emails in the classroom and the belief that the email is there as a form of communication and not as a school tool.

Now What

Enrich et al., (2011) talks about being aware of interconnecting factors that require educators to make defensiveable decisions that occur all the time. It is clear to me that in the first instance I did not balance the school’s policy of student device use well with my own personal values. That by allowing one student leeway I inadvertently encouraged a situation where conflict between institution (our school policy) and a parent ensured.  This ties in with the New Zealand teachers code of conduct (Education Council, 2017) where I am required to engage in ethical and professional relationships with learners that respect professional boundaries...by allowing the misuse of his email my professional boundaries became blurred and my position became compromised by his mother. I can see that perhaps I should have made it clear to my parents of the school’s policy and the wider implications if we as educators didn’t follow these policies. It seems to me that using an ethical dilemma model is a very useful process where values can be explored, expectations can be managed and an appropriate outcome found.

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References

Education Council. (2017). Our Code Our Standards. Retrieved from, https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf

Education Council. (n.d.). Practising Teaching Criteria. Retrieved from, https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/practising-teacher-criteria-0

Ehrich, L.C., Kimber, M., Millwater, J., & Cranston, N . (2011). Ethical dilemmas: a model to understand teacher practice, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 17:2, 173-185. DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2011.539794. Retrieved from, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1epzff2Lyvna1hnEZEIhrupEdD-no4_pW/view

Minero, E. (2017). Parent Engagement in the Digital Age. Retrieved from, https://www.edutopia.org/article/parent-engagement-digital-age

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D. and Jasper, M. (2001). Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Week 19

Contribution of Teacher Inquiry Topics to my Communities of Practice

I have chosen to critically reflect on Developing a Growth Mindset and Computational Thinking within the context of creating digital formats for reluctant writers.

I’m still undecided if this will be for my Inquiry but I’m interested to critically reflect and decide how these topic could be part of my contribution to my Communities of Practice. I will be involved in two Communities of Practice.  I am our lead teacher for our Kāhui Ako Community of Learning for Writing which Wenger (2002) explains as a place where we have a collective understanding of our role, where we do things together, talking and producing artefacts.

As part of our Digital Technology Team at our school we are exploring the new Digital Technology Curriculum which is where we coordinate perspectives, actions and realise higher goals (Wenger, 2002) We also look at it and plan how it can be incorporated into our curriculum in a Real Life practical way. The CoP’s that I am engaged with will support and link in with my two areas of critical reflection - Developing a Growth Mindset and Computational Thinking within the context of writing for reluctant boys. Because our CoL is focussing on writing and our digital team on applying the new curriculum the two ‘dovetail’ nicely together.

My team at CoL are very supportive of this new initiative and are interested in the outcome.  They recognise it as an opportunity for across school joint activities. As Wenger (2002) states that for this to be successful we must trust in each others ability to contribute.  They are interested to see how using digital technology and computational thinking can work within the context of writing and are especially interested in how this might be beneficial in motivating boys to engage in writing. My in school digital technology team are supportive to see how computational thinking activities can work within the framework of writing. I realise for it to be successful I need to be mindful of identifying the factors that would increase the chances of success (Zhao, et al. 2002).  My CoP have established a healthy infrastructure with knowledgeable and communicative people who will help me understand my classroom needs. (Zhao, et al. 2002).

Using the Jay and Johnson (2002) model of reflection has given me a chance to critically reflect on how these inquiries could develop.  Discussion with my CoP groups have posed some important things to consider. Things such as time constraints setting it up, access to resources, target groups and other teacher buy in.  I’ve also been encouraged to think about the level of expertise of the students and most importantly how would I assess it’s success. These were all considerations that I hadn’t really thought about. To me, this encapsulates the purpose of a CoP in that “the spirit of learning, knowledge and collaboration” is valued (Cambridge et al, 2005, pg 1).

References

Cambridge, D., Kaplan, S. & Suter, V. (2005). Community of practice design guide: A Step-by-Step Guide for Designing & Cultivating. Retrieved from https://net.educa use.edu/ir/library/pdf/NLI0531.pd…

Jay, J. K., & Johnson, K. L. (2002). Capturing complexity: A typology of reflective practice for teacher education. Teaching and teacher education, 18(1), 73-85.

Wenger, E.(2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization,7(2), 225-246.

Zhao, Y., Pugh, K., Sheldon, S. & Byers, J. (2002). Conditions for classroom technology innovations. Teachers College Record, 104(3), 482-515. Retrieved from https://www.rtsd.org/cms/lib/PA01000218/Centricity/Domain/96/Conditions%20for%20Classroom%20Tech.pdf

W18/ Reflecting on Changes in Future

Orientated Teaching Practice

Create a reflective entry to critically reflect upon how you have positively
changed your practice during your postgraduate journey.

After reading Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching — a New Zealand perspective
(Bolstad, Gilbert, McDowall, Bull, Boyd & Hipkins, 2012) I was interested in reflecting more
closely on Personalising Learning mainly because the last 17 weeks of Mindlab has had me thinking
critically on how our children can best benefit from the transition from the idea that knowledge is
content or stuff to the emerging idea that knowledge does stuff (Bolstad, 2012) and how this paradigm
shift in education can benefit our tamariki in an authentic and meaningful way.

I’m not going to lie - transitioning into an environment where I was a ‘facilitator’ was at times a
challenge but I grew in confidence as I trusted the process of Inquiry and its supporting principles.  
By implementing frameworks such as Kanban, Scrum and Swarm (within the context of Genius Hour
a self directed Inquiry into anything they chose) I observed my tamariki growing in confidence which
in turn gave me more confidence in the knowledge that I was on the right path. In retrospect, I could
have taken a more systematic approach to implementing these frameworks with more time spent on
active discussions on how using the framework would be beneficial to their learning journey.  
More discussions on the ‘how and why’ and less on the ‘what and when’.

When I reflect on the changes and improvements in my teaching practice, and implementing these
frameworks, I observed in the children that knowledge is best constructed when the learner has made
their own choices and taken action to determine the course of their learning (Lindgren & McDaniel, 2012).
My observations were the children were increasingly more proactive and decisive in their choices and
I noticed a shift to organic collaborative opportunities that were child directed. They were responsive
and engaged as their questions become less passive and more active which indicated a high level
of cognitive engagement confirming I was on the right track.

Over the last 16 weeks of Mindlab I became aware of different leadership styles.  
Agile Leadership struck a chord with me to be able to inspire and empower my tamariki
to figure out how to achieve their goals and personalise their learning and gain student
agency so they could feel in control of their learning, the pace of their learning and the
outcome of their learning as it would allow the students to evaluate as they went through
the process and change the framework accordingly (Breakspear, n.d.). The benefit of this
was the impact of the learning was in the process rather than the end result and that
the children
themselves adapted and were pliable to doing things differently as they worked through the
problems as they arose.

Upon reflection I realise that I needed to give more feedback throughout the process not just
at the end. I felt that if I gave too much feedback I’d be over regulating the process and
taking away their student agency, interfering with the pace of their learning and manipulating
their learning.  I realise now that some feedback during the process is necessary to help keep
some structure in their learning. Regular feedback and workshops would be beneficial and
supportive to achieving their learning goals.

I will continue to use Agile leadership in my teaching and employ frameworks such as
Kanban and Scrum as tools to assist my students to self regulate and self manage themselves
during their personalised learning (Genius Hour) and explore more ways to express this.  
I will continue to seek and give feedback and feedforward and monitor their cognitive
engagement
through the increased level of question asking by my students.

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References

Breakspear, S. (n.d.). Embracing Agile Leadership for Learning - how leaders canncreate
impact despite growing complexity. Retrieved from,
http://simonbreakspear.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/AEL-
Article-Embracing-Agile-Leadership.pdf

Bolstad, R., Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012).
Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching — a New Zealand perspective.
Report prepared for the Ministry of Education. Retrieved from
https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/schooling/109306

Lindgren, R., & McDaniel, R. (2012). Transforming Online Learning through Narrative
and Student Agency.  Educational Technology & Society, 15(4), 344–355.