Week 32- Changes in Practice

Week 32- Changes in Practice
Looking back. . . 
The past 32 weeks have included many ups and downs, times when I have felt really positive and excited about the new learning happening and other times when I have wanted to give up. The learning that has occurred has been exponential. Connecting my learning journey to the PCTs, there are two stand out areas of my practice that have been changed. 

• The first refers to criteria 6- conceptualise, plan and implement an appropriate learning program and criteria 12- use critical inquiry and problem solving effectively in their professional practice. Through the completion of the literature review, inquiry plan and the 8 reflective blog entries, I have become a much more reflective practitioner. It has allowed me to link concepts and theories to the students in my class and how to better support these students. I have identified areas I am doing well, areas I need to work harder at to improve and areas I need to change completely. I have always been reflective, but through weekly blog entries I have seen the benefit of putting my thinking down in words. It has helped to clarify my own thinking and a way to make links with media and research.

• The second is more along the lines of criteria 1- establish and maintain effective professional relationships focused on the learning and well-being of all akonga. Through this course, I have made some fantastic professional connections with other educators within our region, sharing ideas and opinions, asking questions and participating in discussions and at times debates. Participating in Google+ forums and reading and commenting on blogs has also allowed me to see things from different perspectives, to understand how others schools run. This has been awesome as we don't often get the chance to get into other schools to see what they are doing, however I know have a better understanding of our contributing schools and new connections within these schools.

Looking forward. . . 

Therefore my next step in my professional development journey would be to spend time in the classrooms within these schools, to observe and ask questions, to really experience what they are doing so I can find new ideas and ways of teaching. We always tell our students to collaborate and share their ideas, however we only seem to do this within our schools, which is a shame when every school is doing many amazing things. We also try to give our students experiences to consolidate their learning, therefore it is one thing to hear about what other educators are doing, but to actually watch and participate and experience these things would be so much more valuable to my practice and the practice of my colleagues.

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

Week 31- Breaking the Boundaries

Week 31- Breaking the Boundaries
When I think of interdisciplinary teaching and learning, I think of real world contexts in which students are thinking of the big picture around topics and issues in an inquiry format, fitting with Bloom's perspective on interdisciplinary models (Bloom, 1958). In the real world, very rarely are we faced with problems that require only one way of thinking- numeracy, literacy, logic etc. Therefore, teaching our students to combine this thinking in order to solve problems will set them up for success as critical thinkers. 

Alongside integrated inquiry teaching, the key competencies are a key element of interdisciplinary models.These key competencies are vital across all core curriculum areas and in all contexts; they are the building blocks for all successful learners and members of society. At our school, we have developed another step in which the students look at how they have used the 6Cs in their learning- critical thinking, creative thinking, connectivity, contribution, curiosity and confidence. Encouraging the students to continuously reflect back to these 6 areas, allows them to make connections and see the importance of their thinking and mindset across all activities they are a part of.

Reading through the text from Jones (2009) confuses me somewhat. They are talking more about sharing the teaching role with other educators with separate strengths and focuses, however this seems for aimed at secondary school education where teachers are specialists in their subject area, and therefor this collaboration that Jones (2009) refers to would work. In primary and intermediate classes however, teachers are covering all curriculum areas already, and therefore I believe that we are already doing interdisciplinary teaching, we just call in INTEGRATION.

Activity 7: My Interdisciplinary Map
To be honest I was really confused as to what this was meant to look like. Looking at blog entries from other MindLab-ers, some looked at their connections professionally and personally, where others looked at their interdisciplinary programs in their class, therefore I have chosen to illustrate both! 
Map 1- This map shows all my connections which allow me to make the most interdisciplinary program I can, using all my connections to help and support me to give my students the best learning opportunities.

Map 2: This Map shows the elements within my program and what goes into them and how they are connected. My reading and writing program is completely integrated, connecting to one another and then to our inquiry. Our math incorporates writing and reading, but still somewhat stands along from the inquiry as we have a school wide math plan that we follow.

Goal- One of my goals to deepen the connections within my program is to make more links with our community and experts outside of our school. This allows the students to see the relevance with real world scenarios and contexts, making their learning more valuable and real. Another goal for my class is to do more personalised programs in which students can pick and choose what they are working on at any one time. This is interdisciplinary in the sense that they do which ever curriculum area is relevant within their inquiry at any one time instead of having set times that they do their read, writing, math etc. Again bringing in a more rich and real aspect to their learning. 

Challenges- For me, the challenge of having a completely integrated or interdisciplinary program is that sometimes there are specific strategies and skills that need to be taught to fit with testing and national standards, therefore even though it might not be relevant to the inquiry within class, I still need to 'tick the boxes'. This is frustrating as I think we should be doing more in time teaching, not having a set program. 

References:

• Bloom, B. S. (1958). Ideas, problems, and methods of inquiry. In N. B. Henry (Ed.), The integration of educational experiences (pp. 84-104). The 57th Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education. Part III. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Jones, C.(2009). Interdisciplinary approach - Advantages, disadvantages, and the future benefits of interdisciplinary studies. ESSAI, 7(26), 76-81. Retrieved from http://dc.cod.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1121&context=essai
• Lacoe Edu (2014, Oct 24) Interdisciplinary Learning [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA564RIlhME

Week 30- Professional Online Social Networks

Week 30- Professional Online Social Networks
Activity 6: Using social online networks in teaching and/or Professional Development

1. What are some key features of social media that are beneficial for teaching and learning? Why?
2. What are potential challenges that teachers need to be aware of when integrating social networking platforms into teaching activities? Why?
3. What social media platform do you feel best supports engagement with your professional development? Why?
4. How do/would you use social media to enhance your professional development? Why?

I have kind of answered all of these questions below!!!

Social Media in Teaching. . . 
I am in two minds about the use of social media in teaching, particularly with primary and intermediate age students. I complete agree with the pattern that emerged in the survey done by Seaman and Tinti-Kane (2013) where they noticed that staff were"much more willing to embrace social media in their personal lives than they are to use it for professional or teaching purposes." I believe that the same goes for students. They are using Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to share and communicate with their friends, so many would feel that using these for educational purposes is crossing a line that they would be reluctant to cross. In saying that, in previous years, I have had a teacher Facebook page which I used to share important information and events coming up etc, but that wasn't a huge success and I felt I was seeing things on there from my students that wasn't meant for my eyes, and therefore I was struggling to know where my place was. Out of all the social media avenues available, Twitter is one of the more informative and teaching friendly apps as users can follow influential and informative people that can give students information and open up opportunities for research. In saying that, I think it is aimed more at older students, my 11/12/13 year old students in my class are not really using Twitter as they are still more about sharing photos etc, hence Instagram is a popular platform. I have considered using Instagram as a way to share photos from our class, but again that would mean that students would follow me and then I would have access to their accounts and once again I would have the ethical issue of seeing things that are not fit for teacher eyeballs!

Social Media in Professional Development. . . 
Using social media as a professional development arena is something that I use frequently to support and advance my professional practice. The NZ Primary Teachers Facebook page for example is a fantastic resource that allows passionate, like minded educators to share resources and ideas, as well as ask professional questions. What makes this Facebook page so successful is that it is used by teachers across the country, in various positions from grade A teachers through to principals and across all primary and intermediate levels. this allows many different perspectives to be available when advice, clarification or ideas are needed. Twitter is also used in this way, allowing professionals to follow experts and people around the world who are doing great things. Again it is for sharing and asking questions- growing the ability to be collaborative with other educational professionals.

References:
Seaman, J., & Tinti-Kane, H. (2013). Social media for teaching and learning. Retrieved from http://www.pearsonlearningsolutions.com/assets/downloads/reports/social-media-for-teaching-and-learning-2013-report.pdf#view=FitH,0

Week 29- Law and Ethics on Professional Practice

Week 29- Law and Ethics on Professional Practice

Personal vs. Professional Ethics- Where is the line?

I think the line between personal and professional ethics is a very blurry one, for me they are one in the same. I have been an intermediate teacher for 4 years, so my past students are now year 12 at high school, however if they try to add me on Facebook or Instagram, I still that it is crossing the line from professional to personal that I am not willing to do. I love my students and think that having a great relationship with them is vital, but I am not a teacher to 'make friends' and therefore don't feel that 'friending' students on social media is appropriate or necessary. There are however a number of teachers that do cross this line on social media and for them it seems to work fine. It is an opportunity for them to see what their past students are up to and how they are growing up etc.

When it comes to our Code of Ethics as teachers, I think they are absolutely vital for the safety and well being of students. I often think about my year 8 students and how 'worldly' they seem to be. They know so much more than kids their age did 10-15 years ago and that is thanks to the internet and the accessibility of information that is now available. Therefore, having strict ethical boundaries is important for teachers to ensure we know where that line is and when we are getting too close to it. I have found myself in this situation a couple of times where I have almost forgotten how old these kids are and almost crossed the boundary of what is appropriate to be discussing at their age.

Reading through the Code of Ethics, they give the following four areas as priorities- "The public expects teachers in schools and early childhood centres to treat people fairly, respect their autonomy, exercise responsible care towards those they teach, and be truthful not only in what they say but also in what they teach."

• Autonomy to treat people with rights that are to be honoured and defended
• Justice to share power and prevent the abuse of power
• Responsible care to do good and minimise harm to others
• Truth to be honest with others and self."

For me the truth area of the code of ethics is a fuzzy one. I feel that sometimes when we need o be honest with students and parents, we are told to hold back and think about a way to "lighten" the way we go about this. Obviously as professionals working with children, we need to be thoughtful and purposeful about the way in which information is given to students, however I feel that it has got to the point where we are too scared to give the truth, and therefore dull it down too much. Therefore have we done a disservice by not being truthful enough and therefore behaviours and attitudes will not change as the severity has not been identified? 

https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=teacher+parent+interview+comic&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1517&bih=714&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi44tvDqKjNAhViL6YKHZnnDrQQsAQIGQ&dpr=0.9#imgrc=4_qF7297yaDBzM%3A

Activity 5: Legal and ethical contexts in my digital practice

The digital dilemma that I faced involved two students, one from my class and one from another, insulting one another online. The difficulty of the situation was that this behavior started at home through Facebook, and then it was brought into school as the girls began using their school email to attack each other. The dilemma here was whether or not it was my place to interfere or whether I was to simply notify the parents of the students and let them deal with it. If it had simply continued at home through Facebook then possibly this is what I would have done, however being that it was now an issue at school also, I knew it was now my responsibility to put an end to this all. At my school, every student and their caregiver is required to sign a "Cyber Safety Agreement Form" in which it clearly outlines their use of the internet at our school and their responsibilities as online citizens. Having this agreement on hand allowed me to refer to this as back up and clarity as to the actions of the students and the consequences. We are really lucky also that one of our technology classes is Adolescent Health, and as part of this program the students do a unit on cyber safety. Therefore, I asked that this teacher, who knows the ins and outs of cyber safety and cyber bullying, to speak with both girls together. This worked well as they both had a relationship with this teacher and were able to engaged in this discussion and see that their actions were far more serious than either student had initially realised. The outcome was then shared back to myself and the other classroom teacher where we were able to keep an eye out for future issues relating to these girls. However, nothing ever happened since. I believe that a number of factors were part of this solution- the cyber safety agreement form, the Adolescent Health program and the teacher relationship with both students.

References:

• Education Council. (nd). Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0
• Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers
• [Untitled image of parent interviews]. (n..d.) Retrieved June 15, 2016, from https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=teacher+parent+interview+comic&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1517&bih=714&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi44tvDqKjNAhViL6YKHZnnDrQQsAQIGQ&dpr=0.9#imgrc=4_qF7297yaDBzM%3A

Week 28- Indigenous knowledge & Cultural responsiveness

Week 28- Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness

Reading through Unitech's Poutama model (Unitech, n.d.) enabled me to look at the different areas within cultural pedagogy to really analyse where we sit as a school. I think it is a model that schools should use as a reflective tool to see their next steps to become the most culturally aware and responsive they can be. 

Self Analysis of our school using the Poutama Model-

Wairua/Relationships- I think our school is currently sitting between the demonstrating and the modelling steps of this area. W have worked hard ro build relationships and have a great support network offered, however we are still working towards having stronger, active reciprocal relationships with staff and community

Assessment- In this area I believe we are sitting at the learning step of the model as we use diverse approaches to assessment and are somewhat responsive to students pedagogy needs, however maori knowledge concepts are not part of these assessments, therefore this is where we need to be heading.

Pedagogy- In terms of being inclusive, reflective and responsive, are program definitly have these element ingrained in them, however I dont believe that evey class have maori knowledge concepts incorportaed into their prrams and therefore we are sitting on the first step for this section.

Course Content- I believe we are at the know stage of course content, we use our maori staff to help support and develop areas, however as mentioned above, we don't have constant cultural aspects in all programs.

Te Reo- Te Reo is definitely present at a basic level in all classes throughout our school. We have a schol wide expectation rubric which include karakia, haka and waiata, but there is still more that needs to go into our programs, and therefore we are sitting at the mohio step of this section.

Community- Engaging with our community is an area we have really focused on in the past 4 years which is why I think we sit between the consultation and intrinsic steps.

Reading through the work that Cowie, Otrel-Cass, Glynn, Kara, Anderson, Doyle, Parkinson and Te Kiri (2011), it has changed my understanding of what 'culturally responsive pedagogy' means. Initially I took the concept quite literally and thought it meant having maori elements in all things within the classroom, however it's more around student responsiveness- ensuring that we allow students to follow their curiosities, connect with their whanau and community and assessments that allow students to express their ideas and knowledge.

Activity 4 : Indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness in my practice

Strength: Vision, Mission and Core Values

We are really lucky in Rotorua to have such a supportive and education focused iwi that backs the local schools by providing professional development for teachers around our local culture, curriculum initiatives such as Math Whizz and House of Science. With this support, our school has had the opportunity to see how we could become more connected to our community and culturally responsive to our maori students and whanau. With consultation with our iwi, we have changed our team names to names of Ngati Whakaue koromatua. This change alone has enabled students and their whanau to make connections with their wider whanau and ancestors to create a real feeling of belonging. This has become a huge part of our school vision, mission and core values and is why we have also introduced whanau days where we engage in a range of activities that allow students diverse opportunities to demonstrate their learning throughout a range of experiences as well as encouraging community experts to be part of these experineces; tapping into these experts is not something we have done well in the past but soemthing we are actively working on doin more.

Weakness: Resources

I think if we want to be more culturally responsive and improve in the areas of poutama as mentioned above, we need more resources available to teachers to make incorporating te reo, tikanga and culture into our programs and assessment easier. For many teachers, knowledge and understanding of the maori culture and the way in which maori learners prefer to learn is an area of minimal understanding. Therefore more basic resources are needed to support teachers in a way that doesn't seem like more work for them. PD in this area is also needed. In terms of assessment, our bilingual teacher is having difficulties getting her head around assessing her students as there seems to be a real lack of te reo based assessments. Therefore, the students who have a background in full immersion at primary school, are not getting the opportunity to be assessed in their strength area, and thus their testing is not culturally responsive. 

References:

• Cowie, B., Otrel-Cass, K., Glynn, T., & Kara, H., et al.(2011).Culturally responsive pedagogy and assessment in primary science classrooms: Whakamana tamariki. Wellington: Teaching Learning Research Initiative. Retrieved from http://www.tlri.org.nz/sites/default/files/projects/9268_cowie-summaryreport.pdf
• Unitec. (n.d). Unitec Learning and Teaching Booklet. http://www.unitec.ac.nz/ahimura/publications/U008817%20Learning%20and%20Teaching%20Booklet.pdf

Week 27- Broader Professional Context

Week 27- Broader Professional Context 

In general, the context in which we teach has grown exponentially! The learning that goes on is no longer limited to the wall of our classroom thanks to the internet. The internet has allowed us to broaden where we get our information from, how fast we can access this information and who and where we share our understanding. We have social media which connects us to people around the globe, apps such as Skype with allow us to communicate face to face with people, and Google and other search engines which allow us constant and ultra fast connection to the answers we seek.

The Voice of the Active Learner - Education From a Digital Native's Perspective

Activity 3

Issue 1: Testing and National Standards 

According to the Education Review Office (2012), NZ needs to focus on these 3 areas; i) students-centered learning, ii) responsive and rich curriculum, and iii) assessment used for students’ learning. I find this really interesting, especially the focus on assessment. After watching Bryan Bruce's documentary on TV3, Inside NZ- World Class Education, it put a different spin on our education system by comparing it with that of other countries. Finland for example, doesn't assess until much later on in a students life, allowing young children time to play and learn through doing. They also have one of the most effective education systems in the world, therefore why are we not taking a leaf out of their book? Harris and Brown undertook a study on NZ teachers, looking at assessment and how teachers use assessment in their teaching. They discuss the need for "balancing the needs of the society, the school, and the pupil." I understand that society is important to any school and that the success of schools needs to be publicised in order to keep students coming in the years that follow, however I feel like sometimes the push for 'bums on seats' out weighs the push for students progress and achievement. If we focus on the students we currently have within out classes, then the progress and achievement will be better. Isn't that our priority? 

The Ministry of Education have brought in National Standards to put all students under one umbrella, to put a scale to their achievement and to make it 'easier' for teachers to know where their students are at. What effect does it have on the students? Telling students that they are still well below national standards even though they have made huge progress is heartbreaking! For a number of students in our schools, they will continue to 'fail' according to national standards for their entire schooling, tainting their experience and creating students who no longer want to try because they cannot see the point. However, making progress is never a failure, and therefore we should be focusing on and celebrating the progress that students are making, rather than reaching some point that has been created by a small group of adults.

Issue 2: Showing Evidence

The work load of teachers is massive and seems to be growing constantly. It feels like we are either preparing students for testing, testing, or reporting on students progress based on their testing. Yes we make OTJ's which take into consideration our observations and other formative evaluations, however since when do assessments help somebody to learn? The rest of the time it feels as though we are ensuring we have 'evidence' to prove that we are doing our job to the best of our ability. However, I find myself asking. . . "am I actually doing my job to the best of my ability when I am stressed and focused on getting the paper work done, making sure all the 'boxes are ticked'?" According to the Meriam Webster online dictionary, the definition of a teacher is "a person or thing that teaches something; especially a person whose job it is to teach students about certain subjects." The key word in this definition is 'teach'. How can we do the best job of teaching the students in our class if we have so many other administration obligations we need to complete? Coming up with rich, engaging and relevant activities for our students requires time, and if we lack the time then our kids are going to lack these experiences. How sad is that!

If I had the power to make a change, we would report once a year, around the end of term 2, allowing change to happen and ensures parents and caregivers have an idea of where how their child is doing, their next steps and how they can help to support their child's learning. We would test less and have focused learning discussions more, allowing us time to listen to the students and see how they can articulate their learning in a positive, low pressure manner. I feel this would give teachers a much better insight into our students and allow them to establish learning experiences that fit with their students, not necessarily their ability, but their learning style. 

References:

• Blackboard Inc. (2012, August 7). The Voice of the Active Learner - Education From a Digital Native's Perspective [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ5Vy9BgSeY 
• Bruce, B. (producer). (2016) World Class: Inside NZ Education: A Special Report [Television Documentary]. New Zealand
• Education Review Office. (2012). Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools. Retrieved 18 May 2016, from http://www.ero.govt.nz/About-Us/News-Media-Releases2/The-three-most-pressing-issues-for-N
• Harris, L.R. and G.T.L. Brown (2009) The complexity of teachers's conceptions of assessment: tensions between the needs of schools and students. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, 16(3), pp 365-381
• Miriam-Webster Dictionary (1982) Definition of a Teacher. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/teacher 

Week 26- Professional Context

Week 26- Professional Context

Starting by reading through the class notes for this week, the first sentence under "School Context" really made me think and reflect on my school (see I'm reflecting!!! Week 25 boom!)- 

"Stoll (1998) defines school culture as three dimensions, the relationship among its members; the organisational structure including the physical environment and management system; and the learning nature" (course notes, 2016). 

Relationship- The relationships among our staff at our school are great. Everybody works well together, they support one another when time get tough (usually around report writing, testing etc). We also have the culture where we cans hare our thoughts and opinions and are listened to and we can have robust discussions to come up with the best solutions- we are ALWAYS encouraged to take risks.

Organisational Structure (physical/management)- Currently our physical environment is a bit of a shambles with buildings being moved and new classrooms being built. However this has been managed in a way to have the least amount of impact on our students and staff by changing systems and restructuring activities to make this work as best it can. We have also got a new (into our second year) management set up (discussed in LDC1) where we have our principal, 2x deputy principals, then AKO leaders (curriculum focused) and Whanau leaders (key competency focused). This new organisation has allowed for leaders to focus on their set area as well as giving more people opportunities to lead. 

Learning Nature- From the new organisational set up, our learning nature has changed and developed. We have become much more collaborative, year 7 and year 8 students working closer with one another, creating a tuakana taina feeling about our school. The teachers and other staff are having more opportunities to work with more of our colleagues which we are loving.

Activity 2: 

What is the organisational culture (collective values/principles) that underpins your practice? How would you contribute to fostering a positive professional environment in your community of practice?

According to Hongboontri and Keawkhong (2014), "school cultures are unique and distinctive. They are created and re-created by people considered members of a context; i.e., teachers, students, parents, and communities, among many others." Within our school context, we have a large immediate community of practice. 730 students, students whanau, 32 classroom teachers, 25 support staff, 3 leaders and our Board of Trustees. We then must include our contributing schools as part of our community of practice, the Ministry of Education, and our local iwi. All of these groups of people have their own priorities and opinions on what our school should look like and how it should run. 

The organisational culture within our school is one of a trust model. We are trusted to be professionals and do our jobs to the best of our abilities. This allows freedom and creativity, to feel that it is safe to take risks and to constantly be reflecting on the successes and failures we experience. This is evident in the numerous leadership roles within our school, (see above), as we are accountable to each other rather than upper management. Upper management rely on their choice of leaders to be doing their job successfully and to bring forward issues as they arise. 

What changes are occurring in the context of your profession? How would your community of practices address them?

As a classroom teacher, the biggest change that is occurring is technology and the use of this within the classroom. In the 4 years previous to this year, I have taught in an e-learning/BYOC classroom, where students had 1-1 devices. This year however, I have a mainstream class that has a total of 1 chromebooks that the students share, one between two students. When I started teaching 4 years ago, only the e-learning classes had computers, the rest had to book time in the ICT suit. This use of digital devices is fast growing and very soon there will be no such thing as "e-learning", it will simple be learning! This is exciting, however our community of practice needs to get on board and go with these changes. There are still teachers that are not willing to use these devices to their full potential, and parents who cannot see past the way they were taught when they were at school. Therefore, our battle is to educate the adults within our community of practice to ensure they are supportive and have the knowledge and understanding to support of students. The students are digital natives, they know how to use these devices, they just simply need our assistance to use them to grow their knowledge and understanding in a positive and safe way.

References:

• Hongboontri, C., & Keawkhong, N. (2014). School Culture: Teachers' Beliefs,      Behaviors, and Instructional Practices. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(5), 66-88. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2332&context=ajte
• Stoll (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture

Week 25- Defining My Practice

Week 25

Reflecting on Practice

Reading through the first paragraph of this week’s class notes, I instantly knew that this would be pertinent for my practice. The idea of reflection is an ongoing focus of mine and one that I struggle with. The quote from Finlay (2008) where is mentions “bland, mechanical, unthinking ways” is me more than I would like to admit. Don't get me wrong, I am constantly reflecting and changing my teaching to suit my students and the successes and failures that happen. However, this thinking I do is not documented anywhere as evidence of this reflection. Why? I think mainly because I don't set aside time for this in my weekly teacher schedule that we all know is ridiculously busy!

I like Gibbs' (1988) six reflections stages because they are simple, clear and can be related to any change or alteration that I am reflecting on.

"(1) Description (2) Feelings (3) Evaluation (4) Analysis (5) Conclusions (6) Action Plan" (Gibbs, 1988). I think step 2 in Gibbs' process is one of the most effective as it is a chance for me to think about not only my feelings but the feeling of the students and the atmosphere within the class.

In terms of s reflective journal, I have really enjoyed and seen the benefit of having a weekly blog for this course as it allowed me to share my thinking around course content as well as discuss how ideas and concepts could work for me and within my teaching practice. However, I am still in two minds about having a reflective journal that others may have access to. I like the idea of getting feedback and tips from professional peers, but sometimes I think reflections are about thinking, "wow that was a complete failure! I know I will do x, y, z next time because. . . " and in this case don't need or perhaps even want the opinion of others.

Activity 1: My Community of Practice

My community of practice is the “groups of people who share a concern or a passion or about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interaction on an ongoing basis” (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002, p.4).

	Communication	Relate and Respond	Goals and Aims
Students in my class	I am constantly discussing our program with the students in my class, getting them to complete reflections on what we have been learning about and how we have been learning.	Using their honest reflections, because let’s face it they are ALWAYS very honest, I am able to see what they have enjoyed and what they haven’t.	My aim is for my students to enjoy learning, to be engaged and enthusiastic about what they are doing, therefore getting their input is vital.
Te Roro o te Rangi Whanau Team (RIS- I am team leader)	Meetings weekly to discuss upcoming events, units, share ideas and plan together. Share concerns for students and together come up with strategies to help support each other will difficult behaviours.	Weekly minutes where everybody posts reflections form the previous week as well as sharing anything on top which is then time for me, team leader, to show guidance and support.	At the end of the day it is about making sure that the opportunities for our kids are maximised and therefore through this communication, our goals are met and developed constantly.
Staff at RIS (school)	Constant discussions and reflections about practice within my class and that of others. Lead PD around areas of success so that others can see examples to try. This communication is happening daily with a wide range of my peers in and outside of my immediate team.	Gain new ideas and understanding about how to better meet the needs of my students. Share ideas for lessons and units as well as expertise in digital learning.	Take what is relevant and put it into practice in my own class.
NZ Teachers Facebook Page	My communication on this page is minimal; I do however use it daily by reading ideas and inquiries from my peers around the country and gain ideas for lessons and activities to use in my class as well as new teaching strategies. I have on occasion posted a question or concern onto this page to gain opinions and support from other professionals.	For me this resource is not about responding but certainly about relating to others. Others teachers across age levels share their difficulties, success and ideas in a way that is open to other professionals to use as they please.	I take what I see is going to make a positive impact on the students in my class and what is relevant to the teaching and learning that is happening at any one time.
Twitter	Again my communication on this is limited, however I used it regularly to see what reputable educators and originations are discussing and what is on top for education at any one time. I have used it in the past during PD sessions where others in attendance are also on Twitter. This allows for great networking to occur.	Same as about- For me this resource is not about responding but certainly about relating to others. Others teachers across age levels share their difficulties, success and ideas in a way that is open to other professionals to use as they please.	Same as above- I take what I see is going to make a positive impact on the students in my class and what is relevant to the teaching and learning that is happening at any one time.
Mindlab	Meeting up once a week for the first 16 weeks allowed me to connect with a range of teachers in Rotorua ad share what we are doing within our schools. We often don’t get opportunities to get into other schools, therefore networking and building these relationships is fantastic.	Taking the time to relate to other teachers, particularly in other age sectors, has enabled me to see different views of contexts as well as given me new ideas to put into practice. I have been able to respond and celebrate what I am doing in my school with my students also.	Students’ progress and engagement is my goal and through areas of this course, I have been able to see how I could increase these areas to meet my goals. Through applying new resources to lessons, or having a new perspective on an idea.
Academy of Collaborative Futures- Vikram Murthy	Attending these 6 leadership sessions was great. The discussions I was able to have with like-minded, and occasionally NOT like minded peers was invaluable. Hearing what is happening in other schools across primary, intermediate and secondary is helpful in the way that it shows the issues and success of transitioning and opens opportunities for these to be improved on through collaboration across schools. It also allowed me to grow as a leader, pushing me to reflect on my role and the effect I have on others.	I was able to relate and respond to the opinions and experiences of others and share how I have dealt with situations and the outcomes of these situations.	In terms of meeting goals, sharing and responding to others allows me to see a different perspective that often when in the situation is very hard to do. This way, other people can shed light on other ways of dealing with problems and creating new solutions.

Activity 1:
Reflective Questions:

Q1: What is the purpose and function of my practice? In what ways do I contribute to the community of my practice?

I am a teacher, and therefore, at its core, my purpose is to teach our future. We as teachers have the responsibility to ensure that the students within our classrooms and schools are developing the necessary skills that will allow them to be successful members of society. From the core curriculum areas through to key competencies, we must ensure that what we teach our students is relevant to the world in which they are a part of and for the changing world in which will be waiting for them when they leave school as adults. I think the most important purpose we have as educators is to get to know the students as people and not simply a number of our roll. Each are different, each have their own strengths and weaknesses, each with different experiences of success and failure and each with a varied willingness to learn and trust us. Therefore adapting our teaching to suit these students is vital, connecting back to the importance of being reflective professionals. Like Food and Askeland say, it is about “connecting individual identity and social context” (Fook & Askeland, cited in Finlay, 2008).

The way in which I contribute to my community of practice is through sharing my success and failures, the great things that are happening in my class and the things that could be improved upon. It is also about offing support and guidance to those new teachers coming through, reassuring them that the profession they have chosen is a great one and that their role within this profession is vital. These new teachers come in with fabulous new ideas which I also borrow, (and steal) to try in my own class. At the end of the day it is about sharing ideas!

Q3: What is your specialist area of practice? How does your specialist area of practice relate to the broader professional context?

My specialist area of practice is e-learning. I have 4 years of e-learning/BYOC teaching experience where I was able to trial new and exciting resources and programs as well as the structure of inquiry and the way in which I plan. This has allowed to be grow my bank of effective resources for students to hook them into subjects that otherwise they may struggle with. I have had a number of opportunities to share this expertise with my peers at Rotorua Intermediate, holding several PD sessions around what I have picked up along the way. Part of becoming a specialist in e- learning and BYOC has been giving kids the opportunity to trial and reflect on resources as well as to teach me what they have discovered.

Now that I am teaching in a mainstream class, I don't have quite the same access to digital devices as I have previously, however the knowledge I have gained previously has allowed me to shed light on how many programs and resources, planning styles and inquiry process can be altered and developed to work in a mainstream class, making the opportunities more available which, at the end of the day, is our goal as educators.

References:

• Finlay, L. (2009). Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/opencetl/files/opencetl/file/ecms/web-content/Finlay-%282008%29-Reflecting-on-reflective-practice-PBPL-paper-52.pdf
• Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit.
• Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.