Week 32 Changes in my Practice.

Well what can I say? 32 weeks of PLD through Mindlab has been an eye opening experience. Back in 2016 when our cohort started, I was very reluctant to even start to say the least. Looking back it has opened my eyes, moving towards 21^st century skills and reflecting deeper into my practice. It has taught me that if you want the best for your students you need to apply yourself to ongoing PLD in order to keep up with the changes of the real world.

My first key change:

Criteria 6: Conceptualise, plan, and implement an appropriate learning program

While attending the Mindlab course this has helped me change my thinking to produce programs that not only demonstrates students’ knowledge and skills, but include 21^st Century learning. I have had fun trialing/ implementing new programs to support and encourage student learning. Personalized learning has developed more effectively and through this they have become more engaged in their learning. Introduction to learning of 21^st century skills has permitted me to seek advice and feedback from fellow colleagues and work more collaboratively in planning programs to support high learners.

Personalized learning is also intimately connected with utilizing advances in technology. Personalizing instruction for every student can be challenging, but technology provides educators with the flexibility to adapt to learners’ needs quickly. Technology also provides students real-time access to custom content and resources, thereby encouraging students to take ownership of their learning.Furthermore, many programs offer assistance with tasks such as assessment and grading, which allows teachers to spend more time with individual students. Technology thus allows for the individualization of engaging, effective learning experiences that are appropriately paced and tailored to fit with each student’s prior experience and interests. (Culatta,2012)

Second key change:

Practising teacher criteria 12: Use critical inquiry and problem-solving effectively in their professional practice.

Through the 32 weeks, I have been engaging with known and unknown members through attending the 16 week sessions and the other 16 online. Through this time I have been involved in professionally responding to others blogs and collaborating in my learning community.  Engaging in ongoing professional readings such as the literature and how it supports my practice, not to mention the changes I made as a result of the literature. At times it has also made me think about my own values and beliefs and how these impact on my teaching and the achievements of my students. Reflecting and evaluating aspects of my practice have allowed me to develop knowledge and skills for succeeding as Maori. This has impacted hugely throughout the course.

Reflecting on different approaches to teaching, and reshaping the understanding of past and current experiences, can lead to improvement in teaching practices.

Leitch, Ruth; Day, Christopher (March 2000). 

What is my next dream regarding Professional Development?

Honestly? Is to pick up what I have learned through this course and develop confidence in implementing new and innovative ways into my teaching through digital technologies. As the next generations move into a digital age of learning, as an educator I feel the need for ongoing PLD to move parallel with the ever so changing world. Thank you Mindlab. Watch this space!

Reference:

Culatta, R. “Personalizing Learning.” U.S. Department of Education. July 10, 2012. http://www.ed.gov/teaching/summerseminars

Leitch, Ruth; Day, Christopher (March 2000). "Action research and reflective practice: towards a holistic view". Educational Action Research. 8 (1): 179–193. doi:10.1080/09650790000200108. Retrieved 9 March 2017 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflective_practice

Week 31 Activity 7: Crossing the Boundaries.
                         My current and potential interdisciplinary professional connections map

  Andrews (1990) defines interdisciplinary collaboration as occurring "when different professionals, possessing unique knowledge, skills, organizational perspectives, and personal attributes, engage in coordinated problem solving for a common purpose" (cited in Berg-Weger &. Schneider, 1998).

What is my Identified one potential interdisciplinary connections from my map as my near future goal? 
The one potential interdisciplinary connection as my future goal that stood out would be my School community connection and how it leads into HOD, mine being Visual art. 'Interdisciplinary Learning' is when students are connected to the real world through their experiences and interests, then the learning is more authentic and of greater value to students. Inquiry based learning fits into the same category.

Joint planning, decision-making, and goal-setting that has taken place so far?
Last year our senior syndicate came together and discussed ideas about inquiry based learning so this connection is already in the pipe line. Shared goals and vision of inquiry based learning lead us in this direction. Ongoing discussions in syndicate meetings on IBL and the value of introducing and working collaboratively to implement and plan a unit of work. We then agreed on a theme that we could deliver across the disciplines. This meant we collaborated with each other and identified ways on how we could connect our subjects with others. We brainstormed ideas and came up with an inquiry based learning overview. This drew a lot of discussion on how each curriculum could link into another subject or two. My subject area (Visual art) immediately tagged onto Technology and Maori and English. I’m really looking forward to implementing this project and working among highly skilled colleagues.

The benefits: 
The interdisciplinary approach continues to blend the characteristics and methods of several disciplines while developing lifelong learning skills. Students will develop collaboration, deeper understanding, develop critical thinking in authentic learning experiences and enable students to take ownership over their own learning. For me, it will be a great way to teach students who do not possess the ability to learn and understand a lesson right away, help students grasp the complexity of these topics, involve ongoing collaboration with other staff and draw on expertise from other staff involved.

The challenges:
 Students become confused about working across classes, teachers resistant to change (silo way of thinking), communication barrier among disciplines, it may not succeed if teachers remain stuck in their disciplines and in disciplinary attitudes. Interdisciplinary curricula is time consuming and takes collaborative team work to create, which can seem like a hard and exhausting disadvantage.

The characterisation of interdisciplinary integrates team-teaching as a technique in which teachers from multiple disciplines work with each other to design a curriculum, instruct the class, and grade teams of students for time periods.  Though it seems like a great idea, having more than one instructor can create problems in the sharing of responsibilities.  Donald Richards is quoted as arguing "team-taught courses that lay a claim to interdisciplinary often fail to achieve their objectives precisely because the individual members of the instructional team themselves never really begin to understand their common concerns in a fashion that may properly be called interdisciplinary" (2002, p. 16).  Richards concludes that “team teaching is a poor vehicle for interdisciplinary undergraduate education” (Haynes, 2002, p.16).

Inquiry interdisciplinary approach offers ways of different opportunities for students to develop the “big-picture” thinking across disciplines, develop independence and lifelong learning skills. It is also a technique that allows teachers from multiple disciplines to work collaboratively to design projects that develop a wider knowledge base.

Looking forward to seeing the benefits once we are up and running with our inquiry based learning which is similar to the interdisciplinary approach.

References:
Berg-Weger, M., &. Schneider, F. D. (1998). Interdisciplinary collaboration in social work education. Journal of Social Work Education, 34, 97-107.
Haynes, Carolyn, 2002. Innovations in Interdisciplinary Teaching, West port, CT, American Council on Education ORYX Press.

Week 30 Activity 6 - Reflecting on Social media use in my teaching.

                           Activity 6: Social media use in teaching and professional development.

Social media is an embedded part of today’s society. Students are constantly on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and snapchat. As an educator I find the need to up skill myself in order to catch up with todays “techno” students. By doing this I really would like to be able to bring the “real world” into my classroom.

So how is social media used in my teaching?

To be honest not as much as I would like to, however I am feeling my way through social media sites. I use Pinterest as they have some great visual art ideas that I utilize in my classroom teaching. YouTube is used a lot as well where video clips showings various types of media that are useful to them at the time (I learn new things too).  Facebook, where I can collaborate with colleagues at any given time. Blogs (now that I know how) are happening as we speak. Great to see other teachers’ ideas and thoughts on weekly blogs. Love the feedback and the positive communication coming through. 

What are the Benefits of social media to my existing practice so far?

By entering into the 21^st century I am faced with the abundance of sites and apps that have helped with implementing new and vibrant ideas into my teaching. Student engagement and their desire to come to class is on the rise. Collaboration between students on their art projects happens more. There’s the availability of rich and meaningful learning resources, it allows me to collaborate with staff members and other teachers in and outside my community of practice. Provides me with the opportunity of being able to communicate with parents in and out of school. Social media expands our thoughts and ideas and connect us to what is going on in the rest of the world.

Where the pedagogy is successful, social media can give learners reliable and interesting content, as well as opportunities to access expert advice, to encounter challenges, to defend their views and to amend their ideas in the face of criticism. (Innovating Pedagogy, 2016)

Potential challenges.

Students may not fully develop their communication skills when talking to someone face-to –face and not acknowledging when being greeted.

Students could stray from their tasks, distraction could become an issue in class.

Students may well spend more time on social media than required.

Cyber bullying if not monitored while on social media.

I could rely too much on social media.

Create conversations with adults that have other negative intentions.

Parents might worry that social media could dominate their child’s lives.

How has social media impacted on my Professional Learning Development?

Since attending Unitec TheMindlab course, I have been exposed to wonderful sites and applications. I have seen Twitter as a great tool for exploring a wide range of possible resources and materials, sharing ideas while building relationships and for ongoing professional growth through real-time chats. Being new to blogging I have found a connection with other educators, giving feedback on my blogs and giving me other ideas to think about. Facebook has given me easy access to connecting with my colleagues at any given time, and kept in the loop amongst my community of practice.

As I see it, since students are already using social media away from the classroom, integrating it into the classroom helps students learn best practices for social media and offers an interesting new twist on lessons.

References:

Education Council. (2012). Establishing safeguards. [Video file]. Retrieved 1^st March 2017 from https://vimeo.com/49216520 

InnovatingPedagogy, (2016). Exploring new forms of teaching, learning and assessment, to guide educators and policymakers. Retrieved 1^st March 2017 from https://app.themindlab.com/media/37597/view

Law & Ethics Influence on my Professional Practice

What is code of ethics?
“a public statement of ethical standards by (those) who fulfill public rather than private responsibilities.” (Hall, 2003)

Undoubtedly, we are living in the 21st century whereby the internet has enabled those of to have the ability to access limitless information right at our fingertips. Today, many of our students not only access the Internet through desktop and laptop computers at home or at school but also have numerous amounts of information at their fingertips via portable devices (e.g., iPods, iPads, smart phones). While more teachers welcome the increase technological world and look for ample ways to integrate digital literacy into our classrooms, many of us fear the idea of dealing with ethical issues should they arise.  

As an educator keeping up with 21st century skills, I have come accustomed to Facebook, a social networking site that makes it easy for you to connect and share with your family and friends online. I frequently visit the site so I have close connections with whanau, keeping them up to date on our lives and vice versa, collaborating with work colleagues and wishing them a happy birthday LOL and past students (that are mostly related). In actual fact it is a great social site that keeps everyone connected. However as a teacher I am reluctant on accepting friend requests from present students (and yes I do get heaps of them). 

We as educators have roles, responsibilities and should be committed to the profession. As stated Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers: Teachers will strive to advance the interests of the teaching profession through responsible ethical practice. (Education Council, n.d)

Teachers clearly need to differentiate between our own personal values and our professional obligations. 

Ethical decision-making is challenging because teachers are often required to resolve tensions when their professional Code of Ethics is applied.

When balancing principals, the ethical principles underlying the Education Council Code of Ethics do not stand in isolation. The four principles exist in a continuing relationship of tension as illustrated in the following diagram: 

(Education Council, nd)

                                                                 

So how do we as teachers make informed decisions when confronted with ethical problems?

One requirement is that we should recognize ethical problems when they occur and be capable of recognizing what is at risk. This is what Soltis (1986) refers to as raising teacher's ethical consciousness. A second requirement is the need for them to develop skills and strategies for exploring and solving those problems. Hall (2001)

By intentionally teaching ethics within a school context this will:

Help develop critical thinking skills

Focus on higher levels of Blooms’ taxonomy of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation

Assist learners in becoming critical consumers of technology

Facilitate the exploration of real world, authentic problems

Develop knowledge, skills, and judgement that can be used in both personal life and later in the workforce.

The process of making ethical decisions requires practice and is worthy of inclusion in both the pre-service education of teachers and their continuing professional development. 

Reference:

Education Council. (n.d). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/developing-code-of-professional-responsibility

Education Council. (n.d). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/ethical-decisions

Hall, A. (2003, March) Notes on A Code Of Ethics For New Zealand Registered Teachers. Paper presented at the New Zealand Teachers Council Education Summit, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.nzei.org.nz/NZEI/About-Us/Ethics

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

Week 28 Indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness in my practice.

My understanding of Indigenous knowledge and being cultural responsive in my practice is the local knowledge that is unique to a culture or society. As a teacher it’s about helping students develop an increase respect and understanding of others cultures and to make aware of the relationships between the people and their environment. I believe it’s about building relationships between students, their whanau, their whakapapa, their cultural identity and to be proud of who they are.
Relationships between teachers and students and between parents and teachers are often an impediment to good educational outcomes. (R. Bishop, M Berryman, C. Richardson, 2001)

So how does the school ensure its vision, mission and core values reflect cultural responsiveness?

In my practice as an art teacher in a rural, predominately Maori low decile school I believe the vision, mission and values work well in my teaching. Every morning as a whanau class we start our day with a karakia (prayer) our school motto and mission statement. This is a reminder for students that it determines the schools direction and reminds us what makes us successful. School wide success for akonga are affirmed through Te Reo O Ngati Porou as well as its culture and identity. The use of our Iwi, Marae, Hapu, Maunga and Moana are taught across the curriculum. It is strengthened in waiata, kapa haka and korero. Our local kaumatua share their knowledge through wananga and at school events.

What I would like to improve on is planning and assessment analysis of Year 9 and 10 data to provide more reliable information about how to modify my teaching practice, classroom programmes and learning pathways in response to students identified strengths and needs. I suppose we have already made a start as stated in my previous blog about implementing Teaching as Inquiry/ Inquiry Based Learning. Our senior syndicates’ goal this year is to look at improving understanding of IBL as teaching staff and the skills needed to develop these skills with our students. This will in turn answer the question- How do you use meaningful instructions that link to the students’ prior experience/backgrounds?

Reference:
Bishop, R., Berryman, M., and Richardson, C. (2001) Te Toi Huarewa. Effective Teaching and Learning Strategies. Wellington: Ministry of Education

Broader professional context

What trend or issue captivates my attention and why?

Design thinking/Teaching as Inquiry process

This trend is relevant to my practice as we are looking at implementing the inquiry process. We as teachers need to engage students in Design Thinking/Inquiry process which means learning more about collaboration and “slowing down to speed up”. It can also help us to empower our learners to be proactive when working with real-world complex problems. Working in a beautiful rural environment where we have 98% Maori students, innovation is not new and that challenging Māori to undertake activities that are inspired by something deep within their own iwi background, culture and experience is something they can connect with, be inspired by and be proud of. 

What the statistical data or resource tell about the identified trend or issue?

Design Thinking is a process that can support us to shift from improvement and reform approaches towards ways that encourage transformation and a “learning revolution” (Robinson, K, 2010).

Gathering evidence about student achievement serves two roles in a teaching inquiry. It helps to identify who the students are, what their learning needs are and which modifications to teaching and learning approaches might work best, against which you can monitor and measure the actual impact on different students, and adjust and adapt practice accordingly. (TKI, nd).

What responsibility do education systems have in teaching students about the potential changes and challenges the trend would bring?

Learning would improve if educators:

Encourage the consideration of existing practices and related issues from multiple perspectives.

Take a problem-based approach and encouraging a strong problem-solving approach.

Use a ground-up approach to reaching a people-focused goal ensuring that all staff have a say in their development needs.

Encourage the creation and testing of many potential ideas for solving problems rather than settling too early on “the right answer”.

Ensure the deep involvement and input of others including learners and their whanau.

Reference:
Robinson, K. (2010). Changing Education Paradigms. You Tube. 

TKI. (nd). Collecting Evidence. Retrieved 8 February 2017 from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Teaching-as-inquiry/Collecting-evidence.

Current issues in my professional context.

School culture:
Te Waha o Rerekohu Area School is situated in the rural township of Te Araroa on the East Coast, beneath Te Maunga o Whetumatarau. It caters for students in Years 1 to 13, 98% Maori.

As a teacher in an East Coast rural school I am very passionate about my job. I am greeted with a beautiful coastal view where the sun rises in the east shining over our coastal waters. The school itself has the biggest Pohutukawa tree in New Zealand. We are an Area school where primary and secondary are on the one site, along with an immersion unit. Students travel a fair distance to get to school and some are up as early as 5.30am to get ready for their day. Our school has a decile rating of 1. Our Principal of 4 years has been offered a new job and so we have our DP standing in as Acting Principal until the Board of trustees appoints another in the term. The term has started with a bang where orientation week was a blast, getting students engaged in outdoor activities such as kayaking, surfing, swimming etc.. Setting the tone is is just as important 

The existing school community has been consistent over the last five years with just a handful of new families moving into the district. As well we have a lot of transient students. Some are sent to live with other family members. Sad to say some had not attended school and are sent to relatives to get back on track with their education. Again I am very passionate about my job (new challenges).
The school has a warm environment where parents/visitors can walk in and be greeted in our newly refurbished administration block. Whakawhanaungatanga is what its about. Mixing with others, annual whanau sport day, and every student looking out for one another.

Teaching culture:
The school’s curriculum is aligned to The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. It is designed to reflect the school’s context and Ngāti Poroutanga, which links to the schools vision and values.
In the secondary school a broader range of options is offered in Years 11 to 13. A strong partnership has been developed between the school and a trades academy, situated in Gisborne, two hours away where students attend weekly sessions. The combination of the trades academy and NCEA credits ensures students experience success in a range of meaningful ways. Quality teaching practices include positive interactions and relationships between students and teachers, and among students the use of a range of effective teaching strategies to engage students in learning and strong tuakana/teina support. Positive change to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement is occurring through the provision of focused and appropriate professional learning and development
All staff were required to attend the Mindlab PLD which in tow moves us towards focusing on our pedagogy style- Collaborative learning and teaching, using community resources, 21st century skills.

A positive culture permeates the school environment. Students are settled and willing to learn, friendly and respectful. Whānau support and participate in cultural, sporting and outdoor activities. As I refer to panel 2 below I see our school and teaching culture encompasses all of these. The norms of improving schools are interconnected and feed off each other. They do not just represent a snapshot of an effective school. They focus on fundamental issues of how people relate to and value each other. Stoll and Fink (1996)

Panel 2
Norms of Improving Schools
1. Shared goals—“we know where we’re going”
2. Responsibility for success—“we must succeed”
3. Collegiality—“we’re working on this together”
4. Continuous improvement—“we can get better”
5. Lifelong learning—“learning is for everyone”
6. Risk taking—“we learn by trying something new”
7. Support—“there’s always someone there to help”
8. Mutual respect—“everyone has something to offer”
9. Openness—“we can discuss our differences”
10. Celebration and humour—“we feel good about ourselves”
 Stoll and Fink (1996)

As a teacher I feel confident in my practice as the passion is a driving force that gets me here everyday. I came from a Primary teaching degree and after years doing that and loving it, I felt I needed a change and so I made the decision to move into Secondary teaching. Needless to say I still miss the babies but also enjoy the challenge of older students and learning and teaching NCEA Visual Art.

Organisational Culture:
Because of our Professional development and ever changing environment in the school structure we aim to move with the times. As a school we always look towards improving ways to best meet the developing and achievements of all students. Programs are developed for those who have learning difficulties and those who need to be challenged, but also for those who are settling into their new school environment.  It is important we develop  the school culture so we can cater and meet the needs of all our students and the community so that they can feel valued and achieve success and we know as teachers, we are doing our job.                      

References:
Stoll, L., & Fink, D. (1996). Changing our schools: Linking school effectiveness and school improvement. Buckingham: Open University Press.