Week 27: Activity 3 - Contemporary Issues or Trends In New Zealand or Internationally

Pause for Thought!

The fact that we are now a ‘connected world’, in the sense that we can access people and places on the other side of the world within seconds, we are truly a ‘global village’.  Sir Ken Robinson’s presentation was thought provoking.  So much to think about.

Here in New Zealand, we see trends and issues in education emerging more and more.  On reflection, maybe it is just that I am more aware of them now as I am not the same teacher that I was at the beginning of this MindLab journey!

Core Education’s Ten Trends 2016 show what they consider to be areas of change and trends relating to digital technologies that influence aspects of education.  These are the trends they expect will make an impact in New Zealand in 2016.  

(image from Core Education Trends)

Equitable Access

Technology is everywhere these days, and most people have access to some degree or another.  However, actually having access to the internet at home for learning purposes, partnered with a device to do so, is another matter altogether.  

One of Core’s Ten Trends is Equitable Access, which they describe as the ‘digital divide’ or ‘digital inequality.  What impact does this have on those within our education system?  This is about a learner’s access to digital devices, whether that is at home or at school.   This would particularly have an impact when we are talking about flipped classrooms, where students access learning at home and then continue with discussions and collaborative activities in class.  To take part in this type of learning, a device and access to the internet is essential.  

My school has a Senior ICT Club in the IT Suite on a Monday at interval, whereby students from Years 4-6 can come in and enjoy some free time on devices, complete work begun in classes or access something they could not from home that is related to their learning.  At the beginning, all students were on games - now I see more students using Google Slides, Google Docs or watching a Youtube clip (checked by me first of course) related to something they are keenly interested in.  We are thinking of opening the suite before school every morning to accommodate more of our students and ensure they have as much access as we can give them at the moment.  

Perhaps schools or organisations will lease devices (with discounted broadband?) to families so that multiple students within that family can share them for learning purposes in the home.  Maybe this already happens at some schools, although not widespread and would be complicated indeed.  Who knows what the future will bring?

The Move to Innovative Learning Environments (ILEs)

This is another trend/issue that is sweeping the country - many other countries are much further down that road.  With the push for more personalised learning, ie. ensuring the education system is built around the learner, ILEs are emerging nationwide.  One challenge is ensuring the teachers and students are ready for this change in the way teaching and learning takes place.  Teachers need appropriate professional development and support to ensure the shift in pedagogy that is needed.

My school is beginning our ILE journey.  So many possibilities and opportunities, yet a daunting road for some and that needs to be remembered.  Sharing my Mindlab journey is one way that I can help share the bigger picture with my community of practice.  Changing student agency, even if it is little by little, is a good beginning for some.  Understanding the ‘why’ and then letting a little bit of that control go is a big step for some.  Sharing that big picture ‘stuff’ is important so that they see the reason for change and why we are doing our students a disservice if we do not change our approach to, and idea of, teaching itself.   

As a leadership team, we have looked at a number of other schools, listened to leaders and talked to students, read the research and talked to many who have been down that path.

Our turn is coming!

Jackie

Reference List

The RSA.(2010, Oct 14). RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U.

Core Education.  CORE Education's Ten Trends 2014, 2015 (2014,2015). Core-ed.org. Retrieved from http://www.core-ed.org/thought-leadership/ten-trends

Week 26: Activity 2 - My Professional Community

(Tagul image created by J.Barrett, 22/5/16)

Many people comment on the behaviour of our Westbrook School students when they are out in the public forum, whether it be swimming lessons at the local pool, or school sports days and interschool exchanges.  Our students have a code of behaviour that is a collective expectation, regardless of which staff member you talk to.  

Whanaungatanga - We are family.

Respect - I care about myself, other people and our world.

Responsibility - I am responsible for all that I say and do.

Initiative - I think for myself and take positive actions.

Excellence - I will be the best me I can be.

We call this value system ‘The Westbrook Way’, as I mentioned in my first blog entry, and it comprises the school’s five values which are reinforced from a student’s very first day at school.  Dr Kent T. Peterson (1999), states that the type of comments mentioned above from ‘outsiders’ help to make up the ‘persona of the school’, as it is the school’s underlying values and principles that have set this school culture.  Our students are very proud of their school and the culture that exists within it.  They feel an ownership that relates back to how our values make them feel, and they can tell visitors what each value feels, sounds and looks like.  It is very much as Mark Wilson says in the video Building A Culture of Success, that it (the culture) ‘echoes in the hallways’ once it is firmly embedded.

This value system was set in place long before I came here, through staff and management sitting down and agreeing on a shared vision of what they wanted the school to ‘feel’ and look like in the future.  My part now is to continue to foster that vision by ensuring the students have these values in the forefront of their daily interactions with others.  

This is essentially the organisational culture of our school, and the way in which I contribute to fostering a positive professional environment in my community of practice is by modelling these values when interacting with students, my colleagues, and our school community as a whole.

As for issues in my community of practice in general, currently they are numerous.  How teachers cope with workload, National Standards and a lack of resources, to name a few.  However, the change in teacher pedagogy required to ensure our students are equipped for the ‘knowledge age’ and future-oriented learning (Bolstad, R., Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012), is what is ‘on top’ for me.  

Our school is at the beginning of the journey that will take us from single cell classrooms and its inherent ‘old style’ teacher pedagogy, to the innovative learning environments and practices that ensure our students can communicate and collaborate effectively for tomorrow’s world.  For some teachers this is an exciting time in education, one filled with possibilities and opportunities.  For others, all the talk of ILE’s and having to change their pedagogy and therefore mindset, is a massive undertaking and one that is scary indeed.  

Upon reflection, I know that my community of practice cannot shift the mindset for all teachers.  However, we can facilitate the change by helping teachers to realise that we need to build our education system and the curriculum around the learner, instead of the learner having to fit into the system (Bolstad et al, 2012).

As a classroom teacher, I can do this by sharing my Mindlab journey with my teaching colleagues, whether it be be in an informal setting across a cup of coffee, helping to facilitate a staff meeting or running workshops for teachers on some of the digital innovations we have covered throughout this journey.  

As a team leader in the school, I can step forward and take on roles that will help support, encourage and scaffold the way forward for others.  

Reference List

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

Deal, T. E., & Peterson, K. D. (1999). Shaping school culture: The heart of leadership. Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers, 350 Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA 94104.

TEdEd(2013, Jun 21). Building a culture of success - Mark Wilson. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_8Bjz-OCD8

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Week 25: Activity 1 - My Community of Practice

Creative Commons Image

...."Maybe reflective practices offer us a way of trying to make sense of the uncertainty in our workplaces and the courage to work competently and ethically at the edge of order and chaos...." (Ghaye, 2000, p7).

Many years of working in varied office based professions led to the certainty that I did not want to be in an office for the rest of my working life.  After having two children and spending their formative years at home, I finally took the plunge into teacher training.  That is where my adventure into the education sector began….

When thinking about my ‘Community of practice’ with reference to Wenger’s (2000) definition, the broader community I belong to is the teaching profession as a whole, and my immediate teaching colleagues at Westbrook School in a more specific sense.  We share a professional and collegial relationship where we share and collaborate on a regular basis.  Jurasaite-Harbison & Rex (2010) state this can be over a coffee in the staffroom or other informal exchanges.  

Being a Senior Teacher, I am part of the Senior Leadership Team within our school.   I am a member of the Literacy and ICT professional learning groups (PLGs) within the school.  My passion for digital technologies has led me to join Mindlab and Connected Rotorua respectively.  My involvement in these communities covers Wenger’s (2000) Modes of Belonging of engagement, imagination and alignment, and a nice balance of all three exists for me.

What is the purpose and function of your practice?

The purpose and function of my practice is to facilitate learning that ensures my students achieve their potential, whilst creating a relationship with them that establishes an environment of safety and self-worth.  James Comer (1995) puts it well: “No significant learning takes place without a significant relationship”.  I have always believed this to be the most important part of my practice.

In what ways do you contribute to the community of your practice?

I contribute by meeting teachers at a team and/or school level, regularly to discuss how to best serve our learners and their individual needs. As part of the ICT PLG, I assist in helping to run staff meetings and workshops to better enable our staff to achieve their goals in this regard.  My role as a leader within the school enables me to help this community to continue to develop.

What are the core values that underpin your profession?  Evaluate your practice with regard to these values.

The core values underpinning the profession of teaching vary according to whom you ask.  The Practicing Teacher Criteria list the professional values expected of a New Zealand registered teacher.

Our school core values are Respect, Responsibility, Excellence, Initiative and Whanaungatanga.  For us, this is what we call the ‘Westbrook Way’, and the students are encouraged to consciously think about these values on a daily basis.  Part of my practice involves spending time each day talking about these values and what they look, feel and sound like in action.

For me, the biggest value is human worth and the belief that everyone deserves to be treated as a being of inherent potential and worth.  The relationship I build with my students and their whanau (and theirs with me) is paramount.  If a child is happy, feels safe and knows that what they have to say is valued, then learning can take place.  Our class is an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated, well-being is valued and taking risks in learning is encouraged and supported.  

Having respect for yourself, those around you, and for your environment is part of being a successful member of all communities.  Part of my practice involves reflecting on how I can help my students to improve their self-esteem and build the confidence they need to be in a position to respect themselves.  Modelling this for the students is important, and giving respect before expecting it to be returned is part of my practice.  Yes, they have to respect the role of the teacher, but to show true respect means they have to have received it first to enable them to recognise it.    

Reference List

Comer, J. (1995). Lecture given at Education Service Center, Region IV. Houston, TX.

Education Council of New Zealand, retrieved from

https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/practising-teacher-criteria-0#h3

Ghaye, T., Lillyman, S., & Gillespie, D. (Eds.). (2000). Empowerment through reflection: The narratives of healthcare professionals. Quay Books.

Jurasaite-Harbison, E., & Rex, L. (2010). School Cultures as Contexts for Informal Teacher Learning. Teaching and Teacher Education,26(2), 267-277.

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