A key change in my professional practice!

In this reflection, I will be using 'Rolfe's model of reflection' to reflect on my Mind Lab journey over the past 32 weeks and critically evaluate one key change in my practice.

What?

The changes that I have begun to make for the last 32 weeks of my Mind Lab adventures are around my teaching pedagogy.  The explicit teaching of  21st century skills (or key competencies), and more specially using growth mindset (follow this link to view my teacher inquiry) teaching to raise achievement.  

These changes relate to my requirements at a teacher to meet the “Standards in the Teaching Profession” and in particular, standard 6 - Teaching;

Use an increasing repertoire of teaching strategies, approaches, learning activities, technologies and assessment for learning strategies and modify these in response to the needs of individuals and groups of learners. 

Provide opportunities and support for learners to engage with, practise and apply learning to different contexts and make connections with prior learning. 

Teach in ways that enable learners to learn from one another, to collaborate, to self-regulate and to develop agency over their learning.

So what?

I have used the "Reflective Practice Cycle for Educators" to critically evaluate this change in my practice.

Stage 1: Problem identification

I was driven to these changes by a desire to provide a learning for my year 1 and 2 learner that meet their needs, as learners from low socio-economic whanau. I believe it is important to teach our learners how to learn, to best support them to be successful, in life and in school.

In my teaching inquiry I wrote; 

Children from low socioeconomic families, like the learners I teach, are exposed to prolonged stress. Thompson writes, “the biological effects of stress undermine the ability of children to focus on their own thinking” (p. 44). When they are faced with challenges in their learning, they become disengaged, as they are unable to identify the strategies needed to continue learning. This adaptive response serves them poorly in school, where they much concentrate and cooperate to do well. However, the plasticity of child’s developing brain is an opportunity for these ways of thinking to be buffered or reversed when intervention happens early in a child’s development. 

Stage 2: Observation and analysis

Throughout this year I observed: 

Some learners (year 1 and 2)… 

• Become actively disengaged when faced with challenging learning (disruptive behaviours, avoidance strategies) 
• Are unable to select appropriate strategies to solve learning problems independently
• According to the ITL learning rubrics my learners mostly play alongside each other, sometimes cooperatively and they rarely play collaboratively (Microsoft, 2015)
• Come from low socio economic families

Some whanau… 

• Engaged positively with the implementation of Class Dojo with an uptake of (80% in the junior school)
• Would like their heritage languages and cultures to be acknowledged in the classroom
• Welcomed the introduction of play-based learning (evidenced by their positive verbal comments)

Stage 3: Abstract re conceptualisation

The learning theory that I found useful was the work of growth mindset guru, Carol Dewek. The core belief of Carol Dweck’s growth mindset, that a person who holds a growth mindset sees intelligence as changeable, that through hard work, dedication and time, new talents can be learnt and intellect can be expanded. 

Stage 4: Active experimentation

A new strategy that I have experimented with in my classroom this term is the use of picture books and videos to begin classroom discussion about growth mindset thinking. This has begun to create a shared language in our class about how we learn. 

We began our learning journey as a class this term by reading "My Fantastic Elastic Brain" by JoAnne Deak. This picture book teaches children that they have the ability to stretch and grow their own brains.

Now what?

Next year, I am going on an adventure with play-based learning in a new entrant class. Seagal Education shares that through play children are better able to understand abstract concepts, like growth mindset. The teacher plays a vital role in facilitating play that instills a growth mindset. I am looking forward to continuing my inquiry into teaching 21st century skills, like growth mindset thinking through play! 

Kia Kaha! 

Indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness!

In this reflection, I will be using 'Rolfe's model of reflection' to discuss my understanding of indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness. I will critically evaluate how my practice has been informed by indigenous knowledge and culturally responsive pedagogy. 

What? 

Being a culturally responsive teacher means viewing students strengths not their deficits, spending the time to get to know our learners and celebrate their all the experiences and knowledge that they bring to the classroom. In New Zealand, the disparity in achievement between maori and non-maori learners is vast. A non-culturally responsive teacher would see maori as the problem. A culturally responsive teachers see the barriers to learning, such as the environment, attitudes and school as problems. 

So what? 

I have critically evaluated my practice against the "Mauri" model. Mauro model is made up of three different states of being, Mauri Moe (being dead or asleep), Mauri Oho (being proactive or being awoken) and Mauri Ora (being actively engaged). 

The learning activities that I design for my learners sit within the Mauri Moe state, as they are largely based on stories and experiences that draw on my own "pakeha knowledge". I find creating activities that are draw on the cultural and indigenous knowledge of my learners challenging as they have life experiences and identities that are different from my pakeha world view. It is a learning journey. 

The goals, or expectations, that I have for my learners are sit within the Mauri Ora state of being, as they the same expectations that I have for all my learners. Expectations that is rooted in growth mindset thinking. That all learners can achieve success, in school and in life. 

Now what? 

My next step towards drawing on the indigenous knowledge of my learners it to open the lines of communication between school and our whanau. I think that the use of digital technology, using apps like Class Dojo, have the potential to remove some the barriers for our whanau. Engaging our whanau in the learning journey of their tamariki, allow for indigenous knowledge to be shared between whanau and school.Using the indigenous knowledge of the whanau in my school, I would be able to create learning experiences that celebrate the kete's of knowledge and experiences my learners bring to the classroom.

The beginning of this culturally responsive journey was to use Class Dojo to reach out to our whanau as part of our inquiry. As a school, this term we are learning about celebration foods. Using Class Dojo, I asked our whanau for recipes that they make as a part of a celebration, drawing on their indigenous knowledge. I received a range of recipes from the different cultures represented in my class, including on whanau who shared their Papa's Steamed Hangi recipe. They took photographs of the cooking process, brought in Steamed Hangi and talked to the class about the language surrounding Tongan celebrations.

Contemporary trends in education!

This week we were asked to examine a contemporary trend in New Zealand education using Rolfe's model of reflection.

What? 

The impact of digital learning, is the trend that I have chosen to look at. We were required to read the article Addressing Current and Future Challenges in Education Bill Dagget, from 2014, to identify "trends" that we will be facing in the next 2 years of our teaching practice. So here at the end of 2018, I can safely say digital learning is here and we have been living it for quite some time. The articles shares that as digital natives our learners know how to, communicate, collaborate, and solve problems using digital technology. Our kids are digital natives, they were born into a world filled with digital devices. The article shares that as teachers, it doesn't make sense for our learners to be coming to school to "power down" from their devices. 

So what? 

I think "digital learning" is arguably a trend we all should to have moved on from. Digital learning, is here. It's is constantly adapting, and bringing forward new trends and revealing the consequences of its presence on teaching and learning, and our lives. Bill Dagget's statement about digital natives being competent communicators, collaborators and problem solvers is simply not the truth for my learners. I see they communicating less and collaborating less, and having less experiences that develop the grit it takes to solve problems. These 21st century skills need explicit teaching. Bill Dagget's research shows that our learners are being exposed to technology from an increasingly younger age. 

Now what? 

Digital technology, is a trend that has been addressed at a local level for many years. As an example, the school where I teach has been using digital devices from year 5 up 1:1 for the past 7 years. As of this year, this trend has begun to be addressed at a national level by the introduction of the new digital technology curriculum that will be implement in all New Zealand schools from 2019. 

I think that the negative influences of this trend, have made way for a opposing trend in education in New Zealand. As our learners are spending and increasing amount of there time looking at devices from a younger age there has been a movement in junior classrooms towards a play-based learning approach, where learners come to school to "power down" and learn through hands on experiences and relationships. Play based learning develops our learners communication, collaboration and problem solving skills. 

Kia Kaha! 

Social media and the classroom!

I have used Jay and Johnson’s Model of reflective practice to structure this reflection (of describe, compare and critically reflect. 

Step 1 (Descriptive stage): The social media tools that I have used in my teaching practice range from using Google Docs to collaborate and share, getting inspiration from Pinterest, scrolling Twitter, connecting with families using Class Dojo and many more. This term I have experimented with the use of Class Dojo to engage with whanau. Here are some quick screenshot of some of the interactions that have been taking place using Class Dojo. 

Step 2 (Comparative stage): Social media can be used for a range of different purposes in the classroom. I am interested in how it can be used to connect with parents. Pakuranga Colleges’ Rosin Lamb, talks about the way that her school uses social media to connect with their parents. She shares that an awareness of the audience is important. My audience, the whanau, in my classroom are largely english second language and therefore social media that is rich in videos and photographs will be easiest for them to interact with. For whanau, it is important that social media is quick, easy and free. It needs to be accessed on a Smartphone, without using great amounts of data. Embracing Social Media (Magette, 2014), shares the importance of social media tools being free, accessible and easy to use by parents; Class Dojo fits into this category. Teachers are able to partner with parents by opening up communication. Magette (2014), suggests that teacher needs to use strategies that are going to get the most views and interactions from parents. A strategy such as using photographs (or handwritten signs held by children) rather than typed posts is proven to get more interaction from parents. Kathy Cassidy, a primary school teacher, uses social media to share her children’s learning using voice recordings, photographs and videos to share their learning with the world. 

Step 3 (critical reflection): Looking forward to next year, what I have read has confirmed what I already knew to be truth about social media and they way that it can be used within the classroom to communicate with whanau and share my students learning. I hadn’t thought about adapting the way that I use social media to fit with my audience, our school whanau. I am interested to learn ways in which I can effectively use social media to connect with whanau who largely only have access to smartphones and speak english as a second language.. 

Does anyone have any tips on how to connect with whanau using social media? 

Ethics and the online world!

I've used Rolfe’s model to reflect on the situation raised in this short video, where a teacher shares photographs of her learners in a public blog, when parental consent has only been given to take photographs of the children for “learning purposes”.

I will unpack this ethical dilemma using Ehrich et al. (2011) framework. 

The framework begin by looking at the competing forces, each which impact on the decision making with their own bias. Firstly, from a legal perspective, there is no guarantee of confidentiality or security when posting photographs in a public space. To post a students photograph online, requires consent. The consent that was provided by the whanau only cover photographs being taken for learning purposes, therefore not giving permission to share photographs publicly online. Secondly, the institutional context of schooling is to best prepare students for the future. These photographs become an electronic footprint, that last forever. School need to consider the standard of the material that is published online, a funny photograph may look amusing now but may be embarrassing to the student in the future. 

It is obvious that the teacher is enthusiastic about sharing the learning that is taking pace in her classroom with her learners whanau. She believes that sharing these images in covered by the “learning purposes” consent that her parents have signed. Although she has not been transparent with her whanau about what “learning purposes” means to her, leaving them feeling surprised when they saw their children’s photographs on the school website. 

Formally, action needs to be taken to ensure that the organisation has clear policies around the use of photographs to protect the privacy of their students. The teacher needs to remove the photographs from the school website and make contact with the whanau requesting their consent to share photographs in this way. In the future, the school could share photographs and learning stories with parents using a digital tool, like Story Park, See Saw or Class Dojo. The school would need to gain consent before sharing photographs and provide whanau with unique codes to view their child’s photographs and learning stories.When sharing photographs in a public space, like a school website, a question that can be asked in the photographs served by student identification? Could the student’s faces be edited in such a way that will allow the activity to recorded in a digitally without identifying any of the students.

This decision is relevant to my practice as I think that as teachers it is our role to create a safe environment for our learners to grow to become their best selves. This safe space, extends to the way that we share our children’s learning online. 

This decision is relevant to the Code of Professional Responsibility writes that as teachers we are committed to upholding the reputation of the teaching profession and maintaining the trust and confidence of their families, whanau and the public. Specifically, as teachers we are committed to engaging our whanau in our students learning journeys while protecting them from the harm. I believe this makes the use of digital tools, such as Story Park, See Saw and Class Dojo ethical choices. 

This decision is relevant to the Standards for the Teaching Profession as this choice embodies the value of Manaakitanga, by creating a learning environment that treats everyone with respect and dignity.

Any thoughts on the best ways to use digital tools in an ethical way? 

Kia Kaha!