Paula Jamieson
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  Paula Jamieson

Mindlab reflections

CISC 8100Applied Practice in Context

Week 32: Changes in Practice and Future Plans

30/3/2018

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This week I am going to reflect on a change in my practice using Rolfe’s (2001) model of reflection and the Cycle of Experiential Learning, recommended by Osterman and Kottkamp (2015, p.70) 
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Step 1 (What): one key change in my professional practice

In a New Zealand education context the Ministry of Education (nd.) has a set criteria for Standards for the Teaching Profession. Of the 6 standards, Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership, Professional Learning, Professional Relationships, Learning-focused Culture, Design for Learning and Teaching. I feel I have had the most growth relating to the standard of  
     
Professional learning - Use inquiry, collaborative problem-solving and professional  
     learning to improve professional capability to impact on the learning and achievement
​     of all learners.

​Specifically my key change relates to the depth and quality of my reflective practise. 

Step 2 (Now what): Evaluate the identified change

Stage 1: Problem identification

​Osterman and Kottkamp (1993) contrast the traditional approach of professional development by outside experts delivering workshops for schools with a reflective practice model. They suggest the traditional approach results in knowledge acquisition whereas reflective practice can lead to change in behaviors via self-awareness. ​

I feel have always been a reflective practitioner but while completing this course came to the realisation that outwardly, in a digital sense (online)  I merely 'list' what has happened rather than critique, question and analyse.

Scales (2013) states
"The most inadequate reflections are those which merely describe what happened in a teaching and learning session. On its own, this is of no value. But it is a start."

Stage 2: Observation and analysis

During the Mindlab course, I gathered data through critical reflections on this blog and through discussions with colleagues as well as engaging in the Google+ forum and through social networking platforms (Twitter and Facebook groups).   While gathering this data I began to realise that some of my previous reflections were not backed up with any research or depth, they were in fact very superficial.

Stage 3: Abstract re conceptualization

While researching and reading about reflective practices I came across the work of Donald SchoÈn (1983) cited in Scales (2013), who developed the notions of reflection in action and reflection on action. I particularly like this way of thinking about reflection as it's about 'thinking on your feet' and adapting a lesson to best suit the situation, yet it still considers the reflective process after the fact when you actually have time to 'mull it over'.
​See Figure 1.2 below.
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Stage 4: Active experimentation

I have began to incorporate the above reflective model into both the planning of my Makerspace lessons and into the reflection time afterwards, both personal and online. This has had a two fold effect, adding depth to the quality of my lessons and building teacher capacity (which is my goal) of those than interact with my Makerspace blog, in turn I am also building valuable relationships through this community of learners.

Step 3 (What next) Share your next plan(s) regarding your future professional development or your future practice.

In the future I would like to continue to explore the Maker Movement in more depth as this course has afforded me the opportunity to now have the research and understanding to back up the implementation of this movement across our Kura. With the new understanding of what is quality reflective practise I will be able to make a greater impact on both our learners and the educators who follow my blog.

After being prompted by the Week 31: Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness
task I have also began a Te Reo Level 2 Certificate to enhance my knowledge of Te Reo and tikanga Maori. 

As I constantly strive to grow my professional practise I am left reflecting on the statement by Scales (2013)
"Finally, and most importantly, reflective practice is the key to improvement. If we don't think about, analyse and evaluate our professional practice we cannot improve."

References:

Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R.(1993). Reflective Practice for Educators.  California.  Corwin Press, Inc. Retrieved on 7th May, 2015 from http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files.

Osterman, K. F., & Kottkamp, R. B. (2015). Reflective practice for educators : professional development to improve student learning.(2nd ed.) New York: Skyhorse Publishing.
​
Ministry of Education (nd). Our code, our standards. Retrieved from 
https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/our-code-our-standards

Scales, P. (2013). Teaching in the lifelong learning sector. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill/Open University Press.
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Week 31:  Indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness in my practice

11/3/2018

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This week I will consider and reflect on indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness in my practice. 

Step one (what)
Culturally responsive pedagogy is a student-centered approach to teaching in which the students’ unique cultural beliefs and strengths are identified and nurtured to promote a sense of self worth. While ensuring the learner identifies with their cultural 'place' in the world, this has a two fold effect by not only raising the child's 'mana' but also raising student achievement. I resonate with the research by  Gay (2001, p.106) who states that culturally responsive pedagogy is defined by  “using the cultural characteristics, experiences and perspectives as conduits for effective teaching”.  When an educator is able to harness what the student relates to through their own cultural identity and connect it to what is being taught the learner feels valued and the learning is more meaningful to them.

I believe quality teaching and learning for ALL hinges on relationships. Bishop (2009) discusses the importance of whakawhanaungatanga and whanaungatanga; that is, the process of establishing relationships and the quality of the relationships that are established. Hattie (2003) also concluded that it is not socio-economic differences that have the greatest impact on Maori students achievement. He suggests that "the evidence is pointing more to the relationships between teachers and Maori students as the major issue" (p.7) 

I will consider how my kura's practice has been informed by indigenous knowledge and culturally responsive pedagogy in two areas: Vision, mission and core values and School-wide Activities.
Step 2: (now what)
Our school's vision encapsulates a 'Know me before you teach me' philosophy and our core values reflect the commitment to ensure Maori students reach their full potential. Tane Bennett (Deputy Principal) best sums this up in the video link below when he states "the culture of the child can not enter the classroom until it enters the consciousness of the teacher". This video also shares our school wide delivery of Te Reo via our Radio Station, where every learner regardless of ethnicity is taught to speak Te Reo from the day they start school, this programme has been recognised nationally.  
Using Milne’s presentation (CORE Education, 2017) and action continuum as a reflective tool I would place our kura between the green and red stages by which “indigenous and culturally centred structures and practises are embedded but still colonial” and where Maori achieving as Maori is normalised. I believe our leadership, policy and pedagogy sits strongly embedded in the red stage but in reality several teachers are held back by their fluency of Te Reo and their understandings of Tikanga, where it is often easier to slip back into the “Pakeha comfort zone”.
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Step 3 (What next)
We currently have 12 teachers, including myself who are committed to completing our level 2 certificate in Te Reo so this is going someway to addressing the confidence of teachers to  ensure Te Reo is normalised across the kura. 
​
I do feel though that while focussing on our Maori students we may be doing other ethnicities a disservice, we still need to challenge our "white definitions and structures" in terms of how we teach and acknowledge other ethnicities   In past years we have had a 'cultural week' where we acknowledge Pacifica or our Indian community but I feel this is tokenism, we need to ensure we cater for these students to the same level as our Pakeha and Maori students.  Perhaps it is time our radio station evolves to become multi national?

 

References

Bishop, R., et al., Te Kotahitanga: Addressing educational disparities facing Maori students in New Zealand, Teaching and Teacher Education (2009), doi:10.1016/j.tate.2009.01.009 

Hattie, J. (2003). New Zealand education snapshot. Paper presented at the Knowledge Wave 2003: The leadership forum, Auckland.

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

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Week 30: The Broader professional context - Contemporary trend in New Zealand or internationally

10/3/2018

4 Comments

 
This week I am going to reflect on a contemporary trend in both New Zealand and Internationally and use Rolfe’s (2001) model of reflection as a scaffold. 

Since 2007 I have followed CORE Education's research and innovation 'Ten Trends' 

"Each year, CORE Education’s experienced staff of researchers, educators, and digital technology experts pool their expertise and combine their understanding and evidence of the ways that digital technologies are influencing all aspects of education. The result is CORE’s list of the ten trends that are expected to make a growing impact upon education in New Zealand in the coming year."

I will use the 2018 Ten Trends model to direct and support my reflection.
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Step 1 (What): Currently the trend 'STEM'  captivates my attention. There is currently rapid growing interest in programmes targeting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM), which focus on educators and others looking at preparing students for jobs in the future. I facilitate a dedicated Makerspace where STEM/STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics is at the core of student learning. The science purists tend to frown on the arts being embedded but I believe all of these disciplines draw on design as well as creative concepts and the arts should sit seamlessly with them. I also run our Makerspace differently as the challenges and passion projects are ignited by the use of a picture book, my initial research into the maker movement found significant negative critique relating to the growth of making and demise of reading and literacy skills so I developed a way of fostering and nurturing both. 

Step 2 (So What): As stated within the Ten Trends resource "The critical thing about STEM education is that it is intended to be an interdisciplinary curriculum. Rather than teach these four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates into “interdependent” learning units based on real-world applications". In a Makerspace the lines often blur within a challenge station, for example I run 4 or 5 challenge stations in every session, where the students choose their station but rather than these just being standalone Science, Technology, Engineering, Art or Maths, they may in fact be a Science station with an Art infusion or an Engineering station where building and mathematics play an integral role.

See below for an example of a Science experiment adapted to produce stunning pieces of Art that while producing, students not only learnt the concept of 'change and reaction' but also took it to another level by gaining an awareness and understanding that art is a process of exploring ideas and using a variety of skills, techniques and media while persevering to create a quality finished product for an audience to appreciate.
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Visit my Makerspace reflective blog, Whare Waihanga for more authentic examples 
http://www.takpmakerspace.co.nz/blog
This integration into 'interdependent' learning units changes the way that teachers have previously looked at the curriculum which was subjects in isolation, this will pose a challenge to many teachers. Those that grasped the previous trend of curriculum integration, as discussed by Fraser and Deane (2010), will be better equipped for this change.
Step 3 (Now What): Although the Maker movement and STEM and STEAM appear to be just taking hold in Aotearoa, when reviewing Dale Dougherty’s (widely considered the father of the maker movement) timeline it has clearly been established and embraced across the United States of America much earlier (see diagram below).  
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Roffey, Sverko and Therien (2016) on both their website and the accompanying guide go into depth with practical support and strategies for educators embarking on the journey of developing and implementing a Makerspace and the concepts of STEM and STEAM.

The newly introduced Digital Technologies Curriculum (2017) will go someway to addressing the infusion of technology into the classroom but I believe this still needs to be adapted to address this trend. It is important that educators in New Zealand working with and in environments fostering STEM and STEAM share their knowledge, experiences and resources to better equip our own teachers and as a result better prepare our students for their futures.

References


Core Education. Ten Trends 2018. Retrieved 11 March, 2018. http://core-ed.org/research-and-innovation/ten-trends/2017/

Fraser, D., & Deane, P. (2010). Making a difference: Agents of change through curriculum integration. set: Research Information for Teachers, 3, 10–14.

​Jamieson, P. (2017).  Whare Waihanga - Makerspace. Website 
http://www.takpmakerspace.co.nz/blog

Minstry of Education. (2017).  Digital Technologies. Retrieved 11 March, 2018. 
https://education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Ministry/consultations/DT-consultation/DTCP1701-Digital-Technologies-Hangarau-Matihiko-ENG.pdf

Roffey, Sverko and Therien (2016).  The Making of a Makerspace: Pedagogical and Physical Transformations of teaching and Learning. Retrieved, 4 February, 2018. http://www.makerspaceforeducation.com/uploads/4/1/6/4/41640463/makerspace_for_education_curriculum_guide.pdf

​Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical Reflection Model. Retrieved from: https://my.cumbria.ac.uk/media/MyCumbria/Documents/ReflectiveModelRolfe.pdf


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Week 29: professional online social networks

3/3/2018

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For the purpose of this reflection I will be using Gibbs' Reflective Model, as cited in Dye (2011, p. 230). This model has some similarities with the Teaching-as-Inquiry model from the Ministry of Education (2009). 
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Description

I have used social media tools extensively in my teaching practise and as a professional development tool, this includes a range of blogging platforms (Class Blogmeister, Blogger, Weebly and Wordpress) as well as Facebook and Twitter. Twitter has become my social media tool of choice for professional development.

Feelings

Over the years I have built up a meaningful collaborative network with ground breaking and innovative educators and I find that the power of hashtags throughout global conferences and events that many of these educators keynote at, enables me to 'attend' virtually and to have an insight into the content shared and this provides new learning opportunities for me. I feel connected and can comment and contribute even though I am remotely situated. This feature could benefit teaching and learning across Aotearoa as our geographical position is no longer a barrier to accessing high quality professional learning and rigorous critique and conversation. Twitter also provides me with an insight into global trends and technological advances.

Evaluation

In  the “Using Social Media in the Classroom” (2013) video, Kathy Cassidy shared how she uses social media in a classroom. I particularly related to her comments about Twitter and how this platform enabled her learners to consider what was the same and what was different about classrooms around the globe. I wonder how many teachers have considered using Social media as a way to teach empathy?  

Analysis

I have used blogging platforms for sharing students work and progress and as a platform to share my professional practice but have only used Twitter as a professional sharing and development tool, never with students. I hold my global relationships formed through Twitter in such high regard and see them as essential for me to keep at the forefront of education and when considering this and the impact this tool has had on students in classes such as Kathy's I would like to introduce this to our staff as a way to broaden our students perspectives, to build relationships and to encourage global connections. 

Conclusion

When embedding new tools and moving through an ever evolving digital landscape I realise that I have become proficient at using the tools myself and in many chances es take them for granted but as my role inn schools has changed and I have moved into a management role I have missed the step of sharing and transferring these powerful tools onto our tamariki. I now have the ability to build teacher capacity and to empower our teachers to take on this challenge. 

Action Plan

 I am aware very few of our staff use Twitter for their own professional practice. Also knowing our staff I would introduce a video such as Kathy's as this shows how social media can have a direct impact on student outcomes and with our every increasing workloads and demands on our time I can see many of our teachers using Twitter in class to improve student outcomes rather than in their own time to improve their own, which is somewhat of a contradiction.

References


Dye, V. (2011) ‘Reflection, Reflection, Reflection. I’m thinking all the time, why do I need a theory or model of reflection?’, in McGregor, D. and Cartwright, L. (ed.) Developing Reflective Practice: A guide for beginning teachers. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education (pp. 217-234). 

Ministry of Education.(2009). Teaching as Inquiry. Retrieved from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-stories/Case-studies/Teachers-as-learners-Inquiry/Teaching-as-inquiry

Tvoparents. (2013, May 21). Using Social Media in the Classroom.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riZStaz8Rno
​

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    I am an ADE, an Assistant Principal, a Maker Space facilitator, a Robot Wrangler and a lover of digital technologies.

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