Part B - Interaction with professional online communities

For clarification of my name. When we had started doing school blogs years ago, we hadn't

long finished our school production. I wore a Darth Vader suit as part of the staff item and

was given the nickname Darth Ritchie by the children. So I used that as my moniker when

setting up the blog, hence Darth R. I have since changed it for later posts.

Week 32 - PRACTICE - Key change in Reflective Practice

Activity 8: Key change in my professional practice


Create a reflective journal entry in which you reflect on your personal 32-week learning journey and critically evaluate ONE key change in your own professional practice in relation to either any ONE of the themes from the Hack education research or any ONE of the themes from “Our Code, Our Standards”.


Then share your plans/dreams for your future professional development or your future practice.


I will use Rolfe's model of reflection to help me structure my blog post.


Step 1 - (What?) Key Change in My Professional Practice


The Key Change I am going to focus on is the standard of Teaching - Teach and respond to learners in a knowledgeable and adaptive wat to progress their learning at an appropriate depth and pace.



Image is taken from pg 20: https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf (Education Council of New Zealand, 2017)


I have chosen this one because when I started this course I was most interested in how I can successfully apply digital learning to my practice. I liked how the first Digital Assessments allowed me to plan and implement a change in my practice. The feedback from the students was valuable and provided my colleagues and I, with the opportunity to adjust how we used the digital innovation and the time it took up.


Step 2 (Now what): Evaluate the identified change

Using Osterman and Kottkamp's 4 Stages of Reflective Practice - An Experiential Learning Cycle (2015), I will evaluate the identified change.



Stage 1: Problem identification


The previous year we had found that student engagement was a problem and the use of technology was not always being used educationally. We discussed ways in which we could help the children develop their literacy. We decided it was important to implement the change as student agency is an important component of learning and I believed the use of HaparaWorkspace was the tool that could do that. As Osterman points out, "Regardless of how the problem emerges, its recognition motivates us to develop a deeper understanding of the situation, particularly our own role in the situation." (pg 73)


Stage 2: Observation and analysis

We initiated a use of Workspace at the end of the year and the data of completed work helped confirm our identification and interviewed year 5 students to get their feedback on their initial thoughts. After the initiation of the use of Workspace, with modelling and set time frames, we saw a rise in submitted and completed work from the data and interviewed more students to get their feedback.


Stage 3: Abstract re conceptualization


I did a lot of reflecting with a colleague, who was an early adopter in using Workspace. This allowed us to see what we thought was working and change what we had done. I could've also sought advice from my Community of Learning colleagues as they might have made changes to their use of the programme to help the learning of the students.


Stage 4: Active experimentation


As a result of our reflection, we adjusted the time frame for the use of Workspace to help those who felt pressured to complete work. My colleague also integrated the use of flip grids that allowed the children to share their learning.


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


One of the great aspects of doing the literature review and planning of a teacher inquiry was the fact that it allowed me to look at other aspects of my pedagogy. Introducing Workspace brought a digital element to my practice, but it has to be remembered that it is just a tool for learning. The important thing is that I build up a good educational relationship with my students and get them thinking and taking ownership of their learning. I'd like to incorporate more project-based learning in my practice to help develop their problem-solving skills, reflective skills and improve my formative assessment when providing and receiving feedback. I think Workspace has the potential for the students to structure and share their learning and build on their success.

Resources:
Ministry of Education (2017). Our code, our standards. Retrieved from: https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/our-code-our-standards

Osterman, K. F., & Kottkamp, R. B. (2015). Reflective practice for educators: professional development to improve student learning.(2nd ed.) New York: Skyhorse Publishing.

Rolfe et al (2001) retrieved from https://my.cumbria.ac.uk/media/MyCumbria/Documents/ReflectiveModelRolfe.pdf

Week 31 - PRACTICE - Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsibility

Activity 7 - 

Create a reflective entry to demonstrate your critical understanding of indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness.

Then, critically evaluate how your practice or your school’s practice has been informed by indigenous knowledge and culturally responsive pedagogy in two of the following areas (ideally you would be able to evaluate one that is done well, and another that would benefit from improvement):

I will use Rolfe's Model of Reflection to help me structure this blog post.

Step 1 - (What?) - What is your understanding of indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness and what are two of the areas you want to focus on?

Watching Bishop's video what I took from what he said was that near the end where he talks about the culturally responsive pedagogy of relations and that to be culturally responsive you need what he calls Relationship-Based Education.

Caring for people, caring that they learning, creating learning relationships. (Bishop)
That way their indigenous knowledge comes through and helps them grow and find educational success through the feedback. 

This is reiterated by Cowie et al. (2011) where culturally responsive pedagogy thrives when students are given the oportunity to develop, express and receive feedback on their learning but also provide an authentic context to show and share with others what they have learnt. (Pg 4).

Positive learning relationships between teachers and students and the use of feedback are a common theme, as I found in my Literature Review looking at the Maker Movement.

As result, I am going to focus on -

• Planning and Assessment
• Learning Activities

Step 2 - (So What) Evaluate your practice or your school practice in light of one of the following frameworks or use one you are familiar with.

For this evaluation I will use Milne's Action continuum.

I have chosen Planning and Assessment and Learning activities for my focus. It would be disingenuous for me to say that as a team, we do one better than the other, so I will focus on some positives but will primarily focus on what we can do better.

Looking at the continuum it shows how far we need to go in terms of our Culturally Sustained Practice. 

For the two areas of focus I can provide some positives and areas of improvement.

Planning and Assessment -

Positives -

• Identifying the differing cultural backgrounds of our students (Maori, Pasifika, Asian, Afghanistan)
• Resources and learning styles.

Areas of improvement -

• Feedback (Finding the time?) (The correct type of feedback)
• Using community groups to help the learning.
• Assessment is still Whitestream (It's what we know how to do).

Learning Activities - 

Positives -

• Beginning to change our pedagogical thinking about how we teach (e.g. Storytelling)
• Lots more collaborative discussion and sharing of learning among the students and teachers.
• School trips (Styx Mill Eel trip. Looking at sustainability and how it relates culturally).

Areas of improvement -

• Still token attempts that are based on previous styles of teaching (e.g. Treaty of Waitangi)
• Need to consult with the community more and get them to help us more culturally sustainable.

Based on what I"ve listed I think as a school and team we are moving from the "Benevolent" stage of the continuum to the "Some language and Cultural Content". We have a long way to go but I'd like to think as a school we are heading in the right direction.

Step 3 - (What Next?) What might our school need to consider or take action on to move up a level of cultural responsiveness. What are the next steps?

Based on where I think our school is at in the continuum the next step is to move to the embed the indigenous and culturally centred structures. How can we do this?

So far we have taken these steps.

• As part of our Community of Learning, we have two leaders who are helping the schools develop their cultural practices and support them.
• Our teacher inquiry is based on helping Maori Boys develop more success in their writing.
• Our Te Reo resource is helping both Teachers and students develop their knowledge of the Maori Language

What's the next step?

• As a team, think about how we structure the school day and learning? Do we need to make it less timetabled?
• Improve our feedback and build up stronger relationships with the learners, whanau and community so their knowledge is being used educationally and help the students know what their next steps are.
• Continue to develop our Te Reo and use it more in the class so it becomes embedded.

While this only touches the surface it will help us become more culturally responsive and allow us to go along the journey with our students. After all, as teachers, we are lifelong learners as well.

Resources 

Cowie, B., Otrel-Cass, K., Glynn, T., & Kara, H., et al. (2011). Cultural responsice 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 

Edtalks. (2012, September 23). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. [video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49992994

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

Week 30 - PRACTICE- Trends Influencing NZ or Internationally

Activity 6 -

Critique and evaluate practice in the context of different audiences (local, national, and/or international) and their perspectives'.

I will be using Rolfe's mode of reflection to structure my blog post.

Step 1 - (What?) Identify a trend most relevant to my practice.

I am going to focus on Digital Learning as my trend as it is becoming a major factor in my teaching and the learning of my students.

I chose this trend as I enjoy using Digital Learning myself and for students, it is a natural fit as they are growing up with it.

Not only that it is a much more efficient way to share learning and provide instant feedback to the students.

As Daggett states, we need to embrace the power of technology to make learning relevant (pg 4).

Step 2 (So What?) - Analyze how the identified trend impacts global and New Zealand Education

Daggett points out that Social Media makes learning meaningful for students and says that the likes of creating videos have doubled from 15% to 30% (pg5). This means that students using technology to not only help them find meaning in their learning but also build up their skills. He also says that schools will flourish as they embrace it and change the way they deliver education.

The OECD points out that online use connects people and shapes their behaviour. This has increased by 16% in OECD countries (Pg 102).

It points out the challenges of online use. Like how can educators develop students critical capacity to use and contribute to the increased wealth of information. As well as how students can develop the skills for the future and how can teachers be prepared to use the technology (pg101). This is an important aspect as it is scary when new things are introduced and some teachers feel they don't know how to use technology well.

Step 3 - (Now What?) Critique and evaluate practice in the context of different audiences (local, national, and/or international) and their perspectives'.

In terms of the impact of the trend, I can discuss what has happened locally with regards to my own practice.

How has it been addressed?

• We have built up our use of technology by leasing chrome books and accounts for the children.
• We are working within our Community Of Learning to help build up our digital pedagogy.
• We have started using different programmes to help children's learning and build up their skills and our own.

What are the barriers/limitations?

• The technological ability of the teachers to implement the programmes.
• The students being so far ahead of the educators.
• Access to the technology at home for learners.
• Which digital technology do we use? Why? How long does it take to implement?

What Changes need to be made adopted?

• A pedagogical adjustment to how the students learn.
• Teachers become facilitators and learn with the students. As Daggett says a strong teacher-student relationship makes the learning relevant. (Pg 4)
• Timetable adjustment?

How can the curriculum be developed?

• Make the learning more project based.
• Use the Key Competencies to help develop the 21st Century skills needed.
• Gain professional development in applying the new digital curriculum.

Resources -

Daggett, B (2014). Addressing Current and Future Challenges in Education. Retrieved from http://www.leadered.com/pdf/2014MSC_AddressingCurrentandFutureChallenges.pdf

OECD/ (2016). Trends Shaping Education 2016, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI: http://dx.doi/org/10.1787/trends_edu-2016-en

Week 29 - PRACTICE - Professional Online Social Networks

Activity 5: Using social online networks in teaching or professional development

Create a reflective entry where you critically discuss the use of social media in YOUR teaching OR professional development. Your reflection should be based on a reflective model of your choice.

I will use Jay and Johnson's reflective model for this post.

Jay and Johnson’s reflective model

Step 1 - Descriptive

At present we use Hail for a range of social media needs. It allows us to post content on our team blogs, share links to Facebook and Twitter, email parents and students. This works well as we can cover a range of areas with one online programme.

We also use youtube, but this is primarily done through Hapara Workspace. It allows us to control the videos that the children see and match up with their learning.

Facebook and Twitter are primarily used to share what is going on in the school. This is controlled by the teachers at present and my question would be, how can we allow students to use these platforms, when things like Facebook, Twitter and Google+ have an age restriction?

With regards to professional development, we use Google Docs to work and comment on our Professional Learning Group. In my case it is the ICT group for our Community of Learning.

Step 2 - Comparative - Reflect on alternatives and other viewpoints or in light of research

My answers to the survey were very similar to the results of other teachers. We use Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and Youtube for sharing about student learning. One of my colleagues has even got the children to start using Flipgrid to share their learning experiences. This is something I would like to begin doing myself, but also start using things like Wikispaces so the children take more ownership of their learning.

Social Media in Teaching

I like the idea of using contributing to how social media can be used, and as Magette states, the students not only develop new skills but also become productive digital citizens and build up their social and emotional skills. (pg, 70).

Social Media in Professional Development

Whittaker et al. talks about how educators are creating connected communities to for their practise and how it benefits the community and students. (pg, 13). And as part of our community of learning, it shows that we as teachers are using Social Media to upskill ourselves and support each other. However I would like to look into what ways we can make this communication more efficient.

Melhuis does point out that while networking does seem positive there is a risk that it creates an affirmation of the current practice without question.  (Melhuis pg 43).

Step 3 - Critical Reflection 

Implications - 

Based on what I've read and in view of my current practice I think the following needs to be implemented in my practice -

• Including the students more in how different social networks work will help overcome the fear teachers have of how to use them and give the students more agency.
• Make sure I model how to be a good digital citizen and how it will help students become better 21st Century Learners. 
• Questioning other teachers about how they use social media in their practice will help me develop my own programme as well as providing a consistency across the Community of Learning.

My own questions to ponder - 

• If we open up the use of different social media that the children are currently using, how do we get round the age restrictions?
• Where do we find the time to upskill the teachers who are afraid to use new social media?
• Will the children contributing to social network use make them better digital citizens, as they own their learning? Or will they abuse the use of it because they are more advanced than the teachers in using it?

 Resources - 

Melhush, K (2013). Online Social Networking and its impact on New Zealand educators' professional learning. Masters Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrieved from https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/8482/thesis.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y 

Maguette, K (2014). Embracing Social Media: A Practical Guide to Manage Risk and Leverage Opportunity. Rowan and Littlefield Publishers.

Whitaker, T, Zoul, J, Casas, J (2015). What Connected Educators Do Differently. Routledge.

Week 28 - Influence of Law & Ethics in Practice

Activity 4: Legal and ethical contexts in my digital practice

Create a reflective entry where you first identify an ethical dilemma that you either have faced or might fact in the future, in your own practice that is linked to digital or online access or activity.

I have chosen Rolfe et al.’s (2001) reflective model of reflection and the questions in the model to help me structure this assessment. I will use Ehrich et al. (2001) ethical decision-making model
to discuss the competing forces.

Identifying the Ethical Dilemma -

I will use the Abuse of ICT in school from the class notes as my issue.

As a school, we set up ICT use by -

• Asking parents and students to sign an ICT agreement.
• Signing a separate agreement for the use of their own device at school.

The example is using the internet for learning and inappropriate language was used in searches we encountered as a team was -   

Incident - 

• A few students who were supposed to be working and decided to look up sexually inappropriate words in an internet search.
• Tried to get others to do the same. 
• One of the students came to us and said what was going on. 
• The students were asked to hand over the devices they were using.

Action Taken - 

• The students were reported to the Deputy Principal. 
• We informed him of what has happened and he talked with the students involved. 
• Afterwards, he discussed the situation with the principal. 
• Senior management phoned the families of the children.
• The matter was dealt with internally. 
• The children involved were told that it was in breach of the ICT agreement they signed and as a consequence, they were banned from all devices for a week.

Critique or analyse the ethical dilemma identified in Step 1 and the outcome solution(s).  

Using Enrich et al. (2001) ethical decision-making model (pg 178), the Critical Incident covered the following competing forces.

Organisational Culture - As the actions of the children went against the school's policy of using the Internet.

Society and Community - The search had implications for the safety of children in the team and contacting parents meant that there was the embarrassment of having to deal with their child's decision making.

Individuals - Choices - The actions went against our school values, (responsibility, honesty, caring and respect). The actions not only went against the schools ICT policy but as senior students, they did not use the School Values and set the example for other children in the school.

Decision - The decision to ban the students for one week had implications for the students and our Senior Team. The students were unable to access a tool they enjoyed using. As staff we had to adjust our programme to cater to those new needs, which caused a sense of frustration.

Examine how the analysis and solution(s) in Step 2 are relevant to your practice and Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards for the Teaching Profession.

To paraphrase Rolfe et al question, "what do I need to do in order to make things better? (Pg 1),

it meant we have to constantly monitor what our students are using the devices for. We also need to reinforce what being a good digital citizen looks like and make sure the students show the school values in an ICT situation. 

With regards to the Code of Professional Responsibility, it covers the Values, especially - 

Whakamana: empowering all learners to reach their highest potential by providing high-quality teaching and leadership.

Manaaktanga: creating a welcoming, caring and creative learning environment that treats everyone with respect and dignity.

Whanaungatanga: engaging in positive and collaborative relationships with our learners, their families and whanau, our colleagues and the wider community.

https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/our-code-our-standards 

By following those aspects of the standards, we develop better relationships and help students make better choices in their learning. The children also have the support of both their teachers and whanau.

Resources - 

Ehrich, L. C. , Kimber M., Millwater, J. & Cranston, N. (2011). Ethical dilemmas: a model to understand teacher practice, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 17:2, 173-185, DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2011.539794

Education Council. (2017). Our Code Our Standards. Retrieved from: https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/file...

Adapted from: Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from https://my.cumbria.ac.uk/media/MyCumbria/Documents/ReflectiveModelRolfe.pdf 

Week 19 Activity 3 - Community of Practice

Activity 3: Contribution of Teacher Inquiry Topics to my Communities of Practice Create a reflective entry where you critically reflect on how two potential and inspiring digital and/or collaborative learning related teacher inquiry topics would contribute to your Communities of Practice. Your reflection should be based on a reflective model of your choice.

I have chosen Jay and Johnsons Model of Reflection.

Step 1 - Descriptive

As yet I haven't decided on what my inquiry topic will be. I have chosen the two topics below as I think they relate well to what could be a possible area of focus and to my Communities of Practice. So for the purposes of this reflection, I will look at - 

Topic 1 - 21st Century Skills

Topic 2 - Computational Thinking

Communities of Practice - 

My Syndicate colleagues.

COL Hereora Techie Team - ICT Professional Learning Group.

Maybe even Mindlab peers.

The three aspects of Communities of Practice that will be focused on are - 

• Joint Enterprise - is a shared domain which is the "collectively developed understanding of what the community is about".
• Mutual Engagement - the members engage through interactions within the community, building mutual trust in the relationships.
• Shared Repertoire - is "the communal resources" that the community of practice produce (Wenger, 2000, pg 229)

I think the Hereora Techie team is a great example of all three domains and in terms of this reflection is key to helping build up our pedagogical knowledge and improve our practice.  

Figure - Techie Team PLG Purpose - https://sites.google.com/a/hereora-cluster.nz/hereora/techie-brekkie 

This is another reason why I chose the Topics of 21st Century Learning and Computational Thinking. The conversations and support from the Community of Practice will not only help build up the skills and thinking needed by our students but also help us understand and get our head around when the new Technology Curriculum is implemented. Therefore they relate to the Mutual Engagement and Shared Repertoire of the Community of Practice.

Step 2 - Comparative

I haven't asked the PLG what their of how 21st Century Skills and Computational thinking will help our practice. I wasn't at the last meeting, but they focused on what questions could be asked regarding the New Digital Curriculum.

In terms of my Syndicate Team, my team leader has expressed support and encouragement of how I am working with my small group of boys, with how I set challenges and encouraging them to problem solve and be resilient when completing the task. 

In saying this I have not discussed with colleagues about the topics yet, so at this stage, I cannot comment on it.

I think Computational Thinking and 21st Century Learning go hand in hand as when using Computational Thinking the benefits are -

• students are more effective problem solvers for situations beyond the computer science realm (Mohaghegh and McCauley, pg. 1527)
• it encourages students to create tools to solve problems, rather than existing tools. (Mohaghegh and McCauley, pg. 1527)
• When students learn to programme the process of learning is transformed. (Papert, Pg 21)
• Students become more active and self-directed. (Papert Pg 21)

Though the weaknesses are that -

• The system doesn't meet the needs of today's 21st Century Learner.
• A further digital divide will exacerbate an already serious achievement gap. (Future-focused learning in connected communities, pgs 6-7) 

Step 3 - (Critical Reflection)

I feel that my main focus is to continue to discuss with my Communities of Practice how we can meet the needs of all the students and help facilitate their learning. I like the idea of Computational Thinking and 21st Century Skills as topics in order to do this but I do need to research this more before committing to them as my focus of Inquiry.

Resources: 

Mohaghegh, M., & McCauley, M., (2016). Computational Thinking: The Skills Set of the 21st Century. International Journal of Computer Science and Informations Technologies (IJCSIT), 7(3) ISSN: 0975-9646, pp.1524-1530

Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. New York: Basic Books.

Part B - Assessment 1 Communication with peers.

For clarification of my name. When we had started doing school blogs years ago, we hadn't long finished our school production. I wore a Darth Vader suit as part of the staff item and was given the nickname Darth Ritchie by the children. So I used that as my moniker when setting up the blog, hence Darth R.

Practice Week 18 Activity 2 - Reflecting on changes in my future oriented teaching practice

Activity 2: Reflecting on changes in my future oriented teaching practice Create a reflective entry to critically reflect upon how you have positively changed your practice during your postgraduate journey. Your reflections should be based on a suitable reflective model of your choice.

I will use Gibbs Model for Reflection.

Figure - Gibbs Model for Reflection

Step 1 - Description

Sub Theme 1 - The Role of Current and Emerging Technologies 

I have chosen this sub-theme because I thought it related well to the Digital Assessment I did in the first 16 weeks of the course. I introduced Hapara Workspace to the children for their Literacy Must Dos. Reason for doing this included

• providing a digital platform for their learning.
• potentially be used as a tool for other learning areas
• provide flexibility for the children in their learning.

Our school has already spent a lot of time setting up the infrastructure so the children can use technology to enhance their learning. We are lucky enough to have 80 chrome books in our team and 9 iPads. 

It is not just with Workspace that there is a change. We had a coding club last year and this will be applied to my Sensory group of learners, where we learn through making and programming next term. This will build up their ICT capabilities and help them find success in their learning.

Step 2 (Feeling):

How did I feel at the time when the changes were made?

I felt good at the time as it provided a platform for the children's learning and they provided feedback that they enjoyed using the tool.

What did I think about the changes afterwards?

I feel there is a long way to go as the implementation is really still in its early stages and time is needed enhance how the children use the tool and we as teachers use the tool.

Step 3 (Evaluation):

How did the students/parents react?

On the whole, there was a positive response from the children, though a number did find the workload quite high and some changes were made. With regards to parents, I haven't sought feedback from them yet.

 What was good and what was bad about my experience of making these changes?

Good - The student agency improved.

            My colleagues supported the implementation.

            It was easy to set up.

Bad -   Other aspects of practice got in the way, e.g swimming and introducing Get New  

            Zealand Writing.

            Need more time to get a better picture of how it is working.

            Colleague knowledge in creating and using Workspace needs to be increased.

Step 4 - (Analysis)

Figure - Supporting future-orientated learning & teaching, pg 56 

I think the linking of strategies links to my change in that it is not only the students that are learning new technologies, it is building up the teacher's ability and use of pedagogy will help innovate and use technology in the classroom effectively. Workspace is primarily a tool, yet as we continue to use it I think it provides the teachers with a platform to introduce new ideas and innovations. It also potentially provides the children the ability to share their knowledge, skills, and creations with Teachers, Whanau and the community.

Steps 5&6 - Conclusion/Next Steps

I think the changes were good as student agency has improved. We are already making changes to the use of it in Literacy. I'd like to be the basis of sharing learning with whanau, whether it be every week or during conferences. Having it as a platform will allow the teachers to look at using other aspects of the curriculum and develop other innovations like 3D Printing, virtual reality, computational thinking and facilitating research skills as shown in the .

As Noeline Wright says teachers become facilitators of opportunities for students to engage in critical and analytical thinking and in turn by integrating ICT tools into the content areas and teaching both students and teachers become critical users of technology. (pg 35)

References - 

Bolstad, R., Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012) Supporting future oriented learning and teaching - a New Zealand perspective. Report prepared for the Ministry of Education. Retrieved from https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publication/schooling/109306

Wright, N (2010). e-Learning and implications for New Zealand schools: a literature review. Report prepared for the Ministry of Education. Retrieved from http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/e-Learning/e-learning-and-implications-for-new-zealand-schools-a-literature-review/executive-summary

Week 17, Activity 1 - My Reflective Practice

I have chosen Jay and Johnson's Reflective Model.

Step 1 (Descriptive stage): Briefly describe your current reflective practice

How do I reflect?

Based on the questions in the survey I have always put myself in the reflecting alone category for my own teaching, and discussing with colleagues. I like to sit and think about what I’ve done but it is always thoughts. Discussing with colleagues helps, as it means I don't have to reflect on my own and more ideas can be discussed and implemented in our collaborative practice.

I always feel nervous when others comment on my teaching, which is why I hate being observed. Yet it is also because I feel I am my biggest critic.

Step 2 (Comparative stage): Reflect on alternatives and other viewpoints in light of research

While I prefer to reflect by myself and with colleagues. I can change my reflective practice, using a written journal.

This will help by -

• Having it as a hard copy.
• Being a reference point for future-focused learning.

I always feel that it is a chore to write down. I'd rather be doing and this makes me a lot like some students in my class. However, I do see the importance of keeping reflections written. It is similar to doing these blog posts. Once it becomes a habit it becomes easier. As Barbara Larrivee says

"This process of systematic self-reflection can provide the clarification necessary for teachers to gain, or regain, a sense of meaning and purpose in their teaching." (Pgs 296-297)

Larrivee, B Critically Reflective Teacher, Pgs 296-297

This does mean I would need to be disciplined in keeping it going and taking that time to reflect in the journal. Judging by other people's responses I am not alone in rarely using. Does that mean that we are all feeling the same way? If so, then it shows how important it is to collaborate with others to find ways to reflect and improve our practice.

In this case, I feel I am in Repair and Review stages of Zeichner and Liston’s Five Levels of Reflection (cited in Finlay, 2008, p.4) and need to move to the Research stage.

Step 3 (Critical reflection)

How does this reflective process inform and renew your perspective?

From my point of view, consistently writing down what my thoughts and feelings will -

• help me become more systematic about my reflective practice.
• provide me with the foundation to help me improve my own teaching. It also means I can refer back and not forget what my thoughts were.
• Not being afraid to listen to other's feedback means that I can take on other points of view from my peers.

What are the implications for your reflective practice when viewed from these alternative perspectives?

• Continue to Self Reflect but start using a written Journal.
• Reflect with colleagues and peers.
• Choosing a model for reflecting helps me with the structure of how I can move my practice forward.

I haven't decided yet on which model I will choose but having started a sensory group of severe behaviours in my practice, I can use a similar model with them to help build their resilience to situations and become better problem solvers. It's the same thing as stated in the video for Week 17. Thoughts and Feelings - Why, How and So What?

SkillsTeamHullUni. (2014, March 3). Reflective writing.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoI67VeE3ds

From this point of view, the group can reflect on what they have done and I can reflect with them on how to improve their learning experience.

References -

Finlay, L. (2009). Reflecting on reflective practice. Practice-based Professional Learning Centre, Open University. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/opencetl/sites/www.open.ac.uk.opencetl/files/files/ecms/web-content/Finlay-(2008)-Reflecting-on-reflective-practice-PBPL-paper-52.pdf

Larrivee, B. (2000).Transforming teaching practice: becoming the critically reflective teacher. Reflective Practice, 1(3), 293-307.

SkillsTeamHullUni. (2014, March 3). Reflective writing.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoI67VeE3ds

The Mind Lab - Practice

Bring on the next 16 weeks.