Saturday, 27 June 2015
Reflection on learning and practice
Over the last 7 months I have been studying
for a Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice through The Mindlab. This
course has had its challenges, however it has taught me a lot about myself as a
teacher, leader and learner.
As a teacher...
Prior to beginning this course I was very much as
an autocratic teacher where I told the children what they would
be learning and how they would know if they were successful or not. I
supported them to create goals based on the information I provided them. Now I
feel I have adapted my teaching to allow for students to take greater ownership
over their learning and have greater student agency. I provide students
opportunities to attend workshops that they can sign up for depending on what
they feel they need to learn. I give my students time to develop and refine
skills through personal choice. I support opportunities for the children to
collaborate and work on tasks of personal interest to them where the skills
they have been taught can be showcased. Digital technologies are now used to
create rather than consume and students can select how they wish to present
their work. This work is then shared on the class blog and commented on by
parents and other students. Through discussions with my class they have commented
that they prefer having a choice over their learning and what order they will
complete learning tasks as it gives them the opportunity to be independent. The
children are more able to talk about their learning and their goals as they
have a clearer understanding of what they need to learn next through the
use of work models and access to their assessment and tracking sheets. Overall,
I believe this course has taught me to be more flexible in my teaching and that
even very young children can be accountable and take ownership over their
learning.
As a leader...
Through this course I have explored in depth the
different leadership styles. I have reflected on my past leadership roles and
how I have adapted and changed with experience. The course has also shown me
which leaderships styles are more favourable and which styles suit different
situations. I am now more aware of my teams personalities and approach them as
individuals rather than as a group. I recognise the importance of a shared
vision and how team members need to feel ownership over the changes that are
being implemented and I am now striving to be more of a transformational
leader.
As a learner...
As Burns (1978) suggested "working
collaboratively is better than working individually" and I
have discovered that I enjoy collaborating with others on tasks and feel that
through this approach I am able to learn from others while supporting them
also. By collaborating I take more responsibility over my role as a team member
as I am aware others are relying on me. By experiencing how collaborating
has had a positive influence on my learning I have begun to use
this teaching approach in my classroom. As a learner I have also started
to reflect more on my practice and how it impacts on my students learning, thinking
carefully about three core questions:
- What is happening?
- What is not happening?
- What can I do to influence this?
By deeper and more specific reflections I have been able to pinpoint what is successful in my teaching approach for my students and what may need to be adapted and changed to ensure my students are engaged and are able to learn.
References
Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York:
Harper & Row retrieved from
Professional Community
Stakeholders
School community
The school is a large urban Auckland primary school (New Entrants to Year 6) with a culturally diverse mix of students. It consists of 750+ students and more than 65 staff members. It has 2 campuses, Junior and Senior. The sites are separated by a native gully, stream and amphitheatre which are utilised in Science and Environmental Studies.
The school’s mission statement is “to think, to learn, to achieve and to consider others” and has a strong emphasis on academic achievement and preparing students for the future. The school is committed to empowering teachers to deliver a stimulating, inspiring and well-rounded education that encompasses all areas of the New Zealand curriculum as well as establishing strong partnerships with parents.
This year a major school focus has been to develop Whanaungatanga, building relationships with whanau and family to support student learning. The staff of the school have been undergoing a school development inquiry to establish positive relationships with the children and their whanau. The desired outcome is for teachers to know their students on a more personal level, to understand what engages them as a learner and how to support their learning style best. By nurturing the interests and strengths of the learner it is hoped the National Standards achievement rate for boys in literacy will be lifted.
Teachers: The junior campus (Year 0-2) consists of 15 teachers who have different skill levels in ICT. Classroom sizes range from 20 - 24 students per teacher. Each year level has the support of a teacher aide for approximately 30 minutes per day. An extremely experienced teacher runs extra support classes three mornings a week (booster groups) for Year 2 children currently not meeting or not tracking to meet National Standards in Reading and Maths and will soon begin classes for those at risk of not meeting the Writing National Standard. Specialist teachers are also available for Mandarin, Music, Reading Recovery with support in Sports.
Students: There are approximately 280 students in year 0-2. The school consists of a mixed ethnicity with a majority of students being New Zealand European. Other current ethnicities are Pasifika, Māori, Chinese, Indian, and other European. All classes are of mixed ability and teachers try to differentiate based on levels. Based on the current ERO report, students feel a great sense of ownership and belonging towards the school.
Parents: The school is a Decile 10 school on the outer edge of Remuera. The majority of parents are from a higher socio economic background and many work full time. Parents are supportive and there is regular communication between teachers and parents, including face to face contact and emails. Community feedback from parents and caregivers indicates that they encourage the integration of devices to support learning but are opposed to a 1-1 BYOD programme. A number of parents have expressed their concerns about learning and technology, highlighting the need for further community engagement on how technology in schools is used.
Board of Trustees: The BOT is made up from 6 members of the parent community, the principal and a teacher who are the voice of the wider community. They are responsible for governing the school, making the final decisions on curriculum, expenditure and strategic planning through the information provided by the principal and senior management team.
With an increase in the use of digital technologies there has been both a positive and negative impact on teachers, students and parents. The school ICT strategic plan sees all classrooms having between 5-7 desktop computers, a Smartboard and 4 ipads. The use of Chrome books is also being trialled in 5 classrooms from Year 3-6 with the use of GAFE.
Teachers: The expectation that these devices are utilised effectively has resulted in teachers requiring additional training and support on how to use these to 'create' rather than to 'consume'. Research and training on the SAMR model has been required and teachers have had to find time to explore and experiment with apps and how these can be used within the classroom. With the pressures of daily teaching already high some teachers have found this shift in pedagogy difficult to manage while others have embraced the opportunity to support students creative and collaborative work. For those who have made the shift in pedagogy quickly teachers have noticed and commented on the positive impact the resources have had on their students thinking and learning. Many find the children are more engaged in their learning and are able to collaborate with others, leading to greater levels of communication and thinking. Student agency has increased as they are able to control how they present their work, who they collaborate with and how they research. One teacher commented "it has been great for the children to collaborate on their learning and receive feedback and comments as they work, making changes and deepening their thinking, while use GAFE". To ensure any issues faced by teachers are addressed ICT lead teachers have run a number of whole school staff meetings and have fully explained the ICT strategic plan. They are also working with teachers on a one-to-one basis, modelling how to use apps and programmes with students and supporting teachers to effectively plan for these across the curriculum.
Students: With digital technologies now being at least 1 device per 3 children access to devices to support their learning across the curriculum. Students are highly engaged when using devices and are keen to further their skills. Collaboration has increased and students are able to work with others in a more productive manner, although this skill does need to be explicitly taught in the younger years. Students can now choose how to present their work and take ownership over their learning. When talking to my class many commented on how they prefer to use technology to present as they can do it in a variety of ways and that they can work with others.
Parents: As with the teachers, there is mixed feeling over the use of digital devices within the classroom. Some parents are keen for their children to access these devices and recognise the benefits of using these tools. They see the use of digital devices as an opportunity for their children to develop their collaboration skills, access information previously unavailable to them and to create while others see these devices in a less favourable light. Some are concerned about the effects screen time has on behaviour and see the devices as a way to consume and 'keep busy', they are also concerned with issues over cyber safety. In order to address these issues parent workshops need to be held, detailing when and how these devices are used and the positive impact they have on student outcomes. Cyber safety needs to be explicitly taught each year and parents need to be involved.
Specialist Area
As a leader of Literacy, I am responsible for supporting students to develop their Reading, Writing and Oral Language skills. Having researched into the use of digital technologies to improve engagement towards learning it is evident that students display greater levels of motivation and focus when learning is coupled with digital technology in some way. As Walsh (2011) suggested "combining print-based literacy and digital communication has the potential to increase student engagement". With current research in mind I have been able to combine the teaching of Literacy with ICT and support teachers to explore new methods of teaching Reading, Writing and Oral Language with the use of digital devices. As explored in previous assignments I believe my leadership style is that of a 'transformational leader' where I work with my team to develop a shared understanding of why ICT could be used to support Literacy. I ensure that I model effective practice and support others to adapt and change original teaching styles.
Challenges
The biggest challenges faced as a leader of Literacy combining ICT are:
Engaging reluctant adopters
The schools ICT strategic plan looks at introducing modern learning environments and any new school buildings will force these practises to occur. Currently our school has only single cell classrooms which presents a problem for implementing modern learning environments.
I order for teachers to make this pedagogical shift training and research will need to occur for teachers to have a strong understanding of what is meant by a 'modern learning environment'. Teachers will need to grasp the concept of collaboration, student agency and agile practices. For this change to be effective the school will need to invest heavily in professional development opportunities that display the research behind the shift in teaching and learning and how to run a modern learning environment. With limited classrooms which could be part of a modern learning trial there would need to be careful consideration into which year levels adopt this approach and which teachers are involved. Relationships will be a key issue and would need to be carefully addressed to ensure all parties involved are equally valued and are open to adopting and reflecting on new teaching approaches.
References
Walsh, M. (2011) Multimodal Literacy: What does it mean for classroom practice? Australian Journal of Language and Literacy. Retrieved from: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.unitec.ac.nz/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=00ea9002-9851-4bc3-a6c4-b49dfbed16e5%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4104
School community
The school is a large urban Auckland primary school (New Entrants to Year 6) with a culturally diverse mix of students. It consists of 750+ students and more than 65 staff members. It has 2 campuses, Junior and Senior. The sites are separated by a native gully, stream and amphitheatre which are utilised in Science and Environmental Studies.
The school’s mission statement is “to think, to learn, to achieve and to consider others” and has a strong emphasis on academic achievement and preparing students for the future. The school is committed to empowering teachers to deliver a stimulating, inspiring and well-rounded education that encompasses all areas of the New Zealand curriculum as well as establishing strong partnerships with parents.
This year a major school focus has been to develop Whanaungatanga, building relationships with whanau and family to support student learning. The staff of the school have been undergoing a school development inquiry to establish positive relationships with the children and their whanau. The desired outcome is for teachers to know their students on a more personal level, to understand what engages them as a learner and how to support their learning style best. By nurturing the interests and strengths of the learner it is hoped the National Standards achievement rate for boys in literacy will be lifted.
Teachers: The junior campus (Year 0-2) consists of 15 teachers who have different skill levels in ICT. Classroom sizes range from 20 - 24 students per teacher. Each year level has the support of a teacher aide for approximately 30 minutes per day. An extremely experienced teacher runs extra support classes three mornings a week (booster groups) for Year 2 children currently not meeting or not tracking to meet National Standards in Reading and Maths and will soon begin classes for those at risk of not meeting the Writing National Standard. Specialist teachers are also available for Mandarin, Music, Reading Recovery with support in Sports.
Students: There are approximately 280 students in year 0-2. The school consists of a mixed ethnicity with a majority of students being New Zealand European. Other current ethnicities are Pasifika, Māori, Chinese, Indian, and other European. All classes are of mixed ability and teachers try to differentiate based on levels. Based on the current ERO report, students feel a great sense of ownership and belonging towards the school.
Parents: The school is a Decile 10 school on the outer edge of Remuera. The majority of parents are from a higher socio economic background and many work full time. Parents are supportive and there is regular communication between teachers and parents, including face to face contact and emails. Community feedback from parents and caregivers indicates that they encourage the integration of devices to support learning but are opposed to a 1-1 BYOD programme. A number of parents have expressed their concerns about learning and technology, highlighting the need for further community engagement on how technology in schools is used.
Board of Trustees: The BOT is made up from 6 members of the parent community, the principal and a teacher who are the voice of the wider community. They are responsible for governing the school, making the final decisions on curriculum, expenditure and strategic planning through the information provided by the principal and senior management team.
Current Issues in our Community
With an increase in the use of digital technologies there has been both a positive and negative impact on teachers, students and parents. The school ICT strategic plan sees all classrooms having between 5-7 desktop computers, a Smartboard and 4 ipads. The use of Chrome books is also being trialled in 5 classrooms from Year 3-6 with the use of GAFE.
Students: With digital technologies now being at least 1 device per 3 children access to devices to support their learning across the curriculum. Students are highly engaged when using devices and are keen to further their skills. Collaboration has increased and students are able to work with others in a more productive manner, although this skill does need to be explicitly taught in the younger years. Students can now choose how to present their work and take ownership over their learning. When talking to my class many commented on how they prefer to use technology to present as they can do it in a variety of ways and that they can work with others.
Parents: As with the teachers, there is mixed feeling over the use of digital devices within the classroom. Some parents are keen for their children to access these devices and recognise the benefits of using these tools. They see the use of digital devices as an opportunity for their children to develop their collaboration skills, access information previously unavailable to them and to create while others see these devices in a less favourable light. Some are concerned about the effects screen time has on behaviour and see the devices as a way to consume and 'keep busy', they are also concerned with issues over cyber safety. In order to address these issues parent workshops need to be held, detailing when and how these devices are used and the positive impact they have on student outcomes. Cyber safety needs to be explicitly taught each year and parents need to be involved.
As a leader of Literacy, I am responsible for supporting students to develop their Reading, Writing and Oral Language skills. Having researched into the use of digital technologies to improve engagement towards learning it is evident that students display greater levels of motivation and focus when learning is coupled with digital technology in some way. As Walsh (2011) suggested "combining print-based literacy and digital communication has the potential to increase student engagement". With current research in mind I have been able to combine the teaching of Literacy with ICT and support teachers to explore new methods of teaching Reading, Writing and Oral Language with the use of digital devices. As explored in previous assignments I believe my leadership style is that of a 'transformational leader' where I work with my team to develop a shared understanding of why ICT could be used to support Literacy. I ensure that I model effective practice and support others to adapt and change original teaching styles.
The biggest challenges faced as a leader of Literacy combining ICT are:
Engaging reluctant adopters
Understanding and effectively using the SAMR model
Educating the parent community
Creating connections and relationships with other schools locally and worldwide
Changes
The schools ICT strategic plan looks at introducing modern learning environments and any new school buildings will force these practises to occur. Currently our school has only single cell classrooms which presents a problem for implementing modern learning environments.
The question is; How will teachers manage this change?
I order for teachers to make this pedagogical shift training and research will need to occur for teachers to have a strong understanding of what is meant by a 'modern learning environment'. Teachers will need to grasp the concept of collaboration, student agency and agile practices. For this change to be effective the school will need to invest heavily in professional development opportunities that display the research behind the shift in teaching and learning and how to run a modern learning environment. With limited classrooms which could be part of a modern learning trial there would need to be careful consideration into which year levels adopt this approach and which teachers are involved. Relationships will be a key issue and would need to be carefully addressed to ensure all parties involved are equally valued and are open to adopting and reflecting on new teaching approaches.
References
Walsh, M. (2011) Multimodal Literacy: What does it mean for classroom practice? Australian Journal of Language and Literacy. Retrieved from: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.unitec.ac.nz/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=00ea9002-9851-4bc3-a6c4-b49dfbed16e5%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4104
Reflecting on 'Reflective Practice' - L Finlay (2008)
Having read Finlay's article on Reflecting on Reflective Practice (2008) I thought carefully about the information provided and what captivated my attention and thought.
This models resonates with me because it breaks the reflection into manageable chunks and draws upon a range of overlapping information to reflect.
References
My initial thought is what is a clear definition of reflective practice?
The first issue that I believe is important is to have a clear definition of what reflective practice looks like in the work place. With so many types of possible reflection from solitary to critical dialogue with other professionals it becomes difficult to know what reflection is suitable and effective. To ensure reflection is effective more complex models of reflection need to be explored to ensure deeper reflective activity and is not merely an opportunity to describe what is happening. This is especially true if reflective practice is going to be used to define levels of competency. As Smyth (1992, p285) suggested "reflection can mean all things to all people" and "everyone has their own interpretation of what reflection means". If reflection is to be used as a way to define competency all stakeholders will need to hold a shared vision and understanding of how to reflect effectively and why it is important.
Reflection needs to be appropriate to the situation and will differ from time to time. For reflection to be meaningful it must have a purpose and respond to the issue being addressed. Finlay suggests good reflecting is a matter for the individual to decide upon but must ensure that it is critical and fosters change and improvement.
Another thought I have revolves around the issues faced by reflection.
Reflection needs to be appropriate to the situation and will differ from time to time. For reflection to be meaningful it must have a purpose and respond to the issue being addressed. Finlay suggests good reflecting is a matter for the individual to decide upon but must ensure that it is critical and fosters change and improvement.
Another thought I have revolves around the issues faced by reflection.
The biggest problem that I feel arises from critical reflection, is time. With teachers already under incredible pressures and the addition of constant reflection and change can lead to high levels of stress, resulting in poor reflections and changes to pedagogy that are not supported by evidence. Teachers need to want to critically reflect on their practice and see value in it. Finlay comments about students requiring time to reflect and this is the same for teachers. However, by providing specific time for reflection it could stifle thought processes as people may begin to reflect when they are given time which may not always be responsive and relevant.
After exploring the various models of reflection I feel I identify most with the model presented by Eby (2000) cited in Finlay (2008) where effective reflection is a combination of self awareness, reflection and critical thinking.
This models resonates with me because it breaks the reflection into manageable chunks and draws upon a range of overlapping information to reflect.
Self-awareness talks about intuition, having taught for ten years I feel I have a good understanding of common effective teaching practice which I feel confident in implementing as part of my daily program. With this experience I feel I can adapt and implement previously successful approaches to meet the needs of my current students, however I also feel confident in my abilities and willingly explore new pedagogy and challenge thinking and assumptions through critical thinking. I am confident in evaluating my teaching approaches and am honest when they are not working and need to be challenged. By having the self-awareness to recognise when changes need to occur and the confidence to trial new theory based approaches and respond critically my pedagogy is changing and adapting. I believe this model encompasses all the areas required to effectively reflect on practice and encourages deeper thinking and exploration.
References
Eby, M.A. (2000) Understanding professional development. In A. Brechin, H. Brown and M.A. Eby(eds.) Critical practice in health and social care. London: Sage. Cited in Finlay (2008) Reflecting on Reflective Practice. PBPL
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