Changes in Practice

It's been 32 weeks!!
 I think the biggest thing I've learnt is resilience and that even though I thought I had a positive mindset, perhaps there were times both of the aforementioned qualities were tested. The good news is, this experience has definitely shown me I am more resilient and able to shift my mind set than I thought. Teaching full time, in management with a hubby that has a pretty full on job, requiring him to go to meetings about 3 times a week, I think we've managed to adjust life to enable our three kids (14, 12 and 4) to carry on with their busy lives also. So I guess another outcome from the last 32 weeks is that I'm grateful. My two older kids and husband Horowai have stepped up big time and have not only supported me by taking the strain but have fully understood my busy (and sometimes crazy) mind also. I'm proud of them. Mr 4, - well he's getting his Mum back a bit more now, so he'll be happy, but this also means no more McDs every time I'm too tired to cook ;)  As hard as this journey was from time to time and the sacrifices that came with this, I'm actually happy to have learnt  from and achieved this goal. It's definitely helped me understand and apply different approaches in my management, a lot of what was covered in the leadership paper really helped my practice and caught my interest. Probably one of the hardest, but more beneficial outcomes from this process was the literature review and inquiry portfolio. They really tested my resilience, but I actually could see the links between research and application.

In relation to the PTCs in e-learning, Criteria 4 and 12 have been two areas that have made been significant, but strongly connected with this is Criteria 5, which connects the two areas of continued professional learning and development with the critical inquiry and problem solving, because it's the leadership aspect, and often that's an area I need to think carefully about in my approach. Like I said previously, the leadership in digital learning element really interested me, particularly around leadership style. I feel more secure in my leadership overall and want to continue to develop this, I now have the direction, tools and understanding to continue this journey.
Having been apart of the elearning leadership team and a professional learning group (Magpie cluster), in the past, that worked under the 'enabling elearning' umbrella, I some how, now,   have a better understanding of how to gain the best from a PLc, particularly the online professional learning communities that are available. There are several areas we have explored over the last 32 weeks also, such as flipped and blended learning that have captured my interest to explore further. The SAMR model now guides me a lot more in my teaching practise, and I intend to continue to explore this further also. I see these as areas and possibilities for future inquiry next year, hence criteria 12, where I would like to really hone in on the specifics of these areas and how they can enhance outcomes for my learners.
I guess that is my 'dream': to consolidate this year's learning. To carry out the inquiry created in the research paper and adapt this to my next group of target learners for 2018.

Professional Context: Crossing Boundaries

The interdisciplinary approach provides many benefits that

develop into much needed lifelong learning skills that are 

essential to a student’s future learning.

(Jones, C, 2009 p76)

A lot of connections in my 'world' definitely interconnect, thanks to online media/social networking access to people, relationships, connections, information and professional development etc. 
The interdisciplinary connection I'm going to explore further is the the sustainability of Incredible Years in my classroom and team and how this connects with the PB4L Tier 2 team. 
The term 'empathetic horizon' from being a part of both the cohort of learners this year and the PB4L Tier 2 team at school really relate to these areas because of the different 'specialities' within the groups and what is required in order to ensure these very connected processes are implemented authentically. 

Within the connection with the IY's cohort currently are the facilitators, who are both RTLBs, other Rtlb members who are learning/training, teachers, school leadership/senior management and teacher aides. The different perspectives and how not only behaviours but where they see their role or how the role within the school affects their daily operation allowed for shared perspectives. The PB4L Tier 2 collaboration includes Senior Management - Principal, DP - leader, SMT (team leaders) - coach and myself and our School Social Worker in School. Again having members that are not experts in all areas allows for a common language to develop and implement the best step forward for the children involved. I see the two groups as part of the interdisciplinary connection that can help bring sustainability to Incredible Years strategies. Further to this connection are the relationships required with further external agencies, enhanced student relationships as well as family and community relationships, all who can actively contribute to better outcomes for the student/s involved. 
With the PB4L team, we will meet regularly to discuss various concerns around specific behaviours and/or students that through data collected across the school have been highlighted as a concern or need to be addressed at this level. Recommendations from staff are also considered. We will then discuss, analyse and place an action plan/wrap around service that will assist the student, whanau and student, which I predict will be regularly analysed and adjusted throughout the journey.  In close connection with this are the IY strategies that link strongly with this approach, such as behaviour plans and transition forms that allow for a less stressful adjustment period between classes or within new situations. Including fortnightly "IY" sessions within my Junior Team meetings that include all Junior Team teachers will be another element to sustainability. Incorporating PLC (professional learning conversations) and possible behaviour plans around any current tier 1 students of concern, addressing the behaviours and implementing strategies at the lower end of the IY pyramid. The different strengths within our Junior Team will assist in implementing a robust plan that we are all aware of and can implement/support with. This will also include any Teacher Aides, who will have regular elements of IY information/strategies communicated with them (as with PB4L). They will be informed of any behaviour plans and their input included within the planning/reflection process.
As mentioned the benefit of multiple perspectives and strengths will assist in this process. Also the fact that if any of these Tier 1 students enter the Tier 2 element, I as team leader can inform and bring to the PB4L team the strategies and plans used so far. Having both teams aware of behaviour plans and support staff should also provide greater consistency for the child. Challenges will come around ensuring the fortnightly element continues to be included in the Junior Team meetings and that it is not perceived as 'extra workload' but rather a necessary and beneficial element to student outcomes and teacher development. Also having support staff who aren't trained in IY or PB4L fully, taking on board the strategies required, this will involve education and up-skilling these staff members, which is in the plan here. 

Jones, C.(2009). Interdisciplinary approach - Advantages, disadvantages, and the future benefits of interdisciplinary studies. ESSAI7 (26), 76-81. Retrieved from http://dc.cod.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1121&context=essai

Mathison,S.. & Freeman, M.(1997). The logic of interdisciplinary studies. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1997. Retrieved from http://www.albany.edu/cela/reports/mathisonlogic12004.pdf:

Mulligan, L. M., & Kuban, A. J. . (2015). A Conceptual Model for Interdisciplinary Collaboration. Retrieved from http://acrlog.org/2015/05/14/a-conceptual-model-for-interdisciplinary-collaboration

Whereas interdisciplinarity seeks to combine disciplines to enhance the learning in one or

Professional Online Social Networks

The use of social media in Teaching

     Social media in my own teaching has taken quite an eclectic journey since the popularity of blogging took flight around 5 years ago (probably sooner). I initially used blogger with my senior students (yr5/6), where the children shared the class log in and used their name in the label area. It was designed as a communication tool with the class and parents and served as a form of digital portfolio, basically sharing learning with friends and whanau. I eventually changed this to Kidblog, which was easier to manage and children enjoyed it more. HOWEVER as much as I justified the fact that it provided an audience for the children and a form of portfolio, our audience was next to none and the impact was similar. A lot of this is on me, in reflection the majority of tasks were pretty low on the SAMR model. I gave it a break for a couple of years upon transferring to the Junior School, now teaching a year 2/3 class. We had a shared blog and twitter page, but again the audience was minimal and my own upkeep of this wasn't great either. So I took another break. I guess this highlights some of the 'social media' challenges - maintenance, effectiveness and audience. 

Students' ability to reach out to faculty outside of regular classroom and office hours with

          expectation of quick feedback is expanding the faculty workday as well as placing additional stress on the teaching process (Seaman, J., & Tinti-kane, H. (2013).pg 6 seam)

        My students regardless of age wanted feedback from whanau and myself and they wanted to 'see the point' outside of 'doing blogging'. That was on me and my perspective and understanding. 

      I have been, and continue to, explore the SAMR model of teaching, making it an ongoing goal in my general infusion of technology into the classroom and our use of social media with our learning.

        The emphasis is not just on mastering content, but also on acquiring skills to learn, unlearn and 

        relearn. These include the ability to change perspectives in the light of new information and 

        understanding. (Sharples, M., , … Wong, L. H. 2016 pg 5)

      See-saw has started to make the most impact in my teaching around social networks. I've shared work and events using twitter, but one challenge I find it the upkeep of it. However I'm not against Twitter and my goal for next year is to make this a MUST, and to join the chapter chat process OR our own version of this. In the meantime see-saw has been great. I can partially 'flip' learning sharing links to certain students using folders, they can access on their ipads easily and rather than 'doing blogging or ICT' the children are utilising this for learning skills and explaining their understanding. The draw tool for maths, the talk tool for answering and explaining various reading responses around specific skills and the text tool for similar. Some lower level writers use 'spelling better' to help them express ideas more fluently - the issue with this, is they easily loose their documents, however see-saw is easy to save this too. They see the purpose and they enjoy using this. What's also helping, is the format is a little bit like 'junior facebook'. We have a reflection time where the children log on and browse the time line. They comment either verbally or with text, then check on their own folder to read the feedback. We obviously have boundaries and expectations around this, including ensuring everyone gets feedback etc (I do this too). A great way to ensure digital citizenship is taught and consolidated too. BUT this was an issue to start, silly comments and posts from students - nothing hurtful, but we quickly discussed relevance and responsibility. We can, but haven't shared with home yet, this will be our next step. But for now the in class network has been working really well. Sharing with another class may be a good next step too.

        The growing interest in blended ways of learning, in online courses and communities networked

        electronically, invites us to consider the extent to which technologies might mediate the typical 

        models of professional learning in ways that enhance teacher control over the process. (Melhuish,K, 2013 p9)

Melhuish, K. (2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’professional learning, 1994, 219. Retrieved from 

http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/8482/thesis.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y

Seaman, J., & Tinti-kane, H. (2013). Social Media for Teaching and Learning. Pearson, (October), 1–32. Retrieved from http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com.

Sharples, M., De Roock, R., Ferguson, R., Gaved, M., Herodotou, C., Koh, E., … Wong, L. H. (2016). Innovating Pedagogy 2016 Exploring new forms of 

teaching, learning and assessment, to guide educators and policy makers. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.20677.04325

Influence of Law and Ethics

Identifying and addressing an Ethical Dilemma

In 'creating ' (because it's fictional) the ethical dilemma I intend to reflect on and address, I've added a touch of poetic license to a variety of 'old tales' and potential possible outcomes either seen or heard about in the past. I guess it's the merging of a few unfounded stories and 'what ifs'. My 'inspiration' comes from a story I heard about of a Professional who  (a long time ago) had a few drinks and started  talking about their students in a less than ethical manner - mainly regarding their culture and race. It's never been proven and is urban legend these days, but made me wonder - what if, in todays with Social Networking, something similar occurred online. There are quite a few popular teacher's groups on facebook and sometimes people comment in ways that often make me wonder how I would feel to be a staff member or even student at this person's school.                       All credit though, is given to the moderators of most of these pages, who either delete or shut down any comments like the one I've mentioned, and of late even political posts.

So the scenario:

A teacher  responds to a post on a teacher's group facebook page, that opens up discussion around Maori student achievement. He/she responds in the comments in a racially motivated tone, placing blame on families, behaviours - a little on the side of 'deficit thinking models' featured in our week 28 Cultural Responsibility content. In the real world I would hope this would be promptly shut down or deleted, but let's say for this example it isn't.Sharing personal opinions and view points on an online forum places one at risk at the best of times, regardless if the group requires you to request to join and be 'accepted'. Firstly how are the members of the group moderated upon entry? Are all educators or are some parents/media etc? Secondly, regardless, once an opinion or any statement is online, it's pretty much part of your digital footprint. This teacher may have just added somewhat of a wart to theirs. Online posts and comments can reach beyond the intended audience and impact the wider community. The confidence and trust the community had in that teacher has been tainted, let alone the perception of the school. 

Code of Ethics:

The key stakeholders here are the students. If a learner cannot trust their place of learning and their teachers then ability to learn - take risks - feel accepted has been affected. Not only this but their identity as part of a community has been tarnished. Another key stakeholder here is the school community - their reputation is on the line - Principal, teachers, BOT, are potentially open to judgement based on perception from a comment that may be taken out of context or rightfully within context, yet betraying the trust families had in the educator.In the Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards for the Teaching Profession (n.d) within the area of 'Commitment to Teaching', teachers are required to have  professional, respectful and collaborative relationships with colleagues - this action has placed professional relationships at high risk - not only difference of opinion, but at risk of negative exposure also. Another part of this code is the commitment to Tangata Whenua partnerships in the learning environment. Having a fixed mindset around culture and race places this at risk also. The area of 'Commitment to Learners' requires teachers to respect the diversity, heritage, language and culture of all learners, it also states teachers need to be fair and effecitvely manage assumptions/personal beliefs. Such a public statement can be categorised as less than effective. The facebook comment also contradicts the Professional Standard of Learning Focussed - Future, again the focus is around safe learning environment and cultural diversity.

Potential negative consequences:

• Vulnerable position - loss of position or demotion, placed on competency - Principals and Teachers are legally responsible to maintain honour and dignity of fellow professionals and students.
• Public outcry - local community and/or media - either toward the individual teacher or school
• Permanently tainted own reputation
• Reputation of school and community in potential disrepute.
• Trust and competency of individual and/or school now in question.

Possible Actions and Implementation:

Rejected ideas:

• Reply to the comment - refute and attempt to seperate the school from the teacher's comment - ( will only compound the scenario and add 'fuel to the fire')
• Ignore the situation and hope it goes away - ask for comment to be delete ( can't control who has seen it or taken screen shot - ignoring won't necessarily solve the longterm problem of policy around social media and the deficit thought model the teacher has displayed)

Possible Acceptable Ideas:

• Address the immediate concerns around the statement and antecedent  behind the comment with individual staff member. Ask for explanation and have in-depth discussion around both use of social media and deficit thought model. Create an action plan and support plan around this to be regularly reviewed. 
• Unpack with the individual and wider staff the school's Social network policy - supported with Professional development.
• Unpack the Teacher's Code of Ethics with whole staff, supported by appropriate Professional Development
• Revisit and share the policy for reporting behaviour/complaints - establish across all stakeholders (staff, parents etc)
• Engage individual in a process that helps with competency around the code of professional responsibility (Would this be appropriate for a first offence? Perhaps the response of the individual during discussion would help guide this decision)
• Inform and consult the Board of Trustees of the situation and following actions as a response.

Collste, G.(2012). Applied and professional ethics. Kemanusiaan,19(1), 17–33.

Connecticut’s Teacher Education and Mentoring Program. (2012). Ethical and Professional Dilemmas for Educators: Facilitator’s Guide. Retrieved from http://www.ctteam.org/df/resources/Module5_Manual....

Education Council. (n.d). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-et...

Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers

Henderson, M., Auld, G., & Johnson, N. F. (2014). Ethics of teaching with social media, 1–7.

Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsibility

Bishop (2009) talks about the cultural debt in which the NZ education system currently operates in relation to Maori learners. What resonated with me that even back when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, the right of Maori to be educated - as a 'highly educable population' is included. He states that Article 3 established that Maori would benefit as citizens of this society. Data and history clearly indicates this hasn't been the case.

In terms of cultural responsiveness, I found the conversation in Edtalks (2012) around tangible and intangible culture, powerful. Especially in terms of our Maori Akonga. Too often 'we do Te Reo and Kapahaka' has been the response or action taken to qualify as culturally responsive education, but as Bishop (2009) states, the core to operating as an 'agendic teacher' and culturally responsive - effective all round teacher - is relationship centred. When in any caring, functional relationship the parties involved only want the best for one another and the deficit theorising or excuses are often not acceptable. A functional relationship is having someone believe in you, your values, your vision and goals, basically loving and accepting who you are in a way that supports you to be the best you. A culturally responsive teacher therefore would have a caring learning relationship with their students. We can't default to blame the 'failures' in the classroom, on the child, their background, their culture as an excuse. We are the bridge and need to adapt constantly for our students so they can engage and contribute as active learners and future members of society. Yes this is easier said than done and I for one am not perfect - IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM, but this aspect of the definition around cultural responsiveness really connected with me and my constant effort to be that 'agendic teacher'. In connection with this, the Edutalk (2012) video discusses the Intangible elements of culture, some of which are; perspectives, world views, beliefs, values, filters that help us make sense of the world around us, assumptions. An important point they made was that just because a student belongs to a 'race' or 'cultural group' it's important to take into account the intangible culture elements for each individual. I'm part Greek and Irish, but my world view and filter isn't necessarily always through those eyes. My children and husband are Maori and each one of them have a definitive filter that separates them from the 'group' also. However there are commonalities also that, if my family were my class, I would have a means to relate and build using the commonalities they hold as Maori, as Edmonds, as Whanau, but there would be differentiation in some of the approaches also. My children have had a significantly different upbringing than my husband, if he were a student, his reaction to events, learning difficult content and other elements we address daily in the classroom would need a much different approach than my children (assuming they were the same age in the same class). Turns out this was the case when he was actually at school too.  Doesn't make one party more superior than the other - strengths and weaknesses only establish themselves when differentiation is offered and allowed to safely become established.

A strength our School has in terms of culturally responsive pedagogy is, in my view, Vision, mission and core values. This has mainly come about with the integration of PB4L within our school. The consultation process around establishing our 4 key values was extensive and actively involved Whanau, students and the wider community. As a result the decision to establish; Respect, Resilience, Identity and Integrity, strongly encompassed  Tikanga Maori Values. Using tools such as Tataiako, our whanau and students, the unpacking process and teaching of these four values have been linked strongly with the Tikanga values our community hold dear. 

The Maori competencies featured in Tataiako; Manaakitanga, Waananga, Ako, Whanaungatanga and Tangata Whenua often merge or co-exist with the PB4L values we have within our school. Establishing the value of Respect has given the school a vehicle to promote Manaakitanga, the promotion of kindness, generosity and support to others - building on the Tuakana/Teina philosophy we had already established, not that one is older or younger necessarily, but everyone has a strength they can contribute and the requirement of support - even the teachers - operating as one - Kotahitanga. This opens the door for Tikanga - adhering to rules that create safe and secure environments and Kaitiakitanga, taking care of our surroundings and the elements of our world and environment we are learning are important - giving back - the ultimate form of respect. This leads into Identity. The knowing of who we are, our whanau and whakapapa - whanaungatanga - the sense of belonging and knowing who we are and who those we are learning alongside are. What makes us - us, as a school, class and individuals. Not only Taha Maori but the Taukiri that contribute to us as a school and our area. An emphasis on building and expressing knowledge develops from this with Mohiotanga -building and sharing our knowledge and Maramatanga - looking at the relevance of our learning - why, what's important and how we can use this. Again the values of Integrity and Resilience, links with both of the previous 2 values discussed in that we are developing the strength to learn and respond rather than react to situations around us. To stand up and be strong in who we are as a school and learners. Aumangea and taparenga, being steadfast and honest, working to problem solve and grow with one another. I guess the sense of being in control of our own futures, learning and reactions - Rangatira.  Essentially I think the PB4L process and establishment of these values - or the way in which these values are being established has given us as a school strength in the area of vision and mission.

my own assessment - more from personal perspective than school wide. Course content and community lead me to the following reflection...

Probably from more of a personal perspective (as a team leader and teacher), but to an extent, school wide the concept of fully engaging parents in learning is an area I personally would like to develop. This links with a few of the areas mentioned, such as communication methods and planning/assessment. I've come to this decision by exploring my response to questions: 'how do we use achievement data and information to involved families in planning and monitoring progress and achievement'. It's not that I or the school don't do this, I just wonder if it can be done better in terms of a culturally responsive manner. We showed it's highly possible with the establishment and integration of our values across the school and broader community, but when it comes to teaching and learning, the perception is still more that teachers are the 'experts' and therefore 'left to it' when it comes to this.  A bridge built between home and school to involve parents more activley in the progress and day to day learning and assessment of children would be awesome, but I think would require a lot of encouragement and promotion of parent and whanau abilities. We definitely try this, but there must be a way that really engages parents and families in the learning process. We are starting to use tools such as 'see-saw' to share the learning activities with home. Facebook, notices and websites are standard communication tools also. I wonder if incorporating something like edupuzzle activities for parents, google form surveys they don't just ask for opinion but get active contributions around specific learning areas or topics we will venture in - Tangata Whenua - place based approach. I'm also wondering if literacy and numeracy 'fun nights or afternoons' (bangers and maths is one I've seen work well) may be something of worth, bringing the parents and families into school to work alongside and with our learners in various programmes or areas. We are seeking Kaumatua and/or Kuia for the school  however success has been somewhat transient to date.

It's definitely given me something to consider moving forward in terms of my leadership in the Junior school and possible next steps.

Bishop, R., Berryman, M., Cavanagh, T. & Teddy, L. (2009).Te Kotahitanga: Addressing educational disparities facing Māori students in New Zealand. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5),734–742.

Cowie, B., Otrel-cass, K., Glynn, T., Kara, H., Anderson, M., Doyle, J., … Te Kiri, C. (n.d.). Culturally responsive pedagogy and assessment in primary science classrooms: Whakamana tamariki, 1–5.

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

Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. Cultural competencies for teachers of Māori learners: Tātaiako (2011). Retrieved from www.minedu.govt.nz/tataiako.

Unitec. (n.d). Learning and Teaching at Unitec Institute of Technology. Retrieved fromBooklet.http://www.unitec.ac.nz/ahimura/publications/U008817%20Learning%20and%20Teaching%20Booklet.pdf

Contemporary trend in New Zealand or internationally

"Virtual platforms allow for professors and students to interact yet be in different physical environments" (OECD, 2016, p. 100)

If a global trend can be defined as a change that has continual movement and impact, which can be statistically monitored or tracked over time, then online learning is definitely a trend that captivates my attention. 

Narrowing this focus down to the online components of flipped and blended learning with the use of mobile technology has started to impact on my own practise as a teacher and therefore contributes to the interest I have to reflect on 'online learning'.

retrieved from, Parsons (2014)

The screen shot above of the development or progression of mobile technologies in education displays a significant growth and advancement of use within the classroom that seems to exponentially expand month by month.    

retrieved from Garcia, (2015)

In terms of how this has and continues to impact my own practice, the concept of flipped and blended learning has been the focus of both the Literature Review and Reflective Portfolio assignments for the Mindlab Post Graduate course. In doing so, I've come to realise that online learning has significantly entered my classroom with the use of tools such as Spelling City, Mathletics alone, but also integrating tools such as youtube, edupuzzle, blendspace to not only deliver and consolidate but in some cases assess my students, and I found this a beneficial addition, not only for myself as a teacher but more so the ease in which students can identify, set and work toward achieving goals. As the screenshot above suggests all flipped classroom courses are blended but not all blended are flipped. I would say, due to the level of my students and differentiated group and whole class time spent unpacking and building on content we access online, the approach I dominantly use is blended.  In our findings from the research the following statement accurately summarises the nature of the teacher/learner relationship as a result of flipped and blended learning.

Greater one to one time with the teacher not only enhanced student agency but also provided greater opportunity for teachers to identify learning needs, promote in depth collaboration, communication and problem solving amongst students (Fulton, 2012 in Herried and Schiller, 2013).

Basically the influence online technology has had on students ability to access information has moved from the teacher delivering from the front with all control, to one where they are the 'guide on the side'. The power increasingly falls to the student, but this is dependant on teacher confidence and skill, as well as curriculum. Does our current curriculum and/or delivery allow for students to take on this greater role of responsibility to lead their own learning journey? I actually think it does, but that doesn't mean to say it happens. I'm often torn between allowing the full on 'student lead' investigation take place and the 'must achieve the National Standard and tick it off - default = me controlling. I've found SOLE (Self Organised Learning Environment) a useful tool to implement intermittently, providing myself with the opportunity to really look at how my students organise and conduct themselves when fully responsible for their own learning, as well as the social interactions and engagement. It's been a great tool to identify learning habits that need addressing and to notice the ways in which my students obtain information and then process it online. Being that they're younger, a lot it youtube based and often above their understanding. I've been able to teach the 'how to' find online information that works for us as a result. IT'S A JOURNEY!

However with that in mind the challenges of online learning and responsibilities of us as educators are partly highlighted. Do students know how to find information that will answer their question - at their level? What age is really ok to start - is there a too young? - I'm starting to think not. How can we further empower our students to connect online with the experts to get the information needed 'first hand'? Am I even skilled enough to effectively educate my students online and what do we as teachers need to do to ensure this happens? There are a lot of teachers who do up skill and ensure they're on the cusp of the digital skills needed, but there are a lot who are not. Alternatively are all teachers who go the distance with digital technologies, effectively teaching the core learning areas? Like anything there are going to be variances in quality whatever side of the digital fence a teacher may sit. So how, in this growing age of technology, will the education system regulate or monitor effectiveness. I've got way more questions than answers.

What I do know is that the advantages are massive and necessary for the current and future world our students are heading into. The fact that AI (artificial intelligence) is increasingly eliminating manufacturing jobs means that there will be new occupations and career paths - which will no doubt require technology skills. Already there are jobs where employers and employees can 'go into work' without leaving the house. So what happens to face to face interactions, and overall mind and body health? We need to prep our kids for this.

If we can access information so easily then how do we know students will discern what is authentic and what's not? We need to teach our 21 century learners to critically think about content and delve deeper into growing their knowledge base in areas they are learning about. Then the digital citizenship and safety aspect comes into play - children growing up as digital natives have a lot to navigate and teachers need to help them learn these skills in the same way we teach skills like healthy eating, values and keeping ourselves safe.

I guess the impact online technology has on the world in general definitely impacts us in the world of education and as teachers we need to empower ourselves and our kids to navigate this to gain all the benefits that lay ahead.

Garcia, K. (2015). Student Engagement Strategies in STEM. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/kimarnold28/student-engagement-

strategies-in-stem-classes-20140202

Herreid, C. F., & Schiller, N. A. (2013). Case Studies and the Flipped Classroom. Journal of College Science Teaching, 42(5), 63. 

https://doi.org/doi.org.proxy2.lib.umanitoba.ca/10.1

Karataş, S., et al. (2016). A Trend Analysis of Mobile Learning. In D. Parsons (Ed.) Mobile and Blended Learning Innovations for Improved Learning Outcomes(pp. 248-276). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

OECD, (2016). Trends shaping Education 2016, OECD publishing, Paris. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2016-3n

Parsons, D. (2014). A Mobile Learning Overview by Timeline and Mind Map. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, 6(4), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijmbl.2014100101

Wilson, B. (2012). Trends and issues facing distance education. In L. Visser, Y. Visser M., R. Amirault & M. Simonson (2nd Ed.) Trends and Issues in Distance Education. International Perspectives (pp.39-54). North Carolina: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Current Issues in my Professional Context

"Deciles are a measure of the socio-economic position of a school's student community relative to other schools throughout the country" (Ministry of Education, 2017, para. 2). 

The current system used by the Ministry of Education is the decile rating system which categorises schools according to the percentage of students from low socio-economic communities. It is stated however that a decile rating does not necessarily indicate the overall socio-economic mix of the the school, nor reflect the quality of education the school provides, (Ministry of Education, 2017). 

So while our school is rated within the decile 2 category, the socio-economic mix span is broader and does not necessarily categorise the nature of our students and families. Gargiulo, (2014), states that there are three factors a child's socio-economic status may influence their schooling, they are; 

• Student preparation for school, in the practical sense, such as clothing, food, health
• Home/School relationship, where schools are the authority, resulting in a passive relationship.
• Hidden Curriculum, Where the perspective and background of the teacher may either subconsciously or consciously perceive and therefore treat lower socio-economic students as less able and disadvantaged, often resulting in the inability to understand or relate to the students and/or families.

It would be ignorant of me to say these elements don't exist within our school to some extent and that socio-economic status influences our students in these areas. However as school we are on a journey to address these areas and break down the stereotypes and walls that can and have in the past easily encompassed our school. The strategies below are based at a Secondary School level, but programmes in place we have in commone are the provision of lunches and breakfasts, student achievement conferences and positive behaviour for learning. Our literacy programmes no doubt differ but are differentiated and in some cases specialised for learning needs, the youth and mentoring programmes in our school feature as social skills development courses.

retrieved from Gargiulo, (2014)

Using the Tataiako curriculum tool has been one way I have seen management break the 'hidden curriculum' barriers amongst staff. Our staff in general are pretty good and understanding where our students are 'coming from' when issues arise and approaching each student with the 'knowing' of how they will respond best in different situations. However this document has seen the residual perceptions addressed and with continual growth and development around this, the staff continue to grow as learners themselves, which is a HIGHLY encouraged factor within our staff culture.

retrieved from Stoll, (2000)

The above 'norms' or 'strategies' taken from the readings outline how some schools have or are expected to adjust or establish their climate in order to address disadvantages established by poor climate or culture and/or socio-economic influence - not that these are linked in anyway as poor climate and culture can and does exist in any school, and the negative flow on can be harmful to teachers, students and staff. 

The journey our school has been on has seen a drastic change in both culture and climate. In the last 5 years our school, due to various factors has seen not only seen 5 (some interim) Principals take on this role but also 4 Deputy Principals. With our current management  team having been established for approximately 2 out of the 5 years. As you can imagine the climate in the school when our current Principal and then Deputy arrived was less than stable, secure or functioning to it's full capacity. Upon the appointment and establishment of the Principal/DP team, the immediate shift in climate was noticed and it was positive. I guess you could summarise this as grateful. Grateful for stability, structure and positive, concise and wise direction.

There are always elements of resistance and fixed mindset when change starts to take it's full affect, however the expectations, guidance and ability to find common ground to move forward alongside staff, allowing our journey to operate as a structured yet 'living document/open process' has established a positive, collaborative and quite humorous (we had this to begin with however) climate between staff. Reflecting on the four teaching cultures of Individualism, Collaboration, Contrived collegiality and Balkinisation, mentioned in Stoll (2000), I personally think there are not only opportunities but necessity for each of the aforementioned teaching cultures to exist on some level. The dominant in our school would be collaboration, particularly in context to our current Mindlab postgrad paper that we are all completing as part of school wide professional development. With the establishment of new management after our turbulent time of constant transitions and waning climate, the list of 10 norms featured in Stoll's (2000) article started to establish themselves with greater dominance and impact. I would say all 10 started to disappear rapidly during the transition time, so that 'grateful' feeling previously mentioned was no doubt the result of the 10 norms being established back into the school. It started at staff and Board level and our Principal and DP worked hard to create and develop these norms amongst us all. The students were next and the current area for development is the focus on families and community. Our aim is to continue to break any barriers down to partner with families in the hope and expectation that growth and development of our children is at the core and requires active family/community participation. We have a core element of our community and families that are vital to this and contribute wonderfully. Those on the fringe are encouraged with relationships between class teachers and parents encouraged via regular communication about their child and events that continue to welcome our families through the gate. The expectations below I think are not only advocated for students but also their families. This is a journey and with anything in an organisation isn't always attended to consistently...yet.

retrieved from Gargiulo, (2014)

Our students have, and no doubt always will respond best to a relational approach. 

Although seen here as featured in Gargiulo, (2014), as a mental model for poverty, the concept of relationship when in leadership or in care of others across any structure in society (school, church, management etc), is vital for success. The elements within these models would be beneficial if shared across the  socio-economic divide and as as a school we strive to attend and broaden the scope for our students toward achievement particularly and connections.  This not only works in helping the students grow within themselves but also teachers and families. The basis for our current climate and core to the culture of our school has adjusted with the use of Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L), where are foundational values, in-consultation with students, teachers, parents and community are; Respect, Resilience, Identity and Integrity. At the cusp of Tier 2 the impact and changes seen have been considerable and are definitely not limited to a 'fly by night' phase within but now embedded within every aspect and element of our school. I believe this is something that will continue to grow and adapt as our journey continues.

Gargiulo, S. (2014). Principal Sabbatical Report, (September).

Ministry of Education. (2017). School deciles About deciles What deciles measure Which funding deciles determine, 4–6.

Stoll, L. (2000). School culture. Professional Development, (3), 9–14. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242721155_School_culture