Activity 10 : Your Postgraduate Learning Journey and your plan for the future

Create a blog post where you reflect on your personal 32 week learning journey through the whole postgraduate programme with regard to the 12 Practising Teacher Criteria (PTC) in e-learning. Think about which of the criteria you have met and briefly give examples from your practice. You can also refer to previous (DCL, LDC, R&C or APC) assessments that you now have as evidence. Plan and justify two main goals for your future development.

Over the last 32 weeks I have certainly learnt much about my own practice, and changed my teaching to develop my craft.  Meeting other teachers on the course, discussing and collaborating with them, listening to what they were doing in their own classroom then trying to implement ideas that I felt would benefit my own students has all added to the amazing journey.

Creating an environment where students can develop their digital citizenship skills has been a highlight. The increased use of ICT alongside workshops with Netsafe and a number of online digital tools developing students who know how to protect themselves, are digitally literate, confident and capable in the use of ICT.  Also linking back in with people such as Suzi Vesper (Suzi Vesper Digital Presentation), who I followed a few years ago, and her views on digital citizenship reminded me how many great ideas are out there (Criteria 2).

Signing up for the course was the first step in demonstrating my own commitment to ongoing professional learning (Criteria 4). The Literature review undertaken as part of the R & C paper expanded my professional understanding in regard to rich mathematical activities and creating communities of learning within mathematics. The workshops on gaming and use of games in learning has inspired me to take on further professional development in conjunction with NZCER by applying to be part of the current workshop they are running researching into how to best use gaming in the classroom to promote student learning and engagement. A lot of what I have learnt has been passed on within school, both through formal sharing during staff meetings and informal discussions over morning tea.  Teachers have watched me model the new pedagogies and some aspects, Genius Hour, use of rich mathematical activities, is starting to become the norm in the majority of classrooms.

There has been a significant investment in new technology. Moving to a 1:2 device classroom and not 1:1 device we felt promoted a more collaborative learning environment. The devices have allowed us to use digital tools to enhance learning, Monkeyjam for stop motion animation promoting new inquiry learning. Kahoots as a summative assessment tool, Scratch as an assessment tool in maths as students create games with equivalent fractions.  Minecraft to show how people traverse Mt Everest and to create scenes from novels students are reading. Many of these tasks are not individual but small groups of 2 or 3 (Criteria 7).

One area that I would like to continue to develop would be my commitment to bicultural partnership (Criteria 3).  In the literature review I read about Professor Roberta Hunter and her work in developing a more culturally tailored approach in inquiry following the ‘community of mathematical inquiry’ ideas promoted by Professor Roberta Hunter (2011). To develop this I would like to work with our own Te Reo teacher, but also try to take more workshops with Te Reo educators such as Bronwen Olds, who I have worked with this year.

A second area that I would like to continue to develop would be creating an independent learning environment in the class. Allowing students to choose what subject they would like to work on, allowing them the ability to work on mathematics all day, or splitting the day between all curriculum areas. I would see this being interspersed with structured teaching ensuring students know the learning expectations of them (Criteria 8). For this goal I would like to spend some time visiting schools who are trying this.  During the course I was lucky enough to visit Hadlow School, Masterton so see independent learning happening. Visiting more schools and discussing how teachers are developing independent learning would be a great learning experience.

Next year will give me time to assimilate all my new learning and start putting some of those fantastic ideas that I have learnt over the last 32 weeks into practice.

References

Hunter, R., & Anthony, GJ. (2011). Forging mathematical relationships in inquiry-based classrooms with Pasifika students. Journal of Urban Mathematics Education. 4(1), 98

Elearning.tki.org.nz,. (2015). Practising Teacher Criteria and e-learning / Professional learning / enabling e-Learning - enabling eLearning. Retrieved 12 November 2015, from 

http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/Practising-Teacher-Criteria-and-e-learning

Activities 9 : Evaluations of the cultural responsiveness in practice

Create a blog post where you share your own views on your indigenous knowledge and culturally responsive pedagogy and then evaluate how you or your school addresses cultural responsiveness in practice in two of the following areas:

• vision, mission, and core values
• policies,
• goals,
• communication methods,
• decision-making,
• planning and assessment,
• learning activities,
• school-wide activities,
• resources 

My own indigenous knowledge is an ever developing entity.  Over the last couple of years Kilbirnie School has employed a specialist te reo teacher to teach both the language and culture in the class and across the school.  This has certainly developed my knowledge.  I am developing confidence using te reo.

As a school Kilbirnie has chosen to focus on three of the five principles of Ka Hikitia - Accelerating Success 2013-2017, The Māori Education Strategy. Each principle has a corresponding school procedure, and when all three are enabled, they will address knowledge-based curriculum focus areas, the delivery of programmes in the classroom, and the management of the school through productive partnerships.  They are:

1. The Treaty of Waitangi

The three broad principles of Te Tiriti;  Partnership, Participation and Protection will be applied to all aspects of the school environment, including school policy, management, organisation, planning and curriculum.

Through greater understanding of Te Tiriti, knowledge of Te Reo me nga tikanga and engagement with Māori whānau we recognise that our school community will be enriched, better prepared to engage with, and contribute, to New Zealand society.

2. Identity, Language and Culture

Kilbirnie School recognises that Māori children succeed when their learning programme reflects and values their identity, language and culture.  The school will ensure that Māori identity, language and culture is integral to the school’s planning and teaching practice by providing opportunities to ensure all children have positive, meaningful engagement with te Ao Māori. 

This will occur through regular and ongoing teaching of te reo Māori throughout the school,  ensuring that tikanga Māori is a part of everyday teaching, and by developing a relevant history programme for all children. 

3. Ako – a two-way teaching and learning process.

Ako describes holistic, collaborative learning relationships.  The concept is embodied at the school by tuakana-teina relationships, buddying programmes, enrichment and recovery programmes, and parent involvement in the child’s learning journey. It reflects the Māori approach to learning, and an emphasis on this approach will support whānau Māori and Māori students’ success while enriching the learning environment for all students.

As a result of the above focus as a school we undertook a series of workshops with Treaty professional learning facilitator, Bronwen Olds. This gave us a number of tools to help us implement new ideas.   One of the first was to create a playground treaty to change behaviour around the school.  The process allowed all students to have input into the treaty via our school council, a treaty was drawn up, the treaty was then reviewed before all students in the school signed with a thumbprint.  We have a developing kapa haka group and ensure that when we have visiting guests they are greeted with a powhiri. We are also hoping to extend the use of powhiri to the start of the year and potentially as a start to each term.  Another area of school wide focus is the use of tuakana-teina.  Our senior students buddy up with our junior students on a regular basis.

We have also been developing our school wide activities. As a result of the workshops we decided to try and have a karakia across the school, said at the start of the day to centre everyone.  The karakia needed to be short and secular. This has been taken up to different degrees throughout the school depending on the confidence of teachers.

References

Ka Hikitia – Accelerating Success 2013-2017, The Māori Education Strategy

Tau Mai Te Reo, The Māori Language in Education Strategy 2013-2017

Tataiako, Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners – NZ Teachers Council

Te Aho Arataki Marau mo I te reo Māori – Kura Auraki – TKI website