Week 27 - APC - Broader Professional Context: From consumers to creators

From consumers to creators

What work will my children be doing in 2030? Future State (2030) highlights this important question which came from public questions to the government. My own son will be 23 and writing this blog has allowed me the opportunity to reflect on whether or not what he is learning in school is really relevant to what he needs to be learning? Or whether what I am teaching in my own classroom is important and/or relevant to what those students really need to be able to survive and thrive in 2030? It also allows me to turn my attention to how does my role as a teacher and collaborator need to change to enable further changes to take place within my classroom, my school and the community.

Although we can haphazard a guess at what things may look like in the future it is hard to prepare student for jobs that don't actually exist yet and for futures that we can't actually see or comprehend. For example, if we went back 100 years and told them that they would be able to hold pieces of metal in their hands and chat with someone anywhere in the world, would they have believe us? Or even been able to visualize what we have now in this world?  So, anything could happen or be coming in the future? Imagine if technology no longer exists in 100 year? Can't imagine that? My point exactly! 

Some current issues that have been highlighted in reports such as, Global trends: The world is changing faster than at any time in human history (2015) and KPMG - Future State 2030 - Global Megatrends (2014), allow us to contemplate problems the future generations needs to be prepared for. The need to increase food production to feed the ever-growing population, estimated to reach 8.3 billion by 2030 (future state 2030) or the deficit that has been identified between water demand and supply, estimated to reach 40% by 2030. Will we all be eating insects and living under plastic sheets to enable the production of water through wide-scale condensation towers? Can't imagine that either?

The current initiative on rethinking our schools is a long overdue one in my own opinion, not just because of the speed of advances in digital technology in industry and the slow uptake by the educational system,  but also because so many individuals have been failed by the old style system - even when it was 'new initiative'. I for one, was one of those 'failures' - Labelled a disruptive student, I struggled to sit still in lessons, struggled to take in and understand what was being said when the lessons consisted of just 'teacher talk' 'blackboard learning' and boring book-work, and as far as my reading skills went...well my mother would love to tell you the story ......" you know Alison, at the age of 14 you had a reading age of 10 and look at you now".  Nobody picked up on the fact, that the teachers of my practical subject wrote glowing reports about me, it's rather ironic I ended up going back to school at the grand age of 27 to study Equine Studies, a primarily practical-based course, and in which again I received glowing reports from my lecturers.

Anyway I digress, what I am trying to get across is that things should of changed long again, to offer all students, and I mean all students, opportunities to learn in a way that best suited them. I love to see the transformation of my students belief in themselves when they arrive in my class after being labelled 'disruptive' in another class. I have the privilege to teach a practical hands-on subject and it is just heart warming when a student realizes that he is not disruptive, rather he has just not had the opportunity to learn in a way that suits his needs. If changes had been made long ago maybe we would not be in a situation where we have a big hulk of students being identified as priority learners? (ERO 2012). I suppose, hindsight is a wonderful thing and the important thing is that we are now addressing how schools need to change to allow all students the opportunity to experience success and to develop skills which will allow them to reach their full potential and contribute to the economy and society as a whole. Here's another thought... a student spends 40 hours learning how to write an essay correctly versus a student spends 40 hours learning how to grow vegetables properly.... going on the prediction of the food shortage in 2030 I know which class I would want my son to be in, that's not to say that being in both classes would be the preference and produce the most benefit to the learner.

As an educator, I am excited and motivated to provide students with individual learning programs that will cater for the diverse needs of all students. Although I have always been an advocate for relevant and authentic learning programs my own context of practice has begun to change and develop further over this year, thanks to Mindlab. I have implemented and trialed (and failed, and tried again) such learning initiatives as gamification, game-based learning, project-based and inquiry learning, digital tools, blended learning, digital assessment to identify learners progress and needs. These programs and initiative,  although at a primitive stage, embrace the opportunities that allow students to gain a deeper learning experience and tries hard to get away from the predominate 'old school' teacher talk/workbook style lesson.  I have also had student-voice comments like "I have learnt so much in this subject", "why can all subjects be taught like this". The overarching idea is to use new initiatives to try to enable students to take ownership of their own learning and for the learner to see the relevancy of what they are learning in a way that they can apply it into their own 'outside' lives, both now and in the future. Student should no longer be viewed as passive recipients instead I believe it is our responsibility to adapt and metamorphose our learning programs to enable students to take an active role in their own learning needs. 

The development of technology has provides a springboard to adapt our learning programs to better equip our students with a useful and future focused skill-set, improve confidence in their ability and provide students with a positive attitude that will enable them to take an active and informed role in their futures, coupled with a belief that they can make a difference. Not only this but it also enables educators to deepen their own understanding and knowledge to produce suitable learning programs and environments in which these leanings are uncovered, explored and embraced. The development of digital technology has also enable the educator to gain skills, to try and fail - and try again, to gain and offer advice, reflections and ideas by connecting across a variety of learning platforms and collaborative learning spaces and professional supportive groups that are now available. This has further driven the movement towards providing authentic, cultural responsive and curriculum-rich learning programs. Making use of technology that is now available to better suit our students learning needs of today is essential. It allows our students to experience and develop skills that will enable them to become life-long-learners and take an active role in their future. As well as this it allows the educator to develop their own subject and pedagogical knowledge and just as important, their own key competency skills, thus providing excellent role models to future generations.

..................Just keep swimming, just keep swimming

(Picture Source:  http://hacklearning.org/)

References


Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools (2012)
http://www.ero.govt.nz/publications/evaluation-at-a-glance-priority-learners-in-new-zealand-schools/

KPMG Australia. (2014). Future State 2030 - Global Megatrends. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im5SwtapHl8

Pearson. (2013, April 26). Global trends: The world is changing faster than at any time in human history. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdZiTQy3g1g

The RSA.(2010, Oct 14). RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U.

The NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition (2015)
http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf

 

Week 27 - APC - Broader Professional Context: From consumers to creators

From consumers to creators

What work will my children be doing in 2030? Future State (2030) highlights this important question which came from public questions to the government. My own son will be 23 and writing this blog has allowed me the opportunity to reflect on whether or not what he is learning in school is really relevant to what he needs to be learning? Or whether what I am teaching in my own classroom is important and/or relevant to what those students really need to be able to survive and thrive in 2030? It also allows me to turn my attention to how does my role as a teacher and collaborator need to change to enable further changes to take place within my classroom, my school and the community.

Although we can haphazard a guess at what things may look like in the future it is hard to prepare student for jobs that don't actually exist yet and for futures that we can't actually see or comprehend. For example, if we went back 100 years and told them that they would be able to hold pieces of metal in their hands and chat with someone anywhere in the world, would they have believe us? Or even been able to visualize what we have now in this world?  So, anything could happen or be coming in the future? Imagine if technology no longer exists in 100 year? Can't imagine that? My point exactly! 

Some current issues that have been highlighted in reports such as, Global trends: The world is changing faster than at any time in human history (2015) and KPMG - Future State 2030 - Global Megatrends (2014), allow us to contemplate problems the future generations needs to be prepared for. The need to increase food production to feed the ever-growing population, estimated to reach 8.3 billion by 2030 (future state 2030) or the deficit that has been identified between water demand and supply, estimated to reach 40% by 2030. Will we all be eating insects and living under plastic sheets to enable the production of water through wide-scale condensation towers? Can't imagine that either?

The current initiative on rethinking our schools is a long overdue one in my own opinion, not just because of the speed of advances in digital technology in industry and the slow uptake by the educational system,  but also because so many individuals have been failed by the old style system - even when it was 'new initiative'. I for one, was one of those 'failures' - Labelled a disruptive student, I struggled to sit still in lessons, struggled to take in and understand what was being said when the lessons consisted of just 'teacher talk' 'blackboard learning' and boring book-work, and as far as my reading skills went...well my mother would love to tell you the story ......" you know Alison, at the age of 14 you had a reading age of 10 and look at you now".  Nobody picked up on the fact, that the teachers of my practical subject wrote glowing reports about me, it's rather ironic I ended up going back to school at the grand age of 27 to study Equine Studies, a primarily practical-based course, and in which again I received glowing reports from my lecturers.

Anyway I digress, what I am trying to get across is that things should of changed long again, to offer all students, and I mean all students, opportunities to learn in a way that best suited them. I love to see the transformation of my students belief in themselves when they arrive in my class after being labelled 'disruptive' in another class. I have the privilege to teach a practical hands-on subject and it is just heart warming when a student realizes that he is not disruptive, rather he has just not had the opportunity to learn in a way that suits his needs. If changes had been made long ago maybe we would not be in a situation where we have a big hulk of students being identified as priority learners? (ERO 2012). I suppose, hindsight is a wonderful thing and the important thing is that we are now addressing how schools need to change to allow all students the opportunity to experience success and to develop skills which will allow them to reach their full potential and contribute to the economy and society as a whole. Here's another thought... a student spends 40 hours learning how to write an essay correctly versus a student spends 40 hours learning how to grow vegetables properly.... going on the prediction of the food shortage in 2030 I know which class I would want my son to be in, that's not to say that being in both classes would be the preference and produce the most benefit to the learner.

As an educator, I am excited and motivated to provide students with individual learning programs that will cater for the diverse needs of all students. Although I have always been an advocate for relevant and authentic learning programs my own context of practice has begun to change and develop further over this year, thanks to Mindlab. I have implemented and trialed (and failed, and tried again) such learning initiatives as gamification, game-based learning, project-based and inquiry learning, digital tools, blended learning, digital assessment to identify learners progress and needs. These programs and initiative,  although at a primitive stage, embrace the opportunities that allow students to gain a deeper learning experience and tries hard to get away from the predominate 'old school' teacher talk/workbook style lesson.  I have also had student-voice comments like "I have learnt so much in this subject", "why can all subjects be taught like this". The overarching idea is to use new initiatives to try to enable students to take ownership of their own learning and for the learner to see the relevancy of what they are learning in a way that they can apply it into their own 'outside' lives, both now and in the future. Student should no longer be viewed as passive recipients instead I believe it is our responsibility to adapt and metamorphose our learning programs to enable students to take an active role in their own learning needs. 

The development of technology has provides a springboard to adapt our learning programs to better equip our students with a useful and future focused skill-set, improve confidence in their ability and provide students with a positive attitude that will enable them to take an active and informed role in their futures, coupled with a belief that they can make a difference. Not only this but it also enables educators to deepen their own understanding and knowledge to produce suitable learning programs and environments in which these leanings are uncovered, explored and embraced. The development of digital technology has also enable the educator to gain skills, to try and fail - and try again, to gain and offer advice, reflections and ideas by connecting across a variety of learning platforms and collaborative learning spaces and professional supportive groups that are now available. This has further driven the movement towards providing authentic, cultural responsive and curriculum-rich learning programs. Making use of technology that is now available to better suit our students learning needs of today is essential. It allows our students to experience and develop skills that will enable them to become life-long-learners and take an active role in their future. As well as this it allows the educator to develop their own subject and pedagogical knowledge and just as important, their own key competency skills, thus providing excellent role models to future generations.

..................Just keep swimming, just keep swimming

(Picture Source:  http://hacklearning.org/)

References


Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools (2012)
http://www.ero.govt.nz/publications/evaluation-at-a-glance-priority-learners-in-new-zealand-schools/

KPMG Australia. (2014). Future State 2030 - Global Megatrends. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im5SwtapHl8

Pearson. (2013, April 26). Global trends: The world is changing faster than at any time in human history. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdZiTQy3g1g

The RSA.(2010, Oct 14). RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U.

The NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition (2015)
http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf

 

Week 26 - APC - Current issues in my professional context:

The Ego has Landed

What is the organisational culture (collective values/principles) that underpins your practice?

Up until last year the staffing retention and staff changes at the school has been relatively stable for quite some time. We have a wide range of teacher ages, some nearing retiring, others that are new to teaching and some in the middle of their teaching career. The environment seemed a positive and close-knit one. Teachers I worked with were supportive of each other and work together for the benefit of the students. In the Science department it was always a 'open house' to sharing ideas and visiting others classroom and in general a very positive environment to be in. This nurturing and supportive environment allowed my own teaching practice to grow by allowing me to have the confidence to share my ideas, take on constructive criticism and feedback from others and also being encourage to try out a vast array of different learning ideas and pedagogy styles within my own classrooms. It always felt safe to fail and to take things back to the drawing board and revisit an idea from a different and/or more informed angle. Our values at the school focused around 'Teamwork, Respect and Integrity'. This was talked about in assembly and staff meetings and from where I sat I always felt secure, safe and even encouraged to try new ideas within my practice and gained confidence from the support and feedback I received from my peers and superiors.  

As a whole school we would focus on improving student achievement by initiative such as 'Amber student'. During this time staff would collaborate to support students who were border line for passing their NCEA Level 1 and discuss strategies that we had found useful and ideas that would maybe benefit others. We also attended morning PD to collaborate and learn skills that would enable us to improve literacy school-wide by incorporating the ideas learnt into our individual subject programs. The environment was often jovial and again it was easy to reach out and gain support from colleague or also to collaborate with others and share ideas within the group. 

Last year, it often felt we had stopped moving forward as much and I became aware that our school as a whole appeared to be behind the times a little with regards to other schools and the changes that were taking place to better suit the needs of the 21st Century student. Last year saw the retirement of some significant staff members, the Science HOD, DP and Principal and we now have a new Principal and a relatively new Senior Leadership Team. 

Source: https://twitter.com/manitoulinarts/status/697464841158656003

What are the current issues in your community of practice? How would your community of practice address them? 

At present, I am not finding the goals, values and direction of the way we are wanting to move the school forward very clear. I suppose it is because it is quite early in the year and the leaders are finding their way also in their new role. It often feels that during PD sessions we are just being given lots of information but little time to reflect, collaborate and discuss ideas and learn from our each other. I think its also because everything is being just set up new and new goals and values are being compiled. One of the ways I have tried to support other that are feeling the same are by sharing key articles or literature on ideas such as inquiry learning and goal setting via email.

A suggestion of having smaller PLG's has been made and I think this would be really beneficial and would really like to be a part of this. Having time to meet with others and share and discuss ideas in a supportive and trusted group could be beneficial not only to building the school climate and culture but also for improving the quality of programs being offered and learning that is taking place in the classroom. 

I sometimes have informal short 'chats' with others who are trialing new things or who are interesting in things I have been doing in my classroom. I would like to get out there and move forward more in this direction but I get the feeling it is not the right time? I suppose it doesn't feel like an environment where it is safe for me to do so at this moment in time. I have had my 'wings clipped' by a few situations when I have given feedback or shared innovative ideas and this has made me less incline to speak out and discuss the issue. 

I also get the feeling that there are lots of ego's at play at present. I also sense that some teachers are feeling uncomfortable with having to collaborate and share their teaching practice with others, and even their subject area, as we move forward rather silently towards a more future orientated learning environment. At present, I think I can just try to build relationships with others within my school and continue to collaborate with the teachers that are interested in sharing ideas and reflecting on their practices. Engaging in the Mindlab CoP also allows a way to reflect, listen to others, share ideas and learn new ways to improve classroom practices, work better with others and improve my students learning experience.

From taking part in the Mindlab course I have been trialing new innovative ideas and initiatives that are more in-line with 21st century teaching and learning practices. Within the old environment, these ideas would of been actively highlighted and encouraged and feedback would of been received on them, but it doesn't actually feel like this happening at the moment and if anything I seem to getting some negative feedback, especially with regards to the digital technology initiatives. It appears, as a Ag/Hort teacher, I am treating on the toes of other subject area teachers. It appears ego's have a large chunk to play when trying to create a professional collaborative environment and appears to be one of the current issues in our community of practice.

This situation has allowed me see and highlight the fact that people ego's are sensitive to this change and in some situations some teachers are not keen to share or collaborate. This obviously makes it difficult to move forwards into a new era of education when not all are willing to work in a collaborative manner, or are resist to change or sharing. 

I teach in a subject area where often it is not the teachers first subject and they come in with little resources or knowledge of the subject. I am Science trained but moved into Ag/Hort later on in my teaching career. It has been reassuring to be part of a professional learning group outside of the school and interesting to see how well it works. When I first started teaching Ag/Hort I knew little but I attended 'moderation days' each year and during these days, more experience teachers would kindly share resources and ideas freely, to us 'frantic', new teachers of Ag/Hort. Obviously those frantic teachers, showed their appreciation with a gift of a bottle of wine or two. ha. As the years progress, I find myself now in the situation of sharing my resources to new (and frantic) teachers on the moderation days. I am still waiting for my bottle of wine, ha. I think this collaboration and willingness to share ideas and resources is one of the many benefits of working with others in a collaborative environment and one that benefits our students, school and reduces the stress of the already overworked teacher.

Source: http://shifting-vibration.com/2015/09/is-ego-good-or-bad/

My questions if you are reading this blog

How do you encourage and enable collaborative practices within your school?

How do you enable the reluctant teacher to feel that it is safe for them take down their protective barriers and let go of their ego's and embrace being part of a collaborative group?

What do you do if a teacher totally refuses to become involved and participate within a group?

What advice would you give to me on how to build collaborative relationships with others and breakdown those silos between subject areas without getting the backs up of the individual subject teachers involved?

References:

Hongboontri, C., & Keawkhong, N. (2014). School Culture: Teachers' Beliefs, Behaviors, and Instructional Practices. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(5), 66-88. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2332&context=ajte

Stoll (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture: 

Wilson, M. Building a culture of Success. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_8Bjz-OCD8 

Week 26 - APC - Current issues in my professional context:

The Ego has Landed

What is the organisational culture (collective values/principles) that underpins your practice?

Up until last year the staffing retention and staff changes at the school has been relatively stable for quite some time. We have a wide range of teacher ages, some nearing retiring, others that are new to teaching and some in the middle of their teaching career. The environment seemed a positive and close-knit one. Teachers I worked with were supportive of each other and work together for the benefit of the students. In the Science department it was always a 'open house' to sharing ideas and visiting others classroom and in general a very positive environment to be in. This nurturing and supportive environment allowed my own teaching practice to grow by allowing me to have the confidence to share my ideas, take on constructive criticism and feedback from others and also being encourage to try out a vast array of different learning ideas and pedagogy styles within my own classrooms. It always felt safe to fail and to take things back to the drawing board and revisit an idea from a different and/or more informed angle. Our values at the school focused around 'Teamwork, Respect and Integrity'. This was talked about in assembly and staff meetings and from where I sat I always felt secure, safe and even encouraged to try new ideas within my practice and gained confidence from the support and feedback I received from my peers and superiors.  

As a whole school we would focus on improving student achievement by initiative such as 'Amber student'. During this time staff would collaborate to support students who were border line for passing their NCEA Level 1 and discuss strategies that we had found useful and ideas that would maybe benefit others. We also attended morning PD to collaborate and learn skills that would enable us to improve literacy school-wide by incorporating the ideas learnt into our individual subject programs. The environment was often jovial and again it was easy to reach out and gain support from colleague or also to collaborate with others and share ideas within the group. 

Last year, it often felt we had stopped moving forward as much and I became aware that our school as a whole appeared to be behind the times a little with regards to other schools and the changes that were taking place to better suit the needs of the 21st Century student. Last year saw the retirement of some significant staff members, the Science HOD, DP and Principal and we now have a new Principal and a relatively new Senior Leadership Team. 

Source: https://twitter.com/manitoulinarts/status/697464841158656003

What are the current issues in your community of practice? How would your community of practice address them? 

At present, I am not finding the goals, values and direction of the way we are wanting to move the school forward very clear. I suppose it is because it is quite early in the year and the leaders are finding their way also in their new role. It often feels that during PD sessions we are just being given lots of information but little time to reflect, collaborate and discuss ideas and learn from our each other. I think its also because everything is being just set up new and new goals and values are being compiled. One of the ways I have tried to support other that are feeling the same are by sharing key articles or literature on ideas such as inquiry learning and goal setting via email.

A suggestion of having smaller PLG's has been made and I think this would be really beneficial and would really like to be a part of this. Having time to meet with others and share and discuss ideas in a supportive and trusted group could be beneficial not only to building the school climate and culture but also for improving the quality of programs being offered and learning that is taking place in the classroom. 

I sometimes have informal short 'chats' with others who are trialing new things or who are interesting in things I have been doing in my classroom. I would like to get out there and move forward more in this direction but I get the feeling it is not the right time? I suppose it doesn't feel like an environment where it is safe for me to do so at this moment in time. I have had my 'wings clipped' by a few situations when I have given feedback or shared innovative ideas and this has made me less incline to speak out and discuss the issue. 

I also get the feeling that there are lots of ego's at play at present. I also sense that some teachers are feeling uncomfortable with having to collaborate and share their teaching practice with others, and even their subject area, as we move forward rather silently towards a more future orientated learning environment. At present, I think I can just try to build relationships with others within my school and continue to collaborate with the teachers that are interested in sharing ideas and reflecting on their practices. Engaging in the Mindlab CoP also allows a way to reflect, listen to others, share ideas and learn new ways to improve classroom practices, work better with others and improve my students learning experience.

From taking part in the Mindlab course I have been trialing new innovative ideas and initiatives that are more in-line with 21st century teaching and learning practices. Within the old environment, these ideas would of been actively highlighted and encouraged and feedback would of been received on them, but it doesn't actually feel like this happening at the moment and if anything I seem to getting some negative feedback, especially with regards to the digital technology initiatives. It appears, as a Ag/Hort teacher, I am treating on the toes of other subject area teachers. It appears ego's have a large chunk to play when trying to create a professional collaborative environment and appears to be one of the current issues in our community of practice.

This situation has allowed me see and highlight the fact that people ego's are sensitive to this change and in some situations some teachers are not keen to share or collaborate. This obviously makes it difficult to move forwards into a new era of education when not all are willing to work in a collaborative manner, or are resist to change or sharing. 

I teach in a subject area where often it is not the teachers first subject and they come in with little resources or knowledge of the subject. I am Science trained but moved into Ag/Hort later on in my teaching career. It has been reassuring to be part of a professional learning group outside of the school and interesting to see how well it works. When I first started teaching Ag/Hort I knew little but I attended 'moderation days' each year and during these days, more experience teachers would kindly share resources and ideas freely, to us 'frantic', new teachers of Ag/Hort. Obviously those frantic teachers, showed their appreciation with a gift of a bottle of wine or two. ha. As the years progress, I find myself now in the situation of sharing my resources to new (and frantic) teachers on the moderation days. I am still waiting for my bottle of wine, ha. I think this collaboration and willingness to share ideas and resources is one of the many benefits of working with others in a collaborative environment and one that benefits our students, school and reduces the stress of the already overworked teacher.

Source: http://shifting-vibration.com/2015/09/is-ego-good-or-bad/

My questions if you are reading this blog

How do you encourage and enable collaborative practices within your school?

How do you enable the reluctant teacher to feel that it is safe for them take down their protective barriers and let go of their ego's and embrace being part of a collaborative group?

What do you do if a teacher totally refuses to become involved and participate within a group?

What advice would you give to me on how to build collaborative relationships with others and breakdown those silos between subject areas without getting the backs up of the individual subject teachers involved?

References:

Hongboontri, C., & Keawkhong, N. (2014). School Culture: Teachers' Beliefs, Behaviors, and Instructional Practices. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(5), 66-88. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2332&context=ajte

Stoll (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture: 

Wilson, M. Building a culture of Success. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_8Bjz-OCD8 

Week 25: Applied Practice in Context

Activity 1: My community of practice

Who am I?

The final module, Applied Practice in Context, calls for us to keep a reflective journal. Boud et al (1985) defined reflective practice as “a generic term for those intellectual and affective activities in which individuals engage to explore their experiences in order to lead a new understanding and appreciation”. Talking to other colleagues, we often do carry out this reflective practice in our heads without too much overthinking, a typical reflection might be - we tried a new activity in the classroom and it didn't work. We then reflect upon why didn't it work? and what could we do next time to increase the likelihood of it being successful or do we need to do something totally new?

At the beginning of this study I started a Blog of my Mindlab journey but got so involved in applying my learning into the classroom that my time seemed to get diverted from my blog to enabling my students to keep their own classroom blog. As well as other collaborative and digital technologies ideas that have stemmed from this study. 

In hindsight, or should I say ‘upon reflection’ it seems a pity I wasn’t able to keep my blog going throughout the course as it has been an amazing learning adventure, but balance is the key, and so when something had to go, the blog was one of the ‘chosen ones’. At times, the workload of this course has totally overwhelmed me and I have had to give up precious family time to keep on top of the coursework, assignments and new classroom initiatives. Time and memories and moments that I can never get back. I often reflect on this, and it makes me feel rather sad, that I have had to choose ‘school work and study’ over spending time with my husband, son and family and friends.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I am absolutely passionate about my role as an ‘educator’ and love working in such an interesting and engaging environment. But teaching seems far more that a 9 to 5 job and sometimes it seems to be greedy and it doesn’t seems to matter how much you put in, it just never seems to be enough. I love the kids, variety and challenges that teaching offers me, but on the flip side, I can see why many teachers burn themselves out and I wonder if we will ever take a leaf out of other countries educational system, like Finland, and how things could look if we did. To have more time to do your best for the students, not to have to rush so much or have an ever growing and never ending list of things that need doing, is something that I am sure most teachers can only dream of.  

So who I am? I am a wife, mother, family member, friend, colleague and teacher. I am probably a lot of other things as well, but these are probably my biggest ‘who am I’ things at this time in my life. I have been teaching for 14 years and I qualified as a secondary Science teacher in Aberystwyth, Wales. At present I teach Junior Science and Senior Agriculture and Horticulture at a rural year 7-13 College. Although the way houses are starting to pop up around us I am not sure how much longer we will be rural for.

What is Communities of Practice?

Etienne Wenger first coined the concept of “communities of practice”, which are defined as “groups of people who share a concern or a passion or about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interaction on an ongoing basis” (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002, p.4). Etienne et al (2015) explain how Communities of practice are formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain or human endeavour. It is not a new practice, but through understanding it is now acknowledged that by spending time within this practice, improvements can be achieved in your own professional practices. 

There are 3 key characteristics that contribute to meaningful and successful communities of practice:

1.    The shared Domain of interest.

2.    The Community in which people interact and learn from each other.

3.    The Practice - Members of the community of practice are practitioners. They develop a shared repertoire of resources. For example, experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems.

What are my professional communities of practice?

What is the purpose and function of my practice? In what ways do I contribute to the community of my practice?

My purpose and function of my practice is to care about the well-being of my students and to help students learn. To provide a safe environment for them to be in and to provide suitable learning programs, that are suited to their individual requirement as well as meeting the requirements of the school. 

My own professional learning community at present includes the Mindlab discussion groups I have become part of whilst partaking in this course. At school all teachers are involved in whole-school meetings and PD sessions as well as smaller department group meetings. During these meetings I take on different roles, such as the learner, mentor, coach and leader. Often, I am asked by colleagues to share ideas, tools and experiences I have gained from the different initiatives I have been trialling in my classrooms.


I often engage in professional discussions in smaller group settings. Sometimes individual teachers will seek my advice during meetings and also I may spend time in non-teaching time with other staff discussing ideas and issues related to our teaching practices. I often provide support and advice when asked by other teachers. I am president of HATA (Horticulture and Agriculture Teachers Association) and this often provides subject-related discussions and professional development that I would not be exposed to at where I work. I am a member of many professional Facebook groups, often related to leadership, education, Science and Agriculture. I am also involved in Primary Industry groups, which I work with to provide links between the students and the Agriculture Industry. I haven't really managed to get a handle on twitter, although I have joined, but it's probably an area that I could do with a little more help, although again, I have a concern of it impeding on my 'home' time, but maybe I just need to find strategies to manage it so that that doesn't happen...or maybe I already have?

What is my specialist area of practice? How does my specialist area of practice relate to the broader professional context?

I am teacher in-charge of my subject, Rural Sciences, and am working hard to evolve all of my programs to provide learning experiences that are engaging, relevant and authentic and better suited to my individual students needs. I have always been keen to offer students hand-on, student-led and fun learning environments but my understanding and knowledge of how to do so effectively has been deepened this year. As has my knowledge and understanding of implementing the use of digital technology into the classroom. This has been mostly due to taking part in the Mindlab Post-Graduate course. 

I also spend time trying to build positive relationships with my students and building links within the community, which will benefit the students learning and the relationship they have in the community now, and in the future. I am keen to try to breakdown silos between subject areas and often approach, share and listen to ideas and request of how we could move forward in this direction. I am also interested in making use of digital technology in the classroom to improve student learning and key competency skills. I also have an interest in how future NZQA formal examinations will change as we start to make more use of digital technology.

References

Boud, D., Keogh, R., & Walker, D. (1985). Reflection: Turning experience into learning. London: Kogan Page.

Dawson, P (2012) Reflective Practice. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1aYWbLj0U8

Introduction to communities of practice: A brief overview of the concept and its uses

http://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/

Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. M. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice: A guide to managing knowledge. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

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