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Week 32 - Key Change in Reflective Practice

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Step 1: What? Identify one key change in my professional practice. To identify just one key change from the list of 13 concepts identified by Hack Education has been challenging as so much interlinks with the other.  The diagram below supported my thinking and clarification of these links: I have decided that is the learning I have gained and continue to gain about 21st Century Skills that has made the most change in my practice. This is interesting as when I began my Mindlab journey I was more focussed on the digital technologies I was being introduced to and how these could be implemented with my students. What I was not prepared for was that underpinning the changes digital technologies was good quality research. I find now that I look for the research that backs up decisions we make on behalf of our learners along with the link to 21st century skills.  The change has effected my planning, teaching and assessments. I have implemented sometimes successfully and

Week 31 - Indigenous Knowledge & Cultural Responsiveness

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I will use Rolfe's Reflection Model (2002). Step One: What?  What is your understanding of indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness and what are the two of the areas mentioned above that you want to focus on for discussion? Indigenious Knowledge: My understanding is that indigenous knowledge is like traditional knowledge. It is knowledge that has been passed down through generations and can have aconnection to the natural environment. It is often passed down through myths and legends, trough either a visual or oral retelling. The knowledge is regarded as sacred and interconnected - the word wisdom comes to mind. Cultural Responsiveness: My understanding is that being culturally responsive is a way to engage effectively and respectfully with individuals, families and communities. In a school context is is to understand the importance of enriching learning activites through validating and valuing the personal and cultural strengths of the students. The two

Week 30 - Practice - Trends influencing New Zealand or Internationally

For this reflection I have decided to use Rolfe's Model of Reflection (2001). Step One: What? Identify one trend that is relevant to my practice. As identified by Daggart (2014) there are five potentially disruptive emerging trends: The impact of digital learning The heightened demand for career readiness The use of data analytics for decision making The development of personal skills The trend I have identified that is most relevant to my practice is the impact of digital learning. I am drawn to this trend through my study into flipped learning, blended learning, gamification, design thinking, 21st Century skills and student agency. Step Two: So What? Analyze how the identified trend impacts global and New Zealand education. From Daggett (2014) the data reveals that it is social media that students use to connect, colloborate and create content that is relevant to them. Gaming has interestingly shown a generational shift where in the past it has been hi

Week 29 - Professional Online Social Networks

I will be using  Jay and Johnson's reflective model (2002) to support my thinking around the use of social online networks for my own professional development. Descriptive: I have completed the 'social media survey' and can identify that I have connected and participated in a wide range of online social networks. I have been a member of the Twitter community for over 6 years now and use this forum purely for Professional Development and widening my network. This has been a successful way to connect and meet with people through conferences and professional development opportunities. You Tube videos have always been a source to find relevant content to support my teaching practice. TED-ed in particular has been invaluable. Since enrolling in Mindlab I have increased by contribution to these networks rather than being a passive observer of the discussions being held. Our Facebook Group Page was helpful during the face-to-face papers however this has dropped off duri

Week 28 - Influence of Law & Ethics in Practice

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‘Critique and address issues of law, regulations and policy in practice using a reflective model’ To support me in organising my reflection I’m using Jay and Johnson’s reflective model: By using the the ethical-decision making model (Ehrich et.al., 2011) and the five main parts of the framework I would guide myself through the process by identifying: Part One: The critical incident Part Two: The competing forces Part Three: The individual’s values, beliefs and code of conduct Part Four: The choice Part Five: The implications Step One: (Descriptive) Ethical decision- making is challenging and the following ethical dilemma that I may face in the future is: The use of digital photos being taken by parents of students when attending EOTC events and uploading them on their own social media accounts. These photos are published, tagged and linked onto social media. The teacher is notified of this by a parent who has noticed these photos appear

Week 19 - Communities of Practice

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A 'Community of Practice' (CoP) is defined as “groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interaction on an ongoing basis” (Wenger et al 2000). The two areas of practice I inquiring into are: Key Competencies in Leadership  - How can a deeper understanding of the key competencies develop my own leadership skills? Blended Learning - How can I use a range of digital tools to support the design of flipped learning tasks? Description: One Community of Practice I belong to is with my two teaching partners - this meets the criteria of a Community of Practice (CoP). We have a shared domain of interest with the 85 year 5 & 6 students we are responsible for teaching and learning with in our ILE. We are a community as we work at building relationships that enable us all to learn and grow from each other. We are practitioners as we regularly meet, conv

Week 18 - Future-Oriented Learning and Teaching

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The reflective model chosen is Gibbs’ Model for Reflection (Findlay, 2009, p8). Step One: Description - key facts only The theme I have chosen is "Changing the Script": rethinking learners and teachers roles. Over the past years in my teaching practice and now through my experiences during my study the roles and relationships I have with my students has changed, in other words the script has been changing. The main changes I have implemented in my practice is the introduction of the flipped classroom, along with being more aware of the nature of my role with my learners - facilitating is not a default setting from actual teaching! Step Two: Feelings - did these affect my actions? As an identified early adopter I have generally grasped change with both hands - thou sometimes the 'look before you leap' is a saying I have begun to take more notice of. I tend to grasp something, read about it, get excited and jump in with both feet. By holdin