Changes in Practice

Reflection on my learning journey and key changes in my practice...

There are 4 PTCs that stand out as having affected me the most with the Mind Lab experience behind me:

• 4. demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of personal professional practice i. identify professional learning goals in consultation with colleagues ii. participate responsively in professional learning opportunities within the learning community iii. initiate learning opportunities to advance personal professional knowledge and skills

I have been able to discover what's important and therefore what is worth spending time on. I can clearly articulate my learning goals just as we expect our students to - this makes for a focussed use of any time I have to spend on Professional learning. It has also enabled me to lead others to developing clear professional learning goals and with the management team, I have set up a new appraisal system through blogger (similar to the example on sites this week) where teachers can reflect on their practice and click to link it to the label (PTC) that relates to this piece of evidence. 

• 5. show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning i. actively contribute to the professional learning community ii. undertake areas of responsibility effectively

The leadership papers have been the most beneficial to me. In my role as DP I have been able to take a step back and consider my leadership style while learning about various leadership styles that get the desired results from the teams I work with. I have become more knowledgeable in up-to-date innovations in the education sector and have regularly been able to share this with staff either informally or in planned presentations at staff meetings. From the very beginning I  enjoyed the hum of excitement after sharing augmented reality apps such as quiver and aurasma in our staff meeting. This week I have been asked to take a 1 hour workshop for the staff on the STEM approach and have created a google slide presentation relating many initiatives that were covered in Mind Lab - all relating to developing 21st century skills. The most powerful change for me is being able to understand the 'why' alongside the 'what' and 'how' (Golden Circle, Simon Sinek) as this journey has encompassed theory with practical from the very beginning. Sharing the reason for it all - the purpose for what we do everyday and relating it to meeting the needs of 21st century learners has been enlightening for myself and for my staff. 

• 7 promote a collaborative, inclusive and supportive learning environment i. demonstrate effective management of the learning setting that incorporates successful strategies to engage and motivate ākonga ii. foster trust, respect and cooperation with and among ākonga 

The practical learning through participating in the digital and collaborative papers set me up to provide engaging, motivating, open ended use of ICT learning activities for my students. Whanau have enjoyed seeing their children as fully active participants in their learning and often commented on the excitement of sharing their achievements through the class blog or through coming in to our classroom. Using ICT for learning was a focus for an early assignment for me and the strategies such as experts training others (tuakana teina) in the use of 'show me' to share their understandings are now embedded in my practice. 

• 12. use critical inquiry and problem-solving effectively in their professional practice i. systematically and critically engage with evidence and professional literature to reflect on and refine practice ii. respond professionally to feedback from members of their learning community iii. critically examine their own beliefs, including cultural beliefs, and how they impact on their professional practice and the achievement of ākonga

Reflection is the key to progression for me now. Setting goal posts and asking myself how I am going towards reaching them?

 

"keep the four stages of the experiential cycle clearly in mind as road signs to guide learning and progress through the process" (Osterman, 1993 pg 9)
Reflection has become a far more conscious effort with structure and a clear process to follow to get the best from it. Frequently is a key for me - the Agile approach has given me the knowledge of how to organise my goals into achievable chunks where so I stop and check how I am going in relation to my goal posts often. I enjoyed this whakatauki as a beautiful way to encapture the Mind Lab journey for me.

WhakataukiTitiro whakamuri, kokiri whakamua 

Look back and reflect, so you can move forward

References:

Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R.(1993). Reflective Practice for Educators.California:Cornwin Press, Inc. Retrieved on 7th May, 2015 from http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files.

Ministry of Education (nd). Practising teacher Criteria and e-learning . Retrieved from http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/