Week 19: Contribution of Teacher Inquiry Topics to my Communities of Practice

Create a reflective entry where you critically reflect on how two potential and inspiring digital and/or collaborative learning related teacher inquiry topics would contribute to your Communities of Practices.

My reflections will be based on the following reflective model by Jay & Johnson (2002)

Atawhaitia te pā harakeke

The inquiry topics I have chosen is based on the current work I am currently involved in.

The following are my two potential inquiry topics I am continuing to work on with a group of colleagues and kaiako.  I am keen to embed the aspirations of the whakataukī to nurture and sustain the pā harakeke which could represent the Community of Practice within each of my inquiry topics.  I am one of 6 workshop facilitators who are assisting and coaching a group Maori medium teachers to improve reo a waha proficiency in rūmaki reo settings,including the introduction of 21st century skills and ICT tools to support reo a waha interventions.

Inquiry Topics:

1.  How will selected ICT tools and 21st century skills enhance and promote reo a waha/reo kōrero for ākonga? (Tour Builder, Trello, Blogging)

                     

2.  How will a Community of Practice contribute to enhancing teaching and learning?

What is a Community of Practice?

• 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, MacDermott & Snyder, 2002.p.4).

Domain - joint enterprise, interests, membership

Community - mutual engagement

Practice- shared repertoire

1. DESCRIPTIVE: I have recorded some the reflective thoughts and ideas in the table below

What is happening?	How is this working and for whom?	How am I feeling?	What do I ponder about?
·         Shared commitment,   shared  interest– reo   a  waha development      Tōku reo tōku             ohooho my language is imy awakening,  Aromatawai reo a   waha   ICT Tools-Tour Builder,   Trello, Blogging Cooperative learning   strategies  Blended Learning     Approach – rotation model  Blogging	Expression of Interest to identified kura – funding secured for cluster schools. PLD workshops & coaching of kaiako-Shared planning, delivery and follow up Term 3 – ICT/Blended Learning – Rotation model approach for Kaiako @ PLD Technical/set up- small group/collaborative support	Excited Motivated Enthusiastic Privileged Humbled Focussed Apprehensive	More in-depth theory about  reo a waha proficiency progressions - what does this look like? -How do we know? -What are the challenges -Osmosis approach Vs targeted instruction How do I accommodate for teacher readiness/ conditions for readiness for technology  innovation – SAMR/TPAK;  Zhao et al; Growth mindset  strategies, How familiar are kaiako  with 21st century skills? How do we sustain teacher interest/motivation/ confidence for blogging? Check in/visits/paired work.  Hanuscin, et al (2014).

2. COMPARATIVE- How do other people who are involved or indirectly involved describe what is happening?  How does research contribute to an understanding of this matter?  

Here are some of the whakaaro at this time and may change over time.

CoP Group	Relevance	Contribution	Relevant Research
·               Maori RTLB ·               RTM ·               Kaiako ·               Puna Wānanga          kaiako	Tōku reo tōku ohooho my language is my awakening   National Priority              MoE priority              Tātaiako              TPS                      ICT Tools	Time Resources Wānanga/Reflection Innovation – tools, strategies.	·         Tū Rangatira ·         Rukuhia, Rarangahia. ·         Kaiaka Reo ·         Te Piko o te Mahuri ·         Tātaiako ·         TMoA

3.  CRITICAL REFLECTION -  What are implications of the matter when viewed from these alternative perspectives?  How does this reflection process inform and renew my perspective?

In this third dimension of the reflective process, "one makes a judgement or a choice among actions or simply integrates what one has discovered into a new and better understanding of he problem"

 (Jay & Johnson, 2002. p.79)

What could possibly go wrong?

• Kaiako withdraw, disinterested.
• Disagreement/dissension occurs within the CoP
• Rushed - lack of focus & readiness of kaiako
• Skill and experiences of facilitators/kaiako
• Poor planning and limited research based evidence
• ICT Tools not seen as relevant and contributing to teaching and learning.

How does this reflective process inform and renew my perspective?

• Has sharpened my focus, planning and preparation
• Needing to work more collaboratively and consider the viewpoints of others.  

  

REFERENCES

Diehl, E. (2013). Leading Change with a Growth Mindset. Community.mindsetworks.com. Retrieved from http://community.mindsetworks.com/blog-page/home-blogs/entry/leading-change-with-a-growth-mindset

Hanuscin, D., Cheng, Y., Rebello, C., Sinha, S., & Muslu, N. (2014). The Affordances of Blogging as a Practice to Support Ninth-Grade Science Teachers' Identity Development as Leaders. Journal of Teacher Education, 65(3), 207-222. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022487113519475

Jay, J.K. and Johnson, K.L. (2002). Capturing complexity: a typology of reflective practice for teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, 73-85.

Jurasaite-Harbison, E., & Rex, L. (2010). School Cultures as Contexts for Informal Teacher Learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(2), 267-277.

Knox, B. (2009, December 4). Cultivating Communities of Practice: Making Them Grow. [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhMPRZnRFkk

Wenger-Trayner, E., & Wenger-Trayner, B. (2015). Introduction to communities of practice: A brief overview of the concept and its uses. Retrieved fromhttp://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/

Wenger, E. (1999). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. (Learning in doing). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Yang, S., H. (2009). Using blogs to enhance critical reflection and community of practice. Educational Technology & Society, 12(2), 11-21.

Zhao, Y., Pugh, K., Sheldon, S. & Byers, J. (2002). Conditions for classroom technology innovations. Teachers College Record, 104(3), 482-515. Retrieved from https://www.rtsd.org/cms/lib/PA01000218/Centricity/Domain/96/Conditions%20for%20Classroom%20Tech.pdf