Activity 2: Reflecting on changes in my future oriented teaching practice
Create a reflective entry to critically reflect upon how you have positively changed your practice during your postgraduate journey. Your reflections should be based on a suitable reflective model of your choice.
The reflective model chosen is Gibbs" Reflective Model
1. Description - He aha te mea I tupu? What happened?
Attending the Mindlab course has not always been a positive learning experience for me. The journey at times has been confusing, frustrating, unclear, challenging and confronting to my practice.
I work predominantly in Maori medium settings consequently, connecting, contextualising, tailoring and personalising the new learning has been a process as described in the literature as ‘unbundling’ which essentially engages and confronts me in ‘deconstructing established structures and routines and reassembling them in a newer, smarter way’ (Bolstad, et al, 2010, p14). Merely translating the material from English to Maori would not be a process of deeper personalisation. Consequently, in exploring the Personalised Learning material, I was deeply moved by these statements from the report:
Learners have to want to learn the material
They have to be able to see a purpose to learning it
Seeing how learning this material will allow them to contribute to something beyond themselves (p.15)
In digging deeper to make better sense of these statements, I decided to explore the notions of ‘Shallow and Deep Personalisation’ as it applied to my practice, both here and also as it applies to being future focussed.
2. Feelings - he aha oku whakaaro kua whakamana mai ki ahau? What are my thoughts and feelings?
I wanted to learn more about how to integrate some digital tools into everyday classroom activities to support akonga. It started initially with ‘shallow expressions of practice’ with me selecting material, contexts and tools FOR akonga to use. Essentially - my practice was situated in the ‘things for students to learn’ and learning the curriculum content decided by me. This is expressed in Table 4 of the context of Shallow expression of practice. I needed to refocus and unbundle my practice. So future focussed learning would require me to to allow akong more autonomy and opportutuities to ‘co-shape, co-construct’ what would be of interest to akonga. The challenge for me is that we are instructing in Te Reo Maori, so graduated and tailored selection of digital tools needs to be considered carefully. Despite this, I chose 3 tools to use.
(A) Google Translate - it helped akonga translate English kupu and phrases as they needed it. Akonga found this quick and easy to use. BUT still a shallow expression of practice at this stage - I believe it is still useful within this context.
(B) Facebook (closed group) was set up so that we could share, reflect, pose questions for problem solving from our learning community. My thoughts were that this could be linked to Deep Expressions of Practice - how? ‘Learners could link their learning to aspects of their lives or see connections with their goals and aspirations for thei lives beyond School - having greater access to tools and resources to promote and communicate in Te Reo Maori.
(C) Tour Builder - we introduced this to enable akonga to create a whakapapa related to them and others in the group so they could then model and use this in their respective classrooms with their own akonga.So the notion of Deeper Expresion of Practice is fostered via providing learning activities that were meaningful to them.
3. What was good/bad about the experiences? - Nga Painga/Nga Uauatanga?
HIghlights - introducing tools and resources that were useful in the Maori Medium context - both familiar and unfamiliar tools. It increased engagement, cooperation, and problem-solving within the group of akonga.
Challenges - the limitations of the tools within a second language context - Google Translate - need to be cautious about its grammatical translations.
Continually needing to use an English platform, then doubling back to translate and contextualise into Maori medium (Tour Builder) - takes twice as long for akonga.
4-6. What else could I have done? If it arose again, what would I do? Me pehea hei kokiri whakamua?
Engagement of learners as co-constructors
Seeking for their ideas, aspirations and priorities around what would be useful for them.
How might we promote digital tools in rumaki reo settings on a daily basis?
Where could we start?
Differentiated provision within the context of deeper personalisation of practice -
Adapting and innovating the resources with teachers
Educate the diversity - think between, outside and beyond them - how will this benefit and enhance Maori learners worldview?
REFERENCES:
Bolstad, R, Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012). Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching - a New Zealand perspective, Report prepared for the Ministry of Education. Retrieved from: https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/schooling/109306..
Gibbs’ Reflective Model - YouTube.com. Retrieved from https://www.google.co.nz/search?g=gibbs+reflective+cyce&riz=ICICHZL_enNZ696&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi8kajb3r3aAHUCYbwKHTTaDnYQ7AkleQ&biw=1242&bih=602#imgrc=DecR4Gv6rhPY7M
Attending the Mindlab course has not always been a positive learning experience for me. The journey at times has been confusing, frustrating, unclear, challenging and confronting to my practice.
I work predominantly in Maori medium settings consequently, connecting, contextualising, tailoring and personalising the new learning has been a process as described in the literature as ‘unbundling’ which essentially engages and confronts me in ‘deconstructing established structures and routines and reassembling them in a newer, smarter way’ (Bolstad, et al, 2010, p14). Merely translating the material from English to Maori would not be a process of deeper personalisation. Consequently, in exploring the Personalised Learning material, I was deeply moved by these statements from the report:
Learners have to want to learn the material
They have to be able to see a purpose to learning it
Seeing how learning this material will allow them to contribute to something beyond themselves (p.15)
In digging deeper to make better sense of these statements, I decided to explore the notions of ‘Shallow and Deep Personalisation’ as it applied to my practice, both here and also as it applies to being future focussed.
2. Feelings - he aha oku whakaaro kua whakamana mai ki ahau? What are my thoughts and feelings?
I wanted to learn more about how to integrate some digital tools into everyday classroom activities to support akonga. It started initially with ‘shallow expressions of practice’ with me selecting material, contexts and tools FOR akonga to use. Essentially - my practice was situated in the ‘things for students to learn’ and learning the curriculum content decided by me. This is expressed in Table 4 of the context of Shallow expression of practice. I needed to refocus and unbundle my practice. So future focussed learning would require me to to allow akong more autonomy and opportutuities to ‘co-shape, co-construct’ what would be of interest to akonga. The challenge for me is that we are instructing in Te Reo Maori, so graduated and tailored selection of digital tools needs to be considered carefully. Despite this, I chose 3 tools to use.
(A) Google Translate - it helped akonga translate English kupu and phrases as they needed it. Akonga found this quick and easy to use. BUT still a shallow expression of practice at this stage - I believe it is still useful within this context.
(B) Facebook (closed group) was set up so that we could share, reflect, pose questions for problem solving from our learning community. My thoughts were that this could be linked to Deep Expressions of Practice - how? ‘Learners could link their learning to aspects of their lives or see connections with their goals and aspirations for thei lives beyond School - having greater access to tools and resources to promote and communicate in Te Reo Maori.
(C) Tour Builder - we introduced this to enable akonga to create a whakapapa related to them and others in the group so they could then model and use this in their respective classrooms with their own akonga.So the notion of Deeper Expresion of Practice is fostered via providing learning activities that were meaningful to them.
3. What was good/bad about the experiences? - Nga Painga/Nga Uauatanga?
HIghlights - introducing tools and resources that were useful in the Maori Medium context - both familiar and unfamiliar tools. It increased engagement, cooperation, and problem-solving within the group of akonga.
Challenges - the limitations of the tools within a second language context - Google Translate - need to be cautious about its grammatical translations.
Continually needing to use an English platform, then doubling back to translate and contextualise into Maori medium (Tour Builder) - takes twice as long for akonga.
4-6. What else could I have done? If it arose again, what would I do? Me pehea hei kokiri whakamua?
Engagement of learners as co-constructors
Seeking for their ideas, aspirations and priorities around what would be useful for them.
How might we promote digital tools in rumaki reo settings on a daily basis?
Where could we start?
Differentiated provision within the context of deeper personalisation of practice -
Adapting and innovating the resources with teachers
Educate the diversity - think between, outside and beyond them - how will this benefit and enhance Maori learners worldview?
REFERENCES:
Bolstad, R, Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012). Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching - a New Zealand perspective, Report prepared for the Ministry of Education. Retrieved from: https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/schooling/109306..
Gibbs’ Reflective Model - YouTube.com. Retrieved from https://www.google.co.nz/search?g=gibbs+reflective+cyce&riz=ICICHZL_enNZ696&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi8kajb3r3aAHUCYbwKHTTaDnYQ7AkleQ&biw=1242&bih=602#imgrc=DecR4Gv6rhPY7M
Kia Ora Puti,
ReplyDeleteI can sense your passion for wanting the best for your students, their culture and language. I can also sense your frustration with the limitations of the web tools within a second language context but think you have made a wise choice to only use 3 tools at this stage, building your students capacity and capability in this way. What about looking at the SAMAR model again, and judging at what level these tools are working for you and your students. I really like the idea of using Google Tour Builder for developing your students pepeha. Could you use the Facebook page to build home - school partnerships, sharing students learning with their whanau?
Nga mihi
Chris
Thank you for your feedback Chris. I will go back and look at the SAMAR model again. I think the kids will be fine, it is us - the kaiako who are finding the tools challenging. I have been doing some more reflection and thought I might get them to work in small groups (making sure to mix novice with more experienced) with a challenge card. Rather than tell them anything about Tour Builder, their challenge is to find information about Tour Builder - what it does? how it works? They could then create a video clip to share with the whole group. This could be fun and this could also be challenging, but the ultimate would be that they have 'control over the whole learning process' do you think?
DeleteI like your idea of the Facebook approach. I'm hoping to progress to blogs with the group in due time. THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR FEEDBACK.