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Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness In My Practice.

Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness In My Practice.

Indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness is caring for Māori students as Māori. This means the context and pedagogy in the classroom is responsive to the child’s culture and  based on relationships. Bishop states that it is teachers who can make the difference to Māori student’s learning achievement. Teachers can set the context for learning where Māori  can bring their own understanding, culture and identity.  The result of this can be  increased engagement and student achievement. Bishop uses the term, ‘agentic teachers’, ones who reject deficit theorising, blaming external factors,  and work  collaboratively and positively, caring for the students, caring that they learn.

We have 566 students, 13% are Māori. Whilst this is not a large percentage, it is 75 students, almost three classes. In our 2016 ERO review, to move forwards, it was identified that we implement approaches that effectively meet the needs of the child. This made me think. What approaches are we using that meet these student’s needs?  In Cowie,  findings from a research project found that when completing  science projects, Māori  students thrived when they were  able to do oral and visual presentations alongside and in addition to written presentations, dramatisations, video and model construction to communicate their ideas.  Teaching other students younger or less skilled than themselves offered a culturally authentic opportunity to show and share what they have learnt. This is the tuakana,teina concept.

Learning Activities

I use all the above with my students, but I do not always  give them the choice when presenting. Maybe I need to be more flexible and not worry about whole class activities. Pedagogical approaches that lead to higher achievement  is when students can take charge of their own learning, Alton-Lee, (2003). I need to use more student agency. One area I believe we do not do well is provide Te Reo Māori  for our children. It is fragmented through the school. Plans are underway to give us a platform based on Tuwharetoatanga and  more structure to implement it. As Bishop says, we need support and professional development to provide for our Māori  students’ learning. In regards to Te Reo, using the ‘Mauri ‘ model, we would be in the state of Mauri Moe, where there is proactive potential.

School-Wide Activities

Our Kapa Haka group, Te Roopu Puke Taumata, would be considered as Mauri Ora, being actively engaged. We have two teachers, supported by a group of Whānau and tutors who have recently performed at the Tuwharetoa festival. The group is so popular that there are 140 children involved. The concept of tuakana / teina is used where the older students help the younger ones. As teachers we value Kapa Haka in our school and appreciate that it provides the opportunity for our Māori  students to perform, in their own context. What makes it so special is that it is so popular, all children want to be a part of it.

Bishop  states that what is good for Māori  students is good for other pupils, but what is good for other students is not necessarily good for Māori . A colleague frequently reminds me that Māori , as is Te Reo Māori, are unique to New Zealand. In his video, Sir Sidney  states that, “for Pākehā students, non-Māori students I would expect the same. I would want them to be comfortable in mainstream society. I want them to be comfortable in Māori society as well as their own whatever that might be. So it's quite an ask.”  Yes it is an ask and a challenge for teachers at my school to be culturally responsive to all our students.

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Contemporary Trend In New Zealand or Internationally?

Contemporary Trend In New Zealand or Internationally?

My definition of a “trend’ is a general direction in which something is developing or changing. One trend that is relevant to my practice which is  becoming common throughout school curriculum globally is computer coding. Back in the 90’s I remember coding with my son on his Commodore 64 and using Logo and Roamer Turtle in the classroom. It all seemed to die a death until recently. Now our staff are talking about it, and getting prepared for the introduction of ‘Digital Technology’ which will be a new strand in the  New Zealand Technology Curriculum next year. STEM activities, which include coding,  are being implemented throughout the curriculum. This follows other countries, particularly in Europe where Estonia was one of the first and Finland in 2016, and Australia to name a few who have introduced coding into their curriculum. In the UK,one million BBCMicro:bit devices were put into schools for the children to learn coding. Is there research that coding will make a difference to their learning or are we going with evidence that it is a skill that is predicted to be important in the future.

In Horizons,(2016), Code.org predicted in 2020 there will be 1.4million jobs and only 400.00 computer scientists to fill them. Are we just teaching coding to provide workers for the future? In the OECD report it suggests teaching programming and advanced computing skills to provide the skills needed for the future. I certainly don’t think I am teaching coding for the economic future. I see the value in the creativity and computational thinking that the activities provide. This is a component in the new digital curriculum. The students are able to think creatively, solve problems, accept challenges work collaboratively and show resilience. These skills flow into other areas of their learning and hopefully make a difference to their achievement. However in Horizons Report, these skills can be applied to many jobs. Again, preparation for future needs and jobs.

Education does have a role in providing the skills and competencies needed to work in the students ever changing world, but also to live. Teaching coding does keep bringing me back to the purpose of education.  Camins, in The Washington Post,  discusses the debate as to whether the purpose of education  should be to prepare students to enter the workforce or as he states, ‘education should prepare young people for life, work and citizenship’. Critical thinking, creativity, interpersonal skills and a sense of social responsibility all influence success in life, work and citizenship. The need to be prepared for the labour market is mentioned in the OECD report but it states that there is a need for other competencies, which should not be neglected such as the social and emotional intelligence. If learning to code helps them be successful in the future, it will hopefully flow into success in their personal lives and enable them to contribute to society.

In the OECD 2016 report, coding was identified as the new ‘trend’ for the year and was identified as a short term trend. This means the  adoption of coding into K12  (NZ Years 1-12) education globally would be rapid. My  Year 3 & 4 class is  on board as are classes all around the world,enjoying coding. It is fun and enables them to work in an environment where they can take risks and try new ideas. They are aware that they are part of a global trend  and I am preparing them for their future.

References

Horizon Report.(2016) NMC/CoSN. Horizon Report. K12 Edition.

Trends Shaping Education. (2016) OECD Publishing.

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Current Issues In My Professional Context

Current Issues In My Professional Context

Hilltop School is a Decile 9. The school recently celebrated 50 years which means we have some history and stability. Parents  have an expectation of high achievement for their students.

The climate is the atmosphere which we have in the school. One of welcoming, and supporting all learners which is underpinned by our school values. Integrity, Kindness, Responsibility and Respect.   These follow on to our school culture which is our unique identity,  the shared assumptions, beliefs and ‘how we do things.’ This I have discovered is a wide area to discuss, but narrowing  it down, I have focused on teacher culture. This is what leads to school improvement, hence change, and that is what we are going through at present.

We are moving to a more collaborative style of teaching where some are beginning to teach in ILE’s. We are moving from what, as cited in Stoll,   Hargreaves calls  ‘egg crates’, single cells,  to ones that could fit more into a mix of collaboration and contrived collegiality. The term “Balkanisation’ (where teachers form small collaborative groups) was new to me and sent alarm bells ringing. We moved away from a Team structure because they were becoming insular and autonomous, like  cornershop dairies  as opposed to a supermarket.  If  groups of teachers working together become a clique, and become insular from the rest of the school then  this would need to be addressed.

In our school strategic plan there are  inferences that link to the list of ‘norms of improving schools’. Developed by Stoll and Fink. “Develop an  open to learning mindset where effort is valued,” to name a few. These  norms can be shared by teachers and students alike.  Collegiality relates to the collaborative way we will be working together as a staff and with our co-teachers in our ILE classes.  In Stoll, Little talks about the levels of collegiality. The highest level most likely to lead to improvement and in our situation to avoid balkanisation is when there is a shared understanding and an inderdependence  between all teachers, not just groups and a robust system of review and critique which we already have in place . Collegiality,  can also refer to our students. We want our students as 21^st century learners to be collaborative and reflective.

Collaborative teaching will be new to us. Rosenholtz, in Stoll, would consider us a “moving school with freedom to focus on our priorities.” Hargreaves  refers to” ‘real schools’ because they move around.” This implies a degree of flexibility and the ability to adapt and change.  Stoll takes it further and has a list of typology of ‘moving schools.’ Top of the list is  ‘moving’ and where I think we fit. One indicator is working together to respond to changing context. It reminds me of the word situational. We are now on an evolving path of defining our school culture and effectiveness. It’s like an escalator. We’ll get off for a while, but then be back on. We may go back for a time to reassess or redefine, but we will always be moving. Along our ride we will be looking at research and reflecting  to produce evidence of effectiveness in improving our  school culture. For us the ride has begun with school visits, robust staff discussions and teachers being placed in groups. We are moving slowly but the pace will quicken. Am I ready?  Time will tell. Mindlab has been a good start. The pedagogy in place is important – not just the bean bags!

References

Hilltop School. Website: https://sites.google.com/hilltop.org.nz/hts

Stoll, L. (1998). School Culture.  School Improvement Network’s Bulletin, (9), p 9-14.

Wilson, M. (2015). Investigating The effectiveness Of Modern Learning Environments On Improving Student Learning And Achievement. Website: http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Principals-sabbatical-reports/Report-archives-for-2007-2015/Secondary-award-recipients-2015/Wilson-Mark

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Community of Practice

My Community Of Practice 
 Definition

Firstly I had to find a definition of Community of Practice  (CoP).  My initial concept certainly changed by the end of my posting. The term Community of Practice was coined by Jean Lave and Etienne Wagner.  The basic principle is that learning occurs in social contexts where people have common goals and interact as they strive towards these goals.  A community is a group, but a community of practice is a group of practitioners, professionals, and in the education field teachers or other educationalists. This made me think of my school practice, the staff and leadership meetings that we have and other groups such as Mindlab, to name a few. But on further reading I discovered there was more to defining a CoP.

Cited in Innovative Learning, Smith and Mckeen compare a CoP with Teams which gave me more clarification to make a judgement on what I belonged to:

* A CoP is a forum where you can share knowledge and promote learning in a particular area.

* You can be a part time, marginal or active member.

* Membership of the group is voluntary, and the group is self organising, informal and can have a leader or facilitator.

* Identity, a common interest underpins the group formation.

* The groups evolve and are fluid. It disbands only when there is no interest.

* The group discovers value in exchanges of knowledge and information and this sustains the group and ensures topics relevant and exciting.

In comparison a Team is selected, not voluntary and there is an expectation to contribute. It is hierarchical with a leader and the group delivers value in the result it produces and can involve co-ordination of many tasks.

 My CoP's

After this research, I was ready to make my decision.  I discovered CoPs could not only be work related but also home and leisure. A matrix with criteria would be helpful with this! Hence some of my CoPs are:

A follow up group from Mindlab on a Monday afternoon where we discuss topics, is voluntary, open to anyone interested and, who knows how long we will keep going!

A CoP of 2! I meet and work with a colleague. We have a shared identity of being Mindlab members and have established a community of collaboration, meeting and doing assignments together.

My students and I are part of a CoP. We have an elective programme where students and myself follow our passions and meet every Friday. I am the facilitator and learning from and with the children. We are able to share ideas, learn off each other and work collaboratively.

Teacher facebook could be considered a CoP. I belong, although I am not an active contributor. Using Google+ as part of Mindlab is also a CoP.

The above were not what I  had thought of at the beginning of this posting. They all involve social interactions, a shared identity,  working collaboratively and based on a focus of learning.  The challenge for me is that they can be temporary, especially the ones connected to Mindlab and what will I belong to after that ends? Being a member does add value/energy to what I do.  There are many established groups online I could ‘follow’ through twitter or selected BLOGS. I prefer groups that are not so large that you feel disconnected and unable to form a relationship with. CoPs evolve through interaction , so who knows what next? This needs further investigation as to what’s out there.

References:

 Innovative Learning:

http://www.innovativelearning.com/teaching/communities_of_practice.html

EDpuzzle ‘Cultivating Communities of Practice. Making them Grow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhMPRZnRFkk

Getting Started With My Reflective BLOG.

Thought this from the Mindlab webinar  12/9 would be a good start to my reflective Blogging.