Improvements and Feedback

Day 3 of our +TeachThought blogging challenge! (I had a computer meltdown so I'm a day late with this one!).

DEVELOPING A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

I'm not in the classroom at the moment but that doesn't stop me learning and having a thirst for knowledge - (when do we ever stop learning?!) or from being heavily involved in education.  I'm always after feedback on what I can do better, what I can improve on.
This past year has been a little different for me in terms of what I usually do.  I'm using this 'time out' to finish my Masters and work with teachers to develop their eLearning programmes in their schools.  I've also been incredibly fortunate to become involved with the TeachThought group and am responsible for helping to build a strong online community of practice which is where the blogging challenge comes in, in part.

I need and expect feedback from the teachers I work with as this is how I can be a reflective practitioner and improve on what I do.

The one area I want to improve in and develop is in how I work to develop a community of practice that encourages ownership, motivates people to belong and creates a community of collaborative, reflective practitioners from around the globe.  For this to be successful I will need critical feedback about what is working and what improvements I need to do better to make this learning community work for every individual in it -not just for the majority...for everyone.

This diagram explains it well...

Professional learning for teachers is changing.  One and two-day courses do not, generally, provide professional learning that is sustainable once we're back in the classroom.  For professional learning to work it needs to be timely, relevant and challenge us to always strive for best practice so that our students can achieve to the highest possible level for them individually.  We learn best in a community where we can share our practice, our thinking and beliefs and challenge each other's thinking to be the best we can be.  Trust, mutual respect and collaboration to create new knowledge are key.  I firmly believe that communities of practice - particularly online communities which are limited to time and place and that can be accessed any time, any where, are the future of professional learning for us.  Instead of professional learning being 'done to us', we are in charge of creating and sharing our own learning as a powerful community.

Below is a video of Etienne Wenger, one of the developers of the communities of practice theory, explaining what it is.

#reflectiveteacher

Day 2 of the TeachThought Blogging Challenge - 1 Piece of Technology I Want to Incorporate This Year

There are so many tools out there but I always start with the question of why?  If I can't articulate that a tool will make a change to my students' learning, then I would have difficulty in justifying its use.  It is simply just a 'cool tool' or the latest new 'must have' tool, but if it doesn't impact student learning in a positive manner, I won't use it.

I start with the SAMR model of adapting technology for learning and teaching - to see how it fits and how it can be adapted through the levels.  If I'm using it to just replace something else, for example using Word to replace writing in a book, that's okay but it needs to do more, it needs to reach the 'Redefinition' stage - to create something new that may not have been possible previously to having this tool.  Kathy Schrock has fantastic resources on the SAMR model and all other things tech.  I've been folowing her since about 1998 and can't recommend her more highly.

One tool I really want to explore is actually a suite of tools - Google Apps for Education and Hapara and now Google Classroom!

Check out the presentations below and see why these tools can make such a powerful change in learning and teaching.

Google Apps for Education (GAFE): Giving Students an eLearning Space from Iain Doherty

Google Classroom - Set Up and Tips for Teachers from John Sowash

#reflectiveteacher 

Goals for the coming Year - Day 1 of the 30-Day Reflective Teacher Blog Challenge from Te@chThought

It's the first day of spring here in New Zealand.  The start of new beginnings and experiences and new goals.

I'm really excited about this challenge that Beth Leidolf and I are running in conjunction with TeachThought. We wanted to encourage teachers to reflect on their practice as that's how we can make a difference in the lives of our learners.

Although this is a 'beginning of the new school year' challenge for the first post, I'm thinking about my goals for the remainder of this year and looking towards the new school year here for 2015 here in New Zealand. If you've read my previous post then you'll know that I've had some 'interesting' challenges over the past year.

So, what are my goals for the rest of the year?

• I want to complete my final Masters' paper - coincidentally it involves online communities of practice so I may bug you with survey requests if that's ok.  All anonymous - designed so that I can be certain of what I need to be doing to help create motivating and engaging online communities - my passion and goal for teacher professional learning.
• 5 months after surgery I ran the Auckland Round the Bays run and in November will run my first official half-marathon - the Auckland one.  This is my next goal and I'm really nervous about it but I always tell my students to take a chance, to push themselves and try something outside their comfort zones so I wouldn't be much of a role model or mentor - or lead learner - if I didn't take my own advice.
• Returning to school - learning and teaching are my passions.  I need to be back in that environment.  I really want to get back into a leadership role so I'm applying for positions at the moment.  Fingers crossed.  My goal is to have a new position by the start of 2015.  I can't wait!
• My final goal - at the moment - is to help create a vibrant community of learners through the TeachThought organisation which I'm very lucky to be a part of.  It has to be an engaging and motivating community that is owned by everyone in it.  Where people feel confident to contribute, question and discuss all things education and share resources.

#reflectiveteacher

What a Year! Reflecting on What We Really Want

Professional Learning and Reflective Practice

This is a link to previous posts on reflective teaching and the responsibility we have to our profession - and ourselves - to be practitioners who are able to reflect on what we do on a minute-by-minute and day-by-day basis to be the best we can be.  The ability to be able to critique our own practice and to allow others to do the same within a safe and nurturing environment, such as Critical Friends, is one of the most valuable gifts we can give not only to ourselves but also to our students and our profession.

One of the previous posts was written at the beginning of 2013 when I was beginning my final Masters paper.  I can remember being so excited to finally be completing what I had dreamed about for many years. I was also excited about keeping my class together from the previous year - something that had only been done once before at our school.  I've always been excited about learning and teaching and this year was no different, even after 15 years I was still just as passionate and excited about my profession as I was the first day I walked into my own classroom which, as I recall, was most likely the first day of the December holidays!!  I couldn't wait - still can't.

What happened next in 2013 was one of the steepest learning curves I've experienced to date.  By July I was having major issues with my balance and I had lost most of the hearing in my left ear.  I was still functioning well as a classroom teacher and had received a glowing appraisal.  Whatever was going on wasn't going to stop me from meeting the needs of my students!

On August 15 I was diagnosed with a very large benign brain tumour called a Vestibular Schwannoma or Acoustic Neuroma - I nicknamed this space invader 'Arthur' and was told that Arthur needed to be evicted and that this would be done within the next month.  I was completely unimpressed as we'd worked so hard to keep my class together and I loved what I was doing.

To cut a long story short, Arthur was evicted on September 20 and I have made a full recovery, have run in the Auckland Round the Bays which had long been a goal, (less than 5 months after 8 hours of surgery), received a year-long extension from the fabulous team at the University of Otago so that I can finish my Masters (just about there!) and I'm training to run the Auckland half-marathon in November, raising money for CanTeen whom I'm a Senior Volunteer for.  I haven't returned to full-time school as yet but am wanting to in 2015.  I decided I needed to be fully fit and raring to go.  I can't wait and will try to get back into a leadership role when I return as the past year has given me time to reflect on what I really want to do in education.  I've met some amazing people and have found challenges in becoming part of the TeachThought team which I've loved.  There have been far more positives than negatives from all of this.

What has this post got to do with teacher self-reflection?  A lot as it turns out.  Before diagnosis I was beginning to think that I wanted to do something outside of education.  The past year has made me even more certain that education is where I belong despite the challenges we sometimes face in our profession. Ultimately it's the students who are at the centre of everything we do and I want / need to continue to be a part of that.  To almost have that choice taken away from me was an incredible 'wake-up call'.  I can't wait for 2015!

Simon Sinek: Love Your Work

Simon Sinek talks about the special teachers in our lives who have believed in us and made a difference to who we are today - especially if those teachers taught us to be confident and I would add, to be passionate about what we do, to know our own value.

"...the power of helping others realise their own strengths...their own value..."  Simon Sinek.

When we choose a career path, what are the things that impact on that choice?  Do we choose a particular career because it is what our parents want?  Are we influenced by our peers?  Do we choose based on the opportunities it offers for career pathways or advancement?  Or, do we choose that career because it is our passion?  Are we happy and fulfilled by that job / career?

There is always a lot of pressure on teachers and it seems to come from so many different directions.  So how do we hold onto that passion that we had?  How do we hold onto the reasons why we went into teaching?

For me, my reasons have changed somewhat.  I began studying extramurally for a degree in psychology way back in 1991.  I knew I wanted to focus on becoming a child psychologist and to eventually go on to gaining my PhD in this area.  I was extremely focused on this goal.  So...how did I end up changing and staying in education for over 15 years????

The answer is reasonably simple in many ways.  I knew that I would have greater credibility as a Child Psychologist if I also had experience in education so I applied for Teachers' College and gained entry to study in 1996.  I thought I could complete my 2 years certification and then go back and complete my psychology degree.  That was the plan - pure and simple, well relatively simple in between mountains of learning and assignments, practicums and juggling a family!

I did not expect what came next at all.  From the first two-week 'posting' or practicum I was hooked and it only continued from there.  I had found my passion.  I loved being around the students - it didn't matter what age group, school, etc.  I loved their enthusiasm for life and learning, loved the challenge of being able to adapt my own teaching and learning to meet their needs.

This passion has not changed over the past 15 years.  I am still just as passionate and enthusiastic although this is sometimes tempered with the demands of the curriculum, parents, changes in assessment and changes in society, and the crazily long hours we work - because we love it and want the best for our students and for ourselves, but I still would not change this life for the world.  It is a fulfilling career.

The passion I have for learning and teaching comes from connecting with students, from seeing the 'lightbulb' moments but, most importantly, it comes from helping them to become confident learners and confident human beings who believe in themselves.

"The feeling of fulfillment comes from doing something for another." - Simon Sinek

What Are EduIgnite Events And Why Are They So Special And Important?

Last week I had the privilege of being involved in EduIgniteRotovegas.  Have you heard of these events before - or been to one?  If you haven't then I'd absolutely recommend being part of this movement.  First, a little bit about EduIgnite.

EduIgnite events enable educators to meet together - either face-to-face, or virtually, to share their interests and passions, and to support each other in their professional learning journeys.  Presentations are short and snappy and the theme is one of energy and enthusiasm - just what we need at times, particularly as this can be such a pressurised profession.

“Fast-paced, fun, thought-provoking, social, local, global—Ignite is all of these and more. It’s a high-energy evening of 5-minute talks by people who have an idea—and the guts to get onstage and share it with their hometown crowd. Run by local volunteers who are connected through the global Ignite network, Ignite is a force for raising the collective IQ and building connections in each city.  And, via streaming and archived videos of local talks, local Ignites share all that knowledge and passion with the world.”  EduIgnite - Emerging Leaders

I loved the description on the main website - Ignite - "Ignite is a geek event in over 100 cities worldwide."  As a self-confessed geek, this was music to my ears and I had wanted to become involved for some time.

My Twitter PLN is very important to me and, as chance would happen, a message popped up on the Monday night - three days prior to the event - asking if anyone would be keen to join in.  Without a great deal of thought, I tweeted back that I would love to... and before I knew it I was involved - and presenting!  No pressure at all and yes, I could have something ready by Thursday.  (Secretly... YIKES!!  What have I done??)

There was no need to panic.  We had a practice using Google Hangouts - many thanks to Sonya  (@vanschaijik on Twitter) and also Monika (@Belchick1 on Twitter).  I had all the theory behind Google Hangouts but little of the practical side.  I'd absolutely recommend using this tool - it has huge potential for flattening and flipping the classroom.  For more information about Flattening the Classroom, please check out the work of Vicki Davis - @coolcatteacher on Twitter.
If you'd like to know more about using Google Hangouts in the classroom, please click here.

My presentation was on changing how we provide homework - and in fact changing the whole concept of homework.  This links back to a previous post and the presentation slides are included here, along with the link to the TeachMeetNZ wiki where all our presentations are stored - it's a fantastic professional learning resource too.  My presentation recording and slides are also here.

The session itself was a great way to learn more about what drives our colleagues - there is a lot more to EduIgnite Events than just sharing practice.  It's about learning - ours and the students - and can also be a reminder about why we got into this crazy profession in the first place.  It was just such a fantastic opportunity to share with others, but one of the things I loved the most?  Hearing about what interests and drives others.  You can hear the enthusiasm when they are sharing.  We need more of this, especially in challenging times - just so we don't lose our passion and we can help support others to retain and grow theirs.

Many thanks to Marnel (@1MvdS on Twitter) and Anne-Marie (@mrs_hyde on Twitter) for organising this event in Rotorua - it truly was a privilege to be part of this growing community and I'm really looking forward to many more of these!

Not Another Interruption!!! Valuing Learning and Teaching

Over the years the issue of constant interruptions to our learning and teaching has at times frustrated me and sometimes made me very annoyed.  I've been told that it's just part of being in the classroom and that it happens 'in every school.'  Don't get me wrong - I've been just as guilty as some, at times, of being the one interrupting and sometimes for a very irrelevant reason, particularly when I've been part of the senior leadership team and may have momentarily forgotten my manners and/or what it's like to be in the classroom full time and interrupted without good reason.

We all know what it's like.  You're in the middle of something that is exciting, the students are engaged, they're sharing the teaching and learning and the discussions are amazing and then it happens......  The door opens, or the phone rings - for the 40th time that day, or the intercom goes - for the 30th time that day...!!!!!!!  (A slight exaggeration but most of you will know exactly what I mean and it's not restricted to any particular country or situation / level - it's a global 'phenomenon'.  (Maybe that's not the right word so please insert in there what you think fits your situation - and also feel free to share that in the comments following this post!).

In my second year of teaching - a little while ago - I started to question what we were valuing in our schools if we were allowing these constant interruptions that had little or nothing to do with learning and teaching to continue.  Fortunately, I had just arrived in a new school where our Principal felt the same way.  As a staff we began to question our practices and routines in the school.  We had senior students who were 'monitors' in the school which, while it did give them leadership opportunities, some of them - particularly those who had the role of taking the daily notice book around the school - could be out of class for up to two hours...a day.  We questioned how this was valuing the learning and teaching in our school.  Yes, it was helpful to the running of the school but there were many more leadership opportunities in the class room if that was the reason for the creation of these jobs.  It was not making the learning important.  We can't waste a minute of learning time -  it's too precious but wasting it was precisely what was happening.

Imagine if the same students were out of the classroom every day for two hours a week - that's 10 hours a week of learning that is lost and cannot be recovered or made up.  You can do the math on how many hours that would be a term, etc.  (Another side of this argument - hours out of class due to family holidays is about to rear it's head in this post).

The discussion around this involved the whole staff - not just the teaching staff - and it was incredibly powerful.  We decided that there would no longer be non-essential interruptions and that we would use as many digital tools as possible to cut down on unnecessary interruptions, e.g. email, school website, intranet for daily notices, etc.  The intercom was only used in an emergency and there were no telephones in the classrooms.  The difference was palpable - and noticed by everyone, from staff to students.  We were a school whose staff and students very obviously, and publicly, valued learning and teaching time.  If there were any non-essential interruptions, students would comment on their learning time not being valued.

So, if I'm arguing that we need to value learning and teaching and not interrupt it unnecessarily, then what are my thoughts on the following article which appeared in some of New Zealand's media over the past week?  (I researched this a little further and there are an incredible amount of articles about this issue on the net).

I'd love you to read the article, form some opinions - you will already have many on this issue -  and then I'll carry on.

Pupils pay heavy price for cheap holidays

If I'm so against unnecessary interruptions, then where so I stand on the issue of parents taking students out of school for family holidays during term time because it's cheaper?  (And, is this in fact the only reason why they do it.  I don't believe it is - work opportunities, learning opportunities and family commitments all play their part too).

Where do I stand then?  Well, it depends - and I'm not fence-sitting here, truly.  If it's just a holiday in the island sun then I'm pretty much against it as I also am if it is going to interrupt NCEA (in New Zealand) or other Senior exams, courses etc globally.  However, if the family holiday is an 'experience of a lifetime' and includes opportunities for amazing learning and putting into practice what is being learned in the classroom then isn't this what we want as teachers and learners?  Don't we want to flatten the classroom walls and develop our eLearning / Blended learning environments to extend well beyond those walls?

The opportunities of being able to explore the globe and really understand some of the main issues that relate to what we've been learning in the classroom surely shouldn't be passed up.  What if your inquiry has been about global poverty and ways to combat this issue and one of your students has the opportunity to travel to a very poor country where this is their main issue, because his/her family is involved in an organisation helping alleviate poverty in that country.  How powerful would that learning be?  Doubly powerful if the digital tools now at our disposal are used to communicate the issues with the class back home through videos, blogs, etc., and create discussion and debate.

If it's travelling through different countries and experiencing different cultures then isn't that learning too?  We are arguing that eLearning is 'anytime, anywhere' learning which includes Blended and Mobile learning but then we want to restrict it to what happens in school by way of us saying that students can't be out of school during term time.  To me, this doesn't make sense.  I want my students to be engaged, critical, creative thinkers who have empathy for others and who want to make a difference to their world.  Don't these experiences help them to become connected global citizens.  For me, that's part of my goal as an educator.

There is an argument - which is valid - that they can wait until they are older and travel then when they've finished school or university.  I would argue that the earlier we help develop our global citizens the better and it's even more effective if we can link any classroom learning to the world outside the classroom which makes it relevant and real learning.  It has a purpose and it 'flattens the classroom'.  If we are saying that educational trips can't be taken, what message are we sending to the wider community - that the only 'real' learning can happen in the classroom?  I think this is the opposite of what we want.  I know it's the opposite of what I want.

So let them travel and learn and become global citizens as early as possible - within reason.  Please don't take them out at crucial assessment times in their senior years and I'm not sure how the 'week in the sun on the island' is supporting the goal of global citizenship but use the tools we have to really connect through digital learning and teaching tools.  Apply the pedagogy of eLearning and I think we can really develop something special with our students and expose them to real and relevant learning which can only strengthen what we are trying to achieve in our classrooms.