Activity 8: Changes in my practice
Activity 8:
Changes in my practice
One of the two key changes that has occurred in my teaching
practice within the past 32weeks learning journey has been in relation to Criterion 2 of the teaching standards; demonstrate
commitment to promoting the well-being of akonga (Ministry of
Education, nd.). I believe I have used digital platforms to strongly allow personal
learning for my students; Students have different learning needs and e-learning
tools provide ways to cater for those differences and personalise the learning.
Online resources can also provide support to teachers working with students
with specific needs. (Ministry of Education, nd.)
Here is a link to a google doc I have made showcasing some of
the digital and collaborative activities my children have achieved throughout
the year.
It has videos the children have made as follow-up activities to
our big books, inquiry and any general curriculum area. It really highlights
how a play-based, student centred approach meets many of the achievement
objectives and easily supports the use of key competencies daily. Students had
the freedom to ‘react’ to a task using the devices. Once various apps had been appropriately
taught, students could select how they wanted to complete a task. For example,
after a big book session we would create a set of criteria that needed to be
met, however, it could be met using any tool or a combination of tools, digital
or otherwise. I had students using the duplo and the making corner together to
create the characters and re-enact the book. I had students teaming up and ‘dramatizing’
their favourite part of the story. This was all captured on video and enhanced
using apps. It is fascinating to see what the students could achieve through
such user-friend mediums. Totally bet a worksheet on blends or word endings,
although, students still used these, but where possible I got them thinking
about how they could achieve the same outcome eg. Learning word families on the
digital devices. I actually made this a challenge for myself. One time, instead
of creating a cloze reading activity and printing it out 24 times, I paired
students up and had them read a page blanking out words using the drawing tool
in seesaw. Their goal was to read their buddies cloze activities and video
record the answers. When reflecting on the innovative success of these tasks I came
to the realisation that they were 100% more interactive. Having awareness of
the tasks I was presenting to my students and how I viewed the tasks in itself
(beneficial or not) kept pushing me to further increase student engagement and
learning; awareness is essential for behavioural change (Osterman & Kottkamp,
1993).
The other criterion that I have strengthened this year is Criterion 7; Promote a collaborative,
inclusive, and supportive learning environment. (Ministry of
Education, nd.) The way that e-learning tools are used can contribute to a safe
and supportive classroom environment where students feel motivated to succeed.
Students need to learn to how to work with others and how to respect others in
a digital environment. As mentioned above, seesaw was used throughout my
programme in all areas of the curriculum. This app allowed students work
collaboratively, provide feedback on each other’s work and share with the wider
community (parents/whanau). By reflecting on my practice, the tasks I set and
the outcomes of my students I was ever-evolving, running into problems, finding
solutions and seeking out expert help. It was defiantly not smooth sailing, I
had many setbacks, particularly around that of ensuring all students had the appropriate
skills to complete tasks to the required standard. Experiential learning
theorists, including Dewey, Lewin, and Piaget, maintain that learning is most
effective, most likely to lead to behavioral change, when it begins with
experience, and specifically problematic experience (Osterman & Kottkamp, 1993).
My dream regarding future professional development would be to
continue having influence over how digital platforms can be utilized in
practice. During this year I have presented during staff meetings and have run
a professional development session at another school. However, I have not sought
out these roles and owe my colleague Jenny Bowan a huge favour as she has
arranged these opportunities and pushed me into taking more of a leadership
role. From this I have gained more confidence in public speaking and now have assurance
that what I have been achieving in my practice is beneficial not only to our
students, but also to education in general. I have come to realise that using
digital tools innovatively is a passion of mine and if provided with opportunities
to grow and share these ideas with others, I could possibly create a difference
to teaching and learning in this 21st century…in fact I may have
already. Thanks Mindlab for providing me with the research and knowledge necessary
to back my innovations and prove that digital and collaborative learning is a
valuable skillset.
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/
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