Week 19 Reflecting on Community of Practice using Jay & Johnson's Model

Week 19 Reflecting on Communities of Practice – Jay & Johnson Reflective Model used to reflect on Communities of Practice

Inquiry 1: 

How would flipping the learning with Blended Learning enhance the engagement of learners when inquiring into topics that are of interest to them?

Descriptive

Community of Practice: The Senior Leadership Team, Wider Leadership Team and Key Teachers

Domain: Our Community is about inquiring into the way we lead learning, through planning, to provide accessible resources for students to direct their own learning,  flipping the learning.

Community: We have committed to engaging in Mindlab to support this collaborative learning, building trust. Teachers provide frameworks for students to inquire into personal learning paths. Teachers still use instructional time to explain key learning outcomes.

Practice: Teachers will create and share resources to support each other and their students to access, learn and create new knowledge.

·       We are introducing digital technology with key teachers (Early Adopters, Rogers 2010).

·       Teachers are integrating Digital Technology with their classrooms.

·       We meet as Year Levels to set goals, by anticipating misconceptions to have an understanding of our ‘Domain’ (Wenger, 2000).

Comparative

The Leaders and Key teachers are a key part of planning for this intended outcome and way of learning. They have undertaken personal inquiry, using the Spiral of Inquiry Framework (Kaser, Halbert &Timperley 2014) to support their ‘hunches’. Teachers’ value is reinforced during Team meetings. The Leadership plan regular feedback opportunities to share, and gain feedback from peers, to use each other’s experience as  valuable resources.

Critical Reflection

·       Collaborating in different forums, and opportunities to feedback, has provided multiple layers to recognise misconceptions.

·       Improved the agency of the teachers, and the forums to feedback on their inquiry into blended learning.

·       Provided leaders further with insight into how teachers are feeling regarding implementing the technology.

·       Feeling the success of how well, our learners are adapting to this approach.

Inquiry 2:

How will focusing on Computational Thinking, referring to the 21^st Century Learning Skills support our learners to have a deeper understanding of solving problems?

Descriptive

Community of Practice: Senior Leadership Team, Wider Leadership Team and Key Teachers

Domain: This community is about leading learning using Computational Thinking as a vehicle to explore 21^st Century Learning Skills (ITL  Research 2012) and the New Zealand Key Competencies (M.O.E., 2006)

Community: Built through our staff sessions with Mindlab, having opportunities to work collaboratively to create ‘Makey makey’ etc. This Community of ‘Mutual Engagement’ (Wenger 2000) was formed over 16 weeks during late evenings, where through this deep engagement, and links to theory we understood the benefits of using Computational thinking in classes.

Practice:

·       Learners will use the range of 21st Century Learning Skills (ITL  Research 2012) throughout their learning.

·       Understanding that knowledge changes according to Siemens (2014), in his theory of Connectivism.

·       Planning STEAM programs, to engage learners in this ‘hands on’ learning to solve problems.

According to Steve Jobs, “Everyone should learn how to program a computer, because it teaches you how to think.” (Steve Jobs, cited in Sen, 1995)

Comparative

·       The collaboration from our staff and leaders has been positive.

·       There has been a level of anxiety in acquiring and mastering new learning, but the feedback has been about the high levels of motivation among staff.

·       Purchasing these resources, shows the commitment of the School Leadership to this way of working.

·       This commitment has raised the profile of the teachers, as well as them seeing themselves as a vital part of the plan.

·       Staff are continuing to improve on each other’s plan, by finding creative ways to share this practice in communities.

Critical Reflection

·       Confidence that this way of learning will have several positive implications.

·       Understanding the amount of time that this new learning takes.

·       Building support to the time this aspect into our day.

·       Seeking ways to collaborate to support teachers with time factor.

·    Placement of key leadership members in these teams to ensure that these topics continue to be a priority an area of growth and investment.

REFERENCE LIST:

ITL Research. (2012). 21CLD Learning Activity Rubrics. Retrieved from https://education.microsoft.com/GetTrained/ITL-Research

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.

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

Ministry of Education. (2005, March). Key competencies: The New Zealand Curriculum/Marautanga Project (Issue 2) (PDF, 248 KB) .

Rogers, E. M. (2002). Diffusion of preventive innovations. Addictive behaviors, 27(6), 989-993.

Siemens, G. (2014). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age.

Timperley, H., Kaser, L., & Halbert, J. (2014). A framework for transforming learning in schools: Innovation and the spiral of inquiry (Vol. 234). Melbourne: Centre for Strategic Education.

Week 18 Reflecting on Future Oriented Practice

It is undeniable that the 21^st Century Learning Skills cited in (Zhao, Y., Pugh, K., Sheldon, S. & Byers, J. (2002) is going to have a major impact on the success of our future learners.

Theme 5: A culture of continuous learning for teachers and educational leaders.

1.     DESCRIPTION:  We considered this when leading our change in the way we lead Curriculum Planning sessions. This is the way we want to lead our learners (Staff), when engaging with Professional Development.  We want to shift the current status from pockets of effective practice to a system that makes this reflective practice the norm.  We realised that the old method of leaders writing the term plan, was not working. Most Unit Plans were not presented with the energy, that the leader had assumed. We reflected on learning from Mindlab, and how we wanted ‘Student Agency’ around learning, and applied this to teachers and their role in planning.  Alongside this, teachers inquired into their practice, using the ‘Spiral of Inquiry’ (Timperley, Kaser & Halbert, 2014) to analyse the effectiveness of their teaching.

2.      FEELINGS: I must admit that change has never been easy. This frustration at ‘not knowing’ and feeling ‘vulnerable’ was very uncomfortable, and I think that was reflected in my ‘written reflections’. The only time when I felt at ease doing this, was with trusted colleagues. I know that this Leadership Inquiry gives me a realistic sense of my knowledge, which is ever changing. In the past, I took comfort in believing that, ‘THERE’ was a place, where I would be ‘all knowing’ and would have mastered the ‘manual’.

3.     EVALUATION: My colleagues have a range of different strengths, and also believe in the benefits of inquiring into their practice. We have worked in this way over the last couple years through ‘Spiral of Inquiry’ (Timperley et. al., 2014), and have strong ‘norms’ to keep the environment conducive to reflection, and disagreements. There are times when we do struggle, but through learning focused conversation, and relationships, built on trust, we manage to find resolution and keep our mana intact.

4.      ANALYSIS: I believe the Mindlab supplemented this change, especially with how this linked with New Zealand Key Competencies Model (Ministry of Education, 2005). This was further supported by Rogers’ (2003) ideas on how the ‘Early Adopters’ can create a platform for change. These key leadership readings, and the theories they espoused, help redefine my leadership, and how I support our learners to lead as well. This journey also allowed me to reflect on the part that my educational experience, has played in shaping my leadership style.

5.     CONCLUSION: I would not have changed a thing. I believe that this change is happening at the right time, and for the right reasons. Our school has worked collaboratively and been very strategic and selective in ensuring that we sought Professional Development that shared our key values around learning, and learners, and our community.

6.     ACTION PLAN: I will not be so scared, in future, and waste time worrying about things that are beyond my control. I have learnt that as long as the leadership, has listened to its community, with a strong emphasis on student agency, has a clear understanding of what it is seeking to achieve, while providing reflective opportunities for stakeholders to be innovative, with ‘check in’ points, the outcomes will be positive. I believe that we will have to remember a key aspect of the theory of Connectivism (Siemens, 2004), that knowledge is everchanging, and that what is true today, might be a myth tomorrow.

We would really like some feedback on how we are implementing this change regarding ongoing learning for leaders and learners. How are you doing this at your place? Maybe we could lern something from you. Look forward to your GEMS. :)


   REFERENCE LIST:

  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

 Finlay, L. (2009). Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL. Retrieved from http://www.open. ac.uk/opencetl/sites/www.open.ac.uk.opencetl/files/files/ecms/web-content/Finlay-(2008)-Reflecting-on-reflective-practice-PBPL-paper-52.pdf

  Ministry of Education. (2005, March). Key competencies: The New Zealand Curriculum/Marautanga Project (Issue 2) (PDF, 248 KB) .

    Rogers, E. M. (2002). Diffusion of preventive innovations. Addictive behaviors, 27(6), 989-993.

    Siemens, G. (2014). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age.

   Timperley, H., Kaser, L., & Halbert, J. (2014). A framework for transforming learning in schools: Innovation and the spiral of inquiry (Vol. 234). Melbourne: Centre for Strategic Education.

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