Mindlab - Current Issues in my Professional Context

Activity 2 Applied Practice in Context Evidence for Mindlab

Stoll (2000) states that a school’s culture is shaped by its history, context and the people in it and that a school's age can impact cultural change.

School Culture

The organisational culture is an invisible powerful force that influences the members’ behaviour. Hongboontri and Keawkhong (2014) show that the school culture impacts on teachers’ beliefs and instructional practices but this relationship is also reciprocal.

Stoll (1998) places the importance of understanding school culture as the starting point for leading change towards school improvement. Some internal and external factors that shape a school culture include the school history, the student socio-economical background, external contexts such as national educational policies, and societal changes (Stoll, 1988).

Stoll and Fink (cited in Stoll, 1998) identified 10 influencing cultural norms of school improvement including:

“1. Shared goals - “we know where we’re going”

2. Responsibility for success - “we must succeed”

3. Collegiality - “we’re working on this together”

4. Continuous improvement - “we can get better”

5. Lifelong learning - “learning is for everyone”

6. Risk taking - “we learn by trying something new”

7. Support - “there’s always someone there to help”

8. Mutual respect - “everyone has something to offer”

9. Openness - “we can discuss our differences”

10. Celebration and humour - “we feel good about ourselves”” (p.10)

What is the organisational culture (collective values/principles that underpins my practice?  

The organisation welcomes akonga, inclusive of all abilities, physical state, learning needs and cultures into our positive, progressive and inclusive learning environment. The Bailey Road School Board of Trustees and staff are focused upon providing an educational system that raises students to achieve their personal potentials and prepares them for success as 21st Century learners.

The organisation  believes in working together in partnership, with our parents and families, to provide quality education in a caring and stimulating environment. The BOT and Staff are excited about creating new Modern Learning Environments at Bailey Road School from 2015-2017. The aim is so that  the learning environments to be reflective of the cultures within our school and focused upon extending Akonga’s talents across the curriculum.

We are proud to be a Silver Accreditation Enviro-School as well as a Positive Behaviour for Learning School (PB4L). Our Modern Learning Environment development will build upon the strengths that our students show in Blended E-Learning, Technology, Music, Visual and Performing Arts and Physical Education and Sport.

Our bi-annual Cultural Festival, Trash to Fashion and Art Show are popular and successful events that students and whanau look forward to in the school’s calendar.

I have been part of my current community of practice for 3 terms. In 2015 there was a high turnover of staff.When I first arrived I could sense a “tense climate” amongst the community of practice.  Many staff had commented that I was “hired as, I fitted the vision of the school”. As the months have passed I am now experiencing a more positive climate within my community of practice. This change has come about with a shift in teachers mindset and new staff starting this year who have brought in new ideas and skills to the community of practice.

All schools have a different reality or mindset of school life, often captured in the simple phrase,

“the way we do things around here” (Deal & Kennedy, 1983).

The organisational culture within my practice:

• Is professional.
• Is to serve the Mount Wellington Community by preparing  students to be contributing and participating members of society.
• To  teach the curriculum to meet the needs of our school whanau in a safe and challenging learning environment.
• To  teach our ako to be inquiring thinkers who can adapt and succeed in a changing global society.
• Teachers and students are encouraged to Aim High - School Motto.
• Teacher have good relationships with students, staff and whanau.
• The learning within the community and students is evident.
• Teachers are given  opportunities to develop with current pedagogy eg digital tools, Appraisal systems. Teaching as Inquiry
• Teachers are encouraged to attend PLD
• Collaboration with teams to share resources and teaching strategies
• Collaboration with learners - gather student voice used to for next steps for learning

Our school culture is focused around our HEART Values. These are the values and principles that underpin my community Practice

Trust.

Our Positive Behaviour for learning within our community is strong. All staff and students are encouraged to demonstrate these behaviours:

Be Respectful

Be Responsible

Be Safe

Aim High

Students are rewarded when these behaviours are shown therefore support the positive climate of the organisation.

All these aspects are supported by Stoll (1998). Stoll defines school culture as three dimensions, the relationship among its members; the organisational structure including the physical environment and management system; and the learning nature.

How can I contribute to fostering a positive professional environment in your community of practice?

In my current practice I have been “allowed to” take risks, challenge myself for the betterment of my learners. Numerous opportunities have been given to me to trial new ideas, invite outside speakers in for my learners.  I feel safe  and supported within this organisation.  I am able to share my ideas and digital skills with my team. These are welcomed by staff as they want to learn and grow themselves.

I am proud to be working within an organisation which has a strong trusting culture and with an  ‘open door’ policy.   It makes the job enjoyable and easy.

References:

Deal, T. E., & Kennedy, A. A. (1983). Culture: A new look through old lenses.Journal of Applied Behavioral Science.

Hongboontri, C., & Keawkhong, N. (2014). School Culture: Teachers' Beliefs, Behaviors, and Instructional Practices. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(5), 66-88. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2332&context=ajte

Stoll (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from

http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture

Mindlab - What is School Culture and Climate - Reading for Mindlab Applied Practice

Reading 1

The school culture is discussed and the importance of fostering a positive culture in the school is explained
Academy for SELinSchools ( 2015, Apr 28)What is school culture and climate? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-_NvhlcusQ

Climate of schools can be described as "how the school feels?".

For guests in the school, Is the school welcoming? Is is busy? Is it serious?

Climate = positive one so that the learners and staff of the school (community of Practice) feel part of it.

Culture of a school is deeper. It is described by how the school does things.

The term school culture  refers to the beliefs, perceptions, relationships, attitudes, and written and unwritten rules that shape and influence every aspect of how a school functions. It also describes the physical and emotional safety of students and how cultural diversity taken into account (Hidden curriculum (2014, August 26).

It is vital to have a healthy culture and a positive one as this sets the tone for the community which includes:learners, teachers, Whanau, BOT, local community organisations who support the school.

Ed Dunkelblay, in the video describes  a school as it differing from being at home. He states that you have to interact with people who are not like your family. We all have to learn to understand, negotiate and get along with people who see the world differently from others. He describes schools as a place where values come together.

Reading 2:

Mark Wilson shares how his school has built the culture of success which leads to a successful school.

TEdEd(2013, Jun 21). Building a culture of success- Mark Wilson. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_8Bjz-OCD8

Successful schools have a strong culture. In Mark's opinion he states the adminstrator of the school in our instance the principal drives the vision of the school. 

References

Hidden curriculum (2014, August 26). In S. Abbott (Ed.), The glossary of education reform. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/hidden-curriculum

Mindlab - My Community of Practice - Activity 1 Applied Practice in Context Evidence for Mindlab

Introduction:

I would like to introduce myself as Joyce Sarita Shankar-Kay. I have been Mrs Shankar-Kay for the past 5 years. I have been teaching for 16 years.  Originally Secondary trained to teach Technology, Science and Health Education.  I belonged to Aorere College’s learning community and taught Food Technology for 3 years.  After getting my registration I decided to embark on my OE. I lived and taught in 2 Secondary schools in England. An experience not to be forgotten.  I returned to NZ at the end of 2004. I was fortunate enough to be invited to work at Tangaroa College. A learning community which continued to inspire me to teach and grow with young adults.  After 4 years I had the urge to connect and experience learning  with a younger age group of learners. I have spent the last 6 years teaching and leading Technology at Rosehill Intermediate School. Again I continued to learn, grow and aspire to be a life long learner.

Wegner (2000), states that humans have formed communities and shared cultural practices since the beginning of history. Communities of practice is essential for our learning.  Educators like myself benefit from being part of various learning communities.

Etienne Wenger first coined the concept of “communities of practice”, which are defined as “groups of people who share a concern or a passion or about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interaction on an ongoing basis” (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002, p.4).

My Community of Practice:

My current community of Practice is at  Bailey Road Primary & Intermediate  School in Mt. Wellington, Auckland http://www.baileyroad.school.nz/

I have been practicing within this community since July 2015.  This learning community has given me the opportunity to further my learning, become future focused and embrace 21st Skills.

At Bailey Road School I am the Technology Specialist teacher. I teach Year 7 & 8 students. I have also been lucky enough to be given the opportunity to experience a Year 8 homeroom class and a Year ⅔ class.

I collaborate with  two  Year 7 and  two Year 8 teachers very closely.  Even though we plan learning for the students separately there are numerous opportunities where I can collaborate with the classroom teachers. This  so that we can give our learners the best possible learning choices.

Who are my community of practice?

I would say that my professional community of practice within my school I interact with include:

These include:

• Educators/teachers
• 400 students
• Senior Leadership team
• Support staff
• Whanau
• Board of Trustees
• Indian Bollywood Group
• Inquiry team

As Wegner states, we also belong to sub-committees. I belong to other learning communities outside the Bailey Road School community.

Some of these include:

• Twitter community
• Google + community
• Primary School Teachers Facebook community
• Google Educator Group

The purpose of my Community of practice:

The purpose of my community of practice is to inspire my learners to learn and solve real life problems.  I want them to be future focused and engage and learn 21st Century skills.

I believe in building strong positive relationships with my learners. Once there is a good relationship then risk taking and learning can happen. It is also important to my practice that I get to know the learners and their worlds. Especially my Maori and Pasifika students who make a large proportion of my community of practice. Reflecting and understanding about these learners is vital.  Fook & Askeland say, it is about “connecting individual identity and social context” (Fook & Askeland, cited in Finlay, 2009).

Alongside my learners, I have robust trusting relationships with my colleagues. This means that when we do have differences these can be resolved with a discussion. Within my team we share resources and teaching strategies.  

My specialist area of practice:

Technology Education is my specialist area of Practice. Within this broad context I expose my learners to experiment with various materials. We use Food, Textiles, Electronics, Hard Materials such as wood. Learners also engage with using Digital Technology. This has allowed me as a practitioner to broaden my knowledge and skills so that I can continue to empower my learners. I am having to take risks and delve into context areas and use materials such as wood which I am unfamiliar with.

As I am the only Technology teacher within the school, for my professional growth I am part of numerous specialist communities of practice. These include Technology Online, Technology Education in New Zealand, Home Economics and Technology teachers association. Through these learning communities I am able to share ideas, share resources and broaden my learning.

References:

Finlay, L. (2009). Reflecting on reflective practice.

Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization, 7(2), 225-246.

Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE - DAWSON (2012)

Dawson (2012) explains what reflective practice means and introduces the reflective models.

Rolfe et al.’s (2001) reflective model Rolfe et al.’s (2001) reflective model is based upon three simple questions:

Adapted from: Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Dawson states that there is a lot of research  that supports reflective teaching leads to better learning.

Reflection should not only be about thinking but the feeling as well eg. How did I feel after the class? What went well? What did not go well? Reflect on how or why it may not have gone well.....

Self Regulated learning and  Reflective practice is very similar.

Reflection is MOST effective when shared.  Here are some places where I share my reflections and learning.

http://joyceshankarkay.blogspot.co.nz/ 

Google+ Communities

Facebook Communities I share within:

&

TWITTER

Reflective Writing How to??

A short video explaining how to write reflectively. What to write about, what to avoid writing about and the benefits of reflective writing.

Published on Mar 3, 2014

Reflecting is a 3 Stage Process

Reflective Writing is not only about describing your thoughts but the essence of it is deeper thinking and questioning. Write about thoughts that are during the event and after the event. Informations should be included about how you feel. The How, Why and the implications - The so what is vital to reflective writing. Ask questions about how the learning has helped you.

A good reflective writing needs to have some description to explain context. This is followed by in depth reflective writing. When writing about that learning if is important not only to think about how it can directly be applied to the learning but to link to similar situations and how this can be adapted and translated to other situations.

Returning to my BLOG

I have not posted on my blog since February. Must admit all the assessments for Mindlab and full time workload has been shadowing me.  But here I am ready to embark on the last paper for my Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice (Digital and Collaborative Learning). Wahoo! 6 Weeks to go.

This journey had been a huge learning curve for me personally and Professionally.  I have learnt new ideas that I can implement in my classroom and make my learning environment more future focused. I have met so many like minded educators through this journey from all around New Zealand and some abroad.

Now to embrace the next few weeks then we can all indulge and celebrate our success!!