Kia Ora, welcome to my Blog!
My name is Dinesh, I am currently teaching Mathematics and Statistics at secondary level at Te Kura - The Correspondence School, Wellington, New Zealand. Te Kura is distance education providing school which is implementing online learning delivery project. From the beginning of 2018 school year, Te Kura will deliver all the learning online (from junior level to NCEA Level 3). As I am passionate about distant online teaching and learning, I am enjoying my job! I also belong to Te Kura Online Teaching and Learning Environment (OTLE) team. I like learning and being innovative in teaching as well as in life. I love sharing my learning with people and take pride in it! Sometimes I do dream of presenting my new learning in education, at international level!
In 2007 – 2009 I participated in NZ MOE initiated ICT PD three year project, I enjoyed the learning and professional development, as well as sharing it with my teaching and learning communities. In general I thrive to apply what I learn! Following this ICT PD project, In 2010 I also completed ‘How2ofWb2’ online one year programme offered by Australian educational institution which I thoroughly enjoyed, despite the challenge of studying while teaching full time!
Since July 2015 I have been studying; Postgraduate Certificate Course in Applied Practice ‘Digital and Collaborative Learning’ offered by Unitec – Institute of Technology, Auckland New Zealand, through The Mind Lab. - I believe life is all about learning.
At Te Kura my focus has been on teaching and learning Mathematics and Statistics mostly at NCEA Level 1, 2, and 3. I spend a lot of my time on developing assessment resources, learning to apply digital tools and technology to Mathematics and Statistics at this level.
Te Kura learning community is very different from most learners at face to face schools. Our learners are not in front of us (teachers), we support them from a distance, by correspondence (using Internet technology and digital tools, e-mails, phones and written communications). And a lot of our learners are in very challenging situations (physical as well as psychological). They are categorised as ‘High Needs Low Support’. Focusing on pastoral care of my students is vital, this includes contacting them regularly, communicating with them and their whanau and being well informed of their situation as well as physical and psychological wellbeing and nurturing them.
My priorities are to develop pleasant professional relationship with our learners, motivate, encourage and help them engage in learning, acknowledge and praise their (even the smallest) learning and achievement! I follow the quote ‘I must be a good teacher of my students rather than my subject’. Once good relationship is established I share my subject knowledge, skills and experience with learners and work with them, supporting their interest and learning goals. My goal is to help my students achieve their goals!
My educational learning in the last few years has convinced me that I am no longer a teacher, I am a facilitator! I believe in the following two quotes:
“We have to see ourselves less as transmitters of expert knowledge and more as facilitators of critical learning and perspective transformation.
As Boud et al. (1993, p.9) state, ‘while we commonly assume that teaching leads to learning, it is the experiences which teaching helps create that prompt learning, not primarily the acts of the teacher’.” (Redmond, 2006, p.226)
After learning about 21st Century learning skills I feel frustrated about many obstacles in the path of promoting and facilitating relevant learning, for example curriculum and assessment constraints, qualification driven teaching and learning, ill-preparedness for (or lack in) shifting the mind set towards 21st Century learning.
References:
How should I blog?
http://howshouldiblog.blogspot.co.nz/2016/01/how-to-write-good-blog-post.html
Susan Gunelius’ views on the secrets behind successful Blog Posts
http://weblogs.about.com/od/writingablog/qt/The-Secrets-Of-Blog-Post-Length.htm
Legal issues bloggers should understand
http://weblogs.about.com/od/bloggingethics/tp/Legal-Issues-Bloggers-Must-Understand.htm
Three top blogging rules
http://weblogs.about.com/od/bloggingethics/tp/Top3BloggingRules.htm
Seth Godin, one of the most known bloggers in the world
http://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_the_tribes_we_lead?language=en
