Activity 10: Reflective practice - Put it all together: Summarised Postgraduate Learning Journey and plan for the future

How did I do? What could I do better? ...

Reflecting on my personal 32 week learning journey, through the postgraduate programme at The Mind Lab:

I feel privileged to get the opportunity of Studying the Postgraduate Course ‘Digital and Collaborative Learning in Applied Practice’ at The Mind Lab. This learning journey of 32 weeks has been most interesting, productive and satisfying. As the learning in this course is focused on 21st Century education, teaching, learning, and technology, I feel it is the best form of professional development for ‘shifting the mind-set to 21st Century’ thinking, pedagogies and teaching approaches. Although it has been quite challenging commitment to study while teaching full time at Te Kura, I am so pleased and proud that I have completed this program, because to me, it is one of my life time achievements. The learning is enhancing and empowering my professional practice in all the areas. A tiny example of this is, now I can totally relate to the expression ‘Reflective practice is a professional development process that we believe is highly effective in achieving behavioural change’ by (Karen F. Osterman, Robert B. Kottkamp)
The learning from this PD is also improving and upgrading my digital technology skills that are crucial in Te Kura Online Teaching and Learning Environment which makes it most relevant to my professional practice.

The three criteria I have met well in my professional practice at Te Kura:

Criteria 1 Establish and maintain effective professional relationships focused on the learning and well-being of all ākonga:

Te Kura - The Correspondence School, Wellington, New Zealand is distance education providing school. Pastoral care of our akonga is a significant component of our professional practice. We contact and communicate with our students, their parents, guardians or care givers through telephone, e-mail, letter, Skype, Adobe Connect and Te Kura OTLE.
The learning experiences at The Mind Lab, are certainly helping me enhance my practice in all the areas including ‘pastoral care of our akonga’. For example I am more aware of cultural responsiveness to akonga, their parents, guardians or caregivers, whanau and to the learning community, in pastoral care and teaching and learning area of my professional practice. The learning also has improved my realisation of community informed practice. I can see this change in my contacts and conversations with the learning community.
Ideally in my conversations with them I first focus on developing friendly and pleasant professional relationship with the students and their parents, guardians or care givers. I do this by initiating discussions around students’ interests, their strength and achievements to present time. I acknowledge, value their achievements and praise them for these. Then I lead the conversation to inquiring about their personal, academic and career goals. Responding to these I work with them, developing their Individual Students Education Plans. Following these; I mentor them, supporting with their study, progress and achieving their goals, throughout their learning journey.

Criteria 4 Demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of professional personal practice:

Ongoing professional development keeps teachers up-to-date on new research on how children learn, emerging technology tools for the classroom, new curriculum resources, and more. edutopia
During my ten and a half years of teaching at Te Kura I have hardly missed any professional development opportunity available which is relevant to my professional practice, as I believe learning is a lifelong process. I have significantly benefitted from many professional development programs, to name a few, NZ MOE initiative - three year ICTPD Program, How 2 of Web 2 Online program, Acting Senior teacher of Mathematics, Te Kura OTLE Championship and currently this Postgraduate Course ‘Digital and Collaborative Learning in Applied Practice’ at The Mind Lab. Participating in the sessions facilitated by highly skilled and inspiring facilitators and working collaboratively with like-minded professionals from primary to tertiary level, make studying this course most interesting and beneficial.
The learning and professional development focused on 21st century education, in the following areas are most relevant and applicable in contemporary teaching and learning.
• Digital and Collaborative Learning in Context
• Leadership in Digital and Collaborative Learning
• Research and Community Informed Practice
• Applied Practice in Context
The skills covered in this program are most applicable in Te Kura Online Teaching and Learning Environment and in all the areas of professional practice in general.
As covered in my previous assessments, these skills will continue enhancing my professional practice in all the four areas listed above, for many year to come.

Criteria 5 Show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning

The skills learned and professional development gained through the learning journey at The Mind Lab, will also continue enhancing my leadership role and practice of Te Kura OTLE Champion, in Te Kura Online Teaching and Learning Environment. Continued focus on developing current - new, relevant and interesting teaching, learning and assessment resources using a variety of digital technology lead to improved student engagement, school work completion, learning and achievement. Applying the learning covered and skills learned from various leadership theories and styles, in my leadership role/practice of Te Kura OTLE Champion, are helping me improve my colleagues’ confidence and capability in using Te Kura OTLE and other digital applications like GAFE and Adobe connect, which in turn lead to improved and more effective teaching and learning. For example, recently Te Kura has begun school wide implementation of Google Drive Application; the skills I learned from regular use of Google Drive, throughout this course enabled me to help my colleagues with creating their Te Kura Google account, setting up Google Drive Application and facilitating its use in Te Kura practice. Similarly the skills learned from regularly using Google Plus community throughout this course are useful in helping my colleagues with Te OTLE discussion forum in their subject areas.
My learning experiences in ‘Research and Community Informed Practice’ and ‘Reflective Practice’ are also helping me in developing teaching, learning and assessment resource, in my subject area – Mathematics and Statistics. When developing these resources I am more aware of the importance of gaining input from learning community and teacher colleagues, and also reflecting on the process of resource development, in order to evaluate and improve it, leading to more effective teaching and learning.

Two main goals for my future Professional Development:

I am passionate about applying my learning experiences and skills with digital tools and internet technologies in the following:
• Online education in general (teaching, learning and assessment) at Te Kura
For example; strengthening my skills and gaining expertise with effective use of:
• Te Kura OTLE system – Online Teaching and Learning Environment
• GAFE – Google Applications For Education suit
• Applications of Adobe Connect package
• Mathematics and Statistics teaching, learning and assessment
For example:
• Further learning and using Mathematics and Statistics online programmes ‘Mathletics’ and ‘Maths Buddy’ which are supplementary online teaching and learning resources that are useful to enrich students learning and achievement.
• Strengthening my skills and gaining expertise with effective use of
Statistical Software iNZight and Graphing Software NZGrapher
• Learning and gaining expertise in using Algebraic Software Geogebra
Thus my goals for the remaining of this year are to focus on applying my learning experiences and skills to enhance my professional practice at Te Kura, in all the areas – including leadership, pastoral care, teaching, learning and assessment.
After achieving the goals above I will be keen to take up the opportunity of suitable position of responsibility at Te Kura, as I already have the experience.
I would like to end this post with one of the quotes that I believe in “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”- Albert Einstein

References:

Practising Teacher Criteria and e-learning
http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/Practising-Teacher-Criteria-and-e-learning
Reflective Practicefor Educators (Improving Schooling Through Professional Development - Karen F. Osterman, Robert B. Kottkamp)
https://app.themindlab.com/media/12847/view
Edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/teacher-development-introduction
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