Well, here
it is. The final blog on this roller-coaster journey that has been Mindlab. I
must admit, the learning journey that I have embarked on over the past 32 weeks
has taken me way out of my comfort zone and challenged me to alter my views and
stretched my mind to new thinking. I naïvely believed as a professional
educator that the challenge of new learning and doing assignments would be a
breeze. How wrong was I! Some of the assignments were extremely challenging
particularly for those of us who hadn’t studied for a number of years and doing
this all the while working full time has been taxing to say the least. On
reflection, participating in the course had a profound effect my thinking
toward the students I teach. Working alongside others in a community of
practice reminded me of how it must feel for some our students when the tasks
we set are challenging. I, like many
others on the course I guess, was most happy to have the collaborative support
from the wide range of awesome teaching colleagues I had the privilege to meet
and reflect with both in classes and online.
At the
beginning of our momentous journey I wasn’t really too sure what we were
getting into. Over the ensuing weeks I learnt a great deal about 21st
century learning skills and leadership styles and theories however, I expected
the course contain more digital content that I might have taken back to the
classroom to use in practical ways. This has been the case to some degree but I
have also thoroughly enjoyed developing my skills and a reflective practitioner.
Reflective practice is viewed as a means by which practitioners can develop a
greater level of self-awareness about the nature and impact of their
performance, an awareness that creates opportunities for professional growth
and development (Osterman & Kottkamp, 1993). I think as teachers we are
constantly reflecting – trying to refine and improve what we do. Being an
online blogger (something I had been adverse to prior to the course) has given
me fuel to further hone my reflective skills. Using these in practical
situations when reviewing weekly readings, blog posts from other Mindlabbers
and research material for assignments has also had a flow-on affect where I am
now thinking more about how I might apply professional practice. This course
has required me to take a critical look at my teaching practice and take heed
of Osterman & Kottkamp’s (1993) above statement around how I might create
further opportunities for my own self-growth.
I have
identified two key changes in my own research informed practice and these refer
to the following Practising Teacher Criteria (PTC):
PTC 4:
Demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of
professional personal practice (Ministry of Education, n.d.).
This has
been significantly demonstrated with participation in this Mindlab course. I
believe I am by far more critically reflective and through networking through
social media platforms am able to seek out the skills and expertise of
like-minded colleagues more efficiently now. I recognise that I myself am a
learner and as such, do not hold all of the answers. Through participation in
Mindlab I have become exposed to elements of best practice such as including
evidence based research to inform my practice or using an interdisciplinary approach
to not only improving and further developing my own professional practice but also
in the teaching and learning experiences and opportunities that may be created
with the students in my class.
PTC 7: Promote a collaborative, inclusive and supportive
learning environment (Ministry of Education, n.d.).
Of all the
21st Century Learning Skills (ITL Research, 2012) we studied during
the Mindlab course, the one that resonated most with me was that of
collaboration. This works hand in hand with creating an inclusive learning
environment for all students. Collaboration is a skill we need to teach our young students for them to
be equipped for an unknown future. As teachers it is imperative that we nurture
a culture of divergent thinking and encourage students to be choice makers. At
our school we currently use a variety of collaborative classroom methods and
devices daily, the ways and purposes vary greatly and are usually separate from
each other. One of the most effective examples of collaboration we are
employing is that of Play Based Learning in the junior school. This encourages
students to develop team work, the flow of ideas, shared responsibility as well
as individual strengths and skills, all amalgamating in a successful outcome. While
we have moved to improve the efficiency of collaboration in teaching and
learning albeit through small steps there is still plenty of room for movement.
This is area of my practice I look forward to developing further with a new
level of eager learners next year.
So where to now? I have never been much of a blogger and only
very occasionally submit public posts on any form of social media, but I have
enjoyed the experience of sharing my thoughts and ideas with like-minded others
and it has been a great way for me to reflect on my practice while researching
and writing. With this in mind, I think I might delve deeper into blogging as
it might be a great way to introduce my learners to the concept of an
interdisciplinary approach themselves as well as an ideal way to keep a
reflective journal of my teaching practice for future reference. I also have a
deep interest in the potential of gamification and how it might be used to
motivate and engage my students more effectively. I intend to further research
this and develop my pedagogy and understanding of gamification so as to provide
opportunities and experiences for my students where the benefits are that they
can feel empowered to achieve their potential.
That is that, time to bid adieu!
References
ITL Research.
(2012) 21CLD Learning Activity Rubrics.
Retrieved from http://www.kasc.net/2010/21CLD%20Learning%20Activity%20Rubrics%202012.pdf
Ministry of Education
(nd). Practising teacher Criteria and e-learning. Retrieved from http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/Practising-Teacher-Criteria-and-e-learning
Osterman, K. &
Kottkamp, R.(1993). Reflective Practice for Educators. California. Cornwin
Press, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files/RefPract/Osterman_Kottkamp_extract.pdf
