Activity 2: My Professional Community

In answering this question, I will refer to the school I belonged to in 2015 since I am currently on study leave.

What is the organisational culture (collective values/principles) that underpins your practice? How would you contribute to fostering a positive professional environment in your community of practice?

What is school culture? According to Stoll (1998) culture within a school is complex yet one of the most important concepts in an educational setting. It starts with a vision and becomes engrained in the ways of doing things. It requires those within the school setting to ‘walk the talk’.

Reporoa College is a small rural college set half way between Rotorua and Taupo. It does have a culture of its own and in some ways it is still the old ways, and in some ways it is changing to new ways of being. This is lead by a new Principal who started in 2015.

A few years ago our school had an appointed Principal who introduced the concept of Kotahitanga – Unity – Proud to Belong. This statement in itself is a strong statement. It can be amazing to watch a school that you know so well go through its own battles. Kotahitanga and the view of being Proud to Belong was the start to getting the school back on its feet.

I think culture is something that you have to nurture; you can’t assume that people know what it is and what it looks like. School culture is no different. As stated by Academy for SEL in Schools (2015) a successful school has a culture and climate of learning, caring and success. Furthermore, it is recognised that while students come and go, staff are usually the consistent glue that holds culture together. This can only be done with a common vision with great leadership.

With the introduction of Kotahitanga, I set the task for my senior students to develop a banner that could be printed and staff chose the final design. This currently hangs at the back of the hall for all students to see. I believe that Reporoa College is a great school to be part of.

What changes are occurring in the context of your profession? How would your community of practices address them?

As we move towards the 21st Century learning style there are a multitude of changes that are occurring. With the availability of the Internet the role of the teacher changes, from one that ‘has the knowledge’ to one that shares the learning within a context of the classroom. This involves keeping up with not only technology but also moving forward in teaching pedagogies. Throughout the course of MindLab, there is a change in thinking to a world of possibilities. As more staff undertake the process of learning in a collaborative way there will be change.


As for me, I actually like being part of the Google+ community. I like being challenged by like minded people. I like to see what other schools are doing, and figuring out ways to integrate them into the classroom context for the benefit of my learners.




Academy for SEL in Schools. (2015). What is School Culture and Climate? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-_NvhlcusQ

Stoll, L. (1998). School culture audits: making a difference in school improvement plans. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9, 11(1), 74–82. http://doi.org/10.1177/1365480207086756

Applied Practice in Context Activities

Activity One:
After reading the Class Notes, create a post where you first define your ‘Community of practice’ with reference to Wenger (2000)’s definition and then provide a critical discussion in relation to any two of the following questions:

• What is the purpose and function of your practice? In what ways do you contribute to the community of your practice?
• What are the core values that underpin your profession? Evaluate your practice with regard to these values.
• What is your specialist area of practice? How does your specialist area of practice relate to the broader professional context?
• What are key theories that underpin your practice? Evaluate your practice with regard to these theories.

Activity 2: Your professional community

After reading the Class Notes, create a blog post where you provide a critical discussion of your professional community of practice in relation to any two of the following questions:

• What is the organisational culture (collective values/principles) that underpins your practice? How would you contribute to fostering a positive professional environment in your community of practice?
• What are the current issues in your community of practice? How would your community of practice address them?
• What are the challenges that you face in your community of practice? How would your community of practice address them?
• What changes are occurring in the context of your profession? How would your community of practices address them?

Communities of Practice Assessment Guide

Practice is clearly defi⛻ned against the concept of Communities of Practice with relevant literature of wider frameworks of theories being appropriately integrated in the discussion (MindLab Assessment One Rubric).

The above just doesn't make sense... And this is a Uni Course?? Although I get the message...

Activity 1: My Community of Practice

Activity 1: My Community of Practice

Communities of Practice Defined

Wenger (2000) describes Communities of Practice (CoP) as situations where people who share a common interest in a subject or area collectively collaborate, locally or globally, with each other over an extended period of time.  Howland, Jonassen, & Marra (2012) argues that humans are inclined to learn with and from each other through discussion and collaborative activity.  Furthermore, Howland et al. (2012) state that it is through this process where learners exploit each others’ skills and knowledge in order to complete tasks, develop solutions and innovations.  According to Wenger (2009), there are three elements that constitute a CoP: a domain, a community, and a practice.  In essence, a CoP is a context specific learning community where learning can occur, both intentionally and unintentionally, through active participation (Learning-Theories.com, n.d.; Wenger, 2000, 2009). 

CoP falls within the situative learning view as described by Mayes & de Freitas, (2004) and Ravenscroft (2011) whereby learning is situated within the context it resides. Furthermore, it aligns itself with the apprenticeship learning view where as part of a context specific community learners learn with and from each other (Mayes & de Freitas, 2004; Wenger, 2009).  With the rapid development of the Internet, there is a rise in online CoP where passionate like-minded people share their experiences and collaborate with each other locally, nationally and globally.   Therefore online CoP also falls within the connectivism learning view developed by Siemens (2006) and Downes (2012).

What is the purpose and function of your practice? In what ways do you contribute to the community of your practice?

With the above in mind, I have numerous CoP that I belong to.  In the Educational world alone I have the school in which I belong and the courses that I am undertaking and the online community groups I am part of.  In particular MindLab, Massey and Google+. In my own personal life, I also belong to the Putaruru Gun Club where I am the shoot secretary. Each of the above I engage in and contribute to.

In the educational world, CoP becomes complex.  There are many CoP, from the classroom level through to curriculum teams, to a collective staff and to the professional development, including courses, that I undertake let alone to the learning groups that I belong to.

As a classroom teacher, I have always taken the view of learning with and alongside my students.  Although I am aware that classroom management is a key aspect of being a teacher I have never really liked the ‘jug-in-mug’ theory.  I struggle with the concept that a teacher must know all the knowledge and as we move into the 21^st century I cannot see how this is possible.  I see a teacher’s role to facilitate the learning, to create the environment where all learners learn from the point that they start.  Learning to me is life long.

At the school I was at, I was part of the Technology curriculum team, leader of the DEET (Digital Engagement and Enrichment Team), Board of Trustees teacher representative, part of the Middle Management team, the Social Science team and the Mathematics team.  Each of these I was an active participant.  I like learning with and alongside others, I like listening to the views and ideas of others and sharing the ideas that I have learned through the professional development that I undertake.  Although I now can see that at our school there is a need for more collaborative learning opportunities within the staff level particularly when it comes to planning.

What are the core values that underpin your profession? Evaluate your practice with regard to these values.

All teachers in New Zealand are bound by the Code of Ethics (Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, n.d.-b) and the Registered Teacher Criteria (Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, n.d.-a). In addition, there are the values that come from the New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007). Furthermore, there are the values of the school in which I teach. This makes for an interesting mix of ideas and values.

As a classroom teacher, I believe it is my role to provide an environment where all students are valued and that they make progress in their learning. I believe that all students have the ability to achieve at their highest level no matter where their starting point is.

I am critically reflective of my own practice and am always trying to improve not only my practice but also the classroom program for the benefit of my learners. Especially where the use of digital technologies are concerned. I enjoy participating in professional development and using the ideas learned within the classroom context and sharing new learning with colleagues. Although I will admit that balancing the professional development with the other areas of my life can be challenging at times.

There will be more that I think of as time goes on... I will have to come back to this I feel.


References
Downes, S. (2012). Connectivism and Connective Knowledge: essays on meaning and learning networks. National Research Council Canada. Retrieved from http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&btnG=Search&q=intitle:Connectivism+and+Connective+Knowledge+Essays+on+meaning+and+learning+networks#0

Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. (n.d.-a). Practising Teacher Criteria. Retrieved May 16, 2016, from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/registered-teacher-criteria-1

Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. (n.d.-b). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved May 10, 2016, from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0

Howland, J. L., Jonassen, D., & Marra, R. M. (2012). Meaningful learning with technology (4th ed., pp. 1–19). Boston, MA: Person Education, Inc.

Learning-Theories.com. (n.d.). Communities of Practice (Lave and Wenger) - Learning Theories. Retrieved May 10, 2016, from http://www.learning-theories.com/communities-of-practice-lave-and-wenger.html

Mayes, J. T., & de Freitas, S. (2004). Review of e-learning theories, frameworks and models. JISC e-learning models desk study. (Vol. 202). London, United Kingdom: JISC. Retrieved from http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&btnG=Search&q=intitle:JISC+e-Learning+Models+Desk+Study+Stage+2+:+Review+of+e-learning+theories+,+frameworks+and+models#0

Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum (Vol. 116). Wellington: Learning Media. Retrieved from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/the_new_zealand_curriculum

Ravenscroft, A. (2011, January 6). Dialogue and connectivism: A new approach to understanding and promoting dialogue-rich networked learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/934/1755

Siemens, G. (2006). Connectivism : A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1), 3–10. Retrieved from http://202.116.45.236/mediawiki/resources/2/2005_siemens_Connectivism_A_LearningTheoryForTheDigitalAge.pdf

Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization, 7(2), 225–246. http://doi.org/10.1177/135050840072002

Wenger, E. (2009). Communities of practice: a brief introduction. Communities, 1–5. Retrieved from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

About Blogging

Did you know that Blog is short for Weblog?

A blog is a Web 2.0 tool.

Examples of tools used to blog:

Blogger - A weblog publishing tool from Google, for sharing text, photos, and video.

WordPress - Offers two options, so you need to choose between the fully hosted WordPress.com and the self-hosted version, WordPress.org.

Weebly - Weebly is good for creating classroom websites, student e-portfolios, and websites for assigned projects. The drag & drop website editor is simple to use and appropriate for use with students of all ages.

WIX - is a cloud-based web development platform that allows users to create HTML5 websites, mobile sites and blogs through the use of their online drag and drop tools.

Tumblr - is a microblogging platform and social networking website currently owned by Yahoo!

'learner centeredness' vs 'learner engagement'

How would you compare the two concepts of 'learner centeredness' and 'learner engagement'?

Learner Centreredness

McCombs and Vakili (2005)

Learner Engagement
Gibbs and Poskitt (2010)

Literature Review on the Learner Engagement in middle school years.

Engagement is a multi-faceted construct that encompasses students’ sense of belonging and connectedness to their school, teachers and peers; their sense of agency, self efficacy and orientation to achieve within their classrooms and in their broader extra-curricular endeavours; their involvement, effort, levels of concentration and interest in subjects and learning in general; and the extent to which learning is enjoyed for its own sake, or seen as something that must be endured to receive a reward or avoid sanction. Further, engagement is a variable state of being that is influenced by a range of internal and external factors including the perceived value or relevance of the learning and the presence of opportunities for students to experience appropriately-pitched challenge and success in their learning. As such engagement is malleable by the actions of teachers.

Reflections

The learner engagement article reminds me of the Te Whaariki document. BWECC: Belonging, wellbeing, exploration, communication, contribution. Playcentre has a lot to answer for! These principles are fundamental. Remembering that all learners are motivated, establishing what they are motivated to achieve is always the question. At times, I think that conflict between what the student wants to achieve and the teacher wants the student to achieve are at differing viewpoints. It is this, that causes the discrepancy within the educational field.


"Academic self-regulated learning is strongly linked to personal agency, to goal setting and to self-efficacy. Similarly, the disposition to be a learner is linked to feelings of self-efficacy and interest".

Therefore, it is up to the teacher to establish 'buy in' into an aspect that is beyond the egocentric view of the student. Whilst taking into consideration of the 'age in stage' of the student (psychological, physical, and social - Nigel Latta explains this well). Which in turn links straight back to the Te Whaariki achievement objectives: students must feel that they Belong before their Wellbeing is enhanced. One their Wellbeing is enhanced they will begin to Explore. Through Exploring, they will begin to Communicate, which in turn will lead to them Contributing.


At the moment, I question the change from Te Whaariki to the New Zealand Curriculum (2007) document. This is because the Te Whaariki document focuses on the holistic learner and although this is reflected in the Key Competencies, the reporting to the ministry and parents is based on segregated subjects. This in itself is interesting because once again I am placed in a position of confusion like I was just over 10 years ago.

Defining My Practice

Defining your practice
Before you can fully extend your practice you will first need to be able to define it. You can start your reflective journal by introducing yourself, articulating who you are and what is your professional community of practice. In order to be able to do this effectively you should consider the following aspects of your role:

• What is my practice?
• What is my professional context?
• Who are my community of practice?

Who am I?
As stated in the about me, my name is Kersty and I teach under Kersty Stephenson.  I have been involved in education since my children were little when I started at Lynmore Playcentre.  I realised that I had missed education since leaving school just before my 18th birthday.

What is my practice? 
I am a primary trained teacher who has taught in a Year 7-13 College for the past 8 years.  During this time I was TiC of Digital Technologies.  This is a subject area that I quite enjoy and have enjoyed sharing what I know and learning alongside my students.  This is a subject area which is quite vast in its own right.  Between the variety of applications, the workings of a computer there is so much to learn and know.  Further to this, I love teaching math and find it disappointing that so many students out there do not have a spark for the subject.  I usually see it as my challenge to change the students perceptions of the subject throughout the year.  I have also taught Food Technology and Social Science.  No matter what subject I teach I always try, to the utmost of my ability, to incorporate digital technologies into the units I teach.

What is my professional context?
Right now I am a student in two eLearning courses. It is unfortunate that with a falling roll that the school I was employed at has had to loose staff over the last three consecutive years. I enrolled in MindLab in November 2015 and started at Massey at the beginning of 2016.  I am hoping that I can take everything that I have learned into the classroom next year in my new town of Tokoroa. Yes, there has been a bit of change in my life, taking on full-time study, a new town, a new house. (one that requires a whole lot of work)..

Who are my community of practice?
I have two communities of practice right now.  One being MindLab, through the medium of Blended learning and Massey which is fully online.  Through Mindlab I am part of the Google+ community and Massey uses Stream.

Learning to use Blogger

Basic Blogger setting up

Dealing with Blogger Labels

Defining Learning

What is learning? From the moment we are born we are on a learning path and that ends when we die. Learning happens from the moment we open our eyes each day until we close them to sleep. As we grow older (day by day) we learn by interacting with the world around us, this can include people as well as animals, "things" and our environment. Learning can be formal, or informal. Learning can be deliberate or accidental. Learning can be cognitive, social, emotional, or physical. Learning occurs with everyday actions and events. Learning can be small, or it can huge. Learning can be positive or negative. Part of learning is learning from your mistakes.  Learning is something that occurs whether we realise it or not.