Activity 8 - Changes in my practice

The 32 week journey

The journey through the mindlab programme has certianly been an experience.  It has been both enlightening and at times frustrating but above all else it has moved me outside my comfort zone. This alone has caused me to think in different ways and apply this in the classroom and enhance my pedagogical techniques.  The course has definately met the registered teacher criteria 4 "Demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of professional personal practice" but more importantly has lead to research based changes to my teaching.  It has given me both the confidence and skill to deliver an appropriate learning programme to my learners.

One of the interesting aspects of the course is how my reflective practice model has changed. Previously it was probably was more about reflection but it is now moved towards the reflective practice described by Ostermann (1993) as challenging, demanding and often trying process. It has also become more collaborative with fellow colleagues and involved many discussions. 

Changes in my Practice

The biggest change to my practice has been the incorporation of technology in the classroom.  Its not that I did not use it before but it is how I apply the technology and it certainly has become more a ubiquitous in the classroom.  Indeed one of my classes has become paperless, gone is the teacher standing at the front and the workbook exercises instead we use an approach that embraces an entirely digital format.

The advantages have been the students working at their own pace, 24/7 feedback model (students often seem to do work outside my waking hours!) and more student engagement. Two of the major disadvantages however is the technology issues as often I cannot solve these and also the major investment of time to plan and implement the material onto the various platforms.  This is a major drawback as I have five classes and only have time to ultimately do this with one class due to excessive administration and reporting required of teachers (that's for another blog). However with the collaboration of colleagues we hope to be able to conceptualise, plan and implement an appropriate learning programme (as set out in registered teacher criteria 6).

Future Aspirations

To be honest I have more aspirations and plans than I could possible implement it is now just a matter of prioritising them in order of importance.  Currently the school is undergoing huge change and with the Innovative Learning environment due to open Term 2 of 2017, and hopefully ,as a result of this we can change how the school operates from the school heirarchy to the timetable (which is essentially the same as it was 100 years ago) to provide an environment and pedagogy that is suitable for 21st century learners.  I am definately looking forward to being a part of this.

Finally

I would particularly like to thank Marian, Janet and Gretchen for all the shared experiences and support over the past 32 weeks as I am not sure I could have done it without you.  Also I would like to thank all the fellow mindlabbers who have shared their thoughts and engaged with the collaborative tasks we have been involved in as you have made the journey both enjoyable and memorable.


References
Osterman, K. & Kottcamp, R. (1993). Reflective Practice for Educators. Californa:Cornwin Press.  Retrieved on 18th March, 2017 from http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files.

Ministry of Education(nd). Practicing teacher criteria and e-learning. Retrieved from http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/