Reflect on what you have done so far to take action
Step 2 of my inquiry states that I will "Conduct a learning conference with six ākonga.
Record the conference notes on Linc Ed and publish the post for whānau to view."
I have unexpectedly taken on a new role at my school for 2019. This has impacted on
the amount of time I spend with learners, and therefore on my ability to carry out my
research plan in the way I intended. However, advice from the Ministry of Education
reminds us that "...talking about taking action is not the same as taking action." (Ministry
of Education, 2019). So I have decided to carry on and make adaptations as I go;
depending on how my new workload affects my ability to follow the research plan.
In my original plan, the ākonga I would conference with three times during the course
of the research, were intended to be ākonga from my puna ako group. Interestingly,
I have managed to conduct brief conferences with more than six ākonga hapori wide.
However, they were not all students from my puna ako group as I originally intended.
I have met with some ākonga in a different capacity because of my new role.
I think this is ok for the purposes of the research because I am not intending to draw
any conclusions about how the age of the ākonga, or the reason for my interaction
with them; might affect the level of parent interaction with the LMS. However, the
whānau of ākonga outside my puna ako group might be surprised to hear from a
different kaiako than usual, so I will have to take time to explain the reason for my
call with them.
I have also come to realise that my original time frames may not run to plan, or
possibly, that if I stick to the time frame for the research, I may not meet the
goal of conferencing with the required number of ākonga each week and overall.
The Ministry of Education (2019) suggests that leaders " Sustain momentum by
setting timeframes for action – two or four weeks – and reporting back on progress".
I feel that taking time to reflect on my progress so far has helped to improve my
motivation; and I am hopeful that I will be able to continue with my inquiry.
After reading the information on the Ministry of Education website, I have also begun
to wonder how I might be able to involve students in reflecting on the value of learning
conferences. The website states that it is desirable to be "Involving learners in
deciding whether the action taken is effective in helping them to learn." (Ministry of
Education, 2019).
It would be interesting to ask ākonga how much they value feedback from whānau.
Kaser and Halbert (2017) discuss the value of formative feedback for students. They
say that kaiako can use opportunities for formative feedback to "... to provide descriptive
coaching feedback and learner self-regulation." I see conferencing with ākonga as an
opportunity to offer descriptive feedback to our ākonga as a vital part of their learning in
a self-regulated learning environment.
Kaser, L. and J. Halbert.(2017). The Spiral Playbook: Leading with an inquiring
mindset
in school systems and schools. C21 Canada. Retrieved from:-
content/uploads/2016/10/Spiral-Playbook.pdf
Ministry of Education, Educational Leaders 2019. Retrieved from:-
earning/Taking-action#eztoc660316_0_1
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