CSIC8100 Applied Practice in Context Number 4

“Discuss how issues of ethics, society, culture and professional environments (including law, regulations and policy) are being addressed while you are taking action”.

I have chosen to use the Ethical Decision Making Model to discuss ethical issues relating to my research. 

Critical Incident and Responses to Critical Incidents

Most children are open to havinzdfghg a learning conversation with me in the course of a day, but there are a couple who refuse. This is a problem because conferencing with children is one of the main ways that we record learning and offer guidance to ākonga. How might I respond? Is it appropriate to make children have learning conferences with a teacher?

There are some different points of view to consider. 

Ehrich, Kimber, Millwater, & Cranston (2011) say that research processes need to "Avoid causing harm, distress, disadvantage or anxiety." The children we work with in school have the right to an emotionally safe learning environment where they are treated with respect. 

Ehrich, L. C. , Kimber M., Millwater, J. & Cranston, N. (2011) also point out that researchers need to avoid lowering self-esteem by highlighting difficulties and deficiences. It is possible that compelling children to participate in learning conferences could do this.

The NZARE (2010) encourages researchers to consider using research methods which '...promote the aspirations of Maori". I believe that the learning conference offers teachers an opportunity to engage with Maori students about topics which are of interest to them as Maori. 

NZARE (2010) principle 3.3. discusses Capacity to Consent; asking the researcher to consider the participants capacity to give consent. This is an interesting issue when the participant is a child. Do whānau give schools the right to include children in research projects when they enrol their children in New Zealand schools? The NZ Curriculum (2007) certainly encourages teachers to participate in research and teacher inquiry (pp34).

Beliefs that impact on my decision making could be:

I believe that learning conferences are the best way to offer personalised feedback to children. Russell Bishop (2010) confirms this when he describes the value of descriptive feedback to Maori students.  

I believe some children are too shy to talk with the teacher by themselves. 

I believe that it is my job as a teacher to get to know children individually as learners. 

The choice I have made is offer more choice to children. I thought that I could set up a booking system and children could choose to come to a group conference or an individual conference. Both conferences will follow the same format. 

Implications could be that some children do not end up participating in individual conferences, which is one of the school assessment guidelines.

Some children might participate in a group conference and then find that they are comfortable with the conference process which will enable them to participate in individual conferences in the future. 

Group conferences might produce more interesting discussions with children about learning.

Ehrich, L. C. , Kimber M., Millwater, J. & Cranston, N. (2011). Ethical dilemmas: a model to understand teacher practice, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 17:2, 173-185, DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2011.539794  

Ministry of Education (2007), New Zealand Curriculum 2007, Learning Media, Wellington, NZ

New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE). (2010). NZARE Ethical Guidelines. Retrieved  from:- http://www.nzare.org.nz/portals/306/images/Files/NZARE%20EthicalGuidelines2010.pdf

CSIC 8100 Applied Practice in Context Number 3

Examine how indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness are informing the way you are taking action.

I really enjoyed the readings and viewings about cultural responsiveness for this post because they resonated with my personal pedagogy and that of my school. I feel that learning conferences with individual ākonga are a great opportunity to practice personalised culturally responsive pedagogy. 

Bishop (2012) describes an 'agentic teacher' who believes in each child's ability to achieve. He says that agentic teachers are able to manage the classroom in such a way that they can have "...interactions with young Maori people which provide them with academic feedback and feedforward." 

Learning conferences achieve this goal. The ākonga and kaiako can use the learning conference as an opportunity to connect prior knowledge, set goals, offer support, advice and feedback. The whole learning journey can be designed in a personalised and culturally responsive way for the individual ākonga.

A speaker in the Teaching Tolerance (2010) video reiterates the need to cater for individual voice, stating that a 'one size fits all' approach to cultural diversity can be damaging. She points out that "Each child brings their own version of culture, which is highly personalised."

Bucher (2008) describes the nine mega skills for Cultural Intelligence. Number 9 is about "Understanding the Dynamics of Power; meaning that it is important that kaiako understand that they usually hold the power in a classroom. I see learning conferences as an opportunity to hand this power back to the ākonga because their intention is put the ākonga in charge of their learning journey.

I have chosen to use the Mauri Model to reflect on how I have gone about taking action in regards to learning conferences; and also to discuss how our team are responding to the requirement to do learning conferences.

I see myself as being in the Mauri Ora state of being actively engaged. I feel highly motivated and committed to helping to establish learning conferences routine mahi for kaiako in the teina hapori. My recent Mindlab work has enabled me to change the direction of my research so that I am now reading, writing and thinking about an aspect of my work that is related to my research but that is more engaging for me. 

I feel alert and I am interested in talking with other kaiako about their experiences so I understand them more. I would like to create opportunities for kaiako to discuss the why, how and when of learning conferences. 

I believe that hapori wide a few of our kaiako may be in the Mauri Moe state. They may be choosing not to participate because they are feeling anxious about how our emphasis on learning conferences challenges their  perception of their role as a kaiako. Other kaiako are in a Mauri Oho state where they are interested in finding out how they can make the time to have effective, culturally responsive and culturally intelligent learning conversations with our ākonga.



Bucher, R. (2008). Building cultural intelligence (CQ): Nine Megaskills. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Edtalks.(2012, September 23). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. [video file].Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49992994

Pohatu, T. W. (2011). Mauri - Rethinking human wellbeing. MAI Review, 3, 1-12. Retrieved from http://www.review.mai.ac.nz/index.php/MR/article/v...

Teaching Tolerance( 2010, Jun 17) Introduction to Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Retrieved from:
https://app.themindlab.com/media/31865/view 

CISC 8100 Applied Practice in Context Week 2

The reflective model I have chosen to use is the Jay and Johnson model. I have decided

to use this model to analyse what is happening hāpori wide in regards to conferencing

with ākonga. It was not my original intent to collect comparative information in regards

to how other kaiako manage conferencing. However, because I am experiencing

some difficulties myself and also because this is a new process for some,

I thought this could be a useful topic to reflect on.

What is happening?

The kaiarahi (team leaders) recently informed us of the required frequency of

conferences with ākonga, this being once every two weeks. Interestingly, this is

a match with the frequency of conferencing I aimed to achieve during my research.

I am not yet managing to achieve this frequency. Remarks from other kaiako

indicate that they are experiencing the same difficulty, so I am curious to see

how and if we can improve.

Is this helpful and for whom?

It seems helpful to me to have a specific goal set for kaiako by the kaiarahi.

There is a clear expectation of what we are expected to achieve. It may put pressure

on some kaiako and this could create negative outcomes for them. This action is helpful

to ākonga who will come to expect regular individual and personalised conferencing

time with kaiako.

How am I feeling?

I am feeling inspired to achieve this goal. It makes me feel like changing the

focus of my research from encouraging whānau interaction with LincEd to

encouraging kaiako interaction with ākonga.

What do I not understand?

I don't understand how our current timetable might or might not limit the

ability of other kaiako to achieve the goal of conferencing once each fortnight

with ākonga.

How do other people who are involved or indirectly involved describe

what is happening?
Feedback from other kaiako indicates varying levels of success. One kaiako is
very happy, while others are experiencing frustrations with time and experience.

What does research contribute to an understanding of this matter?

Baleghizadeh and Zargami (2015) say that "At all times, students must

feel that the conference is under their control and for their benefit." This statement

makes me wonder how kaiako can best approach the topic of a conference

with ākonga, and how ākonga feel about conferences.

The research Baleghizadeh and Zargami (2015) conducted in regards to

student conferencing concluded that students who conferencewith teachers

achieve similar results to students who are tested by teachers. However they

state "...it can be concluded that applying alternative assessment procedures

resulted in a significant difference between the participants' attitudes...". This

conclusion fits well with our schools pedagogical statements in regards to

assessment.

How can I improve what is not working?

I could help kaiako to explore different ways to manage conferences.

Critical Reflection

What are the implications of the matter when viewed from these alternative

perspectives?

I now feel that conferencing is a more specific task than I originally thought.

It could be useful to develop a conference format to use repeatedly so that ākonga

will know what to expect from a learning conference.  

How does this reflective process inform and renew my perspective?

McManes (2015) states that "The key to a successful student-led conference

is the preparation." A professional development session about conferencing would

be useful for helping our kaiako to prepare well. It could cover research and

pedagogy about formative assessment; suggestions for formats; possible questions

and role playing.

References:

Baleghizadeh, S., & Zarghami, Z. (2015). 3 ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING:

THE IMPACT OF STUDENT-GENERATED TESTS AND CONFERENCING
ON EFL STUDENTS' GRAMMAR LEARNING.

The European Journal of Applied Linguistics and TEFL, 4(1), 45+.

Retrieved from

http://link.galegroup.com.libproxy.unitec.ac.nz/apps/doc/A528616250/AONE?

u=per_unit&sid=AONE&xid=5c2be80f

McManes, G. (2015). Student-Led Conferencing in PE Showcasing their skills and

achievements can help students take ownership of their learning.

Physical & Health Education Journal, 81(1), 22–23. Retrieved from
http://libproxy.unitec.ac.nz:2048/login?url=

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN

=108643468&site=ehost-live&scope=site

CISC 8100 APPLIED PRACTICE IN CONTEXT Week 1

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:-

http://c21canada.org/wp-

content/uploads/2016/10/Spiral-Playbook.pdf

Ministry of Education, Educational Leaders 2019. Retrieved from:-

http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leading-learning/Spiral-of-inquiry-leaders

-leading-l

earning/Taking-action#eztoc660316_0_1

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Communication Literacy and Learning Through Play - a happy marriage

Two new beliefs:-

Retaining every child's self-belief as a learner is infinitely more important than teaching them to read at 5.  

A learning through play environment better prepares learners for their future in the 21st Century.

2019 was my first year of immersion in a learning through play environment. I have always used project based learning, experiential learning and language experience approaches with young children. I have always valued learning experiences outside the classroom over those within the four walls.

Working collaboratively with a team on creating a learning environment which can support all our different ākonga with all their different backgrounds, needs and interests has been an absolute pleasure for me. Never have I worked in a school which is so adaptive to individual and group needs. Our teachers take so much notice of what is happening for our students, and our approach to collaboration allows us to be really responsive and adaptable.

The way that schools are traditionally organised - where one teacher works most of the time in one place with the same group of students (a class) - is simply not able to match a collaborative team in it's ability to cater for more diversity, more skills and more interests. 

Again and again I return to the thought that handing over agency for learning to the student is the most powerful action we can take as teachers and leaders in schools. Let the children steer their own course. Accept them as they are, support them, help them to understand themselves, and to communicate with others. Believe in them and work hard to support them in their learning.

Which brings me to reading - the 'holy grail' of teaching (but not of learning). When we teach reading too early, we rob children of their agency and power. If they are good at reading, they come to depend on this method of gathering information, which in reality slows many learners down.

If the child does not enjoy, does not take to, does not 'get' reading straight away; well, there are murmurings. Children understand these murmurings. They are subtle messages telling them that they are not quite as clever as they thought they were, not quite as good at communicating. That they can't be that intelligent because they are not quick to decode text.

What a strange belief for a group of educators.

What I notice is that more and more, our children are gathering information from visual sources and auditory sources. Sources which deliver the information far faster than written text can be deciphered.

I can think of loads of examples of children for whom too much of a teacher led focus on reading and writing has been detrimental to their self-belief and enthusiasm for learning.

Last year I watched and waited for children to show an interest in written literacy. Some did and some didn't. I'm no longer worried about that.  I have no doubt that waiting is the right thing to do. It is obvious to me that children flourish when they are allowed to develop at their own pace in a supportive and creative learning environment.

Encouraging true student agency is a guaranteed path to real engagement with learning - the kind of engagement with learning that will mean that our children maintain their self-belief; keep their enthusiasm for learning as well as their interest in their own self-improvement. The kind of engagement with learning that will sustain learners over time as they grow to be the fulfilled 'life long learners' that we are aiming to grow.

Modern Learners - Assessment

Friday August 17

Spent the day participating in a workshop run by Will Richardson and Bruce Dixon from Modern Learners. This was very exciting for me because I have followed these guys for a couple of years now.

The day focussed on aligning our assessment practices with our beliefs about learning. We began by unpacking our beliefs about learning. Then we listed our current assessment practices and discussed how well they did/didn't fit with our beliefs. It turns out that most school assessment practices are linked to the need to collect data for school reporting purposes.

Thankfully, we don't spend a lot of time on standardised assessment practices at Haeata. I question the value of those that we do use and am thinking now that we might need to move completely to using teacher observations and OTJs which are based on ākonga self-assessment, rubrics and work samples. Even using a small part of the Junior Assessment of Maths (JAM) seems a bit pointless to me now. 

I really like our focus on individual conferences as a means of collecting information from ākonga about their learning. How empowering is it for ākonga to be listened to, believed and supported to make their next steps?

I like what Pasi Sahlberg has to say about data collection:-

Learning analytics, algorithms and big data are knocking on the doors of
many schools promising fast improvements and new solutions to wicked
problems facing schools today. In the midst of datafication educators need
to remember the power of small data: tiny clues through personal
observations, collective human judgment, and raw instinct that can lead to
big change in schools. Leading with small data requires collaboration,
trust and professionalism as key features of educational change.

If the decisions we make about program delivery are based on what the ākonga themselves share with us, we will be headed in the right direction for sure. 

The last part of our day was spent unpacking what kind of ākonga, kaiako and whanau we need who will implement and support useful assessment practices. It would be interesting to discuss what kind of leadership, BOT and MoE we need in order to change some of the commonly held beliefs about assessment in NZ schools.  

Mindset Quote

"Our results show that the academic benefits of these interventions have been largely overstated." (Michigan State University, 2018)

Michigan State University. (2018, May 22). Study finds popular 'growth mindset' educational interventions aren't very effective. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 21, 2018 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180522114523.htm