Professional Context - Crossing Boundaries

Current & Future Interdisciplinary Connections

Future Interdisciplinary Goal:

For the next twelve months I, alongside the staff at NPS have an interdisciplinary connection with Marian Pearce and Dr Mark Dashper who are both Māori Medium PLD Practitioners based at Auckland University. As a school we identified the need to raise our game in terms of culturally responsive practice and in order to do this, we have the experience and expertise of Marian and Mark to develop responsive teaching and learning programmes at our school. Through joint teacher/practitioner observation and planning, we want to expand not only our teaching practice and understanding but our students understanding and achievement. We need our interdisciplinary connections and collaboration to go beyond the surface, both for teachers and students; encouraging different perspectives, connecting with peers, critical thinking, communication and higher order thinking skills (Jones, 2010).

I have chosen Mulligan & Kuban’s conceptual model for successful interdisciplinary collaboration (2015) as an approach to adopt.

Workplace Conditions:

Regular communication to maintain engagement and momentum, whether electronically or in person is essential. Regular staff meetings, as well as small group meetings/workshops, will provide the time and opportunity to share and discuss how to develop and devise a strategic plan on Māori educational achievement. Lollies are an integral component of the meetings as these will invariably take place after school when energy levels are lower. Additional support through appropriate research and readings will provide the opportunity for staff to explore pedagogy and encourage further discussion to take place. Providing time to develop thinking and practice is critical. As Jones (2009) points out “Interdisciplinary curricula is time consuming and takes collaborative team work to create” (p. 80).

Qualities /Attitudes:

Key to the success of collaboration is relationships - between facilitators, leadership, staff and students. Levels of ‘uncomfortableness’ can be elevated, especially when engaged in new learning that involves reflection, critique, needs and next steps. Trust is key, both of the ‘expert’ and peers. Professional trust provides the environment for honesty, compromise, risk-taking and new learning when planning, making decisions and setting goals. As a staff, we have to have a shared vision and enthusiasm for changes in our culturally responsive practice to take place and be sustained. I have found that one has to let go of the ‘control’ factor in order to successfully collaborate. A Tuakana/Teina relationship allows the role of expert to be reversed at any stage. This has occurred during our student ‘impact inquiry projects’ where integrated curriculum planning is collaborative and students take on various roles of expertise, “learning tolerance for their peers as well as leadership and collaboration skills” (Jones, 2009, p. 77).

Common Goals:

For collaboration to be successful there needs to be a shared vision and a willingness to work together to affect change. In order for us to do this in the context, I have chosen we need to firstly analyse achievement data for the last two years looking at what success as Māori looks like in our school, how Te Ao Māori can be embedded in all areas of the curriculum, and how success can be accelerated. Strengths of staff and those beyond our immediate school environment need to be recognised and utilised so we are able to build on what we have. There needs to be accountability to our students, whānau and each other so that effective collaboration is sustainable and ongoing once our lead facilitators have stepped away. Our common goals are woven through our teacher/team spiral of inquiries so that they remain at the forefront of our pedagogy and practice - building a sense of community.

I have found that the most challenging aspect for crossing boundaries in a professional context is relinquishing ‘control’ and stepping outside my comfort zone. Recognising that there are multiple experts out there to connect with is not a sign of weakness - it becomes a strength. It has certainly been easier to initiate this in a primary setting. I personally, have come a long way utilising interdisciplinary connections and know that I still have some way to go!

References:

Jones, C.(2009). Interdisciplinary approach - Advantages, disadvantages, and the future benefits of interdisciplinary studies. ESSAI7 (26), 76-81. Retrieved from http://dc.cod.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1121&context=essai

Ministry of Education. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://tereomaori.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-guidelines/Teaching-and-learning-te-reo-Maori/Aspects-of-planning/The-concept-of-a-tuakana-teina-relationship

Mulligan, L. M., & Kuban, A. J. (2015). A Conceptual Model for Interdisciplinary Collaboration. Retrieved from http://acrlog.org/2015/05/14/a-conceptual-model-for-interdisciplinary-collaboration

Social media in professional development

If I had been asked to consider how social media can be used to support my professional development a few years ago I would have been at a loss to comment. Up until a few years ago, I stayed away from social media, almost feeling that it was an intrusion of privacy, as well as being wary of exposing myself. I now recognise that I was in the late majority in adopting social media as a means of developing professionally (Robinson, 2009). How this has changed! The changes that have taken place occurred when I undertook more study. I have been exposed to and encouraged to seek out new research and learning to support my ongoing study. Use of socially networked professional learning as I experienced in a tertiary environment enabled me to build learning relationships (Steinfield, Ellison, & Lampe, 2008; Yu, Tian, Vogel & Chi-Wai Kwok, 2010, as cited in Melhuish, 2013). Having the opportunity to connect, collaborate, support and share opened up new possibilities and pathways to explore.

What I am using

We have a strong culture of using online social platforms to make connections, push our thinking and open up new possibilities. I predominantly use Facebook (10 education groups), Twitter and VLN as networks for professional development. These are used in a variety of ways, from ‘lurking’ (reading but not commenting) to making connections, posing questions, exploring resources, participating in discussions and collaborating with others to challenge and affirm practice. The use of social media in PD is an inexpensive way to access our ever-widening community of experienced and innovative teachers, especially in our very busy times and tightening school budgets.

Challenges

As you can see from the above Coogle, my use of social media is still quite limited. I am very aware of how the amount of content available can be overwhelming at times and that there is a need for having a clear purpose, identifying the benefits and how best these can be communicated (Connected Ed. Video, 2013). Sitting alongside this is the importance of social interaction and the need to develop relationships where you are actively engaged, both producing and consuming information/content; “prosumers” as Toffler, 1980, as cited in Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010 describes.

A challenge that arises when I use social media for my professional development is being able to critique content/practice/pedagogy - is there a research basis to what is being shared? How do I know? How do I find out more? Melhuish (2013) discusses the lack of unpacking theory and its place in practice when educators are engaging and networking, leading to the risk that ‘networking creates assimilation or affirmation of current practice without question” (p. 43).

Through my participation in further study both at Waikato University and Mindlab, I have developed social networks that I will continue to access to both challenge and refresh my pedagogy and practice. Honestly, I think my ongoing challenge is to stay an active, self-directed and self-organised learner (Schaffert & Hilzensauer, 2008) while balancing the increasing demands of teaching with family. To do this I need to critique what I access, the real purpose, who benefits and how this can be measured - there are so many ‘rabbit holes’ to disappear down!

References:

Melhuish, K. A. V. (2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’ professional learning (Doctoral dissertation, University of Waikato)

Office of Ed Tech. (2013, Sep 18). Connected Educators. [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=216&v=K4Vd4JP_DB8

Robinson, L. (2009). A summary of diffusion of innovations. Enabling change

Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business horizons, 53(1), 59-68.

Schaffert, S., & Hilzensauer, W. (2008). On the way towards Personal Learning Environments: Seven crucial aspects. Elearning papers, 9, 1-10.

Legal & Ethical Context in my Digital Practice

In 2015 I completed the Teachers as Professionals paper at Waikato University as part of my study to upgrade to a Bachelor of Teaching. This provided an opportunity for me to look closer at legal and ethical issues and the possible impact on key stakeholders. The schools that I have worked in have all had clearly defined policy and protocol for students and staff alike so any situations I have been involved with have had a clear process to follow. As a result of exploring the Code of Ethics (Education Council, 2017), myself and another teacher have facilitated staff meetings where different scenarios were presented to promote discussion and raise awareness in our ever-changing learning environments. A particular focus was placed on device use, online accessibility and social media (staff and students).   

Hall (2001) discusses how the changing face of New Zealand (ethnic diversity and moral pluralism) and the blurring of the role of whanau with the school curriculum has impacted on the teaching profession. This has impacted on my teaching in a BYOD learning environment as I have found the use of digital devices, online access and who is ultimately responsible for what happens is becoming increasingly tricky. School policy and protocols need to be constantly reviewed and updated, using resources such as Digital Technology, Safe and responsible use in schools (2015) and Digital technology guide for schools (2017).

Ethical Dilemma

The increasing access and use of personal digital phones by younger and younger students brings it’s own ethical dilemma as the phone is a personal item that may or may not be used for learning.

Student A lives with her mother, visiting her father on the weekend. There is animosity between the parents and communication is strained. Mum was reluctant about her daughter having the latest mobile phone communicating this to the father, however, he went ahead and purchased the phone. Unknown to the mother, Student A took the phone to school. Student B got hold of the phone, entering the contact details into his phone. Outside of school hours Student B began to text Student A making a variety of lewd suggestions. Student A became upset and showed the messages to her mother. At this point, the mother contacted the school who were not aware that Student A had taken the mobile phone to school.

Stakeholders

• Students involved
• Teacher
• Team leader
• Person in charge of ICT
• Principal
• Parents.

Restrictions on actions

The phone was brought to school, parents/whānau/school were unaware. The incident took place outside of school hours.

Due to a custody dispute taking place (Student A) there is a concern that the incident could be used as evidence against the mother - not providing a safe environment.

The school has an extensive Cybersafety agreement that parents/whānau/students sign. This includes breaches that occur outside of school hours. Breaches are clearly outlined with an example, action and consequence. However if this agreement has not been signed off, what course of action is available?

Normal Course of Action.

• Staff will investigate immediately by interviewing the student/s involved;
• All relevant evidence will be saved
• A brief report will be written.
• Parents will be notified of the breach. A meeting may be requested;
• In the event of serious breach, incident will be reported to appropriate agent: CYF, NZ Police, etc

Because the breach occurred out of school hours, the school would not set direct consequences. The school would discuss and follow up any consequences with the parents if mutually agreed.

Course of Action

I have found this a tricky situation as neither student signed a Cybersafety agreement, parents and school were unaware of the phone contact until after the incident. I have decided on this course of action: after a thorough investigation, there would be a meeting with the parents where the incident would be discussed, the Cybersafety agreement revisited and consequences for both students agreed upon. Communication throughout the process is imperative. This could be a loss of phone privileges at home and close monitoring of online activity on devices at school.

Comments would be greatly appreciated.

References

Education Council. (2017). Our code, Our standards. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf

Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers

Understanding indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness

My understanding of indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness:

Cultural responsiveness and inclusivity is an area our school is collectively working on to gain a better understanding of what culturally responsive practice is and what it looks like in our context. One has to define culture to unpack what indigenous  knowledge and cultural responsiveness is. Culture is about worldviews, language, values beliefs and customs that people collectively identify with. An understanding of culture sometimes only comes about when one’s own culture is made visible through exposure to the culture of another. Culture is more than an accumulation of knowledge of the content of culture. It is about appreciating different ways of being, different ways of responding and thinking. This is not something that can be gained through asking, through research but through attempting to walk in another person’s shoes. Culturally responsive pedagogy is about learning relationships - when teachers purposely weave together learners cultural knowledge, their own funds of knowledge, make connections, use a variety of teaching approaches and engage the community to build positive learner centred education. Building positive, respectful relationships between teacher, learner, whanau and wider community are paramount.

My Context

To be honest, as I grew up indigenous knowledge and culture was not something that was seen as of value and even as a young teacher struggled with this perception as it went against my personal values and belief systems. Bishop, Berryman, Cavanagh & Teddy (2009) discuss the idea of challenging deficit theorising and how building effective reciprocal relationships will help address educational disparities. As a whole school focus our journey in culturally responsive practice is in its infancy and changes are being made. We had long recognised that this was an area that required our attention but struggled to access the support and guidance we needed in order to make things happen. The kick start we desperately needed came in January this year when we attended a one day workshop led by Janelle Wiki-Waaka. The question that resonated with me was “How would I know that I was in a classroom in Aotearoa?”. Jenelle followed this up with this is the only country where the Maori language exists, and that we cannot ‘go’ anywhere else in the world to learn it. Even pronunciation of words speaks volumes about what is valued in the wider community and by extension in the school. I have found that in making my own culture explicit and that of others that I am learning a lot about my own culture that had formerly been invisible to me.

What we do well

• High expectations of all, including each other (teachers).
• Eliminating deficit thinking, using research to challenge preconceived ideas, making connections outside of our school environment with ‘experts’ and mentors for support and guidance.
• Our learning environments are culturally safe (reflecting what Jenelle asks “How would I know that I was in a classroom in Aotearoa?” Beginning the day with Karakia, specific waiata to welcome visitors and acknowledge those who have returned, knowing our pepeha and sharing this. We are feeling our way as sensitively as we know how and are open to input, guidance and feedback from our Māori community.
• Te reo (limited but growing) is woven through all we do throughout the day (correct pronunciation of names and places, greetings/farewells, commands, vocab., questions, etc). Through the development of a partnership with the local iwi, to again enable their voice to play an active part in this aspect of the school life and its ever changing role and identity in the community will support our pronunciation and using appropriate protocols.
• Build inclusive, responsive relationships where we value what each learner brings to school in their kete - collecting student/whānau voice through interviews, surveys, etc.
• Tuakana/teina relationship - where the roles of expert and learner can be reversed at any time (including teacher/student/whānau).
• Recognising, valuing and accessing the cultural intelligence and knowledge our learners have (the need to ‘know’ who our learners are).

What we need to continue to work on

• Unpacking Tātiako and critiquing our learning environments against Ako, Wānanga, Whanaungatanga, Manaakaitanga and Tangata-Whenuatanga.
• Building strong respectful relationships with the tangata whenua.
• Making a space for the voices of tangata whenua to be heard and for Maori aspirations to be listened to and actioned on.

With the ongoing support of CORE facilitator Marian Pearce

• Digging deeper into what success as Maori looks like at NPS ().

• Developing a school wide Te Reo Māori learning programme.
• Inclusion of Te Reo and Tikanga Māori across all learning areas.
• Develop effective whānau engagement tools.

If we are working in authentically culturally responsive ways then we seek knowledge are open to new learning and do so in ways that allow us to learn more of the what. As partners with Pakeha of the Treaty of Waitangi their position in NZ society is different I think to the position of other cultural groups and does enable them with a precedence,

On a personal level

Mindset is vital as it can be very easy to fall back into deficit theorising and search for excuses as to why Māori and Pasifika learners are not achieving as they should, implying the problem is with them. If our education system is not serving these learners well, we need to seek, identify and shift the focus. It is integral that your teacher spiral of inquiry reflects your culturally responsive and inclusive pedagogy and practice. Culturally responsive practice is sustainable, becoming something you do, not something that is ‘done’ to you.

References

Bishop, R., Berryman, M., Cavanagh, T. & Teddy, L. (2009).Te Kotahitanga: Addressing educational disparities facing Māori students in New Zealand. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5),734–742