Mindlab by Unitec: My Postgraduate Learning Journey

07 March 2016 (APC Week 32 - Task 10)

Putting It All Together

It's important for all of us as professional educators to both understand and evaluate our own practise. Osterman & Kottkamp (1993) offer us a useful model that links in well with the practical aspects of developing a pedgogical approach.

Figure 1: Osterman & Kottcamp (1993) - Source Article

My experiences over the course of the past 32 weeks for my Mindlab studies has certainly provided me with a greater understanding of what Teaching As Inquiry looks and feels like 'in action'. I for one now firmly believe that the professional awareness that this approach generates within us can have a positive lasting impact on how I approach my own leading and learning roles in future.

Being able to reflect on my own practise whilst  experiencing new professional experiences has been both eye opening and horizon broadening. Meeting and collaborating with educators from around the country (and even overseas) as part of my studies has been a revelation that has extended my own view of the profession well beyond geographical boundaries and current points of view. 

In a New Zealand educational context, the Ministry of Education has set criteria for practising teacher in e-learning. For the reflective purposes of this blog entry, here's some evidence  from my studies to support a few of the criteria I have met well over the past 32 weeks...

When reviewing how I have used this "Professional knowledge in practice", Criteria 7 leaps to my attention: how I "Promote a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive learning environment". Plenty of evidence of this is freely available on our class blog and learning hub website that I have collaborated on with my colleagues. Many of the posts on this blog also demonstrate how I have been sharing what I have learned with my wider community of practise, too.

Looking at the criteria around "Professional relationships and professional values", two immediately spring to my attention as having been well met over the course of my studies, and within my teaching practise for many years now.

"Criteria 3: Demonstrate commitment to bicultural partnership in Aotearoa / New Zealand." Apart from this being a strong underpinning element in several of my internally submitted essays for my recent studies, my recent blog entry on cultural inclusiveness effectively summarises my own understanding and drive to include this as part of my pedagogical and ethical approach to my leading and learning.

As a useful segue, "Criteria 4: Demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of professional personal practice" also leads me to the final part of this blog entry...

Where to Next?

I've long questioned the established ways of doing things, and my being open to new ways of leading and learning have been a definite asset for this course of study. It seems to me as if the opportunities are only as limited by our own individual and collective vision(s) when it comes how we might move forward from here...

My 'Big Question' for RCIP two months ago - the question now, for me is, do I limit my understanding of a Community of Learning to a geographically bounded area, as a simplistic case study that can be replicated elsewhere - or begin to consider myself a part of a global community of learning...

The academic research and case studies I've viewed fill me with a quiet optomism as to where it all may lead; and the cautionary tales and as yet under-researched areas should likely encourage each of us to look beyond traditional methodologies. There's definitely an opportunity there for me to consider studying at Masters level in future, or to at the very least encourage others to pursue this avenue.

I myself am left with a keen interest in exploring newer, more inclusive pedagogical approaches that will likely make the most of our increasingly global contexts. It's not just about hoping that innovation occurs in a timely manner and going with the proverbial flow anymore:

I firmly and passionately believe that it's vitally important for all of us as whanau  and educators alike to consider how we can  actively partcipate in changing the paradigms that we lead and learn within, as we begin to deliberately coach and mentor our students and colleagues in this new age of digital and collaborative learning...! 
 

References Cited

Osborne, M. J. (2016, 1st February). My RCIP Reflective Portfolio. [Blog Entry] Retrieved from http://postgradteacher.blogspot.co.nz/2016/02/mindlab-by-unitec-my-rcip-project-plan.html on 28th March 2016. 
Osborne, M.J. (2016, 29th February). Cultural Responsiveness within a NZ Context. [Blog Entry] Retrieved from http://postgradteacher.blogspot.co.nz/2016/02/mindlab-by-unitec-evaluating-my-own.html on 28th March 2016
Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R.(1993) Reflective Practice for Educators. California. Cornwin Press, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files/RefPract/Osterman_Kottkamp_extract.pdf on 28th March 2016.

Ministry of Education (NZ). Practising Teacher Criteria and e-learning. Retrieved from http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/Practising-Teacher-Criteria-and-e-learning on 28th March 2016

Mindlab by Unitec: Cultural Responsiveness within a NZ Context

29 February 2016 (APC Week 31 - Task 9)

In "A Culturally Responsive Pedagogy of Relations" (2012),  Russel Bishop specifically mentions the underlying issues of Maori educational engagement, whilst noting there are similar issues for Maori as for most indigenous people around the world. Bishop explains that these challenges are "essentially an artifact of... post-colonialism"  which are still "having an enormous impact on our country." 

As previously discussed at length in my own previous blog posts on developing a culturally responsive approach within innovative learning environments, there is a significant need to address the ability for "Maori to learn as Maori" both within our schools and our wider educational communties of learning. This is also clearly stated in “Ka hikitia: accelerating success” (The New Zealand Ministry of Education, 2013). 

As directed in our New Zealand Curriculum document, we are expected as educators within Aoteroa New Zealand to provide our akonga (students) with learning opportunities that reflects the bicultural foundations of our nation. 

Source: NZC Update 16 - NZ Minstry of Education (2012)

New Zealand's founding document Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi) is explicitly bicultural in both it's intent and delivery. As such, our duty of care extends well beyond our professional specifications: ethically and morally, we are bound as leaders within our educational communities to reflect and respond to this bicultural responsibility with due care and consideration regardless of our school's ethnic composition. 

I see this as an opportunity we all have: to embrace the bicultural aspects of our country that make it unique in the global context and thereby empower our young nation and it's learners. As we develop our own understanding of who we are, we are better able to extend this basic human courtesy to those we all live and work alongside. This helps each of us to gain a more inclusive and holistic approach to what it means for each of us to be leaders and learners within Aotearoa New Zealand.

In my current school, we have around 75% of our students who identify as Maori. We primarily address cultural responsiveness within our kura by creating and maintaining an inclusive educational environment that actively encourages a holistic sense of hauora (wellbeing). We do this by providing our akonga with opportunities to learn about and participate in activities that reflect the importance of Te Reo and Tikanga Maori (Maori language and cultural traditions). This approach also extends to identifying and celebrating other cultures present within our school as part of our learning experiences.

My own professional challenge within this educational setting has been to continue to build and grow whanau -styled learning relationships that are both genuine and lasting, whilst also meeting the expectancies in a predominantly non-Maori educational system. Having genuine empathy and understanding is key to our student's learning being both positive and enduring. 


References Cited 

Edtalks. (2012, September 23). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. [video file]. 
Ministry of Education (2012) "The Treaty of Waitangi Principle ". NZC Update Issue 16.

Ministry of Education (2013) “Ka Hikitia: Accelerating Success 2013-2017 ”.

Topic: Authentic Engagement of Indigenous People -

Recommended Reading/Viewing

Edtalks. (2012, May 30). Mike Hogan: Culturally responsive practice in a mainstream school. [video file].

Cowie, B., Otrel-Cass, K., Glynn, T., & Kara, H., et al. (2011). Culturally responsive pedagogy and assessment in primary science classrooms: Whakamana tamariki. Wellington: Teaching Learning Research Initiative.

Findsen, B. (2012). Older adult learning in Aotearoa New Zealand: Structure, trends and issues. Presented at Adult Community Education (ACE) Conference.

Harrison, B. & Papa, R. (2005).The development of an indigenous knowledge program in a New Zealand Maori-Language immersion school. Anthropology and Education Quarterly; (36) 1,57-72.

Shaw, S.,White,W. & Deed,B. (2013) (Ed.) Health, wellbeing and environment in Aotearoa New Zealand.South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.

Shields, G. (2015). Support indigenous knowledge in New Zealand school libraries.

Mindlab by Unitec: Legal Contexts and Digital Identities

22 February 2016 (APC Week 30 - Activity 8)
Legal Contexts and Digital Identities

When we are in a professional role of any kind, we're likely guided or governed by a code of ethics. In New Zealand, a practising teacher must abide by the following Educational Council (2016) precepts:

"The professional interactions of teachers are governed by four fundamental principles:

• Autonomy to treat people with rights that are to be honoured and defended
• Justice to share power and prevent the abuse of power
• Responsible care to do good and minimise harm to others
• Truth to be honest with others and self." (Source)

These professional guidelines also allude to following the law and honouring the Treaty of Waitangi, the latter of which I will discuss in an upcoming blog post. 

With the use of social media being so prevalent at this time, both within and outside of the classroom, there is a need for educators to begin to understand how this new 'openess' of 'sharing' so much about ourselves can potentially compromise impact on both our professional ethics and private moral values.

The cautionary tale of the ficticious Teri Sanders in the clip below is perhaps more common than we realise - in this day and age, we've all seen 'friends' and colleagues who 'overshare' and leave us with our own ethical dilemmas.

It's likely we have all heard cases of teachers taken quietly to one side by their school principle for images of their tipsy selves or too obvious comments on social media. There's even an awareness that 'old' images or unpopular opinions shared on social media preventing people from getting jobs or losing 'tenure'. 

Where the social media behaviour has broken teaching codes of ethics in extreme ways, disciplinary action is often taken; yet, there are as of yet no specific professional teaching code of ethics for teachers at a national level in New Zealand to guide our profession.

No doubt we've all at some time or another attended staff meetings to review our school code of ethics around digital media and copyright laws at some time or another, often in response to an incident in our midst or after a particularly high profile media case...

As the technology has zoomed ahead of us, it appears to have been up to individual schools to respond to the ethical gray areas that have presented themselves.  

However, it seems timely that we all necessarily consider how our professional ethics relate to our own use of social media in our dual roles as educators and members of our communities. 

With so many schools and educators now integrating the use of social media in their ubiquitous approaches - whether it's a website, blog, Youtube, Facebook or Twitter presence, to name a few examples - we all need to recognise the ethical and legal implications for each of us in this globalised online world!

Topic: The Influence of Law and Ethics on Professional Practise
References Cited & Recommended Reading / Viewing

Cinelearning. (2014, June 7). Teacher Ethics Video - Social Media Dilemma HD. [video file] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGQbLSEPN5w on 28th March 2016.
Chrystie. (2016, January 7). The $7,500 Blogging mistake that every blogger needs to avoid. [Blog post].
Collste, G.(2012) Applied and professional ethics. Kemanusiaan, 19(1), 17–33.
Connecticut’s Teacher Education and Mentoring Program.(2012) Ethical and Professional Dilemmas for Educator: Facilitator’s Guide.
Education Council (NZ). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certficated Teachers. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0 on 28th March 2016.
New Zealand Teachers Council.(2012). Establishing safeguards.[video file].
New Zealand Teachers Council (2012). Commitment to Parents/Guardians and Family/Whānau. [video file].
New Zealand Teachers Council. (2015). Teachers & Social Media.
Ministry of Education (2015). Digital technology- Safe and responsible use in school.

Mindlab by Unitec: A Case Study in Educational Social Networking

15 February 2016 (APC Week 29 - Activity 7)  

A Paradigm Shift: The Rise of Social Media

The 'World Wide Web' has now seemingly belied it's somewhat ominous name - rather than simply ensnaring us in a mesh of electronic content, it has essentially begun to make previous experential, geographical and material boundaries to our learning less and less of a limiting feature...

It's been an interesting journey as an educator in the primary school sector in New Zealand the last several years - more so with the changing role of digital media technology becoming an every day feature to learning (instead of the once weekly classroom visit to the school's "ICT suite" when I first started teaching, almost a decade ago now).

Over the past half a dozen years, my in-class teaching role has changed from using mimio 'smartboard' notebook software that I had to download on to my laptop. Then I would have to create or find downloadable files for in order to use the 'stylus' pen and data projector so that my students and I could interact directly with our whiteboard like a massive computer screen in class. (Let's not revisit having to use CDR's to install new driver software before data downloads and updates became less odiously time consuming - time has long since moved on!).

Those first "Digital Immigrants" weren't at all sure of the jargon, either... (Source)

The need for almost expert knowledge of the software and continual downloads of clipart have not long since been superceded in light of 'Cloud' based apps that allow users to 'interface' with all manner and means of digital media online. 

The need for a centralised computer suite or specialised interactive software platform pre-installed on devices to access this ubiquitous 'brave new world' has also become all but obsolete: almost every student now has full and free access to a digital device or even their very own chromebook for use within our school.

It was but a few years ago that our hosted school website required an almost expert level of knowledge to maintain - and in my role as ICT co-ordinator at our school, I was in charge of both the grunt work and for providing our teaching staff with Professional Learning and Development opportunities to try and master these cumbersome approaches to sharing our learning on an online way. 

Needless to say, few teachers mastered the website and interactive whiteboard technologies. Now these particular technology iterations seem to be quickly losing favour, as my colleagues and I all readily become familiar with the ease and availability of Cloud-based blog and website platforms at our collective fingertips.

The change has been both daunting and exciting for many of us: though I think we can all agree that our students obvious enthusiasm as 'digital natives' have buoyed us all along, as much as the exponential shift in user-friendliness of the afforementioned apps and devices.

With temporal realities no longer being as obvious as roadblock to our learners and leaders "getting connected to the twenty first century", the challenge has shifted as the need for expert ICT knowledge has also been superceded by this new era of digital collaboration.

Our favourite go-to collaborative education resource. (Source)

This blog is a useful example for the ease a person (even an established 'digital immigrant' such as myself) now has in being able to create and share their research, learning and reflections with others online. I can present my ideas in detail and provide supporting links, images and video clips that I can then share via networks available wherever there's wifi and a device to hand...

No longer am I (or my colleagues or any of my students) limited to having to ask just the physical human beings available in our immediate proximity 'what they think'; nor are we limited to having to go to libraries and rapidly aging text books for content knowledge during 'normal office hours' as it were...

Whether it's an article I've pinned on pinterest or something linked on Wikipedia, there's always plenty to read - though like my students, the wealth of ideas being explored 'out there' in cyberspace can sometimes lead me to wander well off the train of thought, quite often into whole galaxies of asides that nonetheless enrich my intellectual landscape...

If I have a question that I need to answer, I can always 'Google it', 'Youtube it' or use social media networks to read, view or ask a 'real' person and expect a readily 'viewable' answer or suggested next step in my 'inquiry'. 

Google an amusing meme on your ergonomically sound micro break. (Source)

Social media networking has been a great source of inspiration and collegiality for me as a teacher, as this recent blog post demonstrates. 

If I have found something I want others to see, I can find and share my ideas with the wider 'online public' on Twitter, or to specific groups of people on Google Plus, no matter what the time is on the proverbial clock. When I've been looking for teacher recommended pedagogical ideas that come from other New Zealand teachers, it has often been a closed group on Facebook (yes, the irony does not escape me, either).

Not sure what you've found is at all relevant to the question you started out with? To get a colleague or even an expert to weigh in, demonstrate a particular app in 'realtime' or face-to-face no longer requires Emails, texts, phone calls and/or even the cost of travel. You can Skype a colleague or expert if you have downloaded the free app; or just 'Google Hangout' with them on a handy device by using your internet browser to save valuable time and increasingly limited onboard storage space.

I myself have found Skype to be more reliable a realtime video connection when talking to people further afield (ie.: as far away as Switzerland, though the twelve hour time difference this time of year meant a few Emails back and forth to line it up). Though, given how it's taken Google only a few short years to get their office apps up to spec, one can see that it won't be long before Google Hangouts irons the glitches out of it's system and becomes as much of  go to option as it's non-cloud based predecessors...

So, in conclusion - it seems that the future of social media networking will inevitably give (and is already is giving) educators and students alike the ability to all but teleport themselves into another's immediate proxomity...

p.s. Where to next - ?

Topic: Professional Online Social Networks
References Cited & Recommended Reading/Viewing
Joosten, T.( 2013. October 22). Pearson: Social Media for Teaching and Learning.
Melhuish, K.(2013) Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’professional learning. Master Thesis. The University of Waikato.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants - Part 1. [pdf]
Office of Ed Tech. (2013, Sep 18). Connected Educators. [video file].
Silius, K., Miilumäki, T.,Huhtamäki, J.,Tebest, T., Meriläinen, J., & Pohjolainen, S.(2010) ‘Students’ motivations for social media enhanced studying and learning.’ Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal, 2, (1).
SocialMediaForKids (2014, Aug 15) Social Media For Kids® The Social Media Education Experts.[video file].
Tvoparents. (2013, May 21). Using Social Media in the Classroom.[video file].

Mindlab by Unitec: Global and Local Trends in Education

08 February 2016 (APC Week 29, Task 6)

Reflecting on Some of the Current Trends in Education

When we're considering 'where to next', it's important that we consider the issues and trends that are likely to influence education over the next ten to twenty years. Looking first at the international trends helps us to see the bigger picture as it were. 

In the "Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds" report released by US National Intelligence Council (2012), they found four significant 'megatrends' that will likely have a huge influence on the geopolitical framework our education systems take place within.

Screenshot from "Global Trends 2030" pp.7 (Source)

The use of online digital media is now widely being used to allow for both collective and individual empowerment at a scale that has been previously unequalled. 

We're able to find out and share ideas online like never before, with learning-based and social media websites allowing individuals  to collaborate in a manner that is likely to be a potential source of both innovation and fundamentalism. In essence, we're all at a bit of a nexus - those clinging on to traditional modes of thought may find the 'future is wide open' and wish to keep the status quo.

Essentially, it has become imperative that educators and administrators alike climb onboard the collaborative technology train as digital immigrants, as the millenials are living and learning as digital natives. (Prensky, 2001).

However, the efficacy of this process before now has been inversely affected by changing demographic patterns - such as high transience in low socio-ecomomic areas within New Zealand impacting on these students in particular gaining equaitable access to the technology that facilitates this process. 

This has seen schools in low socio-economic areas to sign up for apparent 'social enterprise' models in order to provide their students with both the digital tools and internet access they will need to empower their students in the twenty-first century. 

With this model of enablement, there is the risk of gearing educational outcomes within these schools to enhance philanthropic input from private organisations. But, given the real need for access to the tools and skills our young people will need in the coming years, it is essential that we take a collective approach to providing more equitable learning pathways for millenials and their decendants.

By contrast, those schools in more socio-economically advantaged areas are still free to develop curricula that more adequately reflect the wider learning needs and/or educational interests of the community around them, thereby engendering the underlying values and principles of the New Zealand Curriculum document.

In conclusion, it is important that we fully grasp the increasingly globalised nature of living and learning in the current day. We need to make every effort we can muster to adapt our way of thinking and doing (i.e.: theories and pedagogies) to better allow us to provide our students with the insights and learning styles they will need to answer the issues that will arise in the coming decades.

In my next blog entry, I will look at how the rise of social media may provide us with an effective and engaging platform for empowering both ourselves and our learners over the coming year(s)...

References Cited & Recommended Reading/Viewing
Bolstad, R., Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012). Supporting future-oriented learning & teaching: A New Zealand perspective.Wellington: Ministry of Education.
Education Review Office (2012). The three most pressing issues for New Zealand’s education system, revealed in latest ERO report - Education Review Office.
KPMG Australia. (2014, May 22). Future State 2030 - Global Megatrends.
US National Intelligence Council (2012). Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds. Washington, DC: United States National Intelligence.
OECD (2015). Education at glance 2014.
Pearson. (2013, April 26). Global trends: The world is changing faster than at any time in human history.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants - Part 1. [pdf] 
Science News (2014, Nov 26). New Mega Trends.
The RSA.(2010, Oct 14). RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms.

Mindlab by Unitec: My Professional Context

01 February 2016 (APC Week 27, Task 5)

My Professional Context 

As part of the process of becoming a “self-aware” teaching professional, it is important to be fully cognizant of the broader contexts in which we learn and lead in the 21st century. 

   By defining our own roles, pedagogical approaches, inter-relationships and the way these are all interwoven, we begin to develop the understanding we need to effectively move within our own community of learning. 
    As we develop our a sense of ako or 'reciprocity', we begin to understand our own context within the educational framework in which we operate as leaders of learning, and this allows us to better develop the relationships, skills and content knowledge we will need within an increasingly global learning environment.
     As part of this change process, the increased use of online sources to facilitate new, innovative learning processes compels educators to increasingly develop an interdisciplinary approach to leading and learning. 
    "Interdisciplinary programs may be founded in order to facilitate the study of subjects which have some coherence, but which cannot be adequately understood from a single disciplinary perspective." (Wikipedia, 2016)

 TEDx Talks (2001, April 6). TEDxBYU - David Wiley - 

An Interdisciplinary Path to Innovation. [video file].

No longer are the school teacher and their physical school sites the proverbial font from which "all necessary academic content" (i.e.: curriculum) pours forth. 

    The exponential growth of information sharing via the internet allows learners to discover their own understanding from a digitised, globalised and publicised network of knowledge available to them.  

    Professional educators now need to venture into the same open access context, and the same freedom to venture forth into innovative approaches to the questions we all may have.

   With a sense of stewardship and global citizenship both, teachers can indeed be the leaders who guide our young people to asking the questions that will lead to the break throughs previously limited by environmental boundaries...

My Professional Connections

For this blog post, I have created a 'professional connection map' to help me to begin to visualise the extent of the connections have made (and could potentially develop further on in future) to help me to begin to visualise the wider context in which I learn and teach. 

     For this 'mind mapping' activity, I have used a digital tool via Coggle. I chose this tool because it allowed me to sign via my Google+ account, which made it very user friendly - thanks Michelle for the inspiration!

"My Professional Connections Map" (click on image to enlarge)

An interesting observation I made when creating this 'professional connection map': the process initially started out in a rather linear or "hierarchical" manner at the outset, much as one might expect at the start of one's career. Yet as I visually mapped the links between the different elements or "stakeholders" in my professional connections in the current day, the more interwoven and web-like the illustration became...

I think this activity was an important reminder professionally of how the advent of digital collaboration and devices are increasingly changing our world view and pedagogical approaches - at the micro as well at the meta level - in the same way... Welcome to "Global Citizenship" in action!

NB: My previous entry for RCIP already covers my professional reflection around several of the various connections noted in my mindmap: which I offer again as my evaluation in regards to how these "stakeholders" can and do impact on my practise and Community of Learning. The Manaiakalani Outreach and the Papakura Kootuitui initiatives as discussed in this previous blog entry particularly relate to our school's move into Digital Learning and Collaboration contexts. 

Further Reading 
(around the concept of interdisciplinarity i.e.: in educational settings.)
Mathison,S. & Freeman, M. (1997). The logic of interdisciplinary studies. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1997. [PDF file].

Mindlab by Unitec: My RCIP Reflective Portfolio

Topic Area: Blended Learning

“Blended Learning is any time a student learns at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home and at least in part through online delivery with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace.”  (Quote Source: Horn and Staker, 2011)

My 'Big' Question: 

How do we best develop a culturally responsive teaching approach to Blended Learning within our Community of Learning?

Background

There is an increasing use of Social Enterprise models in providing the resourcing for the rise of Blended Learning over the past decade, particularly within K12 schools (e.g.: in the United States Australia and the UK).  In the New Zealand setting, the original Manaiakalani project has gone from one school cluster in East Tamaki created a dozen years ago, to now involve several other school clusters around New Zealand as a Blended Learning outreach .

My recent literary review around the topic of Blended Learning indicated that there was limited longitudinal research-based guidelines around what best teachers looked like and what teachers need in general practise when approaching online learning contexts. (Source: DiPietro et al 2008).

Within the New Zealand educational setting, the increased use of Blended Learning approaches indicate a growing need for formal nationwide training opportunities for teachers around the use of online learning platforms. (Source: Barbour et al 2013)

Examples of this need starting to be addressed by New Zealand tertiary providers have become evident over the past couple of years. In-service teacher training opportunities around the use of digital devices in practical learning contexts now includes Postgraduate Certification for fully registered teachers and the provision of a Digital Teacher Academy for beginner teachers.

The latter has been created in response to the efforts of the Manaiakalani Outreach project, as the process of providing affordable, reliable Blended Learning opportunities for so many schools has necessarily created longitudinal development of teacher training programs as a part of these. As these schools necessarily partake in digital learning platforms and use online mediums in a collaborative context, the process has facilitated the development and provision of training programmes for teachers and learners at an unprecedented scale. By extension, this model may then provide us with a basis for a replicable nationwide model for teaching within Blended Learning environments.

Amongst the several new Manaiakalani Outreach projects now underway around New Zealand, the Papakura Kōtuitui initiative encompasses both my own school cluster and kura (school).Whilst the outreach in the context of the Papakura cluster of schools has a three pronged approach, the educational aspect is predominantly around providing students with the devices and skills they will need to learn and grow within increasingly innovative, “Blended Learning” environments. As such, digital collaboration is the underpinning process by which their learning will be realised.

Image modified from Online Source

When reflecting on those elements that relate to both digital mediums and collaborative learning practises, over the last several years, our own kura (school’s) Community of Learning has explored how we can:

• enhance student engagement through the use of Information Technology (ICT);
• develop the skills and content knowledge required to improve learning outcomes;
• engage our educators, whanau and wider community to improve the learning outcomes for our akonga (students);
• develop learning relationships that best allow Maori to learn as Maori.

Aside from my own kura being a Primary School where three out of every four students identify as Maori, there is a wider need within our educational community to address the needs of our Maori students across the board. The New Zealand Ministry of Education guidelines found in the “Ka hikitia: accelerating success” (2013) document tell us that we must address those factors which are critical to the educational engagement of our Maori students, and by extension, their wider whanau (family groups) and learning communities.  The inference is that at all levels, Maori must be active, involved participants in their education - both as students, as parents, and as a wider community. This would better provide Maori with the sense of connectedness to their whanau and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) in a more holistic manner.

The use of an effective social enterprise model such as the one offered by  the Papakura Kōtuitui initiative may also allow our schools to “create productive partnerships with parents, whanau, hapu, iwi, communities and businesses that are focused on educational success” as is explicitly prescribed in the Ka hikitia document (MoE 2013, pp.8)

In our own school, we need to consider practices that will actually utilise models that encourage the discussion of new ideas whilst also building on the prior knowledge that students bring with them, such as those oral traditions that foster a sense of cultural identity and belonging. The concept of whanau underpins so much of what we do and relates so well to our understanding as teachers and leaders of learning. 

Relationship building is perhaps the most significant aspect, for Maori and non-Maori learners alike. A sense of mutuality, of ako (reciprocity), and of belonging all contribute to the wellbeing and desire to live and learn for all of us. This is something that the Papakura Kōtuitui approach to the wider wellbeing of our students also intends to address in the coming years.

“In our view, Mana-a-riki is possible by bringing together three things for children, and that is education, it is health, and it is homes. We’re trialling integration of strands of work, health education in homes, we’re trialling the interconnection of schools with one another, we’re trialling the interconnection between community; but the idea is that you do that all together, to get the outcome, which is the wellbeing of children, which is Mana-a-riki." ~ Rangamarie Hunia (Project Manager)

Original video source: Kōtuitui ki Papakura website

Some key discussion points to consider further (when developing our own pedagogy (practical aspects) around teaching within a Blended Learning environment):

• What does 'best practise' look like for teachers within Blended Learning environments?
• How can we be truly inclusive and build meaningful learning relationships with our students and their whanau when utilising digital learning and collaborative approaches?
• What guidelines can we develop around the use of Blended Learning that will meet the needs of all of our learners, and in particular, our Maori students?
• Can more traditional methods of Maori learning / achieving as Maori be adapted to compliment and enhance student's Blended Learning experiences in the current day?
• What benefits can our learners gain from incorporating aspects of Kaupapa Maori to our Blended Learning approaches?

Follow Up Prompt: Looking at the above, where I might go next in regards to a quantifiable / qualitative question / series of questions that might be allow me to observe and reflect on over the next couple of months in my teaching practise?

A recent snapshot of our school website.

REFERENCES CITED

Barbour, M. and Bennett, C. (2013) “The FarNet journey: Effective teaching strategies for engaging Māori students on the Virtual Learning Network” Education Faculty Publications. Paper 69.

DiPietro, M., Ferdig, R.E., Black, E.W., and Preston, M. (2008) “Best practices in teaching K-12 online: Lessons learned from Michigan Virtual School teachers.” Reprinted from Volume 7, Issue 1: Journal of Interactive Online Learning. 

Horn, M.B., and Staker. H. (2011) “The Rise of K–12 Blended Learning” Innosight Institute, January 2011.

Ministry of Education (2007) “The New Zealand Curriculum” online, as published by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

Ministry of Education (2013) “Ka Hikitia: Accelerating Success 2013-2017”, published by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

A snapshot of our school's overall ethnic composition