Changes To My Practice

Reflecting On My Journey

It is hard to believe the Mind Lab journey is coming to an end. I remember when we first started and how long those Tuesday nights were! Being in the classroom all day and then another four hours of Mind Lab was sometimes hard going. A big thanks to our tutor Anna, who must have despaired at times (by 7pm we had pretty much lost it). Her enthusiasm and gentle coaxing was much appreciated.

So would I do it again, knowing what I know now... most definitely! I am grateful for the opportunity to improve my practice and to have met some wonderful teachers who have shared the journey along with their experience. I have enjoyed the collaboration and looking at the world from other  perspectives.

The leadership component gave me the chance to look at myself and identify areas for improving my leadership. I am more mindful of what I do and why I do it. There are some amazing leaders in education that we have been introduced to such as Tony Wagner and Ken Robinson.

I have learned about digital technologies, which I didn't know were out there and I'm using programmes that are new to me. I now have the theory to back up my practice and I have a structure for reflecting on my practice using "The Experiential Learning Cycle" (K. F. Osterman, , &  R. B.Kottkamp, 1993). In the past I reacted to a problem by trying to solve it before fully understanding what was actually happening.

Practising Teacher Criteria 5: Show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning.

At the beginning of the year I was awarded a unit to work with a small team to introduce Innovative Learning Environments to the staff and develop a way forward. I found the leadership part of the course extremely helpful. Just identifying my own style was an eye opener (transformational/servant) and I feel far more confident when working with the staff. I like the idea of sometimes being the follower and am happy to let others take over. I think it is really important to take into account each individuals background and to give support and encouragement where needed. 

I have one early adopter in my syndicate who is enthusiastic about some of the changes I have implemented in my classroom and she is always keen to follow. The really cool thing is, now she is coming up with innovations that I can also use. My hope for the future is to share what I have learned with my peers and help them as much as possible until they too feel confident. I believe using digital technologies and obtaining 21 Century skills is essential for our children's future. 

Practising Teacher Criteria 7: Promote a collaborative, inclusive and supportive learning environment.

Ask my students what collaboration means and every single one of them will tell you. Of course not all of them have mastered it, but some have and many know what they need to do to make it happen. One of the first things I added to my practice was to have students working on a project in small groups. Each student was responsible for completing a part of the whole. Using Google Docs in a more meaningful way has enhanced our collaborative skills.

Flipping the classroom is another strategy I have used to prepare students for up coming topics. Not all students complete the exercises I add to Google Classrooms but those that do love having some control. I have used EDpuzzle to introduce topics and have shared videos around mathematics and literacy that they can tap into at any time to help them. 

I look forward to continuing my journey and putting more of my new learning into practice.

References:

Osterman, K. F., & Kottkamp, R. B. (1993). Reflective practice for educators. Newbury Park: Corwin Press.