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Activity 2: Reflecting on changes in my future oriented teaching practice

For this week's reflection, I will be using Gibbs model of reflection adapted from Finlay (2008, p. 8) as shown below:

The theme that I will focus on is: "Changing the script": Rethinking learners' and teachers' roles

Description:

 "Twenty-first century ideas about knowledge and learning demand shifts in the traditional roles or "scripts" followed by learners and teachers" (Bolstad, Gilbert, McDowall, Bull, Boyd & Hipkins, 2012). As such, a teacher may not always be the knowledge-giver like an all-knowing Gandalf and the learner may not be the bumbling knowledge-seeker like Frodo or Bilbo Baggins of the Bag-end Bagginses. This realisation demands that teachers learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of their learners and be able to identify the way they can support each learner in the specific way that they can learn.
As such, I decided to be the learner, where possible, so I could get a better handle of how students learn to write and enhance their literary abilities. I have given students more freedom on what we are learning and how. They decide what their weaknesses are and how they are going to bridge the gap that they have identified. At times this is in the format of me facilitating a class while other times they are working in groups or pairs on Kahoot! or Coggle etc.

 Feelings:
To be honest, I felt quite alright about this change as I am someone who is all about putting the ball on the students' court as much as possible. I love the idea of the learners taking charge of their learning process as this promotes differentiation and a better quality learning that students can feel engaged in.
I am quite positive about this change. Students being responsible for their own learning should enhance their writing and literary skills which is my goal this term for the year 9s.

 Evaluation:
My students appreciated the change of having a bigger part in the decision making process of their own learning which meant they could take charge and guide the learning process. The caregivers were a bit apprehensive about the changing structure because they saw the teacher's 'job' as telling kids what to do and if I did not do this then what was I doing? I used the Student Led Conference (our Parent-Student-Teacher day) to enhance this knowledge and sell it better so I could get more caregivers onboard.
There is nothing bad in change as change is the only thing that is a constant in life. I did feel challenged to change myself and let go of more control to the students which is not something I was used to before.
The good that came out of this is that I learned how to let go of control and become an educator and a facilitator rather than the Gandalf-type guide to life. This helped me acclimatise to the new learning from MindLabs that I was adapting to in real life. 
The change was very beneficial as I said before; it changed my teaching-learning methods and helped me release control to the students rather than being the Hitler of my classroom. Learning to adapt and differentiate while letting students into that driver's seat is definitely a positive.

Analysis

Learning at The Mind Lab triggered the need to be an analyst and an evaluator of my own practice. For a long time I have been just doing what was expected and not being reflective about my practice but Mind Lab has changed all that in making me aware AGAIN that a teacher needs to reflect in different ways to be succeed.
According to Finlay (2008) reflective practice "often involves examining assumptions of everyday practice. It also tends to involve the individual practitioner in being self-aware and critically evaluating their own responses to practice situations. The point is to recapture practice experiences and mull them over critically in order to gain new understandings and so improve future practice. This is understood as part of the process of life-long learning". Finlay (2008) also adds that Dewey's way of "conceptualising reflection crucially starts with experience and stresses how we learn from ‘doing’, i.e. practice". This relates closely to my idea that change is important and that the teacher is a lifelong learner.

Conclusion
  • Could I have done anything else? No.
  • Would I do the same again to ensure a positive outcome? Yes.
  • Is there anything I could change to improve things even further? Yes. Train the students better and contact caregivers quicker to ensure a faster uptake next time.
Action Plan

From implementing this change I learned that giving up the control of your classroom is not necessarily a bad thing. The students need to be given an equal share (at least) in making decisions.

This change benefits my students by teaching them to be accountable and responsible for their own learning processes.

If we are able to incorporate such a model in every class then in the future, our learners when they leave for senior college will be more prepared for it.

I still do not completely know if I have achieved my goal of raising students' writing and literacy skills. The E-asttle writing is scheduled for next week and will educate me more.



References:

Bolstad, R., Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012). Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching — a New Zealand perspective. Report prepared for the Ministry of Education. Retrieved from https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/schooling/109306

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