My Professional Community

An important aspect of being an educator is to know the communities we work in. In order to do this I have asked 5 questions:

1) Who are the stakeholders of your professional community? In what ways do they influence your practice?

2) What are the current issues in your community? How would you or your community address them?

3) What is the purpose and function of your practice? In what ways do you cater for the community of your practice?

4) What is your specialist area of practice? How does your specialist area of practice relate to the broader professional context?

5) What are the challenges that you face in your practice?

Who are in the community?

• Catholic Boys School
• Decile 8 (ranked from 1-10, with 10 being highest in socio-economic factors)
• Diverse cultural, social and economic backgrounds from all over Auckland
• Over 20 ethnic groups
  Pasifika 19%;
  Maori 10% ;
  Asian 18% (includes all Asian nationalities i.e. Chinese, Indian etc);
  European 53%
  Other 1%
• Growing interest and involvement in our school from Pasifika parents/whanau and community

Our People

• Intermediate School from Year 7 – 8  (11 – 13 yrs) and Secondary School Year 9 - 13 (14 - 18) yrs)

• Approx 1300 students

The stakeholders of my professional community are my students, their families and fellow educators. They influence my practice in many very different ways. Students continually challenge and develop my practice by forcing me to differentiate what I teach based on their passions and interests and extending what they already know. This feedback is critical in improving student outcomes ((Hattie & Timperley, 2007).

A significant advantage we have over most other secondary schools is that we have the boys from year 7 to 13 and the Catholic faith, which means a strong school character develops.

Discussions with families of the students always grounds me, that the learner is a human and has his individual quirks which I can utilize in the classroom, additionally if both the parents and myself have the same goals this improves learning outcomes (Mutch & Collins, 2012). 

Hutchings et al (2012) states “A knowing whānau is a healthy whānau”. The family “see themselves” as part of the classroom and see benefits for being involved. I see the students themselves as being incorporated within whānau. As in Te Ao Māori the child and whānau are one in the same. 

Finally, my professional community includes fellow teachers, not only the ones at my school, but also those who I have connected through online through twitter and google communities and educamps. They challenge my ideas, give me now ones and allow me to feel supported in my attempts to change my practice Timperley et al (2008). The current pockets of exemplary practice need to be spread and deepened so that its best features become the experience of every learner.

What are the current issues?

Being at a high decile school creates an illusion that all the students are from well resourced families. As the school is not zoned, a large number of especially Pasifika and Maori students come from socio-economically disadvantaged areas that have their own challenges. In terms of digital technology, a significant number of students do not have access to the internet or digital devices outside of school. This causes issues with regard to access to online and digital resources. The school endeavors to provide all students with a digital device at year 7.

This last point allows, at least at school all learners access to the digital world – I can’t change their family situation, but have to, as often their only positive role-models, offer supports and care they desperately require. Confidence build-up and access to skills and opportunities to show students that they CAN achieve regardless of their current social situation are imperative and an essential part of day to day teaching.

I attempt to counter this by pushing students to try new things, encouraging them not to give up, showing them support systems and teaching them how to use them, showing consistency in boundaries daily and compassionate discipline when required to set them back on the right track for a successful future. I also embrace their identities and encourage them to share cultural pride and values within my schoolroom, in the school and the wider community base.

What is the Purpose and Function of my Practice?

One core value that underpins my practice are that education should be skilled based and this should be reinforced and that the context should be how these skills are applied not the driver of the learning taking place. The skills that underpin my practice are those of the 21st century (Bolstad et al, 2012). This I am doing by developing these skills of communication, collaboration and critical thinking through the ideas of science. By challenging them to not only remember content but how to apply this knowledge in new contexts and be able to justify its importance to them in their daily lives.

Education minister Hekia Parata as cited in Bolstad (2012) states 

"I want to ensure that New Zealand has a world-leading education system that equips all our young people with the knowledge, skills and values to be successful in a world that is increasingly complex, fluid and uncertain. A good education gives our young people opportunities and choices" (p. iii).

I agree with these sentiments. Another core value is that of continuous learning, that your ideas do not stay in one place, they are challenged constantly and I expect my students to challenge and question what I say based on evidence and reason. On a day to day basis I challenge my students and they challenge me to justify through evidence our positions on why we have the beliefs we have about the nature of reality.

I see this as the purpose and function of my practice. To create learners who have the skills to adapt and flourish no matter what the world brings through becoming flexible 21st century learners who can apply their skills in a wide range of environments and to critically think. In many ways to become leaders for the future, to not accept the status quo and develop new innovative ways at looking at problem and not accept things just because 'that is the way it has always been done"

What is your Specialist Area of Practice?

My specialist area of practice is science. In terms of the broader professional context, my specialist area uses experimental and observational evidence to allow students to develop the theories that are being learnt. The students are challenged to justify why they hold the beliefs they do and how they can then incorporate the evidence into their frameworks. Carey et al in 1989 reported that 12 year old students’ views on a scientific topic prior to and after exposure to experimental evidence. Students’ initial ideas were that scientific knowledge is a passively acquired, faithful copy of the world. After constructing their own theories incorporating the evidence this view was challenged and reconsidered. 

One key learning theory that my practice is based on are social constructivism (Colburn, 2000). However, the theory has limitations in terms of providing a worthwhile science education. My practice looks to shift the emphasis from personal construction by individual learners towards social construction within the classroom (and beyond) and to view learning as a process of enculturation - as advocated by Vygotsky. Such an approach requires purposeful teacher intervention to make sure misconceptions are effectively dealt with through observational evidence.

Learning theories are concerned with the actual process of learning, not with the value of what is being learned. In a networked world, the very manner of information that we acquire is worth exploring. The need to evaluate the worthiness of learning something is a meta-skill that is applied before learning itself begins. When knowledge is abundant, the rapid evaluation of that knowledge is important. In today’s environment, action is often needed without personal learning – that is, we need to act by drawing information outside of our primary knowledge. The ability to synthesize and recognize connections and patterns is a valuable skill.

Therefore, the second learning theory that I have based my practice on is connectivism (Siemens, 2014). Constructivism as a learning theory is often used in classrooms. This theory, however, was developed in a time when learning was not impacted through technology. Over the last twenty years, technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn. Learning theories, should be reflective of underlying social environments. Vaill emphasizes that:

“learning must be a way of being – an ongoing set of attitudes and actions by individuals and groups that they employ to try to keep abreast of the surprising, novel, messy, obtrusive, recurring events…” (1996, p.42).

Learning is a process that occurs within chaotic environments not under the control of the individual. Learning can reside outside of ourselves within the network of learners, is focused on connecting specialized information, and the connections that enable us to learn more are more important than the knowledge. 

Connectivism presents a model of learning that acknowledges the changes in society where learning is no longer internal or individual. Connectivism provides insight into learning skills and tasks needed for learners to flourish in a digital era. As an example, I employ classes and scientists outside the classroom to network with my class to develop ideas through collaboration.

What are the Challenges in my Practice?

Students come from homes where education has not been a focus – family time does not exist as parents work constantly or students are required to care for siblings instead of focusing on learning. This creates issues with regard to homework and as my practice is very digitally based, issues with home access to the internet becomes an issue. I endeavor to provide an opportunity for students to work before and after school to complete requirements.

Behavioral challenges are often a concern. Some students come from backgrounds that have no discipline or rules at home, so my practice is consistent and firmly established to allow students to sustain focus during a teaching day.

Although there are many outside influences I cannot change, I diligently working daily to ensure students are not left behind, are given every opportunity and are fully supported and guided before they leave me for the wider world.

References:

Bolstad, R., Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012).Supporting future-oriented learning & teaching: A New Zealand perspective. Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Education.

Carey, S., Evans, R., Honda, M., Jay, E., & Unger, C. (1989). ‘An experiment is when you try it and see if it works’: a study of grade 7 students’ understanding of the construction of scientific knowledge. International Journal of Science Education, 11(5), 514-529.

Colburn, A. (2000). Constructivism: Science education's" grand unifying theory". The Clearing House, 74(1), 9.

Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of educational research, 77(1), 81-112.

New Zealand Council for Educational Research. (2012). Reflexivity in Kaupapa Māori Research: “He Ua Kōwhai”. Retrieved August 29, 2015, from

http://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/HeUaKowhai_JHutchings_ABarnes%20NZCER%2023Jan13.pdf

Mutch, C., & Collins, S. (2012). Partners in Learning: Schools' Engagement with Parents, Families, and Communities in New Zealand. School Community Journal, 22(1), 167-187.

Siemens, G. (2014). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age.

Timperley, H., Wilson, A., Barrar, H., & Fung, I. (2008). Teacher professional learning and development.

Vaill, P. B., (1996). Learning as a Way of Being. San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Blass Inc.