Well here we go - hard to believe this journey is coming to an end. Fitting study into my already busy life has certainly been a challenge at times, and I can't deny I'm very much looking forward to submitting this final assessment. I also found that completing the second half of the course, mostly in isolation, was challenging after enjoying such engaging sessions for the first 16 weeks. However I would still wholeheartedly recommend this course to all educators. I'm really excited that two of my colleagues are about to embark on it next week and I am looking forward to sharing in their learning. I believe that the course has taught me a lot of practical skills and given me exciting tools to work with, however more than that it has shifted my whole approach to education and made me a passionate advocate for 21st Century teaching and learning. If you stumble across this blog and are not already a student, do yourself a favour and enrol!
As a summary of our learning we have been asked to reflect on our whole programme in relation to the 12 Practising Teacher Criteria (PTC) in e-learning, choosing three which we feel we have met well.
I think first and foremost, by the very nature of this study, I am meeting Criteria 4: "Demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of professional practice". Not only through completing this postgraduate programme, but through how motivated it has made me for future learning. I have always enjoyed PD sessions, however now I am even more aware of the importance of teacher as learner and how vital it is to be seeking new learning all the time. I also have now broadened this view to engaging in online professional learning opportunities through Twitter and Facebook groups.
Though the collaboration aspect is still a work in progress, I feel I am doing well in regards to Criteria 7: "Promote a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive learning environment". This course has brought home to me the importance of learning spaces being collaborative - completely unrelated to whether they are ILEs or not. Having based my literature review and inquiry plan on nurturing these skills in my young students, I'm now working hard with my new teaching partner to create a learning space that encourages collaboration between us as teachers, between us and the students, and between the students themselves - whilst fostering a happy and supportive environment.
Lastly, especially with a new role this year, I am working well in relation to Criteria 5: "Show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning". This year I have been given the opportunity to take on the position of Syndicate Leader, allowing me to engage with leadership to a greater degree, particularly with the implementation of ICT and helping to foster change in our school as we move further down the collaborative teaching path. I have learnt a lot about leadership throughout this course, both in general terms and in particular relation to myself and my own skills. It is so exciting to be able to put this into practice and bring my new learning back to my school.
In direct contrast to this, however, I am also identifying leadership as one of my main goals for future development. I have listed it as something I'm doing well because I feel I'm bringing back new learning from the Mind Lab and helping to lead change within our school environment. However as mentioned, I am brand new to this leadership position and have much to learn in terms of the larger implications of what is involved. I am learning every day and doing an effective job in this role is a key focus for me at the moment.
My other main goal as I move on from Mind Lab is in regards to Criteria 9 + 10: "Respond effectively to the diverse and cultural experiences and the varied strengths, interests and needs of individuals and groups of Äkonga" and "Work effectively within the bicultural context of Aotearoa NZ". I identified in my previous post that cultural responsiveness was an aspect of my practice I hoped to improve on. I'm fortunate to be working with a teacher this year whose expertise lies in this area so I hope to draw on this and learn as much as possible. As we implement our new collaborative and self-management systems I also hope to generally be far more individualised in the way we cater for individual strengths and interests of the children.
And that is where I leave this study and this blog! I hope to continue my blogging practice as a reflective tool but will be moving on from this postgraduate context. Thank you to all who read along the way, and good luck if you are embarking on the course yourself! You won't regret it.
Reference:
Ministry of Education (nd). Practising Teacher Criteria and e-learning . Retrieved from http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/..
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