Reflective entry 2: Discuss how the research topic addresses the context of different audiences and their perspectives.

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System Theory (Härkönen, 2001) is a framework that connects a child to five levels of external influence or ecosystems. Bronfenbrenner advocated that each of these ecological systems inevitably interact with and influence each other in all aspects of a child’s life. This is similar to Brookfield’s (2017) belief that classrooms are influenced by the structures and forces present in the wider society.



Wikimedia Commons. (2020). Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory of Development.jpg. Retrieved from: 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bronfenbrenner%27s_Ecological_Theory_of_Development_(English).jpg

I will focus on the microsystem (direct environment), mesosystem (connections) and the exosystem (indirect environment) operating around my learners as a group, rather than as individual students. This will mean looking at the perspectives of the learners, their whānau, the school, and the connections my research topic may have to theory at a national and global level.

Local audience - Students - microsystem (direct environment)

The students are year 1/2 and have previously had me as their full-time teacher in 2019. This year I am teaching the class one day a week. The class is small and made up of 12 students, 6 boys and 6 girls. The students are mostly pakeha, with 2 identifying as Māori. The students have high levels of digital fluency, having used iPads as a learning tool for the past 1.5 years. Some of the students struggle with working in collaborative settings and end up dominating group learning opportunities, whilst others remain passive followers. When surveyed, the students did not have a clear understanding of what critical thinking and collaboration were and have seldom heard those words spoken nor explained to them. This presents an exciting opportunity to support learners from the beginning of their critical thinking (knowledge construction) and collaboration journeys.

Local audience - Whānau - microsystem (direct environment), mesosystem (connections)

Whānau currently have no knowledge of this proposed research topic, however, they could be able to provide unique experiences and support towards its development. Until now, I had overlooked whānau as a key stakeholder in this research topic and as such would like to explore how to engage whānau with the learning opportunities surrounding critical thinking (knowledge construction) and collaboration. This could include making the research topic focus and new learning visible, or by providing learning activities to be undertaken in the home. Google (2019) has identified that guardians want to be more involved in their child's education, which is mirrored by our whānau, and that technology can be used as a tool to achieve this.


















Google. (2019). Future of the classroom: emerging trends in K-12 education: global edition. http://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/future_of_the_classroom_emerging_trends_in_k12_education.pdf

The realisation that whānau are an important stakeholder and audience within this research has highlighted the need for me to adapt my research focus to include whānau as an audience to collaborate with, rather than just communicate with. This desire will be further explored through the development of my research questions.

Local and national audience - Colleagues and personal experience - mesosystem (connections) and exosystem (indirect environment).

Our cluster of schools is currently working through and unpacking the concept of T-Shaped literacy, and the development of critical thinking. Teachers are being supported to trial initiatives in their classrooms that connect to this kaupapa. My team leader and senior leadership team are interested in the findings of this research topic as it aligns with the school and cluster priorities. Personally, I am excited by this research topic, having little experience explicitly teaching critical thinking (knowledge construction) and collaboration.

National audience - Theory - mesosystem (connections) and exosystem (indirect environment).

The task of building students' critical thinking through knowledge construction relates specifically to the New Zealand Curriculum Key Competency of Thinking which is defined as “Thinking as using creative, critical, and metacognitive processes to make sense of information, experiences, and ideas.” (Ministry of Education, 2007). Collaboration is intrinsically linked with Participating and Contributing, a “capacity to contribute appropriately as a group member, to make connections with others, and to create opportunities for others in the group.” (Ministry of Education, 2007).

Global audience - Theory - mesosystem (connections) and exosystem (indirect environment).

I considered the ITL Research 21st Century Learning Design Rubrics (ITL Research, 2012) as a perspective to consider framing my research topic. Through this, I discovered that in order to make my learning activities more collaborative, I need to ensure learners are able to work interdependently, with shared responsibility for the outcome of the task and are able to make substantive decisions together about the content, process or product. To ensure my learning activities provide for knowledge construction, I need to: ensure that the main effort of specific learning tasks is knowledge construction; ensure that the learners are given the opportunity to apply a concept to new material and then check whether there has been conceptual understanding; and provide opportunities for learners to apply their knowledge or make connections across the curriculum (ITL Research, 2012).

By undertaking this scanning exercise and considering the perspectives of different audiences, I believe that there is an authentic and genuine need for this research topic to be undertaken.

References

Brookfield, S. D. (2017). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. John Wiley & Sons. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/themindlab/detail.action?docID=4790372

Google. (2019). Future of the classroom: emerging trends in K-12 education: global edition. http://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/future_of_the_classroom_emerging_trends_in_k12_education.pdf

Härkönen, U. (2001). The Bronfenbrenner ecological systems theory of human development. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3d4f/99b537bdd5b18745fdef084dc34b71978ffd.pdf

ITL Research. (2012). 21CLD Learning Activity Rubrics. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/34212053/21CLD_Learning_Activity_Rubrics

Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Retrieved from: http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum

Reflective entry 1: Identify a research topic that is relevant to your area of practice and relates to Digital and Collaborative Learning

In the search for an authentic and meaningful topic, I turned to data. I inquired into what areas of practice needed attention to enhance learners’ success and achievement outcomes. Our data collection is extremely robust and collected and analysed by Woolf Fisher Research twice a year. As a school and community of schools, we have data and findings that have been analysed externally for over 5 years, creating a longitudinal view on what levels of success our ākonga are achieving and experiencing. These findings are also able to be benchmarked and considered within a New Zealand-wide context.

On the surface that data showed significant achievement acceleration in writing, with less significant achievement acceleration across reading and maths. This was true not only within our school but across the cluster of schools. As a result of the learning I have undertaken this year with The Mind Lab, I wondered whether it could be useful to consider the dispositions or soft skills that would enhance the learning experiences of ākonga generally, without limiting the focus of this research to simply one or more curriculum areas. With this in mind, I turned my attention to an issue that has been puzzling our cluster of schools; The development of critical thinking amongst our students.

On reflection of my classroom programme, it became clear that I was not providing sufficient purposeful opportunities for students to think critically. The Ministry of Education has also found that the use of digital technologies can help students to develop critical thinking skills (Ministry of Education, (n.d.). The World Economic Forum, (2016) states that Critical Thinking/Problem solving is one of 16 skills students require for the 21st century. This highlights the relevance of explicitly developing critical thinking (knowledge construction) within my students.

World Economic Forum. (2016). New vision for education: Fostering social and emotional learning through technology. Geneva: World Economic Forum. Retrieved from: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Vision_for_Education.pdf

During lockdown, the ability for students to work collaboratively was highlighted as something that they would like to do more often. Further to this, as I reflect on the recent experience of teaching online, I realised that students were generally expected to complete learning tasks or activities independently. The move back to our site provides the opportunity to embed collaboration within the classroom.

My digital and collaborative research topic seeks to develop students' critical thinking (knowledge construction) and collaboration by using digital tools in a variety of ways. van Laar, van Deursen, van Dijk & de Haan (2017) suggest that critical thinking and collaboration are amongst the seven core 21st century digital skills. Furthermore, the World Economic Forum (2016, p.4) recognises that “social and emotional proficiency will equip students to succeed in the swiftly evolving digital economy.” My research topic makes connections to the aspirations of the New Zealand Curriculum through the key competencies of participating and contributing, relating to others and managing self.

The 12 students in my year 1/2 class have 1:1 iPads with access to G-Suite, including Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Hapara Teacher Dashboard and Explain Everything, however, I believe that these have only previously been used at the enhancement level of the SAMR Model. I am seeking to redefine the use of this technology within the classroom programme and use digital tools to allow learners to amplify their thinking and collaboration, which could not be possible without the affordances of this technology.

Wikimedia Commons. (2020). The SAMR Model.jpg. Retrieved from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_SAMR_Model.jpg#filelinks

I have used the T-PACK Model to analyse how my research topic aligns with the technology I have available, the pedagogy I am proposing to implement and the content knowledge I am wanting to explore with my learners. The technology I have available is 1:1 iPads, G-Suite apps and the full version of Explain Everything. I am keen to frame this research topic within a social constructivist pedagogical approach, as this aligns with Vygotsky’s belief that knowledge is co-constructed and that individuals learn from one another (McLeod, 2014). An upcoming Enviroschools inquiry on Energy could be the perfect vehicle to focus on for the delivery of content knowledge, as inquiry naturally aligns with the development of critical thinking and collaboration. I believe my digital and collaborative learning research topic effectively addresses the three areas of the T-PACK Model.

Image source: https://www.schoology.com/blog/tpack-framework-explained

Key indicators of success could be that students are able to think more critically, have opportunities for knowledge construction and work more collaboratively as assessed by the 21st Century Learning Design Rubrics (ITL Research, 2012).

As I distilled the essence of my digital and collaborative research topic, I came to the following question: Can I develop students' critical thinking (knowledge construction) and collaboration by using digital tools in a variety of ways?

I have chosen to keep the digital tools as loosely defined as possible at this stage, with the ability to further define/refine them as I progress with this research topic. This will allow me to pivot the topic if required and adapt, whilst maintaining a focus on critical thinking (knowledge construction) and collaboration.

References

ITL Research. (2012). 21CLD Learning Activity Rubrics. Retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/34212053/21CLD_Learning_Activity_Rubrics

McLeod, S. A. (2014). Lev Vygotsky. Retrieved from: https://sites.google.com/site/pltlearningcontent/overview-theorists/lev-semyonovich-vygotsky

Ministry of Education. (n.d.) Digital Technologies: What does the research tell us about  Innovative Classroom Practice and Student Outcomes? Retrieved from:
https://elearning.tki.org.nz/Media/Files/Digital-Technologies-What-does-the-research-tell-us-about-Innovative-Classroom-Practice-and-Student-Outcomes

Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Retrieved from: http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum

van Laar, E., van Deursen, A. J. A. M., van Dijk, J. A. G. M., & de Haan, J. (2017). The relation between 21st-century skills and digital skills: A systematic literature review. Computers in human behavior, 72, 577-588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.03.010

World Economic Forum. (2016). New vision for education: Fostering social and emotional learning through technology. Geneva: World Economic Forum. Retrieved from: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Vision_for_Education.pdf

DFI Day 2!

Today was another great day at the DFI - learning, creating and sharing.

I enjoyed diving deeper into the Manaiakalani Kaupapa around effective teaching and accelerated learning. I enjoyed the refresher on turbocharging how we teach in the classroom.

The new learning with the extensions was great! I now have 26 new extensions that I can explore and play with to help support my professional and personal life!

Google Keep is another functional app that I already use. I enjoyed seeing people make the connections of how this can be used across a number of their devices.

I really enjoyed working with Trish to make a recording of our Meet to share our thoughts on some fantastic Maniakalani student blogs!

Here is my Meet Recording.

DCL - Week 5

This Week’s Topic

Leading and planning classroom innovation (SAMR and TPACK).

Flipped Preparation this Week

Completing flipped preparation will give yourself and others the opportunity to extend beyond content in the breakout rooms. Help fellow classmates by coming prepared to participate and contribute.

This week’s Flip preparation has 3 parts:

First familiarise yourself with TPACK and SAMR models. We suggest you watch TPACK in 2 minutes, read this blog article where the seven components of TPACK have been explained in more detail, and watch SAMR in 120 seconds

Then add a slide to your DIGITAL 1 slideset where you use TPACK and/or SAMR to ideate how technology links to your DIGITAL 1 idea. You could for example reflect where your knowledge strengths and weaknesses are relating to your plan and/or consider ways in which a particular technology might enable you to move beyond Substitution and Augmentation to Modify or Redefine learning activities. (This can be done as a group if you are planning a group assignment.)

Lastly, screencast either your TPACK your SAMR reflections and upload that short video to #january2020 Slack channel (and also be prepared to share in a breakout discussion) with #SAMR or #TPACK.  (This can be done as a group if you are planning a group assignment.) This quick How to Screencast Slide -video might be helpful to watch.    

Inspirational Quote of the Week

Next practices – emergent innovations that could open up new ways of working – are much more likely to come from thoughtful, experienced, self confident practitioners working in partnership with other professionals and collectively trying to find new and more effective solutions to intractable problems.

Leadbeater, C. (2006). The innovation forum: Beyond excellence.

Whakatauki

E tipu e rea mō ngā rā o tō ao

Grow and develop in the world that is destined to you

Interpretation

This is the beginning of a whakatauāki written by Sir Apirana Ngata which highlights the importance of being able to respond to new challenges in a new world. Here is a more in-depth description. http://donology.net/writes/grow-and-keep-growing 

Digital Fluency Intensive - Day 1 05.05.20

Today we spent time learning, creating and sharing as a group of teachers and learners from around the country in a fully online environment.

The Agenda for the day is linked here.

One of the create tasks was to use Google Docs to create. I started to create a Strategic Plan Poster/Infographic.

Today I got a deeper appreciation of the origins of Manaiakalani. I really like the table of contents feature of Google Docs and intend to use this, and voice to text in my teaching and learning programmes going forward.

The First Week of the Postgraduate Certificate in Digital and Collaborative Learning!

I was brave and enrolled in the Postgraduate Certificate in Digital and Collaborative Learning! This week I have been involved in two online Zoom meetings where we learnt about the overview of the courses and the tools to engage with course content. I am really excited about participating in this course and learning new theory and skills that I can apply to my practice.

Session 1 - Tuesday 14th April 4,00 - 5.00 pm

This session was primarily about making connections. We started to get to know each other and go through some activities to help us learn how to navigate Zoom. We the discussed the social contract that will be in place for our online sessions to ensure that everyone gets the most from these online interactions. We then had an opportunity to share our expectations of the programme, and learn about the overview of the programme structure and content. During this session we were allocated to a group so that you we could begin to make personal links with other students and meet The Mind Lab facilitators.

Session 2 - Wednesday 15th April 4.00 pm - 5.00 pm

In this session we learnt about the tools that we will be using throughout the programme. The tools are the Portal, Slack and the Google Site of support information for using a range of software.

Digital and Collaborative Learning (DCL) Programme Outcomes

The programme outcomes for DCL graduates are to be able to:

Research, investigate and critique digital pedagogy leadership and influences in contemporary learning environments
Identify, explore and develop a critical approach to research with specific focus on cognitive development and instructional theory.

Musical - Curriculum Integration through The Arts.

This term we have been focussing on a Junior School Musical - One Fly Over the Rubbish Dump. This was an environmentally focussed musical that connects to our school Enviroschools programme. It involved Music, Dance, Drama, and Visual Arts. Students and whanau were involved in all aspects of the musical, with teachers acting as facilitators. This opportunity has inspired some students to want to take advantage of the opportunities that will become available for them in the senior school.