aschreibermindlabreflections

Reflection 5: Legal and ethical contexts in my digital practice Social media is impacting teachers, students, whanau and communities in a world where technology is an integral part of anyone’s life (Connecticut’s Teacher Education and Mentoring Program, 2012). Information that is shared on a social media is no longer completely private, instead, most information is public. Snapchat is concerning social platform and one in which I have already seen ethical issues arise from (not in my own personal school context).  I have no issue with a person, who is a teacher, sharing photos or videos of their life events on Snapchat in relation to the outside world and their own personal adventures that they wish to share with others. I have an issue, though, with teachers sharing photos and videos of the students that they teach in their classroom, as well as those around them. Every school environment and the atmosphere of each context is different. However, what is the same is that eve...

Reflection 4 : Indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness in my practice To be culturally responsive means more than just the integration of Maori legends and activities. A culturally responsive classroom involves whanau, a co-construction of learning between teachers and learners, as well as emphasis on the fact that every learner has their own voice where it is shared within a collaborative environment (Education Council, 2017). A culturally responsive classroom allows learners to challenge not only their own, but others beliefs. All learners are involved with the learning process as they are constantly creating their own goals as to what they know and where they going to next. Teachers are encouraged to learn alongside students instead of upholding an ‘authoritative figure’. Learners learn in an environment where they are respected for their own prior experiences. A key emphasis is placed on the relationship between not only teacher and student, but whanau (Edtalks, 2012)...

Activity 3: Trend influencing education in New Zealand or internationally Climate change; changes in the environment that put pressure on the environment and humans. Therefore in time, our economic, social, political and security measures will all be affected in a negative manner ( National Intelligence Council, 2017). Climate change is an issue that some people believe we could potentially solve through education. Through education, we are able to teach children about the effects of climate change on the environment, people and global issues (Schep, 2016). As described in the article, schools, high schools, and universities are in the very best communication position to connect with outside communities (Schep, 2016). Education environments are a few of the most influential environments that students are a part of because it provides a context for students to gain the necessary skills to be able to navigate their way through global issues and worldwide contexts (Schep, 2016)...

Reflection 2: My Professional Context Auroa school is a decile 8, rural school located 20 minutes inland from Hawera. We are a full primary school from Year 1-8 with just over 200 students. We are predominantly Pakeha, however, we do have around 30% who are Maori. Auroa school is surrounded by a farming community. Families that are in the area are either share-miking, owners of their own farm or working on a farm. It is fair to say that the children who attend Auroa school are from supportive, two-parent families (in most cases) who are heavily involved with their child’s education. The Auroa school community has a strong PTA, BOT and parent attendance. A few years ago, Auroa school merged with three other schools in the local community due to low numbers in other schools. This created a large split between communities because there were four communities coming together to create one. There were many families who did leave the area and time was needed for parents to feel comfort...

Reflection 1: My practice within the community A community of practice is only effective when three essential elements are combined together to support a collective group; ‘joint enterprise, mutual engagement and shared repertoire’ (Wenger, 2000). I belong to a few community of practices; Professional Learning Group; Mindlab Unitec and Seesaw Ambassador Programme School staff Junior Syndicate School Cluster, working alongside three other schools For the purpose of this journal reflection, I will be focusing on our school’s cluster group, where we work alongside three other schools. Domain: Through the MOA Kluster that I am a part of, our four schools work alongside each other to upskill our own professional knowledge and experiences. For the past 2 years, we have gone away for three days to different regions in New Zealand to visit other schools. This has been an incredible learning opportunity to engage with members from different schools and to see what...