5) Legal & Ethical Contexts

In 2014, a New Hampshire TV station broadcast the story¹ of a New Hampshire teacher who lost her job after refusing to “unfriend” her students on Facebook. The school maintained she breached their policy preventing student-teacher boundaries being crossed -  teachers should not be students’ friends. The teacher (I love it that she was 79 years old) refused to do so. Watch it (2 mins).

Clearly if there were policies in place that were breached (though no doubt these were open to interpretation) the school had a right to terminate her employment. But what if there are no clear policies? Is it appropriate that teachers “friend” students on social media? Is this such risky ground that we should not go there?

To explore the issue of teachers being Facebook friends with their students, I will be guided by questions from Connecticut’s Teacher Education & Mentoring Program².

1)      “What possible issues or concerns might this scenario raise?

2)      How could this situation become a violation of the law, the “Code”, or other school/ district policies?

3)      In this situation, what are some negative consequences for the teacher, for the students and the school community?

4)      What responses/actions will result in a more positive outcome and/or what proactive measures might be considered?

1)      Possible issues/concerns:

a.      Facebook is an excellent platform for communicating with students. Is it appropriate to use this for school matters? Is it appropriate if the exchanges are not related to school?

b.      May cross the boundaries of appropriate student-teacher relationships making both teacher and students vulnerable

c.      Teacher might see information about the students that affects the way they teach/interact with them at school

d.        Public nature/loss of control of communications - they can be copied, shared, taken out of context.

2)      Violation of law, “Code”, school policies?

a.       Teachers should check whether their school has a policy regarding this. I could not find one for my school.

b.      NZ’s Education Council Code of Ethics for Certified Teachers³ has two principles that may be relevant to this issue:

·         “develop and maintain professional relationships with learners based upon the best interests of those learners”

·         “protect the confidentiality of information about learners obtained in the course of professional service, consistent with legal requirements”

The first of these is dependent on the interpretation of a professional relationship. In the example described, the school clearly thought friending on Facebook overstepped the mark, and had policies about that. The teacher probably thought what she was doing was in the best interests of her students. As for the second point above, as long as the teacher was not sharing information about students or the school to which she was privy as a teacher, there would be no breach. Certainly the teacher is opening her conversations, profile and history on Facebook to scrutiny if there is any complaint made.

3)      1)      Possible negative consequences:

a.       May make the teacher vulnerable to accusations of inappropriate relationships with students. Even the perception of inappropriateness can put a teacher at risk. This could lead to public humiliation or even loss of job if school policies were breached.

b.      Students: may be uncomfortable having their teacher following them on Facebook, but may not feel they can “unfriend” them.

4)      Preferred courses of action:

a.       Teacher might set up a closed Facebook group that students can join to be informed of school related matters (with parental consent)

b.      Schools should provide PD around issues of cyber safety/etiquette so teachers are aware of potential problems

c.       Schools should educate students about how to keep themselves safe in the cyber world

 Is being fb friends OK for teachers? I'd love to hear your views.

Helpful Resources:

DigitalTechnology: safe and responsible use in schools

Netsafe resources on digital citizenship and help with resolving cases of harmful digital communication 

References:

¹CLAREMONT, N.H. (WPMI) (April9, 2014) New Hampshire Teacher Fired Over Facebook. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-PwEGrulTc

²Connecticut’s Teacher Education and Mentoring Program. (2012). Ethical and Professional Dilemmas for Educators: Facilitator’s Guide. Retrieved from http://www.ctteam.org/df/resources/Module5_Manual.pdf

³Education Council. (n.d). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0

4) Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Background

1.      In New Zealand there is much disparity between Māori and non-Māori achievement¹

2.      This has huge economic, political and social impacts on our society² (Bishop’s video)

3.      Our society has not met its obligations to Māori under The Treaty of Waitangi²

4.      We therefore have a moral, political and cultural imperative to improve the education of Māori students³

5.      Research shows that in order to raise achievement among Māori students cultural responsive pedagogy is vital¹

Culturally responsive pedagogy & Indigenous knowledge

To me culturally responsive pedagogy means teachers are interacting with students and making their teaching meaningful by embracing students’ cultural identity and adding meaning through it. Through this we can improve students’ self-esteem, engagement and learning. It involves harnessing indigenous knowledge which I see as community-specific rather than general, scientific knowledge.

While NZ is indeed a multi-cultural society, we have a primary responsibility to the indigenous people (Māori) as agreed in The Treaty of Waitangi. If we can improve outcomes for Māori, we will be better equipped to meet the learning needs of all our students.

Reflection on Cultural Responsiveness in my school

The areas I intend to discuss are our school vision & values and school resources. The tool I will use as a framework for my critique is taken from the observation tool used in Kia Eke Panuku⁴:

·        relationships of care are fundamental (whanaungatanga)

·        power is shared and learners have the right to equity and self-determination (mahi tahi, kotahitanga)

·        culture counts, learners’ understandings form the basis of their identity and learning (whakapapa)

·        sense-making is dialogic, interactive and on-going (ako)

·        decision-making and practice is responsive to relevant evidence (wānanga)

·        our common vision and interdependent roles and responsibilities focus on the potential of learners – Māori students achieving and enjoying educational success as Māori – (kaupapa)

At my school, our vision is to create inclusive, equitable and relevant learning opportunities for students with clear pathways that meet the aspirations of our community and which empower every student towards life-long learning.

Our three core values are Aspire (Wawatahia), Respect (Whakautea) and Contribute (Tohaina).

I think the school is taking steps towards realising this vision, which does have kaupapa concepts at its heart. As steps towards this vision the school has invested in two valuable resources: the Kia Eke Panuku programme and a Māori resource teacher. Kia Eke Panuku involves a mentoring programme to help participating teachers develop a culturally responsive and relational pedagogy. In a new initiative this year, the school has employed a young Māori teacher as a resource person who is available to all teachers to help them improve learning for their students.

Our school mostly does relationships well. There is a real sense of teachers caring for and going out of their way to foster relationships and help students. It is a pleasure to walk around the school grounds and mostly witness positive student-teacher interactions. There is a growing focus on promoting the three values in all students.

As a school I feel we are only starting to understand and develop the concepts of mahi tahi, kotahitanga, whakapapa and ako.  The Kia Eke Panuku programme has commitment from the SLT and is gaining more following from teachers. I also see the employment of a Māori resource teacher is a very positive move. It will be invaluable to have such an approachable person to give suggestions, bounce ideas off and be an expert in things Māori that many of us do not feel confident about.

So with a solid vision and some excellent resources in place I think the school is on its way to providing culturally responsive pedagogy. It will not be easy though. I teach 150 different students this year and to reach each one on their own ground will be challenging!

Ki te kahore he whakakitenga ka ngaro te iwi

Without foresight or vision the people will be lost

References

¹ Bishop, R., Berryman, M., Cavanagh, T., & Teddy, L. (2009). Te Kotahitanga: Addressing educational disparities facing Māori students in New Zealand. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5), 734-742. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2009.01.009

² Edtalks.(2012, September 23). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. [video file].Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49992994

³ Berryman, M. (2017) Belonging and identity through equity: Maintaining the reform complexity as we move into the PLD/CoL environment. Retrieved from: http://kep.org.nz/assets/resources/site/Colouring-in-the-white-spaces-smaller-v4-2017.pdf

⁴ Kia Eke Panuku: Building on Success. http://kep.org.nz/

3) Contemporary Issues and Trends

The NIC's Global Trends report for 2030¹ – what a depressing and frightening read! And this was written before the game-changing US elections! I’m going to put all the terrifying scenarios out of my mind for now and focus on a something that I can do something about – improving the education of the students in front of me, so they will be better equipped for the world they are entering into.

A largely positive forecast from the NIC report is the global megatrend towards individual empowerment (see the NIC report if you have the stomach for it). However we need a generation of young people with all the values and competencies described in the NZC². They will need confidence that they can make things better and skills and understanding to enable them.We teachers have a huge role and responsibility to upskill and empower today’s students so they are equipped for their future. Thanks to what I have learned through the MindLab course, I am convinced of the need to teach 21^st Century skills.

ERO’s 2012 report “Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools”³ highlights the need for student-centred learning. Teachers and schools are now challenged to “put students at the heart of teaching & learning rather than on the periphery of school decision-making and the curriculum”. (ERO 2012 Report, p. 6 ). I believe most teachers mean to put students at the heart of what they do – we want the very best for them – but how we do this is flawed being based on out-of-date paradigms. We do not tend to include them in much decision-making about their school nor what or how the curriculum is taught. We come from the perspective that we are the adults and we know what is best for them. I agree we need to shift the model on which our educational system is based (Sir Ken Robinson’sideas are insightful and hard to argue against). But as we struggle to make learning really student-centred I think we need should tread carefully.

Here’s the dilemma: As a science teacher, I see the need for a strong foundation of scientific knowledge, numeracy and literacy in order for students to make sense of the information that is out there. There is a platform of specific vocabulary and symbols that is the basis for scientific knowledge construction. Surely it is our job as teachers to ensure they have this knowledge base, along with a scientific and 21^st C skills and values set, so they can then engage in more student-driven and project-based learning. We should be encouraging their divergent thinking along each step of the way.

To me it’s about balance. There are times when students need to focus on gaining specific knowledge and times when they can be let loose to explore, test, research and construct knowledge more independently. The balance will differ for different students. Some have no interest in science at all, and will never aspire to be scientists. Others will be motivated to pursue science-based careers and will need a broader and deeper foundation from which to build. How much science do we teach to those not interested? Do we let them decide? Do we work together with them to develop more applied science courses in our schools? How should we assess?

So while I agree with student-centred learning, project-based learning, discovery learning and learning to learn rather than rote-learning, I think there is still a place for gaining knowledge. We will be doing our students a disservice if we don’t give them a solid grounding. We need to do this in a culturally responsive and creative way that meets each student where they are.

When we are changing the bathwater, let’s keep our eye on the baby.

¹National Intelligence Council. (2012). Global trends: Alternative Worlds. National Intelligence Council: US. Retrieved from https://globaltrends2030.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/global-trends-2030-november2012.pdf

²NZ Curriculum Online. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2017, from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum

³Education Review Office. (2012). Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from http://www.ero.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Evaluation-at-a-Glance-Priority-Learners-in-New-Zealand-Schools-August-2012.pdf

2) My Professional Context

My school

I work in a large co-ed secondary school in New Zealand. It is a semi-rural school with an extensive rural/small town catchment.  The school is proud of its long history and is notable for having its own farm and for teaching land-based studies. There is a range of socio-economic levels within the school population with some families struggling. The school is ranked as Decile 9 however it has more of a Decile 6-7 feel about it.

Our school values are Respect (Whakautea), Contribute (Tohaina) and Aspire (Wawatahia). These values have been decided with community input and have been incorporated into the historical values and culture of the school. School strengths include positive teacher – student relationships and a popular house system that allows all students to have a sense of belonging. There are provisions to help those in need and a giving, caring staff.

While there is a good deal of collegiality at our school (much laughter and banter in the staff room J), issues that I see include lack of a shared direction to meet our vision and historically poor communication between teaching staff and leadership. Over the last year or so, there has been a lot of work done on the charter and strategic goals of the school. I think this will help focus attention on our shared vision and help us work together, on converging pathways, towards empowering every student to be a life-long learner. There is much work being done to improve cultural responsiveness and student engagement, achievement, transition and retention.

Change

There have been many changes to our school over recent years. Many of these have been initiated by the school to improve student learning & pastoral care. There has been a real sense amongst teaching staff that we start too many initiatives and never see them through. Frustration and time pressures result, with little positive impact.

Significant changes have also been directed by the Ministry. The school has had Governance issues and we have all experienced a lot of uncertainty as a result. The school is currently building a huge new ILE requiring a major pedagogical shift and a significant move towards a 21st Century skills focus. This raised a major communication issue as I see it, as the directive for an ILE seemed to come before de the need to better equip student for the 21st Century.

In terms of a professional environment, there have been times when staff have not been free to voice ideas or challenge decisions. I see this as vital for the health and growth of any institution.

On the way up

Stoll & Fink (1996) (as cited in Stoll, 1998) describe 10 ‘norms’ of improving schools (shared goals, responsibility for success, collegiality, continuous improvement, life-long learning, risk taking, support, mutual respect, openness, celebration & humour). I think our school is moving forward, to a greater or lesser extent, in all of these aspects. This would probably put us in the ‘strolling’ to ‘moving’ category of Stoll & Fink’s model.

I think we are getting better at developing a healthy professional environment and positive school culture. Teaching demands us to be ever looking for ways to improve the quality education for all students. Gargiulo’s research (2014) into students in poverty highlights many ways schools can improve learning for these disadvantaged students and the positive impact this can have on their lives. Our school implements some of the practices described by Gargiulo (e.g. PB4L, trades academies/courses, form teachers staying with their class throughout their schooling) but there is much more we can all do (e.g. continually work to develop better relationships with students & their whanau).

It is worth watching Mark Wilson’s TEDEd talk on how vision, unity, and empowerment lead to success. Our school is on its way with a strong vision statement. We all probably need to reflect on this often. Personally, one of my goals this year is to empower my students more.

I have enjoyed the readings on school culture. It has caused me to take a step back and reflect on the environment we are all helping (consciously or inadvertently) to create.

References:

Gargiulo, S. (2014). Principal sabbatical report. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Professional-information/Principals-sabbatical-reports/Report-archives-for-2007-2014/Secondary-award-recipients-2014/Gargiulo-Salvatore

Stoll. (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture

1) Communities of Practice

Thanks for taking the time to skim through, read, or even comment on my blog.
This is where I will be posting reflections on my teaching practice as part of my studies towards a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Teaching (Digital & Collaborative Learning) through the MindLab.

Communities of Practice…

Wenger, proponent of social learning and who coined the phrase “community of practice”, defines it as “a group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do, and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger-Trayner website). Three elements must be present – the domain (shared learning need, whether or not it is explicit), community (bonding of members over time) and practice (interactions that produce resources). He also describes these as joint enterprise, mutual engagement and shared repertoire (Wenger, 2000).

My Communities of Practice

In my role as a high school teacher, I can identify a number of work-related Communities of Practice.

• Science Faculty
• Chemistry Department
• Mansfield House 9Connected team
• Blue Planet group
• Dragon Boating team
• My form class
• MindLab July16 Christchurch group

All of these groups involve a joint enterprise, mutual engagement and a shared repertoire. The two communities I want to reflect on are the 9Connected team and my Form Class.

Mansfield House 9Connected team

– this is a group of 5 “core subject” teachers who have volunteered to work collaboratively to introduce a connected curriculum for Year 9 students in a new (will be as of Term 2 this year) Innovative Learning Environment.

We have a joint enterprise – we are all committed to working together to provide the best learning outcomes for our Year 9 students. And we have a shared learning need (none of us have done this before and we all want to help each other). So far we have had 2 x day-long meetings where we have got to know each other better, have established what’s important to us/ general learning outcomes/expectations/ boundaries etc, and started building resources together. This means we are on our way to mutual engagement and a shared repertoire.

Our team has an appointed leader but we are all core participants (Wenger again) sharing the load jointly. As yet we have not established a meeting schedule, but we have discussed the need for regular (weekly?) whole team meetings and probably daily informal “stand-up” meetings. I feel that as our time together increases and our sense of reliance on each other builds, we will develop a deeper sense of connectedness and do a lot (!!) of learning together.

Form Class

-this second group is one I would like to establish as a Community of Practice. Next week I will be assigned a group of 20 Year 9 students. It will be my role to lead this group as their form teacher throughout their high schooling. I would love to develop this group as a real Community of Practice where we all learn together in a supportive, trusting, caring but challenging environment where we also engage with the wider community.

As well as leader it will be my role to facilitate social interactions to enhance the groups’ learning. I hope we will develop a repertoire that includes: a sense of home/place in a large school, care for one another and others outside the class, support of each other in fostering growth mindsets, and shared learning of life skills.

Thanks for reading. I’d be keen to hear any comments you have.

Ngā mihi nui

Marian

Reference:

Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization, 7(2), 225-246.

Reflective Practice

We are all striving to be better teachers – if that process is enhanced by reflective practice then let’s do it! According to Finlay (2009) reflective practice involves “learning through and from experience towards gaining new insights of self and/or practices”. It involves examination of assumptions, self-awareness, critical evaluation and life-long learning. Sounds good, is it worth the time?….In his video, Phillip Dawson states that research shows that reflective practices lead to deep understanding, improve self-assessment and are most effective when shared. Research has NOT shown that reflective practices necessarily produce better self-understanding or better outcomes for students. Let’s follow his advice to make our reflections short, shared, structured and scholarly, and let’s re-evaluate if we are not helping to improve student outcomes. 

Reference: Finlay, L. (2009). Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c128/691f2615de873dfe544fcb5dc902fe812675.pdf