The Fast and The Curious

Reflective practice is an essential part of being a professional teacher.  Stepping back and looking at myself, without an emotional agenda.  It improves my practice. Being honest and asking, what could be better? It's ok to admit I've made mistakes as well as had successes.  Reflecting on my understanding of why things happened and what I will do to improve them.  Reflective practice is a habitual part of what I do. It can be uncomfortable or even threatening, but over time, it becomes a normal part of the routine and an excellent part of my personal and professional growth. It must be genuine and authentic so I don't waste my precious time.  "For busy professionals short on time, reflective practice is all too easily applied in bland, mechanical, unthinking ways". (Finlay, 2008) I particularly like the simplicity of Rolfe’s Model of Reflection (2001) and have used this to reflect on my current inquiry.  I explained some basic Trello fundamenta...

Becoming a culturally responsive teacher means having the ability to learn from and relate respectfully with people from all cultures. As teachers, we need to take into account the cultural knowledge, experiences and filters which students bring to their individual learning.  We need to challenge the “deficit thinking” of student educability and become agentic teachers whose pedagogy is culturally responsive. I concur with Bishop's concepts  (Edtalks, 2012) around agentic teachers being the key to making a difference for Māori students.  Agentic teachers share the power with students to control their own goals, actions and destiny, where students are producers as well as products of learning.  Teachers with agency create the difference in Maori student achievement in secondary schools. Teachers who understand and are able to weave together all the things that create a learning context where students are able to bring themselves to the learning conversations, as Māo...

Figure 1: Spiral of Inquiry (2014, April). A framework for transforming learning in schools: Innovation and the spiral of inquiry. Every three years I have to re-apply for a practising certificate and prove that I am fit to teach in a New Zealand classroom. One of the ways I do this is through 'teacher inquiry'.  Teacher inquiry is a requirement for teaching staff at my school, and there are many hoops to jump through, evidence to collect, boxes to tick, and time involved, but in spite of this, I feel that teacher inquiry is a valuable reflective process that helps to keep me at the top of my game. Teachers are expected to be professionals that live by the laws, regulations, and policies that govern the education system in NZ. As teachers, we are responsible for the success and well-being of our students, and we make a commitment to maintain high standards and to make ethical decisions.  The Education Act 1989 , the Education Act 1964 , and the Our Code, Our Standar...