Changes in My Practice
According to Osterman and Kottkamp (1993):
"reflective practice is viewed as a means by which practitioners can develop a greater level of self-awareness about the nature and impact of their performance, an awareness that creates opportunities for professional growth and development"
"reflective practice is viewed as a means by which practitioners can develop a greater level of self-awareness about the nature and impact of their performance, an awareness that creates opportunities for professional growth and development"
32 weeks is a long time to contemplate about, but it certainly has been a major part of my professional development throughout the year. It's accounted for a significant amount of my time - notably with regular four hour sessions on a Tuesday evening as well as substantial coursework and assessed assignments. There has also been a fair amount of professional reflection through interacting with other educational professionals from different backgrounds.
Topically, I enjoyed philosophical discussions, speculating on education into the future. I enhanced some technical skills and was also introduced to new tools that I could carry into my education practice. I was enabled to express ideas that I had previously thought or discussed casually, but were not able to be put in a context that was useful to my profession. The discussions that followed helped in a formative way to influence my perspective.
I was particularly mindful of the discussions around Maori attainment and cultural sensitivity, which is both a pertinent goal at the school I am in and nationally. It is also being an area that I needed some personal development in, as a relatively recent European immigrant with only limited experience at hand. It gave me a working resource to contemplate things that I could practically do to make a contribution to my school, including advice for links and ongoing research. Indeed this has been brought into school focus groups looking to research Maori attainment moving into 2018 and beyond. In terms of my Practicing Teacher Criteria, one could accordingly cite:
- Criteria 3: Demonstrate commitment to bicultural partnership in Aotearoa / New Zealand.
Much of what motivated myself to take the course was the academic challenge. The most challenging activity was the literature review, that required a significant amount of reading and critical analysis. One of my own personal goals was a general return to tertiary education in order to fulfil personal ambitions. Whether this was a direct influence upon my teaching practice is debatable, but it certainly gave me more confidence in my teaching, with an appetite to continue finding ways of further enhancing academic knowledge in the context of my career.
Beyond this, I have been able to make some contributions to the school in Professional Development groups and, with encouragement from the Principle, within my own Science department. The broad scope of the digital technologies introduced within the course has allowed some development into existing or new departmental schemes of work.
As such, I could also cite:
- Criteria 6: Conceptualise, plan, and implement an appropriate learning programme.
Moreover, the subject content of the entire course outlines ways in which it addresses different PTC, so there is some considerable reflection possible in all aspects. The major difficulty lies in enacting real, viable change despite the everyday pressures of a typical teaching day. While the various seminars and activities provide an abstract development, it needs to be fully integrated into the classroom experiences of learners. For my purposes, the real reflections will come in the light of student feedback, still.
- Criteria 6: Conceptualise, plan, and implement an appropriate learning programme.
Moreover, the subject content of the entire course outlines ways in which it addresses different PTC, so there is some considerable reflection possible in all aspects. The major difficulty lies in enacting real, viable change despite the everyday pressures of a typical teaching day. While the various seminars and activities provide an abstract development, it needs to be fully integrated into the classroom experiences of learners. For my purposes, the real reflections will come in the light of student feedback, still.
References
Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R.(1993). Reflective Practice for Educators.California.Cornwin Press, Inc. Retrieved on 7th May, 2015 from http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files.
Ministry of Education (nd). Practising teacher Criteria and e-learning . Retrieved from http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/
Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R.(1993). Reflective Practice for Educators.California.Cornwin Press, Inc. Retrieved on 7th May, 2015 from http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files.
Ministry of Education (nd). Practising teacher Criteria and e-learning . Retrieved from http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/
