WHAT?
This week I worked with my DP to go through my Appraisal, it was rewarding and confusing at the same time. The rewards were for the work that I have been given vast amounts of time to (Mindlab) have paid off. It wasn't my intention when I signed up for Mindlab but looking back I can see how my practice has changed, and now how I work to as a more reflective practitioner and continually make more mindful changes with evidence not just hunches. It was great to hear from another person's point of view what they have noticed and where they think I next to place my energies.
The confusion for me is how do I incorporate the suggestion of being more culturally responsive to my pedagogy. This is not being more aware of the Maori culture and practices but being aware of what each individual needs and brings to the classroom environment. We all have our own cultural practices that are specific to each family, household, their background and beliefs.
An example of this - a parent has just enrolled her daughter into a new entrant class and has told the teacher that she will not be buying a book bag as she will not be listening to her child read each night as their life is too busy so it won't be happening. As a teacher this is fairly shocking as one of the ways to improve children's reading is to work on their reading mileage. So the more they can read outside of the classroom instruction, they more they can get to grips with reading. The parent has told the teacher her point of view now the teacher will need to find other ways to ensure the child still progresses in reading without relying on the 'usual' ways. The teacher needs to be responsive to the beliefs of that family and adapt her planning to do so.
SO WHAT?
Bobbie Hunter states that it comes down ensuring everybody has an opportunity to participate. She says that I must give a voice to the learners and make them realise that they need realise that they have many voices - multiple voices. Where they speak at home, at church, on the sports field, with their mates, during games and competing. It is important for them to learn how their voice fits in the classroom and they can start to learn with purpose, and that success means everybody alongside you gets to understand what you understand. This also works alongside what I want to achieve with embedding more oral language in my classroom programme.
NOW WHAT?
I need to be more aware of and understand both quantitative and qualitative data and collect it in a more systematic way in order to get a 'holistic' picture of the individuals in my class, including:
Being more deliberate in my planning, making notes on the reasons for using mixed ability groups, Talk Moves and using the children's individual learning goals will help me to get some way to making in roads into be more 'culturally responsive, I hope.
This week I worked with my DP to go through my Appraisal, it was rewarding and confusing at the same time. The rewards were for the work that I have been given vast amounts of time to (Mindlab) have paid off. It wasn't my intention when I signed up for Mindlab but looking back I can see how my practice has changed, and now how I work to as a more reflective practitioner and continually make more mindful changes with evidence not just hunches. It was great to hear from another person's point of view what they have noticed and where they think I next to place my energies.
The confusion for me is how do I incorporate the suggestion of being more culturally responsive to my pedagogy. This is not being more aware of the Maori culture and practices but being aware of what each individual needs and brings to the classroom environment. We all have our own cultural practices that are specific to each family, household, their background and beliefs.
An example of this - a parent has just enrolled her daughter into a new entrant class and has told the teacher that she will not be buying a book bag as she will not be listening to her child read each night as their life is too busy so it won't be happening. As a teacher this is fairly shocking as one of the ways to improve children's reading is to work on their reading mileage. So the more they can read outside of the classroom instruction, they more they can get to grips with reading. The parent has told the teacher her point of view now the teacher will need to find other ways to ensure the child still progresses in reading without relying on the 'usual' ways. The teacher needs to be responsive to the beliefs of that family and adapt her planning to do so.
SO WHAT?
How do you provide culturally relevant programmes for all of your learners, giving our diverse they are?
How do you deliberately support your students to make connections with the concepts they are learning through planning and implementation?
These are the questions that I hope to work on as the year progresses. I have been made more aware of the children's each individual needs and and what they bring to the classroom environment through the PEP (Personalised Education Plans) and through the meetings with parents. My task now is to be more deliberate in how I cater for these in my classroom programme. I do have a tricky class with a vast spread of levels with 2 autistic children, 2 ESOL, 2 struggling learners and on the flip side children working at Stage 7 for Numeracy, 3B for writing and reading like 12 year olds in a Year 4 class. I have concerns how I am extending those at the higher levels and not 'dumbing' down the learning using a whole class approach.Bobbie Hunter states that it comes down ensuring everybody has an opportunity to participate. She says that I must give a voice to the learners and make them realise that they need realise that they have many voices - multiple voices. Where they speak at home, at church, on the sports field, with their mates, during games and competing. It is important for them to learn how their voice fits in the classroom and they can start to learn with purpose, and that success means everybody alongside you gets to understand what you understand. This also works alongside what I want to achieve with embedding more oral language in my classroom programme.
NOW WHAT?
I need to be more aware of and understand both quantitative and qualitative data and collect it in a more systematic way in order to get a 'holistic' picture of the individuals in my class, including:
- student achievement data - achievement data
- demographic data - trends in student population and learning needs, profiles, cultural needs
- programme data - instructional practice
- perceptual data - student, whanau voice, community surveys
Tu Rangatira English 2010 on page 14 has a scaffold I would like to embed in my practice such as being an advocate who promotes the development and implements a range of strategies and plans that help children to realise their potential and to succeed as Maori and as individuals.
Being more deliberate in my planning, making notes on the reasons for using mixed ability groups, Talk Moves and using the children's individual learning goals will help me to get some way to making in roads into be more 'culturally responsive, I hope.
References
Bobbie Hunter: Maths belongs in every culture - E-Tangata Retrieved from https://e-tangata.co.nz/korero/bobbie-hunter-maths-belongs-in-every-culture/
Ministry of Education (MOE), Tü Rangatira: Mäori Medium Educational Leadership sets
out a framework for kura leaders, Huia Publishers, 2010.
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