My latest EdTalks: Developing cultural responsiveness in schools

Developing cultural responsiveness at Cobham Intermediate from EDtalks on Vimeo.


Last year when I was the Deputy Principal at Cobham Intermediate, I was asked to be filmed for an EdTalks special on cultural responsive practice and what this can look like in action in a school setting and how we were going about developing a culturally responsive environment. 

I focused my discussion on the way this happens from a relational position and how the staff at Cobham Intermediate began this journey together working on their practice, and then spread that learning to their classrooms. I tried to outline how important it has been for staff to consider the tikanga in the school and that the values they are developing around this practice will be beneficial for all, while reminding us all that the kaupapa of a school is developed as part of a school’s obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi and being part of a bicultural nation, and that this is an important position for all schools.

Digital apps to support teaching and learning

Even though I have moved back into school life and am no longer a digital technologies advisor, I still have the absolute pleasure of being asked to co-facilitate the Ako Panuku 'Technology for teachers' hui each year with my good friend and co-facilitator Dee Reid.

Naturally at these types of hui, we get asked about what the 'best' apps/websites are for the classroom.  And Dee and I always respond with the same answer - the technology is just a waka/vehicle or tool, you need to firstly understand what you trying to achieve, what is the learning task?

Ako Panuku created this very cool resource for teachers showcasing some possible apps that can be used as the waka/vehicle for different learning tasks e.g. researching, summarising, presenting etc.  This was created in Thinglink - a powerful tool in itself!

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/806367909889703936%20

If you hover over the app, a description will pop up.  You can also hover over the different strategies and get a pop up description and if you click on the down arrow you can even download a word doc copy of the description and step by step how it can be used, including a link to a template.

Ngā mihi nui ki a Ako Panuku!!!

And if those apps don't satisfy your thirst for new and engaging ways to integrate tech tools into your classroom, then I am sure these will...

• 25 awesome apps for teachers (2015)
• 50 of the best teaching and learning apps (2016)
• 50 fab apps for teachers (organised into curriculum areas)

Coaching Leadership

Beginning Principals Regional Hui #1

Coaching Leadership - Jan Robertson
http://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/coachingleadership

Group coaching can be self-sustaining.  Follow the G.R.O.W model...


G - What do you want? What are you aiming to achieve? What would the ideal look like? Why is it important? What would happen if you did not focus on this?

R - What is happening now? What are you doing now? What obstacles have you encountered? What works?

0 - What alternatives are there? Which options interest you? Have you thought of...?

W - What are the next steps? What might get in the way? What support/planning is required? Is the goal still important? What are the barriers, enablers, time frame?



What does Stephen Covey have to say about active listening?
https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits.php

"Seek first to understand, then be understood"

If communication is the most important skill in life, how much training have you had in effective communication?

Most people seek first to be understood, wanting to put their opinion across, share their story. Most people listen with the intent of replying, not to listen and understand the other person.  You are filtering their story through your own paradigm.  We decide prematurely what the other person means, often before they have even finished speaking.

Empathetic listening - invest in their story, listen for their details, not applying it to your own experiences.  What happens when you truly listen to another person? The whole relationship changes.  You don't agree or disagree - you try to see it through their eyes/perspective.  You make that person feel valued.

The root cause of almost all human problems is poor communication. People do not listen with empathy. What does this look like...

Give the person your full attention
Don't ask questions or give advice
Don't share your own 'war stories'
Focus on what is said
Listen for what is not said and for what is important to the speaker

Reflecting on who I am

Manukura Hui - workshop 1, day 2

What?

Part of our learning today has been about looking at what we value and what our values are.  As a group we had a deck of cards with different values on them and we had to collective get the deck down to just 10 cards of what we value the most - a very challenging task!  Hearing the discussions between our group about what we value and why was great for opening my eyes to the different perspectives and beliefs of others while at the same time identifying and clarifying what is important to me and why.

After this task, we had to draw a 'Tree of ME' ( I chose to do mine digitally so you can already see what I value shining through in that decision!).

In the leaves of the tree we were asked to write a few things that describe us and our roles.  Across the trunk, we had to write 3 things that describe the type of leader we are or want to be and in the roots we had to identify approximately 6 or so things we value.

You can see on the left side I have also bullet pointed some of my perceived strengths and on the right side, some of the things I have identified that are needs, next steps or skills I would like to strengthen.

So what?

Reflecting on who I am, what is important to me and why and how this influences the strengths I bring to the table is important in developing and growing my leadership as an effective leader. It is critical for leaders to know who they are so they can understand why others should be led by them.  

If I don't believe in myself as a leader, then why should anyone else?

We need to see and accept the differences we all bring to the table - different skills, knowledge, values and experiences.  

"We hire people for their skills but the whole person turns up".    Denise R Green

What now?

Some actions for me to achieve...
I will re-visit my appraisal/leadership goals and determine where I can add some actions to start to address the areas of myself I have identified in the Tree of Me that I would like to strengthen.  I would also like to seek some feedback from staff, whānau, BoT and students around what they perceive to be my strengths and areas to strengthen so I can see if they align or something else bubbles to the surface.  Finally I would like to model that I am too a learner and have goals that I am working towards, so I will share my appraisal goals with my staff and community.

Principalship - the next evolution in my leadership journey

Ako Panuku - First Time Tumuaki workshop - 'Manukura'

At the end of last year, I was successful in being appointed Principal of a fantastic rural primary school in Canterbury, starting in Term 1, 2017.  With my first term now under my belt, I have finally returned to my blog in order to be true to my desire to be open, honest and transparent with my personal learning journey and to share the ride with others, in the hope that it might help others out while also helping me make sense of my own growth and development.

Ako Panuku - First Time Tumuaki workshop - 'Manukura'

Day 1 of workshop 1 - Fierce Focus
Ko te kaupapa o tēnei rā tuatahi - Fierce Focus

Facilitators - Lynette Bradham and Keriana Tāwhiwhirangi

Leadership journey - sharing who we are and how we arrived here today, as first time principals

Care...collaboration...clarity - all working harmoniously together

Authentic leadership - don't compromise who you are.  Promote the type of leader you want to be, own it.

Share and declare: it keeps you accountable, once you share it you are opening the door for people to judge whether you are succeeding or not in being true to your leadership style.

To much compliance and not enough performance is tragic!

Appreciative inquiry works through 3 steps = A.A.A - Acknowledge, Apologise, Assurance

Q. What would people who meet you in your role as the school principal say about you?
Q. How do you know?

Know the effect and impact your leadership has on others.  Be the best that you can be!

Appraisal goals - its vital that we include a goal around developing/growing/strengthening your leadership knowledge and skills.  Many goals are focused on achieving a task e.g. show effective leadership to ensure we meet our annual targets.  If it's not in your goals - work it into the action in your plan, HOW are you going to lead it e.g. I will mentor the teachers who have the target groups of students by meeting with them fortnightly to listen, learn and challenge.

Silence = tolerance - if you see, hear or know that there is an issue e.g. poor leadership, governance, practice, relationships etc you must address it.  If no-one pulls it up, then you are giving permission for it to continue and grow.  M.Fullan - move towards the danger.  Courageous leadership means to identify and address the issues.

End of the day reflection...

Having the opportunity to come together with other first time Māori tumuaki/principals has been invaluable.  When some of us were asked to give 1 word that sums up our day I heard - safe, synergy and support.  Being with other principals with Māori connections, beliefs and experiences made this a safe environment to talk about our unique experiences as Māori leaders in our first principal role. Synergy came through in the ways we all talked about similar ways of working, how we were feeling, successes and challenges we have been faced with and how we are experiencing our new positions.  Support was given and received by all - we all empathised with each others stories and shared ideas and tips for helping us solve challenges we face, or being able to work smarter, not harder.


Click here if you want to know more about Manukura and Ako Panuku

Reflecting honestly on my leadership practices...

Forgive me blog for I have sinned - it has been several months since my last post, eeek.

I wanted to write that and formally own that because I know how challenging it can be for our teachers to ensure they are reflecting regularly and analysing their practice on top of the day to day grind of teaching, managing, coaching, personal life etc and I am no different. I believe it's important for a leader to understand other peoples roles, their workload and what it takes to juggle everything and prioritise their tasks and that a good leader will role model this themselves. So, although my role changed last term from DP to Acting Principal, I didn't want to drop the ball and ignore my responsibilities to reflect on my own practice when and where possible.

This reflection is about my change of role. I wanted to reflect back after having been in the hot seat for several weeks and look firstly at what the change of role was like, what difference it made to my professional growth and development and what might eventuate out of this change.

To be quite honest, the change to acting principal was quite seamless in some ways. I was lucky enough to work alongside my last principal more than for them and so there was very little that I didn't have involvement in already as the DP. In saying that, there have been some small but noticeable differences. I felt more withdrawn from staff and students. A huge amount of the principal's work at our school seems to revolve around meetings. My role as DP was all about administration and relationships - staff, students and whānau. As acting, it was less of all of those things but a huge increase in meetings - CAIMS, cluster, CPPA, Ministry, Board, transition meetings and planning for the new principal and 1-1 family visits for new students looking to enrol. My admin dropped a lot which is nice but I seriously missed the daily connection to staff and students. Reflecting on what this means and what I have learned is that I feel that the principals role in a large school is often just as the face of the school. The person who fronts and speaks on behalf of the school. The only way you can be successful in this role e.g. being able to make the right decisions in the best interest of your staff, students and community, is if you know their strengths and needs really well. Herein lies the paradox - how do you know this crucial information really well if you are always off/busy in meetings? I can see how the disconnect could have serious repercussions for a school if the principal becomes quite distanced from the heart and soul of a school (kids and staff) that they then become the face and voice/decision maker about school issues they may not know enough about. This of course will lead to disillusioned staff, poor resourcing, lack of communication etc. The challenge is maintaining the vital balance of being available to and engaging with your school community while upholding your responsibilities to the external groups. How I dealt with that challenge was through calendar scheduling (critical in this role) and blocking out time for anyone who asked for it. I also continued to keep my door open at all times when I wasn't in a meeting which is what I have always done as a DP. I don't know how feasible that would be if I was in the role full-time but for 1 term I was determined to keep that tikanga going.

In relation to what difference this change has meant for me professionally and personally and next steps, I am grateful to have had the opportunity. It did open my eyes to some of the challenges and possibilities of being a school principal and it has made me carefully consider if this is something I want going forward. Being the principal of my current school was appealing because I know and love our kids and staff. But what would it be like at another school? I also know that the demands on your time can leave very little for your own family and personal health/fitness if you allow the balance to be one-sided. So yes applying for principals positions make sense in terms of a next career step but that would depend heavily on the school, the location and the school community. People are important to me and make it either really worthwhile or really hard work! I won't be rushing into anything but am a firm believer I will make the right decision about my next career move when the right opportunity comes knocking. Although I have only been here at my current school for almost 2 years, both as DP and then as acting principal for 1 term, I aim to add some value to the school in some way and that is my priority and goal for now.

Another key reflection around my leadership practices occurred earlier this year while I was away at a leadership hui in Auckland and I was able to reflect on some of the areas of my leadership I feel need to be developed.

While attending the hui we were working on some activities to identify our leadership style. One of the key breakthrough a-ha moments for me was when I was becoming frustrated that there were some issues happening back at school. I was being emailed or rung about about how to solve an issue or just being kept in the loop. This is a good thing in some ways e.g. open communication etc, but I also reflected that I seemed to be often needed and contacted whenever I am off site. The facilitator of the hui did a great job of challenging me about why staff were emailing, ringing me and made me turn it back to myself and have me consider whether this was about the confidence and competence of staff or more about my leadership style. Have I set up systems and organised things so that I am the one needed to make decisions or act, rather than empowering others to be able to do that?

I have always known I like to get things done and can sometimes think 'I will do this myself because I want it done a certain way or by a specific time'. Although I of course want to be consulted and informed of key issues, I need to build the skills and capabilities of others to be able to address issues effectively, whenever I am unavailable or they are in the right position and capable of doing it themselves.

We have structured the leadership team for this to happen specifically around behaviour, but I can see the need to ensure this becomes more widespread. Even the example of our Monday morning admin meetings, where I am always the one to set the TV up, run through the agenda and lead the discussion. I noticed that if I am late and I assume when I am not there, no-one really takes the initiative to lead this themselves. Not because they cant, but perhaps because they see me doing it and assume it needs/should be me, when in reality, it doesn't.

I like to think I can help everyone and want to reduce the workload for teachers as I know they are so busy and appreciate any support they can get, but often this means that I rush to step in and 'fix' things for them, rather than with them. I need to ensure my inner control freak is kept under control!

One of my next steps is to hunt out opportunities to openly encourage other people to step up and problem solve, take on small but key leadership responsibilities or make important decisions themselves. When staff come to me and ask me to 'fix' something, a key statement I will use from now on will be "Thanks for sharing this issue with me, how can I help you to resolve it".

My recommendations for colleagues considering transformation in education

EDEM682 - Transforming Education in Canterbury

The following review is a synthesis of key understandings and learning experiences that have emerged throughout the year that I would recommend to my colleagues considering transformation in education.

Exploring transformation and scoping educational change
Change can be difficult and stressful as it often stems from a ‘shifting context’, where the status quo is no longer the best way forward. For positive and sustainable change to occur, a ‘road map for leading change’ (Jansen, 2015) is important and must start with the why (Sinek, 2009). This not only supports leaders to understand the why but also to consider the key elements that will need to be explored while working through the change process, like the where, how, who and what. Once leaders have this roadmap in place, they can and should share it with all participants to ensure a shared understanding of the context for change and what elements will need to be explored when moving from the business as usual or ‘current state’, to the new business as usual or ‘future state’ (Jansen, 2015).
When scoping for change, the drivers for educational transformation should be identified. These are the things that are pushing or pulling your school towards the need to make changes. I would recommend that all key stakeholders have the opportunity to identify what external factors e.g. the global impact of technology or the identified new skills necessary for the jobs of tomorrow (OECD, 2012) and what internal factors, for example at my school, a whole school re­build due to earthquake damage, are influencing or already changing your educational context. Once these factors have been identified by all key stakeholders, you can then begin to see what potential risks/threats and what potential opportunities there are as a result of these drivers of change in action.

Visioning and systemic thinking in strategic planning
Strategic thinking must be systemic, in that we need to be able to see the big picture before we can understand the parts within it. To be able to make considerate and effective decisions around whole school change, understanding the whole comes before understanding the parts but the key element is actually in the interaction. If we do not consider the way in which decisions or change in one area can impact on another, we can be left with ‘unintended consequences’. An example of this could be where a school decides to change the hours of instruction, starting and finishing earlier in the day. This is based on good research that children will learn better in those hours but the unintended consequences could be huge e.g. increase of parents in need of after school childcare or out of sync timetables for siblings at different schools. I would recommend using key questions, relevant to your context, to create conversations and a shared understanding of the bigger picture, the parts within it and how the interact or influence each other. These questions could be used as a framework when working with staff, leaders, governance, whānau and students, “what does a successful school look like?” and “what are the factors that contribute to this and how do they influence each other?” Another reputable change model I would recommend schools research and apply to their own context by having staff collaboratively map out the change arena applied to their kura, would be Davis’ ‘Arena of Change’ (2008), a model that applies an ecological perspective to understand how teacher learning may be promoted for educational renewal, and clearly identifies that “teachers are the k​eystone species​in the education ecologies of the twenty-­first century world”.

Pedagogical shifts
Successful change to better meet the needs of modern learners in today's and tomorrow's schools will require some dramatic shifts to traditional methods and practice of teaching. ‘New pedagogies’ (Fullan & Langworthy, 2014) will present plenty of challenges but excitingly, lots of opportunities to better engage and prepare our students for a world that requires people with inquiry and problem solving skills, who can effectively collaborate, innovate, create and communicate and who are culturally responsive, digitally literate and globally aware. Derek Wenmoth (2013) from CORE Education talks about the drivers for change being agency, connectedness and ubiquity and these are driving some of the pedagogical changes that need to occur so that schools become an environment that values and fosters student agency, collaboration, co­-teaching, self regulated and personalised learning. I would recommend that when schools are considering pedagogical shifts, they need to begin with their students ­ what do they need to know, understand and do to be successful? Secondly ­ what does our learning practices and environments need to look like to accomplish this? Finally ­ how will we know what impact this is having on student engagement, enjoyment and achievement?

Community, whānau and iwi engagement
When considering transforming education in your school context, it is imperative that all members of your school community are included on this journey and can participate in the decision making process ­ h​e waka eke noa:​a canoe on which everyone can embark. One of the first steps needs to be identifying all key stakeholders ­ students, whānau, staff and Board of Trustees. As I identified earlier in the scoping process, it would also be recommendable to reach further abroad and look for other potential partners that could bring added value and richness to the transformation and future of the school through ‘civic engagement ­ t​he action through which citizens join in new conversations that have the capacity to alter the future’​, for example, libraries, community services­health, police, social services, local community businesses or other educational institutions e.g. Polytechnic or Universities.

Iwi engagement is also critical for all New Zealand educational settings. We know that traditionally we have not met the needs of many of our priority learners, specifically Māori and Pasifika tamariki and their whānau (MoE, 2013). Culturally responsive practices embedded into the culture of our schools will ensure that schools are upholding their obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi (1840) and are providing educational experiences that are authentic, meaningful and relevant for all learners, that build on their prior knowledge and cultural connections and acknowledges and celebrates diversity and the potential each child has within them to succeed. I would recommend that schools reach out to iwi and build a reciprocal and meaningful relationship with them. You will need their input and guidance around what culturally responsive practices should be normalised in your school setting and perhaps even establishing a ‘cultural narrative’ for your school, where schools can ensure design and practice will reflect the rich history of your local iwi and whenua. More importantly, schools need to address will be their tamariki, whānau and staff can support the iwi. A reciprocal relationship built on respect and ongoing support for each other will reap rewards for all and ensure the vision for Ka Hikitia (2013) of ‘Māori enjoying educational success as Māori’ becomes a reality in your kura.

References
Davis, N.E. (2008). How may teacher learning be promoted for educational renewal with IT? In J. Voogt & G. Knezek (eds.), I​nternational Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education, (​507­520) Amsterdam: Springer

Fullan, M., & Langworthy. (2014).​​A Rich Seam: How new pedagogies find deep learning. R​etrieved from http://www.michaelfullan.ca/wp­content/uploads/2014/01/3897.Rich_Seam_web.pdf

Jansen, C. (2015). Road map for change: presentation at lecture #1 of EDEM630 course. University of Canterbury.

Ministry of Education. (2013). K​a Hikitia­Accelerating Success 2013­2017.​Wellington, New Zealand:Learning Media.

OECD (2012). Education Today 2013: The OECD Perspective. Retrieved from
http://abdigm.meb.gov.tr/meb_iys_dosyalar/2013_12/20023619_educationtoday2013the oecdperspective.pdf

Sinek, S. (2009). Start with Why: H​ow great leaders inspire everyone to take action.​ New York: Portfolio.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi (1840)

Wenmoth, D., (2012) EdTalks; Ubiquity, agency and connectedness. Retreived from
http://edtalks.org/video/ubiquity­agency­and­connectedness 

Leadership and Change - a reflective memo

TASK: Write a reflective memo on 3 readings related to leadership and change, and introduce the focus of your case study and the models you have chosen to apply. 

What? 

A Rich Seam: How New Pedagogies Find Deep Learning - Fullan & Langworthy.

This report discusses three new forces impacting on education today and going forward into the future.  The first force is 'new pedagogies' and relates to the new learning partnerships that develop between and among students and teachers when resources and digital tools become ‘pervasive’. The second force is 'new change leadership' which 'merges top-down, bottom-up and sideways energies to generate change faster and easier than anything seen in past efforts at reform'.  The third force is 'new system economics' where the essential and powerful learning resources and tools, which accelerate the first 2 forces, become more affordable for all.  The report gives the background to why change is happening globally, what the new pedagogies are all about, how they can be viewed in modern education and what the possibilities are if the new pedagogies model is developed in schools.

This report is an excellent resource for anyone in education.  It comes from a well respected and internationally known educator (Fullan) who has numerous highly regarded books and papers published in relation to key educational concepts within future-focused learning like change management, leadership, collaboration, digital tools etc.  The report is well structured and references a huge amount of research, both from international experts as well as New Zealand experts, which I found reassuring, to know there were links to our education system.  One of the most beneficial aspects of this report was the numerous school stories, including teacher quotes, statistics & data, tables of relevant information etc. as I was able to directly link and substitute these examples with some of our own information in relation to my school context.  I believe this report is an essential resource for education leaders and all teachers to read as it is engaging, informative and very motivating.  You come away for a better sense of the immediate need for change and the possibilities the new pedagogies model could provide us with.

Leading Quality Change - Fullan

This Core-Ed EdTalk video was filmed in March 2015 and is a recording of the presentation Michael Fullan gave to Canterbury leaders. During the presentation Fullan goes into detail about what quality change processes look like and links this to the international project he is involved in which includes clusters of schools from around the globe, including New Zealand.  The clusters are a part of a global collaboration called New Pedagogies for Deep Learning, which has the objective of bringing to life the new pedagogies model as described in 'A Rich Seam', in a variety of schools all over the world "creating a coherent suite of sustainable educational solutions, designed to achieve and support the strategic outcome of students reaching education success enabled by a technologically advanced society". 

I was lucky enough to actually attend this presentation in person. One of his key points is that the glue for successful change needs to come from leadership from the middle, where our principals and school leaders are participating and driving the change collaboratively - they should be a force for change but they must be a learner as well, where they can influence the climate of the school and create a non-judgmental culture, demonstrating how we are all learners, who make mistakes but value learning and are transparent about their own learning.  Fullan also shares the three keys to maximising impact, referencing Robinson's BES (2009) work and how leaders need to be moving towards the right drivers of capacity building, systems, pedagogy and collaboration. 

He acknowledges the unique context of education renewal in Christchurch as a result of the earthquakes and how the Ministry of Education's Investing in Educational Success initiative could dramatically change the landscape of education in our city.  He acknowledges that the key component of increasing collaboration and sharing expertise across a wider community of schools is a positive step and it will create many exciting benefits for our students however there are still things that need more thought and our leaders should be helping to collaboratively shape the best pathway forward wherever possible.

Positive Change Processes - Jansen

This video of Chris Jansen, a lecturer at the University of Canterbury was recorded at the Educational Leaders Forum 2011.  Chris explores the change process, and how to make this more of a positive experience. He describes the process of Appreciative Inquiry, which maintains a positive focus.  He shares the 4 Ds of appreciative inquiry and what the focus is for each step.  The first step is Discover - where leaders pair up, record a positive story from their own experiences and then share it with their partner.  Next is Dream - where the pairs now articulate their stories to the wider group, and all the participants pull together the themes. Following that is Design - which is where the strategic planning occurs, building on from the previous steps where the themes were identified of things that worked well and the final step is Deliver - which includes sequenced action planning, operational goals being established and the vision becoming grounded in the process.  

Chris shares examples of Canterbury schools and clusters that have used the Appreciative Inquiry process successfully and have also included the wider school community as part of this process.  This allows leaders to collaboratively take ownership and more importantly, 'authorship' (Breakspear, Sheahan, Thurbon, 2008) and has enabled leaders to collaboratively work on and implement a shared vision for their cluster of schools when they could be considered, in some aspects, competitors.

This video is a very easy watch and Chris explains things clearly and succinctly.  I particularly connected to what he was saying as I have a personal connection to both Chris and his work.  Chris is one of my lecturers for another course I am taking this year, EDEM682, and I have also been following the clusters and schools he discusses in the video so was already familiar with how they had been using the Appreciative Inquiry model to collaborate at leadership level.  This links beautifully with the Fullan video above 'Leading Quality Change' as it also references the need for inquiry and collaboration at a leadership level and how this can impact on the success and sustainability of change in schools.

So What?

Digging deep into these three excellent readings/resources, amongst many more and drawing on the findings of my review of the two change models; Davis' 'Arena of Change' (2008) and the Hall and Hord's CBAM model (1987), I have decided that the focus of my academic case study for assignment 3 of EDEM630 will be "What have been the benefits and challenges of implementing BYOD across Cobham Intermediate?  

As part of this case study, I will look closely at what the role of leadership has been throughout the pilot and whole school implementation phases and how this has impacted on what challenges and benefits have arisen for both staff and students at Cobham Intermediate.

I believe I will find strong links between the successes we have experienced and Fullan's findings in terms of what quality change processes look like, for example one huge success we have experienced has been the shift to using Google Apps for Education and Hapara Teacher Dashboard, an effective online tool to manage and monitor Google Apps for Education student activity.  One of the reasons this has been so successful is that it has direct links to many of the key drivers for successful change like enabling improved systems, increased blended (online and face to face) collaboration between staff and students, building capacity in terms of all staff being able to access and manage online student work and finally and most excitingly, this has been a learning experience for our teachers and leaders.  They were, and are still, all in the learners seat with this move and have been very transparent about how new this is for them, what challenges they are facing, what professional development they need and how they can tap into the strengths and expertise that their students may have to learn from them.  The Māori concept of Ako is common place throughout all of our BYOD journey.  Ako means both to teach and to learn and it recognises and values the knowledge that both teachers and learners bring to learning experiences.  This has been extremely prevalent in the area of learning with digital devices and it is exciting to see some of our teachers let go of their need to be in the dominant teacher role and embrace the learner role, while our kids lead the way forward!

Now What?

Being a part of the leadership team at Cobham, I want to look closely at how leadership has influenced the outcomes of our BYOD journey - what worked or did not work, how could things have been improved if different decisions had been made at leadership level and how has leadership decision making influenced other ecologies (Davis, 2008) within our context.

I would also like to examine what concerns were identified by staff in the early stages of moving to BYOD, if or how these were addressed and what their concerns are now, aligned to CBAM (1987), as we move towards the end of our first year as a BYOD school.

As part of my learning tasks and to assist with my case study research for assignment three, I would like to interview my principal with 3-5 carefully selected questions related to the BYOD journey at Cobham so I can apply the learnings from the interview to my findings for my case study.  This is particularly important as I only begun my job at Cobham in January this year and as with any major change to practice, the move to BYOD has been several years in the making, with several more to come I imagine.  The more we learn and discover about what benefits our students and staff are experiencing versus what challenges are being faced, the more leadership want to improve the current systems and processes in our BYOD strategy to ensure we are providing the very best BYOD experience our school community deserves.

I believe it would be valuable as part of my case study to draw parallels, where possible, between the successful elements of our BYOD journey and the links to the three forces with 'A Rich Seam' (2014).  I believe the three forces - 'new pedagogies', 'new change leadership' and 'new system economics' are intertwined with the rationale for BYOD and if we get BYOD right, it will be a great example of the new pedagogies in action.

REFERENCES:

Breakspear, S., Sheahan, P., Thurbon, D. (2008). Talent Magnets. Retrieved from http://www.simonbreakspear.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Talent-Magnets.pdf 

Fullan, Michael. (2015). Leading quality change. EdTalk in Canterbury at CORE, April 2015.

Fullan, M. & Langworthy, M. (2014). A Rich Seam: How New Pedagogies Find Deep Learning, London: Pearson.

Hall, G. E., & Hord, S. M. (1987). Change in schools: Facilitating the process. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Jansen, Chris. (2011). Positive change processes. Educational Leaders Forum 2011, Christchurch.

Robinson, V., Hōhepa, M., & Lloyd, C. (2009). School leadership and student outcomes:  

Identifying what works and why. Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Education.

Whakanuia te wiki o te reo Māori 

Celebrate Māori language week

The kaupapa for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2015 is ‘Whāngaihia te reo Māori ki ngā mātua,' with the aim to encourage and support the language development of parents who can then whāngai the language to their children.

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa. Greetings to you all.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori /Māori Language Week takes place this year between Monday 27 July and Sunday 2 August. This special week provides an opportunity to celebrate and learn te reo Māori, helping to secure its future as a living, dynamic, and rich language.

I strongly urge and encourage you to really step it up and promote the use of te reo Māori at school during this week and hopefully beyond. 

Here are some practical ideas that I know all of you can try next week with your class & around home and school:

- Greet everyone in person, everyday in te reo Māori (kia ora, tēnā koe/kōrua/koutou, mōrena, ata mārie, ka kite anō, haere rā, e noho rā) &/or change your email greetings/signature to te reo Māori using these google doc ‘Useful Phrases in te reo Māori' - https://goo.gl/ZgB0hH
- Always start & end the day/session with our school karakia
- Sing a Māori waiata everyday http://tereomaori.tki.org.nz/Reo-Maori-resources/Hei-Waiata
- Learn these classroom kupu-https://quizlet.com/subject/classroom-kupu/ & then create labels to stick them to the relevant objects in your class, use the Māori names of the objects when possible
- Sign up to Te Kupu o te Wiki http://kupu.maori.nz/
- Share with your class everyday a different Whakataukī - https://goo.gl/QEqJOAor Kīwaha-https://quizlet.com/subject/maori-kiwaha/ 
- Ensure you and your kids know how to pronounce Māori names correctly (people e.g. Anaru, Hurihia, Awanui, Ngāriki and places e.g. Akaroa, Rangiora, Ōtautahi)
- Celebrate all the Māori words you & your kids know already, you might be surprised - make a class list & identify them all e.g. kai, marae, mana, kaupapa, whānau. Discuss their meaning, practice pronunciation but most importantly, commit to using the kupu/words you already know in your everyday conversations

- Know these two documents inside out & use them as key resources for
planning, teaching and assessing te reo Māori at school 
          1) Te Aho Arataki Marau mō te ako i te reo Māori Kura Auraki http://tereomaori.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-guidelines 
          2) He Reo Tupu, He Reo Ora http://hereoora.tki.org.nz/
- Get to know your kids better by learning & sharing your own and as well as their own mihi
- Identify & discuss important Māori values - http://tereomaori.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-guidelines/The-importance-of-learning-te-reo-Maori/Exploring-shared-values. Decide as a class how we can demonstrate, celebrate & promote these values at school
- Share some of the articles, videos, stories from the links below with your whole class
- If you need help, please just ask. I am always happy to help with pronunciation, support & encouragement!

Don’t just think about it - commit to it, kōrero Māori e! 

Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui!

Resource page offering links, ideas and stories
http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-resources/National-events-and-the-NZC/Maori-language-Week

Te Kupu o te Wiki
http://kupu.maori.nz/kupu-o-te-wiki

Virtual Learning Network Discussion
http://www.vln.school.nz/discussion/view/933809

A digital kit of resources for Māori Language week – resources, websites, blog posts, you tube clips of waiata, lang, video, photos, Edtalks, whakataukī. Collaboratively put together by educators across NZ led by Tania Coutts (CORE Education) https://docs.google.com/a/core-ed.ac.nz/presentation/d/1yCWb__TzLsCzcF6QS2u8Z6yf3M5_8eGLl-Vy6rVZ1f8/edit#slide=id.p

Ngāi Tahu Resources & Downloads
http://ngaitahu.iwi.nz/culture/kotahi-mano-kaika/resources/downloads/ 

Bring it on BYOD

One of the first tasks I need to complete as part of EDEM630 is to select a research topic, under the umbrella of change with digital technologies in education, to direct my own study of the literature during the course in preparation for the final research paper or case study I will have to submit.

It was a no brainer for me as to what I wanted to focus on and anyone reading back through my previous posts will notice I have already started musing out loud about this kaupapa as so much of my work and strategic planning as DP and the lead teacher of e-learning revolves around this - BYOD.

My first task is as follows:

• STATE your research topic and identify the specific digital technology (or technologies).
• WHY did you choose the topic? What interests you about it? Do you have an opinion about the issues involved?
• WHO are the information providers on this topic? Who might publish information about it? Who is affected by the topic? Do you know of organizations or institutions affiliated with the topic?
• WHAT are the major questions for this topic? Is there a debate about the topic? Are there a range of issues and viewpoints to consider?
• WHERE is your topic important: at the local, national or international level? Are there specific places affected by the topic?
• WHEN is/was your topic important? Is it a current event or an historical issue? Do you want to compare your topic by time periods?

My research topic will be: What support needs to be provided to ensure a successful BYOD programme?

I chose this topic because going whole school BYOD is a huge change currently being implemented at Cobham and it will continue to play a major role in our strategic planning going forward as well as all teaching and learning programmes, hopefully in time, play a vital role in improved student assessment and evaluation processes, not to mention opening up learning to whānau and our wider community.  This is a relatively new topic to education, increasing in interest over the last 4 or so years since the iPad/tablet was developed as the introduction of smaller, more affordable devices made the possibility of a 1:1 programme, with all students using some form of personal computer or mobile device, an absolute reality.

There are lot's of fantastic information providers available online who have lots of relevant thinking and resources to share, here are some New Zealand gems!
Virtual Learning Network (VLN) - BYOD in Schools Group
Enabling e-Learning - Learning with 1:1 digital devices
Twitter - BYOD
CORE Education Ltd - BYOD
EdTalks - BYOD, 1:1 digital devices

Besides these I would like to acknowledge that there is a wealth of information shared internationally that offers much to learn from but some of the best learning I have gleaned about this topic and leadership around e-learning has been from other educators blogging about their journey, here are just a couple of my favourite Kiwi bloggers:

• Learning, leading change - Claire Amos
• The Quo has lost it's status - Tony Grey

Making the decision for a school to go BYOD and move towards a 1:1 device programme is a big one as people have differing opinions on whether this is a good thing or not.  There are plenty of fantastic discussions online debating the pros and cons or the things worth considering before you take that leap:

• http://blog.core-ed.org/blog/2013/09/five-questions-parents-should-ask-schools-about-byod.html 
• http://zinkerz.com/why-more-schools-should-go-byod/ 
• http://neatoday.org/2012/07/19/should-schools-embrace-bring-your-own-device/
• http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2014/01/19/the-next-revolution-in-school-tech-bring-your-own-device/
• http://www.edutopia.org/blog/byod-discussions-schools-should-have-vicki-davis

and 

• http://www.borjournals.com/a/index.php/jbmssr/article/viewFile/142/1194  *

I personally think it is a must.  Schools cannot and should not have to provide all students with a laptop or tablet but rather take advantage of the fact that most students already have one anyway and now we can use these devices to engage and ignite learning in the classroom by introducing BYOD.  I do believe though, that schools must address the issue of equity and should always make up the shortfall and provide devices for all students who are not able to purchase/provide their own.

The major questions that are driving my own thinking and seem to be the key questions considered in many debates around the topic are...

1. How do we ensure staff are prepared and feeling confident and competent enough to run a successful 1:1 digital device programme in their class?  If staff are not ready, it is likely that they may not include opportunities for students to effectively use their devices and therefore we have parents spending lots of money on learning tools that don't get used!
2. How can we track whether the 1:1 digital device programme is successful for both staff and students?
3. Is it better to mandate what type of device should be used or allow any type? What are the pros and cons of both option?
4. What can the school do to ensure equitable outcomes for all students? (e.g. access to a quality device, access to all learning opportunities provided, opportunities for engaging learning experiences utilising the devices)

I would love to hear any ideas, thoughts, feedback or links to other interesting reads or research you may know about that could help me on my way - sharing is caring!

* Singh, N. (2012, December). B.Y.O.D. Genie is out of the bottle - "Devil or Angel".  Journal of Business Management & Social Sciences Research.  Retrieved from http://www.borjournals.com/a/index.php/jbmssr/article/viewFile/142/1194

Description: This journal article focuses on the trend of businesses allowing their employees to 'bring their own device' to use at work and the pros and cons of this happening in the workplace.

Evaluation: The information comes from a reputable source and follows the expected model of a research article with excellent information, literature review, data and analysis.  This article was useful for my research as it clearly documented a similar methodology as to what I hope to follow with my own research and had an abundance of information that although was related to the context of a business/workplace environment, it had obvious links to the context of education.  

Lifelong learner in action!

I have a passion for learning that has been with me right throughout my life.  And because of this, I have not gone longer than 1 year without doing some kind of personal study or learning since I started kindy. Some might say I am a glutton for punishment, which is true, but the truth is I get restless easy and once I finish or achieve a goal, I am eager to begin the next.  So when I started my Masters of Education in 2010, I knew that I would keep going, (even with several new jobs, new babies and new houses to deal with) until I graduated and received the qualification I have spent thousands of dollars and I don't want to even acknowledge how many hours on!

This year I am studying part-time again as I am working full time.  All going well, come December, I will have completed my Masters of Education!  The reason I am sharing this with you, is firstly to promote lifelong learning as adults and the continuation of study through the varied institutions available.  Secondly, one of my papers that starts this term, requires me to blog about the course learning so rather than start a new blog, I will be blogging right here as it fits perfectly with the kaupapa of 'learning out loud', links directly to my work at Cobham as well as my obvious interest in educational change, the effective use of digital technologies and a shift to 'modern learning pedagogies or practice'.

Have I hooked some of you?  If so, here is where you can find out more about the two courses I am completing this year through the University of Canterbury:

EDEM682 - Transforming Education in Canterbury

EDEM630 - Change with Digital Technologies in Education

Check it out and perhaps think about taking the dive next year yourself....I know you are busy, we all are, but the challenge, the achievement and the learning experiences are worth it.  Be a role model for your kids, push yourself, make it happen and share your learning!

Flippin' awesome teaching for a new generation

Yesterday I attended the Burnside Learning Community Cluster un-conference. Held on the first day of the holidays, many teachers and support staff came together from almost all of the early childhood, primary and secondary schools in our cluster to network, share ideas and to learn.

The keynote by Dr Cheryl Doig from Think Beyond was called 'Into the Future' and raised some excellent points about the changes education is facing. I went on to several different breakouts afterwards but one particularly grabbed my attention. I went to see a secondary science teacher, @mattynicoll and his breakout called 'Rewind Learning' (see the video above of another time he has shared this presentation online).

I have been interested in flipped learning for a few years now but I was excited to see and hear examples in my own backyard. I first heard about a teacher at Breens Intermediate doing some cool things, just starting off by recording himself & posting it to his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/mrmteacherbreens.

This is exactly how Matt described his beginning too and that he just had to push past the fear of looking/sounding silly and embrace the possibilities that posting learning activities online would offer his students. Allowing kids to watch the video at their own pace, watch it after school hours, rewind and watch over and over, watch it before or after the actual physical lesson at school and to share it with others who might also have an interest in it and could work together with you on the concept is just a few of the awesome benefits to recording and sharing lesson content online. Matt's YouTube channel is also an awesome resource https://www.youtube.com/user/mattynicoll and its very cool to see just how well the lesson have developed and grown in quality and confidence!

The concept of flipping the classroom sounds time consuming and challenging at its most complex but what I got from listening to Matt share his experiences, is that you can take it at your own pace, to a level that you are comfortable with. All you have to do is give it a go, try something new, be innovative, take risks, step outside your comfort zone...you know, all the stuff we ask our students to do!

But don't take my word for it, I am by no means an expert. If it's an experts opinion you are after though, perhaps take a listen to this guy, one of my all time favs!

Michael Fullan: Technology, the new pedagogy and flipped teaching