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A new year and a new focus.

Posted on January 14, 2018 by jaimelcoffey

It’s 2018 and, although I’m still on summer break, I’m already thinking about what I want to accomplish and what I want my students to accomplish this year.

One of my main focuses is to improve writing – specifically creative writing – but writing and editing in general. Ideas wise my students are normally pretty good. They can see the big picture but they struggle when it comes to incorporating their ideas into their writing.

Although my classes are not quite set in stone yet I have a rough idea of what my focus for term one is going to be.

Although this is subject to change my classes are looking a little like this:

9ENG (9English) 10APEX 1ENA 2ENG 3ENI

I’ve got two advanced classes – which might seem easy but from experience I’ve found them to be the more difficult and it’s the first time I’ve had two “strong” classes. The others will definitely have a range of abilities so differentiation will be another strong focus for my teaching.

Ch-Ch-Changes

Posted on July 6, 2017 by jaimelcoffey

“…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.” (Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R.(1993)

32 weeks. Readings, ideas, discussions, more readings, conversations, games and more. Teaching full time and attempting a part time course has been demanding of time and sanity and, while somethings did not work for me there were several things that did.

The course was challenging but not in the way I would have thought. It did not push me as far out of my comfort zone as I might have thought but it did serve as a reminder on how I can adapt my knowledge to better suit my teaching. It reinforced the importance of collaboration – across the curriculum. It allowed me to grumble here and there and it allowed me to speak with my own voice…especially in this blogging section.

More importantly, it helped me raise my self awareness along with challenging me to seek more relevant professional development. (While also reminding me that PD does not have to come from a course but can also come from like minded people who share similar passions.)

So…what’s next for me?

If I am looking at the PTC (Practising Teaching Criteria) I have two areas I would like to focus on.

Criteria 7: Promote a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive learning environment.

This course actively engaged me to be much more inclusive and collaborative. Already I have made steps toward talking to a range of different teachers in my school and around the world. Mindlab reminded me that collaboration is not just about the four walls of the classroom, rather it can cross boundaries of space and time…kind of.

Looking forward, my plan is to build on these networks and maintain regular contact with people who challenge and support my learning goals. I want to build on collaboration across departments. We have already taken steps into looking at changing the time table that we currently have – though it is no easy task.

I have also made plans with other teachers to look at revitalising courses and working in a collaborative manner.

The next focus area:

Criteria 4: Demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of professional personal practice.

I am determined to continue building my skill and knowledge base in order to raise my teaching to the next level. By doing this course I have realised that my previous PD has been rather stagnant. Through doing Mindlab I have been introduced to feedback, ideas, and tools that I can use to refresh my teaching practise. The aim is to continue building my PD through online resources and communities.

I recently had my teaching license renewed and I feel that Mindlab was particularly beneficial in helping with that.

Thanks in advance for reading this blog. And, feel free to keep following it as I plan to blog more regularly and even start sharing ideas and resources. All part of being a 21st Century teacher and learner – because I truly feel that you can’t be one without the other.

And, finally, a quote from Lin Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton which always reminds me that I should never be passive in my learning and teaching.

Source

References

Ministry of Education (nd). Practising teacher Criteria and e-learning . Retrieved from http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/

Miranda, L. & Lacamoire, A. & Chernow, R. (2016) Hamilton an American Musical. Hal Leonard Corporation

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.

Breaking down the silos aka Crossing Boundaries

Posted on July 3, 2017 by jaimelcoffey

I honestly do not think I could fully complete my map. In fact, there are so many more connections that I can think of as I write this but I’ve started and, this is a journey of growth.

New Mind Map

I look at this map and I think about all the potential that we are missing while we still teach in our silos. The first interdisciplinary connection that I would love to focus on is my fellow teachers.

As I teach across two subjects I can see how combining courses would allow for deeper understanding. The potential to create more vibrant and authentic learning environments excites me. As Mathison and Freeman mention “an integrated approach transcends disciplinary-bound knowledge in the exploration of a more unified and realistic view of knowledge.” This integrated approach is something that I find is missing from most high schools. Students are disengaged and shuffled from one subject to the next without seeing how all the subjects work together.

Ideally, I would like to build an interdisciplinary connection with some of my fellow teachers and, eventually, with outside professionals. Below is a quick example that I have been dreaming about.

Creating a course that students can opt into that leads to authentic learning but still covers core curriculum. An example could be creating a game design course. This could involve:

English, Music, Maths, History, Fabric Technology, Metal, DVC, Drama, and Computing. (And possibly more.)
Students would have to learn about script writing, coding, history (World and economic) and so on.
Creating characters would fall under English, DVC, Art etc.
The final outcome could be a demo game design that could be presented to game design companies.

Ideally the joint planning, decision-making, and goal-setting would take place with the students as well as the teachers as giving students agency in designing their course would help build on engagement. There would have to be regular meetings among the teachers involved and we would have to have common goals to move toward which could include credits and time management etc.

Weekly or fortnightly meetings
Goal setting with students and teachers
Planning meetings
Students have teacher facilitators.

ACRLog’s conceptual model for successful interdisciplinary collaboration

If we look at ACRLog’s model there is only one area that is difficult to change and that is the workplace conditions as most high schools are not set up for interdisciplinary teaching. (Silo effect). Also, you would need to have buy in from teachers, students and senior management. Ideally, you’d want to work with people who share similar qualities and attitudes but also challenge you, as the teacher, to look beyond the initial potential.

So – having an optimal workspace is the main concern but that can be worked around. Another thing that I feel would be beneficial is having students in charge of certain aspects and using teachers as facilitators.

The benefits of creating interdisciplinary collaboration far outweigh any concerns – especially if it leads to authentic learning. I know that there are still some kinks to iron out in this plan but it is a first step. There is so much potential and it does not need to be a game design. It could be student lead courses and they choose the teachers they wish to work with.

Ultimately, interdisciplinary collaboration would benefit students and teachers alike … so, I’m ready…

References

ACRLog. (2015). A Conceptual Model for Interdisciplinary Collaboration. Retrieved from http://acrlog.org/2015/05/14/a-conceptual-model-for-interdisciplinary-collaboration

Mathison,S.. & Freeman, M.(1997). The logic of interdisciplinary studies. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1997. Retrieved from http://www.albany.edu/cela/reports/mathisonlogic12004.pdf:

Professional Online Social Networks

Posted on July 2, 2017 by jaimelcoffey

For those long time readers you are probably aware that I spend a lot (maybe too much…) time on various social media networks. Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, TeacherPayTeacher, TES, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit. Heck, I still have a Livejournal or two. I have a teacher tumblr that I use to connect with teachers around the world and I have gained valuable feedback and resources. More importantly, I have gained support from people I have never met. As Melhuish mentions one of the main motivators for using social media networks is for “affirmation of practice, advice on experiences within the classroom, new resources, and mentorship.” (Melhuish, 2013, p39) And I have found that in abundance especially via my teacher tumblr.

social-media-students-vs-teachers-v2bc437915e02d-1

Source: We Are Teachers

Social media is a tool, just like anything else, and I feel that many teachers and students forget this. It is just as easy for students to become distracted with pen and paper as it is with social media. That being said, there is a place for social media in teaching. It is a great way to connect with people in New Zealand and around the world. Twitter, for example, is useful for PD, especially #edchat and other hashtags. On tumblr I rely on #educhums and #education to connect with fellow teachers and find interesting ideas. And teacher memes.

I have had my students create mood boards on Pinterest and create character based Instagrams to great success. As Silius et al. (2010) argue social media can enhance study for students due to their motivation to use and engage with it. And I have seen that. But we must be careful not to use it as a quick fad. So we have to understand it.

The potential challenges are buy in, time management, and fear. Many teachers are still hesitant to connect online so they don’t. There is also the time management aspect. When using social media networking there is never a down moment because when you are sleeping teachers on the other side of the world are working. When do you switch off when social media is 24/7? Then there are risks in sharing any bit of information online and students view social media differently from teachers. Most teachers still remember a time where we did not have internet or we had dial up. Students have powerful computers in their pocket and are keeping up with a range of things that we may view as trivial but are important to them. And they can find information quickly if they are truly engaged and interested in a topic.

I think the biggest challenge is how and why it is being used. Is it a distraction from the classroom? And, if so, what needs to change? (Hint: maybe not the students…) Which is why teaching digital citizenship is so important – and not just for the students but for the teachers as well.

Another honest moment coming up. I have not had any really good PD in a long time…except when I engage with people online. I have found resources and interacted with teachers who are trialling similar things. I’ve found support and advice for when I have been struggling. With teachers being so busy sometimes talking to “strangers” offers an objective view to a situation and gives us a chance to see that we are all facing similar challenges.

Social media is still new and it is adaptable. As long as we go in with a basic plan it can provide insight, information, encouragement and many memes.

References

Melhuish, K.(2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’ professional learning. Master Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrieved on 1 July, 2017 from http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/han…

Silius, K., Miilumäki, T.,Huhtamäki, J.,Tebest, T., Meriläinen, J., & Pohjolainen, S.(2010) ‘Students’ motivations for social media enhanced studying and learning.’ Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal, 2, (1). Retrieved on 7th May,2015 from http://www.kmel-journal.org/ojs/index.php/online-p.

First, let me take a selfie – or the one where I talk about legal and ethical contexts in my digital practice…

Posted on June 18, 2017 by jaimelcoffey

When you enter the teaching profession you lose a sense of anonymity. You become a semi public figure in the town or area that you teach. And, unlike some celebrities who gain popularity from their public mishaps, teachers are held to high account for their actions be it as innocent as having a glass of wine at a restaurant or being caught in their pyjamas at the supermarket. As Alan Hall reminds us, how we “fulfil our public duties influences the lives of vulnerable young people.” (Hall, 2001, p1) We are often held to high standards as we are helping frame and shape the minds of children. Therefore, we have a code of ethics and moral obligations to be role models.

The Code of Ethics has four points:

Commitment to learners.
Commitment to parents/guardians and family/whanau.
Commitment to society.
Commitment to the profession.

Education Council Code of Ethics 2015

Each of these points are there to help guide us in our interactions and to ensure we are doing the best for our students, their whanau, our community, and the profession over all.

What is Social Media

I have a heavy online presence. If you look at the above image I can count on one hand the number of the sites I do not use. When I first decided that I was going to teach I evaluated my use of social media. Back in 2011, when I started my first teaching job, I had twitter, Facebook and a blog. I made the conscious decision to untag myself from photos that I didn’t wish to be seen and I ensured that my Facebook was private. I asked that friends not tag me in anything that may compromise my “teacher” image. I had a different problem though – I was friends with people I used to babysit and were now at the school I was teaching at. I had cousins who were in high school following me. With that knowledge I decided that my online social media presence would be an honest reflection of what I believe. My Facebook is private and, although I do have former students and current students, I rarely post, and the focus of my Facebook page is nerd and pop culture. Oh, and a million teacher related articles…lifelong learning and all that.

My instagram is not private and I know that students do follow me on there. I post frequently and am very aware of the images that I post. Therefore, I ensure the images I post are ones that I would be happy sharing with my parents and older family members. In this day and age, having a social media presence has become somewhat of a norm. I use my instagram to keep in touch with people, follow authors and celebrities that I am interested in. It is a tool that I enjoy using and I know that others use it in a similar manner.

At my school there are no rules dictating what social media platforms we use but it is an unspoken rule that we act in a professional manner at all times. As I use social media frequently I am hyper aware of the image that I am presenting to the world. I do not need to refer to the code of ethics to remind me how to behave in a moral way but it is a good reminder to have there.

Ultimately, we should always be aware of how we project ourselves both irl and online. We should also remember that as teachers we are still human, even though we are often held to higher standards than many other professions…

References

Education Council. (2015). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. New Zealand Retrieved from: https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/about-code-of-ethics

Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers

“What Is Social Media”. Teachers & Social Media. N.p., 2017. Web. 17 June 2017. http://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/what-social-media

My Community of Practice

Posted on May 24, 2017 by jaimelcoffey

“COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE are groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis.”

-Etienne Wenger, Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge

Hello dear readers,

Let’s talk about communities of practice. If we refer to Wenger’s quote above we immediately see that a community of practice (CoP) is simply a group of people who have similar ideas or goals with regard to a specific topic or idea who meet regularly to foster and build on their knowledge. The first thing that comes to mind is a Guild or Dungeons and Dragons group but this is mainly due to my nerdy nature. The more I thought about it, however, the more I realised that I have been, and currently are, part of numerous CoPs in a professional capacity, not just a nerdy capacity. The difference is that according to Wenger again CoP must have the following three elements otherwise it is just a community:

Joint enterprise (domain)
Mutual engagement
Shared repertoire (Wenger, 2000, p229)

cop

Source

Quick Reflections

Posted on May 9, 2017 by jaimelcoffey

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If I am honest, I am not entirely pleased with how my first TAI went. Of course there were positives. The structured nature of the do nows worked really well with my class and the students are starting to use some of the new vocab words in everyday conversation. A brilliant example of that happened today in my drama class of all places. I teach year ten drama as well as year ten English so there are some students who are in both classes. One of my students commented on how I was sitting and said I looked like a “contortionist” which was a word from last week’s vocab list.

I still need to re test the students and see if the do nows have had a significant effect on my students. This will involve doing another writing test but I do want to give them time to study some of the words.

TAI Part Three

Posted on May 2, 2017 by jaimelcoffey

For Part 1

For Part 2

Using the guiding questions from our TAI Booklet this is how my inquiry progressed…

1. How am I infusing my ideas into my classroom practice?

Mainly through discussion and through consistency. I have been reading around the importance of Do Nows and making sure that I stick to the routine. By having the routine in place it gives me more time to float around the class and see students who aren’t doing too well. It also gives me an indication on who is taking this seriously. I can see students how haven’t written anything and those who have completed and moved onto the next task.

2. What am I learning from monitoring student outcomes?

I am learning that there are some students who struggle with simple concepts and this has allowed me to narrow my classroom teaching focus. A great example was when students struggled with apostrophes with regard to one of the Do Nows and that gave me the opportunity to have a lesson that focused on that.

I am also able to see how students are challenging themselves with their vocab – even when they are using the words in the wrong context it is great to see them expanding their vocabulary.

3. What are the next steps I need to take? (Research, resources, activities)

My current next steps involved re-testing with regard to the writing test at the start of the year.

I also want to do some more research about how focusing on vocabulary and reading can improve students writing. I want to also bring in the writing frame in order to strengthen their writing further.

Teaching As Inquiry Part 2

Posted on April 30, 2017 by jaimelcoffey

Carrying on from my last post I decided to use similar themed Do Nows across all my English classes.

My main tools were the google slides that I had created and, because they were structured, I was able to reuse them with ease so it helped with regard to my time management and the students would be able to see the structure.

The way I implemented my inquiry in the classroom was through talking to the students from day one. I explained that our area of focus for this term would be building on our vocabulary and our writing. (Hence vocab words and creative writing). I explained that these were areas that everyone could use practise in and that it would benefit everyone in class.

The trickier aspect came with recording student achievement as term one our focus was on oral presentations – so, aside from the written speech, there was not much focus on writing in class. This was fine though because through the use of the vocabulary words I started to see an improvement in their speeches when it came to editing. I saw students trying to use the words that we’d focused on that week in their written work.

Teaching As Inquiry Term 1 2017 – What is my Inquiry?

Posted on April 10, 2017 by jaimelcoffey

Our school wide goal for term one has been to look at Maori boys achievement. In order to narrow down our focus we were given a series of focusing questions that began with:

Step One: Identifying Students Needs.

First I decided to focus on my Year 10ENG class which has a range of students with varying abilities but, on the whole, the students are capable performers who, with a little time and effort, could easily be gaining Merits and Excellences in their written work.

The questions are as follows:

What was the achievement like for the Maori boys in my chosen class?
Why do I think they didn’t achieve? What factors could be involved?
What is the issue or factor that I will focus on this term?
What data will help me identify the issue? What does this data tell me about the issue?
Who is the identified class? (Or who are the students)
What do the students say about the issue I’ve identified?
What are my ideas about the issue?
What evidence will help me to confirm or disregard each of my ideas?

So, for the first question I looked at last year’s results where I found that there were a few scattered Not Achieves but the majority of the class did really well with everyone passing and some at a high level.

With regard to question two the main factors I would attribute for the grades would be: attendance, confidence, low vocabulary and limited general knowledge. Most of this information came from looking at attendance on Kamar and observations of the class. I could see students who were quick to engage with the language features I mentioned and others who would wander away from a task or struggle to identify common words.

Also, many of my students would say things like “I’m cabbage, miss” or “I’m dumb.” So building confidence was definitely a key focus.