Wk 27-How does indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness are informing the way I am taking action?

At KKPS we are in the second year of some significant PLD with Cognition Education into Relationships Based Learning.  Russell Bishop's work in Te Kotahitanga and Culture Counts have provided us with a classroom observation rubric and reflective questions to help us think about our classroom practice and what next?

The 3 main parts taken from Russell Bishop's work have had a really important part to play in all the decisions I have made in this inquiry.  I believe that using a Flipped Classroom is a highly responsive culturally responsive pedagogy because it really does focus on the individual differences of each child whilst at the same providing an equitable education.

Creating an extended family context for learning

• Rejecting deficit explanations for learners learning- Flipping the learning allows for ALL children to have access, any place anytime to a quality education.
• Caring for and nurturing the learner and the learning, including their language and culture.- By flipping the learning and by providing meaningful clips, learners can watch, pause and re-watch clips, enabling them to take greater time to understand vocabulary.
• Voicing and demonstrating High Expectations- Learning is matched to their specific needs allowing for stretch and support.
• Ensuring that all learners can learn in a well managed environment-Children are engaged and able to access learning without the teacher.
• Knowing what learners need to learn-I curate or prepare videos for specific learning intentions and outcomes.  

Interact with this family like context in ways we know promotes learning
Most interactions in this area are provided by the workshops that follow the flipped learning. Ākonga are able to discuss their learning, what they know, and what next.  Feedback and feed-forward can be given by the teacher or student to student.

• Drawing on Learner's Prior Learning
• Using Formative assessment; Feedback
• Using Formative assessment; Feedforward
• Using co-construction processes
• Using Power Sharing Strategies

Monitor Learner's Progress and the impact of the processes of learning by seeing how well learners are able to:

• set goals for their learning- By using video clips the learning is very specific
• articulate how they prefer to learn-By collecting student voice throughout the inquiry process but also at the end of the inquiry cycle I can ascertain whether "flipped learning' is a good choice for the learners in my class.  I expect to find that there are mixed opinions within my class group
• Explain how they prefer to organise-Student voice is key and will be collected regularly.
• Participate in Leadership roles and functions- There will be opportunities to access the flipped material in class time.  I envisage that there will be some need to share ideas away from the teacher.  I can also see a huge benefit to the ākonga being the curators or creators of content too.  Once they become an 'EXPERT' there is no reason why they can't use POWER SHARING to teach others.
• Include others in the learning context and interactions- by flipping the learning students, families and teachers all play a role in the learning.
• Provide evidence of how well they are going and what progress they are making-Every group workshop following flipped will provide an opportunity to self reflect and assess their learning and understanding.
• Take ownership of their learning-They MUST take ownership of their learning for this pedagogy to succeed.

Taken from Culture Counts and Relationships Based Cultural Responsive Pedagogy- Cognition Education
Other references
TKI Inclusive Classrooms
TKI Māori achieving success as Māori

Wk 26-How aspects of law, regulations and/or policy impact on teacher inquiry?

Inquiry has been a part of my practice since I began teaching many many years ago.  Back when I graduated from University in 1997 and began working with a class of 25 year 1 children I have always pro-actively reflected upon the strategies I had been using, are they working?  and if not why not?  What could I do differently?  Am I meeting the very individual needs of my learners?  This was part of the very essence of being reflective and to me an essential part of being an effective educator.

I often read, intially books and then later blogs, watched TED Talks, took part in any PLD offered to me and talked.  I talked a whole lot to my colleagues, teachers I had trained with and any other teacher I knew.  I followed a cycle of hunches, actions and reflections frequently in an attempt to become a truly inspiring teacher.  Of course, at this time 22 years ago, these cycles were purely for me and my children.  Each time I went through the cycle there was no formal record of it, just a teacher keen to know more and improve outcomes and children desperate to learn.

Years later the Spiral of Inquiry has become more formalised.  No longer are these reflections just for me and my class, but they have become part of my Teacher Criteria and my School Appraisal.  There are now many check boxes to ensure that I have completed every part of the cycle.  I often wonder whether this formalised cycle has improved the quality of the inquiry.  How many times have I filled in a box, for the sake of box-ticking?  How many cycles of inquiry have not made it to my final doc?  On a daily basis I find myself reflecting, making a hunch, changing a process and then watching to see if the change has made a positive effect?  and so it goes on.  

Initially, my school used a Spiral of Inquiry using a google doc this was based on the work of Halbert and Kaser (2013).  Questions were posed and the reflective process followed a step by step set of prompts, but they were somewhat flexible.  Some inquiries were part of a whole-school process in trying to improve the outcomes for our children in writing, or reading.  Some were more personal, designed to meet our individual needs and some to meet the needs of our classes.

At the start of the 2018 school year, we embarked upon a journey with Arinui.  An on-line platform that walks you through the Inquiry process step by step. For a responsive practioner to change and someone who has the tendency to follow the lead of my children, this platform is sometimes stifling, sometimes pedantic and sometimes just what I need to keep myself on track.

A very positive aspect from Arinui is that it constantly and very efficiently draws you back to the Standards for the Teaching Profession.  It would be impossible to get to the end of the year without being able to identify areas for improvement.

On the changing landscape for teacher Appraisal Ariuni chief Tony Gilbert says
"Appraisal should be grounded by inquiry into practice, led by the teacher, and be a vehicle for school change and improvement. It is essential it is built on the principles of robust inquiry into practice based on carefully selected supporting evidence. "

For me, Inquiry is as it always has been the air that I breathe.  How I inspire kids to learn and improve their outcomes in all areas.


Arinui Features taken from Arinui Website Features-Your Evidence Collection
Gilbert (2019) taken from School News Monday 28th October
Halbert and Kaser (2013) Spirals of Inquiry for Equity and Quality
Our Codes, Our Standards-Code of Professional Responsibility, for the Teaching Profession
Wood C.Teaching as Inquiry: form, purpose and application in New Zealand
Secondary Schools (2015)

Week 25-How am I addressing the context of different audiences (local, national and/or international) and their perspectives for my inquiry

Most research around the pedagogy of ‘Flipped Learning’ relates to the Secondary Education and Higher Education

sectors. As a year 4 teacher in a Primary School, whilst I can see huge potential for Flipped learning in my

classroom there is little research in this area.   I am an early adopter of digital technologies and trialing this pedagogy,

which promotes personalised learning, learner agency and strengthens home school partnerships seems a natural fit

for my classroom. I believe that it could be an incredibly effective pedagogy in raising engagement and achievement.

Since March, when I embarked upon this AMAZING learning journey with the Mindlab, my class of 44 year 4 learners

have been interested in, and inspired by the many innovations, shared firstly from Mindlab to me, and then from me

to my learners.  Each Friday morning, (the morning after the Mindlab session), the children have arrived at school

with a ‘What next?” curiosity. This inquiry is no different. The groups I teach are invested in the outcomes, knowing

that they play a critical role in my learning.  It has never been my philosophy to be the fountain of all knowledge,

more a facilitator and someone who inspires my class to learn.

Parents too, have shown a huge interest in how digital technologies can be used to enhance understanding and

engagement for both the ākonga and their whānau. We have used Class Dojo throughout the course of the year to

share information and fun learning pics but ultimately involving whānau in their child's classroom learning, takes the

home-school partnership to a new level How empowering for the parents to be able to see and practice the maths

strategy that their tamariki are learning at school?

On a wider scale, Toutouwai, my classroom has become a hub of inspiration for others at the school. Many

colleagues are curious about the pedagogies I have learned throughout Mindlab and how these new innovations

are working. In due course I hope to be able to share my experiences of the Flipped Classroom- the highs and lows,

what works and what doesn't.

On a National Level we know that there is much interest in and around 21st century pedagogies. When Flipped learning is
executed well within a classroom we are meeting the challenges of a 21st century pedagogy that is culturally responsive,
child centred and promotes agency within the children. As an active user of teacher pages on Facebook and MeWe,
I have, and will continue to take part in robust dialogue around this pedagogy. Learning from others and sharing my
thinking too.

Our School Vision: Empowering Today, Nurturing the Future.

How exciting to know that through this Inquiry into Flipped Learning, I am EMPOWERING today, and nurturing the future.

References:
TKI Flipped Learning
Facebook- Flipped Learning Network
Rachel Bolstad (2012) Principles for a future orientated education system 
Supporting Future Orientated Learning and Teaching - A New Zealand Perspective