Reflective Entry 6 - My Mindlab Journey

Practice 2 Essay 6: Reflect on how you have changed your practice during your post graduate DCL journey 

Significant change is hard work if there is to be any

long lasting benefits. Over my journey, I have found

great satisfaction, insights, improved self-awareness

and a renewed self agency and improvement to my

practice.  Osterman & Kottkamp (2015) discuss that

reflective practice can overcome habit and help individuals

to facilitate significant change in their practice. They

also make the point that it is a challenging process.

Priestley, Biest, & Robinson (2015) (as cited in Bolstad, & Macdonald 2016, p.2)

also suggests that through a teacher agency lense,

worthwhile practice change won’t happen unless teachers

are prepared for personal transformation by challenging and

identifying their current thinking and practice. 

The main driving force for change was my need for students

to use more digital technology integration in their learning. Initially,

I believed this was caused by what I perceived to be a lack of

digital tool knowledge. Whenever I tried to introduce a new piece

of technology, it didn’t really take off nor seem meaningful to their

learning. However, after a few weeks, at The Mindlab, I had improved

these skills without too much mental rigor. From taking a step back

and critiquing my classroom leadership behaviour,  I realised that

my real problem has been a lack of leadership around leading change.

My approach in the past, had been too transactional. Through

my Leadership 1 assignment I was able to critique and reflect

upon the leadership of others, being able to identify and analyse

the leadership styles and theories I was learning about at

The Mindlab. I realised that leaders do not need to adhere to

one particular style of leadership, as I discovered from my

Digital 2 and Leadership 2 assignment.  

During this time, I saw a shift in student engagement for

the first time, when introducing a new change initiative, where

I used a combination of transformational and situational leadership

combined with Roger’s (1962) Diffusion of Innovation theory,

(as cited in Robinson 2009).  I was able to inspire a group

of identified early adopters around a new writing innovation.

I began the change initiative with a transformational style

which Franciosi (2012) states as leadership which has a

focus and concern on the identified needs of the followers,

to develop autonomy, which can advance a shared goal.

It is the act of integrating theories and practice that act to

create change. As I used Roger’s Diffusion of innovation

theory, its success reiterated the importance of integrating

my theories as well as adapting my leadership to the different

phases of the initiative. Shermerhorn (1979) states that 

“situational leaders need to alter their leadership to suit the

situation and readiness of their followership...and adapt their

task behavior and socio-emotional behavior to suit the more

experienced and less experienced.” (p.33). 

I have also found far reaching implications of this internal

integration of theories. Firstly, it helps me as an educator

to meet the diverse needs of my learners,  which upholds

the code and teaching standards set out by the Education

Council (2017), which states, as teachers we can show a

commitment to learners by “respecting the diversity of the

heritage, language, identity and culture of all learners” (p.10). 

Leadership also gave new perspectives towards research

and using the spiral of inquiry to lead action research in the

classroom during the “taking action” phase of the inquiry,

which Kaser & Halbert (2017) state is a “time to put new

ideas into informed, focused and team-led action” (p.33). 

However, the last part of this quote is what I have found

most difficult in my journey. It has been isolating, as I have

been the only teacher doing The Mindlab postgrad at my school.

In the future, I have suggested to senior management, that

there needs to be support systems in place that when teachers

take up further study, particularly when continuing to work full

time, something like a critical friend could be one support mechanism.

This year, I have a new role in leading science, where I am utilising

my leadership skills to create effective change.  Finally, the spiral

and my journey has not ended, it is continuing to evolve, by staying

curious, challenging myself, and being inspired by informed and

continual innovation. Timperley, Kaser & Halbert (2014)

“Innovation floats on a sea of inquiry, and curiosity

is a driver for change” (p.4).

References 

Bolstad, R. & MacDonald,J.(2016). An analysis of participant blogs supplemented by teacher interviews. Wellington:New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

Education Council - Matatu Aotearoa. (2017). Our Code, Our Standards Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards for the Teaching Profession. Retrieved from https://teachingcouncil.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf

Franciosi, S.J. (2012). Transformational leadership for education in a digital culture. Digital Culture & Education, 4(2), 235-247

Kaser, L. & J. Halbert. (2017). The Spiral Playbook: Leading with an inquiring mindset in school systems and schools. C21 Canada. Retrieved from http://c21canada.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Spiral-Playbook.pdf

Osterman, K. F., & Kottkamp, R. B. (2015). Reflective practice for educators : professional development to improve student learning.(2nd ed.) New York: Skyhorse Publishing.

Robinson, L. (2009). A summary of Diffusion of Innovations. Changeology. Retrieved from http://www.enablingchange.com.au/Summary_Diffusion…

Schermerhorn, J.R. (1979). Situational Leadership - Conversations with Paul Hersey. Mid-American Journal of Business, 12(2), 5-12.

Timperley, H., Kaser, L.  & Halbert, J. ( 2014) A framework for transforming  Learning in Schools: Innovation and the spiral of inquiry  Victoria Australia Centre for Strategic Education

Reflective entry 5 : Impact of Action Research

Practice 2 Essay 5: Evaluate  how your inquiry impacts on future inquiry/practice 

One of my main aims of my research inquiry was to investigate

the extent to which a three phase teaching approach (exposure,

engagement, experimentation) could have on improving

science knowledge in year 5 and 6 students. The image

below shows the anticipated impact of my research from my

action plan. The highlighted parts show what the actual impacts

were that are supported by evidence. Unfortunately, due

to Covid19, I could not carry out all of my research. 

Impacts from my research include: some improved connections

between science knowledge, evident in the sample below of

a pre and post interview, which is reflective of 4/6 participant

responses. 6/6 participants displayed eagerness and excitement

for creating more paper circuits which is another impact that was anticipated.  

Pre-Knowledge Check Interview	Post-Knowledge Check Interview

Applying Biggs & Collis (1982) Solo Taxonomy model, post

data collection shows students were able to link ideas, moving

from multistructural (prior knowledge interviews)  to relational

understanding, (post-knowledge interviews) which shows some

improvement in their knowledge about electrical circuits.

However, upon reflection, my research to date is not

comprehensive enough to indicate that the 3 phased teaching

approach improved knowledge, since other teaching approaches,

such as a flipped presentation could have achieved a

similar result. In future practice or inquiries, I will need to

use appropriate and varied data collection methods as

Mukherji & Albon (2015) confirm is helpful for triangulating

data  “Using more than one method to obtain information

is known as triangulation, whereby the strengths of one

method compensate for the weaknesses of another” (p.37). 

Marecek (2003) (as cited in Babione, 2015) suggests that

qualitative data such as interviews, narratives and description

can be analysed to find patterns and themes. (p.140). Upon

analysing my post interview data, and recalling student learning

behaviour during the lesson, a pattern and theme emerged

which was an unexpected impact that my inquiry revealed.

Responses made by students when I asked them how they

felt when I answered their question during the lesson with

another question, revealed a lack of learner agency, as 4/6

responded that ‘they didn’t like it’. Clarke, Timperley & Hattie (2001)

state that “open questions allow for a range of responses and

make progressive cognitive demands on children” (p.99),

which encourages them to think deeply. This unplanned impact

has implications for the future and gives insight into how do I

create a context and environment to mediate learner agency?

The impact on my future practice and inquiries will be to improve

learner agency. Wenmoth (2014) states in his video, that

“When someone has agency in their learning they have the

power to act. The key idea really is that learning requires the

activity and initiative of the learner, more than the inputs that

are transmitted to the learner from the teacher.”  As my data

revealed, through post interviews and of me recalling their lesson

behaviour, students had a tendency to seek answers rather than

cultivate their own learning. It is interesting to note, that even though

they didn’t like experimenting - trying to get their paper circuit to

light up, they were all thirsty for more, and they did begin to

show signs of improved science knowledge.  Edutopia (n.d) states

“Instructional coaching at the teacher level requires that the

administrator and school leaders be trained to refrain from

their natural tendency to provide the teacher with solutions to

the problems he is facing.” I think this cannot only apply to teachers

but students themselves and could help them change those

passive behaviours by using educational coaching techniques,

particularly questioning to help improve learner agency. 

Overall,  further areas of inquiry in the future, based on the

evidence and analysis of my action research, include continuing

to use several data collection methods to help triangulate and

gather data, as well as, investigating ways to improve learner

agency, where new action research around this theme could

emerge, using a larger number of participants. These are two

main areas that I believe would be beneficial for improving both

teaching practice and student learning. 

References 

Babione, C. (2015). Practitioner Teacher Inquiry and Research. USA: John Wiley & Sons. (e-copy available in Unitec library).

Biggs, J.B., & Collis, K.F. (1982). Evaluating the quality of learning: The SOLO taxonomy. New York: Academic Press.

Clarke, S., Timperley, H., Hattie, J.(2001) Unlocking Formative Assessment. Practical strategies for enhancing students’ learning in the primary and intermediate classroom. London. United Kingdom. Hodder Education. 

Johnson, B. Edutopia. N.d. Retrieved from

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/power-educational-coaching-ben-johnson

Mukherji, P., Albon, D. (2015). Research Methods in Early Childhood An Introductory Guide. California, USA. Sage Publications.

Wenmoth, D. (2014). Ten Trends 2014: Agency. Retrieved from https://edtalks.org/#/video/ten-trends-2014-agency

Reflective Entry 4 - Ethical Issues

Practice 2 Essay 4: Discuss how ethical issues are being addressed while you are taking action  

As a New Zealand teacher, my practice and the choices

I make when working with students, is underpinned by

the Education Council ( 2017) and their guiding document,

Our Code, Our Standards. Pono is one of Our Code

values and states that teachers should demonstrate

integrity by “acting in a way that is fair,honest, ethical

and just” (p.4).  This was a conscious consideration

I undertook in my action research. 

For my research, I had chosen my team leader’s class,

since I cover her classroom release regularly every week.

After explaining the purpose of the research the previous

week , which  aligned with the New Zealand Association

For Research in Education (2010) guideline 3.2 informed

consent which states “Before participants make a

decision about their involvement in a project, they

need to be given a clear description of why the research

is being undertaken, what it involves (p.6)  I proceeded

to commence my lesson. I called upon all 6 student

participants but as they approached, one student

appeared visibly distressed. And, in that moment, I was

faced with what Elrich, Kimber, Millwater & Cranston, (2011)

identify in their model of ethical decision making as a “critical incident”

which they state, “ triggers the ethical dilemma” (p.178-179).

Their model below also shows the forces and individual beliefs

and values at play when faced with an ethical dilemma. 

As part of my  action research, I had considered ethical

situations that may have occurred. The image below,

from my action plan, identifies, in the first right-hand column,

the potential for a student(s) to become distressed.

When deciding on a course of action, for the best

possible outcome I had to find out what had caused

the distress. After calming down, she expressed

that she had to finish her house captain slides for

the school assembly but thought she was going to

let me down and miss out on the paper circuitry lesson. 

The action I took was to remove her from the research,

so that she could commit to her House captain work.

This dilemma has made me realize that teachers need

to have a certain level of self-awareness and perspective

to work in an ethical manner and be open to the

various complex views in order to find the best possible

outcome.  Hall, ( 2001) suggests that teachers need to be

able to “ recognise ethical problems when they occur

and be capable of recognising what is at risk” (p.3). If I

had told her not to complete her assembly slides, this

would have had a negative impact on her emotional well

being, her role as a house captain, the running of the school

assembly. The decision I made also aligns with

the New Zealand Association for Research in Education

Guidelines (2010) principle 3.5 “If adverse effects are

encountered during the course of a research exercise,

it should normally be terminated as soon as it is practicable

in order to avoid further harm” (p.6).  

Reflecting on this in the future, when undertaking

action research,  I would find out about students' current

commitments and plan and schedule any further research

around their commitments to avoid clashes in the timetable. 

I also think that using some lean and agile leadership

strategies could help action research in school settings

especially in creating a timeline of actions.

All in all, reflecting on my actions and the ethical literature

that I have read, it has helped me to have a greater awareness

of the forces and implications that can arise from

conducting action research in an educational setting.

References

Education Council. (2017). Our Code Our Standards. Retrieved from: https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf

Ehrich, L. C. , Kimber M., Millwater, J. & Cranston, N. (2011). Ethical dilemmas: a model to understand teacher practice, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 17:2, 173-185, DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2011.539794

Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. In IIPE Conference, Brisbane.

New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE). (2010). NZARE Ethical Guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.nzare.org.nz/portals/306/images/Files/NZARE%20EthicalGuidelines2010.pdf