What is actually happening in my class? Students today are encouraged to take a more active role in their own education.

Our school is situated in the heart of Auckland City. Engagement, empowerment and enrichment are at the heart of our school, which is built around an inquiry learning model, where learners are encouraged to ask questions and find answers.

My teaching practice includes my students and I exploring unfamiliar territory, which then leads to a pathway of regular reflection, varied opinions, open communication, collaboration, data sharing and monitoring  success, but more importantly developing ‘status’, relating to having a social or academic position.

We need to know that learning is a lifelong process. Palmer, (1997) emphasises that, “We teach from whom we are, and the subjects we teach are as complex as life”.  I have adopted this metaphor and think that a pedagogical and holistic approach will strengthen and develop a learners ‘status’. This technique is also called Scaffolding, meaning to come alongside a learner to support their learning needs. This technique requires me to explicitly model, rephrase, modifying learning outcomes and provide a clearer explanation.

My context is one of educational instruction, a process of understanding diversity, building relationships, co-constructing knowledge, meeting standards and digital networking.  My contexts include the physical space, ethnic groups and social environments and these contexts influence teaching and learning on a daily basis. Lave (1991).

The physical space includes the layout of the classroom, lighting, furniture, heating and differentiating the learning areas. My learning space is a MLE (Modern Learning environment), where learning is collaborative and the learners are becoming self-regulated. We have fewer tables and more soft or writable surfaces. Learning is done in quiet or loud areas, catering for the diverse learning styles.

The social context is made up of gender, ethnic groups and individual attitudes. Every student brings a basket of knowledge and personal subject matter, and our school has a commitment to enrich cultural and social pathways. A special feature of our school is our Maori Immersion Unit. We are fortunate to be able to provide Maori Education to those Whänau who desire it. Our community is supportive of what te tiriti means and has a commitment to its policies and practices, which means valuing and protecting the Maori way of life. These contexts require an approachable, friendly and flexibly practitioner who desires an all-compassing classroom. Workplace Well-being, (2015).

Our challenge is to integrate and embrace many multicultural, and socio economic groups.  It is important for the families to develop an immediate sense of belonging and connectedness. To enhance my professional and community connections I have adopted Bronfenbrenner Ecological Systems Theory, because it specifies the importance of ethnic and socio economic relationships. The Micro System and the Mesosystem system are two of five components, however these both talk about the direct influence a student has and this includes their family, neighbours, peers, teachers and friends. In addition the student’s schooling experiences and involves individual’s cultural contexts and pattern of activities. Community and Schools, (2008)

Communities in practice facilitate educators, parents and the wider stakeholders to become responsible for generating a shared space and vision for a schools well-being. Wenger-trayner, (2015) suggests that, communities are formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning, and these people share a common passion or concern.

In conclusion my community and professional practice is made up of many multicultural, and socio economic groups. The underlining philosophy is one of connectedness, and at the centre is the inquiry process. This requires teachers scaffolding learners to become more self-governed. I regard our teachers, school and community as incontrovertibly entwined.

 

 

 

References:

Bronfenbrenner U, 1979, The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Coalition for Community Schools (2008). The Institute for Educational Leadership. http://www.communityschools.org/aboutschools/what_is_a_community_school.aspx (n.d.): 2015. Web. 12 Sept. 2015.

Lave, J. (1991). Situating learning in communities of practice. In L. Resnick, J. Levine, and S. Teasley (Eds.), Perspectives on socially shared cognition.[ E-reader version](page 63-82). Retrieved from http://www.ecologyofdesigninhumansystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/13/Lave-Situating-learning-in-communities-of-practice.pdf

Ministry of Education (2015). What Is an Innovative Learning Environment?. What Is an Innovative Learning Space? (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 12 Sept. 2015. <http://mle.education.govt.nz/&gt;.

Palmer, P. “THE HEART OF A TEACHER.” N.p., 1997. Web. 12 Sept. 2015. <https://biochem.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/labs/attie/publications/Heart_of_a_Teacher.pdf&gt;.

Wenger-trayner.com. (2015). Introduction to communities of practice | Wenger-Trayner. Retrieved from http://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/