Week 32 Activity 8: Changes in my practice

Well it has been fun to look back over some photos and notes from our first few weeks on the course which seem so long ago. I am relieved to be on my final assessment and pushing the submit button for the final time but I will also be a bit deflated without something new to ponder, try, talk about and learn each week.

I must admit I was most attracted to the ‘technology’ part of this post grad certificate but I think I gained a lot more in the areas of pedagogy, ethics, contemporary education theories, and developing my teaching craft.

I have three books full of notes and a blog for the first 16 weeks, then a blog for the last 8 weeks. I am looking forward to getting my evenings back but will miss the many hours of reading ‘peer reviewed articles’, reading amazing blogs of other Mindlabees,  watching videos, thinking, interacting and reflecting.

Two key changes in my research informed practice in relation to the Practising Teacher Criteria (PTC).

“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) p2

This year is the first time that I have been writing a blog frequently and I hope it is now a habit that I can continue. I think it is really helpful as a reflective tool especially when I am aware of ‘uncomfortable moments’ in my teaching or it helps me to make notes of what has helped or hindered the learning during my day.

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

This year the Mindlab course allowed us to experience working in collaboration- for discussion, tasks, challenges and online.  As a result I have been incorporating more collaborative learning tasks in my teaching. I should not have been surpised at the difference in student engagement and enjoyment of working together in class. I am still learning how to give enough structure to get students started but not too much that they won’t devise strategies and approaches for themselves. These collaborative tasks have also led to more innovation and ideas that were way bigger than I could have thought of.

As a result of my research I discovered that mixed ability groups were very beneficial. Previously I would tend to group students by their level of ability in my subject. Students have been learning various roles in their groups and communicating in ways that are inclusive and encouraging. My challenge next year is to build this further so that students are happy to write comments and post feedback for their peers.

Criterion 11: Analyse and appropriately use assessment and information, which has been gathered formally and informally.

Amongst my readings this year I came across Hattie’s ‘Make learning visible’ and this has struck me as one of the biggest changes I can make in my classroom. Whether it is through Padlet notes, Kahoot quizzes, Seesaw posts, or peer sharing, I see that my encouragement of student voice and desiring to see their learning is motivating and provides that supportive learning environment.

Traditionally I used topic tests and assessments to gather information but this year I have used much broader ways of gathering that information to feed forward in my teacher inquiry cycle and adjust the learning.

Share your next dream regarding your future professional development.

 My goal is to always seek out new knowledge, approaches and understanding, and to put this into practice. I aim to remain a learner and I will continue to innovate with digital tools.

I aim to use the knowledge that I have gained, and will gain in the future to always offer the best opportunities that I am able to offer for the students I teach and staff through PD. I feel that I have a way to go to plan learning programs that enable my students to flourish in the 21^st century but that is what I will be focussing on next year.

After that I will be missing the reading and research too much and may look to go on and study for e my Masters. Thanks to the awesome team at Mindlab and wonderful peers for your encouragement and conversations.

References

Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R.(1993). Reflective Practice for Educators.California.Cornwin Press, Inc. Retrieved on 7th May, 2015 fromhttp://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files.

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

Week 31 Activity 7: My interdisciplinary connection map

Week 31 Activity 7: My interdisciplinary connection map

 1. Identifying your current and potential interdisciplinary connections.

 2: Select one of the potential interdisciplinary connections from your map as your near future goal

One potential interdisciplinary connection that I would like to explore more involves English/ICT/Mathematics.

Our Junior students explore designing nets for 3D objects. It is cool to use stop-motion technology to show the flat card folding together into a 3D object as if by magic. Students would be challenged to develop a storyline and in collaborative groups create a short stop-motion video which uses one or more of the 3D folded objects.

For the planning all 3 teachers (English/ICT/Mathematics) would have to get together and decide the space and materials needed, the project criteria and time frame.

Benefits of interdisciplinary practice:

-Team work, portfolios and inquiry learning gives students more of a sense of personal growth

-Students are more involved in their learning. There are more innovation opportunities.

-Students see life through many perspectives. Real world knowledge is connected and multi-faceted.

-Any disciplinary field is enriched and inspired by ideas and methods from other fields

-Learning can be hindered when it remains in silos

-With cooperative real world problem solving learners are developing as meaningful members of the community

-Students have greater opportunity to make decisions, think critically and creatively, and synthesize knowledge beyond the disciplines

-Learners gain a better overall grasp of global connections, along with the development of multiple perspectives

Challenges of interdisciplinary practice

 “The other potential problem is what Jacobs (1989) calls the 'potpourri problem' where courses become a sampling of a little bit of this and a little bit of that without an overall, coherent structure or scope. The general consensus is that the choice of a theme or activity should promote "progress towards significant educational goals, not merely because it cuts across subject-matter lines” Mathison and Freeman (1997)

- Teachers and students can be isolated from the core of their field and be focussed on the fringes.

-As a teacher of Mathematics I find it a vast and wonderful subject which doesn’t always need to be artificially incorporated into a ‘real life’ problem or combined in an inter-disciplinary event. Mathematics can be enjoyed for the power and elegance of doing Mathematics.

- With languages, grammar and spelling must be drilled and likewise in Mathematics, time needs to be spent practicing basic algebra and number skills without creating extra non-mathematical difficulties.

- There is a challenge to coordinate the classes, maintain student engagement, coordinate groups when students are absent or involved with co-curricular activities, be fair to students’ workload, cover the standards sufficiently and have tasks that meet the criteria for Achieve to Excellence.

Overall lessons take more time and collaboration to create but students and teachers advance in critical thinking, communication and creativity. There needs to be a balance between deep and shallow tasks. Students need to acquire basic skills as well as be able to dig deeper and apply the knowledge in authentic interdisciplinary problem solving.

References

Jones, C.(2009). Interdisciplinary approach - Advantages, disadvantages, and the future benefits of interdisciplinary studies. ESSAI7 (26), 76-81.

Los Angeles County Office of Edu (2014, Oct 24). Interdisciplinary Learning [video file].

Mathison,S.,& Freeman, M.(1997). The logic of interdisciplinary studies. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1997. 

Week 30 Activity 6: Using social online networks

Week 30: Using social online networks in teaching and professional development

Online social networks are “socially constructed spaces that allow members to create and collaborate in groups using semi-permanent comments” (Melhuish,2013, p26)

 People are able to develop an online persona or internet identity where they reveal varying amounts of personal information about themselves. In some cases a person can choose to be anonymous or use a pseudonym and in some cases be deceptive as to who they are.

Key features of social media that are beneficial for teaching and learning

Social media like Instagram and to a lesser extent Facebook are already used by students. They would naturally expect to communicate with one another via social media. Students can use it anywhere and anytime and geographical boundaries are overcome.

Social media is always being updated so real time information sharing can take place. Links to calendar events and invitations to events are commonplace.

It is fast, easy, and free. It is intuitive to use and immediate because it is top of mind for students and a natural way to connect with peers.

Potential challenges that teachers need to be aware of when integrating social networking platforms into teaching activities

My biggest hesitation in using a social networking platform in high school classes (Year 9-11) has been distraction. I think that the engaging content and social communication would be very challenging to compete with and students would be tempted to multitask.  I think there are similar platforms for posting content, which allow feedback and collaboration such as Edmodo and Seesaw. 

In a physical classroom the teacher is able to hear the discussions and conversations taking place but with social media it is difficult to always keep track of what is being communicated and ensure that it is a safe environment for all students. It is important that security settings are appropriate and cyber safety discussions have taken place.

Addressing the challenges

The TKI site provides some good resources on digital citizenship

 http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Teaching/Digital-citizenship

The Pond also has a lot of resources
Another great site for lesson plans and videos is www.esafety.gov.au

Check out the following video:

Facebook has been blocked on our school internet server so I rely on students interacting on subject websites, Seesaw app for posting and commenting, and Google Classroom for commenting and giving feedback.

I would like to use Google Communities more with my students as I think it is an easy platform to post material and interact with others. It would work well at our school because all students have a Google log in.

Social Media and professional development

Personally I find a ‘NZ Maths teachers’ Facebook page very helpful for professional development. Mostly I like the immediacy of the notifications such as changes in the marking schedule for NCEA or links to conferences and resources. For actual changes to my practice and reflective conversations I would use face to face discussions with colleagues.

Diagram showing various activities in a professional social media group (Melhuish,2013) p63.

 Benefits of social media for professional development include:

·        sharing ideas and resources across multiple communities, connecting with peers

·        reflecting on one’s own practice in one’s own context

·        growth of professional identity and leadership

·        enhanced technical skills, digital literacy and connections

·        flexible co-constructive approach

·        traditional pd was determined by HOD or school leadership and constrained by budgets and other priorities

             Concerns when using social media for professional development

                     “It is crucial, however, to bear in mind that collaboration, connection and conversation                        online only provide pre-conditions for effective professional learning” (Melhuish,     2013, p5).

·        Online professional development requires a self-managing disposition, some technology skills, and a willingness to participate and contribute ie less lurking and more participating

·        A key ‘hook’ for many teachers in the studies was the exchange of resources which is helpful but not necessarily supportive of enhancing teacher practice

·        Just because one is sharing information on a social network site does not mean that the comments are theory-driven

·        “Learning, driven by the urgent ‘just in time’ desires of teachers does not have the same impact as sustained professional learning with clear outcomes, driven by evidence and inquiry. Informal learning may provide an enabler to impact on teacher practice, but it may not have long term influence on student achievement“ (Melhuish, 2013, p35).

  

We do not have a social media platform for professional development at our school but I think it would be very helpful for engaging staff and having conversations, links, and academic articles that are posted and we interact within our school environment. 

It would also mean we could spend less time in physical staff meetings. There are many teachers who are doing post-graduate study and it would be great to have a place for them to share ideas and trends that we could discuss and reflect on.

References

Melhuish, K.(2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’ professional learning. Master Thesis. The University of Waikato. 

Week 29 Activity 5: Ethics with Screenagers

 Legal and ethical contexts in my digital practice

Screenagers

In the last month Education Minister Hekia Parata announced that the Government was looking at students being able to do their schooling entirely online. The internet affords our students huge opportunities but we also have a responsibility to help our students become responsible digital citizens

In our school (BYOD) students have access to most of the internet but social media sites like Facebook have been blocked. I understand that this is primarily to stop it being a distraction to students while they are at school. Of course students with phones using 3G still access their Facebook account at school but most students have internet at home and access Facebook then.

My problem is a group of students I frequently find on the library computers when I am on duty and they are accessing Facebook through a proxy server (although quickly change screens if approached). I know these students don’t have phones and don’t have computers and wifi in their homes. So far I have let it slide, but I am uncomfortable with this situation and would like some resolution.

The reason I have not taken action is because it is lunchtime as opposed to being in class time, and mostly because the students don’t have the same access to the internet outside of school hours. Also I realise that Facebook is not pornography but a social media site.

The reason I do need to take action is because it is against school rules to access blocked sites on school computers and as a teacher I need to stand by those rules. If I am making exceptions, my relationship with students and other staff will be compromised. Other students will see it as unfairness that I am not following school rules. Also the students may be using Facebook in a way that is not responsible and either have negative consequences themselves or end up hurting others.

What could I do?

The codes that I need to consider as an educator would be the NZ Code of Ethics for Certified Teachers which states that

“The professional interactions of teachers are governed by four fundamental principles:

Autonomy to treat people with rights that are to be honoured and defended. Justice to share power and prevent the abuse of power. Responsible care to do good and minimise harm to others. Truth to be honest with others and self."

I could also consider the Connecticut Code of Professional Responsibility for Educators which states that “Teachers must respect and uphold the dignity and worth of students as individual human beings, and, therefore, deal justly and considerately with students”

Up to this point I have had a short conversation with the students reinforcing that they should be responsible digital citizens and not go on proxy servers.

I think first off I should have a conversation with the librarian as these students are frequently on the library computers. In future I would also tell the students that I am making a behaviour note to their Dean so that they know there is a consequence and hopefully deter them from this action. The school policy for continued defiance would be to remove their internet access but this would seriously hamper their classroom learning.

I could also ask myself “What would happen if everyone did this?” If this school rule is disregarded by students and teachers then other school rules would also be disregarded and school would no longer be an emotionally and physically safe and healthy learning environment for all students.

Inequity is probably the bigger issue so a more positive outcome would actually be to help these students have their own devices where they could access social media at home.  The problem would be that they still shouldn’t access Facebook in school time and probably can’t afford 3G on a device. It would be best for me to talk to their house Dean’s and discuss their family situations to see if there are ways we can help.

In this ethical situation general rules of conduct and consistency across the school are important principles, but also to consider solving deeper issues of inequity would be best practice.

References

Connecticut’s Teacher Education and Mentoring Program. (2012). Ethical and Professional Dilemmas for Educators: Facilitator’s Guide.

Education Council. (n.d). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certficated Teachers. 

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. 

Week 28 Activity 4: Indigenous knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness

Indigenous knowledge

  Indigenous knowledge helps everyone towards new understandings of the world we live in. In New Zealand we support te reo Māori (language) and mātauranga Māori (body of knowledge-wisdom).

 “The inclusion of mātauranga Māori enables all children to understand the significance of Māori as tangata whenua through the use of te reo Māori; Māori symbols; learning experiences... The inclusion of Mātauranga Māori across the curriculum enhances the mana and wairua of Māori children. This validates their ways of knowing, being and doing” (ERO, 2013) p17.

Culturally responsive pedagogy is defined by Gay (2001) as “using the cultural characteristics, experiences and perspectives as conduits for effective teaching” (p106).

It is not solely based on race but encompasses such things as age, gender and location.

Bonner and Adams (2012) use a diagram to represent four cornerstones of culturally responsive pedagogy: knowledge, communication, relationships and reflection.

Planning to support diverse cultural backgrounds and languages in my  classroom involves:

1. Knowledge of the content, pedagogy, community and students.

2. Communication 

•     encourage the visibility of Māori language throughout the learning environment and use of        Te Reo (one of the strongest expressions of identity is language)
•    Māori concepts and perspectives are important to the learning process
•    conversations challenge ideas, evoke new thinking and build resourcefulness
•    words/images/dialogue/situations stimulate curiosity and enquiry
•   meaningful real world problem solving  

3. Relationships (whānaungatanga)

• building trust, confidence and capability with positive interactions and high expectations
• communicating deep care in tangible ways
• collaboration is valued as well as students taking responsibility for their own learning
• learning reflects local issues, values and the natural environment
•  restorative practice 

4. Reflection

• an active dynamic process and reciprocal relationship between learning and teaching (ako)
• assessment feedback and feed-forward, next steps
• learners and teachers reflect on and evaluate the learning and teaching

My Reflection:

When researching some of the articles about a culturally responsive pedagogy in the context of Mathematics teaching I felt quite inspired. There were many activities and techniques that I have not used before such as storytelling and choral responses for skill based learning.

High Expectations

There is only a very small percentage, if any, Māori students who choose to study Mathematics at NCEA Level 2 or 3 in our school. Up to this point I have made excuses as to why I think Māori students do not study Level 2/3 Mathematics. I regret that I have thought this way. I now feel challenged to ensure these akonga are confident and passionate in their Mathematic skills at Year 9-11 so that they can continue to high level Mathematics.

I am also challenged to ask myself “How did each of my students do today?” If I am not regularly checking books, do my students think I am unconcerned? Probably. My goal will also be to make better use of the last 10 mins of class time for reflection –sometimes oral feedback and other times written.

When looking at the Unitec (n.d.) Poutama I think that I am still on the bottom level of cultural responsiveness (Te Reo Māori is at a basic level, there is a culturally safe learning environment, basic tikanga Māori in lessons, learning/teaching approaches are inclusive) but hopefully new steps are being made to teach in a more culturally responsive way.

References

Bishop. R., Berryman, M., Cavanagh, T. & Teddy, L. (2009).Te Kotahitanga: Addressing educational disparities facing Māori students in New Zealand. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5),734–742.

Bonner, Emily P., & Adams, Thomasenia L. (2012). Culturally Responsive Teaching in the Context of Mathematics: A Grounded Theory Case Study. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 15(1), 25-38.

Education Review Office (2013) He Pou Tātaki - How ERO reviews early childhood services.  Retrieved from http://www.ero.govt.nz/publications/he-pou-tataki-how-ero-reviews-early-childhood-services/part-4-eros-framework-for-review-nga-pou-here/

Gay,G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2),106-116.

Ukpokodu, Omiunota N. (2011). How Do I Teach Mathematics in a Culturally Responsive Way?: Identifying Empowering Teaching Practices. Multicultural Education,19(3), 47-56.

Unitec. (n.d). Learning and Teaching at Unitec Institute of Technology. Retrieved from Booklet.http://www.unitec.ac.nz/ahimura/publications/U008817%20Learning%20and%20Teaching%20Booklet.pdf

Week 27 Activity 3: Contemporary Issue: Loneliness

Week 27 Blog

 Contemporary issue: Loneliness 

Modern life is making us lonelier and I think it is a valid contemporary issue. With globalisation there are more people on the move and we are living further from friends and family. Increased immigration to New Zealand has been one of the factors causing over the top house prices and housing shortages. Many have gained in affluence while others struggle to find a place to rent. These stresses can make us feel alone and vulnerable. With advances in technology we may connect to hundreds via Facebook or Instagram yet we yearn for face to face communication and personal touch.

Family Matters:

Traditionally family has given us a sense of wellbeing and been the shelter when storms come our way. But family is not so strong in contemporary society. Teens wonder who they are and do they matter when Mum and Dad split up and find other partners. There are stresses on single parent homes especially financially. Other families are pained with addictions and children are neglected or abused. For some boys there is an attraction in ‘belonging’ to a gang lifestyle and many families lack the boundaries that teens need.

Adrian Franklin(2012) researched loneliness in Australia and concluded that “social relationships persist into the present time but no longer deliver or sustain the same emotional qualities or intensities that make people feel they belong, they matter and they are cared for.”

Recently a colleague was asked “how good are the teachers at your school?” She replied ‘Well how good are you at parenting? If you are doing the parenting we can get on and do the teaching.”

If only that were true. Schools and educators are increasingly being asked to take on the rights and responsibilities of parents. We are called to do more than the teaching.

 ERO(2012) “encourages schools to develop systems, processes and connections that put students at the heart of learning and teaching, rather than on the periphery of school decision-making and the curriculum.”

What does research tell about the identified issue of loneliness?

Adolescence is a time for establishing a sense of identity and in most Western countries a career identity is dominant. This is now more difficult for schools as future careers are less certain. One of our duties as educators is to help youth take steps toward their adult roles and strengthen their self-concept.

Again ERO(2012) comments that too many students are at risk of making poor progress and of leaving school with few qualifications. The government’s goal of 85% of 18 year olds attaining Level 2 is ‘deemed to equip students sufficiently to participate in employment and society in a productive and successful manner’ (p5)

What is the role of education in solving the problem of loneliness and self-concept?

“Those who have been lonely for some time need support to change the view of themselves and how they feel others will react to them.” (Harris, 2013)

I think there are 3 important roles that we have as educators today, based on ERO(2012)

• ·        We create rich learning programs that promote engagement and self-responsibility.
• ·        That students are partners in learning and are encouraged to bring what they know and their ways are valued and accepted. We help build a positive school culture.
• ·        We talk about progress, learning goals and next steps and promote an ethic of care for students’ success

Loneliness is an widespread issue in our globalised world but if we counteract it in our classrooms our students will go on to lead more productive and fulfilling lives.

References

Coney, S. (1993). New Zealand: Youth suicide. The Lancet,341(8846), 683.

Education Review Office. (2012). Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools. Retrieved 18 May 2016, from http://www.ero.govt.nz/About-Us/News-Media-Release...

Franklin, Adrian. (2012). A lonely society? Loneliness and liquid modernity in Australia.(Report). Australian Journal of Social Issues, 47(1), 11.

Harris, Qualter, & Robinson. (2013). Loneliness trajectories from middle childhood to pre-adolescence: Impact on perceived health and sleep disturbance. Journal of Adolescence, 36(6), 1295-1304.

OECD (2016), Trends Shaping Education 2016, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2016-en

Week 26: Activity 2 My Professional Context

Current issues in my professional context

Our school (BBC) is a decile 5 school, with a roll of 450 students.  Approximately 35% of our students are Maori. BBC serves the community of Waipu to the south (a strong Scottish heritage), One Tree Point (newer home development), Ruakaka (the ‘villy’), the Marae-based community of Takahiwai to the North and the farming communities inland. 

The College’s Maori and Scottish heritage is evident on formal occasions and the organisational structure of the Whanau houses. The school has a bilingual Maori unit operating for Year 7 and 8 students and Te Reo Maori courses in years 9 to 13.

Restorative practices, international exchanges to Japan and Samoa, entrepreneurship, and coastal conservation all contribute to the school culture. BBC is future focused with good ICT infrastructure to serve teachers and students, and a BYOD policy.

Decile 5 may indicate the status of the physical community but the socioeconomic status of our school community is very mixed. There are surrounding dairy farms, a large port and refinery, a marina development and many workers who commute to Whangarei city. Sadly many students bus out of the area daily to attend private or large public single-sex schools in Whangarei. Closest to the school is a lower socio-economic area of housing and almost all of the children from there attend BBC.

BBC strives for a balanced education that incorporates academic, arts, sporting, cultural, performance, leadership and service components. Students have been doing particularly well in performance and music fields and have won awards throughout NZ.

The professional environments:

The professional environment encourages innovation, to be proficient with ICT, and making good relationships with the students. There is a staff car available and budgets for PD. Collaboration is encouraged and growing with some cross curricular projects.

We have pass rate goals for all levels and pressure to maintain or exceed the previous year’s rates of academic success.

Issues for lower socio-economic status (SES) students include:

Poor housing (cramped, damp, illness, absenteeism, parental stress), poor diet, difficulty acquiring stationary, and paying for school trips. Often school is perceived as an ‘authority’ and low SES students are less likely to understand the hidden curriculum cues. Families value education but don’t realise what is needed to achieve at a high level.

Bad language and drugs are the norm in many homes and students haven’t had boundaries. Quite a high number of students are in foster care or with extended family.

For students with a slightly higher SES, many work part-time because they want to have purchasing power for things like phones, clothes, internet, and cars.  

 How have the issues been addressed?

Providing breakfast and lunch, student achievement conferences, help with uniform, electronic devices, stationary and school trip sponsorship.

Rubicon counselling for drug use, help for smokers.

Issues arising from the professional environments in your school?

There is often conflict because of the goal of high academic success along with the goal of high co-curricular involvement of students eg lost classroom time because of music & performance practices. In a small school the same students are involved in sports, cultural events and academic pursuits.

 How have the issues been addressed?

We try to have as many performances/practices as possible after school and weekends but that also means students don’t have a lot of time to study at home.

What role does your school’s culture play in addressing the discussed issues?

From a restorative culture students are given second chances and an opportunity to learn from their mistakes. They are made aware of the consequences of their actions.

There are many scholarships available that give students opportunities they would not normally have. Eg. R.Tucker Thompson and Spirit of NZ sailing, and university scholarship awards.

Gateway work experience and trade skill courses.

School Improvement

 

Stoll(1998) p10

These are similar to the norms that BBC is trying to embed in their school culture.In a recent staff well-being survey some staff felt that there was a ‘blame culture when we don’t succeed in some areas’ so I think we can work on ways to increase mutual respect.Our collegiality and mutual sharing is strong in some departments where unscheduled visits are typical and we drop in on each other’s classrooms to help out. It has been noted recently that some teachers are offended by unscheduled observations, so collegiality would be in a weak form in some parts of the school.Gargiulo (2014) in his sabbatical report mentions some strategies to achieve higher outcomes for low SES students. Similarly our school provides breakfasts, and some lunches, promotes academic counselling, has literacy programs and Gateway work programs. Rather than accommodate trade academies in our school, students are encouraged to attend trade schools in Whangarei.Whanau teachers are taking on a wider academic counselling role and perhaps this also helps students to navigate hidden curriculum cues and enhance the relationships with family.Gargiulo didn’t mention ‘celebration of success’ but I think this is also a key strategy to raise student achievement. It is made visible through leadership camps, PST interviews, award assemblies and as many ways as we can recognize the great accomplishments that students are making.

References:

Gargiulo, S. (2014). Principal sabbatical report. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Professional-information/Principals-sabbatical-reports/Report-archives-for-2007-2014/Secondary-award-recipients-2014/Gargiulo-Salvatore

Stoll. (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture