Barry H Professional Blog

It's taken a few weeks for Term 2 to sink in, apologies for this late post.  The learning has been intense at times during the 9wk programme. With the every present of day to day stresses of being an educator.  However, opportunities not taken, are opportunities missed. Signing up for the 2020 Manaiakalani Digital Fluence Intensive programme was an opportunity, I'm glad I took. Over 70 educators New Zealand wide coming together online to deep dive into Manaiakalani pedagogy, practice, and principles. Covering different areas over the 9wk programme, implementing new learning into classroom practice. The ending with a 3 hour Google Exam...  Having the ability to breakout into smaller groups of six was a great feature of this course. With a facilitator who would offer more personal support where needed was a plus also. The connection I was able to make, really drove my investment into the programme. Building links across NZ with like minded educators. Our group was a great mix, we

I agree that it's important that students have opportunities to be innovative designers and creators of digital solutions – moving beyond solely being users and consumers of digital technologies. In Hub Mako this is one of our mantuans - be a creator not a consumer ! To become a creator we must first build our digitally fluence as both teachers and learners.  One thing that has had me thinking is what is a student digital learning object?  “Digital entity or content object using ‘different media modalities (and often interactivity) to represent data, information, reality, concepts and ideas…designed to afford educational reuse" (Churchill, 2007) I was lucky enough to attend a Leaders of Manaiakalani hui this past week. We delved into some learning around digital learning object DLO and Student Design for Learning SDL. If your not sure what these are about please ask your Manaiakalani facilitator they'll be able to put you straight. It was a great session which challenged m

We all know the importance of reflecting the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in the classroom, but what exactly does this mean and how are we along with Manaiakalani know if we're getting it right? The NZC states: "The Treaty of Waitangi is one of eight principles in the NZC that provide a foundation for schools' decision making. The Treaty of Waitangi principle puts learners at the centre of teaching and learning, asserting that they should experience a curriculum that engages and challenges them, is forward looking and inclusive, and affirms New Zealand's unique identity." Still confused?    Let's unpack the principles...  The three "P's" as they are often referred to, are the principles of partnership , participation , and protection . These underpin the relationship between the Government and Maori under the Treaty of Waitangi. These principles are derived from the underlying tenets of the Treaty. They are used to bridge the gap between

Being connected to your learners is such a powerful thing. Allowing learners to develop, engage, enjoy and while building confidence in learning is key. However, without first being connected you will inevitably find barriers for some of our most at risk learners.  I found throughout remote learning, my learners craved connection. Connection to their teachers, classmates, physical spaces and routines. By developing a class site I a was able to offer a safe space where learners and whanau could meet, discuss and connect through learning. Albeit on digital platform it became a hub for positive connectivity and sharing of learning. We connected with family, places, pets, friends and activities. As I was able to positively connected with my learners the rest kind of took care of itself, creating future focused learning, in a connected community.  An important part of any class site was that it needed to be a One-Stop hub for learning, accessible anytime, at any place. Information about eve

Visibility enables accelerated shift in students learning In my practice I've been developing the use of google sheets, they've allowed both Hub Mako teachers to edit, sign off, and comment on, while giving real time updates. The impact of this means no learner gets left behind, all learners are able to access their teachers. Messages and notes are clearly communicated between both teachers as well as learners.  By developing and supporting student agency - learners in Hub Mako support their own learning by using a Personalised Learning Programmes. The impact of using this form, allows feedback, feedforward, tracking, planning, time management skills, prioritising, and trend analysis. The goal here is to Manage (self), Motivate learners, and to Move learning.  “A future focused, personalised approach in the classroom allows akonga/students to take control of their own learning. Each akonga is unique and learns in different ways.”  I  am excited to be able to offer a space for l

Since the beginning of time schools have had an audience of   one another the class the school the local community Now in the digital age our audience is global -  The term authentic audiences is often a priority in progressive pedagogy, finding audiences outside of the teacher and classroom in the hopes of making the learning real and relevant. By sharing digital assemblies, your audience is choosing to view, engage and celebrate with our learners thus making the learning authentic. Below is an example of a digital assembly that I created to share with our GisInt community  

This task was set to allow us to incorporate our learnings from today's session - creating Google Sheets, collecting and analyzing data, developing interesting ways to share this data. By empowering our learners by creating opportunities to analyze their own blogs will both drive accountability and ownership.  

By gaining an understanding of the 'Why' behind the pedagogy and kaupapa that drives Manaiakalani, it will in turn direct and support my practice. When unpacking the 'Create' aspect of this programme you soon realise it is all about the 'Hook' Getting learners hooked into learners developing creative skills to help learners become problem solvers, communicators and collaborators. We want a world full of playfully creative people who are constantly inventing new possibilities for themselves and their communities. I appreciate and understand that when you g ive your learners something to do, not something to learn. The doing an such a way will demand thinking, and the learning with naturally result. Empowering creativity is key... Below is a Goggle Slide presentation of my Pepeha - I initially wanted to play a waiata throughout the presentation. This became too difficult, surely there must be an easier way?

What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani Great Kaupapa and pedagogy? Manaiakalani goal are to raise achievement outcomes. I feel language plays a huge role in how communicate, by developing a common learning language for all schools.  RATE: Recognise Amplify Turbocharge Effective Practice What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow as a professional?  As teachers/educators we need to motivate our learners to engage in the learning. I especially relished the opportunity to connect with my break out group this session. I shared some golden nuggets that have helped my practice regards sound and video quality then sharing/presenting screens.  What did I learn that could be used with my learners?  By providing a model for future focussed teaching and learning we can establish an authentic audience for their learning outcomes. This in turn empowers our learners. Students need to creator rather than just a consumer. What did I learn tha

What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy? My understanding of Manaiakalani is that we are giving students the tools to learn create and share!  Being able to create something new and having the sharing powers for all to see. What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow as a professional? My learning today was huge! I particularly enjoyed developing the organisation of my bookmark bar.  It's great to organise and pin tabs which give me immediate access. What did I learn that could be used with my learners? I will hopefully have the opportunity to ensure that students organise their bookmark bars. What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow in my personal life? I hope developed my confidence in my new group.  We are all pretty quite at the moment... The following is an embedded goggle doc which I have created a poster that shows how to use the feature pinning tabs. I ha

Welcome to my professional learning blog. This is a place where I can reflect on my Teaching as Inquiry goals and how they link to the Education Council's Standards for the Teaching Profession