Revision. DFI Week 9. Ubiquitous

The end of an incredible nine week journey. I was worried at the beginning that I would not be able to keep up and this was compounded by the decision to carry on with the course via distance; which felt like a bit of a leap at the time. As it turned out, I discovered the essence of rewindable learning. Knowing that I could come back to it later took the heat out of my concern. There were still moments when I felt swamped by how fast the Create parts were moving and I felt renewed understanding for our students about what it is to be a learner.

The organisation of the weekly sessions was a learning opportunity in itself. As we entered into distance learning, I was able to see how moving in and out of groups could work. It was an advantage to be part of this process as I helped  a few of our teachers learn about google meets, including setting meetings and sharing their screens.  Taking part in google meets myself meant that I picked up tips that I could share. The small group sessions in our course were a great way to develop the professional networks that we look for in courses. They were also a way to ask the questions that we wouldn't have done in the larger groups. The facilitators were wonderfully patient as they worked with their adult students!

One of my big gains was the knowledge that even though I may not have picked things up in the moment for a variety of reasons including computer issues or slow wifi, or just not 'clicking'. I developed the conviction that I would be able to 'get' it. It wasn't that I couldn't, I just hadn't, yet. I stopped doubting my ability and knew that I could. I developed grit. I read Carol Dweck's Positive Mindset  some years ago. As the weeks progressed I thought of her ' I can't do it ...yet but I will,' and as I was working with my little bubble of children at school, I found myself using that language.

This course embodies the whole Manaiakalani kaupapa word in its essence; "Ubiquitous". This course has been authentic ubiquitous learning for me, driving home the question; why wouldn't learning be ubiquitous  for our students?
Exciting times ahead as schools return to yet another new normal. Now is the time to seek out the successes of our distance learning and take the opportunity to move forward.
How will you move forward from here?

Communities Of Practice. Mind Lab Week 25.

A community of practice is a group of people who use their collective wisdom, experience and academic interests to consider, debate and clarify thinking. In the context of professions such as teaching, our communities of practice are the platforms upon which we build and arrange our personal and / or professional position on issues that matter to us as professionals. We try out ideas on each other and use the process of the Inquiry and Advocacy (Hands on Educational Consultancy PTY Ltd) Approach to test each other's thinking, and help each other to probe deeper by challenging ideas.

Wenger (2002) states that "Communities of practice are the basic building blocks of a social learning system because they are the social 'containers' of the competencies that make up such a system. By participating in these communities, we define with each other what constitutes competence in a given context " By engaging with our communities of practice, we uncover the layers of our thinking in order to unearth the essential elements of what we as leaders of our learning community believe are the basis of our core business: providing quality opportunities to raise student outcomes and all of the multi layered contexts that this implies.

My Main Community of Practice is the school where I work. Within that community are sub communities that make up the larger community. Of these communities the one that I am most influenced by, is the Senior Leadership team of which I am a part. Our community is the Principal and two Deputy Principals. The Principal works in our shared office and we engage on a daily basis in learning conversations where we debate and challenge each others thinking.  We are focused on the  primary function of our profession which is to ensure the delivery of the best opportunities for our children to grow into life long learners who are confident, connected and caring citizens. I contribute to this community of practice by bringing my training, experience, professional studies, and passion to the current focus; that of creating the best innovative learning community that we are able.

Within the context of our school there are several other communities of practice. These include communities within teaching teams;  Professional Learning Groups where teachers share their Teaching as Inquiry processes with groups from across the school. Other communities are the  curriculum or special shared interest groups. Also there is the community of practice that is made up by the Middle Leaders in the school.

Communities of practice, allow us to reflect on our practice in a more public forum than personal reflection may. One may have a feeling but can not identify or clarify where that thought is leading until it is articulated to one's peers. Finlay (2008) says that "for some, reflective practice simply refers to adopting a thinking approach to practice. Communities of practice allow us to do this more explicitly (assuming the community is a 'safe' one).

When I think of my communities of practice, I am mindful that communities of practice contribute to a person's professional and personal growth. The face to face communities that I am involved with include my Professional Learning Group that came out of a previous school; a group that I facilitate a Middle Leaders course with; the School Leaders Network; New Pedagogies for Deeper Learning leaders network (which was the inspiration behind the name of my professional blog) and Mind Lab fellow students. All of these networks contribute to my thinking about best practice.

The specialist areas of practice that I bring to my community, essentially lie in my coaching and mentoring experience. I have had considerable training in coaching and mentoring and these areas of practice, combined with my years in the classroom, leadership experience and passion for  Restorative Practice are what I bring to my communities of practice.