Justin's Insights

  After living abroad for almost 15 years, I came back to New Zealand at the beginning of 2010. For the previous 5 years I lived and worked as a teacher in an Aboriginal community in the far north of Australia. It was an isolated community that was only reachable by boat or a single daily flight. English was often a third or fourth language for the indigenous population and their traditional way of life was in many ways still intact. Being immersed in their culture, I learnt their language and was adopted into a local family. During my time there I developed a deep understanding and respect for their culture. I only mention this as a reminder to myself of where I have been and where I am now. On returning home after having been away for so long, I noticed how much New Zealand had changed in terms of its focus on honouring the Treaty of Waitangi (at least in the media and the attempts by Government Agencies to promote our bi-cultural status). This was evident to me as I began teachi...

How is your school addressing the needs and aspirations of its community? In the last few years I have been fortunate enough to have been the recipient of several research grants. As part of this I have read many education and social research articles both international and national. This has allowed me to be aware of, and follow many international and national trends in education. It has also meant that I have been exposed to many different perspectives of what education could look like as we attempt to navigate the uncertainty that surrounds the future needs of our ākonga.  There are many organisations that have discussed and provided evidence to help us recognise the need for change and the tools to implement them. Organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) provide The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, which governments use to help them measure the effectiveness of their education systems for preparing stu...

  Creating a shared understanding of the issues impacting our societies, our community and our ākonga and how we address them as a school Society, culture and professional environments are all facing issues that are often pervasive and impact us in ways we sometimes find difficult to fully understand. As an educator, I am aware that we all influence and affect one another, either positively or negatively. When we can create a shared understanding of an issue, more often than not, we can achieve outcomes that have a positive impact. However, if we fail to achieve a shared understanding of an issue, then our outcomes have the potential to have a negative impact. It is well documented that societies around the world are changing at a rapid rate and for many of us, it is a struggle to keep up with what is current. This is particularly true when it comes to education. One of the biggest issues we currently face, and one I have experienced in more than one school is the difficulty of cr...

 I love this quote from Marc Prensky - Digital Natives are "no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach"

This Teacher Led Innovation Fund (TLIF) Project was an 18 month project which allowed us to explore student wellbeing when students are given the opportunity to take ownership of their environment. It was a hugely successful project and has laid the foundation for me to explore further the success students can have when they are involved in a legitimate partnership with the adults in a school environment Is nurturing student wellbeing through agentic learning environments a prerequisite for ākonga to experience successful learning outcomes?

This was my first real experience of asking a deep question and using research to explore it. It was a fantastic opportunity and one that has created a burning desire to question our why and to provide students with a platform to have their voice heard

I find myself somewhat frustrated with the environment that we are expected to work in. Being a data driven industry I feel torn between being an innovative, future focused educator that focuses on individualised learning experiences for my students and on the other hand having the pressure of National Standards reporting hovering over my shoulder. Last year I achieved some wonderful results with my students. I managed to provide opportunities for students to taste success; students who had spent most of their school years feeling inadequate and incapable of achieving well in standardised tests. Many of my students still failed to score well in standardised tests. However, they managed to succeed in areas that are hard to measure. I saw many students self-esteem improve because they managed to complete a project for the first time on a topic of their choice and one which they were engaged with. They began to see themselves as experts in a niche area. They began to recognise themselv...

August 1 I have noticed recently a slight shift in the lens with which I use to look at education. And to be honest, upon reflection, there has been a quite a big shift in the last four to five years. And it’s a good thing because it shows that I don’t have a fixed mindset when it comes to how I view education and student learning. It means that I am constantly reviewing, reflecting and inquiring into my own practice and my own skill set. I think I have been able to adjust the way I deliver learning opportunities to meet the specific needs of my students. I don’t believe or pretend that I am successful for every student, but I do believe that the effort has been made to at least try. Where once my lens was all about digital devices and 1-1, I have now moved beyond this. I now see that education is about so much more than digital devices. For the students that walk into our classroom everyday, education is first and foremost about student well being. It’s about creating a space w...

Reflecting is something that I do. However this year, more than most, I feel as though something big is taking place. As I clear my head and record my thoughts, I have decided to share them, on the off chance that somebody else is experiencing similar thoughts or feelings. Below is a link to my ramblings, which you are more than welcome to observe Reflections

Week 2: Reflecting on week 1 and first day back for week 2, I feel a sense of conflict between my expectations and the reality of where the students are at. I also feel a sense of confusion at having so many ideas for what I hope the students will enjoy and engage with that I have difficulty knowing where to start or what to start with. Today I felt as though the biggest issue i have is encouraging or teaching students to think critically and to reflect on their effort - to get them to want to push themselves to improve and be better. It is part of our Growth Mindset approach to learning and development as people. I am not sure if we are getting this right in terms of how we deliver the message to our students. I’m thinking something like “Solo Taxonomy” ties into the Growth Mindset focus and perhaps we have to spend more time unpacking this. When things are not going well I find I fall into a thought process that goes something like this. Start to question student...

This year I am venturing into unchartered territory on my journey as an educator. I am team teaching in an open environment with 55 students ranging from year 6 - 8. I am participating in an eFellowship where I am looking at innovative ways to engage and teach students. All of this is very new and as such I thought it would be interesting to share my reflections with an authentic audience in the hope that by doing so it will provide me the forum to be honest with myself so that I can improve my practice. If anybody should come across my blog, please feel free to provide some constructive feedback/feedforward, what ever you prefer to refer to it as. Week 1: What has gone well - team teaching going very well Share similar philosophies - growing people, understand and value the importance of community, empowering students communicate well, no ego’s and willing to learn off each other and recognise each other's strengths What can go better - team plannin...

stevemouldey.wordpress.com As you would expect, reflecting on uLearn2015 requires you to try and absorb so much. Fabulous Keynote speakers, a plethora of workshops and presentations and of course, the wonderful connections we make and re-establish. However, the lasting impression I leave with is the reaffirming of the importance that community plays in the success and direction of our schools. This was brought home to me like a slap in the face today when I went to my school to do some prep work before tomorrow. Vandalism... This was not the first time I have seen this over the last two weeks of the holidays, but it did highlight to me the disconnect between some in our community and our school. It saddened me to think that there are people in our small community that could destroy so much of that which belongs to our students. It also highlighted for me he need to engage with the problem that I face each day and that is the disconnect that many of my students bring from the commu...

Education & Technology Quotes from Tony Vincent

In 2014 my journey as an educator continued to develop. I had the responsibility of introducing a 1-1 digital class, with the biggest challenge being to convince the community and whanau of our students that it was the right decision to make.It developed to a point where I provided my students with the opportunity to take some control of their learning and allow them to redesign their learning environment. What it demonstrated, not only to me, but to the people who witnessed the learning environment, was that through student ownership the engagement levels exceeded all expectations. Everybody in the class found a valuable task that they could contribute to positively. The respect that the students had for the environment they had created was considerably higher than if it had been given to them. One student was lambasted for using a sharpened paper clip to draw on the newly made desks, because it was "their" desks. It was a successful and hugely rewarding experience for ever...

This term my students have been reading "Macbeth". It is not Shakespeare's original but a contemporary adaptation aimed for primary school age readers. The group had been working in a Literacy Circle for four weeks and to conclude their reading they had to discuss and identify the main themes in the text. When they had established what they thought the themes were, they then had to locate examples in the text. Once the examples had been identified and located in the text, the students had to share their learning in a video no longer that two minutes, with no dialogue and with music that fit in with the themes as well. The students decided to use WeVideo and came up with the following video. I am extremely proud of the work that has been created. This group of students consistently take ownership of their learning, require very little motivation and thrive on being given the opportunity to be creative and produce work to a high standard.

I recently experienced the realisation that there was a solution to my “Wrecking Ball” approach to facilitating e-learning. It is an approach which I know is flawed, however, until recently I had come to accept it as being me. Something I could live with and more importantly, something others would have to live with. Having leadership aspirations, and striving to be the best person I can be, I have been looking for opportunities to take me closer towards my career goals. Such an opportunity occurred during a “Storyhui” where something I knew to be true was yanked to the front of my conscience. A leader and e-learning facilitator; something I aspire to be, reflected on his journey and shared a realisation that struck me rather bluntly. If I could show more tolerance, take things less personally and listen to what people’s needs were, I could become more effective at reducing people’s anxieties and more successful and providing solutions to people’s needs. Something I was experiencing...

If you are wondering what the big deal is about modern learning, 21st century learning, digital or blended learning then this video might shed some light. We recognise that the world our students are entering is vastly different to the world our traditional education system is designed to prepare our students for. We recognise that our students require a different set of skills, a different form of literacy, in order for them to be successful and productive citizens in a world that is rapidly changing. This video helps bridge the gap in our understanding of what skills our children need and how they can apply these skills in order to make a difference in the world that they will inherit from us.

After starting my journey over the last few years I have finally dedicated a space to share my thoughts, frustrations and success's. I am passionate about modern learning practices and trying to share what I have discovered.