Influence of Law and Ethics

Activity 5: Legal and ethical contexts in my digital practice

This is a ‘biggy’ and we can not bury our heads in the sand because the dangers of ubiquitous, social media and online media are far too real, for both ourselves and our students. As teachers, this is our number one occupational hazard. To combat this teachers and students must be informed and transparent and have clear rules of engagement when it comes to professional standards of using digital media and socialising with students.

It is the teacher’s professional responsibility to create an emotionally and physically safe and healthy learning environment.

Boards of Trustees have responsibility for cybersafety under NAG 5 and establishing and maintaining a ‘cybersafe’ learning environment.

Here are a few of the areas I have encountered.

• Students filming teachers unawares during a rant or a particularly unflattering moment and later posting these, usually on Snapchat. Sadly, teachers don’t even need to be doing anything untoward to end up online.

• Students filming or taking pictures of other students and using theses to bully.

• Email/texting conversations of a personal nature that may produce an emotionally unsafe environment. Particularly conversations deemed to be cyberbullying.

• Online “posts” and communications that have reached beyond an intended audience and have gone on to have unintended consequences.

• Student privacy. Regardless of whether your account is public or private, teachers must be careful about posting photos of students if parents have not signed the school’s media release documents. 

What we do for classroom interventions

1.Promote safe and responsible use of technology in learning environment

2.Develop a “class contract” which includes appropriate behaviour online/on mobile both inside and outside of school time.

3.Ensure all students understand the school’s ICT Use Agreements and have parents sign a responsible use agreement.

4.Make sure parents and caregivers are informed about what cyberbullying means and that it is not tolerated among your students.

5.Organise netsafe information evenings for parents and children

6.As part of our Heatlh programme students take part in a Netsuke Unit, ‘Owls’.

7. Provide interesting, 21st century, digital learning opportunities for students, that engage them in positive constructive use of digital media.

Websites

https://education.govt.nz/school/student-support/student-wellbeing/health-and-wellbeing-programmes/bullying-prevention-and-response/bullying-prevention-and-response-a-guide-for-schools/section-3/15/

http://netsafe.org.nz/owls/

Activity 4 : Indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness in my practice

Activity 4 : Indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness in my practice

My beliefs around indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness are summed up in the word RESPECT.  I believe it is my job to provide a successful, supportive, learning environment for all students no matter what ethnicity. One that recognises, reflects and validates their history, and culture, in the classroom curriculum.

Teaching and living at Dilworth for the past twenty years has meant I have been immersed in a diverse multicultural community. Dilworth school is made up of 25% NZ European/Pākehā students, with the balance of students being made of Maori students (26%) and Pacifica students. According to the latest ERO report Maōri and Pacific students are achieving particularly well in comparison to all students nationally at all levels of NCEA, and in University Entrance. One hundred percent of students stay at school engaged in learning past their 17th birthday. The reason for this is, Dilworth provides a boarding environment that successfully supports, educates, and cares for their students and works collaboratively with their whanua.

Dilworth School is committed to the Treaty of Waitangi that protects Māori learners' rights to achieve true citizenship through gaining a range of skills and knowledge, as well as protecting te reo Māori as a taonga. All boys from Year 7 -13 receive weekly instruction in te reo Māori and teachers support the culturally responsive pedagogies outlined in Te Kete Ipurangi

• Manaakitanga - trust plays a big role in the community as every boy is trusted to the twenty-four-seven wrap-round care for each individual, that is Dilworth.

• Whanaungatanga - high expectations

• Ako - all teachers and students are learners and reciprocate knowledge and experiences

• Tino Rangatiratanga - students are given opportunities of self empowerment

• Tangata Whenuatanga - students develop a strong cultural identity, through the curriculum, and cultural and social activities

Dilworth’s School vision, mission, core values, and beliefs supporting indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness are exemplified in the video, ‘The Dilworth Effect’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmlaKUnZI6E

In this video the term, ‘Band of Brothers’ is used. This sums up the way the boys respond to the respect they have for each other and the respect they have for the school. 

Probably, one of the most challenging tasks for our school because of its unique nature as a full boarding school, has been to increase the involvement of parents, families and communities in supporting their students' and the school's activities. Boys are dropped at school on Sunday night and often this is the last contact they have with their parents until Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. 

One of the goals of the Pasifika education plan 2013–2017 , is for Pasifika parents, families and communities to engage with schools in supporting their children’s learning. For this reason we encourage parents and families to attend attend chapel services, reward assemblies, boarding house functions, sports events, music and cultural events. Boys are involved in Kapa Haka and Pasifica competitions and parental expertise is welcomed. In the classroom boys have just begun to share their learning with their families on the digital portfolio ‘Seasaw’. This has promoted very positive feedback for the students, teachers and also the parents. 

Dilworth School has a rich cultural identity that celebrates the many cultures reflected in its community. 

Websites

http://pasifika.tki.org.nz/Pasifika-Education-Plan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmlaKUnZI6E
http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.nz/The-arts/Pedagogy/Culturally-responsive-learning-environments

Trends influencing education in New Zealand or internationally

Activity 3: Trends influencing education in New Zealand or internationally

Redesigning learning spaces for 21st Century Learning

Five years ago I adopted an ‘innovative’ collaborative approach with my classroom environment which had a big impact on my pedagogy. I replaced all my desks with tables. At the time I was influence by Graham Nuthall’s book, ‘The Hidden Lives of Learners’, which amongst many things claims that children learn more from their peers than from the teacher. After three years of struggling to win my students and colleagues over, I reverted back to having individual desks (in groups) and a couple of tables in the room which the students are welcome to use. 

Why did I revert? The students wanted their own individual space, to call their own, to store their possessions. Some specialists teachers resented the students ‘talking’ together which came about when students shared tables. 

Today, student-centric pedagogies are being embraced to better prepare learners for the future workforce, and new approaches to classroom design are supporting this shift. Research evidence claims innovative thinking in architecture and space planning is influencing the sustainable design and construction of new school infrastructures, that have the potential to significantly impact classroom practices and student learning.

http://centerforgreenschools.org/school-buildings-have-remarkable-effect-

Redesigning learning spaces for 21st Century Learning, has become a ‘hot’ topic in our school over the past couple of months as members of our Trust Board and senior management, recently returned from a conference keen to explore this trend in education.

Initially I was sceptical, after my brief foray several years earlier, and of another trend that spent time and money on architecture rather than teaching and learning. However, after taking part in discussions with colleagues, hearing reports back from those who attended the conference and been made aware of research, I can understand its plausibility.

What captivates me is …

1.Flexible learning spaces allow for individual and group- based teaching and learning practices. 

2. I Modern learning design spaces would help make learning more active and help promote collaborative teaching and learning practices for the 21st Century learner. Our students have one to one devices and have become passive users of apps and software rather than actively collaborating to use their devices in innovative 21st century ways. Statistical data claims modern learning design spaces not only transform the learning but help promote 21st century pedagogy. Modern learning design spaces have been shown to influence engagement in meaningful enquiry-based learning. Instead of stifling students with traditional education models based around four walls and individual desks, these spaces encourage creativity and informal / real world opportunities for learning.

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002431/243126e.pdf

3. As our students are from predominately Pasifika and Maori homes, we have the opportunity to to create a culturally responsive learning environment for these students. There is research clearly showing how physical design can have an impact on Māori and Pasika student outcomes.

https://education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Primary-Secondary/Property/School-property-design/Flexible-learning-spaces/FLS-Maui-whakakau-kura-whakakau.pdf

Nutshell, G.(2002).  The Cultural Myths and Realities of Teaching and Learning. New Zealand Annual Review of Education, 11, 5-30