Weekly Reflection 2

 DFI - Week 2 

Reflection 2

My View

Today I  have come to understood a much more in depth view to the Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy.  Being able to relate digital learning to effective teaching and accelerated learning in this  digital world of learners, is a learning curve for myself as a kaiako but one that I am excited and willing to achieve, not only for my own gain but for that of my students.  The pedagogy of Manaiakalani opens up a whole new world of experiences for our tamariki, starting with the three simple words of 'Learn, Create, Share'.  Learning needs to be engaging and something our tamariki can get excited about, creating gives our tamariki a tool to express themselves and demonstrate the depth of their learning and sharing gives them an opportunity to showcase that learning and give them a sense of importance and pride.  These things can get lost in the pages of exercise books that stay in the classroom all year.  

The learning in our school looks like PB4L, restorative practice, wellbeing, our school values of Aroha, Manaakitanga and Rangatiratanga.  We teach our tamariki to Stand Tall, Stand Proud, Stand Strong.  

Our learning journey follows the Te Marautanga O Aotearoa, founded on the ambition to develop successful, confident, competent learners while nurturing a healthy mind, body and giving them a sense of belonging, value and being proud of their identity.  It's about working together and giving our learners the same opportunities.  This is where we notice the difference between Equality and Equity.  The Manaiakalani Programme is that equity; giving opportunities to students to gain the essential skills, knowledge and sense of self that may have otherwise, sadly, been just out of reach for some.

My Learning

My confidence was a little shaky last week and I'm not going to lie, I was a tad nervous this week to start with.  I imagine that's what our tamariki go through with new learning at times.  Anyway, shaking that off, I found this week to be, dare I say it, easier.  Not easier in the sense of knowing what I'm doing, (she laughs) but easier in a way that I was able to regroup my thoughts, take a breath and say "I got this".  Well, I can try my best, that's all I ask of my students, so that's what I'm asking of myself.  My confidence has come about today by a simple listening task.  Listening to how we use this knowledge, listening to how we can use all these engaging tools to our advantage, which filters down to our students.  Google Meet, Google Calendars, Google Keep, Tabs, Apps, & as simple as learning more about our G-mail. These are all things I was still a bit worried about mucking around with but after today I feel I would be more confident to utilize these to my advantage, instead of being scared of them.  These things are going to help me manage myself at work and at home once I use them more often and become more familiar with their benefits.  I am especially excited about Google Keep as I'll be able to use this during group work.  I can take a photo of my groups work they have done on the whiteboard table, make a quick note or voice recording to text, then use this to put into my modelling books.  My learners are going to love being able to set up a Google Meet and I can see this being a challenging, fun interaction for them. I'll be sure to remember the tip to make a habit of getting the students to close tabs they are not using as well.

All in all, it was a successful day today, the collaboration task just confirmed how when one of us is unsure the others are willing to put their hand out and help you up.  A true enactment of the life skills we are trying to instill in our teaching.