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Words, words, words

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Philippa Nicoll Antipas

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Ko tōu reo, ko tōku reo,

te tuakiri tangata.

Tīhei uriuri, tīhei nakonako.

Your voice and my voice are expressions of identity.

May our descendants live on and our hopes be fulfilled.

(Learning Languages Whakataukī, NZC 2007)

We language our world and ourselves into being. We have ideas. We think thoughts. We express these things to ourselves and to others using words. The words we choose to use say something about the person we are, and the way we perceive the world to be. So we may say that language shapes our culture, and shapes our identity.

Words, to perhaps use a construction metaphor, are the building blocks of stories. Words, strung together in sentences, held together with the mortar of grammar (and punctuation, if the words are written down), create worlds and the characters who inhabit these worlds. Some of these characters become ‘larger than life’: Māui, Harry Potter, Gollum… By the words we choose to use, and the stories we choose to tell, we convey important messages and ideas about who is important, what beliefs are valued, whose perspectives we honour. In this way, words and stories, and storytellers, have infinite power. Hana O’Regan spoke about this kaupapa at uLearn this year.

Let’s consider a couple of examples.

It is reasonably commonplace these days to speak of the ‘industrial model of education’. This phrase employs factory metaphors. We can see these ideas in words like ‘classes’, the ‘timetable’, and teaching ‘units’ to make sure students know all the necessary ‘nuts and bolts’. The overarching factory metaphor suggests that we see knowledge as ‘stuff’, and that education is about putting knowledge into people’s (empty) heads. And that this is best done by breaking knowledge down into small, manageable chunks, and telling people what they need to know, because we store knowledge in our own individual heads (see Gilbert, 2005).

When we say that we’d like to embrace ‘21st century’ or ‘future-focused’ teaching and learning, alongside unpacking what this means for us, we also need to examine the words we use to imagine and conceive of school and its purposes. Often we’ll find it very hard to move away from these words, as they are the signs that show us that we still think about education in this way. Finding new words, embracing new metaphors, telling new stories until these become ingrained, is a challenge.

Or perhaps this example:

We need teachers to come on board with our new initiative or strategy, or to adopt a new practice. Some teachers seem quick to embrace this innovation. When this happens, we sometimes say that they are the ‘early adopters’. This is a reference to the popularised research by Everett Rogers in the 1960s (see also the Diffusion of Innovation theory). ‘Early adopters’ we might find to be a comfortable phrase or label, but who is at the end of the scale? The ‘laggards’.

Can we use one term in isolation from the other? Who would choose to be known as the ‘laggard’? What do these words suggest about how we think of others – of our colleagues and peers?

When we tell stories, we generally speak from our own perspective, and because of this we tend to make ourselves the hero of this story. Jennifer Garvey Berger and Keith Johnston explore this idea in their book Simple Habits for Complex Times. It can be useful to keep this in mind when a colleague does or says something that you struggle to comprehend. Garvey Berger and Johnston recommend asking yourself: “If I had just done what that person did, and I thought my actions were perfectly reasonable, what story might I be telling myself?” (p. 24). We can use language to practice respect and empathy. We can challenge ourselves to be imaginative and compassionate.

We could apply these ideas about words, language, and stories to many phrases we use in education:

  • Priority learners
  • Māori boys’ writing
  • Manaakitanga
  • Those who are ‘resistant to change’
  • Teacher aides
  • Special needs
  • ESOL

And more. What springs to mind for you?

This is an invitation to reflect on your vocabulary choices and what stories they may have to tell about you and the way you see the world around you. How do you refer to your learners? What words do you use to describe them? How do you refer to your colleagues? What words do you use to describe them?

Language is a dense and thorny thicket. Making your way through this thicket is rife with dangers. You must pick carefully your path through. Be mindful; be present – lest your words bite like thorns on the vines.

We can tell this story another way though.

Language is a seed bursting with possibilities. Plant it carefully in rich soil. Give the seed kindness, love and attention. Nurture its shoots, and protect it from harm. Be mindful; be present – so that your words may inspire.

What words do you use? What stories do these help to tell?

References

  • Garvey Berger, J., & Johnston, K. (2015). Simple Habits for Complex Times: Powerful Practices for Leaders. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
  • Gilbert, J. (2005). Catching the knowledge wave? The Knowledge Society and the future of education. Wellington: NZCER Press.
  • Title reference: 2.2.192 Hamlet

Image by Bogomil Mihaylov, CC0 

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Two free time tools that I use everyday

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Rochelle Savage

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My first job out of University was writing and performing comedy for a television show. On the whole it was as enjoyable as it sounds – mainly due to the people I worked with: Hori Ahipene, Lyndee-Jane Rutherford, Rawiri Paratene, Dave Fane, Dave Armstrong, Cal Wilson, Raybon Kan, Jemaine Clement, Oscar Kightley, Pip Hall, Paul Yates, Robbie Magasiva, Jackie Clarke etc. However, I don’t know if Rawiri Paratene forgave me for my excitement that he was the Play School presenter from my childhood when he is one of the best actors, writers and directors (amongst other impressive life achievements) in Aotearoa with an impressive resume for film, theatre and TV.

But what wasn’t fun was having to write up my invoice each week to account for my hours each day – what hours did I work on Monday? Did I leave early on Friday and come in on Saturday morning – or was that last week? I would look over my diary and try to work it out.

In my second life (post-children) I have worked as an Instructional Designer for over 15 years and like a lot of jobs I need to look at how I spend my time and how to make the best use of my time.

Below are two short videos of two free time tools I use every work day that help with accountability and productivity; and how I use these two time tools.

Yast

Kia ora – Ko Rochelle tōku ingoa. My name is Rochelle. I am going to talk you through how I use Yast. Shout out to my friend Ben who introduced me to this and which I have been using for over ten years ago. Also a disclaimer – I am going to show you how I use Yast and how I would show a friend.

This is not to say there are not other ways you could use it and this is just for the free version. You first of all need to create an account which is very simple – it just requires your email address. I won’t show you that in this video but I assure it is quick and simple.

I use Yast everyday – it is great if you are either a freelancer; or have several jobs or need to keep track of the time you spend on different aspects of your job.

You can create folders – or categories –  and have tasks within them. You can make it as detailed as you like. The best aspect of it it is it is really simple. You click on what you are working on and when you finish you click off it.

If you forget to click off it – you can adjust it. The other aspect I like is at the the end of the month – or whatever time period you choose you can select and see how you spent your time and report that to others.

So that’s how I use yast. I am sure there are other ways you can use it and as I say this is just the free version.

Pomodoro

Kia ora – Ko Rochelle tōku ingoa. My name is Rochelle. I am going to talk you through how I use Pomodoro.

I encountered the pomodoro method on Barbara Oakley’s Learning how to learn course. The science behind it is that humans tend to work best in chunks of time – 25 minutes and then to have a 5 minute break and carry on.

I work from home and it can be tragically easy to carry on working and it means you don’t allow your brain the possibility of the aha moments – you know the solutions you have when you stop and have a cup of tea or go and hang out the washing.

The other bonus is if you are feeling particularly uninspired about a task – you can say ‘only ten more minutes and I can have a break’ it helps you stay on task’.

This carries on for several hours and then it schedules a 15 minute longer break. And after this break – back to the 5 minute breaks. Now you can also pause both your working time or break time if you need to.

As you can see you can use other features – such as adding a to do list however I tend to use it in its simplest form and that is what suits me – I just like getting on with it.

Ngā mihi

Image credits:

Sunset Home Office by Viktor Hanacek on Picjumbo

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How to swim naked in the goldfish bowl

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Greg Carroll

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It is a small world. Aotearoa-New Zealand is even smaller. The education sector is a subset of both. The good thing (and the challenge) of working in a goldfish bowl like education is that you really can’t hide, everyone pretty much knows everyone else. This has some real implications for educators.

In this post I’ll outline some things to consider as you manage your personal and professional persona. In an age where most things are able to be found in a basic Google search about any teacher, principal, or student we need to manage what the world knows about us; in ways we never even considered even 10-15 years ago.

I am highlighting these things not to be alarmist or to scare people, just to make sure that we are all considering these issues for what they are in this open and social media-rich age – simply a natural part of our roles as educators.

Four key things to consider:

  1. Actively manage your digital footprint.

    After nearly 20 years in school leadership I would never consider interviewing someone for any position at our school without doing a quick Google search. What I can find, your colleagues and students can find, or the hypercritical parent can find.

    There are any number of stories, of images, or content on social media which have proven to be severely ‘career limiting’. Think before you post, manage your privacy settings on Facebook, consider what you share. Closed groups like the Primary Teachers Facebook page with its almost 33,500 members can and do have parents, BoT, and community people as members, as well as members of the media and professional development providers. (Note: there were only just over 56,000 teachers in the country in 2017 (Education Counts, 2018) so this one group alone has potentially over half of the country’s school-based educators as members). Anything you say in this group for example has a huge potential audience.

  2. Be a learner. Model taking risks.

    Be a conscious and overt learner. Don’t be afraid to have an opinion, but make sure it is one you can back up with research and logical explanations. No one likes a zealot, and don’t be the person who is pushing their ideas on others.

    Social media can be a wonderful place for learning and for sharing of good ideas and effective practices. Remember – people may make judgements about you based on the quality of the questions you ask or comments you make, and especially don’t be overly critical of your school leadership or colleagues. Do say when you are unsure or don’t know. Not knowing is OK; not knowing how to find out or how to begin finding a solution to a dilemma, not so much.

  3. Take the high ground and stay there.

    People are very quick to judge, and quicker to take offence. Be considered in what you say and share in person and online. Decide for yourself and your family how much of your life is ‘public domain’ and how much is personal. Do you know about and follow any guidelines your school or setting may have?

    Educators are always on show. You are always a teacher, and anyone who has ever been greeted by an excited five-year-old at full volume in the toiletries aisle of the supermarket (or as you step out of the hot pools on holiday in your swimming costume) will know this only too well.

    It is essential to model courtesy and respect. Most schools will have values and expectations shared for all to see on posters in classrooms and other spaces. These will be the behaviours all staff model and show at all times at school. Be the person who models them outside of school as well.

  4. Be very careful with the media.

    Increasingly the ‘shocking and startling’ are the headlines that grab our attention. Unfortunately “80% success” is nowhere near as attention-grabbing as “20% failing”. A number of our educator colleagues have had very unfortunate experiences making off-hand or flippant comments to media people that have resulted in considerable damage to their reputations and those of their school.

    I know from personal experience the exceptional lengths some reporters will go to to get a quote, information or a picture. Particularly in highly charged or emotional situations, make sure you follow policy, saying nothing unless it is your role. Know what your school media policy says, and follow it.

There are plenty of places to get advice and guidance for the online spaces – eg. Netsafe, PPTA. Read these sites and your school expectations, and follow them. Have someone in your school who is the media liaison person. Get help if you need it.

Most importantly though, use the media and digital spaces to share the positive and wonderfully creative and exciting things you are doing in your classrooms and schools. Be the voice of reason and calmness, if and when things are getting chaotic. And most importantly, manage and balance your own digital footprint and the image you portray to the world as a person and professionally.

References

Education Counts. (2018). Teaching Staff. Retrieved from https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/schooling/teaching_staff

Image Credit

Photo by Ahmed zayan on Unsplash

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Be neotenous: The importance of curiosity for teachers

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Philippa Nicoll Antipas

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“Brown paper packages tied up with strings / These are a few of my favourite things…”

Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers, 1965

I put the gift bag in the centre of the table. While the handles were tied together with ribbon, you could still see variously-shaped packages, wrapped in innocuous brown paper, peeking out. Like five-year-olds about to play ‘pass the parcel’, the teachers turned towards the bag, eyes following my every move, eager to poke, prod and explore.  

They were invited to pass the bag around and to choose an item that captured their imagination. As they unwrapped their parcel, they were full of questions: What’s in there? What have we got? What is it? How does this relate? Does this belong to her? Is it valuable? Can we eat them?

Sitting with questions confettied around them on sticky notes, a group of teachers became gripped with a narrative they had formed around one of the items. They were convinced it was an antique, that it must have been passed down to me, cherished, from grandmother to mother to me. That they must take care with it, lest it get lost or damaged. That it must have significant meaning: culturally, historically, sentimentally. They were dying to know the true story behind the item. They were hungry for knowledge.

As teachers, I think we are genuinely interested in generating and nurturing curiosity in our learners. We worry about squashing curiosity and the childlike wonder in our learners, particularly when they start school. We believe that curious learners are engaged, passionate, excited. But I’m not sure that we invest enough in our own curiosity as adults.

Many teachers are involved with inquiring into their practice. They use the teaching as inquiry cycle from the New Zealand Curriculum (2007), or perhaps the Spiral of Inquiry from Timperley, Kaser and Halbert (2014) to explore the needs of their learners, and what they can do to make a difference. These inquiry cycles are important and useful frameworks to guide professional learning. And they must start with a teacher’s own curiosity about what’s happening and why it might be happening.

Christopher Clark (1992) calls on teachers to “make the familiar strange”. He says that “this involves at least two steps: first, to believe that interesting, exciting, amazing things are happening all around us all the time; and second, to question the traditional ways, reasons and explanations that we usually take for granted” (p. 81). In other words, we should seek to see our world with fresh eyes, and to wonder about it. We need to be neotenous – retaining childlike dispositions into adulthood (Berger, 2014).

We may need to invest some time to nurture our neoteny. And looking outside of education may be useful – you never know what interesting and unusual potential connections you might make. So, go to the museum, the art gallery, the theatre. Spend some time in the bush, or walk around the block and challenge yourself to notice three things you haven’t before. Attend a public lecture, play a new game, listen to a TED talk or podcast.

We know from observing our own children and our students that curiosity drives a need to know; a desire to find out; that it can be the spark that can ignite a passion. To be curious is to be driven to learn. It opens doors and makes us eager to explore. Curiosity also sustains us through the messy pit of learning. It helps us to know that although we might not know yet, we are on the path to knowing more than we did previously. So pursue relentless curiosity. Question ferociously. Wonder and ponder and brood.

 

Where do you find inspiration within and without of the classroom? What do you do to nurture your own curiosity?

Curious to learn more?

Here are some links to curiosity for students:

  • Four EDtalks on curiosity
  • Encouraging curiosity is not enough, Tom Barrett (2014)
  • Curiosity and inspiration, Steve Mouldey (2014)

Here are some links to curiosity and teaching as inquiry:

  • Teaching as inquiry, Steve Mouldey (2018)
  • 14 ways to top up your professional learning, Danielle Myburgh (2018)
  • Focusing the future of education through inquiry, Sarah Whiting (2016)

And here are some references to relevant literature on curiosity:

  • Berger, W. (2014). A more beautiful question: The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas. New York: Bloomsbury.
  • Clark, C. M. (1992). Teachers as designers in self-directed professional development. In A. Hargreaves & M. G. Fullan (Eds.), Understanding teacher development (pp. 75-84). London: Cassell.
  • Thomas, D. & Seely Brown, J. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington: CreateSpace.
  • Timperley, H., Kaser, L., & Halbert, J. (2014). A framework for transforming learning in schools: Innovation and the spiral of inquiry. Melbourne: Centre for Strategic Education.

Photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash

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Manaakitanga

Posted on October 25, 2018 by Te Mako Orzecki

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He tangata takahi manuhiri, he marae puehu
A person who mistreats his guest has a dusty marae (the marae is an open area in front of the meeting house, and sometimes includes buildings)

Or in a non marae context:

“A lack of hospitality shown to others is a reflection on us all”

In this post I unpack the word ‘manaaki’ and share my thoughts to help us truly understand its rich meaning.  Some of this kōrero is adapted from a manaakitanga philosophy shared by Te Wānanga o Raukawa.

 

Let’s first look at the kupu to attain some understanding

Within te reo, a word has many dimensions, layers, and depth. Looking at ‘manaaki’ and the parts that form this word, provides some deeper insights:

Manaaki    (to protect, look after, and care for something or someone)

Mana-aki   (to encourage or to enhance one’s authority)

Mana-a-kī  (to be true to your word and what you say)

 

There are numerous examples of manaakitanga that are and can be expressed more often in your school or workplace

  • Catering for everyone’s needs, both physically, familially, mentally, and spiritually (Te Whare Tapawha)  
  • Considering manuhiri (visitors/guests) in the offering of the kind of manaakitanga well known on marae and practiced at your school/workplace
  • Giving people time to share knowledge, reo, and skills with each other.

When manaakitanga is truly understood and embraced, staff and learners support each other. They are respectful of every person, their whānau, hapū, and iwi with whom they have contact, directly or indirectly throughout their lives.

 

The concept of manaakitanga and its relevance to the behaviour of kaimanaaki has some very specific applications for others

Consider the following of your physical space:

  • treatment of equipment – the abuse of this is contrary to manaakitanga and does not reflect rangatira behaviour
  • being mindful of the needs of others to use equipment. This is very easy to forget, but especially important when the piece is sorely needed
  • interfering with the property of others, without their permission
  • intruding into another person’s space, or taking another person’s belongings and so on without authority are not the actions of a rangatira.

Each of these is a breach of the rangatiratanga of the person whose space or property is being interfered with, and each is a denial of manaakitanga.

Other practical ways we can show manaaki:

  • Using appropriate recognition when borrowing the work of others, for example images, presentations, whakatauākī/ whakataukī
  • To be respectful of other people’s spiritual beliefs and values, for example, using karakia
  • To manaaki, uphold and uplift te reo Māori/ te reo rangatira, or any reo for that matter, in what we say, how we say it, how it is used, what is appropriate and what is inappropriate.
  • Are your views personal, or a reflection of your school/workplace values and beliefs?
  • When we joke, do others find it offensive, derogatory, or even racist? Are we aware of these things? How do we know?

te-mako-blog-image-1The ability to bring together an iwi (people) is seen to be the work of rangatira and a true sign of manaakitanga. The role of maintaining manaakitanga is that of all the iwi.

Te mahi a te rangatira, he whakatira i te iwi

The work of a rangatira (ranga=weave, tira=group) is to unite the people

 

What other ways have you consciously embraced the value of manaakitanga in your place?

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