innovation

Auahatanga | Innovation

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When Māori first made their way to Aotearoa they used a variety of innovative ways to navigate to places they’d not previously visited. Once on land, their challenge came in finding ways to meet their everyday needs using what was available in this new landscape. Over the ensuing years Māori became adept at using the local flora and fauna to build shelter, make clothing and provide food and medicines to sustain themselves.

Centuries later, the European settlers came, bringing a post-industrial approach to building a life in this new land. These early settlers also had to adapt and improvise to meet their needs – including finding ways of fixing and maintaining the industrial age tools they’d brought with them. Number 8 wire, brought with them for fencing, was readily available and often used as a substitute for the parts that were missing or not working well. Out of this grew the myth of the Number 8 Wire mentality; otherwise known as Kiwi ingenuity.

From these early times both Māori and Pākeha have been identified as practical, problem-solver types, able to invent, fix and create solutions, often through improvisation and clever thinking rather than having access to the level of resourcing available to others. New Zealanders are recognised on the global stage for this number 8 wire mindset, from Rutherford’s work towards the splitting of the atom to Rocket Lab’s launching of a rocket into space.

While we may have grown up thinking of ourselves as the nation with the Number 8 Wire mindset, in our modern world we have become increasingly accustomed to having our problems addressed for us by others who have the knowledge, skill and resources to do this. The Number 8 Wire may have been useful in fixing a mechanical tractor or milking shed machinery, but it’s unlikely to be of use on one of today’s electronically controlled cars or ‘smart’ building systems for example.

Reimagining Aotearoa’s future will require us to innovate in different ways. We will need to connect and strengthen our communities; to disrupt what we’ve known and innovate to find solutions that meet new challenges and effect change. This will be a challenge in a world of increasing complexity and exponential change where our problems won’t only be about how to address our immediate physical needs, but will extend to how to address issues and concerns that affect the way we live and survive as a society, locally and globally.

In the modern world, education becomes even more important for developing the next generation of innovators, problem solvers and creative thinkers. It can ignite a passion for learning and provide students with the tools they need to thrive and succeed in the innovation economy.

Innovation in education requires:

  • Risk taking – valuing the ability to push the boundaries, to think outside the square and to try things even when there’s no guarantee of success.
  • Failure – giving learners permission to fail, to learn from failure and to persist with ideas.
  • Open-mindedness – not limiting one’s thinking to the conventions that exist, but being prepared to embrace new ideas and new thinking.
  • Collaboration – while individuals may be acknowledged for their original ideas and creativity, bringing new thinking to the fore requires the effort of a team.
  • Support – learners need to know that their efforts are supported, that they won’t be penalised for something that doesn’t work but instead encouraged to try again.
  • Resources – innovative activities will require things to get messy at times, with learners requiring access to things that will enable them to experiment with their ideas. Often these resources will exist outside of the school, kura or centre, so community relationships and global connections will become important here.

Innovation is one of the CORE uLearn conference themes this year, The focus questions developed for this strand provide some provocations for participants to consider how they create a climate of innovation in their educational communities:

  • How can we prepare our young people to be innovators and change agents?
  • How might we intentionally teach in ways that promote creativity, innovation, wonder, joy, and a passion for learning.
  • What is the role of inquiry in learning? In teaching? How does this lead to innovation?
  • How do we bring new ideas to fruition in our schools/kura/organisations?
  • How might innovation look and occur from different perspectives and through different cultural lenses?

edSpace is CORE Education’s online network for educators to connect with others, discuss strategies, and share information – join edSpace here. Once you’re there, head to our uLearn discussion forum, and join the discussion about Innovation.

As young people around the world begin to mobilise in response to the growing concerns they have about the problems they see looming on the horizon, we need to think about how we prepare this generation of learners, through developing an innovator’s mindset, so that they become the solution builders.

References
The Genius of Kiwi Ingenuity https://www.motovated.co.nz/genesis-kiwi-ingenuity/
Innovation in the Classroom: Why Education Needs to Be More Innovative  https://philmckinney.com/innovation-classroom-education-needs-innovative/

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Why do Māori get their own hui again?

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One of the more common questions I get asked by teachers and leaders in English-medium schools is, “How should we respond when questioned about why we are having a Māori whānau hui or a Māori celebration?” The question I assume, arises out of concern for the ‘Māori-only’ part and not for the hui or celebration part. Equally I have heard this question asked in relation to cultural sports teams, Māori seats on boards or councils, in fact pretty much anything related to Māori being Māori in traditionally non-Māori spaces and places. There’s no doubt that this is a question worthy of a well considered and confident response, so this post will share some possible responses. I encourage anyone who is grappling with this to take these into consideration and then formulate your own response – a response appropriate for your community, your whānau and tamariki, and that aligns to the vision and values of your school.

Before I share these responses though, I can’t help but pose my own questions. Like, why might Māori wanting to have their own hui or celebration be perceived as some kind of preferential treatment?  Would the same be considered of say a group of people who shared the same religious beliefs or sexual orientation?  What is really beneath a question like this?  How do societal norms and cultural bias influence a person’s beliefs and motivation to ask this question? Lastly, why is a group of people, simply wanting to live as who they are, perceived to be a threat to others? Is it just that anything outside of the ‘norm’ and dominant culture is a threat?

By contrast, a ‘Pākehā-only hui’ is probably not going to be received well in today’s climate.  However, what about when there are hui that happen to have no Māori in attendance?  Does its relevance get questioned? Does it get called off until Māori can attend?  No.  It’s more likely that very few people even notice and that it continues as ‘normal’.  Why? Because the dominant culture of Aotearoa is Pākehā so hui without Māori representation happen on a regular basis.  Hui where, I might add, often decisions get made that will impact and influence Māori. Perhaps a more positive way to spend our time would be to begin to question those hui more often so that we ensure we are being fair and equitable to everyone.  So maybe the first response to the question “Why do Māori get their own whānau hui or celebration?” needs to be “Why do you feel Māori shouldn’t have them?”  Let’s explore some more reasons why it’s important for schools to empower Māori to have their own hui and celebrations.

Whanaungatanga

Many Māori whānau live away from their ancestral homes – their tūrangawaewae. It can be difficult to be away from whānau, and it can be even more difficult to live as Māori in communities of very few Māori people. Schools have an opportunity to create spaces for Māori to connect with each other and to support each other in Māori ways. I was at a Māori whānau hui once where someone spoke about growing up and not being proud of their Māori heritage, but then meeting other whānau through whānau hui had a positive impact on their own cultural confidence. I’ve heard of other whānau hui where new initiatives have been established such as whānau Te Reo Māori classes for the wider school community. Some of my closest friends I met at a school whānau hui. Schools have a powerful opportunity to provide a platform for connecting Māori with each other, where they can share their aspirations, fears, knowledge, tikanga and Te Reo with each other for the betterment of all. Why wouldn’t schools want to create such amazing opportunities?

tamariki

Māori success

In essence, Māori achieving success as Māori means Māori students being successful in ways that are unique and important to being Māori. It’s about our tamariki being empowered to be who they are, by learning in, through, and about their language culture and identity. If Māori students are empowered to have such success, it deserves to be celebrated and acknowledged in a Māori way. These tamariki are Māori and in many cases they have succeeded as Māori inside the ‘white spaces’ and in a system that is not always conducive to or reflective of who they are. Māori students deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated in a Māori way because it’s their right – to be Māori, act as Māori, achieve as Māori and succeed as Māori.

“New Zealand’s education system has been largely silent on the topic of whiteness and the Eurocentric nature of our schooling policy and practice. However, when I talk to senior Māori and Pasifika ‘warrior-scholars” in Te Whānau o Tupuranga and Clover Park Middle School about “white spaces” they have encountered in their schooling experience they can identify them all too easily. “White spaces,” they explain, are anything you accept as “normal” for Māori – when it’s really not, any situation that prevents, or works against you “being Māori” or who you are, and that requires you to “be” someone else and leave your beliefs behind. White spaces are spaces that allow you to require less of yourself and that reinforce stereotypes and negative ideas about Māori. Most telling of all was the comment from a Māori student that goes straight to the root of the problem, “White spaces are everywhere,” she said, “even in your head.” (Milne, 2013)

It’s our right as Māori

Article 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi is Rangatiratanga. In essence, article 2 is an agreement between the Crown and Māori as Tangata Whenua of Aotearoa, that Māori would be empowered to be and live as Māori. Furthermore, Māori would have the power to act and the power to make decisions for themselves as a people – Māori will have self determination. To assert one’s rangatiratanga; is the act of being Māori in all that it encompasses, and to have decisions made by Māori for Māori and in the best interest of Māori. “It is about Māori acting with authority and independence over our own affairs. Tino rangatiratanga is a practice: living according to our tikanga, and striving wherever possible to ensure that the homes, land, and resources guaranteed to us under Te Tiriti o Waitangi are protected for the use and enjoyment of future generations.” (Hitchcock, 2018).

Māori whānau hui in schools, or Māori celebrations such as a graduation perhaps, is a right afforded to Māori under the partnership agreement, Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Let’s be explicit here, it’s a right, not a privilege. As teachers and leaders in state-funded schools are representative of the Crown, they are obligated to uphold the assertions from the Crown to Māori and their responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. For school leaders or teachers to decide not to create these opportunities or even worse, disallow Māori this right, they would quite simply be in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Māori whānau hui allow our Māori whānau an opportunity to contribute to the decisions that impact the education of their tamariki. It’s so important that our whānau are empowered to assert their rangatiratanga in our school communities.

“Māori are tangata whenua, one of the Treaty partners, though some people still want to dispute that. That partnership gives Māori mana whenua rights and responsibilities. We are not just another member of our multi-cultural society. For Māori, this is our homeland, the only place we can speak our language — an official language — since 1986. The only place we can live our cultural beliefs, to just be Māori. Other cultures can return to their homeland to speak their language, to live within their culture.”  (Wano, 2016).

Tikanga Māori

Māori have their own tikanga – ways of doing things, customs and values. Tikanga plays a vital part in the act of rangatiratanga – being and living as Māori.  For our Māori whānau to come together for a hui, to discuss an important kaupapa (topic) such as education for their tamariki, it is vital that these hui are grounded in tikanga Māori. This would mean that the meeting or celebration follows similar processes to those our ancestors would have engaged in during wānanga (debate, discussion).  A hui steeped in tikanga Māori and Te Reo Māori may not be inclusive to non-Māori and nor should it be, it’s intended to empower Māori to be Māori.

kapa-hakaMany Māori parents and whānau attend many school-related meetings, celebrations and events that are not steeped in tikanga and Te Reo Māori, and so creating opportunities for this to occur for Māori is vital to ensuring that our whānau and tamariki feel connected to our schools. It’s important that Māori  see themselves reflected in the way things are done in our schools, and that being Māori is considered an asset and something that is worthy of celebrating.

Māori whānau have their own educational aspirations for their tamariki that are unique to being Māori. These aspirations deserve the mana of their very own forum. These hui could also have school leaders and teachers present as invited and supportive guests, who are there to listen and to learn – not to lead or make decisions on behalf of Māori.  In his blog post 4 March 2017, Challenge of Biculturalism Lies With Pākehā, Maurie Abraham, principal of Hobsonville Point Secondary School talks about, his experiences as a Pākehā in Te Ao Māori where, “At no stage was I asked or required to relinquish any important aspects of my Pākehā world. I truly hope I operated in a way that did not ask or require the same of the Māori I was working with.” 

Adding some colour

Māori celebrations, Māori hui and in fact any enactment of tikanga Māori and kawa (protocols) in schools is an huge improvement on mono-cultural ways of doing and being. Put simply, want to add some colour to your school practices? Then add some bicultural colour and watch your tamariki bloom! Article 3 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi is Ōritetanga / Equity. The enactment of Ōritetanga in schools, should look like the equitable representation of things Māori and things Pākehā, our bicultural heritage. In other words, 50-50 representation of things Māori and Pākehā in our physical environments, our learning programmes, our language, our resources – in everything.  We are certainly not there yet, and to be honest we may not get to 50-50 in my lifetime, but I would like to think that we are always working towards improving equitable outcomes for Māori in schools. Perhaps creating opportunities for Māori whānau hui and Māori celebrations or events during the school year is one way schools can truly value and celebrate our unique bicultural heritage.

I hope there are some words of wisdom in this post for many of you who may have been on the fence about Māori hui or celebrations. Māori students walk in their mostly non-Māori schools every single day.  Any opportunity schools have for ensuring the language, culture and identity of Māori is protected and revitalised, is one they should take. This is for the betterment of all of us in Aotearoa. Our bicultural history and beautiful indigenous culture is what makes Aotearoa the very best place in the world.  Let’s ensure we are putting forth into the future the very best tamariki the world has ever seen!

He tina ki runga, he tāmore ki raro

‘Contentment above, firmly rooted below.’  Those with a good family foundation and proper grounding in their own culture and heritage will find satisfaction and contentment in life.

Related Resources

EDtalks

Tō reo ki te raki, tō mana ki te whenua – uLearn18 keynote by Hana O’Regan
Cultural identity and community in whitestream schools – uLearn17 keynote by Dr Anne Milne
Giving mana to Te Tiriti o Waitangi in our schools – Janelle Riki-Waaka
Addressing Pākehā paralysis with non-stupid optimism – Alex Hotere-Barnes

Blog Posts

Is Māori representation Māori privilege? – Wharehoka Wano
Article 2 and Te Reo Māori – Anahera McGregor
Whytangi, Wai celebrate the Treaty? – Rosalie Reiri

References

Abraham, M. (2017). Challenge of Biculturalism Lies With Pakeha. Retrieved from http://principalpossum.blogspot.com/2017/03/challenge-of-biculturalism-lies-with.html

Hitchcock, J. (2018). The Treaty of Waitangi granted us tino rangatiratanga – but what is it?. Retrieved from https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/06-02-2018/the-treaty-of-waitangi-granted-us-tino-rangatiratanga-but-what-is-it/

Mead, H., & Grove, N. (2003). Ngā Pēpeha a ngā Tīpuna / The sayings of the ancestors. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press.

Milne, B. A. (2013). Colouring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools (Thesis, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)). University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10289/7868

Wano, W. (2016). Is Māori representation Māori privilege?. Retrieved from http://blog.core-ed.org/blog/2016/04/is-maori-representation-maori-privilege.html

Wilson, J. (2016). The three articles of the Treaty of Waitangi. Retrieved from https://teara.govt.nz/en/document/4216/the-three-articles-of-the-treaty-of-waitangi

Images: CORE Education, All Rights Reserved

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Instigating sprints to support transformational change and innovation in schools

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Change is the new black

Educational change is inevitable and it’s all the rage (although some may argue with the second half of that sentence). A rapidly evolving and turbulent world, our growing understanding of the nature of learning and, in New Zealand, the need to change how our education system performs so that Māori students enjoy and achieve education success as Māori (Ka Hikitia – Accelerating Success 2013–2017); all mean that educational evolution is here to stay.

The challenge with educational change these days seems to be the amount and sometimes exponential pace of it. This volume and speed creates a need to look past previous iterative approaches to improving teaching and learning, and instead, become transformational as we strive to evolve our own practice in both a rapid, and meaningful way.

However, effectively managing transformational change is a change in itself. Transformation calls for innovation, risk-taking and creativity; and engaging in mahi where the outcomes may be unknown. Without resources, time and support, this form of change can feel overwhelming, laborious and like it’s ‘on top of’ an already saturated workload.

In a previous post I co-authored with my colleague, Rachel Westaway, we suggested that school leaders explore Agile values and principles to support transformation and innovation in schools.
In this post, I will delve deeper into an agile tool called ‘sprints’ that supports teams to work through transformational change; hopefully experience some creative freedom; and provides a framework and process that promotes embracing uncertainty while minimising risk. This way, managing change and innovation should not be overwhelming and may actually be enjoyable.

What are sprints?

The concept of sprints originated in the IT/project management world where they are one of the key components of the scrum framework, supporting people to work collaboratively to address complex problems and unpredictability. Scrum is founded on agile principles, with an emphasis on creating value, and making progress through regular reflection, adaptation and teamwork.

Sprints enable teams to work collaboratively to tackle large problems or significant change by breaking down the work into small, time-boxed, increments (a.k.a sprints) and focusing on what is most important.

In the education world, the sprint approach can be used to manage, improve and innovate on practice to support our learners’ needs, allowing educators to be more adaptable, creative and flexible in working through significant change. Sprints can be anywhere from one to three weeks long (as a guide only). Put simply:

Using a sprint approach can break down and simplify what can seem to be an overwhelming, long-term challenge, into smaller manageable parts.

Agile Schools has developed Learning Sprints; a programme that provides tools, resources and professional learning. They recommend 3 key phases in a ‘learning sprint’:

1. Prepare

a. Define: What student learning outcome do we want to focus our practice improvement on? For which students? What evidence justifies this decision?
b. Design: What small, specific actions can we take in our classrooms to improve student learning?
c. Assess: What evidence of student learning will we collect?

2. Sprint

a. Teach: In what ways are we deliberately improving our teaching practices?
b. Monitor: How are we collecting evidence of student learning? What is it telling us?
c. Support: How are we harnessing peer and expert feedback?

3. Review

a. Analyse: What progress did students make and how did our actions contribute to this?
b. Transfer: How can we transfer what we’ve learned into future practice and ways of working together?
c. Reset: What professional learning could we engage in next, in order to help us maximise our impact on student learning?

Implementing sprints in a teaching inquiry

The sprint process is strongly underpinned by evidence-based practice and therefore aligns closely with the Spiral of inquiry. Used as an approach within a longer-term inquiry, sprints can provide an opportunity to evaluate the impact of our actions over many cycles within the wider inquiry space. Not only does this allow new learning to become embedded in the way we work but the speed (velocity in ‘scrum speak’) at which the team can move and adapt is accelerated.

However, before contemplating the use of sprints within an inquiry, it is important to discover and define what is going on with our learners. The scanning and focusing phases of a teaching inquiry will support us to create collective learner statements about targeted students in a particular educational community. We can then explore how these challenges relate to the nature of learning (OECD 7 principles of learning) and the Key Competencies in the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). The NZCER Remixing the Key Competencies: A curriculum design deck is useful for this. In developing a hunch we look at our own practices attached to any challenge/s.

This work might look something like this:

stthomastlif_june27recap

Diagram: Fionna Wright – CORE Education, (CC BY-NC 4.0)

When working collectively through the inquiry phases we should discover overarching themes, for example:

“Our learners are engaged in learning activities outside of school and are far more engaged at school when learning is personally meaningful to them.”

The challenge for us therefore is to design learning activities that are more meaningful for students with a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, interests and learning needs. (The creation of User stories to support this thinking is another useful agile approach but this will need to wait for another blog).

So, what do we need to learn and how will we take action, and check that we are making enough of a difference for our students?

Using sprints to manage, improve and innovate on practice in a collaborative, structured, iterative way; whilst collecting relevant evidence to measure the impact of our ideas and actions, helps us figure out what to learn and the necessary actions to take in an adaptive way. It helps us therefore to develop adaptive expertise–the ability to apply new knowledge ideas and skills flexibly and creatively. (Dumont, Istance and Benavides 2010, 3).

This is the approach that Agile Schools has taken with a range of activities in their Learning Sprints toolkit. Amongst these in their Define phase is Boulder, Pebble, Sand. This activity allows us to break down our learner challenge into bite-sized chunks of practice that we can then review, transfer and adapt new learning and ideas before going into another sprint.

It is important to note that, whilst I believe the outline of this activity is useful, I would lean more towards ‘doing with’ students and possibly whānau in identifying and developing learning outcomes. That is to say, if our challenge is to design learning activities that are more meaningful for students with a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, interests and learning needs, it would seem to be reasonable to co-design learning outcomes and activities with the students rather than for them. I also wonder if we should change the language from ‘learning outcome’ to ‘student-valued outcome’. This places more emphasis on designing a response to challenges or opportunities around the nature of learning and the key competencies in the NZC. It also supports the design and implementation of learning experiences that are more human-centred. The Guide to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is useful for this.

Reviewing a sprint

The review of a sprint can look a little bit like a SCRUM meeting in which teams review the evidence collected during the last sprint. Using the Learning Sprints Check-in Tool teams ask questions like:

  1. What learner progress did we see?
  2. What did we learn?
  3. What worked well?
  4. What didn’t work well?
  5. Where to next?

Recording individual ideas on post-it notes to move around and look for patterns, positives, needs and gaps is helpful when answering questions. For example:

fionna-sprints

Images: Fionna Wright – CORE Education, (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This process leads to a collective, in-depth examination of practice that supports the transfer of new learning and consideration of next steps.

So, if the concept of breaking down large, often long-term challenges into a small, structured, incremental steps appeals to you, then sprints might be a process that is worth considering. I’m in my early days of exploring this approach but I believe that, in education, sprints can:

  • support collaboration and innovation
  • provide a clear, simple process that is easy to manage
  • promote rich discussion and deeper learning
  • allow for flexibility, adaptability and innovation
  • encourage evidence-based practice and provide accountability
  • provide structure to more effectively measure the impact of actions
  • inform future practice.

As an aside, a useful consequence of implementing an ongoing sprint process is the development of a growing portfolio of robust evidence that reflects the Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards for the Teaching Profession (NZ Teaching Council).

If a sprint approach to managing challenging change can help us to continuously measure, adapt and improve our practice, it would be great to consider how it could also be used with our students.

Featured image by Will H McMahan on Unsplash

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Why UDL is valuable

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“Without a systematic way to interrupt current practice in the classroom the impact of these barriers is repeatedly faced by each generation without significant forward motion to break the cycle once & for all.”

Bae, S., Ofiesh, N. S., Blackorby, J. (2018)

UDL quote

@chrissiebutler CORE Education CC BY NC 4.0

Enables equity in education

“Providing high quality education is a matter of social justice” (Ministry of Education, 2019). As teachers and leaders our bottom line is that no-one will be left out or discriminated against. As everyone learns differently, finding ways to create flexible, barrier-free learning environments is of critical importance if all students are to thrive (ibid.)

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can help us in this work. It gives us a framework to design learning environments that are “flexible, and where barriers to learning can be identified and removed at the outset (Ministry of Education, 2019). It can help us towards equitable access and participation in education.

A culturally inclusive framework

Although UDL was conceived in US, it has value for us here in Aotearoa because it takes “a people-first approach to planning learning” (Ministry of Education, 2019). UDL invites us to think about “WHO we will teach and what those learners bring with them BEFORE we think about WHAT we will teach” (ibid.)

“UDL is focused on ensuring all learners get a chance to learn in ways that work for them. It is about removing barriers and opening doors to learning. It is driven not only by the findings from neuroscience and educational research but by a vision for equity” (Ministry of Education, 2019).

universal-design-for-learning-udl-in-aotearoa

@chrissiebutler CORE Education CC BY NC 4.0

Everyone benefits

When UDL is implemented intentionally across a community it can bring coherence to teaching practices that are inclusive of all learners. This approach benefits everyone.

Students can be confident they will have:

  • equitable access to learning opportunities
  • the tools and supports they need to demonstrate their learning in ways that work for them across all classes
  • responsive teachers who welcome their self-advocacy and seek feedback on their teaching
  • knowledgeable teachers who value and have an understanding of learner variability.

Whānau can trust that:

  • their ideas and questions will be welcomed
  • the uniqueness of their child will be valued and seen as a source of strength for the community
  • their child will be taught in a way that works for them and their learning needs will be met
  • their child will not be singled out or separated from their peers.

Teachers have a framework to guide decision-making. It supports them to:

  • identify and minimise barriers to learning and wellbeing hidden in their teaching
  • consider how to offer useful options and supports that can be built into the learning environment at the outset
  • problem solve with colleagues, students and whānau using the shared language of UDL.

Leaders have a framework that will:

  • help them support the presence and participation of every learner (child to adult) and ensure their rights as a learners are upheld and protected
  • support consistent, coherent inclusive teaching and learning practices across their school
  • set expectations around “what inclusive can look like”
  • guide the design of more inclusive systems and processes, staff hui, community events and building projects
  • provide a shared language that can be used with all stakeholders, across all contexts.

Find out more:

Acknowledgements

Bae, S., Ofiesh, N. S., Blackorby, J. (2018) A Commitment to Equity: The Design of the UDL Innovation Studio at the Schwab Learning Center

Marotta, M. (2018) Tips, Tricks and Tools to Build Your Inclusive Classroom Through UDL

Ministry of Education (2019) UDL guide, Inclusive Education website

Illustrations by @chrissiebutler CORE Education CC BY NC 4.0

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Spiral of Inquiry: It’s a new year, should we start again?

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Teaching as Inquiry: where teachers inquire into their practice and use evidence to make decisions about ways to change that practice for the benefit of the learners.

 

A common question that comes from collaborative inquiry teams at this time of year is: Should we start again?

A better question to ask would be: What progress did we make with our collaborative inquiry last year and where to next?

Scenario:

A teaching team worked together last year to scan their learners widely – building up a picture of learners’ social, emotional and cognitive wellbeing, strengths and areas for exploration. They used the evidence to focus on a theme that emerged and to consider their practices attached to that theme. A focused inquiry came to light and the team engaged in learning together and took some initial action in the classroom to change their practices and to make a difference for learners. By December, the team had taken some action but had not yet engaged in learning for long enough to embed new practice. While they checked learner progress and achievement, they hadn’t really checked widely to see if they’d made enough of a difference overall.

The new year:

What progress did we make with our collaborative inquiry?

An influx of new learners in the new year doesn’t have to mean ‘new inquiry’ for the team. Collaborative inquiries morph and change over time based on the evidence you gather about teacher practice and learner progress. One way to confirm that your inquiry is still useful and relevant for your team is to ask yourselves if you’ve gathered enough evidence to show that:

  • Your learners have experienced success and you’ve made enough of a difference for them (what data shows this? Whose voices are represented? What do your Māori learners and whānau think?)
  • Your teaching practice has changed and the new practices are fully implemented and embedded (what observations and other data show this? What were the criteria for success that you used? What research evidence supports the new teacher practices you implemented?)

Other questions teams can use to evaluate the progress of their collaborative inquiry include:

  • What evidence did we seek to know we were making a difference? What research and other knowledge informed this?
  • When did we check and how often? How did we check in a way that allowed for adjustment – right away?

“Checking is about beginning to set the stage for what comes next” (Kaser and Halbert, p. 7, 2016). That means that once a focused inquiry is underway, it never really “ends” – it simply shifts focus over time based on new evidence and clarity over whether or not changed practices have made a difference and have become embedded into our learning environments

But what about our new learners?

Often we think our focused inquiry from the year before won’t be relevant for our new learners this year. However, remember that:

  • Collaborative inquiries are focused on the gaps in our practice as teachers, highlighted by the challenges our learners face.
  • Those gaps remain in our practice until we fully implement and embed change.
  • The Learning phase is not short term or quick fix

“The professional learning research evidence indicates that the integration of substantial new knowledge requires a minimum of a year of focused collaborative effort to make a difference. Two years is much better. With three years of engaged effort, movement towards a transformed learning environment is usually well under way. So space must be created for this to happen” (Timperley, Kaser and Halbert, p. 16, 2014).

Next steps

At the start of the year, when your team is part way through an inquiry from the previous year, consider a “re-scan”. Re-scans can be shorter and more focused. For example, four weeks of Scanning your newly selected learners with a particular focus on your existing team inquiry may be most appropriate.

If your team has changed significantly (staff re-shuffle or turnover), you may wish to do a wider, longer scan while also considering evidence from the previous year’s inquiry.

A re-scan and continuation of your existing inquiry can be your team’s opportunity to:

  • Improve the ways in which you gather whānau and learner voice
  • Better consider the place of culturally responsive practice in your change plans
  • Consider new approaches to identifying clear goals and outcomes for changed practice and ways for checking these

As your team discovers the results of initial scanning in the new year, you can then have a robust team conversation about whether the evidence is telling you to continue with your inquiry, or whether to adapt your Learning and Action to cater for new evidence. This is a “morphing” of your inquiry rather than dismissing all of the previous year’s learning and action.

Featured Image by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

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