Mindlab Reflective Blog 2018

Step 1 (What): The main ethical dilemma I have come across during my action plan is the use of students to gather data regarding their teachers performance. Students are asked to rate teachers on a sliding scale based on the skills and framework we devised for Project Based Learning to assess the effects of using the framework on delivering what students need to scaffold them. Prior to the action it was noted that Students may feel like they cannot rate their teachers poorly or some students may deliberately rate their teachers poorly dependent on their relationship with the teacher. This was planned to be mitigated with the onus put on them to provide evidence of their learning in these circumstances. Bourke (2013) suggests giving students multiple opportunities for informed dissent to withdraw from participation in order to maintain ethical principles and it is important that this data is kept anonymous from the teachers. The ethical dilemma I came across was when gat

What is cultural responsive pedagogy?  Savage et al 2011 talk about cultural responsive pedagogy as instances where the teachers care for students as culturally located individuals - what does this mean - is it merely personalising learning in a manner that impacts student achievement? Is it where students view the culture of the school to be in sync with their own culture? Culture includes a variety of aspects and I believe cannot be linked solely to race, ethnicity but includes the belief system, values and how students view the world around them which impacts how they learn. Erickson 2010 suggests that culture in schools can be represented at multiple levels, visible and invisible, where a dominant culture can devalue minority cultures within a school even if it views itself as multicultural. Gay 2010 describe cultural responsive pedagogy as teaching students to and through personal and cultural strengths and so it seems it is where all the elements discussed above come to

What? At this point of the Take Action Inquiry the teachers came together to plan their student inquiry for Term 1. Teachers were asked to bring resources to aid integration across literacy and numeracy. My expectations were that this is what would happen and there would be robust discussion and collaboration amongst peers to create this plan using the planning framework. I observed very few teachers did what was expected and team leaders in particular were not prepared. When this occurs team leaders do not behave as leaders in these meetings and then defer all leadership to me as the facilitator in order to not take responsibilities for their actions. Leaders take a followers stance and alienated at best to try and build  camaraderie  with others in the group this way they deflect accountability . We are all in this together and no one wants to be here attitude, which is not conducive to creative thinking or mobilising teams into action.  Great leaders move us. They ignit