Activity #2 My Community of Practice

Activity 2: Current issues in my professional context

The Dreaded Decile Divider

Talk to a teacher anywhere in New Zealand that you have just met and once you get through the awkward social norms the next question inevitably is - “so what decile ranking are you?”

Then the aha moment. “So a 2.” The answer to the reciprocal question then determines the interest or otherwise and the duration of the conversation. If the deciles aren’t too far apart then the debate about relationships making a difference and the amount of social work involved begins. Every low decile teacher relates to this.

 So why are we there?

Highly intelligent and gifted teachers work in all decile schools in New Zealand - but why do they want to work in low decile schools?

I know from attending interschool events that many high decile people (parents/teachers/kids) look down their noses at us. Not everyone - but enough to know it isn’t an isolated incident.

Information from the Ministry of Education - we are decile 2 (barely) and The Christchurch City Council tell me that our students come from impoverished backgrounds.

https://www.ccc.govt.nz/culture-and-community/christchurch/statistics-and-facts/community-profiles/linwood-central-heathcote/linwood-ward/

I heard Nigel Latta say that “kids from privileged backgrounds go out to climb the mountain of life. They are equipped with an annotated map, a compass and the knowledge of how to use it, a cellphone and numbers of people to ring and all the necessary equipment to find their way. Meanwhile the disadvantaged kids don’t even know there is a mountain out there.”

 There is the crux of the job we need to do. Take these kids, whose parents have ambitions and love and desire for them to do well, and help them learn to read the map and work the compass and make connections to find their path in life.

 How will we do this?

Firstly we need to run a health check on our school culture. Are we using the Norms of Improving Schools. Stoll and Fink (cited in Stoll, 1998). With the changes that came about as the result of the cataclysmic Christchurch earthquakes the East side schools faced a major shake up. Under threat of merging with another school we were forced to  minutely examine or reasons for existence. What did we have that made us valuable to our community? Why should we fight to survive? Couldn’t “our” kids just fit in somewhere else?

The answer was a loud and definitive NO!!!!!

The community were adamant that the school should stay. Those who could made a stand. Those who were embroiled in the cycle of poverty and did not know how to express what they needed relied on us to do so for them. The school had to examine the way it stood for its community. The support it offered, the inter-agency approach ( MOE, Salvation Army, CYPFS, SWIS, CCC etc.) that worked so well, the use of community groups to support the needy - Kidscan shoes, raincoats and breakfast food for the Breakfast Club - run by parents. A lunch club for cheap nutritious lunches, again run by parents. Community Days with dental health, nutrition, and many other health providers offering information, advice and free samples.Application for grants so no kid needed to miss out on camp or Outdoor Ed opportunities. School garden club learning to grow, harvest and cook produce. Students are welcomed when they arrive - after all, they got there - even when they don’t turn up until 9.30 or later. Staff changes are mourned and celebrated. The loss of experience cuts deep, but new staff bring fresh ideas and a new perspective. A new leader who has the sense to delve into our school culture by exploring our mission statement and our values in a schoolwide way to see if we still believe in them and if they are relevant. The ongoing Professional development because our kids need us to find the right buttons to push to activate their learning - whatever speed and form that takes.

So- where was I?

Of course - I am at a low decile school. I am there by choice because the community pride and aspiration is just as prevalent as I would find in any community in New Zealand. The pathway to success may take a bit more effort but it is so worth it. To work in a community that values the teachers and wants to be a part of the school in whatever way they can makes me parochially proud. The collegial feel of the staffroom, and the formal and informal professional conversations that are a part of life give this school a vibrancy and level of success that is reflected in the community pride, the ERO report, and the high quality applicants that - like me - want to be here.

Activity #1: My Community of Practice

 Community of Practice
Wenger defines a Community of Practice as a "group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do, and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.” 

Anyone can be present in a community, but they don't truly become a part of that community until they begin to interact with other community members. A community of practice relies on three key characteristics being in place, and those who belong in the community will engage with these.
The first of these is the domain of interest which is the joint enterprise that interests the community. This is what brings the community together and feeds the passion to share knowledge and learning - to encourage best practice in an open, honest and respectful way.
Mutual engagement is another characteristic shared by the community of practice. All members of the community have a commitment to contributing ideas, feedback, reflection and future considerations. The balance may change, depending on expertise, experience and involvement, but everyone carries the responsibility of sharing when and where they can. Both formal and informal interactions inform this high level interaction.
A shared repertoire is the third element and this offers a collective pool of communal resources that the community of practice produces. I believe that this pool is one that consists of the ebb and flow of ideas and experience that community members bring. A balancing act between old ways - tradition and school culture- and new ideas and change. These could be influenced by the introduction of new staff, new ideas or professional development.
 All of these elements are dependant on a community that operates without fear of taking risks, where members trust that they can be open and honest and where they feel valued for their contributions.

 In educational contexts my community begins with  myself and my colleague who work together in a modern learning environment with 63 students.  We take joint responsibility for social and academic development for our diverse range of students. This community requires a high level of trust and shared responsibility for balancing contributions. The ebb and flow of knowledge and experience is reliant on a trusting relationship and an equal partnership.We then add the Learning Assistants - there are five involved with our students, the SENCO, the release teacher and the ESOL teacher, all of whom are invested in our class and classroom programme. Communication and sharing of ideas are key to effective practice and this takes place in many and varied ways - from formal IEP's to casual conversations over morning tea or at the photocopier. The important aspect is the respect for the ideas and opinions that are proffered from a differing perspective. My responsibilities within this team are to meet my obligations towards planning, assessment and reflection on practices with a view to improvement.
This is then expanded to include the rest of our team. Two more teachers and other Learning Assistants working with another 62 students. We plan many activities collaboratively and co-construct learning tasks. Class and team culture are strongly evident. Our team are open, honest and highly motivated to share ideas and experience. This allows for honest discourse and provides a wider pool of resources to draw on for all team members. Professional responsibilities within this community include shared planning, assessment, review and reflection on current practice and planning for future growth within our programmes.
  Like an onion the layers of the community keep growing. The staff in our school offer wide-ranging viewpoints that reflect a range of ages, experience, both in years and in variety of educational contexts, and cultural diversity. This allows for opportunities to challenge ideas and viewpoints.
 I consider myself to be very privileged to work in a community of practice that values wide ranging viewpoints and encourages debate and flexible thinking. Not every community has this level of trust.
  My challenge is to contribute positively, as well as to draw from the wealth of resources that this community offers.

References:
Etienne Wenger. Excerpted with permission from Wenger, E. (n.d.). Communities of practice: A brief introduction. http://www.ewenger.com/theory/communities_of_practice_intro.htm

Google for educators

During the holidays, and between working on Mindlab assignments, I engaged in a self directed PD on using Hyperdocs. What an amazing tool for educators, and eventually for students to direct their own learning. The people already involved and with expertise are highly skilled and very free with sharing resources and helping out with ideas. The templates are great and self explanatory for the most part. The only thing the authors ask is that you make a copy and credit the work to the person who offered it for your use.
 One of the best things about this is the pick'n'mix style of engagement where I have learned a whole lot about different available ways of presenting work and been able to offer choice to students.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jXVo6yW6FSNRTasry9GYfzFJgIP4SbqkKrP08rDK9Sw/edit

The link below takes you to one of the How To.... docs. If you choose to use it remember to make a copy for your files.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jXVo6yW6FSNRTasry9GYfzFJgIP4SbqkKrP08rDK9Sw/edit