Thursday, 2 August 2007

Cluster Share - Milford Teacher Inquiry

"Often in our classrooms we get so busy planning for and managing the lessons we do with our students that we don’t allow ourselves time to reflect...Taking the time to reflect critically on the things we are doing in our classrooms is perhaps the most effective thing we can do to ensure that what we are doing is having the desired outcomes, and is changing our practice in the ways we want it to" (Wenmoth, 2007).

Cluster Share Milford 2007

Our third Cluster Share this year was hosted by Milford School. Teachers shared, through a selection of classroom-based breakouts, the eLearning inquiries they have been exploring this year. These included a variety of ways they have been utilising ICTs to support student learning along with challenges and recommendations. This was a new format for our Cluster Shares and provided opportunities for all teachers to participate through questioning and contributions as we hoped the sessions would develop as a professional conversation rather than a 'sit and git'.

An important step in our teacher inquiry process is to reflect and teachers have found their participation has also provided them with opportunities and time to think critically about about what is happening in their classroom.

A big thank you to the Milford teachers who have also posted their resources on the cluster wiki including their contact details for cluster teachers who need to follow up from the breakouts they attended.
Click here for the wiki page.
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2 comments:

  1. oneteachersview1 August 2007 at 17:48

    I love statement at the top of your blog entry. It is true we focus so much time and energy on the planning of lessons and on the students that we do not actively reflect on what works or doesn't work as the case may be. Or even have we meet the desired outcomes?

    I know in Secondary Teaching you used to have to keep a reflective diary when you started teaching a couple of years ago as part of the beginning teacher requirements. But that has been removed to to the workload on teachers, and also when do you reflect, on the way home from work, gardening, talking with friends and family (don't try this one at home or out at dinner). For these you don't have a pen and paper just laying around to suddenly write, that was a particularly good lesson, or that was a bad lesson.

    I know as I get older and teach more I find myself not doing as much reflective practice as once I did, It does help with piece of mind and blogging has helped.

    Thanks

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  2. Marnie4 August 2007 at 16:24

    Thanks for this link Fiona - it is good to hear there are others in Auckland testing this stuff out and trying to gather that data - I will be very keen to hear all about it when it gets presented! See you at ULearn.

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