Changes in practice

I have been a teacher for over 20 years and still felt ill-prepared for the demands of collaborating in an Innovative Learning Environment. After doing my own thing for so long, I knew it was going to be a challenge to have to share the same teaching space with others. It was obvious that I needed to upskill and fortunately, I heard about the Mind Lab opportunity.

After a hard 32 weeks, I am glad I took up this opportunity. There are so many topics I could not sink my teeth into because time simply did not allow it. I had to prioritise.  My hope was to regain the confidence I felt slipping away as I tried to get on top of the New Zealand Primary School curriculum. I got that as well as a renewed sense of purpose

I haven’t seen myself as a leader in New Zealand, as my focus was entirely on giving the students in my class my best, secretly worrying that this may still be less than what students in other classroom were getting. Compliments and positive appraisals did help, but the confidence levels were still well below where it was. I definitely did not look forward to working with other teachers, fearing I would be the weakest link!

It is now almost a year later and I did a complete 180.

Criteria 5: Show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning. Professional knowledge in practice

The first week’s reading about leadership and followership certainly influenced my thinking. This helped me to understand the shifting of roles when collaborating with the other three teachers in our learning space. Also significant was the view that you do not have to be in a position of power to have influence. Having cut my teeth in a time when ideas about leadership were very different from the modern understanding, learning about the new approach to leadership helped me to understand the dynamics of the team. The analogy of the dancing couple discussed in week 1 of the course, was especially significant for me. Over this time, having worked so closely with others - and you can’t help to compare - I am holding my own, contributing to an environment where students experience effective teaching and learning.  

Criteria 7: Promote a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive learning environment.

Developing my understanding of collaboration and other  21st century skills,  enabled me to contribute during professional development sessions, during our planning meetings and it enabled me to work collaboratively with others. Knowing that your opinion on pedagogy is valued certainly helps with your own confidence. More important, is the fact I could use my new learning to have those hard conversations, that I am able to justify my opinion and ask the right questions without burning bridges.

It does take everyone’s input to build a team that is inclusive and supportive, and we are still building the trust needed to be truly collaborative, but I am thankful for having the knowledge and skills to add value.

Next goals

I will continue studying and I am set on doing a mathematics paper. Studying has been time-consuming and, as the Mind Lab quotation rightly states, “...we can only prepare teachers to begin teaching,” I need to take the time to implement what I have learned to help my team build a fantastic Innovative learning environment.