Back in the game....

After taking some time out from the course I was returning with trepidation!!! 

I took some time out from my 9-5 to attend yesterday's campus session and was so glad I did. It's made me feel part of something again and armed me with the confidence and enthusiasm that I need to take the plunge back into my studies. 

We spend a fair amount of the time looking at what things actually mean to us and how to find the evidence we need to back up our thoughts and opinions. Trawling the internet for articles and academia are not my forte so it was a really useful exercise in how to get the most out of a search to actually find relevant information. 

Braking up our ideas and redifining what they actually mean to us proved very helpful in coming up with good search terminology. The term digital literacy came up - a great term for a very valuable skill to have on this course. 

The idea of using the internet as a place to shop for ideas is a fabulous way to approach this quest for knowledge. It was said that we should treat this like we are driving a car with no directions as to where we are headed. It's exciting that we may discover things that we never knew existed on the way and at the same time scary that another route could show us different things. But we will all get there in the end :) 

We talked about theorising our learning, gathering other peoples knowledge and ideas and comparing them to our own for a deeper way of looking/thinking about something. 

Map out different views and opinions and look where the boundaries of these ideas lay to find/define an idea and establish validity. 

I hope this helps those of you that couldn't be there and I look forward to having you all as part of a new generation of SIG's :) 

Ps...Happy Valentines Day xx

 

Emptying my brain of all the jumble...

This is gonna be a stream of consciousness about the process of my inquiry where I'm at, what I've done and what is still to do.

I'd really appreciate anyone giving this a quick glance to help me fill in the bits that I am sure to have missed. My inquiry objective is to learn his to make the best first impression as a teacher to a new class.

Stage one - getting ready...

I've reviewed my plan and made slight adjustments according to issues that arose from my formative feedback.

Ethical considerations have not changed so on paper I'm ready yo go :)

Stage two - performing the inquiry...

I've gained appropriate consent.

Carried out initial observations.

Reviewed my initial findings.

Carried out the first round of interviews with teachers that I observed. 

Still to do...

Carry out follow up interviews.

Analyse my findings. 

Stage three - the literature review...

Help help and help again... I'm just not clear on how to go about this. Every time I think I've got it I then see it in a new light and feel back to square one!!!

Stage four - interaction with peers and colleagues...

I'm lucky enough to currently be working in a school and am surrounded by many teachers all with varying skills and experience. It's like having my very own sourest for a fountain of knowledge :)

A lot of chat I have with them is informal around the staff room but I often add these thoughts and finding to my journal for later reference. I also communicate with the head teachers from the 3 schools that I am carrying out my inquiry in by email and google plus communities. All of which are useful firms of communication as and when I need there help or assistance. 

My advisor Paula is great with quick and informed responses to my work and queries making my somewhat unorganised study time to date that much easier. Although after getting this all on to paper I feel my time will be allocated a lot more wisely. 

My sig groups, this is harder as although there are several teachers amongst us there isn't really anyone looking at the same area as me. What is great though is the way I have been able to use the blogs and sig pages to keep up to date with the campus session that I have missed and the apprehension that is eased from gearing everyone else's fears and worries. It really is reassuring to know that we are all in the same boat and not in it alone. 

As I said if there is something else I need to be doing please feel free to add to my list.

Big thanks in advance :) 

The ramblings of my very busy brain!!!

Tonight I took some time out from the hustle and bustle to go see the fireworks with my favourite person in the world. My little girl always helps me put things into perspective. When I look at how much she has achieved in the 5 short years of her life so far it just takes me back and I realise just how much we are all capable of....

If we have a goal we can most certainly achieve it. 

Tomorrow I plan to ramble some more, I think it will help if I just pour out my thoughts. What I've done so far, what's left to do, what's next and what I think of it all so far. Hopefully it will clear out my head and make some space so I can get on with the tasks at hand :) 

Student Relationships: You only get one chance to make a first impression, summery so far...

For Paula and anyone else that has the time or inclination :)

My inquiry questions...

The importance of first impressions.

What makes a good first impression.

The significance of a good teacher-student relationship.

What makes a good teacher-student relationship.

My objective is to gather information that allows me to achieve all of the above. I will be this be observing teachers first interactions with new classes. 

The feedback I received after submitting my inquiry helped me to realise that I needed to be a little more specific as to what I am hoping to achieve and define my line of inquiry. Although my inquiry looks closely at students and teachers it is the behaviour of the the teachers that I am focusing on. The reaction this has on the children will help me to establish the forms of behaviour for other teacher that I would like to take forward in achieving my goals. 

Although a very simple set of Inquiry tools using observation with a follow up interview. My feed back suggested that I then a few weeks later met with the teachers again either for another observation or interview to established how there relationships with there new class had come on since their first encounters. I have decided after some thought to meet with the teacher to have an informal chat about how there relationships with the students are progressing. Anything that they would change in hindsight and things they may add or do differently next time. 

I've become aware that I need to take a more holistic approach, that not only the work and writing of other professionals can help me in this process but that I should draw more upon my own experiences as a professional. That my knowledge from situations I have encountered throughout my career has a voice in the analysis stage of my inquiry. 

In analysis I will be looking also at a transdiciplanary approach. Theorising what I have observed and how realistic it may in in the lager context. Also focusing on what I can learn from the bits that didn't work. 

I've given my artifact a lot if thought. How would I like someone to share this information with me. As a new teacher or an exisiting one looking to develope ones skill set what padagogy would be best suited. I plan to develope a short audio visual training piece that could potentially be displayed on a get into teaching website or provided to schools to share with their staff new or established. 

This will be a hands on display of my findings giving the viewer help, advice and examples of how to establish a good practice when first forming teacher-student relationships. 

The practical side is going really well so far and is almost complete. I am however struggling to find the right piece for my literature review. A lot of my reading has focused on first impression or teacher-student relationships. I've not found anything of real significance combining the two....any ideas or suggestion would be greatfully received :)

Bobbie. 

Module 3...

Hi all...

My inquiry proposal in planning appears to have some merit so onwards I go in the quest for new knowledge.

My inquiry is entitled.... Student Relationships: You only get one chance to make a good impression. 

I'm looking at how best to approach a new class in order to establish a good teacher/student relationship. Which research sows is critical to a child's education and a teachers career. 

With the new school year starting in sept I took the bull by the horns and jumped in with the practical side of the inquiry. With that almost done I'm looking now at analysing my results.

If any of you out there feel we could benifits from sharing it assisting each other please let me know I'm more than happy to help :) 

Feels like a long wait...

Not too much longer now. Feeling a little anxious and eager to get on with module 3.

How's everyone else feeling???

:)

Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry

Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry

Looking back over the journey that has been module two, one thing stood out and got me thinking. I‘d gone through the tasks laid out by the university which have guided me in gaining knowledge and information needed to put together a solid inquiry proposal. But what really gave me food for thought was the pivotal moments of change and enlightenment that have occurred throughout this process. Moments where the clouds parted, and words and ideas fell off the tip of my tongue. It’s these moments that I’ve chosen to reflect on, not merely because the thoughts and decisions made at these times have signposted the direction of my inquiry but because of the circumstance in which these epiphanies have occurred.

Whilst developing my lines of professional inquiry I learnt the importance of questioning my practice whilst looking for gaps or barriers to use as problems to research. Rosemary’s blog inspired a moment of clarity where she says ‘A great quality to have in this endeavour is one of curiosity - to develop an inquiring mind. Why should such a thing be? Is that the ‘truth’ and so on. Moreover, this develops a critical quality in your thinking, which is just what we are looking for on this programme.’ (Appendix A). Rosemary also recommended Freakonomics; a great read that helped me understand the practical applications of inquiry.

I shared my initial questions (Appendix B) on my blog and with colleagues. One communication proved invaluable as my next moment of enlightenment (Appendix C).

My blog post 4b (Appendix D) signifies two more key revelations; firstly, the formation of my Significant Interest Group (Sig) and secondly a new level of understanding. On my blog I quote ‘It's funny but I've really found that hearing my own ideas spoken in other people's words has made me able to access that bit of clarity that seems to constantly be on the tip of my Tongue.’ Comments from others really are a great example of how sharing can shape your ideas.

Initially I struggled to see the merit of my inquiry and how it would make a difference. I came across an inspiring blog by Peter Bryant (Appendix E). This quotation struck me: ‘They are not sea-changes nor are they barbarians banging at the gate. There is something to be said for the idea of from little things, big things grow’. It helped put my inquiry into context, especially the scale and feasibility.

The campus session on ethics highlighted the value of attending sessions. We brainstormed everything and anything on ethics until we had a clearer picture (Appendix F). I had my next revelation when Alan proselytized the “less is more” approach to inquiry. At last, I tapered my ideas into my final inquiry proposal.

Whilst piloting the tools of professional inquiry the emphasis turned to my Sig and what great support they provided as willing volunteers (appendix G).

On reflection, the biggest revelation of this emotional and mental journey is the realisation that - for the most part - my success is through engagement with my networks. Networking is an amazing source for a wealth of information that has assisted me in the ownership of my critical thinking process. In the future it will play its part in helping me sustain my professional practice.