Gillian's Professional Blog

WE MAADDDDEEE IT!!!! WE SURVIVED 💪🏾 Is this real? Has it been 9 weeks already? I find myself sitting here just reflecting on this amazing journey I have had with DFI Manaiakalani. I can honestly say that the amount of learning, knowledge and resources gained from this journey you would not believe that it was all done in 1 term. The highlight of this journey though is definitely the relationships built with Facilitators and other educators around the country. We would meet every week and share our journey with each other and you would think that the teachers were literally down the road from you! I can't believe it has come to an end! 😢 Coming into Manaiakalani I had mixed emotions more so the feeling of not being able to keep up with the learning or not knowing enough to support the learning. However, this journey was achievable and successful because of the support provided from Facilitators. I love all the Manaiakalani Kaupapa and I love how each kaupapa was definitely displ...

He aha aku akoranga hei āwhina i taku mārama atu ki te ariā ako me te kaupapa o Manaiakalani?   EMPOWERED:  Lack of money disempowers you! Something that Vicki shared that was Raw but True!  This kaupapa acknowledges and embraces the reality of some communities. Living in Tamaki Makaurau, this hits home because this is definitely the reality for some communities and having experienced this growing up it brings so much joy to know that Manaiakalani embraces this raw experience and have provided pathways to empower learners through this amazing programme. This kaupapa has been at the forefront for majority of teachers throughout this pandemic. Thinking about what we can do to empower our learners from a distance but most importantly finding ways for learners to share their voice, give them a choice and take ownership in their learning. Watching the video about Equity definitely filled my heart with joy. Knowing that Manaiakalani had put their kaupapa into practice by provid...

What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy? UBIQUITOUS: A4- Anytime, Anywhere, Any pace, Anyone. This was put into perspective when lockdown started last year and students were encouraged to learn from their homes. As a teacher I truly believe in this kaupapa as learning should always be available and there should always be opportunities for students to learn or access their learning from wherever and at anytime. I love the idea of Rewindable learning as I have heard a lot of students say how they did not have the time to do work at home because they are involved with other activities so this kaupapa encourages opportunities for our students to learn and complete tasks without any barriers. It was interesting to see the data of student learning dropping throughout the summer and then to see the comparison of those who had done the summer learning journey. This is a classic example of Ubiquitous and providing opportunities for students to acces...

What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy? Today we went over the kaupapa of CONNECT. I have to admit before starting DFI, I was a Google Classroom user and felt that this was the best and only way to stay connected with my learners online. However, that instantly changed once I started DFI and created a class site. I have come to understand how useful Sites have been to stay connected with not only the learners but with families as well. Maria shared something around how w e stay connected by having Consistency throughout all year levels within our schools. I definitely agree with this and that this is something our school is working towards because I do notice the challenges we face when students come to my class and have no knowledge about digital learning. We also have the same challenge with staying connected with students during this lockdown with them not having access to learning devices at home. Makaore mentioned how we want our stud...

What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy? It was awesome to thoroughly go over the kaupapa VISIBLE. It was a good reminder that learning should always be visible for the learner, whanau, teacher and colleagues. I have just started with my class site and things seemed to make sense when hearing about Planning, Process, Outcomes and Assessments should be visible for the learner. I have always seen planning as something for the teacher but I totally agree that this journey should be visible for learners as it allows them to be the driver of their learning rather than being dependent on the teacher. I alos liked the idea that learning being visible online avoids the excuses such as "my dog ate my homework" or "my homework book got wet in my bag" etc. In saying this, learning online works well if students have access to devices which is something that our school are still working towards to being able to have this pathway to p...