The power of feedback and feedforward...

As I journey, I am increasingly aware of the need to capture some feedback for my own inquiry.

As a team of facilitators we support each other, challenge each other, and are able to give specific feedback and feedforward to support our journeys.I live a mantra of: “if you learn, teach; if you get, give!” This has always shaped my way of being and I am happiest when I am learning, sharing, interacting, supporting and socialising. Yes, it comes as no surprise that I love socialising. I am extremely positive and just today, facebook shared a post with me that is worth celebrating… “NEVER apologise for enthusiasm”. Often I am challenged on my overuse of the word MAGIC and my rose tinted glasses. Sometimes, just sometimes, this really dents me. It makes me sad that I should repress what I am feeling, should change my language and my sharing, for the sake of others…. So, gladly, I repost this quote. I am unashamedly, unabashedly optimistic, enthusiastic, positive and extremely hopeful.

The Optimism RevolutionIncreasingly I am aware of the basic human need of recognition, affirmation, acknowledgement. I have worked with teachers over the past couple of weeks that make my heart sing, they give the most incredible feeling of joy, and hope for our learners. They have profoundly good teaching pedagogy, and they are pushing boundaries to ensure that their learners have agency, autonomy, access to learning challenges to address their experiences and challenge them. My role as a facilitator is first and foremost to hold a mirror to this practice, to allow the educators to share their stories and see the MAGIC in their journeys. Most especially, my role is to allow educators the time to talk… just talk. Sharing their story and having a willing listener is a rare privilege in our busy world. As I listen I am privileged to ask, provoke, dig deeper and empower the educator to reflect aloud on their journey. As we increasingly move to recording progress and journey, through the MAGIC of Storyhui, we can capture rare and precious insights. How do we use these as evidence? How do we unpack our story? How do we make sense of the changes within our learners; our programmes; and MOST importantly within ourselves? I see spirals of inquiry as the KEY. Inquiring, reflecting, gathering evidence, holding the mirror to our journey, our story. 

At times I work with educators who are challenged with circumstances beyond my belief, be it: temporary learning spaces, uncertain futures, facing mergers, unreliable or limited technology… Our Learning with Digital Technologies contract is rich with hope, opportunities and possibilities. Increasingly clustering for PLD is our reality. Opportunities for sharing, networking, collaborating and travelling a path together are plentiful. For years I have felt I am channeling Derek Wenmoth when I begin to talk of Ubiquity, Agency and Connectedness. Increasingly I see these as our mainstay in transformative practice. If our learning environments allow for ubiquitous access to our learning journey, anytime, anywhere, by our learners and community we have the potential to be transformative. If we have agency in our programmes, genuine agency, choice, based on our learners current reality, passions and needs, we have the potential to be transformative. If we have a learning environment that allows for connection with an authentic audience, colleagues, whanau, local and global communities, we have the potential to be transformative. Throw in a HUGE dollop of growth mindset and a whole lot of fun and MAGIC is possible. I guess it is unspoken that learner feedback and feedforward is a crucial component in any transformative environment. 

The feedback and feedforward I have received over the past week has shaped me and challenged me to go further… way further than I would without the power of someone holding a mirror to my practice. 

I acknowledge and celebrate all who take the time to give feedback. When you are up, feedback takes you higher, when you are struggling, feedback can help you find your wings, when you are down, feedback may well be the difference between you getting up or sinking. What is it that holds you back from giving feedback?  What is it that helps you give feedback?What is it that holds you back from giving feedback? 

What is it that helps you give feedback?

I know how wonderful I feel when I receive unexpected and surprising feedback. 

I know how wonderful I feel when I ask for feedback and critiquing of my facilitation.I know how wonderful I feel when I give feedback...                     





Imagine the difference we can make....

Topic 1.5 He tangata ngākau māhaki

Offering praise
Kāore i te pai  ->    He pai   ->  He tino pai   ->  He pai rawa atu

Kei runga noa atu koe!	You’re the best	Anne http://vocaroo.com/i/s1VkDScr0kPn
Kino kē koe	Awesome	Anne http://vocaroo.com/i/s1XNcGt84rNZ
Kei reira katoa	Awesome, right on	Anne http://vocaroo.com/i/s1rKcKdopT75

Kīwaha Whakamihi Whakamihi (Praising)
You’re very good! He tino pai hoki koe!
Awesome! Ka rawe!
You’ve done a good job! He tino pai tō mahi.
That’s beautiful! Te ātaahua hoki!
What a clever child you are!
Kātahi nā te tamaiti mōhio, ko koe!
You’re the best! Kei runga noa atu koe!
That’s amazing! Ka mau te wehi!
What an excellent job! Kei whea kē mai te pai o te mahi nei!
You look beautiful! He ātaahua hoki koe!

Topic 1.4: Kei hea koe?

Understand & use common examples to communicate about location
Kei te kura - I’m at school
Kei raro ahau... - I’m under
Kei runga ahau… - I’m above
Kei mua ahau… - In front of
Kei roto au… - I’m inside
Kei roto au i te wharepaku - I’m in the toilet
Kei roto i te akomanga ahau - I’m outside the classroom
Kei hea a Anne? a for name...
Kei hea te tama? te or nga for objects…

My recording for this week...
Kei hea a Anne? Where is Anne?
Kei te hukapapa a Anne Anne Is outside in the snow
Kei te makairiri ia She is cold
Kei hea a Anne? Where is Anne?
Kei roto i te akomanga ia. She is in the classroom
Kei hea a Anne? Where is Anne
Kei runga i ngā toka a Anne. Anne is on the rocks
Kei hea a Anne? Where is Anne
Kei te puke ia. She is up the hill.
Kei hea a Anne? Where is Anne
Kei te taunga rererangi ia She is at the airport.
Kei te hari ia. She is happy.
Kei te haere ia ki tōna whānau
She is going home to be with her family.

Click to see my Adobe Voice recording...

Kia ora Gemma for all of your fabulous support!!!

Kei te pēhea koe?

VPLD hui Day two...

WOW, day two already!
I am still totally buzzing from our day yesterday!  The power of our stories continues to inspire and motivate us to more.

Transformative practice - More than meets the eye:

My Story: MLE/MLP: - Tamara Yuill-Proctor

http://tamypblog.blogspot.co.nz/2015/05/creative-writing-with-difference.html

Ignite: MLE/MLP:- Paul Sadler:

What comes first - the chicken or the egg?   Modern Learning Environments (MLE) or Modern Learning Pedagogy (MLP)?

Inspire: MLE/MLP: - Vicki Hagenaars and Cyndi Kruijer - Sharing our experiences

Inspire: Together we can make shift happen - a transformative collaboration activity.  www.storyhui.org

All too soon, the two days are coming to an end... Time to reflect!!! Poroporoaki...

Powerful words from Greg - what is seen here with the sharing is as good as it gets...

VPLD hui 2015 Day 1 Tweets storified...

VPLD hui 2015 - Our Stories - with a focus on Collaboration and Connection, MLE/MLP, Student Agency

Our Stories - with a focus on Collaboration and Connection, MLE/MLP, Student Agency

Oh the MAGIC of reconnecting with friends and meeting new friends.  Here we are in amongst the first session of the first day.  So many people to connect with, so many stories to hear!

The buzz of reconnecting was palpable.  MAGIC indeed!

After a welcome by the team we had the opportunity to go and meet someone new and share a personal connection!

Whatʻs our VPLD whakapapa?
We were gifted a kete of kupu, and the opportunity was for us to see opportunities to organise the kupu. We had many reo kupu that we had to using an online dictionary to translate, then we used the dictionary to translate the other words into reo kupu. We saw the words as interwoven...



Opportunities for educators to connect and share online:
http://ifyoulearnedhere.weebly.com/ 

http://kidsedchatnz.blogspot.co.nz/ 

http://padlet.com/heathereccles/VPLD

Starting with the WHY of connecting and collaborating... 


Getting connected in our VPLD journey!

Questions to start or continue the journey:
What are you already doing to connect and collaborate with your students?
What are your next steps?
What are your student's next steps?
What support do you need?
What questions do you have?

Student Agency - Itʻs not about me:

My Story with Charlotte French: Secondary school example from experience with NCEA student agency at St Orans College

Involving the learners, structure allowing to share their voice, agency, understanding.

Making thinking visible

Is the power in us taking our hands off?
Wow - powerful learning from Charlotte French - Link presentation

Ignite with TH Biddle: ePortfolios with Māori students at Maeroa Intermediate

Wow - just wow - what an incredilby powerful journey

Inspire with Kyra Leatuafi and Nicola Stevenson. Why, how and what we do to develop learner orientation/student agency at our primary schools.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1EoyJgQuNgizRPmq6gXyRxfmU7i9azCLzHI08bk3gONs/edit#slide=id.g6ec7174f4_02
Moving from a journey of one teacher, to three teachers in a space, to involving the learners and having 80 learners in the space. WOW - powerful journey
Actively involving the learners in writing weekly goals and reflecting on these goals.
Allowing the learners to drive their learning journey, aligned with interest and passions..
Choice of sharing the learning...
Involve the learners in the UDL principles - children reflect on how they are going...
Involving the learners in active opportunities for learning...
What's in your backyard?

http://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/

Agency - how?
Let go - of control;
Embrace the messiness; 
Grow together;
Side by side journey;
Explicit open dialogue;
Validating the journey;
Modelling growth mindset;
Changing OUR practice;
Reflect on our teaching and learning;
Developing relational trust;
Out of chaos comes something quite MAGICAL;
Freedom to explore;
Pushing through the pain barriers;
Must be planned for and explicitly taught, and embraced;

What evidence are we basing this on - how can we capture evidence?
How do we harness the power of the student voice?
How do we empower our learners to demand agency?

World CAFE - the power of listening - going deeper into the learning... provocations, challenges, unpacking the journey around the question.... What will school be like in 2020?

Auckland Bound...

No matter how often I fly I will never tire of the view of the sunrise.  There is something incredibly MAGICAL about flying into a sunrise.  Today is no exception.  The pain of the 5am alarm dims as I enjoy the smooth flight and stunning view. 

Heading to Auckland for an incredible learning journey.  Today I have the incredible privilege and pleasure of spending time with Caroline at the new Ormiston Primary School.  I am incredible excited to explore the exciting journey that is a new school. 

Thursday and Friday I am at our VPLD hui, which is an incredible opportunity to meet face to face mentors and mentees from across the country.  As we share our stories, surface our challenges and successes we are privileged to grow in our roles. 

Again, what I am most looking forward to is the people, the stories and the interactions.  Face to face opportunities allow us to get alongside our colleagues.  The incidental learning and growing when we are in the same room always astounds me. I reflect on the MAGIC of online connecting and learning, but always come back to the real MAGIC, the MAGIC of face to face.  This allows us to take the future online connections further, as our relationships develop.

Bring on the MAGIC…

Module 2 (Topic 1): Mentoring conversations

Topic 1: Virtual mentoring roles

Ma whero ma pango ka oti ai te mahi

With red and black the work will be complete

 (When we co-operate the work is completed)

Many roles are required in the mentoring journey:

·      role model

·      champion

·      cheerleader

·      leader

·      guide

·      adviser

·      counsellor

·      coach 

·      sponsor 

·      protector 

·      preceptor

Mentees must be given a voice.  My role as a mentor may vary frequently depending on the situation, time, and challenge.  I can support by encouraging my mentee to hold a mirror to their practice.

Steps in the mentoring model:

·      Listen without interruption

·      Invite more information

·      Summarise/paraphrase

·      Check

·      Follow where your mentee goes

·      Move to possibility and action

·      Systemic connection

·      Specific action and timeline…

Working through this module requires us to think of qualities of someone who has been or is of significant support in my life.  I have chosen to reflect on a friend who is always there, supporting me in my various family, work, life balance roles.  I am extremely grateful for this support!

Qualities of my significant supporter:

·      listener;

·      challenger;

·      calmer;

·      provoker;

·      supporter;

·      reassure;

·      honest reflector;

·      realist;

·      positivist;

·      friend.

Western roles of a mentor can be described as follows:

·      directive,

·      non-directive,

·      nurturing and

·      stretching.

Placing a cultural lens on mentoring roles allows for Pasifika terms:

·      Directive - Fa'a tonu

·      Guiding - Ta'ita'i

·      Exploring - Iloilo / Su'e su'e

·      Supporting - Lagolago

·      Challenging - Lu'i tau

·      Catalysing - Fa'atupa manatu

The role of questioning is critical in our mentoring role:

·      Investigator (knowledge): Who, what, when, where, why, how . . . ? Could you please describe . . . ? 

·      Guide (comprehension): Would I be right in thinking...? What did you understand from...?” 

·      Mentor (application): How do you feel X is an example of Y?; How would you say that X is related to Y?; Why do you feel that X is significant in your context? 

·      Coach (analysis): What are the identifiable aspects of . . . ? Would you classify X according to Y? 

·      Investigator (synthesis): What are your thoughts around solutions for . . . ? What would you infer from . . . ? What are your additional reactions to . . . ? How might you go about designing a new . . . ? What could happen if you added . . . ?  

·      Advisor (evaluation): What do you about trying . . . ? What is the most important outcome for.. . ? Which would you say are the highest priority for . . . ? What would help you decide to . . . ?

DVM Module 2:1

McKenzie's Questioning Toolkit 17 types of question are listed, 

Punchy Combinations

Active Listening

Active listening involves comprehending, retaining and responding.

The more time I spend with the DVM modules, the more enthralled I become.  Like anything, the more you read and do, the more you realize how much there is to read and learn, the more I want to read and learn. 

As mentoring increasingly becomes our way of supporting Principals and e-leaders, I am grabbing any opportunity available to grow myself in this role. 

I have just started reading the book  “A more beautiful question” which is challenging me and growing me in my curiosity… but that is another post, another read, another day…