Week 32 Reflective Post: Changes in Practice

So here it is... My last week of Mind Lab! What a journey! It has definitely pushed the limits of my motivation, sleep and professional learning, but it's finally here. So, a reflection is necessary.

Whilst a 2017 has made it's presence known both personally and professionally, I feel there's been several milestones! I've learnt a lot in both spheres of life this year and feel even more ready to attack Term 4 and beyond into 2018!

The theories of learning have been a great learning curve and made me think carefully of how I can adapt my teaching, but there's been many little barriers this year in the shape of 30 Year 1/2 kids, a lack of resources to enable digital learning until recently and finding the time to test out new ideas. Mind Lab has been like the PD day course you've been on and coming back refreshed with new ideas and a new outlook on how you could run your class, only that's happened weekly with very little time to put things into motion in a very regimented 'I need routine' based class! Every week has given me something new to try and learn more about! Some digital resources look amazing on the surface, but needed to be set up from the beginning of the year as routine, however with my class' dynamic being so different, it wasn't to be this year!

A lot of those really great digital resources that would develop digital literacy in my class have been pitched a little high for my learners to use independently or have been unable to be used due to devices being unavailable. I have so many ideas and having very recently been lucky enough to acquire a class set of iPad's, I am looking forward to continuing the journey, looking back through my notes and testing out new things next year!!

2018's goal is to have more of a personal life (after 2017 bringing a similar situation to The Block NZ at my house plus working full time and studying part time!) and professionally to move away from substitution and move further down the track to weaving digital learning and citizenship into our every day learning! Whilst at this stage I am unsure of what year level I will be teaching and whether I'm moving classrooms, I'm sure that 2018 has something in mind to keep me on my toes!

I'm hoping that beyond 2018 (and someone please force me to have a few years of just teaching before this...) I can complete further study around my passion for behaviour and building self-regulation, so I can marry up the digital and collaborative learning and teaching with the behavioural and high needs support that can help every child access the curriculum the best that they can!

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