How can kaiako interactions with whānau influence the quantity and quality of whānau interactions with the school Learning Management System?
Communities
The focus group for my research project is the whānau of students who are in my Puna Ako (tutor group). I decided to use this group as I will spend the most consistent time with these ākonga and I do not need to get extra permission to conduct this research as communicating and developing a relationship with whānau is part of my job description.
When I started this assignment I did not know how this year's Puna Ako groups would be sorted and organised but I decided what ever ākonga I have I will engage with their whānau. At the beginning of this assignment the exact number and identity of ākonga was another unknown but I know they will probably include year 7 - 13. For research purposes it may be good to get a mix of gender, age and ethnicity. However due to the short timeframe it would also be beneficial to limit the group size to a manageable number of participants. As of a few days ago I received a list of 25 students. I decided that I would look into their gender, age/year level, ethnicity and any other factors that might impact the findings of this research grouping.
The research essay we wrote together highlighted the need to ensure that whānau has access to digital technology. Ākonga usually have access to technology at school but this may also be a factor in the level of engagement e.g. ākonga lacks self confidence or self management to share their learning with the whānau. One of the background factors I choose to look into is parent email. This is a quick indicator to see whether parents have access to Linc-ed (our Student Management System). This group is a priority group as they haven't been able to connect to our learning design through using this digital tool.
I will be working with two other kaiako who are responsible for these ākonga. Perhaps my co-teachers would be willing to be part of this research. I could survey other kaiako to gather their perspective on using the school LMS with whānau. I could also use Linc-ed to track the usage of kaiako to communicate with whānau and vice versa. I might have an opportunity to work with a few leaders: a kaiārahi (head teacher) and Pou leaders, to focus on whānau engagement so we can increase ākonga and whānau understanding of learning at Haeata.
Key Terms
- Learning design - define this for myself and others in the community.
- Purpose - how does our learning design encourage ākonga to develop their purpose. What does whānau know about purpose? How do get whānau to see the purpose of learning design and meaningfully contribute?? This is related to VISION
- Self Awareness as a learner - how do our ākonga develop their sense of self as a learner
- Mindsets - growth versus fixed mindsets and taking risks, and being resilience
- Skills - 21st century skills, Key Competencies and transdisciplinary Curriculum. What skills are valued by each member of the community? How are these similar? How are these different?
- Dispositions and Values - how well do ākonga and their whānau know our specific dispositions & values used at Haeata? What do they think about them?
- Vision - takes time to develop as achieving a shared vision involves collaboration and partnership.
- Connection - to ideas, people and resources
- Exploration & Experimentation - using experiences and trying new things to develop purpose
Explain the research topic and how the topic addresses the needs of your community.
At Haeata Community Campus we have 2 main priorities for teaching Tuakana (year 7 -13)
ākonga in 2019, Transdisciplinary learning (Kaupapa Ako) and Hauora/Interpersonal learning
(Puna Ako).
Improving our Transdisciplinary Learning involves making projects widespread, integrating Te Ao Māori and Communication Fluency within projects, strengthening goal setting and learning narratives
Hauora and Intrapersonal Learning (Puna Ako) involves "embedding Social emotional learning and positive education into all aspects of our learning", integrating Te Ao Māori and communication fluency within Puna Ako and supporting the building towards self directed learners
Specific actions & Timeframe
Kaupapa Māori framework is good for research as it is "stated as necessary for working with whānau collectives as it normalises Māori worldviews and practices." (Kennedy & Cram, 2010, p. 3) Issues to be aware of, research about Māori to be done by Māori, collaboration and equal levels of power, "using the right words and asking the right questions". Māori whānau members are diverse and still retain their unique individuality. "Māori cannot be viewed in isolation, just as whānau ora (wellness) for an individual is not created in isolation. Māori must be viewed as inclusive of their whānau, and of their surroundings, including their communities." Here's a table created using research about Cultural values from Smith (1999) and Researcher guidelines by Cram (2001).
Tino Rangatiratanga is the self determined principle which includes "the right to make decisions about all aspects of their lives". For this research project this is significant in how I am gathering multiple perspectives as well as empowering whānau to be able to be come part of a partnerships and potentially collaborate with learning design. Our learning design also means that ākonga are increasingly self determined learners and by gaining their perspective they may feel empowered.
After exploring the ethics of researching with whānau I believe it is important to consider the diverse cultural values of whānau members and create guidelines to ensure best practice.
Interviews and questionaries involving opinions and beliefs will be vital for this research. I will need to gain an understanding of what the parents of ākonga already know about the learning design as well as their own perception of it. Quantitive data such as whether parents have used Linc Ed to view and/or comment assessment information and/or learning narratives can be done by survey, in person as well as by accessing the Linc-ed programme.
The goal for this research is to observe a change in whānau behaviour for this I will collect pre and post intervention data. This means that I will use the same questionnaires and surveys asked at the beginning and at the end of the collection period. Using the same words, structure and format ensures that there is consistency. Using more than one source of data also means that the results will be more reliable. Providing a range of ways to contribute to the survey/questionnaire will help elevate the disparity between those who prefer to fill out forms, by hand, electronically, verbally and also meet kānohi ki kānohi
Other ethical considerations include confidentiality, the surveys will use a code to ensure that the data is not able to identify individuals.
Potential impact of the findings
- What are the possible benefits (and disadvantages of the inquiry)?
Whānau and ākonga who may have not understood learning design at Haeata will have the opportunity to learn more about it and ask questions.
Whānau may feel pressured to communicate with kaiako they do not know. If they have reasons to avoid attention to their personal or family situation they might react in a negative way. - issues around sense of privacy issues
- How might it impact on your communities or your practice?
Whānau and ākonga will have the opportunity to have equitable access to learning opportunities and some barriers to access could be removed. Establish a better alternative to communicate with whānau.
- How will the outcomes contribute to the topic area you are investigating (after you implement your Action Plan)?
Whānau engagement is one area of teaching that is difficult to achieve consistently. The topic of increasing whānau engagement has some research in regards to learning design but this is limited as Modern Learning Environments are relatively new. Our learning design is very unique and has evolved over the last two years since the school opened.
- How will the outcomes from the Action Plan impact on your practice and/or members of your community?
Increased number of comments on ākonga learning narratives with supportive or constructive statements from whānau.
Whānau could increase their understanding of their ākonga learning and this could increase collaboration and/or partnership with whānau
Ākonga may feel more focussed and/or valued if their whānau show support and/or an interest in ākonga learning at Haeata Community Campus.
This research will also increase my engagement with whānau and I believe it has the opportunity to build positive relationships with ākonga and their whānau.
Motivated and confident kaiako are able to motivate others and can tell others about learning
Ākonga are better to identify learning
- How will the outcomes from the Action Plan impact on the perception of members of your community about the topic area?
This action plan about whānau engagement is directly related to changing perceptions, especially for whānau. Ākonga will be influenced by their whānau and also be more activ in designing their own learning. Other kaiako also potentially could be influenced by the action plan either directly or indirectly. I predict that the participants will have an improved understanding and potentially view the learning design at Haeata in a positive way. Kaiako may also develop an appreciation for ways to focus on sharing learning design with whānau of their ākonga.
The Action Plan
References:
Kennedy, V. & Cram, F. (2010). Ethics of Researching with Whānau Collectives. http://review.mai.ac.nz
