This is the second in a series of posts in which I will attempt to demonstrate critical reflection with respect to different aspects of life as a teacher. This post aims to critically analyse issues of socioeconomic factors, school culture and professional environments in relation to my practice. I will avoid discussing the decile system, only using it as basis for inference regarding the living situations of students at my school.
My school is rated as decile 3. At the time of writing I didn't have access to data regarding the different factors in decile ranking. However, I can infer from this ranking and the insight I have that a significant number of our students:
Gargiulo, S. (2014). Principal sabbatical report. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Professional-information/Principals-sabbatical-reports/Report-archives-for-2007-2014/Secondary-award-recipients-2014/Gargiulo-Salvatore
Hargreaves, A. (1994). Changing teachers, changing times: Teachers’ work and culture in the postmodern age. London: Cassell.
Ministry of Education. (2016). School Deciles. Retrieved from http://www.education.govt.nz/school/running-a-school/resourcing/operational-funding/school-decile-ratings/
Stoll (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London.
TEdEd.(2013, Jun 21). Building a culture of success- Mark Wilson.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_8Bjz-OCD8
My school is rated as decile 3. At the time of writing I didn't have access to data regarding the different factors in decile ranking. However, I can infer from this ranking and the insight I have that a significant number of our students:
- live in households with income in the lowest 20% nationally
- have parents in occupations at skill levels 4 or 5
- live in households with an equivalised crowding index greater than one
- have parents with no tertiary or school qualifications
- have parents who received some form of benefit
Similarly, while I don't have access to data, I can infer that there are students with worldview shaped by all three of lower, middle, and upper class systems.
The school's values are Aspiration, Excellence, Innovation, Respect and Responsibility. These values underpin the majority of messaging from the principal, both to staff and students. Further, the values form the basis for our PB4L expected behaviour matrix, wherein behaviours are described under the headings of respect (minimum expectation), responsibility (exceeding expectation) and excellence (taking initiative to apply the school values). Alongside and within this framework of values, the school strives to achieve on par with national means in NCEA, and enthusiastically celebrates academic, sporting, arts, and cultural successes.
In a survey at the end of 2016, staff were asked to describe the college in a few words. Collegiality was the most commonly cited characteristic, along with diversity. In my experience (just starting my 4th year), these two words describe the culture among staff and the college as a whole very well. While the concept of collegiality has some inconsistency (Stoll, 1998), in this case it is fair to summarise as staff enjoy working with and/or alongside each other. I note the distinction between 'with' and 'alongside' as I feel the teaching culture is well described by Hargreaves' (1994) notion of Balkanisation, but to a relatively effective and functional degree.
The most significant day-to-day issues arising from socioeconomic factors are nutrition, attendance, and low literacy and numeracy.
Low literacy and numeracy most heavily influence my practice as a maths teacher in how we learn topics, with more time often needed to revisit foundation concepts rather than exploring new (and year level appropriate) ones.
We're working hard to address these issues with initiatives such as whanau breakfast clubs, reading enrichment programmes, and text message notifications for caregivers of students with unexplained absence. Effectiveness seems to fluctuate somewhat, but on the whole I feel we are making positive gains. The culture of the school is significant here, in that the majority of students express that they want to be at school and feel valued once they're there. By Stoll and Fink's (cited in Stoll, 1998) 10 norms of improving schools, I feel we are doing well, but could do with more openness and lifelong learning. Some staff are happy with what they know and how they do things, and are resistant to change, while others feel that information (particularly rationale for decision-making) is not shared as openly as it should be.
References:
Hargreaves, A. (1994). Changing teachers, changing times: Teachers’ work and culture in the postmodern age. London: Cassell.
Ministry of Education. (2016). School Deciles. Retrieved from http://www.education.govt.nz/school/running-a-school/resourcing/operational-funding/school-decile-ratings/
Stoll (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London.
TEdEd.(2013, Jun 21). Building a culture of success- Mark Wilson.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_8Bjz-OCD8
Enjoyed reading your BLOG as it provides a very real perspective on the factors that are likely to impact on student learning which can make teaching and learning opportunties challenging I work with leaders, teachers and students in schools with the expectation that student achievement will be accelerated. It is a timely reminder for me.
ReplyDeleteThank you
Hi Jonathon, enjoyed reading your blog. Staff being resistant to change is a particular issue I feel I face in my school. You are correct when you note that the culture of the school can have an impact on students and their willingness to be there. For some students thats the biggest battle. But once they are at school feeling valued could be the catalyst they need to keep attending.
ReplyDeleteMike