Resilience

Fig.1 .The four pillars of the resilient teacher.

What is resilience?

The term resilience was first used in an ecological sense where it meant the ability of a species to adapt to a changing environment. In human terms it is the capacity to “face,overcome and be strengthened by adverse experiences”,Grotberg(1997).The beginning  teacher  starting out on their journey  will need to be resilient to meet the challenges of  every day life in the classroom.

The four pillars of resilience in the novice teacher are pedagogy, relationships , grace and self efficacy. These are human strengths, each supports and is supported by the other and together they confer resilience on the beginning teacher and enable him/her to ride the challenges of their first year.

Pedagogy as practical problem solver.

The pedagogy of learning helps  to find solutions to the dilemmas teachers  face every day in the classroom. From research evidence about  learning styles, the nature of cognitive development,the source of  behaviour and motivation we can decide how we will teach. The pedagogy of education  with its focus on a curriculum that supports learning for the 21^st century tells us what we will  teach. The pedagogy of classroom management gives us the techniques to connect with the students and be ourselves in the classroom. “We use the techniques that enable us to reveal who we are and from where our teaching comes.”(Palmer,  2009)p25.

Self efficacy.

For God gave  us a spirit not of fear but but of power love and control.Timothy 1.7

Self efficacy is the belief a person has in their capabilities to be in charge of their life . Teacher efficacy is a collection of personal beliefs about ones capability to exercise control over specific circumstances in teaching. .(Ferreir Kerr,20  ). Gibbs(2003) believes a teacher’s self efficacy is a predictor of teacher effectiveness.This  is because they are able to visualise themselves as teachers,they are capable of self reflection and to act on the new knowledge that come out of self reflection.

 

Relationships.

For the beginning teacher developing relationships  and accessing support is key to surviving in their first year.(Ferrier-Kerr,).Relationship building occurs both within and outside the classroom. Teaching  is a productive partnership (Reichart  et al.2010),Palmer (2010 p.26)calls it “an ancient human” dance,where  the teacher connects with the students  and develops a relationship   based on trust and respect. In addition, the beginning teacher needs to establish relationships within the school community with colleagues and support staff for these will assist with not only material resources but also provide intellectual,social and emotional  support.

Grace is the fourth pillar that makes up the foundation for building resilience in the  beginner teacher.It  is the internal cornerstone of one’s personal and professional commitment to becoming a teacher.It is comprised of one’s integrity, values and faith all of which define who we are and who we will become as teachers. Grace is the light of Christ that shines through our “integrity,passion and clarity of purpose as  we serve our students”(Sybesma,2009).
Armed with pedagogical knowledge,supported by friends and colleagues,strengthened by a belief in one’s  own ability and  “walking with God  in the classroom “, a beginning teacher is ready to face the challenges of the first year.

Do not be discouraged because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

 

 

References

Ferrier Kerr,J. (2012 ). Moving into the profession. In C. McGee & D. Fraser (Eds.), The professional practice of teaching (4^th Ed.pp 290-305). South Melbourne,Australia: Cengage Learning.

Grotberg,E.H. (1997). The international resilience project  presented at the international council  of psychologists conference.Graz,Austria  in Tait,M .,(2008 ) Teacher Education Quarterly,Fall.

Palmer,P. (2007). The courage to teach.San Francisco.Jossey Bass.p25

Reichart, M. & Hawley,R. (2010).  Reaching boys.An International Study of Effective Teaching Practices.pdkintl.org V19 N4

Sybesma,L. (2009). Teacher : Christlike Servant.Christian School Teacher,3-6.

 

Van Brumelen,H. (2009). Walking with God in the classroom.(3^rd Ed).Seattle.WA:Alta Vista College Press.

 

 

How to engage team work for transformative learning

 

It takes a village to raise a child

Transformative  learning is where learning is taking place where there was none before .One of the greatest rewards for the beginning teacher is connecting with those hard to reach students.To know that one is really making a difference and transforming a student  into  a lifelong learner is the reason why people strive to become effective teachers. However  effective teaching often cannot take place because barriers to learning exist. Research has shown that these barriers to learning are  sociological , stemming from cultural issues,or are caused by low  literacy or behavioural issues.  Solutions to these issues are beyond the realm of just the classroom and must involve the whole school in the context of the community.The government recognises that schools themselves  should become learning communities where the teachers are learning alongside the students. Teachers collaborate and share resources and ideas, they undertake professional development  and they develop relationships with whanau and the wider community to create an effective learning environment .

As a beginning teacher I need to remind myself of the one of the drivers behind why I am driven to become a teacher. How when I worked with rehabilitation of ex-prisoners  I  noticed the common denominator among all the workers was having a low literacy level.How when I was on practicum I noticed those whose behaviour was the most outrageous were often those who had greatest potential .How those who seemed the hardest to reach would suddenly be transformed into another being through acknowledgement of their culture. However finding a way to ignite the spark and fuel the fire of learning requires teamwork “working in supportive and rigorous learning communities with their peers and expert support”(MoE,2005).

Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu – with feathers a bird can fly

Examples of these transformative team teaching programmes are Te Kotahitanga Ministry literacy initiatives and Positive Behaviour for Learning(PB4L).Te Kotahitanga is a research and professional development programme that supports teachers to raise Maori student achievement. By focussing on self determination,acknowledgement of the concept of wananga,non deficit thinking and developing positive classroom relationships teachers can promote Maori engagement in learning(Bishop et al.,2009).  

Students need to develop the literacy expertise to engage with the curriculum and become independent learners.The government has developed an online literacy portal that enables teachers todevelop  teaching and learning programmes  based on the literacy needs of their students.The Literacy Learning Progressions is one of the professional tools available to teachers.It details what is expected of the student at the end of each year of schooling.

Positive Behaviour for Learning is a school wide programme that aims to develop a culture where positive behaviour  and learning flourish through whole school behaviour management systems.Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate embarked on a PB4L programme at the beginning of this year and recently more than 100 students turned up to their afterschool homework sessions indicating a school wide positive change in attitudes to learning.

References.

http://pb4l.tki.org.nz/

http://literacyonline.tki.org.nz/

http://tekotahitanga.tki.org.nz/About

(Bishop ,R. &Berryman,M.( 2009).The Te Kotahitanga effective teaching profile.Set research information for teachers Set 2009:NZCER.

Ministry of Education (2005).Making a bigger difference for all students.Hingaia he huarahi hei whakarewa ake i ngatauira katoa