DFI Session 9: External Recognition

Participating in this Manaiakalani DFI course has been the best P.D I have been involved in throughout my whole teaching career! It has been inspiring, motivating, challenging and really made me reflect and adjust my own teaching pedagogy. I would now struggle to teach at a school that wasn't part of the Manaiakalani programme as it would feel like a major step backwards. That sounds dramatic but I know that I want to continue to work on aligning my teaching practice with the Manaiakalani 'Learn, Create, Share' kaupapa as I truly believe this will foster students who are confident and adaptable in this rapidly changing world.

I feel lucky to have been able to attend the online course as I have had access to a wider range of colleagues and been able to gain a broader perspective on how Manaiakalani is being implemented across N.Z. Learning from the comfort of my own home has definitley been a positive as well....just ask my dog! I have learnt lots of tips and tricks to manage my workload more efficiently and become more competent in a number of the G-suite apps. Today I completed the 'Google Certified Educator Level 1' exam and I passed! It was awesome to be in my bubble while we all received our exam results and to be able to celebrate and congratulate one another.....100% pass rate for the A-Team! Woop! Woop!

I was really nervous prior to sitting the exam and it gave me a first hand experience of how our students must feel when we set tests for them to complete. Since it was an open book exam, I felt fairly confident that I would be able to work out anything that was unfamiliar but my main concern was that I might run out of time. The three hours turned out to be plenty of time and I might even consider attempting the Level 2 exam at some stage.

I found it very beneficial to particiate in this course at the same time as my collaborative teaching buddy as we were instantly on the same page and both motivated to try the new things that we had learnt. I am excited for the other staff at my school to complete the DFI course and get on board with the Manaiakalani kaupapa. 

I truly am sad that our DFI course has come to an end and would like to thank everyone that has been involved in organising this course. I will definitely be on the look out for other Manaiakalani P.D opportunities in the future!