Thurs 27 Sept: I was a fly on the wall this afternoon at a Nuestra Escuela staff professional development meeting, at which the school's Education City coordinator, Josué McGrath Rosario, introduced the methodogy of Self Managed Learning as a structure for supporting student autonomy within a learning community. I have notes to read up on from the presentation today which will hopefully assist my understanding given my limited comprehension at this stage of spoken spanish... people tend to speak quite fast in Puerto Rico.. still, with the aid of powerpoint notes, & my companion dictionary, I was able to pick up enough today to follow the key ideas within the concept & some of the general points of discussion..staff were asked to consider how this type of methodology might fit alongside the school's own unique approach to helping students realise their potential: 'Todo por Mi Estrella' (All for My Star)...a programme which utilizes the star as a quest symbol.. representing the self-identified person or purpose for which one is prepared to give their all... in order to strive to be the best person they can be (personal development & integrity) as well as achieve that which is important & necessary for them in reaching their goals (PEPs, Personalised Education Plan/ pathway for achievement)...I found it invigorating to be listening to a professional dialogue about a topic which resonates so profoundly with me..reshaping the perception of what facilitates learning... & how best to support learners to discover for themselves what is essential to their own personal growth.. & what their hearts & minds desire to know..am looking forward to part 2 tomorrow when staff have had a chance to digest the ideas & come back with queries for discussion. Just prior to that I have a scheduled meeting with Josué regarding his Education City role..with the remaining weeks I have left here I hope to get as much info & experience as possible that will be of use to assist educational development in NZ...so if any of you have any burning questions I can put to Josué or others let me know within the next few weeks..however I can always contact Nuestra Escuela once I get home with further queries as they eventuate...have mixed emotions about heading back to NZ..I love it here..will be hard giving up my Puerto Rican sanctuary to go back into the rat-race of managing a maniac lifestyle to pay the mortgage..anyway, lots of awesome events to look forward to when I do get back..see you in a month.. Arohanui Besos y abrazos Taan :-) x
Tania CorbettThrough my Puerto Rico experience I hope to gain valuable insight to further contribute ideas for city & educational developments within our local region. Archives
November 2012
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