A Bloggers Journey...It begins

Even though I have made very vague attempts to blog in the past, it has now become a necessity to begin...gulp

About me

I grew up in central England and moved out to New Zealand in 2005 together with my family.

Perkins Family

My family consists of hubby Paul and children Jade, Will and Charlie. I haven't always been a teacher and to be honest it never was on my list of possible career opportunities. I worked in sales in the UK between having my children and sidelined as an exercise instructor. It was by chance when I found myself unable to find my 'perfect' job that from having a conversation with a new acquaintance I began employment as a receptionist at a local gym. From here I was certainly thrown into the deep end and 'conned' into personal training and working as a gym instructor. In reflection whilst at the time I felt conned into completely stepping out of my comfort zone it was the turning point in my journey to where I am today. From this gentle push in the right direction I decided that I enjoyed helping others to achieve their goals so enrolled in an AUT course to 'officially' become a personal trainer. Much to my husbands dismay I enjoyed becoming a learner, again having a tight schedule, being under pressure, juggling family, part time work and full time student.....but the joy of being a learner again was too much of a pull...so enrolled in a Bachelors degree the following year. This was when becoming a teacher entered my mind and I certainly have not looked back.

Today

Where am I today??? today my truly fantastic children are slightly older (20, 14 & 12) and do not have the need to be constantly by my side but I am still under pressure, juggling family, full time work....and loving it! I teach Health and Physical Education at Pakuranga College in East Auckland and have just entered my third year here. Last year I was asked to take on the position of Assistant Dean for Totara house at the college and again I love this job, being able to help students in every area of their life is where I feel I truly excel. I have just met my new intake classes and was blown away with 'the buzz' I had after teaching again following the holidays. 

Teaching

Colorado State University
'What is your teaching style'

If I was asked to explain my approach to teaching or teaching style I would have to say that I am very much a student - centered teacher. Whilst the curriculum governs what I need to teach, I believe that the way I teach, or students learn, is very dependable on the HOW my students learn. I listen to student voice and try to include parts of my lesson in the way they like to learn. Colorado State University as part of their what is your teaching style webpage said 'Just as people have individual learning styles, teachers have teaching styles that works best for them. It is important to be aware of your preferences when creating and delivering instruction." From this I took their test to see how I went, the results were as much as I had thought, in between Facilitator and Delegator, focusing on activities and ensuring the students are self regulated learners as much as possible. 

  References

http://biz.colostate.edu/mti/tips/pages/WhatisYourTeachingStyle.aspx

 

The New Reality

Mindlab 6th August 2015

Child entrepreneurs - 12 year old's are rising up as the most entrepreneurs. Discussions in class around this showed that is it because they are fearless and creative? Is it because they have grown up in a world of 'gadgets' and consumables? They have been bought in a world of being encouraged to explore their ideas and assumptions.

Technology around the world - more low cost tablets are making their way into the market place with some being sold as low as 30 pounds in the UK. It is becoming more important to get the internet into low accessible places like china and africa especially for children to have access to the internet. 60 million people in the US alone do not have access to the internet - this is mostly elderly and the poor.

As technology advances what is happening to the humanity factor? We in NZ are unique as we teach around the key competencies - can technology teach this? It was discussed that will robots soon have a bigger IQ than humans? is this even possible? But what about empathy?

How long will some jobs stay around - with the increase of driveless cars being developed by companies such as Nissan what will happen to the jobs such as taxi drivers? what will happen to the next generation that are not professionals what will they do for a living? There is already a rise in drones delivering parcels is this the end of the friendly postman? It was discussed that todays 4 year old will never need a driving licence so what does the future hold? with this in mind what opportunities and risks are there for tomorrows students? what are the ethical dilemmas with the development of the 21st century learner or even the way these students are taught? Will our jobs still be around or will teachers be replaced by computer programmes or robots?

How is technology pushing our world - and do we want it - will man outdo themselves and cause the human race to decline - will the movie world turn out to be correct?