Reflecting on the last 24 weeks of study

As I reflect on the last 24 weeks that I have been studying, I am confronted by a myriad of content, ideas, feelings and concepts that I have engaged with, and at times wrestled with.

I initially enrolled to the Mind Lab so that I could expand and develop my pedagogy as an educator. I hoped to gain practical knowledge and tools that I could incorporate into my daily classroom practice. Taking a step back and reflecting on my experiences, I can see that through the first 16 weeks of this course I was enabled to do exactly what I had hoped to achieve. This was though, just the beginning of my learning journey.

My expectations of what I have learned and experienced have been exceeded, as I have continued on the second half of the course. Through the Research and Leadership papers I have gained a bigger picture of the world of education. I have been able to struggle and engage with things, and work collaboratively with some highly knowledgable teachers which have helped develop me as an educator. Particularly being able to plan a change initiative, and take on a leadership role has impacted me as in a way that I was not initially expecting.  Through those assignments I have learned that even as a classroom teacher, I have the ability to effectively contribute to what is happening outside of my classroom, and on a bigger school-wide scale.

Moving forward, I have gained skills and experience that has become a part of my daily practice. Engaging in research driven practice has given me an avenue to bring about change in my classroom in a way that is relevant and truly meaningful, and backed up my evidence.

Welcome To My Blog

Welcome to my reflective practitioner blog. This blog is a space for me to engage with robust reflection of my practice as both an educator and as a learner.

About me:
I am Gerhard Vermeulen, a teacher who is passionate about seeing students succeed and exceed their own expectations of what they think they are capable of. I believe that embracing and engaging with the digital world is essential for preparing learners to be members of an ever-changing and evolving global community. 

I teach in a year 7/8 digital learning environment called the Wesley Power Hive which you can see more of here 

I value nurturing trusting learning focused relationships, and regard that as a starting point for providing a safe and effective learning space. 

This blog will serve a portal for my ideas and thoughts as I embark on the last paper of my post-grad certificate.

This is Applied Practice in Context.