Met with the Professional Learning Committee today (myself, Principal, Deputy Principal, Acting Deputy Principal) to discuss how we intend to run the process for the rest of the year.
We didn't get far.
At the moment, our focus has to be on approving the plans and we need some time for this.
My job is to 'ok' most of them but to get the committee to approve the more contentious ones.
We are also applying for central funding to train leaders and link this to the new Australian curriculum and the new Teaching standards.
So many things to consider.
Tomorrow - second meeting of the teams. Final days to work on the PLPs and our team will have the central CELT team out for a chat and a visit.
Monday, 28 February 2011
Monday, 21 February 2011
Aftermath
Well, we asked for support and we got it.
It includes:
The first support meeting happens on Tuesday for our CELT team and we will get to look at the new system and how it might be used.
More news then...
It includes:
- two members of our team being part of a central CELT series of workshops.
- support for our Team (ie visits and resources) and support for other leaders trying to implement the new Australian Curriculum
- TRT release money
- Leadership support program for our middle managers and senior leaders.
The first support meeting happens on Tuesday for our CELT team and we will get to look at the new system and how it might be used.
More news then...
Still visiting...a stilted history
After our regular review (we as a Professional Learning Committee meet once a fortnight) we decided that it still wasn't achieving what we wanted. So last last year (2010) we decided to open it right up.
Teachers could choose something to do further study on. They would fill in a Professional Learning Plan and submit it to this team. Such a plan included how they would spend their allocated $600, their three professional learning days and the 15 hours of Professional Learning time allocated in a recent Education Agreement. This would be in addition to the 12 hours of meeting time expected during the year.
As I have said previously, this has led to an explosion of very good ideas and plans.
So we wait, with bated breath for the meeting to occur....
Teachers could choose something to do further study on. They would fill in a Professional Learning Plan and submit it to this team. Such a plan included how they would spend their allocated $600, their three professional learning days and the 15 hours of Professional Learning time allocated in a recent Education Agreement. This would be in addition to the 12 hours of meeting time expected during the year.
As I have said previously, this has led to an explosion of very good ideas and plans.
So we wait, with bated breath for the meeting to occur....
Friday, 18 February 2011
A visit
Will be meeting up with a Central Office expert on Professional Learning on Monday. Hopefully we will be able to get some support for what we are trying to do at our school.
This made me think about what I would like to say to such a person.
I guess I would start with a history of how we have developed Professional Learning.
It started in 2006 after a colleague and I went to a system-wide Professional Learning series of workshop and we came up with the idea of having mini Action plans for all staff.
This was taken up by the Principal and support. Each teacher would try one new thing in the year and report on it during their end-of-year evaluation with the Principal.
The Principal decided that what he was hearing was so good that other teachers should be hearing it as well and so the first Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) were born. It was decided that all teachers would be in a team of 6-8, and that they would be run by the Principal, the Deputy or myself. I had the privilege of leading four teams and they consisted of Middle school teachers -either Language/Arts or Science/Maths.
We met and shared different aspects of our teacher: including how we assess students, moderation of student work and teaching.
It was stilted though - we had decided on the teams, not the teachers.
More tomorrow....
This made me think about what I would like to say to such a person.
I guess I would start with a history of how we have developed Professional Learning.
It started in 2006 after a colleague and I went to a system-wide Professional Learning series of workshop and we came up with the idea of having mini Action plans for all staff.
This was taken up by the Principal and support. Each teacher would try one new thing in the year and report on it during their end-of-year evaluation with the Principal.
The Principal decided that what he was hearing was so good that other teachers should be hearing it as well and so the first Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) were born. It was decided that all teachers would be in a team of 6-8, and that they would be run by the Principal, the Deputy or myself. I had the privilege of leading four teams and they consisted of Middle school teachers -either Language/Arts or Science/Maths.
We met and shared different aspects of our teacher: including how we assess students, moderation of student work and teaching.
It was stilted though - we had decided on the teams, not the teachers.
More tomorrow....
Thursday, 17 February 2011
An aside - Involvement with the ATP
Part of my job now is to be the Advanced Technologies Project Coordinator at my school.
It means identifying, mapping and developing pathways in Science, Maths and Technology so that a student take a pathway that might lead to a career in Engineering, Technology and Applied Mathematics. This could be done through University studies, TAFE or in the workforce.
It sits nicely with my other Coordination role with the Professional Learning Teams.
This will give me a chance to try and get an overview of the sorts of things that students can do at school to immerse themselves in applied maths and science.
Already three of our teachers will be involved in developing a middle school unit with this emphasis. They will develop an enquiry approach and a cross-curriculum outlook.
It is a matter now of confirming that a pathway exists and then look at ways of developing it further.
The other connection with the PLP is that it is an opportunity to encourage Maths, Science and Technology teachers to look at ways that they can expose their students to Advanced Technologies - get experience themselves, try new ideas, refine them and then retry.
I clearly need to get into the ear of the KLA coordinators in the school and try to get some time to speak about these opportunities. I believe that this sort of sustained effort by teachers will more likely lead to real change in the way that Science, Maths and Technology is taught at our school.
It means identifying, mapping and developing pathways in Science, Maths and Technology so that a student take a pathway that might lead to a career in Engineering, Technology and Applied Mathematics. This could be done through University studies, TAFE or in the workforce.
It sits nicely with my other Coordination role with the Professional Learning Teams.
This will give me a chance to try and get an overview of the sorts of things that students can do at school to immerse themselves in applied maths and science.
Already three of our teachers will be involved in developing a middle school unit with this emphasis. They will develop an enquiry approach and a cross-curriculum outlook.
It is a matter now of confirming that a pathway exists and then look at ways of developing it further.
The other connection with the PLP is that it is an opportunity to encourage Maths, Science and Technology teachers to look at ways that they can expose their students to Advanced Technologies - get experience themselves, try new ideas, refine them and then retry.
I clearly need to get into the ear of the KLA coordinators in the school and try to get some time to speak about these opportunities. I believe that this sort of sustained effort by teachers will more likely lead to real change in the way that Science, Maths and Technology is taught at our school.
Friday, 11 February 2011
What needs to be done
More feedback. Have spoken to just about all the leaders and the feedback has been good.
So what is next?
The general outline of the new few meetings will go something like this:
Week 5 - finalise and submit the Professional Learning Plans
Week 10 - Plans should have been approved and teachers now discuss how they will implement plans
Term 2 - usually literature review and the start of action research.
Term 3 - refinement of the plan and further action research.
Term4 - reflection on the year and writing up the results; presentation to their peers.
So far, so good. However that is another 11 hours of time that needs to be used productively.
So...what scaffolding needs to be developed?
We need to come up with:
Note for next year: the Australian Government is implementing a set of teacher standards at four levels: graduate, proficient, highly accomplished, lead. It would be good to provide a framework for linking the activities that teachers are doing to those standards. Maybe we could use the standards to assess the Professional Learning plans??? ie what areas should teachers address in those plans. Hmmmm....
So what is next?
The general outline of the new few meetings will go something like this:
Week 5 - finalise and submit the Professional Learning Plans
Week 10 - Plans should have been approved and teachers now discuss how they will implement plans
Term 2 - usually literature review and the start of action research.
Term 3 - refinement of the plan and further action research.
Term4 - reflection on the year and writing up the results; presentation to their peers.
So far, so good. However that is another 11 hours of time that needs to be used productively.
So...what scaffolding needs to be developed?
We need to come up with:
- Sources of professional reading - the librarians are working on this. I would like to teachers to join a Diigo group for the school which could be another source of reading. Need to be creative here.
- A professional reading template so that people can have some structure for their literature reviews.
- Ideas for using the $600 available for every teacher. What is included and what isn't. e.g. what about buying an iPad?
- Keeping in touch with professional development (hate those words!) opportunities that are relevant to the plans.
- A summary of the main areas that people are going to research so that we can see commonalities and make links between people and their plans.
- Action research. What is it? What is a worthwhile process? I have some AGQTP resources on this.
- Getting baseline data that is worthwhile. What are the sources for this?
- Methods of reflecting on the year's work.
- Ways to report - not just written.
- The final showcase. I am currently thinking about have all the presentations available online or in poster form in the Study Hall. Then have two by four sessions where teachers who have been chosen by their team will present their work. Other teachers will opt to go to one of the four sessions. We then have a break. During the break we have morning tea in the Study Hall and people can chat but also view the presentations of others as posters or online.
It is important that the presentations be active - not just a 45 minute lecture.
Note for next year: the Australian Government is implementing a set of teacher standards at four levels: graduate, proficient, highly accomplished, lead. It would be good to provide a framework for linking the activities that teachers are doing to those standards. Maybe we could use the standards to assess the Professional Learning plans??? ie what areas should teachers address in those plans. Hmmmm....
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Some feedback
Had a discussion with three or four leaders of the other teams and generally people were positive.
T - focusing on boys in education but each person taking slightly different view of where it might go. Lots of good, strong discussion. One person started the meeting fairly negatively but ended with a very good proposal.
J - great dynamic in the team. They want to stay together. Proposals are varied but J said that each person was able to give ideas to the others even when they were from different faculties. Hurrah!
S - again, worked really well and they have also requested not be broken up. Some people have already finished their plan! Awesome.
Great to talk to individuals who are very enthused about what they might want to study. Some have suggested Mentoring boys. Others are looking at using wikis to support student understanding.
Looks like we have unleashed a tiger! Plans are good, but action is better so we shall see how it unfolds.
T - focusing on boys in education but each person taking slightly different view of where it might go. Lots of good, strong discussion. One person started the meeting fairly negatively but ended with a very good proposal.
J - great dynamic in the team. They want to stay together. Proposals are varied but J said that each person was able to give ideas to the others even when they were from different faculties. Hurrah!
S - again, worked really well and they have also requested not be broken up. Some people have already finished their plan! Awesome.
Great to talk to individuals who are very enthused about what they might want to study. Some have suggested Mentoring boys. Others are looking at using wikis to support student understanding.
Looks like we have unleashed a tiger! Plans are good, but action is better so we shall see how it unfolds.
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