To much change not enough improvement (Chapter1)

The first chapter focuses heavily on reducing change to increase improvement. The most interesting point I took out of this reading was that the more leaders focus their relationships, and their learning on the core business of teaching and learning the greater the influence on student outcomes. A key way to measure if a change in the school has made improvement is by the impact it has on learners. Teachers involved in any change need to be involved in ongoing inquiry into the impact of the change so those involved are able to make the change work for students in their own context. Schools make an impact with change when there are goals set that are based on curriculum and evidence based on student learners needs.

Leading the Charge

This last chapter developed some very sound points on the topic Leading the Change.
I agree with the focus on problems and them becoming distractors to progress and vision. I also understand the frustration of feeling like  you are stuck because of a particular area. the 'Yeah But' voice in ones head needs to be acknowledged but controlled.eg budget or govt compliance. I believe that generally at St Pats there is a solution based mentality amongst the teachers who are very capable of solving complex situations together. Sometimes it takes some time and some breathing space but as the text said if it is worth it it will happen.

I took particular note of the suggestion for moving from talk - rhetoric - action. When a leadership team works well together we can hold each other to account in this so that it is not just all talk. This is particularly challenging for leaders in the classroom. It is not expected that all practice is perfect as we are all on our own journey however a willingness to learn, to embrace challenges and to seek assistance allows others to do the same. The question posed in the text is very helpful here, "Do we hold ourselves accountable for implementing ideas and strategies learned through professional learning. Again it may not be in all aspects however this is expressed and made transparent. eg my focus is to learn to use data better to inform decisions I make. I recognise that I am not confident as yet in ....."

The questions on page 230 I think that there are still some practices that because of 'tradition' are still presented/ designed, eg homework. It is hoped that we are moving away from the 'old' format such as mental arithmetic, spelling lists, projects using cardboard project like supports etc. It is when the teachers understanding of learning begins to grow and change that they themselves start to question the effectiveness of what they are doing and why. This is wonderful to see. Parent education is key in this area.

One of the aspects of leadership I am continually mindful of is not to get caught in what is referred to in the text (pg234) as the alphabet soup of initiatives. It is so easy to become allured by what sound like wonderful ideas however the suggestion to keep a 'laser like focus on what evidence indicates  is required. One key question needs to be, "How does a particular policy[/strategy, focus] affect student learning? If it doesn't , then why is precious time spent developing it and enforcing it? and "Do our policies reflect our desired learning outcomes.

 A good chapter!

Leading the Charge

A recapping of our term's reading that reinforced the positive affects of change but also how difficult it can be in all places. The ideas that stood out for me during the reading of the chapter were the idea that it is a " process as opposed to an event." Which takes vision, planning, patience and perseverance - I know I ofter fall into the trap of wanting the change to occur yesterday - so reading these words again allowed me to see the importance of having patience and persevering with the changes, especially when we have a clear plan and deep pedagogical understanding of why the change needs to occur.
When working in such a strong team as out I think we balance each other and continually remind ourselves of the need to take time to reflect and reevaluate to improve the outcome rather than giving up on the ideas. This is an important dynamic to have in a leadership team as it allows us to clearly refer back to the reason behind the change rather than become reactive in our approach.
The elements presented on page 228 - are important when we are moving from talk to action and enable us to stay firm to the process and the focus we are wanting to achieve.
I also liked the section that referred to how change is uncomfortable as it helps me understand why there is at times a resistance against it - it is how we work through the resistance that is important in the journey so all can see the positive impact the change will make on the students in our care. Which really are and continue to be our driving force behind any change we are making.
May we continue to work together to empower students and staff to take risks and seek change. Not easy but important. 

Collaborating and Engaging with the Community

Yet another chapter that challenged and affirmed my thinking. Many of the elements of the article are reflected in a recent blog post by Greg Whitby especially around the area of changing the way we report to the parents. As was mentioned on page 203 and again on page 218 - the need to have 'brief communication on a regular basis' rather than a twice a year report session which is currently the practice in many of our schools. The challenge for me is how do you manage to do this on regular basis with all the other aspects to teacher pulling you in all the other directions as well. How can we move away from the paper work and move towards what is really going to have an impact on the learning of the students? This question remains unanswered.

Parent engagement beyond the " feel good community events' is such an important part of our role as teacher/ educators. Wanting our school to be a higher performing school brings us to the challenge of being able to - focus on building trust, collaborative relationships among teachers, families and community members.
recognise, respect and address families' needs, as well as class and cultural differences.
Embrace a philosophy of partnership in which power and responsibility are shared (pg 202) seems like a huge mountain to climb at the moment.

However keeping the points noted on page 208 - 209 should definitely lead us in the right directions especially if we use them to reflect on our current practice and drive us forward as suggested in BF post. Using them as an examination of conscience and being open and honest with ourselves as well as community members I believe is the way forward to true collaboration.

Collaborating and engaging with the community

I found this chapter had some very useful and important considerations. I found the topic on engagement moving toward collaboration very interesting as I reflected on the opportunities we provide parents at St Pats. In my opinion I believe that we are more in the engagement end than collaboration, especially in th learning agenda. I believe that this is a matter of practical consideration rather than ideological as I feel that we as a school understand the importance of parent involvement as discussed earlier in th chapter. The question is how t do this under the time constraints and life work balance needed for teachers/leaders.
A key statement to highlight is “if serving is below you, leadership is beyond you”  worth contemplation.

My favourite section however were the points made on Page 208 as it gave me a good platform to reflect on my leadership:
1. Do I make child-centred decisions daily?
2. Am I present to staff, parents and children?
3. Do I display competence?
4. Do I invest in people?
5. Do I create transparency?
6. Am I reliable and follow through?
7. Do I walk the talk?
8. Do I lead with integrity?

Wow this was like a professional examination of conscience. Worth doing at all ‘levels’ (for want of a better word) of leadership

Leveraging Technology

I found this chapter the least interesting of all so far except for the very obvious statement that you can have the technology available but if the teachers do not embrace current learning pedagogy or themselves have the desired technology skills then student engagement and learning will be the same as before.
I did also relate the the comment that perhaps the technology we offer our students currently is of a poorer standard than what they use at home??? If we analysed our use of technology and the standard of our Internet what would we find?

Chapter 6 Leveraging Technology

Some good points made in this chapter although not my favourite this far. I think there are may implications for big picture planning eg CEDP. I believe that the diocese has done really well in assisting schools to embrace technology through a balance between pedagogy and devices. I perfectly understand that it is impossible to wait for all schools to be demonstrating contemporary pedagogy before devices should be used however it is very true that devices in themselves does not improve practice.
Some of the key points of this chapter include:

• The importance of a robust infrastructure as a slow internet system or devices that dont work are  very frustrating for teachers.
• The importance of a vision for learning first and go from there. "What do we want learning to look like in our classrooms?'
• I particularly agreed with the quality of computer use is connected to the teacher's confidence in using technology but my thinking is also their confidence in understanding the learning process. In this way they can explore the possibilities that technology can afford.
• The aspect of Privacy in the use of technology is becoming more an more of an issue not only in education but across many aspects of society eg Facebook. Added to this is the issue of Copyright
• The Chapter touched on the importance of ensuring systems are compatible. CEDP is improving this aspect however learning is continual and can lead to overload.
• The last point for me is how to manage the Refresh Cycle. Considerations include budget and Process.

Leverging Technology

As we have discussed on many occasions - Technology is simply a tool and if it is not driven by a deep understanding of pedagogy it remains an ineffective tool.

On page 173 the author refers: ' technology should not determine learning; pedagogy should determine learning.' After our many discussions I feel this is true at our school and we strive daily to " lead the child" through our work on feedback and constantly referring to the needs of our students.

Over the years CEDp has continued to develop the other areas this chapter touched on by developing their associations with apple, chrome etc but also thinking about 21 Century skills that need to be developed in order to aim for and achieve the best outcomes for our students.

Anther area of the chapter that I related to as seen on page 192 - 'Moving from Acceptable to Responsible Use Policies'. Our society is becoming more aware of the need for all people to be safe online but definitely our students whom like to feel grown up but still need lots of support in this area. At the beginning of the year, we sent home the CEDP guidelines and asked all students to read through them and discuss them with their parents . They were directed to sign and date the document and ask their parents to complete it also. During times throughout the year when needed we revise the document and consequences that need to take place due to them preaching their side of the contract. I feel at the age they are it is an important part of using technology but also a great way to teach the students about their responsibility when using this tool.

Moving forward in their school life they will continue to use technology so need to understand their role. One area that I feel we have a long way to go is the 'gap' between school and home when using devices whether it is because of the social divide or parent choice. I am not convinced we have the answers nor do I truly understand how deep the problem is. Some of the ideas in the chapter however were inspiring - ' leaving the bus barked in that area so students and families had access to wi-fi" or setting up Cafe's where all family members could access the wi-fi at a free or reduced rate showed me the impact schools can have to the wider community. 

Let's hope we can continue to develop our pedagogy in order for all students to achieve growth with or with out this tool. 

Making Professional Learning Personal

I am going to be simple and direct: This chapter clearly spoke to me in saying that you can give all the PD there is but if the teachers are not able to take it on ( for what ever reason) than the PL is ineffectual and that Pl should be presented in the way we would expect our teachers to present new learning to our students. Our PL should models our an inquiry based approach using the strategies that we would use in a classroom situation. Leanda has been doing this with her work on feedback. 

Making Professional Learning Personal

I found this topic quite interested as I also often wonder how we can make Professional Learning more relevant for teachers. I agree that there is a difference between the mindset of teachers: those that see Professional learning as the responsibility of the professional - themselves- because they are just interested in learning and those that appear to see professional learning/development as something that is done to them. I respect our teachers and truely believe that each and every one of them wants to see their students' learning outcomes improve and grow. I also think that a key is to be able to measure the growth of teacher learning better, as indicated by student outcomes and a "move from hours-based to outcome-based accountability" (pg 158 Learning Transformed)

In thinking again about the Michael McDowell's sessions he emphasised the importance of a learner identifying the gap and then being able to be given the opportunities or make the opportunities to bridge the gap. Speaking generally, is the lack of uptake from teachers, as explained in the beginning of this chapter, to do with the fact that we may not see our own gaps and thus do not see the relevance in making any changes to our practice. Perhaps the reason why Professional learning such as that seen through peer observation and analysis (maths with Jenny and Tammy and literacy with Bern and Kim) seems to work better. When we see each others exemplary practice and analyse why this is working we are more likely to compare our own practice and reflect on how we are going and where we need to go next, (identifying strengths and gaps for want of a better word)  When this is combined with student data and achievement of learning growth or lack of, it then gives it substance.

A question then is, do our teachers feel that our professional Learning hour is a "top down, one size fits all, sit and get, hours based approach to professional learning"??? and if so - and it may not be all sessions - is there a completely different way we can look at professional learning in the school.

Perhaps it is an opportunity to think outside the box to try to embed what we see as already working and minimise what is not.

Designing Learning Centre Spaces

    My thoughts were simple: How can we take our teacher centric spaces and reinvent them?
Can we use other spaces in the school more creatively? Are our classrooms constraining the pedagogy or is the pedagogy restraining how we use our classroom space?