Proposal Part 2
Have had alot of time to reflect on my previous post, still agree with everything I wrote but I just wanted to add some other perspectives after some readings I did on the weekend as well as talking to some colleagues as well as other friends who run similar programs in other states and programs.
Victoria education system has been working on professional learning communities and teams for a long time now. I have some friends who work at MLC (Methodist Ladies College) and in Perth PLC (Presbyterian Ladies College) and they are doing some great things in these centres. They base a lot of their work off a document titled 'Professional Learning in Effective Schools: The Seven Principles of Highly Effective Professional Learning'. In Victoria's State Schools they have a accreditation process to support a performance and development culture which are based on five key elements:
1. Induction for teachers new to the school
2. Use of multiple sources of feedback on teacher effectiveness for individual teachers and teams of teachers
3. Customised individual teacher development plans based on individual development needs
4. Quality professional development to meet individual development needs
5. Belief by teachers that the school has a performance and development culture.
So in relation to these the few that I feel need to be a focus of the college is a formalised induction process that caters to both types of teachers those which are new to the college and a year long program for graduate teachers that merges the great mentoring relationships that are already set up at the college and good practice for induction for graduate teachers so that they not only survive the first year but are lifelong learners and become great teachers who survive the distance in the teaching profession.
This same document identifies the facts that effective schools are learning communities and the core element of such is a culture of collaboration and collective responsibility for the development of effective teaching practices and improved student achievement. It suggests that teachers cannot be expected to create learning communities among students if they have no parallel community that nourishes them professionally (2005, State of Victoria). Being part of a learning community means contributing to the learning and knowledge base of the school and the school community. Teachers understand that its not about individual learning goals but about sharing knowledge for the benefit of the community and the College's goals and visions.
An effective learning community, therefore allows debate among the teachers. It also accepts that teachers are adult learners who all learn in different ways, come from different backgrounds, work in a variety of context specific settings, and cater for the needs of diverse students. They recognise that teachers have individual needs, different motivations for learning, and prior knowledge and experience that will impact on the type of learning they choose to engage in. These are really important points for our College as in the development and establishment of the PLTs it is important to note this and set up procedures and practices that provide scope for the different ways that teachers learn just as we do in a classroom. This is very important I feel for the LOL to take into consideration that there is not a one size fits all professional learning team.
It is important to note that professional learning teams meet for an extended period of time so that they have the opportunity to learn, reflect, refine and re-apply learnings. Any significant change that is likely to improve teachers' practice will be gradual and possibly quite difficult. Developing the trust and confidence to take risks, experiment and work collaboratively requires perseverance which may initially be quite difficult for a large College.
Leaders of PLTs may need to act in the role of mentor or coach; model good practice; help with resource materials, and facilitate and make available research into effective learning and teaching; they may organise visits to observe innovative practice, facilitate problem solving activities, encourage risk taking, link team members with each other, and contact outside expertise when required. They also need to be able to evaluate the impact of professional learning teams on teacher knowledge, classroom practice and student learning.
I believe the model that the Leadership Team presented is a merging of two identified professional learning models that are quite successful they are: Action Research and Study Groups and is important that the Leader of Learning has knowledge on both of these models and how they can be effectively implemented. I also would love to see two other models be incorporated as part of the College's collaborative culture.
Firstly, Case Discussions - this is where teachers are given the opportunity to reflect on teaching and learning by examining narrative stories or videos of learning situations and learning strategies. Case discussions promote reflective dialogue and enhance teachers ability to describe, analyse and evaluate their teaching This could be done in a small group or in a coaching or mentoring role using illustrations of practice.
Secondly, Peer Observation - this has been proven time and time again that one of the most effective ways to learn is by observing others, or being observed and receiving feedback from that observation. Analysing and reflecting on this information can be a valuable means of professional growth. Peer observation will also assist in the de-privatising of practice as it promotes an open environment where public discussion of teaching is encouraged and supported. I would love to see a small group of teachers do this next year as well. Not so much "instructional coaching" but peer observation and as I understand time and pressures are high in a College such as ours but I feel that a few volunteers in 2017 in addition to the PLTs would be a great start to assist with the culture of learning from each others teaching. As we are time poor the swivl system would be a great resource for this process.
Another really important aspect of a learning community is structured mentoring programs. This allows experienced teachers to be partnered with less experienced or beginning teachers to promote professional dialogue and act as professional role models which I feel is a really important process. I also feel that these types of mentoring and coaching roles assist teachers to move across the standard from graduate to proficient to highly accomplished to Lead teachers. I will talk more in a later post on how these standards should be linked.
