Judy Petsch spoke to us and made some telling points on school improvement.She defined coherence and alignment, my notes are below:
There are 23 interns in 2011
Trust is a massive component of the program.
3 types of trust
Competence trust- skills. If you don't feel competent, say so, don't wing it
Contractual trust- clarity around the boundaries. What are the expectations and protocols? When does the project or relationship end?manage expectations and set boundaries.
Communication trust- sharing information, speaking the truth, discrete, giving and receiving feedback effectively, online protocols, challenging conversations, speaking and taking things with good purpose.
Judy Petsch- school improvement
What are the patterns in data that inform school improvement directions?
What expertise do I need to develop in myself and my workforce that will allow me to deliver on those school improvement initiatives?
How is the strategic plan shaped into key improvement strategies? What will I do to assist the school deliver on those strategies?
Alignment- clear focus on goals and how we all work at achieving those goals. It is easy to state and hard to achieve. Clarity When an individuals goals are in sync with the goals of the organization. That there is a line of sight between the classroom teachers PD plan, the Principals PD plan and the AIP.
Elmore - "people in various roles across the organization are working on the same task."
Coherent - Elmore- "the various pieces of the work fit together into a story that everyone can tell"
You might find the challenges a school faces within their Strategic Plan, but are staff in alignment with that and is it coherent.
How do you translate these challenges into theories of action that are implemented in the classroom as improved practice?
What has to change in teacher practice in order to deliver the highest quality teaching and learning in every classroom?
We need a theory about what is effective teaching and learning.
Do we have a level of agreement about what effective teacher practice looks like in classrooms?
How do staff learn to do things differently?
Coaching
Professional Learning Teams that talk about students and learning, reflecting and moderating student work, development of assessment rubrics. The purpose of these teams is to collaborate to ensure consistent and improved practice across classrooms.
E5 is the framework that provides us with a blueprint for agreed good system wide teacher practice.
Developing shared norms in classrooms is a great place to start E5.
What is an acceptable question in this classroom, What is an acceptable answer in this classroom, What is good work in this classroom.
This should be a common experience within your school. There should not be great variance across the school in this.
1. Self reflection of teachers to critically evaluate their performance 2. Differentiated instruction/ assessment incorporating ICT in the classroom 3. Embedded use of ICT
The second day begn by introducing ourselves to the group. We are diverse yet remarkably similar. We all disclosed aspects of our leadership journey and elements of our core values. I think this group will develop some very powerful relationships over the course of the internship.
Based around effective schools model
Use and understand educational research and data to drive school improvement
Know how to align curriculum pedagogy and assessment/ reporting around student learning
Know how to articulate a clear vision for themselves and their school community.
What is the difference between observations and judgements
The first days are vital in establishing your reputation and observing the culture of the school.
Work out who the prime movers are, who the disgruntled staff are, where the power lies etc Let the staff know about the PL you a doing.
Look for the way teams work together- Prins LT's Domains etc. If the meeting succeeds, why, what role is the leader of the meeting playing during, before and after the meeting?
Make sure the learning challenge is core work and not an add on.
Ilead survey
Must write down who you selected as raters so you can thank them afterwards Needs to be done this term, get as many raters as you can Karly Aggie Mel Chris Vernon Jill Jenny Meagan Marianne
Feedback- 5 keys to making it effective for you
Ask- if we don't ask we won't grow and learn. We often don't because we are afraid of the answers. Asking takes courage. Have the courage to ask.people will feel how they feel anyway, so you may as well ask so you know how they feels so you can do something about it.
Listen- the gift of feedback is only available to listen. Do not express your opinion when you are given feedback as it demonstrates that you are more interested in your own opinion rather than their feedback. Avoid shooting the messenger.Feedback is free and it can only serve to help you learn and grow.We often reject feedback that is inconsistent with the way we view ourselves. Most of us have a positive self image.
Thank- just say thank you when you are given the gift of feedback. Giving feedback takes courage, reward it by showing a sense of appreciation.
Think- focus on the key areas within the feedback that can make a real difference. Keep it simple, keep it focussed. What are the really key areas that will make the biggest difference to your development.
Follow up- no follow up no benefits. Keep it positive, simple and focussed.take notes to reflect your understanding of the feedback.now focus on change and making a real difference. Check back in with people and ask about the progress of the changes you have made.
