2016 what happened to term 1?!

This is my first entry on this blog for 2016..it seems crazy to say this..but there have just not been enough hours in the day! I am considering making a case for why we need a day extended out to include 30 hours...just not sure who I write to about this!

in stopping for a minute to think about life, the universe and everything education...I am reflecting on challenges I am encountering so far this year...the question being which one to reflect on first!

My choice to move schools... from a school that was finally in a good place after a few years of struggle...to a school on a 1 yr ero review with an LSM and a huge amount of challenges... seemed rational as a decision. I still believe it is a rational choice ( though there are the odd moments when I wake up wondering when they will come for me with the little white van and those special jackets with arms that tie at the back!!) however it is a choice that has now generated hundreds of other choices that need to be solved- from creating a school curriculum to raising PCK in our teachers and dealing with daily life for our students.
How to tackle those choices and how to ensure that within the daily craziness of life that we are staying focused on the big picture? This is seemingly simple, yet so amazingly complex when you stop to look more closely.
So my aim this year when blogging is to try and keep myself focused on the big picture- again this may be challenging as every stakeholder has a different lens on the big picture.
! As a leadership team we are focused on the strategic goals and how to implement these so we achieve our targets. ERO are focused on student achievement ( and rightly so- it is very possibly the worst in NZ) however they don't see the implications that are inherent in focusing on achievement when many of our learners have been so failed by the school that they aren't 'school ready'- they have no language for themselves as learners and building this language takes time...we know it will be what raises achievement..but will it do so fast enough for ERO? Parents and our community are focused on the whole child, socially, emotionally and academically- with the biggest issue for them being regaining trust with a school that has let them down for so long and without this trust we can't forge strong home school partnerships that are focused on learning. then we have what is essentially a brand new staff ( 17 of the 20 teachers are brand new to the school) again relational trust is a huge influence on supporting these teachers- until we have trust we can't engage in open to learning conversations and without that we can't raise PCK and move forward to address achievement through effective classroom programmes. On top of PCK raising for staff we have thrown them into the deep end by going 1:1 for all year 5-8 students- exciting and with all the inherent possibilities for personalisation and differentiation of learning- but a pedagogical nightmare for some of our teachers that requires huge levels of support.
Finally we have our beautiful students- so desperate to learn and like there parents for many the school has failed and disengaged them, so we need to build relationships with a new shared language for learning at our school that all our learners can own.

so having worked out the challenges we now need to work out what we will do to address them- as a leadership team we took various areas and have put them into a continuum marked out of 10- this was our way of looking at all the areas we have to shift and then reflecting on where we are ( given that 10 would be a highly functioning school) and working out what tiny step will take us to the next point on the continuum. This is proving really great as a stop and evaluate tool that we use on a weekly basis with formal evaluation every few weeks.
an example of a few of the aspects we evaluate on our continuum are

Planning

8/3
30/3

8/3

To get to 6 we need to:

• link in the assessment for learning data,
• differentiate and link this to specific LI/ SC so the LI matches the task

30/3

A closer and sustained  analysis through weekly feedback by SLT/MLT showed that a 6 was overly optimistic. We need to work with teams more on how to link data with groupings, texts and LI and SC’s.

To get to a 5 we need to

• Co-plan using TKI reading teacher notes & CSI to scaffold appropriate reading lesson structure and LI and SC  (These meetings are scheduled throughout the end of term 1 and the first half of term 2).
• Evidence visible in modelling books (what is actually happening in teaching sessions matches what is in the planning)  Lit team tracking
• students able to talk about their learning and whether they are being successful as evidence of triangulation between planning, learning and student ownership.  SLT-to ask every students

Pedagogy

8/3
30/3

8/3

To move to a 3 we need to:

• Support teachers to get guided reading into place
• Ensure all teachers are able to administer assessment tools in reading
• Support teachers to make links between reading PLD and writing  

30/3

We have made progress with guided reading in place in all classes but need to align assessment data with planning and teaching. Making links between reading PLD and writing is not happening.

To move to a 3 or 4 we need to:

• Put in place a supported model for planning guided reading with teachers
• Have all teachers meeting the expectation for elearning occurring in reading, writing and maths
• Encourage teachers to tap into student voice to make programmes more engaging
• A one pager of what a reading lesson should look like

Elearning

L/C/S pedagogy

Basic skills need to become routine in Y5-Y8 classes

8/3
30/3

8/3

Progress made:

• Teachers using teacher dashboard to support learners with renaming/filing work
• Some teachers creating differentiated reading digital learning objects (DLOs) for learners that support specific learning intentions (building the create/show what you know culture)
• Most 1:1 classes are using Class Google Sites for students to access learning (digital-home)
• Y4 using pods of Chromebooks since Wk 8 T1 (using Class site - Reading Hub)

30/3

To move forward we need to:

• Continued modelling and co-teaching in class to build eLearning capabilities in teachers (e.g. CyberSmart lessons, Reading, Writing, Maths)
• Further work with teachers using Class sites as a hub for students to access target resources
• Providing feedback/next steps via commenting - all 1:1 teachers
• Support Y1-4 with iPads - using Explain Everything to develop targeted resources and capture student voice

• Class blogs for teachers ready to take that next step in making learning visible (and connecting with whanau in an authentic setting)
• Learn/Create/Share pedagogy introduced across the school

Plg- what is collaboration ?

Alma Harris  Disciplined collaboration

The concepts that are delved into are very similar to many other researchers findings I have read and also the day spent recently with Roween Higgie at the EAAPA leadership day Leading from within

The 3 key ideas are

Implementation

Innovation

Impact

They promote 7 tests for evaluating how disciplined your collaboration is.. I wonder how well we rate against these as a team? and across teams as a school?

7 tests

Clarity of focus

Consistent and creative use of data

Collaboration with purpose

Communication of intent and outcomes

Capacity building through engagement and involvement of others

Coherent action

Change in practice


Distributed Leadership

Collaboration across schools and the impact of IES to NZ education

Following on from the presentation I did to our ELN cluster of schools, I have been working with year 5/ 6 teachers this week as they develop on their journey using GAFE.
It was really wonderful to get out of my school space, and see how others are using GAFE.
These teachers are just beginning on their journey and it was really nice to be able to feel that all the things we have learnt over the last few years has given us the knowledge to help others bypass some of the experimental processes we went through!
They are not yet BYOD and as yet not as far into using e-learning as we are, but they have a wonderful MLE in which to develop their pedagogy and practice...so jealous:) Also they are a group of 3 teachers who are excited, inspired and knowledgeable which was a lovely vibe to feel. The children in their group will be very lucky to have such great teachers who are so open, supportive and collaborative about working together honestly in order to focus on what we are all here for...our students and their achievement.

The whole process of giving my time ( which I struggle to find enough of as it is!) in order to support other people within education, is reinforcing my belief that for teachers often the best PD is found by being given the time to just work with other teachers within our community. To access all the knowledge we have around us and importantly the experience available that is contextualized to our group of schools. The important decsion we have coming up about our level of support for IES is both supported and negated by these experiences... on the one hand the overarching ideas of IES seem to replicate what I have said above. However the question remains...who will actually make the decisions about IES funding and who works together and when? It also matters what the hidden agenda of IES is? What are the actual political objectives? If it is for a long term- which would be best if we are aiming to allow time for the process to develop from an initiative..into an embedded pedagogical change- then politics has no 'election period' short term limits. Yet this initiative seems to have a time limit- aligned with political timelines- so I worry that really what we have is a PR stunt with a hidden agenda that will allow for an endgame that smacks of the reason I left the UK!
Here's hoping I am wrong:)

PLG group and the multiplier effect

Last term I joined a professional learning group facilitated by Maggie Ogram from Osprey Consulting.
The reasons for this are two fold:
First I knew that as I am relatively new to educational leadership and for that matter also to education itself- I have only been qualified as a teacher for 4 years!- that I need to ensure that I am double checking myself continually. Luckily I am an over achieving autodidact, who thrives on learning new things and I always research a concept or finding to ensure that what I am doing is pedagogically sound, and also proven to be effective. However I am keenly aware of what I don't know and so this PLG gives me an opportunity to collaborate in areas about which I may be unsure.
Secondly I knew that as my fellow DP was leaving, I would be loosing a very important professional relationship- the person whom I can bounce ideas off, have heated discussions with about practice and research ( not quite arguments as we have total respect for each other! but definitely good sound constructive conversations that lead to shared understandings) and who generally acted as a coach and mentor in one. So I knew that within the current structure of our school, I wouldn't be able to find that relationship for a while ( however approachable I ensure I am with other staff, it does seem that once one hits management level that people won't argue with you! and I need people to have a good argument/conversation with!) so the PLG has given me a forum with which to share ideas, bounce good conversations around and generally given me a group of coaches of which we are all equal and can all contribute valid points.
This last term we have looked at Certain readings in order to stimulate conversations in areas we all agreed we needed to work.
The first reading was around the kind of leader we are:



This is an excellent from a very interesting and thought provoking book

The ideas in this give a great reference point from which to set a series of leadership goals and I am finding that having these pinned to my wall above my lonely little desk in the dungeon office are helping to keep me connected with what is important to focus on

Having those difficult conversations

Communicating is a big, complicated problem! I find that I am relying more and more on keeping in my head the structure of open to learning conversations and a mental image of the ladder of inference. I worry that if I don't then I may slip into letting my personal belief system or values cloud my ability to remain impartial and focused only on the goal that the conversation is meant to resolve.
Open to Learning Conversations