The Power of Student Voice

One of our students presented a slideshow at the final session of Auskick last night at the local football club. The student asked if she could prepare the slideshow and she did a fabulous job. Many adults in the audience were astonished and truly impressed by the presentation and the work she had put in.


This student learned how to create presentations at our school. It put me in mind of the power of student involvement in learning and in community events. I wondered to myself if the adults had any idea of what happens in the modern 21st Century classroom. For me it is a great example of how student voice and involvement can promote the teaching and learning that is occurring in all of our schools right here, right now.


I wonder also, how do other schools harness the power of student voice?

Why do Educators take up Professional Learning?

 

Professional learning (PL) can take many forms and occur in many different situations. For me the saying "the teacher appears when the pupil is ready" is quite fitting for me at this time. Good PL for educators has to be good...even outstanding, because we are dedicated to making our own lessons the same. I have been extremely motivated this year and fortunate in gaining a number of opportunities. I would like to explore the reasons why teachers take on PL and the different forms I have accessed this year.

 

Why do teachers take up PL?

1. To learn.
2. To satisfy their moral purpose for being an educator.
3. To maintain engagement with their work
4. To improve practice.
5. Improved practice improves student learning outcomes.
6. To make connections with other educators
7. To collaborate

In no particular order, I want to improve student learning outcomes because:

1. I believe it is VITAL for today's children to be prepared for their lives in the future - I approach my work from a social justice perspective but also....
2. It is my job.
3. I get paid and my salary allows me to live the life that I choose.
4. I gain a sense of personal and professional fulfilment from leading the learning of young people.
5. I gain a sense of personal and professional satisfaction from knowing that I am doing the best job I can.
6. Students and parents give instant feedback about how effective I am as an educator.

Teaching is full of people who are altruistic and say they are doing it "for the kids". I think this is curious, and that they leave out a key piece of information. Most people in teaching are in it because they gain satisfaction and fulfilment from learning and facilitating learning. The kids get something out of it because the teacher has this intrinsic motivation to build learners, not just happy kids.

My questions for you are: Why do you take up professional learning?

What motivates you to improve your practice?

 

 

The first day of the rest of our lives...after LSDA and LIP

So I've completed Leading Instructional Practice through Bastow and Chris and I have  completed Leading Schools in the Digital Age...a great launching pad for our next move. My thoughts now turn to how I will share the professional learning with my colleagues and link it to the learning of our students at our school.


Why did we do LSDA?
To improve our skills as educators to teach in the 21st century.
To develop the skills and understandings needed to provide our students with better teaching and learning.


Where is the evidence that this was necessary?

1. Despite having experienced teachers, quality programs and targeted interventions, our literacy and numeracy results in NAPLAN and from teacher judgements do not show that all students have reached benchmark in all areas.
2. The nature of learning and learners is changing, and teachers must change with it. This does not mean discarding effective teaching and learning approaches, but it does mean we need to do something different to ensure all students achieve.
3. Current prep students will graduate from secondary school in 2028 - technological change in all areas of life has had a massive impact in the last 5 years ...we can only guess at what their working lives will entail. We will be doing our students a disservice if we do not embrace change in our schools.

Where is the evidence that LSDA has helped us to deliver improved student achievement?


Example 1: www.learn2earn.org was discovered via my PLN on Twitter. Since signing up all students in the school have recorded the time they read for and provided responses to texts. For some students this is the first time I have seen them reflect on their reading.


Example 2: From the research project I completed about explicit teaching of effort and Growth Mindset and Reading, where I gathered data about growth mindset, we noted an improvement in students' understanding of growth mindset, and how that could help them with reading. This research will be revisited again later in the year to determine if any further understandings have been gained.


Example 3: The PL we have completed so far (4 sessions) about Growth Mindset has given all teachers another tool to use when working with those students who appear to have potential, but lack the confidence, motivation or drive to apply themselves.

Ch ch ch changes

Don't you wonder about yourself when you get to 3 days out from a presentation and you think to yourself: I reckon Goal 1 needs to be different?
Our goal is currently about developing teacher understanding and knowledge of the new pedagogies of collaboration, connection, curiosity and communication.
Given the nature of our community, we may be better served focusing on creating the foundation for change.....educating about growth mindset and opening teacher minds to possibilities before we even start to talk about pedagogy or innovative use of technology in our classrooms. This stuff is currently embedded in our first goal, but it could be separated out into a goal of its own.
Until we create a safe environment for our teachers to innovate and take risks, where they can manage the perceived assaults to their self esteem and professional identity, we may not generate the momentum we seek.