Changed thinking and practice – PD

Like many schools we are increasingly preferring in school, whole staff PD to off site, one-off sessions. We’re seeing that sending 2-3 people to a course then expecting them to come back and be able to spread key messages is a big ask. No matter how passionate about a course or topic, you need to be very persuasive to be able to share the in-service knowledge with colleagues who weren’t there and to “make it stick” in the school. Compare that to being able to have all your staff hear the same message, from the same speaker, at the same time, in the comfort of your own home! (or staffroom at least).

This year I have tried to steer away from courses (having been inadvertedly helped by the cutting of advisory services – there just isn’t so much on offer these days) unless they are fully or partly subsidized, scheduled at a date/time that suits the school programme, and ties into one of our school goals for the year. Instead I am making greater use of in school PD. We have two outside consultants working with us this year – one Literacy, focusing on writing, and one leadership/ pastoral – and I am seeing increased buy-in and commitment from staff. Anything that is agreed on in one of our Literacy sessions becomes embedded as a school-wide belief/ practice pretty quickly which is great. This is much easier than the aforementioned 2-3 teachers coming back from a course and trying fruitlessly to spread the same message.

Another advantage – to use the Writing consultant as an example – is that having one person in your school on a regular basis ensures that the feedback and advice given is school specific and relates to our needs. It means teachers can get the one-on-one specific support they require, and as a leadership team we have an independent voice viewing things at the school and being able to have input. As a principal I really value the informal chats I get with our consultant – she works in a number of schools so can share what is happening over the other side of our school gate, which we can sometimes lose sight of in a busy week.

There is also a really good PR spin-off to the school community – seeing consultants in the classrooms and school sends a positive message about the andragogical learning that goes on in our school and powerfully communicates that we are focused on improving learning outcomes. As an example our community knows well that we are focused on writing practices in 2011; this is because we talk about it a lot but also because the parents see evidence of it in our classrooms and in the learning conversation starters that teachers are now employing. Compare this to the griping about “teachers are always out of classrooms or away on courses” and there is a much better return by working in school on PD initiatives.

Finally I have come to see that the PD budget is actually better spent having someone coming in and working with the staff. Having 3 staff going away to a course is almost $900 in reliever costs. Add in the potential petrol and course costs, it is easy to spend over $1500 in a day for little return or impact. That $1500 can alternatively go a long way in terms of having someone regularly in our school working with our staff in our classrooms at our point of need. I was reviewing the accounts with a BOT member recently on this point – we were talking about the opportunity cost of different decisions that we make in day-to-day operations – staff PD being one of them.

Admittedly some things are lost in this approach. Teachers need to get out of school occasionally to see what else is happening in education. You can’t get that broader mindset if you only ever work in one school or have all your PD being provided in your own school yard. The opportunity to network with other colleagues during in-services is really important and building those types of connections is vital. Going to something like Learning@School, ULearn or Teachers Matter is huge too in terms of personal and professional growth. I know that such conferences can really challenge your thinking and stretch your tent pegs. Those types of events, and the quality of speakers that they attract, can’t be replicated so easily in a school environment.

Having seen the benefits of refocusing on in-school PD as opposed to external providers, I think it is the main way for us to go now as a staff. We are committed to writing as a focus for the next two years but after that, who knows? It will depend on what the data tells us we need to work on. Whatever it is we will be focused on it in school rather than through external courses or providers.

Change is Good

Sent this via an email link – worth a look – lots of interesting quotes and thoughts.

Reporting and Recording

We are currently reviewing our methods of sharing information with the community. Currently we have a portfolio system but the debate in the staffroom is about the pros and cons of that system, plus considering alternatives. Some other options include some form of digital portfolio (possibly through Knowledgenet); a streamlined or refocussed paper portfolio; no portfolio – children’s books only; or revert to just a formal written report with books cycling home on a more regular basis. I have worked with most of these ideas in the past and can see different benefits to each. The discussion will rumble on for a while as we aren’t likely to make any changes this year – if any change is agreed on it will be for the 2012 year onwards.

There is no groundswell for change, just a hunch amongst staff and management that it is time for some self-review. ERO are happy with what we are doing as are parents so no immediate pressure.

What are other schools doing? I would love to hear so please get in touch if you have any ideas or thinking that shaped your decisions.

What really motivates us?

Love these RSA visual summaries of great ideas! We aired the Sir Ken Robinson one on creativity last term at a team meeting – a really good discussion generator. This one is from Dan Pink talking about sources of motivation – very thought provoking! The animations are very clever and really require repeat viewing to absorb the constant flow of information. Search “RSA” on youtube to find a whole lot more examples.

A real worry…

Thanks to the wonders of MySky I was able to sit down last night and watch “Make the Politician Work”, a new show which had aired the previous night. I have an aversion to reality shows but can’t help but be intrigued by the premise – politicians working at ground level learning more about the portfolio they are responsible for. So last week we had Paula Bennett, Minister of Social Development, working in a soup kitchen. I watched about half of it and just didn’t find it as insightful as I had hoped.

This weeks episode featured Rodney Hide working as a teacher’s aide in a special education school. I was interested for obvious reasons but again only made it about halfway through before pushing the delete button. Rodney is profiled at the beginning of the show (and judging by that montage, his most important contribution to society is/ was participating in Dancing With the Stars) where he expresses his disappointment on being awarded the Associate Minister of Education role and finding that it comes with responsibility for Special Education. “I’m just not interested in it” he is quoted as saying.

Now I’m sure that by the end of the show he had made the staple reality TV journey of self discovery, and that these special ed people aren’t so bad after all, and that maybe there are worse jobs to be had in Parliament after all. But is it too much to ask for Ministerial apppointments to be made on the basis of some interest in the role? I was astounded that he would come out with a comment like that and wonder why he is in the role if he’s got no interest or passion for it?

I know it’s not polite to kick a man while he is down, and maybe in light of the last week’s events the show could have been pushed back or not screened, but it has to be said that this half-episode did not reflect well on Mr. Hide’s responsibilities towards the Special Education portfolio, and by extension Education in general.

Allanah has put together a very comprehensive list of school leadership blogs from NZ and further afield - lots of great content there to mull over and add to the reader! Lots of the people listed I’ve never met but feel I have come to know well based on interaction between blogs and the conversations that arise from them. I highly recommend any of my readers having a look at the list and adding some of them to your reader as well. I am always keen to hear of more educational blogs, especially NZ principals, so if you know of any that aren’t covered in that posting please drop me a comment to direct me the right way!

One that I would add to Allanah’s comprehensive list is The Long Run. Tom is the Principal of St Matthew’s Marton and the guy responsibile for me dipping my toes into the world of blogging. Tom is a great man and would seem to be one of only a handful of catholic principals who blog on a regular basis in NZ. While The Long Run is not strictly an educational blog, it is  worth a look and frequently very insightful and inspiring.

Down Time

The two week term break provides an opportunity for reflection, regathering and replanning ahead of the next term. I always enjoy the solitude of working in school without the hustle and bustle of term time activity. The opportunity to work at a more sedate pace and to have the luxury of in depth conversations with key staff without interruption or crowded head space is a real treat.

I am a great believer in preparation and so find the term break a good time to map out the term ahead. Whilst there are always unanticipated events that crop up, for the most part the plan can be set for the term and key happenings organised ahead of time.

I see the difference too in teachers who give that discretionary time – that hour here and hour there – to make sure they are set up for success. I contrast it with others I’ve worked with who put in very little preparation time and are then bemused when their programmes don’t seem to work, when they “didn’t know” about events happening, when they are constantly in firefighting mode, etc, etc! As a leader I can mitigate these things with ensuring systems are in place – timetables, expectations, plans, meetings scheduled – and these ensure that the team functions well. However individual motivation is a different matter! There are many things that feed into it only some of which the school/ work environment can influence – but that is a whole other post.

Anyway it hasn’t all been work and no rest – I’ve managed to catch up on a fair bit of football this break and settled in for the largely disappointing Barcelona/ Real Madrid match this morning. The battle developing between the coaches is just as enthralling as what happens on the pitch!

I’ve been reading, and really enjoying, Quiet Leadership by David Rock. It’s an easy read – not too heavy going but with plenty of food for thought. Rock talks a lot about the dynamics and intricacies of managing learning conversations. It is filled with many practical examples that you can pick up and use straight away. I can see this being a resource I dip in and out of a lot.

On a less scholarly note I have also been enjoying the King Arthur seriesby MK Hume. I managed to get the trilogy out from the library all at once and am enjoying getting through the books in my spare time. I am not a great reader of historical fiction but for some reason this title caught my eye and I have found it to be an interesting read. My fiction reading pile has been low of late with end of term demands so it has been great to dive into an undemanding yet rewarding series.

And no term break would be complete without a TV box set to chew through! I’ve been devouring The Pacific over the last week or so and finding it a well produced and captivating watch. The critics seem to regard this as a poor cousin to Band of Brothers but I would have to say I preferred The Pacific more. For me, there was a bigger focus on storyline than expensive set-pieces, and for my money story trumps spectacle every time.

So, as the two week break draws to a close I appreciate the opportunity to recharge the batteries a little and to prepare for the busy term ahead.

“What does Value mean in any context?”

I thought I would share this link that I came across today on Bruce Hammond’s blog. The writer, Alan Alach, is principal of Hokowhitu School in Palmerston North. I’ve bumped into him a couple of times at various things over the last few years and liked what he’s had to say. This post is a long one but worth reading and reflecting on. 

Excerpt:

“Reflecting on this, it seems to me that the educational world (here and overseas) is being split between those who focus on pedagogy, the whole child, and their educational needs for the 21st century, and the technocrats who try to break learning down into measurable bites. It doesn’t take much more reflection to see which academics in New Zealand are pushing the measurable bites barrow, and how governments are using this for their own ends. Recently I read, and took exception to, the phrase ‘value added’ on a political blog. What exactly does ‘value’ mean when used in this context? What does ‘value’ mean in any context?”

Well worth a read and sharing with staff.

what is a teacher worth?

A while back I posted on the futility of trying to calculate the worth of a teacher.

Interesting to read this that Dane posted this morning (love google reader!)

Both come at the same issue from different angles – one is about remuneration, the other about the value a teacher adds.

Food for thought!

Reflections

The term just completed went incredibly fast and left little pause for reflection or professional reading. Those seasons pass quickly and are draining. In my situation it meant that my view became quite narrow and school specific and my connections with other principals, and with broader education developments, dropped.

During the term we had two external reviews – one with the Catholic Schools reviewers in week seven; then ERO in the last week of term. Both require similar amounts of preparation/ organisational time and while there is some crossover in terms of documentation, it still makes for a busy time adminstratively. There is also the leadership aspect of shepherding people through the term, past their anxieties and fears about reviews, and ensuring that the ship remains on course and steady! In retrospect this is/ was the most draining part – just keeping everyone’s morale high and on track so that they could put their best foot forward – tough to do in week eleven of a term.

Both reviews went extremely well and confirmed the next steps that had already been identified in our annual planning…we are on the right track. I am pleased with the outcomes of both reviews and looking forward to acting on our “agreed priorities”.

As well as those reviews I have also had a number of support staff changes for different reasons…and whereas in the past I may have had a handful of applicants for these part-time roles, I am now having a lot of choice and high-quality people applying. This is a sign of the times I guess – a great position to be in for me as an employer but also an indicator that the job market is shrinking. So a substantial amount of time has been spent on appointments.

I have also overseen the implementation of a mixed media intermediate classroom where children have the ability to work 1:1 with laptops when required. This led to an audit of whole school infrastructure and a partnership with a new ICT technician. We’ve installed a new server  and wireless infrastructure, and begun to upgrade other hardware in need of replacement. This is against a reduced staffing budget and allocation so we’ve had to be very clever juggling the numbers to make it all affordable – have had to put the Principal’s “must-have” iPad on hold!

Throw all these things into the mix plus the general wear and tear of an eleven week term and it has been a busy one. Howeever with the benefit of a few days R&R I can now look back with some pride on what we achieved. I have been at the school for 18 months and have always been working to a three year plan for change. This meant that in both reviews I didn’t have everything wrapped up in bows, looking nice and well -organised – rather, they often saw things that were works in progress and I think that was appreciated by the reviewers.

The change of support staff further allows renewal of the school staff – very important for me as it means with each new appointment I become less and less the “new principal” and more seen as the incumbent. A small thing but important in terms of building a credible base for change management.

Next steps? Reconnecting with classroom programmes. I’ve been very conscious of leading from the office so far this year due to the nature of the term’s work. My focus for next term is getting into classrooms, working with teachers, developing shared understandings about practice etc – all the stuff that is the core of our work. It is also about reconnecting with those principals who form my support network – who I have a high trust relationship with and can chew over the complexities of our work with. Some are local, some further afield, but most have not heard from me this year – it’s time to reconnect.

And who knows, I might even find time to blog more frequently!