Ulearn14 - Workshop on Turning the Vision into Reality

Samuel Marsden Collegiate School

• Traditional
• Preschool and Y1-13 is Girls School
• Y7-13 at Whitby Campus is Co-Ed

Wanted to find an approach to the learning that would enable students to succeed in the future. 

Professional learning is better when it happens in your own school. Or when your school comes to conferences like this!

BYOD - someone at EduTech called it Bring Your Own Disasters. Another said, throw out half of the curriculum and find the time. 

Talk about what we're already doing so that we have a vision.

Principal has said that they will use any devices 

Mandate devices or focus on junior students. 

Marsden focussed on Y11-13 students and many students were frustrated with 'fun' tech. Wanted Excellences and to be taught just for that.

eLPF - E-Learning Planning Framework on Core

Supporting Future-Oriented learning and teaching - a NZ perspectie - report to the Min of Ed by Rachel Bolstad and J. Gilbert. There is a double spread summary. 

Being cutting edge costs a lot of money. There's a feeling that let's just stand back and see what everyone else is doing and then get on board.

Small change in teaching practice could have a massive effect on students learning. 

Need to do away with the 'how to do a spreadsheet person' - and focus on a school wide approach as many can just google, youtube etc the answer.

The Professional Learning Hour

1. PL, lead by Philippa - BES on PL - Focus on what makes a difference to students, what and how to teach differently
2. Workshop sessions, confidence with tools - Linking to the PL session, examples of possible tools
3. Reflection time, link to RTCs - Cycles of inquiry, based on evidence, align with goals, RTCs and discussions with critical friends

Difficult - because you have to update pedagogy and upskill around the tools. 

This is an Inquiry. 

The First 20 Minutes

• Seen as the most important part of the Professional Learning session
• Always start with the 'why' - connecting to Marsden vision and future-focussed themes - six strands from Bolstad and Gilbert and Four C's - Collaboration, Creativity, Connected, Unpacking, recovering, hook or task to get people thinking or talking, having a clear - why are we trying to do this? Better preparing our students to be citizens, always finish with a reflective question
• Theme chosen to connect with workshops - knew what workshops would be running during a particular session
• Pose questions for later reflection 
• 'Extra for experts' - hyperlinks to explore
• Example of a pedagogy session (all on Philippa's blog)

They've tried really hard to find a balance between individualisation and school wide learning. 

Practicalities - Organising Workshops

• Staff only day - sharing the vision
• Workshop plan but no sign ups - register yourself with your body. 
• Repeat the sessions - so that they can go to ones that they wanted to go to previously.
• Shoulder tap initial presenters
• Ask for volunteers

Checkpoint Survey Questions - On Slides

Teachers were asked to share their highlights. 

By Term 3 staff had really bought into the PLD but whether it was having an effect on their teaching practice was not evident. 

Don't know what you don't know!

Were working at low common denominator's and also had more expert learner links for exploration.

For some staff they THINK they're doing future focussed learning pedagogy and so they share some ways in which they could be more future focussed in their teaching. 

Differentiating the staff learning about this was incredibly effective. 

These are great teachers. But they may not have seen how technology could help their teaching. 

I know we need change. Changed to - I know we need to change and we can see how it will help our students. 

SAMR model

Can't know what R is if you can't see what it is. 

Everyone is a beginner at some point.

Using TodaysMeet.com as relief! Brilliant!