Summarising My Postgraduate Learning Journey and My Planning for the Future

Three PTC Criteria I Have Met Well:

From my 32 week Mindlab Post Graduate Course, I have learned how vital Digital Collaborative Learning is to the lives and success of all learners. I understand a Digital Collaborative approach to learning is actually a mindset, just as Growth is a mindset.

As a result of my course and reflecting on the ineffectiveness and inefficiency of 19th and 20th century practices - assessment, teaching and learning, reporting - I oversaw research into, trialling and testing of, and implementation of a Electronic Learning Journal for all our children at Western Heights school.

I came to understand the importance of communication in the collaboration process. As a result of this, I have set out to make almost everything we do, and almost everything we record, available to our wider parent, teacher and learner community.

I have therefore built websites for each key aspect of the teaching and learning process at Western Heights School -

- Board of Trustees - this site is available to our Board not our community - the Minutes section is Public however.

- WHS School Charter

- WHS School Curriculum

- WHS School Lead Team

- WHS School Policies

- WHS School Principal's Professional Portfolio - including my full appraisal reports which are available to our community.

- WHS School Staff Site

- WHS School Staff Guide

- WHS School Parent Support Site (under construction)

- WHS School Website (completely new)

- WHS School Facebook Site

One of the more important understandings I have arrived at as a result of this Post Grad Mindlab study, is that Digital Collaborative Learning offers new and better ways to do things, and I must be open to looking for these and recognising them.

A good example is my response to Teacher Appraisal. ERO are now reviewing the evidence teachers have that they are engaged in a comprehensive, quality professional learning and appraisal programme - Attestation, Affirmation and Appraisal.

I therefore developed a google site with a section for each member of staff. This involved creating a series of pages for each staff member, all with different, specific, individual permissions for access and/or editing.

- WHS School Staff Appraisal

- Professional Learning Plan

- Repository of all formal documents (such as Job Description, Employment Contract, Unit allocation etc)

- Learning Journal, Reflection, Goal Setting, Action Plan, Success Criteria, Outcomes, Reflection, Next Step Learning

- Attestation

- Appraisal

I reflected on the Electronic Learning Journal we now have in place for our children at WHS.

Even though I had invested about 100 hours into this Staff Appraisal system, I realised it could be (and needed to be) much better.

I travelled to Christchurch to visit a brand new school and looked at their system. As a result, I met with the founder of Linc-Ed, talked to early adopters of this programme, invited the developer to present to staff (including office staff), presented to our Board, and then signed on the dotted line.

This new programme will be our Student Management System, our Learning Management System (working in tandem with Seesaw until it is eventually able to replace it), and will replace our current WHS Phone App (iOS and Android).

It will also replace my Staff Appraisal google site. Linc-Ed will act as an Electronic Learning Journal in a very similar way to Seesaw for our children. Instead of focusing on Reading, Writing, Maths, Key Competencies and our Love to Learn to Lead values, it will address the 12 Teacher Professional Criteria.

1. Dimension One

Establish and maintain effective professional relationships focused on the learning and well-being of ākonga

Engage in ethical, respectful, positive and collaborative professional relationships with:

• ākonga

• teaching colleagues, support staff and other professionals

• whānau and other carers of ākonga

• agencies, groups and individuals in the community

In addressing these three dimensions, I thought it would be more useful if I shared the findings in relation to these, as taken from my most recent (2015) appraisal, undertaken by Mac Stephenson.

https://sites.google.com/a/westernheights.school.nz/principal-s-professional-portfolio/appraisal-2015

"This is the second year I have worked with Ash and this has enabled me to have an even more in depth appreciation of his abilities as a principal and the manner in which he has strived to make Western Heights School one where learning is paramount and the nurturing and support of all students is the driver behind all that is done.

It is not difficult each year to find new superlatives to describe the ongoing change that makes this a dynamic school and one where the needs of every student is clearly articulated and obviously followed through in classroom and pastoral provision.

As any visit to the school affirms the depth of knowledge in regard to the needs of students and the lengths to which Ash and his teachers go in order to meet these needs is really a feature as is their ability to articulate what is being provided for students and the various successes over the course of the year.

Ash of course has played a significant part in this process being involved in the planning of the teaching spaces, in providing the necessary resources to enable students to be more independent and in the provision of professional development to enable teachers to better appreciate the pedagogy behind the curriculum provision.

To ensure the school continues to perform at the leading edge of education Ash has over the course of the year enabled teachers to be engaged in professional development that extends skills and provides new ways of providing for students. This professional development provision is a major component of the school’s operation and in my view accounts for the high quality of the teaching provided across the school. Ash shared with me the weekly programme that encourages professional reading and the sharing of ideas and challenges that enable teachers to remain up to date with currently accepted good practice.

... teachers see themselves as learners first and this has major impact on students.

These high level expectations of teachers are enhanced by the comprehensive and robust system of appraisal that Ash has implemented with the documentation for their on going registration being readily accessible and also confidential to only those with rights to its viewing. Ash has obviously spent a great amount of time developing these teacher portfolios, which are now a requirement of registration, and make expectations of teachers to reflect on their practice and to continue to grow.

Another innovative practice that Ash brings to the school is the classroom safari whereby all teachers visit all classrooms in the school to gain ideas from each other and to share best practice. This practice means teachers are constantly under the scrutiny of their peers and keen to ensure that they have ideas to share and quality student work on display. This quality is certainly obvious when walking around because classrooms clearly are colourful and interesting.

Ash is a very visible presence around the school and is so appreciated by the students who greet him affectionately. He in turn impresses with his knowledge of them and his willingness to be involved with them at lunchtimes, on sporting and cultural trips, and his open door policy means students are constantly visiting to say hello to him. These interactions quite clearly demonstrate the school climate in action and provide the proof of the effectiveness of the values that underpin the school’s operation. Over the course of his time at this school I believe Ash has been responsible for this growth in the nurturing of students and in the growth of a community that is focussed on learning."

2. Dimension Four

Demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of personal professional practice

• identify professional learning goals in consultation with colleagues

• participate responsively in professional learning opportunities within the learning community

• initiate learning opportunities to advance personal professional knowledge and skills

"As I understand Ash has worked at length with teachers to enable the moderation process to be an accurate and valid one that truly reflects student outcomes against expected levels. The school’s emphasis on students setting goals for their learning and undertaking their own monitoring of success in attaining these goals has this year led Ash to trial an e/portfolio system which will provide students with the ability to share their learning in variety of digital ways. As part of this trial teachers and parents have been involved in using the e/portfolios to share their views on how effective the reporting process is, and how well it complements the reporting against National Standards that is a requirement for all schools. The fact that these e/portfolios are based around formative assessment practices and provide students with the ability to develop skills in the use of video and written presentation, mean that the goals of the school that see students as part of a community of learners is certainly being realised. I am confident that the trial will lead to school wide acceptance and that Ash will enthusiastically oversee its implementation.

Ash continues to play a role in the wider educational community through his involvement with his colleagues in the local area through the Principals’ Association and also in the wider West Auckland area as a member of that group. He has also taken on the management of a sub-committee developing a Community of Schools in the area, and as such is working with colleagues to secure the best possible outcomes.

Ash has worked on Post Graduate studies this year...

Ash continues to read widely and is in my view particularly well informed around current tends and expectations in education. In this regard I commend the manner in which Ash considers any change before it is implemented. He does not commit to the latest “fad” unless he has fully researched it and confirmed that it might indeed be of benefit. Even at this point he evaluates all such change and determines whether or not it does in fact warrant implementation on a school wide basis.

As an instance of this, it is heartening that he always discusses the impact teaching practices make on learning and how one to one devices can enhance these. Ash has an amazing understanding and ability with information technology and a great sense of where to find new ideas and applications that can enhance the systems or the provision of learning experiences for teachers and students. A number of the applications he shared with me, and which have been implemented in the school, are noticeably impacting on learning and quite clearly highlight why in Ash’s words the “the learning is growing and growing.”

3. Dimension Five

Show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning

• actively contribute to the professional learning community

• undertake areas of responsibility effectively

"Ash has continued to attend meetings of the local principals’ group.

He has also attended meetings hosted by the Waitakere Area Principals' Association.

Ash has led a sub-committee of 12 schools with the formation of a 'Community of Schools - Community of Learners'.

Ash leads weekly staff meetings and has provided leadership in a variety of professional development undertakings this year.

He has continued to undertake a wide variety of professional reading and use this as the basis for reaching decisions in regard to the day-to-day management of the school and the building of school community all focussed on learning.

As required by good appraisal practice Ash has maintained a Learning Journal where reflective comment and professional development undertaken has been recorded.

Post Graduate studies have been undertaken and Ash notes that his success in passing assignments is at a high level.

Ash is a well-regarded principal in the wider educational community. His depth of knowledge and his curriculum understanding is at the highest-level while his management of his school and his passion for learning provides a model to others."

Two Main Goals For My Future Development:

1. Dimension Eleven

Analyse and appropriately use assessment information, which has been gathered formally and informally

• analyse assessment information to identify progress and ongoing learning needs of ākonga

• use assessment information to give regular and ongoing feedback to guide and support further learning

• analyse assessment information to reflect on and evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching

• communicate assessment and achievement information to relevant members of the learning community

• foster involvement of whānau in the collection and use of information about the learning of ākonga

This will focus on two key areas - Seesaw in Action and Linc-Ed.

With Seesaw, the next step and challenge will be to aggregate information and identify patterns of success and areas for additional focus.

With Linc-Ed the same will apply, but in particular with staff in terms of their performance management, appraisal, attestation, and professional learning.

2. Dimension Twelve

Use critical inquiry and problem-solving effectively in their professional practice

• systematically and critically engage with evidence and professional literature to reflect on and refine practice

• respond professionally to feedback from members of their learning community

• critically examine their own beliefs, including cultural beliefs, and how they impact on their professional practice and the achievement of ākonga

Our next step in this area will focus on two area - ways we can improve our teaching and leaning practice by applying the principals of Formative Assessment; applying William Glasser's Choice Theory in the teaching and learning process.

We will undertake both of these via a Teaching as Inquiry process - The New Zealand Curriculum describes the Teaching as Inquiry cycle and the idea of purposeful assessment (page 39).

Since any teaching strategy works differently in different contexts for different students, effective pedagogy requires that teachers inquire into the impact of their teaching on their students. (Ministry of Education, 2007b, page 35)

The key question for the focusing inquiry is: What is important (and therefore worth spending time on), given where my students are at?

Helen Timperley has derived ten key principles from the best evidence synthesis of research on teacher professional learning and development. One of those principles is that “Information about what students need to know and do is used to identify what teachers need to know and do” (2008, page 13).

A number of New Zealand educational texts stress the critical role of teachers and school leaders in using inquiry to solve instructional problems and improve student achievement. Two examples that serve as practical guides on inquiry-based practice are Using Evidence in Teaching Practice (Timperley and Parr, 2004) and Practitioner Research for Educators (Robinson and Lai, 2006).

"The quality of information improves when everyone is open to the possibility that what they had previously taken for granted may not stand up to scrutiny. Teachers who are skilled in processes of inquiry can detect weaknesses in their own thinking about practice and help others to do the same." (page 6)

The key question for the learning inquiry is: What happened as a result of the teaching, and what are the implications for future teaching?

Two related questions then lead the inquiring teacher back into another round of inquiry: Is there something I need to change? What are the next steps for learning?

One example of how this will be accomplished:

We will read a section each week from "Outstanding Formative Assessment - Culture and Practice" by Shirley Clark (Clarke, S. (2014). Outstanding Formative Assessment: Culture and Practice. Hachette UK.)

We will use the app "Who's Next" to randomly select contributors to share their thinking, summaries and suggestions with our group.

We will share feedback from staff as to how they have applied the principles from this in their classroom teaching and learning programme.

Directors of Learning will undertake classroom observations and provide feedback and feedforward on the way these principles are being applied in practice, and suggestions for Next-Step learning and implementation.

We will survey our children for their feedback.

We will communicate with and consult with our parent community as to what we are focusing on and why, and seek their feedback and experiences.

For my own personal development - I will seek to continue my Post Graduate studies.

I thought my life was as full as it could get:

1. Principal of a school of over 600 students,

2. Coach of senior boys' softball - top division

3. Coach of senior boys' football - top division

4. Mentor of first time principals

5. Member of the Great Principals' Collective - an invitation group of leading principals from around New Zealand

6. Community of Learners management committee

7. Father to son at Auckland Grammar with a demanding homework schedule

8. Playing competitive softball and football year round

9. Grandparent

10. Part time caretaker for a country school

Somehow though, I managed to add Post Grad studies to this mix. I could not be happier that I found the time to fit these studies in. They have been revolutionary, evolutionary, instructive, informative, challenging and rewarding.

I cannot recommend the people and the programme enough - I sincerely thank everyone involved. This has been awesome!