School+-+Canadian+Lead+PS

=Canadian Lead PS=

Canadian Lead PS is situated in regional Ballarat East right on top of a gold lead which was mined by Canadian miners in the 1850's. It was formed in 1993 after 4 schools were merged and our current building was opened in 1997. We are undertaking the BER at the present time and look forward to having the opportunity to team teach and create wonderful learning spaces for our students. We currently have 161 students and 7 classrooms. My role this year is Literacy Leader which involves many different tasks. I lead the Curriculum Team which initiates and organises Professional Learning for all staff 2 out of every 3 Staff Meetings. I am also a member of the Middle Years Team and we are currently using the “Patrick Grifin” Model to look at individual student data and make a collective decision on strategies in improving the outcomes for these students. We do this 2 out of every 3 team meetings. Also, in my role I meet with all teaching staff throughout the week and assist in planning ILP's after looking at student data, assist in resourcing and implementing these into weekly planners. I also facilitate the Wannik IEP's for our Koorie students. So the Professional readings on “conversations” have been assisting me here. We have a full time Literacy Coach and I release staff to have their coaching conversations throughout the week. During this year I have been able to implement our school's literacy Provision Plan which has given us a clear direction in where we want to go and how we will get there. Spelling is our next initiative, we want consensus on what and how we will teach spelling. This will be challenging. After Day 1, I felt a little excited to be able to participate but a bit blown away. After Day 2 and 3 it really started to jell with me. I thought the session with Heather Ridge was great as well as the practice coaching conversations. I went back to school to meet with Donna our acting Prin. and Joy our coach to work out who I can have a go at coaching and how can we support this. So far I have been working as a mentor to a graduate on staff. Next term I will start coaching! So I will keep on reading, observing our coach here and continue to participate in great P.L. such as Julie Kerr’s workshop on the Key Characteristics of Literacy P-6. I am looking forward to meeting again with Julie here at school early next term. We have a new principal starting that week too, so we will see how it all goes!! Nothing ever stays the same; term 3 saw me working with a different PLT and therefore different staff members than the ones I thought I was going to coach. So, week 1 was spent with everyone settling in and having discussions with the new coaching members about the coaching model. Week 2 saw one of the team coaches leaving so I began with just one teacher. We are introducing an Inquiry Approach to writing through Explanation texts. Our discussions, planning and timetabling went well. Week 3 we began, I was excited about actually beginning to coach and have the substantive conversations with the teacher and our new staff member participated in planning sessions and conversations so he could gain some insights into the process. I was able to assist him in a mentor mode. Week 4 saw no coaching as it was pack up, move out and move into our new learning spaces. We were exhausted but very positive about our future. Week 5 and with days out for Ultranet training, Futsal etc, you have to make the most of limited opportunities. This appears to be pattern with Ultranet again this week and with whatever else occurs.   Nothing ever stays the same; term 3 saw me working with a different PLT and therefore different staff members than the ones I thought I was going to coach. So, week 1 was spent with everyone settling in and having discussions with the new coaching members about the coaching model. Week 2 saw one of the teachers leaving so I began with just one teacher. We are introducing an Inquiry Approach to writing through Explanation texts. Our discussions, planning and timetabling went well. Week 3 we began, I was excited about actually beginning to coach and have the substantive conversations with the teacher and our new staff member participated in planning sessions and conversations so he could gain some insights into the process. I was able to assist him in a mentor mode. Week 4 saw no coaching as it was pack up, move out and move into our new learning spaces. We were exhausted but very positive about our future. Week 5 and with days out for Ultranet training, Futsal etc, you have to make the most of limited opportunities. This appears to be pattern with Ultranet again this week and with whatever else occurs. Reflecting on Day 4 of our Coaching course I found that revisiting our triads put us in the picture again. What did I commit myself to? Watching the Wellington SC videos reminded me that schools are hectic with many different activities happening at the same time yet students can focus and be engaged in their learning despite what goes on around them. The assessment of student work was very valuable and using a writing rubric with PP’s was very effective. M y colleague and I had some very interesting discussions about what to actually score the work. I read the article “Team Coaching” Adapted by Loren Peavey from the work of Saudhi Vargas (New York City, 2004) from the Mahogany Rise PS page and found it quite relevant to my context. We have been fortunate that timetabling and release time has been provided so the 3 of us can meet, plan and reflect together as well as have individual conversation times. The observation time is used as a team teaching opportunity for us to work together. The team approach is one that may be sustainable for us next year so we all very interested to see how it develops. Also, I have adapted the Reading/Writing audit-Knowledge and understanding of Literacy Learning and Teaching to gain some insights into our new grad teacher’s knowledge of literacy and also from our experienced teacher. I plan to use the Teacher Audit- Frequency of use later on this term so we have some interesting concepts to develop next term. The coaching model using the Inquiry Approach to Writing is one that has been imposed upon me as it is occurring in the other PLT with our Literacy Coach so I have been reflecting on the contrasting models of coaching that we have been discussing at Bastow and the model at my school from the Grampians Regional Coaches direction. They very much come in with a set agenda for all to follow and I am trying to use adaptations with the two teachers I am working with. Does anyone have this conflict as well?? From Maureen: Leslee you have raised an important question here about 'agency' and 'stance' - this time in relation to your own coaching. Your query raises some essential questions - is the goal here to seek behavioural change and compliance as to what is considered 'good practice' or is the goal to build capacity as reflective, researchful professionals? What might be the relationship between these two goals? Are they in conflict or could there be a connection? Your quandary was a key 'approach to change' quandary that we identified in our school based professional learning research. If we approach professional learning with a more 'managerial mindset', we are guided buy values of efficiency and compliance and 'doing it right'. If we approach professional learning with a more 'leadership' mindset, we are guided by values of inquiry-mindedness (questions before directions), learning for deep understanding, evidence-seeking in action, intense moral purpose and developing local capacity to move into wise action. At the end of the day, we each make a decision as to what kind of leader we want to 'be' - I think Cathy's balanced attention to knowing, doing and being was an important point. In this program, one of our goals is to provide time, opportunity and provocations to think about your 'stance' as ultimately this affects any decisions you make. So what do you think is involved in trying to resolve a way to work effectively given the different stances in play in your situation? //From Leslee, Unfortunately since the last 2 days in Melbourne I have been very ill and only have been back at school this week to find that the teacher I was coaching is on leave now and that the grad is moving on to another part of the state for family reasons. So I plan these holidays to reflect on my very limited coaching experience and have a stance for when I return. I have been thinking about your questions carefully and I feel I need to reflect more.// There were so many aspects to these days that I have packed into my kit bag and some I have implemennted or reflected on. Such as the 3 C's - Consulting, Collaborating and Coaching, using the Sun to Grow Coaching Converations as well as Maureen's connection to e5 and multiliteracies. Lauren's fabulous work with Learning walks and Team Coaching which has really inspired me to implement these at CLPS in some form. A very practical yet empowering 2 days. My site visit from Julie Kerr last week really assisted me in focusing in what I need to have for the 22nd. Julie was very supportive in assisting me to pinpoint myself within the Coaching Teachers In Effective Instruction. We also discussed my beliefs about coaching as well as my literacy leadership and coaching here at CLPS with some future possibilities. Coaching in the Early years PLT this term has been really reewarding, it has enabled to develop the mapping tool for inquiry writing with an e5 overlay. This year I have been on aprofessional learning overkill with e5 and literacy coaching but now they merge quite happily together in my conversations with teachers and in our planning. The model of coaching that Cathy Toll talked about with no observations is what is happening here at the moment and so far by bringing evidence of student learning and even some misconceptions along to our meetings, we have been able to talk and plan and focus our next stage of instruction. Our PLT is moving into assessment mode and really evaluating the schediule as to whether it meets our current teaching and learning needs. everyone is a stakeholder and the collegiate discussions and debates have been very informative and focused. I am really grateful to be playing a role here and suporting and developing teacher capacity as well as my own.
 * Day 6&7**