School-+Black+Hill+PS-+Helen

Penny Westlake and I are both at Black Hill PS in Ballarat which is a large Primary School (approx 520 students) in Ballarat. Penny is acting A.P and I am .6 Literacy coordinator and coach. As a self taught coach, I am really looking forward to the discussions and learning centred around what effective coaching looks like and how to build the concept into the school strategic plan so that it becomes an effective tool for improving teaching and learning. We have a new school Principal beginning in Term 4 who has worked as a Schools Improvement Officer, she has a strong curriculum and coaching background so I'm looking forward to working closely with her too. We're all set to go!

At the end of Day 2 I hadn't yet established the workings of wiki spaces so typed my reflections on to a word document that can be accessed below
 * Reflections**

It is now three weeks or more since days 4 and 5 of the course and although I jotted reflections down, I am only just getting back to 'wiki space'- the varied life of a teacher! Before I begin to reflect on my pfofessional learning, I would like to thank the presenters for the most valuable couple of days. i really appreciated the expertise with which the sessions were run. Great humility was shown which encourages us as the learners to take risks but to keep evaluating. The planning and preparation that went into this valuable learning time was much appreciated; the shared knowledge and skills were imparted in a dynamic and engaging but allowed us to develop as individuals - congratulations Jill, Lauren and Esther. Esther, I still keep hearing 'You are best people in the world because you have devoted yourself to the people of tomorrow' with your beautiful accent; I will share that quotation with my staff.

The return to the coaching triad was significant for me. Working in the same group we had worked with on Day 2 was valuable, we were so tentative the first time but there was a definite change of atmosphere between us during the second meeting, a self belief that we were capable of this 'fresh alteranative' (as outlined by Cathy Toll) style of coaching. I was surprised by the power of the questioning, how one simple question can support and develop the coachee's thinking so they end up doing the 'hard work' for themselves but feel so grateful to the coach for finding some resolution / plan of action. Since having been back in the school setting, I have been practising the Fresh Alternative with the appropriate teachers that are at that level of 'maturity' in their teaching. the results have been so rewarding with one particular teacher who has felt empowered by her reflective, developing practice. She feels she has got the buzz and excitement for education back. I found the planning of questions particularly valuable and have in the past under estimated how important this is. This was also highlighted by Jill when we took part in the scripted coaching conversations- another valuable activity for us to develop coaching skills. However I have also had a coaching experience where I had planned a range of probing questions for a coaching conversation with another teacher but we didn't manage to get beyond how to develop expectations for behaviour in the classroom and I was back to 'Technician Coach'! The discussions on feedback challenged my thinking. i particularly enjoyed the very brave, honest and open recount given by Christine on how she had engaged her students their feedback from the POLT survey. how she listened to them which resulted in them taking more agency of their learning and as a result their learning became more meaningful. I need to consider how student choice can be integrated into my teaching. The discussions around generalised feedback were enlightening when I considered my own eduacation. i know I was only interested in the mark. i can now identify the need for our school to develop assessment criteria/ rubrics, that way students can determine where they are and where they need to get to but they need to be involved in the discussion as to how?
 * Workshop 2 and 3 - Learning Highlights and subsequent experiences**

Once again there was plenty of 'food for thought' following workshops 4 and 5 and I have to say as a result of all these learning opportunities, ifeel much more assured of my role as both teacher and coach. Here are some of the issues that were raised that created personal 'meaningful disturbances!' Like Jill I sometimes feel exasperated by the teachers who ridicule teacher jargon. i accept that jargon plays an ever changing role in our profession but we have to be cautious as our synicism may allow us to gloss over technical words that are crucial to our development as teachers. i consider metacognition to be one such term which was why I found Jill's workshop on student coaching to be particularly valuable.
 * Workshop 4 and 5 - Learning Highlights and subsequent experiences**


 * I used to think** that a 'Procedure' was a one off learning experience

We have been developing Learning Intentions and Success Criteria across our school, upon reflection, not only do we need to allow students to consider what they are about to learn and what their learning will look like but we can also enquire as to what ideas they have about how we achieve particular learning. all of this equates to giving students agency of their learning.
 * Now I think** that each procedure is a vehicle that can be used regularly to develop student thinking. once the students have been taught the 'Procedure' they can use it as an agent for their learning in a variety of contexts. Since the workshop I am collecting a repertoire of Procedures for the teaching of reading. i have also focussed on the 'how' of teaching and learning rather than the'what', so when modelling particular learning strategies for students I make sure I ask questions such as "How did I prepare myself for reading?", "what did you notice me doing?". Similar questions are asked of them during reflection time and this can be extended to individual conferencing with students around how they learn best, why did they find particular learning easier than other times?

Julie Fletcher's presentation brought me back to the professional reading on whether we are Natives or Immigrants in a tecnological world, ar eading I have since quoted a number of times both socailly and professionally


 * I used to think**... I lack the technological knowledge necessary for the teaching of this generation.


 * Now I think** ....We are all learners and we need to viewed as such by the students. to give them the role of extendeing our knowledge not only keeps us up to date but empowers them.

The Cafe Protocol highlighted the possibilities for coaching teams. we have Leaders of the Professional Learning Teams that are new to the role new across the school. since the workshop Penny and I have been experimenting with the coaching of these team leaders by providing scripted conversations for them to conduct in pairs, the key points of which they feedback to the group. This process has proved successful on a number of levels:it allowed them to reflect on themselves as leaders, the skills they have and the skills they would like to develop, following a script scaffolded their conversations and demonstrated what a probing question 'looks like', finally they have experienced the power of probing questions and, as a result, they have unanimously expressed that coaching skills are an area they would all like to develop.

The South Australian Framework was particularly interesting. As a coach who is attemting to shape coaching conversations around the e5 **I now think** that exploring additional frameworks will support the construction of meaning, analysis and reflection around the e5. This is a work in progress!