School-Echuca+South+Primary

= All about Me.....! = This year my role here at Echuca South has been evolving over the past 2 terms but I am now confident that my role for 2010 is defined as
 * 1) Reading Recovery Teacher/Literacy Leading Teacher .6
 * 2) Koorie Literacy Coach .4 (with the LCM region)

I have been a member of staff since 1998 and during that time I have been a specialist teacher (ICT/LIBRARY), classroom teacher and Intervention/Reading Recovery teacher.

About Echuca South Primary School

// Echuca South Primary School is situated in McKenzie Street close to the Campaspe River. It was constructed over 35 years ago and is typical of many schools of that era in Victoria. As well as the main building there are three relocatable buildings and a large ‘Shed’ constructed by the school community and used for a wide variety of functions. The current enrolment is around 300 students, which, after rising for a number of years, has begun to decline in 2010 //

// At Echuca South we offer an extensive curriculum in all areas of VELS along with a wide range of extra-curricular activities for our students. Echuca South focuses on the development of Literacy and Numeracy along with a strong ICT component across the school. All classrooms have Interactive Whiteboards to enhance teaching and learning and to integrate ICT into classrooms in a meaningful way. We offer Arts, ICT, library and PE as Specialist areas for all students. Reading Recovery and Additional Assistance programs are provided to cater for students above or below their expected level. Echuca South has an ‘Active After School’ Program, Bike Ed program, participates in the Walk to School days and is a Go For Your Life school //

= REFLECTIONS =

**DAY 1**
The Photo Chat regarding "How do learners become literate around here?" was a terrific way of sharing literacy learning. The videos regarding Literacy Learning Stories were very powerful and lots of small points eg engaging the learner within a familiar context. Discussing round table what it meant to be a powerfully little learner in contemporary times was interesting- I was "the secretary" and it was interesting to watch the dialogue and interactions amongst the group members.

= **Day 2** = This was such a busy day-my head was swimming with all the new learnings and understandings. I enjoyed the Cafe idea where we met and discussed ideas, most worth while and I got some great help from the ladies I met at the cafe..! One activity I really struggled with, probably because I am not really a visual creative sort of person, was the vision card activity where we had to choose a picture to represent who I am as a literacy teacher, coach and leader. It took me forever to choose and then I wasn't happy with my choices- much prefer to have written it all down in draft form, edited etc......! Reflecting on my hopes, fears and expectations was beneficial. It helped me to clarify my school context and a little about how I will begin and to consider what I might be able to achieve (probably not enough....) The reading we did regarding literacy coaching was also very informative and helped me to begin to think a little more clearly about who I was as a Literacy Coach. I realized that it would be important for me to work on my developing my role as a co-inquirer rather than the "expert" or "consultant" which as the Junior School Leader and Literacy Leading Teacher over the past few years I suspect many of the staff view me as....oh dear! Bring on the challenge....

Day 3
Today was overwhelming in all the learning and understandings that began to happen for me regarding coaching conversations and how important it is to make the link between literacy learnings and literacy teaching. Working in the differentiated learning streams was an excellent way to go. I was luck enough to work with Julie and we worked on a general introduction to coaching and coaching conversations. It was only a small group and we were able to practice a conversation after some learnings via a powerpoint and observation session for about 20 minutes. On reflection I can see that I will struggle with pausing when considering the 3 P's of a coaching conversation. Pause, Paraphrase, Probe!! Observing Heather in conversation with Chantal was amazing. I was clearly able to see Heather honoring the 3P's of the coaching conversation and although Chantal had many issues she wanted to discuss the probing questions were so obvious in drilling down to help Chantal clarify and connect her literacy learnings and teaching practices. When working in the coaching triads the Grow Model was an effective way to clarify my thoughts about which level I was at and what I need to learn in order to effectively establish literacy coaching here at South. I am feeling a little bit more confident about who I am as a Literacy Coach after today!

Day 4 Wow-since we last got together so much has happened- I have completed my Cognitive Coaching Training which was fantastic and I learnt heaps about myself and how I work and could work with others. However I did have a major meltdown on the second day of training "a professional identity crisis" because what I was learning was contradictory to my learnings and understandings from Day 3 of Bastow! However since then I have got my head into the space that both technical/collaborative and cognitive coaching style can work together and be quite empowering. The work/videos that Esther shared with us about the teachers at her school was fantastic! They were "real" teachers, trying thier best with the students in thier care, and just like the teachers I am partnering with at my school- so this session was very reassuring for me as a Literacy Leader and Coach. Technical troubles set me behind (my evidence was on my laptop) for the assessment session that was based around "how do we know what students have learnt and need to learn". I found this session quite challenging-not sure whether it was the technology, the template or just me? A powerful reflection happened for me in the afternoon session when we working on writing samples. For the past couple of years our staff have moderated in small groups which have teachers from all levels of the school represented, to moderate a number of samples and then work with their own level, later that week to moderate writing in readiness for report writing. We, as a staff, need to adjust our thinking about moderation sessions and ask ourselves what this means for our teaching focus and our learners learning-that is use our moderation sessions to direct our teaching and learning practices in writing! Amazing.....

Day 5 Working with Cathy Toll was an amazing experience - there were so many learning moments for me that I don't think I will bore you all with them! Today was the fourth day I had an opportunity to hear and work with Cathy as I had been involved with her as part of my Region role as Koorie Literacy Coach earlier in the month. Thinking about 10 things I have learnt over my career was a great reflective practice and I noticed that there was a pattern to my reflections-beginning with students, moving to fellow staff/teams and then at the whole school and now Regional level. My learnings have become part of a wider focus as my career has developed. __//**"Ancora Imparo-still I learn"**//__ is an amazing quote from Cathy and so accurately reflects what has been happening over time for me as a teacher, learner, leader and coach! The idea of doing a time study appeals to me as well- I seem to be rushing around, chasing my tail and this would help me to accurately gauge how much time I am spending in the important/not important quadrants of time management.

Friday 6th August Today Joan came and visited me here at Echuca South. I was quite concerned about the evidence of impact presentation for our final day. We talked about how my role had developed and Joan and I considered a number of options for my presentation and I am now feeling a bit more comfortable with what I need to do. It turns out I was already doing it, so this makes it all so much easier- for example I have been documenting my conversations with teachers since the beginning of term 2, and we have collaborated to gether to explore Shared Reading and now we are beginning the journey of exploring Independent Reading and what it should look like, feel like, sound like in a classroom. Thanks heaps Joan for helping me to clarify my thoughts and understandings regarding both the evidence of impact project and the work that I am doing with my coaching partners!

__ Day 6 - Monday 23rd August __

Hearing Jill speak about the 3C's stance clarified futher for me my understandings and thinking regarding my developing role and professional identity this year. From the agency of Consult and just providing information about professional practice and moving forward to the stance of Collaborate, where self determination and a shared approach are integral to the mutual learning and growth of the people involved-this was a place where I was hoping to be by the end of the Program, but now my understandings of the third level-Coach- which centres around capacity building and supporting the coaching partner via the 3Ps of conversation, with the aim of developing the internal resources of the coaching partner is much more viable and what I am aiming to be able to achieve (probably take me another 25 years...) Having the opportunity to practice the SUN into GROW conversation was invaluable for me as this is the skill that I have been working on with rigour and determination! Analysing the contemporary text "Inanimate Alice" with Julie Faulkner was rich in depth and analysis. It is possibly the only time I have ever considered the prospect of teaching in the secondary system-how fantastic would such resources be for all learners-even the most disengaged?

=__ Day 7-Tuesday 24th August. __= Participating in the "Team Coaching and Learning Walks" differentiated learning streams with Loren was both informative and challenging. Informative because I learnt about team coaching, something I was unfamiliar with, but appears to be extraordinarily powerful in its potential for capacity building from within the school structure-as opposed to the outside or "region" based coaching situation which has been the coaching model we have been using lately. Challenging in that I could see it really bring about considered reflection and questioning of teaching and learning practices but also challenging in how to go about putting such a model into practice at Echuca South. The first thing I will do when I get back from LSL will be to share my learnings with my Prin and the leadership team. Having a dvd so that they can visualize it will make the "sell" a little easier-thanks to Loren and Riddell Creek PS. I was impressed to hear Ramesh speak of his personal and professional learning journey and how he was able to clearly articulate the thing that has made the main difference for him with his students has been the quality of the discussion and the assessment of/for learning. Working with Esther would be a very empowering and rewarding process as well as wonderful learning. Thanks for sharing Ramesh! It's not easy to stand up in front of your peers! Now I head off for 6 weeks long service leave (personal learning time) before I pull my evidence of impact project together (professional learning). Wow-What an incredible year 2010 has been so far. From Maureen - your reflections are a great example of making your thinking visible Leanne and they work as a form of feedback for us in a way that is non-judgmental. I am really interested in what you were learning at the Cognitive Coach training that conflicted with what you are learning with us. Can you share more about this? I'm also mindful that we are situating coaching within an overall approach to professional learning - perhaps we aren't drawing the line clearly enough between coaching and other forms of professional learning that enable and supplement coaching? I'm glad Joan helped you with the evidence of impact concerns - our goal is to support you to conceive of and use evidence to inform your own practice and as well as assisting you in coaching conversations with teachers. How will the teachers you are working with identify the impact of Shared Reading and/or Independent reading on students once they learn the technique?