Roberts+McCubbin

Roberts McCubbin Primary School, is situated in Box Hill Sth and is the result of the merger of Bennestwood Primary School and Box Hill Sth Primary Schools in 1994. Our school is named after Tom Roberts and Frederick McCubbin who set up camp and painted in the nearby hills in the latey 1800s. We have a stong curriculum focus on the Arts, both Performing Arts and Visual Arts which links our historical heritage to the school location and the influence of the both the artists. We are commited to the principals of the developmental learning approach and multiage class structure and we have established a culture which reflects a vision about how children learn. RMPS has high expectations for all students with a strong focus on literacy and numeracy. I am currently the Literacy Coordinator and Reading Recovery teacher. Over the past 10 years I have been asssiting students and staff to improve their literacy learning. So here my journey begins or maybe continues with Literacy Coaching.....................??????
 * Welcome to Roberts McCubbin PS**

Wow! I am so excitied to be given the opportunity to take my learning to another level. I can't wait to further my knowledge about teaching literacy and my coaching skills. Let the coaching begin..........!!!!!!

In 2010 my Principal and I began planning Literacy coaching for staff and students and discussed how Literacy Coaching could be fit into our Literacy program at Roberts McCubbin. After examining Litercy data we knew there was a need to continue to improve Literacy outcomes for all students at Roberst McCubbin. We decided that to do so we needed to develop a whole school approach where all staff, students and parents would be involved. Then I was given the opportunity to comence Literacy Coaching with Bastow in 2010 and I then my plan started to evolve as I began to participate in these sessions. My first thought was that I needed to introduce Literacy Coaching with the Leadership team with the following considerations: The Leadership team meets every Wednesday morning and I plan to (as part of our professional learning) to discuss and give feedback to the team as I paticipate in the sessions. These questions will probably change as I am on my learning journey but this is a starting point for my first discussion with the leadership team So here are some of my reflections so far about Literacy coaching and how I might start to consider some of these ideas for planning for Literacy Coaching at Roberts MCubbin PS.... My understandings of Learning and the Learner were reinforced today with the focus on improving the capacity of the A new term for me....... **'Agency'** was introduced today and these concepts really stood out for me...... All these highlighted another element for me in the relationship between the Learner and Leader. Wow! This has made me think carefully about how I may start to get teachers interested and getting their permission to start discussions about coaching!!!! //The idea that **'agency must become part of a culture in order to create powerfully Literate Learners in schools'**// was my highlight of day 1. Wow again! The questions 'What am I learning?' and 'What do I expect to take away from this'? kept flashing around me. I am not sure if I know the answers or what these questions really mean to me yet but the questions kept flashing, especially while these points were discussed over the two days: The focus on managing complex change and helping to bring understanding to the leadership level was most appropriate for the possible mapping of my leadership plan. This was very helpful and I can't wait to discuss it with my leadership team. Thankyou! Thankyou too Heather for your fabulous presentation on Foundational Literacy Coaching. Your session was really practical and I enjoyed the knowledge, skills and conversations that you shared The opportunity to practice coaching conversations was wonderful with the 'What' and 'How' questions being very relevent for me. I have realised that I need a lot of practise with questioning and coaching conversations!!!!!!! Wow I am learning so much!!! Too many highlights over these days but here are some bits that have made a difference to me!!!!......On day 4 we were presented with 2 leading questions (with some choices of coaches)- 'Who would you like to coach you?' and 'Who would you want to coach? and 'Why?''. 'Who would you like to coach you?' was the highlight question for me as only days before I watched Mick Malthouse coach Collingwood to a Premiership. In his after match speech Malthouse spoke of how he had researched the ancient Roman army foundations, who decades ago, worked together as team- supporting each other, using options, choosing a variety of drills and skills using drive and passion to defeat their enemy. In his coaching plan he considered the way the Romans worked as a team to coach Collingwood to their Grand Final win. The analogy of coaching a football team and coaching within a school has many common links for me....... I am now starting to have a clearer picture of what coaching means to me..... The Coaching Conversations (with Cathy Toll) and types of feedback was a fabulous session and this further immersed me in thinking.....what is coaching all about????? In summary I now believe it is about concept: **equal force = equal support....and therefore balance** (moving forward together to make a difference). Finally the quote of the day has to be: //**'We inspire people when we connect with what they really want'**// PS I loved the tree analogy! On day 5 Esther lead the discussions about assessment and feedback and I was pleased to hear the term 'AGENCY' being used throughout the session. Thanks Esther, I made many connections today! You extended my knowledge about the importance of feedback and how feedback must be related to the stated goal. __**2011**__ It is now 2011**......** and I have a new and exciting role. I have been appointed AP at Roberts McCubbin. I am so excited about the new challenges that await me, but even more excited about my coaching role, where it will lead... I loved the postcards icebreaker today, a great start to the day! It must have been the wine and cheese I had in Paris! Maureen lead the discussions about ourselves as learners especially Literacy Learners. Your model Maureen is fabulous. Thankyou for connecting the e5 Instructional Model with your **Dimensions of Learning and Teaching Model**. This makes so much sense to me. We have already had a number of discussions and workshops with e5 at schooland I can't wait to integrate e5 and your model Maureen with our TPL- e5 team and our staff!! Joan you are also a WIZZ ....like Maureen. I am so glad that I participated in your leadership workshop. I think that the millions of ideas that the Bastow team have presented to me are slowly making connections in my brain. Thankyou for sharing the 'Important Urgent/ Important/ Delegate/ Delete' Model. Some days I just don't know where to start or finish and this has been most helpful for me since. However the discussion about Vivian Robinson's world wide research really hit the spot today. Her research questioned: //**'What has the biggest Impact on student learning outcomes**?'// Answer... (which was a bit of a surprise to me)......Dimension 4 of her research**..//'Promoting and Participating in Teacher Learning and Development'//**. As I have shared and paricipated in your sessions I really believe that as a coach I am a learner who needs to engage in continous development, search for new ideas and strategies to strenghten my coaching practice and to continually reflect on my coaching. However Joan this statement was the standout today and I think it might summarise my understandings as I complete my coaching with Bastow.... This statement is going on my office wall and I will be sharing it with the staff at school. Wow! Wow! I have really thought about your discussion on 21st Century leadership, Maureen and the shifts between manager and leader. I hope to continue to develop my skills as a leader and focus on these qualities, to be: open, communicative, supportive, collaborative, passionate, have a vision, be prepared and positive and continue to understand staff at the classroom level. I have really reflected on this and I am still asking myself, 'What kind of coach am I?', 'Which I these coaching qualities do I display?', How can I improve my coaching qualities?' and 'How can I make a difference at Roberts McCubbin?'......Ahhh lots of reflecting to do!!!!
 * Coaching at Roberts McCubbin Primary School**
 * what is Literacy coaching?
 * how can Literacy Coaching be part of our Literacy Program?
 * my role as a Literacy Coach
 * my role in leading coaching with the Leadership team
 * creating conditions for effective coaching
 * the role of the leadership team in Literacy Coaching
 * Reflections**
 * Day 1:**
 * //__teacher,__//
 * //__the leader__//
 * //__and student learner__// in schools by developing a whole school culture that promotes excellent teaching practices
 * 'power and choice in decision making', 'ownership & control', 'enabling, scaffolding and supporting' and 'purpose and passion'!!!!!**
 * //Day 2 & 3://**
 * multilitericies- rethinking of pedagogy
 * leading NOT managing-' Doing- Knowing- Being'
 * coaching is about the questions you ask and listening to the answers
 * what kind of coach do I want to be??
 * __However the 3 C's Construction was the moment__**! I now know that my role as a Literacy teacher and Coordinator over the past 6 years has mainly been in a consulting role rather and I have been giving less agency to the teacher.....my aim now is to take a consulative role to coaching and to give the teacher more agency. What a moment!!!
 * Day 4 & 5:**
 * Day 6 & 7:**
 * 'the more leaders focus on their relationships,** **their work, and their learning****on the core business of teaching and learning,** **the greater their influence on student outcomes'**.

I couldn't wait for **day 7** as again Maureen your have inspired me again ! (it is a pity you were not here today for you to share my comments about your papers) I was fortunate to read Maureen's article, **'Multiliteries for the 21 Centurty Schools'** over coffee in Degraves St. I was so moved by your comments! As a Literacy Coordinator I have realised that a multiliteracies approach will continue to evolve become a daily practice in our classrooms. Maureen has highlighted how this can happen and how teachers need to be skilled in all dimensions of multilitericies to be effective teachers but clearly the article is about engaging students and enabling them to produce work of high quality! One of the main goals (in our recent School Strategic Plan) is to integrate ICT more effectively into Literacy. The article has many statements and factors that will influence my work with the staff at school this year- THANKYOU! I now understand where The Multilitericies Map' (that you showed us yesterday) now fits into Literacy in schools, especially the 'Making Meaning' and Critical' Dimensions. I think that will be focus with my coaching while integrating them with the 'Functional' and 'Transformative' Dimensions..'.. NOW this is going to be a major challenge and part of my journey!!!!!! I will finish with a quote of Maureens.. ' **Multilitericies....For both teachers and education systems,** **this requires a shift and broadening in terms of what we value as literacy practice.** **This in turn will affect how children see themselves as literacy learners'**. I also presented (Maureen's other article)- 'Engaging Students through ICTs - A Multiliteracies Approach' to my leadership team. This was a terrific article to share and again timely as it tied in with some of our Literacy goals in our AIP. The 'critical level' of engagement aspect of the article encouraged some strong discussions. My leading question from the article that I posed to the team was 'What do you think this means?'.....: **'A critical level of engagement prepares the students to 'read the world' as well as 'read the word'...**

From Maureen: thanks so much for these reflections Amanda. I really appreciated your comments - it's important for us to learn if the conceptual frameworks we create help people to 'think their practice forward'. I'm also glad that the broader concept of literacy resonated with you - but more importantly you have 'made meaning' yourself by working out all the applications above. I'll be very interested to hear how you develop this with your staff.

Thanks Maureen, I am glad that you have had a chance to read this as I have found your articles to be inspiring and very relevent to my coaching. I am excited about develping and sharing more of your ideas with all of our staff (from your papers) and to see the improved and effective Literacy learning happening for all members of the Roberts McCubbin school community.

Amanda, Your thinking and reflection demonstrates how much you've internalization your ideas with those you've been exposed to. Thank you for the feedback of how much you gained from the Leadership session. There is no doubt it was a session that offered you what you were seeking in leadership. It affirms the decision to offer current Leadership materials based on research. Keep being inspired by your learnings there is no doubt Robert McGubbin will continue to benefit from your leadership and growth. I'm looking forward to seeing you Friday. Joan

Thanks Joan, I am looking forward to Friday too, though I don't wish the coaching workshops to finish. I am eager thoiugh to try lots of these new ideas to improve my coaching!

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__**Task 2: Making Your thinking and Learning Visible**__





__**Task 3: A Digital Learning Resource**__ //**Professional Reading Recommendation:**// //**Please view power point presentation: Multiliteracies for 21st century Schools by Maureen O'Rourke**//