AbstractsRewarding high-quality teaching
Volume 8
Number 1, 18 March 2009;
Pages 12–16
Despite the importance assigned to high quality teaching, currently there is no agreed formula through which to measure it. The Association of Independent Schools Victoria (AISV) is piloting a Rewarding High Quality Teaching Program, as a contribution toward the development of such measures. The pilot is taking place at seven independent schools, and is examining ways in which teachers can demonstrate expertise. Participating teachers’ classes are observed, and the teachers are also reviewed by both peers and students. The teachers produce a portfolio, intended to provide evidence of pedagogy and assessment, and of student performance over time. The teachers are also expected to demonstrate how they have used research and professional learning activities to improve their teaching practices. Additionally they are called upon to show how they contribute to wider aspects of learning within the school, for example through team teaching, sharing knowledge with and otherwise supporting their professional colleagues. Support can also include leadership of teams and mentoring of younger teachers, and broader contributions to the culture of the school or to the wider educational community, for example through conference presentations, publication of articles, or work with student teachers. Teachers’ performance along all these lines is measured against a number of standards. The standards cover criteria such as the depth and currency of teachers’ subject knowledge, awareness of how students learn, the range of teaching practices they are able to apply, and the quality of their interactions with students. Later they are interviewed by a panel of experts appointed by the AISV. The program itself will be externally evaluated. KLA Subject HeadingsTeacher evaluationTeaching and learning Professional development Private schools Victoria Issues in reinventing school leadership: reviewing the OECD report on improving leadership from an Australian perspective
Volume 15
Number 1, 2009;
Pages 1–13
The 2008 OECD report Improving School Leadership offers a valuable overview of four key policy directions for the development of school leadership. Such development, however, is held back by devolution of administrative responsibilities to principals, and by formal systems of accountability, problems which the report does not adequately address. The report describes instructional leadership, or leadership for learning, as ‘the essential character of school leadership’. Its achievement is blocked, however, by the devolution of substantial responsibilities for management of school finances and staff to principals, without a corresponding increase in school resources. This obstacle exists across OECD countries and is present throughout the Australian education system. There are signs it may now start to be addressed: the Victorian Government has taken steps to relieve the administrative workload of principals. The value of distributed leadership within the school is widely recognised, but the principal’s autonomy to distribute leadership functions to other staff is blocked by the present, hierarchical nature of accountability, which, at school level, concentrates legal responsibility for administrative and financial matters on the principal’s shoulders. Professional development of school leaders is widely supported by leadership learning frameworks within school systems, and national professional standards for principals are currently being considered in Australia. Yet under current conceptions of the principal’s roles and responsibilities, formal learning standards may take a restrictive form, as ‘yet another demanding set of accountabilities on school principals’, especially if used to determine pay. Policies to make school leadership an attractive profession and improve recruitment practices are also summarised in the report. One proposed strategy is to maintain pay at rates competitive with managers in other industries, but this goal will be hard to achieve. It should also be noted that principals’ average working hours are currently much higher than those of managers elsewhere. Other strategies include improving recruitment practices, supporting the involvement of leaders’ professional associations, and allowing more flexible options in support of career development. While there are reasons for concern about school leadership, evidence of a decline in either numbers or quality of applicants is uneven and contested. Support appears to be most needed in schools with low academic achievement or in rural areas. KLA Subject HeadingsSchool principalsSchool leadership Leadership Educational planning Educational administration Education management Education policy Education finance High-leverage strategies for principal leadershipFebruary 2009;
Pages 62–68
To better assess and improve teaching, principals should promote collaborative teacher learning rather than their own traditional forms of classroom evaluation. Monitoring instructional techniques using walkthrough practices provides only cursory information about a teacher’s competence, and is unlikely to result in whole-school improvement. Resources could instead be channelled into creating teacher learning teams. The principal would schedule weekly team meetings for teachers to focus on issues directly affecting learning, such as evidence of students’ knowledge and skills. Necessary resources, such as frameworks and guidelines, as well as training, would be provided. The teaching staff would then work together to develop a guaranteed, viable curriculum with shared assessment goals. A common, agreed understanding of standards and how they should be prioritised would ensure that teachers are working toward the same outcomes, and that all students receive equal opportunities for learning. The principal could promote this intensive focus on learning by ensuring that assessments reflect identified outcomes and use appropriate criteria to indicate learning achievement. Common learning outcomes would allow teachers flexibility in pedagogy and assessment while ensuring that learning was measured consistently across subject areas. The principal would periodically monitor and review the work of teams, examining content, pacing, assessments, and evidence of students’ learning. In this way, teachers would receive ongoing feedback regarding their strengths, and support and instruction where appropriate. Unlike traditional models of supervision and evaluation of individuals, this approach aims to continually build the capacity of collaborative teams where leadership is based on expertise, and members work together to improve both student and staff learning. Evidence-based accountability is promoted at individual and collective levels, creating positive pressure for all members to improve. KLA Subject HeadingsTeaching professionTeachers' employment School principals School leadership School administration Linguistically responsive teacher education: preparing classroom teachers to teach English language learners
Volume 59
Number 4, 16 September 2008;
Pages 361–373
The following set of principles can help to guide the teaching of English Language Learners (ELLs) in mainstream classes. Academic proficiency in a language takes much longer to develop than conversational proficiency, as it lacks cues from the setting such as facial expression, is less predictable, and is removed from learners’ personal and shared experiences. ELLs must have opportunities for social interaction, including dealings with people fluent in the language, to develop both conversational and academic proficiency. ELLs must be challenged by hearing or reading language just beyond their current levels of understanding, and must have socially meaningful contexts in which to express themselves in the language. Learners with strong and weak first language skills need separate approaches. For all ELLs the learning environment should minimise anxiety, particularly that which is caused by discrimination; anxiety is distracting and suppresses necessary social interaction. ELLs need to learn not just communicative competence but also formal aspects of English. But rather than returning to traditional form-based activities such as grammar worksheets, learners need to be shown how to acquire the distinct linguistic forms required for different purposes, including the specific requirements of different disciplines. The principles just outlined can be implemented through a number of pedagogical practices. Teachers need to learn about the social and academic backgrounds of ELLs in their classes, including their level of competence in their first language, in both its conversational and academic forms. Teachers need to identify subtle language demands inherent in subject learning, and the challenges they may pose to ELLs. ELLs need to be scaffolded: for example through extra-linguistic supports such as pictures and graphic organisers; by supplementing and modifying texts and oral language, for example through study guides and vocabulary lists; by providing clear explicit instruction; by facilitating and using their first languages; and by ensuring that group work offers meaningful learning of language and content. Teacher education programs can support these principles and practices. The curriculum should include a compulsory course on teaching ELLs conducted by staff with specific expertise, whether in-house or through recruitment. Academics taking diversity courses do not necessarily have this expertise. Student teachers should also spend time with ELLs during placements, to break down stereotypes and reveal the diversity of ELLs. KLA Subject HeadingsEnglish as an additional languageLanguage and languages Teaching and learning When fortune fades6 May 2009
Fewer Australian students are studying Asian languages to Year 12 and tertiary level, a trend that could have negative consequences for the country’s ability to participate in a globalised environment. While fluency in multiple languages is common for students in other countries, particularly in developing Asian countries, fewer than 12% of Year 12 students study a language, and of those, only 3% study an Asian language. Australia’s ability to make the most of its ties to Asia in terms of trade, policy and diplomacy could be undermined by low levels of graduates fluent in the region’s languages. The earlier National Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools (NALSAS) program saw a doubling in the number of students studying Asian languages. However, numbers dropped substantially when the project was discontinued in 2002. Earlier this year the Australian Government, aiming to double the number of Asian language learners by 2015, launched the National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program (NALSSP), and included languages in the new National Curriculum at secondary level. While this support is welcome, a paradigmatic shift regarding the value and relevance of world languages to the Australian context is needed to improve uptake of languages in schools. Students have been discouraged from continuing with language study not only by inadequate funding, but also by travel bans and warnings, and perceived negativity surrounding Asian countries in the wake of events such as the Bali bombings. Incentives such as overseas school trips can help learners engage with other cultures and encourage them to continue with language study. Additional classroom hours for the study of Chinese, which takes longer to learn than European languages, could be provided, and Chinese language study could also be ‘streamed’ into separate classes for native and non-native speakers. Key Learning AreasLanguagesSubject HeadingsAustraliaSecondary education Multiculturalism Languages other than English (LOTE) Language and languages Asia All languages welcome hereApril 2009;
Pages 20–25
Linguistic assimilation policies effectively reject bilingual students’ home identities and cultures, and can affect students’ personal wellbeing and sense of belonging, as well as their academic achievement. Schools must instead support learners’ home languages, an approach that validates learners’ cultures and identities and improves relationships with families and the community. Enforced monolingualism in the classroom should be avoided, as bilingual learners can benefit socially and academically from using their home language in class. Similarly, learners should not be discouraged from using their native language at home. Bilingual learners should not be seen merely as second-language learners, but as students with other skills to offer. To promote linguistic pluralism in the classroom, teachers should ensure that all students’ languages and cultures are welcome and valued. Teachers could learn some common words from students’ home languages, and have students share significant phrases from these languages with the class. Learners from the same linguistic backgrounds could be encouraged to help each other, for example using their shared home language to explain abstract concepts that are difficult to understand in a second language. School administrators could also work to implement changes that can promote a plurilingual environment by ensuring that schools have access to bilingual and foreign language materials, including subtitled films. They could provide supplementary learning materials in students’ home languages so that parents of bilingual students might help with homework and assessments. Parents and community members could be invited to share their cultures and languages with students to increase students’ awareness and appreciation of other backgrounds. Supporters should also clearly communicate to students and their families the benefits of linguistic pluralism and why it should be promoted. KLA Subject HeadingsSocial life and customsSchool and community School culture Multiculturalism Language and languages The key to global understanding: world languages education - why schools need to adaptFebruary 2009
Pre-published article Key Learning AreasLanguagesSubject HeadingsCurriculum planningGlobalisation Languages other than English (LOTE) Language and languages Use of ethnographic interviews as a resource for developing intercultural understanding
Volume 43
Number 2, 4 February 2009;
Pages 28–34
Intercultural understanding is an essential part of language proficiency. Learners must be aware of how language is fundamentally tied to culture and identity, and that an understanding of their cultural selves, such as their personal values and attitudes, can help them to engage with other cultures. To develop their understanding of the French culture, the author’s class prepared for and undertook ethnographic interviews, structured conversations designed to elicit information about the subject’s perspectives about the world. It was intended that students gain an insight into both the target culture, and through comparing and contrasting the data with their own assumptions and values, their own culture. Students reflected on the aspects of French culture they wanted to explore, and why, as well as on their own attitudes to their chosen issue. The author met with the students to ensure that their questions would elicit a depth and scope of response, and to determine whether the students were genuinely seeking interviewees' perspectives, or were presupposing certain responses. The students then wrote reflective essays reviewing their intercultural learning. The students felt that the interviews had made them reflect on their own learning and adopt a receptive attitude towards the ‘other’, and that experiencing other cultural perspectives had affected how they viewed their own culture and attitudes. They felt more confident in crossing linguistic and cultural lines, and in connecting with and understanding other cultures. While these ethnographic interviews were undertaken in the target language, less proficient learners could still benefit from conducting the interview in English, or by participating in activities and tasks that require them to explore the values and attitudes underlying individuals’ perspectives and choices. Key Learning AreasLanguagesSubject HeadingsSocial life and customsIntercultural studies Languages other than English (LOTE) Language and languages Building professional learning communities within a university–public school partnership
Volume 47
Number 4, 15 October 2008;
Pages 286–293
Faculty learning communities are a means for secondary and tertiary educators to share, act on, and improve their learning. The Brigham Young University–Public School Partnership was established with this, and the ongoing improvement of secondary and tertiary institutions, in mind. Its aims reflect the goals outlined in a proposal for ethical teaching practices by the Agenda for Education in a Democracy (AED), which emphasise providing students with social and academic opportunities, developing student–teacher connections, and promoting school stewardship. A major feature of the partnership is its intensive program of study, reflection, and critical inquiry. The program is designed to build learning communities, develop relationships and provide opportunities for participants, who are largely in leadership roles, to consider the practical implications of the AED’s goals for their work. The program has provided participants with a means to articulate the core reasons and motivations behind their teaching and leadership. The program, helped by district and university support and funding, continues to grow, and a parallel district-wide program has been established to build and strengthen relationships and schools’ engagement with AED’s goals. Strong intra- and inter-school leadership teams have been established as a result. The increasing reach of the program provides more leaders with opportunities to engage with and reflect on professional issues, and supports their goal of ongoing school improvement. Such professional development and leadership training should be made available to the wider teacher community in order that leadership can be shared and more evenly distributed. KLA Subject HeadingsSchool and communitySchool leadership Teaching profession United States of America (USA) Reconfiguring urban leadership: taking a perspective on community
Volume 29
Number 1, February 2009;
Pages 51–63
Urban schools in the UK represent diverse and changing populations, and often face myriad social problems. These factors represent significant challenges to school leaders. However, leadership can be reconfigured through a series of incremental changes that take into account the school’s context in the wider community. Leaders first need to understand their schools’ distinctive social and geographic profiles, as well as the school population’s attitudes toward education, and its engagement with the wider community. They should also be aware of the specific needs and experiences of the local community and student population, such as issues of culture and belief. In-depth knowledge of the school community can also help shape how school leaders, who are frequently at the intersection of these issues, exercise their leadership. Leaders should adopt strategic, rather than reactive, approaches to social policy issues, and where necessary balance the needs of families with those of agencies such as social services. While challenges should be acknowledged and addressed, the positive opportunities provided by complex and diverse communities should not be overlooked. Leaders can develop trust between schools and communities by using their understanding of daily life in the community to foster shared approaches in the education of young people. Awareness of students’ personal and cultural experience and knowledge, and the way communities change over time, can help leaders address the challenges that can arise within diverse communities. By understanding that their role involves being both an educator and a community leader, leaders can work to build personal relationships between the school and wider communities. Schools and school leaders can learn from existing community resources, and should make better use of them to improve education outcomes for young people. KLA Subject HeadingsGreat BritainSocially disadvantaged School leadership School culture School and community Effective reading instruction for struggling readers: the role of direct/explicit teaching
Volume 25
Number 2, April 2009;
Pages 125–138
Teachers who employ direct teaching methods are more successful in helping struggling readers develop essential literacy skills and strategies. Direct methods involve teaching new information by providing explicit instruction in a skill, modelling its use in real reading situations, and then guiding student learning through feedback and opportunities for practice. For example, think-alouds explicitly model thought processes, helping students understand how to apply new strategies. Scaffolding and teacher coaching, where the teacher is a ‘guide’, help struggling students develop skills and interact with new texts. Students need to be taught skills and strategies relevant to assessed areas: instruction should relate to identified outcomes and targets. To better apply and develop their skills, struggling students should have access to a variety of meaningful text types and structures, and their progress should be monitored and supported according to set benchmarks. Students’ ‘time on task’ is also important: successful teachers actively and productively engage students for greater proportions of time, resulting in higher achievement. On-task performance can be facilitated by targeted small-group instruction. Direct instruction can be used to develop word identification skills and strategies, which aid comprehension and fluency. Teachers can model strategies such as ‘chunking’ words into syllables or phonemes, finger-pointing at words, and contrasting sounds in words. In designing reading programs, teachers should ensure concepts are relevant to students’ background knowledge; concentrate on improved instructional methods and questioning and feedback strategies; provide appropriate and level-specific direct instruction; focus on reading comprehension rather than skill acquisition; and provide varied opportunities for practice and application. An important feature of these direct instruction methods is the gradual shift of the responsibility of reading and comprehension from the teacher to the student. Key Learning AreasEnglishSubject HeadingsReading difficultiesReading Primary education Literacy Early childhood education Coaching Child development Boundary spanning in homeless children’s education: notes from an emergent faculty role in PittsburghMarch 2009
Pre-published article. KLA Subject HeadingsEducation and statePoverty Social welfare Socially disadvantaged United States of America (USA) Becoming a hurdler: how learning settings afford identities
Volume 40
Number 1, 18 March 2009;
Pages 41–61
Learning settings provide participants with opportunities to develop their identities, and as a result improve their performance. Using observations, interviews and surveys, the authors examined how learning and identity in a high school athletics team were supported by students’ access to material, relational, and ideational resources. Material resources were physical resources such as equipment and training space. Access to these was determined by the coach. Students given certain equipment were afforded better opportunities to learn, and were more likely to develop their identities as athletes. The provision of material resources was linked to relational resources, namely students’ relationships with the coach and their team-mates. Students who sought out relational opportunities strengthened their team identities, and as a result, their connection to the learning practice. These opportunities could be spontaneous, or the result of planning, such as designing ongoing opportunities for relay team members to work together to improve their learning. Close team relationships also emphasised students' personal identities as athletes. Participants who did not develop these relationships tended to remain peripheral to the team, and were provided with fewer resources and opportunities for learning. Ideational resources related to team members’ self-perception and values. The coach emphasised team members' identity as athletes by addressing them by the name of their event, such as ‘hurdlers’ or ‘sprinters’. By reframing team members’ negative thoughts into goals, strengthening core values and self-perception, the coach scaffolded their understanding of their performance, providing opportunities for learning. Peripheral team members, who rarely interacted with the coach and other team members, were less likely to receive this support. Positive relationships with the coach and other team members resulted in better access to the three resource types, promoting goal setting, self-identification as an athlete, and as a result, more learning opportunities. KLA Subject HeadingsSportSelf-perception Secondary education Physical education Adolescents There are no Conferences available in this issue. |