ASAP Introduction to Co- construction Meetings

Introduction to Co-construction Meetings In the setting up of ASAP co- construction meetings we should be aiming to exemplify Professional Learning Communities, plus.

Professional Learning Communities: Dr Helen Timperley “A professional learning community is one in which teachers update their professional knowledge and skills within the context of an organised school-wide system for improving teaching practices. In addition teachers’ efforts, individually and collectively, are focused on the goal of improving student learning and achievement and making the school as a whole become a high-performing organisation.”

Making distinctions Members of a professional community: oShare ideas oShare resources oWork together oSupport one another

However, research shows that the impact of professional communities is that the quality of professionals’ lives may be improved but there is little impact on student achievement.

Making distinctions continued Members of a Professional Learning Community: oShare strategies and ideas oShare resources oWork together oSupport one another oTest the impact of their practice for its effectiveness in raising student achievement

Research shows that when teachers and leaders meet regularly to focus on evidence and outcomes for students there are more likely to be associated gains in student achievement.

Contextual factors such as the student’s skill level, the decile ranking of the school are not as significant in identifying high-achieving schools. The factor that makes the most difference is whether or not schools monitor student progress and use the information to adjust pedagogical leadership and classroom teaching to ensure improvement in outcomes for students.

“ “ simply gathering data, however systematically or routinely, will not of itself improve schools. There needs to be a commitment to scrutinise such data, to make sense of it, and to plan and act differently as a result” David Hopkins: School Improvement for Real. Routledge. Falmer 2001

Co-construction meetings will involve: Shared vision  A model of leadership that is distributed, works interdependently within all of the schools institutions and with a clear focus on the goal of working with others to raise aboriginal student achievement.  A belief in the agency of leaders and teachers and a willingness to challenge deficit theorising in self and others  A supportive, solutions-focused context

Clear focus on student Evidence  Valid, relevant and quality systems and information about AREA (attendance, retention, engagement, achievement)  A focus on improving learning outcomes for aboriginal students  Clear criteria and knowledge about what counts as achievement including relevant, benchmarked achievement information - for class, for Year level, and across National cohorts

Spreading these Practice s  Willingness to openly share evidence of outcomes for aboriginal students and collectively seek to understand the implications  Collaborative problem-solving and goal-setting  Respecting others’ ideas and opinions  Allowing each other time to understand and challenge  Developing shared goals and supporting one another to achieve them

Learning talk Analytical, critical and challenging talk – Analytical - analyses the impact of teaching practice on student outcomes – Critical - evaluates the outcomes of the analysis – Challenging – challenge to develop responses to the evidence

The Essential Elements  Collect and analyze the evidence  Describe the current situation  Theorise on the evidence  Explore possible changes (set new goals)  Reflect on change (Test the impact of the changes for their effectiveness in raising aboriginal student achievement by collecting further evidence)

Helen Timperley states: Traditionally student’s learning difficulties or slow progress have been seen as a problem within the student, not as a reason to think about how the instruction offered, may or may not have benefited that particular student. We appreciate students are different in their rates and processing of learning, but we want to challenge the idea that all differences in achievement are due to differences in students’ abilities or home backgrounds. We suggest that learning to teach the more-difficult-to-teach students happens best within a professional learning community because the issues are usually too complex for one teacher to address alone.

None of us is as smart as all of us.

Remember If you always do what you’ve always done you’ll always get what you’ve always had

Possible further reading Using Evidence in Teaching Practice: Implications for Professional Learning. Helen Timperley & Judy Parr (2004) Shifting the Focus: Achievement Information for Professional Learning Helen Timperley