Wednesday 30 January 2013 Bayview Primary School Teacher Workshop

I Teach, What’s Your Super Power?

Developing Myself as a Teaching Professional Requires Knowledge of self Intentional learning Deliberate behaviours Regard for others… Loyalty Resilience

So what does this mean for me? How do I conduct my professional Practice?

The Professional Teacher So What Characteristics and attributes define the Professional Teacher? Skills Dispositions Environment Other

What challenges The complexity of professional life challenges us daily… Parents Colleagues Students Family Traffic Friends Ourselves

Roadblocks to Peak Performance What can present us with challenges? How do we recognise them? How do we meet the challenge?

Scenario: The meeting, after the meeting.

Guerilla Meetings are held… subtext (we are invisible, saboteurs )

Camouflaged agents subtext ( I only look like I’m supporting, but I’m not!.)

Heretic Posturers Subtext (They don’t know what their doing, believe me, I was there!)

Authentic builders Subtext ( we choose to be professional participants in our community of practice )

Why does it matter, what happens after the meeting? Schools are about improving outcomes for learners. This is non negotiable as our core function It is our moral imperative

However… Schools are complex organizations… They are vanguards of change and improvement They are creative, synergetic and multidimensional. They require management. They are sometimes dissonant and fearful. ….

Organizational Complexity! It is critical that we get it! You are either a co-founder of an organization, or you are a confounder.

There is no position available in the middle!

So how do co-founding teachers behave? Common Good behaviours evidenced growing high levels of relational trust Signal to others our allegiance to and trust in decisions and organisational direction Constructively respond, Is this practice good? Is this practice appropriate for us? Does it fit with our ideology and ambitions. Collins & Porras. Listen laterally to naysayers I hear your voice, tell me your concern, we can look at the evidence, (a fact formed story) Gear change Professionally move forward…cut, remove and stitch. Feedback with clarity ‘White Time’ Give your team time to think freely, laterally and unconfined. Then, ask the questions. Trust their intentions. Behave Authentically and congruently, all the time!

So what is trust? Relational trust is the glue of the school house. Relational trust with a strong moral purpose produces very tough cultures that work diligently inside and outside the school to get results. Bryk & Schneider (2002) Schools with high relational trust were more likely to evidence; “orientation to innovation, professional community, outreach to parents, commitment to school community.” Bryk & Schneider (2002)

So trust matters, how do we grow it? Teaching professionals can provide vision, policy incentives, mechanisms for interaction coordination and monitoring…but there must be lateral development…ones own team giving and receiving… the moral imperative then becomes a palpable endeavor. Competence Trust ( Trust of capability) Contractual Trust ( Trust of character) Communications Trust (Trust of disclosure)

What do we think about trust? Competence Trust (Trust of capability) Contractual Trust (Trust of character) Communications Trust (Trust of disclosure) TRUST “It takes years to build trust and a few seconds to destroy it”

Trust is… Competence Trust (trust of capability) Respect peoples knowledge, skills and abilities Respect peoples judgment Involve others and seek their input Help people learn skills Reina & Reina (1999)

Trust is… Contractual Trust ( trust of character) Manage expectations Establish boundaries Delegate appropriately Encourage mutually serving intentions Honour agreements Be consistent Reina & Reina (1999)

Trust is… Communications Trust ( trust of disclosure) Share information Tell the truth Admit mistakes Give and receive constructive feedback Maintaining confidentiality Speak with good purpose Reina & Reina (1999)

So, what about you? What do I do? What does this mean? How did I come to be this way? How might I do this differently, better? Dean Fink (2005) Where do I find my moral compass?

True North

Where are you ? Show yourself! The difference between the two destinations is the difference between living inside out True North, and outside in, Magnetic North. Magnetic North (external values, pressures and people compromise and modify your core values and those of your school.) True North (You, your team, and your school core values are delivered in an authentic manner, that shows the world who you are from the inside, and requires courage tenacity and resilience)

So what does this mean for me?. ‘ The wise and virtuous man is at all times willing that his own private interest should be sacrificed in the public interest.’ Adam Smith Have you got your compass? What direction are you headed?

Chic Foote Christine Smith Helix Consulting