1. Seminar 3 Year 2 Schools Leadership and Assessment Contract

2. Quotes: As Ben Levin points out, it may be hard to stay focused given the myriad ofdemands. Dr Jenny Poskitt (Education Group). Sustaining professional development (PD)is a challenge for schools due to unrelenting pressures for change, staff turnoverand the high number of professional development opportunities available toschools creating pressure on schools to participate or ‘miss out’ as theyarise....Key components that need to be in place in order to achieve educationalsustainability: having an effective professional development model,understanding change processes, focusing on pedagogy ( specifically teaching,learning and assessment), monitoring effects of professional development onteachers and students, recognising challenges, attending to theoretical andpractical factors ensuring continuity, and resulting in efficacious and ‘cuttingedge’ professional practice.(2007)

3. Active Reflection

4. What you will (hopefully) learn from this session: Reinforce your understanding of howto teach students to reflect Know what to look for whenobserving colleagues teaching theirstudents to reflect Get even better at giving feedback toyour colleagues.

5. Reflective learners assimilate new learning, relate it to what they already know, adapt it for their own purposes, and translate thought into action. Over time, they develop their creativity, their ability to think critically about information and ideas, and their metacognitive ability (that is, their ability to think about their own thinking). Effective Pedagogy, NZ Curriculum p. 34

6. Reflection is about becoming aware of your own thinking processes, and being able to make those transparent to others. Reflection captures the idea that if a gap is found between how we would want teaching and learning to be and how it actually is, then something will be done to close that gap; it is not enough just to reflect or identify that there is a gap. Teachers themselves can become reflective practitioners who reflect with their students on the teaching and learning process, and teach their students to use reflective strategies to strengthen their own capacity to learn. Absolum, M. pp 142-143

7. So how do you deliberately teach students to be good at reflecting on their learning? What’s a good process?

8. Getting started with reflection Check that self assessment has taken place Re-cap the learning intention and success criteria Ask a reflective question Give students 15-30 seconds thinking time to: let them think! create the expectation that all take part Model appropriate responses (at first) Give students opportunities to respond: In pairs In groups Whole class Discuss ‘where to from here?’

9. Some possible reflective questions What were you learning and why? How did the learning go? What were the tricky bits and why? What new learning can we celebrate? What helped the learning to happen? Who needs more help and what needs to be re- taught? from Clarity in the Classroom by Michael Absolum

10. Prior to the observation: Clarity/transparency How do you currently check in with teachers regarding the observation?

11. Prior to the observation: Clarity/transparency Meet to explain the process of the observation. Discuss the observation you will be doing – the purpose of the observation, the curriculum subject, the time of the observation The pre-observation sheet Give the teacher copies of the observation sheet and/or any resources you will be using Check in whether the teacher needs any support prior to the observation

12. Have a go at observing Active Reflection Feedback conversations with colleagues

14. What have you learnt so far about having feedback conversations with colleagues? Do you have some criteria in your mind? Do you have any questions about the criteria? What are you pleased about? What is still ‘tricky’?

15. Effective Feedback Establish a clear purpose Say what you think Say why you think it Check in/ inquire into other’s views Make a plan/set goals Openness, Honesty, Respect