Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership
Bastow Professional Practice Guide
‘Whether you are striving to
improve the culture at your school or looking to stay informed on the latest thinking on learning and teaching, Bastow can support you in achieving your ultimate goal to improve outcomes for all students.’
Foreword The foundation of a collaborative learning community within a school is everyone working together to reach common goals. For a whole-school community to successfully collaborate, everyone has to have the ability to build and maintain relationships through conversation—an open, shared and ongoing dialogue in a climate of mutual respect and trust. The key to developing and sustaining this collaborative culture in schools is being able to effectively manage and resolve conflict and disputes, develop resilience to work through difficult situations, lead and cope with change, develop effective relationships, and give and receive constructive feedback. Throughout 2017 Bastow is running powerful professional practice workshops that aim to equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to be effective communicators, collaborators and leaders. These workshops are in addition to our extended programs and course offerings, and are part of our commitment to provide educational professionals with more flexible learning opportunities. We also offer Twilight and Horizon evening events to keep you up to date with the latest information on effective practice, and future-looking thought leadership, and as a chance for you to network with your peers in a relaxed, informal environment. Whether you are striving to improve the culture at your school or looking to stay informed on the latest thinking on learning and teaching, Bastow can support you in achieving your ultimate goal to improve outcomes for all students. Attending one or more of the workshops in this guide will assist you to improve the learning culture and build the practice excellence of your educational setting.
Neil Barker Director Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership
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Pictured: Willie Alblas and students, Lancaster Primary School
Contents 6
Professional practice
7
Coaching conversations
7
Developing resilience in self and others
8
Dispute resolution and mediation
9
Effective family school partnerships
9
Effectively manage resistance to change
10
Give and receive constructive feedback
11
Have challenging conversations
11
Manage and resolve conflict
12
Open-to-Learning™ (OTL™) leadership
13
Professional practice calendar
14
Twilight and Horizon events
15
Regional delivery and video conferencing
16
Our partners
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Professional practice Our professional practice workshops are highly interactive sessions that focus on specific skill development to meet current demands. These workshops are delivered over one to three days and provide you with insight into new learning and teaching models and an opportunity to practise techniques in a safe and supportive environment under the guidance of peers and expert facilitators. These workshops directly support the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes, particularly the Positive Climate for Learning and Professional Leadership priority areas. Professional practice focus areas include coaching, managing resistance to change, having difficult conversations and building resilience. Bastow is offering at least one session for each workshop per semester in 2017; registration dates will be updated regularly on the Bastow website. Many of these workshops can also be delivered locally for regional school networks on demand. Please contact the School Engagement Manager to discuss how we can support your network on phone: (03) 8199 2900
Pictured: Warren Dawson and students, Nelson Park School
Coaching conversations Enhance motivation and commitment through conversation. This interactive two-day workshop is a foundational coaching skills program for educational leaders at all levels. It has been designed to build your coaching skills so you can more effectively support others to develop and enhance their motivation and commitment levels. Throughout the workshop you will have the opportunity to practise and receive feedback in structured coaching conversations. By completing the program, you will: • build knowledge, competence and confidence in coaching
Developing resilience in self and others Sustain effectiveness in the face of challenges and create a positive climate for learning. Schools are highly complex and dynamic environments and school leadership roles can be very demanding. You must continually balance the needs of different stakeholders— students, parents, colleagues, support staff and the community. So how can you manage your wellbeing, develop your resilience and bounce back from day-to-day problems? And how can you support your colleagues to stay positive and calm in the face of pressures?
• enhance emotional intelligence to maximise coaching conversation outcomes
This workshop focuses on the awareness and habits needed to build resilience in self and others, developing your capability to be adaptive and create an agile culture.
• increase capabilities in key coaching skill areas, especially listening and asking powerful questions
This one-day workshop will enable you to:
• observe coaching modelled and have multiple practice opportunities supported by regular feedback to refine coaching skills
• identify and reframe mindsets that undermine resilience
• develop skills that enable you to challenge people when coaching • plan how to build a coaching culture in your school or team setting.
• handle emotionally charged situations more effectively • choose a response when under stress, rather than reacting instinctively • be ‘at your best’ more of the time, by bouncing back from setbacks • assess and identify the strengths in your team • take an enquiry approach to solution-building, rather than problem-solving • help others to become more aware of their own state, to resist the need to be perfect and to be more resilient in the face of multiple demands • build an approach to life that balances your goals with your physical and emotional needs to enable you to work sustainably in the long term.
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Dispute resolution and mediation ‘Conflict is inevitable but combat is optional.’ Max Lucade This intensive three-day conflict resolution workshop is designed to assist school principals in managing conflict, in particular the conflict that can arise when managing challenging behaviours and parent complaints. This practical workshop will equip you to: • develop an understanding of the factors that influence behaviour • recognise and appropriately adapt your own conflict management style • understand and apply a range of strategies when preparing for and dealing with difficult complaints and challenging situations • understand and apply findings from neuroscience • apply the structure of a facilitative mediation process • learn and apply strategies from forensic psychiatry in the management of unreasonable behaviour • recognise where and how to use the power of apology • recognise your individual stressors and build strategies for self-care. This workshop was developed in partnership with the Department of Justice and Regulation Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria, the Department of Education and Training Regional Services Group, and in consultation with principals and senior regional staff.
Pictured: Patrick Lynch and Sandra James, Roxburgh Homestead Primary School
Effective family school partnerships
Effectively manage resistance to change
When families and schools work effectively together, children and young people's outcomes improve.
‘The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.’ Dan Millman
This two-day workshop aims to provide school leaders and teachers with the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to work effectively with families.
Learn how to approach change in a positive and proactive way rather than as a reactive response to resistance. This one- or two-day workshop is designed to build your confidence and skill base to lead successful change in your school context, to optimise impact and ultimately improve outcomes for students. Learn how to anticipate and manage resistance to change in order to achieve intended outcomes with minimal stress and disruption.
In particular, the workshop focuses on: • the difference between involvement in school and engagement in learning and the impact each of these has on student outcomes • strategies for communicating effectively between school and home, and home and school
The workshop provides you with a conceptual framework for understanding reactions to change, as well as practical tools and techniques.
• strategies for respectful, challenging conversations
By participating in this workshop you will:
• envisioning a different type of school–family reporting process. The workshop is designed to be interactive, practical and to build on existing knowledge and skills. You will be encouraged to share your experience and learning and actively seek opportunities to build your new knowledge and skills into your daily work.
• gain insight into personality and different responses to change • anticipate and manage common emotional reactions to change • diagnose reasons for resistance, then plan actions to address them • identify how you can lead positive change in your school.
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Give and receive constructive feedback Motivate and support staff to build practice excellence. This one-day workshop highlights the importance of building a culture where teachers are comfortable in giving and receiving feedback within a climate of mutual respect and trust. The workshop focuses on the importance of reflection, goal setting and the use of multiple sources of evidence in coming to reliable and valid judgements about the quality of student learning. Throughout the workshop, you practise and rehearse giving feedback in a manner that is explicit, focused and constructive. By participating in the workshop you will: • engage with research about the power of effective feedback • develop your skills in making robust and reliable judgements • plan for a school-wide approach to embedding effective feedback • be open to accepting feedback and using it to grow professionally and personally • develop the skills and confidence to initiate honest and sensitive feedback conversations that result in positive change.
Pictured: Ashlee Kidner, Laburnum Primary School
Have challenging conversations
Manage and resolve conflict
Develop effective communication across your school community.
Develop the leadership behaviours to manage and resolve conflict in your school community.
As a school leader you must build relationships through conversations with colleagues and members of your wider school community. More complex conversations require advanced communication skills and an effective process. In this one-day workshop you learn how to develop a consistent approach that both challenges and supports individuals. You also develop techniques that contribute to effective communication across the whole school community.
In the normal course of human interactions, people have different opinions and see things from varying perspectives. This workshop clarifies what is meant by conflict and examines what differentiates conflict from other forms of interpersonal interactions.
The workshop will enable you to conduct complex conversations by learning to:
You identify and understand how you personally respond to conflict according to different situations and reflect on sources of conflict within your school. The workshop also focuses on whole-school systems, policies and processes to mitigate the likelihood of conflicts.
• identify and overcome fears associated with difficult conversations
By participating in this workshop, you will:
• apply listening and critical feedback skills • manage the emotional systems that drive our ‘threat’ and ‘reward’ responses • address underlying causes and deal with repeat patterns of behaviour • identify and change inner conversations that undermine your effectiveness • better manage your own and others’ defensiveness • secure individual accountability within a high performing learning culture
• develop understanding of conflict causes and resolution • build skills to map conflict • understand and practise negotiation and mediation skills • learn how to shift the dynamics of a relationship • gain confidence in your ability to resolve conflict.
• develop whole-school systems and processes that support individual accountability and ongoing improvement.
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Open-to-Learning™ (OTL™) leadership Build the trust you need to improve teaching and learning in your school. Based on the work of Distinguished Professor Viviane Robinson, this highly practical course introduces you to the theory of Open-to-Learning™ (OTL™) Leadership, which helps build a strong team culture and an environment of professional and relational trust. Practising OTL™ conversations allows you to effectively lead your team to support the improvement of teaching and learning and students' social and academic progress. You will develop an understanding of how to: • identify the key values and skills of an OTL™ conversation • identify ways of thinking and talking which help and hinder the use of an OTL™ approach • develop your skills in holding OTL™ conversations • practise an OTL™ conversation in which you build trust while addressing an important problem in your area of responsibility. This workshop is delivered by Victorian government school principals that have been accredited by the University of Auckland to facilitate OTL™ workshops in Victoria.
Pictured: Steven Richardson and Jean Denning, Laburnum Primary School
Professional practice calendar Term 1
Term 2 Term 3
Term 4
Coaching Conversations Developing Resilience in Self and Others Dispute Resolution and Mediation Effective Family School Partnerships Effectively Manage Resistance to Change Give and Receive Constructive Feedback Have Challenging Conversations Manage and Resolve Conflict Open-to-Learning™ Leadership
Please check the Bastow website for full intake information and updates: bastow.vic.edu.au
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Twilight and Horizon events Teaching is a dynamic, complex and demanding profession that requires highly specialised skills and knowledge. A deeper understanding of how students and young people learn can assist you to develop effective strategies and practices that support and optimise learning. New knowledge about teaching and learning is constantly emerging and if educators are to continually improve and refine their skills and extend their knowledge, they need to be informed about the latest research and understand how to apply it to improve what is taught, how it is taught and how learning is assessed. Presented by leading academics, innovative thinkers and expert practitioners, Bastow’s Twilight seminars and Horizon forums give you an opportunity to stay up to date with the latest research in a more flexible, informal way. The evening events also provide opportunities for you to network, share knowledge and collaborate with other educational professionals. Participation via video conferencing is also available.  
Pictured: Bastow theatre
Regional delivery and video conferencing Customised and on-demand learning experiences
Each Hub can include an unlimited number of members, including school leaders, teachers and early childhood practitioners, with a minimum of five members required. If you are unable to join or form a Hub in your area, you can still participate in Bastow events using video conferencing by registering your attendance online. The cost to register for an individual event is $35 per person. Hubs are able to access unlimited Bastow events at the subsidised cost of $150 for 6 months or $250 for 12 months. Bastow offers more than 20 Twilight and Horizon events each year.
The professional practice workshops outlined in this guide are available for networks to access on demand in their regions. These workshops are subsidised for government school networks.
If you are interested in becoming a Hub Leader, contact Bastow.
Delivery of the professional practice workshops may be tailored to meet the needs of a rural or regional school community. If you would like to adjust the length or spend more time on a particular content area, please contact Bastow to discuss your learning needs.
Video conferencing hubs Hubs are a way for rural and regional schools to experience and participate in Bastow’s evening Twilight Seminars and Horizon Forums via video conferencing. Video conferencing is an effective and easy way for multiple groups or individuals in different locations to collaborate. Participants can watch live presentations and videos, as well as share content from other locations and devices. Bastow supports the use of Lync and Polycom technology.
Become a Hub Leader Bastow partners with staff from schools and early childhood services who would like to become Hub Leaders. Hub Leaders are responsible for organising networks with other local services, schools and related organisations to come together regularly and connect to Bastow evening events using video conferencing. The role of each Hub Leader is to: • promote the Bastow events to their network • register their network's interest online • organise the Polycom connection and venue for the event • lead and facilitate discussion with their network at the event • distribute resources from the event to their network.
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Our partners Bastow partners with professional learning organisations who share our desire to deliver high-quality learning for our education leaders and improve outcomes for all children. Our partners from the commercial and not-for-profit sector are selected through a rigorous procurement process. The professional practice workshops outlined in this guide are run in partnership with the following organisations.
Bendelta Bendelta is a strategic advisory firm, specialising in helping organisations in the public and private sectors build capability and adjust quickly to their changing environment. They deliver a range of specific interventions to help build organisational strength: tailor-made leadership development programs, focused executive coaching programs for senior leaders, organisational change and organisational development initiatives, and a range of learning and development initiatives.
Cambridge Education Cambridge Education, part of the global Mott MacDonald Group, is a leading provider of high quality professional development opportunities to teachers and school leaders in Victoria and throughout Australia. Cambridge Education provides high quality services drawing on their extensive experience and global network. They use well-researched and innovative practices and technology to provide their clients with the best opportunity for success in achieving their goals. Cambridge Education provides specialist services to the education sector through: project and program management, specialist consultancy services, facilitating leadership and management courses and customised professional learning.
Coach in a Box
Pictured: Mark Fittolani and Deborah Longman, Laburnum Primary School
Coach in a Box is a global provider of tailored coaching and leadership development programs designed to support leaders either through leadership transitions or through a major program of change. Within education, they provide coaching for middle and senior leaders, aspiring and new principals, and experienced principals striving for school transformation or system change. They also develop coaching capability within school leaders, and support schools to develop feedback cultures. Coach in a Box is an awardwinning leadership development organisation, with a global network of facilitators and coaches in over 30 countries. They work in partnership with clients, both in the education sector and the private sector, to tailor learning solutions to meet their leadership development needs.
Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria The Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria (DSCV) is a free dispute resolution service funded by the Victorian Government. The DSCV offers a variety of training and education opportunities, from formal mediation training through to half-day workshops and seminars. DSCV also offers a range of informal conflict resolution training sessions and workshops. These can be tailored to the needs of schools, local councils, community groups and other organisations. In 2015 the DSCV began working with the Department of Education and Training and Bastow to design, develop and deliver a tailored conflict resolution program.
Growth Coaching International At Growth Coaching International Pty Ltd (GCI) the main focus is to improve the quality of conversations in school communities so that principals lead well, teachers teach well, parents and community members contribute well and students learn well. GCI has been providing coaching and coach training services, helping to enhance these conversations, since 2002. Over 8,000 school leaders, system leaders and teachers have participated in GCI programs across Australia over the last twelve months. In recent years, international interest in GCI’s coaching work has grown so that programs are now offered to educators in New Zealand, England, Scotland, Spain and Spanish speaking South America. All GCI coaches and facilitators are experienced educators, with nearly all having been school or system leaders in government, Catholic or independent schools.
Nous Group Nous Group (Nous) is a leading management consulting and leadership development firm assisting complex organisations to maximise their performance. They support public, private and not-for-profit education agencies and institutions around Australia and in the UK to improve educational outcomes and drive productivity. Nous has strong expertise across the education spectrum from school education, vocational education and training to higher education, including experience at the most senior levels of Commonwealth and state government. They are highly regarded for their powerful blend of strategic insight and practical understanding of the education sector.
(AITSL), and several primary and secondary schools across Victoria. They are in the business of developing people-focused strategy and helping education leaders develop and grow to enhance student and organisational outcomes.
Silent Partners Silent Partners is committed to leadership and learning excellence. They provide leadership development, coaching and support for professionals in education, notfor-profit organisations and industry. They also facilitate the development of sound governance processes, participatory strategic planning processes, and have a long history in stakeholder and community consultation. They have a deep commitment to, and nuanced understanding of, family school and community partnerships and are often called upon to share their knowledge at national forums. Silent Partners has many clients in the education sector, including the Department of Education and Training (Victoria), the Catholic Education Office, and the Department of Education (Tasmania).
University of Auckland Centre for Educational Leadership The University of Auckland Centre for Educational Leadership (UACEL) provides a range of evidence based leadership services for educational leaders and organisations in New Zealand, Australia, Asia and Europe. The Centre collaborates with its international partners to facilitate the delivery of Open-to-Learning™ Leadership (OTL™) workshops and to maintain the accreditation of the OTL™ facilitators who operate in those jurisdictions. UACEL’s work is informed by rigorous educational leadership research and the practical experience of its team of researchers, past principals and senior leaders, which includes the architect of OTL™, Distinguished Professor Viviane Robinson.
Pinnacle Group Australia Pinnacle Group Australia (PGA) is a management consulting firm that has been proud to play a pivotal role in shaping the future leaders of the Victorian education sector and creating positive outcomes for students. PGA provides strategy, organisational alignment and leadership development services that drive peak performance. Some of their key clients in the sector include the Department of Education and Training (DET), Open Universities Australia, Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Bastow Institute | Professional Practice Guide >17
Pictured: Pauline Rice and students, Fitzroy High School
Registration and intake dates Information regarding intake dates, location, costs and how to register for each of our professional practice workshops and events is updated regularly on the Bastow website. To stay up to date with our professional learning opportunities, subscribe to our fortnightly Bulletin or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Please visit www.bastow.vic.edu.au
Published by the Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership Department of Education and Training Melbourne November 2016 Š State of Victoria (Department of Education and Training) 2016 The copyright in this document is owned by the State of Victoria (Department of Education and Training), or in the case of some materials, by third parties (third party materials). No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968, the National Education Access Licence for Schools (NEALS) (see below) or with permission. An educational institution situated in Australia which is not conducted for profit, or a body responsible for administering such an institution, may copy and communicate the materials, other than third party materials, for the educational purposes of the institution. Authorised by the Department of Education and Training, 2 Treasury Place, East Melbourne, Victoria, 3002. Bastow would like to thank the Victorian education professionals and students who gave their permission to be photographed for this publication. Bastow Institute | Course Guide >19
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