IE: Vol. 42 / No.1 / 2012

the professional voice of the Independent Education Union

Working together partnership building for success

• What your favourite league stars are reading • Flip side to the leadership fantasy

Fair funding for ALL

Have your say P35

Does your health fund love teachers?

Teachers are a special bunch, and you deserve a health fund that understands you. Teachers Health Fund is for teachers and their families only, and it’s also not-for-profit, so you can rest assured that you’ll be getting great value too.

Our dedicated Contact Centre is ready to take your call and discuss our range of quality health insurance products and services.

CMYK

BLACK

Teachers Federation Health Ltd ABN 86 097 030 414 trading as Teachers Health Fund THF-AD-T1-IE-2012

Safe port in a storm Executive Editors Dick Shearman Deb James Terry Burke Editorial Committee Cathy Hickey Fiona Stutz Tara de Boehmler Sandra White Sue Osborne Journalists Tara de Boehmler Sue Osborne Fiona Stutz Design Chris Ruddle About us IE is a tri-annual journal published by the NSW/ACT, Victorian and Queensland Independent Education Unions for members and subscribers. It has a circulation of 63,000. IE’s contents do not necessarily reflect the views of the IEU or the editors nor imply endorsement by them.

Email NSW: ieu@ieu.asn.au VIC: vieu@vieu.org.au QLD: enquiries@qieu.asn.au IE online www.ieu.asn.au/publications/ Contributions Contributions and letters from members are welcome. Printing does not reflect endorsement and contributions may be edited at the editor’s discretion.

Email iemagazine@ieu.asn.au Advertising Chris Ruddle (02) 9779 3200 Advertising is carried in IE in order to minimise costs.

Advertising does not in any way reflect endorsement of the products or services.

Subscriptions IE is available free to members of the IEU, or by subscription.

Kayla Skorupon: (02) 9779 3200 Printing Print & Mail: (02) 9519 8268 ISSN 1320-9825

League stars tackle disengaged readers

Ideas that may grow on you

P20

P22

Editorial

Working together

P4

Kaleidoscope

Film and theatre actor Rhys Muldoon

P4

Australia wide

Professional and industrial

news from the states and territories

P6

Reconciliation

Walking in two worlds

P8

Feature

Working in partnership

P11

Teaching + learning

PrimaryConnections

P15

Gateway to the Arab world

P17

The creative profession

P18

League stars tackle disengaged readers

P20

Sustainable classrooms Diverse roles

Ideas that may grow on you

P22

Safe port in a storm

P23

Leadership

Flip side of the leadership fantasy

P26

Technology

Professional development at your fingertips

P28

Legal

Discord in harmonisation process

P30

Opinion/dairy

Letters to the editor

P31

Talking point

Can teachers live up to parental expectations?

P32

Review

Everyone’s a critic

P34 independent education| issue 1|2012|3

Working together This year has already seen the first comprehensive review of school funding for nearly 40 years. The nongovernment sector comes out of the Gonski Review well, as do state schools. But there are big ifs plus a great deal of work to do, if we are to ensure federal, state and territory governments commit the extra funds necessary and boost funding for the most disadvantaged.

Now we need to ensure members’ interests, and those of your students, are protected as the details are fleshed out.

See how you and your colleagues can support this process on p35.

This year also sees some jurisdictions implementing the national curriculum while others prepare to do it next year. On p6 readers are asked to stay abreast of the curriculum’s progress and developments regarding the teacher standards program. Success will depend on the manner in which schools are supported.

2012 also marks the United Nations Year of Cooperatives. UK Cooperative College Principal Mervin Wilson has visited Australia to talk about the benefits of establishing cooperative schools, suggesting elements of the Gonski Review open the door for government funded, community designed and maintained schools here.

But regardless of his reading of the Review’s recommendations, what does inspire is the UN’s aim to have the values inherent in cooperative models explored and disseminated. This can include establishing cooperative projects within horticultural and ICT studies, for instance, to explore democracy, ethics and social responsibility, Mr Wilson says.

The Working Together: Partnership building for success feature article on p23 explores how some Australian schools are using cooperative, projectbased partnerships to boost opportunities for their students and needy communities. Meanwhile on p8 Monaro Ngarigo/Gunnai woman, Dr Doris Paton, shares her experience of establishing the Koorie Open Door Education School and the Bataluk Curriculum – a true cooperative exercise that contains many lessons for others entering into education partnerships.

To provide feedback on any articles or to let us know what you would like to see, please email iemagazine@ieu.asn.au.

4|independent education| issue 1|2012

We had a drama teacher at primary school who was just amazing and demanded heaps from the kids.

Kaleidoscope

Rhys

Film and theatre actor Rhys Muldoon may be more familiar to your children. From boogying and singing on Playschool and other children’s television shows to cowriting a children’s book with former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Rhys has now turned his hand to writing quirky children’s songs for his new album ‘I’m Not Singing’. IE Journalist Fiona Stutz spoke to the entertaining yet laidback actor about how his Canberra school days influenced his life.

Muldoon In primary school I was quite a funny mix of disciplined and naughty, in that I tended to do my work, and I found out that if you did it they kind of couldn’t touch you - you could only get into so much trouble. I found this to be a really good life lesson actually. As long as you are producing results, people can’t attack you too much.

In primary school, when it was a normal, traditional classroom, I did really well. Then they tried to bring in this sort of open plan thing where it was kind of up to you to do your work. It was a big experiment and I completely failed at it. When I was younger I needed the traditional classroom and when I was older I needed the freedom.

In high school I was pretty naughty but I was also on the Student Representative Council and on the school board, which is a funny sort of combo.

The Canberra schooling system was pretty good and tolerant. It got that kids were kids and that they were going to get up to mischief, especially boys. I think the tolerance was a really good thing and that they didn’t give up on students.

You only need one or two really good teachers to change your life. I found them, but often in subjects I wasn’t even particularly interested in, like maths, where I had a teacher who was strict but fair. I got in trouble but still we respected each other.

We also had a drama teacher at primary school who was just amazing. He demanded heaps from the kids. If we were putting on a school play it had to be the greatest school play. We put on one show called ‘The Monster that Ate Canberra’ which was based on a book by Michael Salmon. It was a political, funny kids’ book. I had to play Malcolm Fraser, who was Prime Minister. The play did really well and we went on tour and did all sorts of stuff.

That was like a big life changer.

When I started high school it was all about musicals. I don’t have much of a taste for a musical. I just thought they were kind of silly and didn’t really do them. But once in Years 11 and 12, there was more drama again. Then, in university, drama just took over.

Good teachers do change your life. There is no question about that. At all the schools I attended, I found two or three teachers that I really, really liked and looked up to, who had great minds and great passion for their teaching. One of the great mistreated professions is teaching. Teachers are up there with nurses for being underpaid and overworked, especially with all the marking.

Being an actor you realise what an incredibly difficult job that could be, to be on stage all day every day - in front of teenagers particularly. The pressure you’re under is just amazing and then you have to go and do all this marking afterwards. It’s pretty brutal.

My Dad became a teacher. He was in the Air Force for 25 years and then he became a teacher. I saw him taking classes a few times and he was really good at it. He taught English, drama and social science. He certainly helped give me my great love of reading. When I was a kid he used to buy me so many books. I was always reading these giant piles of books that he would give me.

The thing I love about writing is the deadline, because writing to a deadline is just the greatest. It’s stressful but it’s great stress, because you just have to get it done. It focuses the mind incredibly. It’s the same with schooling - when you’ve got to get essays in and you pull those all-nighters to make sure you get them in on time. The pressure is a good thing. With writing books you get to create your own universe. You are God with a pen, in a funny sort of way.

independent education| issue 1|2012|5

Paradigm shift required While the school funding review will no doubt dominate many print columns in the coming 12 months, it will also be important for IEU members to keep an eye on progress regarding the national curriculum and the teacher standards program.

With some jurisdictions implementing the national curriculum this year and others beginning preparation for a 2013 implementation, it is critically important that employers and governments are both made aware of and held accountable for professional learning needs of school teachers and resourcing implications.

There has been plenty of vague commitment by educational leaders around these issues in recent times but the success of the new curriculum will be entirely dependent on the manner in which schools are supported and assisted.

IEU members will also be asked to engage with and comment on work. The teacher standards program being undertaken by Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL).

NSW and ACT Another big year The Early Childhood Teachers are Teachers campaign for pay parity is rocking on. Having achieved 12,000 signatures, the NSW Parliament will now have to debate the two proposals of the petition: to pass a motion giving in principle support to the concept of pay parity for early childhood teachers; and to fund every community-based long day care service and preschool with an additional $20,000 per annum for each teacher employed under Education and Care Services National.

Last December, NSW/ACT IEU members marched across Darling Harbour to the IEU’s official fringe event at the ALP National Conference, indicating their support for the fair funding of nongovernment schools. The IEU campaign will heat up this year until members are assured that the Government is getting it right.

Members working in Catholic schools in the ACT took action to achieve a good salary outcome in 2011. But the salaries and conditions campaign in 6|independent education| issue 1|2012

With a set of national standards now agreed for both teachers and principals, the important work of assessing and validating these standards against individual teachers will require a paradigm shift in the way in which education systems, governments and employers actually support teacher development and appraisal processes.

Historically the necessary resources to undertake professional and meaningful teacher appraisal and development programs having been woefully neglected.

Without resourcing such things as mentor release time, release time for in-class collaboration and peer-to-peer observation and dialogue, the teacher standards regime will not deliver quality educational outcomes for schools or our children.

NSW Catholic schools continues, with the Union making it clear that an interim payment in January (2.5%) is not enough to reward, attract and retain quality staff in school.

The NSW/ACT training and professional development program for 2012 is bigger and better than ever, with reps’ training across the State and Territory, special conferences (early career teachers, using online connectivity for teaching and learning, work health and safety law, early childhood sector, women’s conference/regional women’s forums), teacher accreditation workshops, and Pedagogy in the Pub workshops. The NSW/ACT IEU is an endorsed provider of NSW Institute of Teachers registered PD for Elements 2-7. Our events are registered in order to support our members who are maintaining their teacher accreditation.

Victoria Seeking adequate release time As in many other states, full implementation of the Australian Curriculum will take place in 2013 in Victoria.

Full implementation is taken to mean the use of the new standards to report student achievement in English, maths, science and history.

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), the Education Department, the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) and Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) have agreed to continue to collaborate on the time frame. The AusVELs curriculum (as it is called in Victoria) will be the single mandated curriculum for Victorian Catholic and government schools from 2013 onwards. This year the expectation is that schools will complete an audit of their current teaching and learning programs in these four subjects, and make any necessary adjustments to the curriculum to ensure that all students (F to 10) have the opportunity to demonstrate achievement against the standards.

The VCAA has committed to providing resources to assist the audit process and to map the differences between content descriptors and achievement standards and the corresponding VELS aspects.

Australia wide

In respect to senior years curriculum, while work has continued on the content areas since the consultation process last year, the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is expected to have the documents detailing the achievement standards ready for consultation in March this year. Implementation for Year 11 and 12 courses would be, at the earliest, in 2014 and 2015.

IEU Victoria/Tasmania will be seeking to ensure adequate time release for professional development and planning for implementation through its negotiation of the industrial agreements this year.

Negotiation of the Catholic Schools Agreement commenced in Term One. Queensland Involve children and parents in cyberbullying policy The Queensland Schools Alliance Against Violence (QSAAV), which provides independent advice to the State Education Minister on effective strategies to respond to issues of bullying and violence in schools, has examined the use of mobile telephones and other mobile communication devices in schools.

Psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg was engaged to examine this issue and make appropriate recommendations.

Dr Carr-Gregg said schools “need to respond to an increasingly open and collaborative online social culture while making every effort to protect and nurture students … and provide them with a safe environment in which to learn”. He also pointed out that there is no evidence in the contemporary literature that an increase in the use of mobile telephones in schools would lead directly to greater incidence of cyberbullying.

Dr Carr-Gregg recommended that a “core elements” approach to policy development be adopted to take account of cultural and geographical diversity in Queensland and that cyberbullying policies in schools should be focused on generating behavioural change in a broad safety context.

He also recommended that children, parents and teachers should always be involved in policy development if possible, and that professional development for school staff regarding cyberbullying should be systematically planned and include all teaching and support staff.

IEUA-QNT members are encouraged to review the resources available on the Department of Education website at http://education.qld.gov.au/ studentservices/behaviour/qsaav/index.

html and work with their school chapters and regional branches to ensure that policy and practice in their schools are developed and adhered to in a manner that will support students and teachers appropriately.

South Australia SACE gets low marks The New SACE (South Australian Certificate of Education) at Stage 2 (Year 12) was implemented last year and feedback from teachers was far from encouraging.

The IEU, in conjunction with the AEU, surveyed members and held a joint forum to discuss the results. More than 80% of the respondents indicated they did not think the new SACE was better educationally for students and did not regard the new assessment process as an improvement.

More than 63% of the respondents felt that the incorporation of the research project had no value to all students.

A combined submission to the SACE Board will express dissatisfaction with the curriculum structure and assessment requirements and increased workload for members.

The workload required was reported by some teachers as “extreme” in planning, meeting, marking, recording and reporting. Not surprisingly, many respondents indicated that they were exhausted and that they were unwilling to teach that subject again.

The IEU and AEU will present the findings to Minster for Education and Child Development, Grace Portolesi, and the Chief Executive of the SACE Board, Dr Paul Kilvert, seeking formal input into the proposed review of the SACE, with the view to making the final year of secondary education a sustainable and effective year for staff and students alike.

Northern Territory Every Child, Every Day The 34 non-government schools that cater for about 10,000 students in the Northern Territory are being encouraged to take up the Territory Government’s Every Child, Every Day action plan and strategy.

The Every Child, Every Day action plan aims to improve the enrolment, attendance and participation of young Territorians. Five priority action areas have been identified and are supported by new strategies to help parents, schools and communities overcome barriers to success.

The Every Child, Every Day strategy includes further information on the key areas: • Ensuring attendance and participation • A ‘frequent attenders’ program in selected remote communities

• Expansion of the value of school campaign • Adapting the existing family responsibility agreements for non attendance, non-enrolment or non participation • Introduction of attendance infringement notices • VET in the middle years • Expansion of the work ready initiative • Integrated child and family services • School community partnership agreements • Local people in local schools (Remote Indigenous Teacher Education – RITE) • Get VET, Get a Future Expansion, and • Bright Future Scholarships for Indigenous students.

An interagency reference group will also be set up to ensure key government departments can move to implement the Every Child, Every Day strategy as quickly as possible.

To find out more, visit http://www.det. nt.gov.au/teachers-educators/schoolmanagement/enrolment-attendance/ every-child-every-day Tasmania Four-term year on the way Many challenges face Tasmanian educators this year, not least the implementation of the national curriculum.

The effects of the funding cut to nongovernment schools in the May 2011 budget will become evident as schools attempt to maintain adequate staffing and resources with a diminished income.

The proposed introduction of a four-term year in 2013 will need to be negotiated as part of the Catholic sector enterprise agreement.

The ‘School Viability Reference Group’ report was handed down in January and included recommendations on the criteria to assess a government school’s ongoing viability.

Despite media speculation as to the schools on the ‘hit-list’, no final list of schools to be closed or amalgamated has yet been published.

It is unclear at this stage if there will be a run-on effect to non-government schools, either in enrolment numbers or a questioning of the viability of small schools.

The Labor-Greens Government has adopted a position that public servants will receive salary increases of no more than 2% or 2.5% with ‘productivity’ gains this year.

independent education| issue 1|2012|7

Walking in two worlds What might be learned if we listened more deeply? Why should we seek additional means to share our stories?

And how can our application of the curriculum respect cultural knowledge and acknowledge students who walk in two worlds? RMIT PhD Doris Paton shares the story behind her research with IE Journalist Tara de Boehmler.

Learning from Indigenous students can foster respect and understanding, while enhancing the educational experience of all. When Dr Paton set out to complete a PhD on meeting the educational needs of the Indigenous community and its children, she started with her own experience of navigating a western education system.

“I have grown up in a family who is strong in our cultural knowledge from my mother’s country and my father’s country,” Doris says.

“This cultural way of being and thinking has been the core of who I am, the way I think, the way I look at the world and the way I live my life. I relate to this knowledge in every day life.

I live in two worlds but remain true to who I am as an Aboriginal person.”

Dr Paton says the inspiration for doing a PhD comes from knowing that there is a “different way of knowing, thinking and being” in the western world. She seeks to share these other ways of knowing across generations.

A space for learning “This knowledge is shared through narrative, in conversation and in stories. It is relational and interrelated to our connections to places, to each other and to the land, our ancestors and gives us guidance and knowledge.

“Hence creating a ‘space’ for creating a learning environment that focuses on our knowledge in the curriculum is important for maintaining, sharing and respecting our knowledge as valid in the western frameworks of education.”

Dr Paton says western education frameworks, combined with policies such as assimilation, have forced Indigenous knowledge to be lost, the languages denied, and a way of thinking changed. But educators have a chance to turn this around.

“Schools have the opportunity to educate future generations to change the way in which Aboriginal people are viewed in Australia and, more importantly, in their communities,” she says.

At one high school in Parkes, NSW, studying local Aboriginal languages has fostered respect and addressed issues of racism in both the school and community, Dr Paton says.

“Imagine that school and community in

8|independent education| issue 1|2012

future generations. Schools working closely with Aboriginal communities, in teams, in collaboration and as equals with respect can draw on the real benefits to a whole community.”

In Victoria, Dr Paton says the P-10 Aboriginal Languages curriculum was developed from the experience of Woolum Bellum School, Morwell.

“When the school was first established it was known as a Koorie Open Door Education School (KODE), with a school management environment determined from Aboriginal ways of relating, and in the development of policies and curriculum.

“The curriculum of the school is known as the Bataluk Curriculum, which provides a framework to have a holistic approach to learning. It includes language, learning from Elders, learning on country about country, learning about western knowledge as well as Aboriginal knowledge, teaching and learning in an environment that respects both knowledge systems, but focusing on culturally relevant ways of learning and teaching.“ Dr Paton says sharing knowledge through narrative is a powerful way to empower Aboriginal students. Outside of school they learn from family stories, about their country, their family, their art, and knowledge.

“Going out on country to learn about the places, stories, and knowledge in managing the land, healing the land, Aboriginal land management, living on the land, ways of catching and finding food, water, shelter, on the country Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students live on, is a powerful way to develop identity, pride and self esteem in Aboriginal children.

“Learning from Elders and other respected people provides a sense of belonging and they empower Aboriginal students with their sense of connection.”

Dr Paton says there is value in this approach for all.

“Non-Aboriginal children can learn how Aboriginal people used their skills and knowledge to survive over thousands of years in their country.

“This will encourage a respect for the knowledge that Aboriginal people have in their ways of thinking, doing and knowing.

“This benefits across the curriculum in science, in environmental studies, in health, in stories, in languages, and, most importantly, the empowering nature of having a right to knowing and sharing their cultural identity.”

Towards reconciliation

Schools have the opportunity to educate future generations to change the way in which Aboriginal people are viewed in Australia, and more importantly in their communities.

Quilt 2

Doris Paton - Photo by Henry James Beyond the book - show and tell If looking for ways to represent knowledge that goes beyond the confines of a book, Dr Paton’s use of quilts provide an inspiring glimpse of what is possible. Telling the story of the KODE school, now known as the Woolum Bellum School, Morwell, her use of three quilts track the path from the school’s inception through to its current role providing mainstream schools in the region with cultural knowledge. Though she “could have written a book”, she felt her family and community would relate better to a story represented on a quilt.

Dr Paton reflects on the quilts’ messages: First quilt: The foundation The knowledge I wanted to share on the first quilt represented Indigenous ways of knowing and the knowledge

Quilt 1 that is passed on to us through story and ceremony. It’s about the relationship of land and people, the laws of living in the land and how it provides. The most important thing underpinning the first quilt is acknowledging the respectful and reciprocal relationships we have with each other in the school community, the education community and the Indigenous community.

Second quilt: The journey so far The original vision was to create a place of learning that acknowledged Indigenous ways, like learning through doing, seeing, touching and listening.

In this way, we developed a curriculum around learning from significant sites around the country, such as sites related to dreaming stories, traditional life and the ecosystem, the mission period, independent education| issue 1|2012|9

Towards reconciliation

Quilt 3

Underpinning everything is the ability to listen and create spaces for listening.

creating artifacts and learning to make resources according to what’s around and what’s in season. When looking at frontier learning we took students to sites of missions and massacres in our area, involving Elders in the process, and we provided learning about contemporary society at the same time. The curriculum was about giving knowledge back to the school. It was built around providing the eight key learning areas with Aboriginal perspectives, for instance English was linked with dream stories, art was linked to Indigenous design and materials, science included bush medicine, weather, seasons and managing the land, and for SOSE we went out and looked at the types of trees that were used for shelter, and what food was available seasonally in particular areas, as our people moved their camps accordingly. The second quilt is also about when the cracks started to appear in the process and management wasn’t listening. The system didn’t give the school time to find its feet.

Third quilt: Listening The circles and diamonds are symbols of males and females in our community and in the third quilt they are depicted sitting around talking. The lizard is the symbol for the Bataluk curriculum and the flags represent our Aboriginal identity.

This quilt is about listening properly to the Indigenous voices in education and it represents places for Indigenous learning and knowing. It reflects the dimensions of what is needed to make a school a success, including the learning environment and management. In the current education environment the principal decides how things are done. But at this school we had an Aboriginal management committee providing guidance on developing policy, decision-making and the selection of staff. It was the management of the school that was important for understanding how it fitted into the community. Underpinning all of this is the ability to listen and creating spaces for listening – it underpins everything.

Framework to share Doris is still Chair of the Woolum Bellum school, which now provides a niche education opportunity for kids in Years 7 to 10 in the region.

“It provides students with an opportunity to be in that school with Indigenous teachers and an Indigenous curriculum a few days per week, while they also attend mainstream schools.”

In addition to their regular pupils, Doris says the school supports other educators and schools in the region.

10|independent education| issue 1|2012

“The intention of the Bataluk curriculum was always that it was a framework for our Aboriginal communities to use to build their own curriculum relevant to their own country. It contains protocols and processes for going on a trail and getting permissions and it is supposed to be shared and adapted.

“Our kids don’t get this knowledge from a Western education system. It comes from Elders and communities. From an Aboriginal education perspective it is really important that our knowledge is passed on to our children.

“The mission period and assimilation disrupted this process, so only some families were able to continue the practice of passing this knowledge on to their children, families and communities.

“I’m lucky to come from one of these families. My parents are both senior Elders and very knowledgeable. So I want to pass this on.”

Doris Paton is a Monaro Ngarigo/ Gunnai woman, a mother and grandmother, from a large extended family across Gippsland and NSW. She has lived and worked in the field of education at all levels for 35 years. Doris is Team Leader of the Koorie Unit at GippsTAFE, Morwell, Gippsland Victoria.

Dadirri:

The gift of listening

“… It is our most unique gift. It is perhaps the greatest gift we can give to our fellow Australians. In our language this quality is called dadirri. It is inner, deep listening and quiet, still awareness.

Dadirri recognises the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls to us. This is the gift that Australia is thirsting for. It is something like what you call “contemplation”.

When I experience dadirri, I am made whole again. I can sit on the riverbank or walk through the trees; even if someone close to me has passed away, I can find my peace in this silent awareness. There is no need of words …

The contemplative way of dadirri spreads over our whole life. It renews us and brings us peace. It makes us feel whole again...”

Excerpts from ‘Dadirri - A Reflection’

by Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr- Baumann (2002), Emmaus Productions.

Feature

Working together partnership building for success Tackling poverty, linking to employment, building relationships and increasing academic engagement – is there anything a good school/community partnership cannot do? This issue of IE explores the possibilities for schools going down the partnership path.

independent education| issue 1|2012|11

Images this page and previous of Tiwi Islands, NT, where Tiwi College, the Smith Family and others participate in a successful partnership.

I believe this program has given these girls opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have had.

Schools are no strangers to working in partnership, whether it be with parents, specialists, the broader education community or local, national and international communities – the number of cooperative relationships schools foster is impressive and their scope is akin to the old saying: limited only by the imagination. Catering for specific learning needs, helping others, tapping into talent in the community, bringing lessons to life, linking to the land and traditional owners are just a few areas that schools commonly approach through partnerships.

Partnership programs that directly involve students potentially have the additional benefit of teaching them about the nature and benefit of partnerships – of bringing communities together to work in a cooperative team effort, targeting a specific joint issue.

The United Nations has named 2012 the International Year of Cooperatives, and this can be another avenue for exploring the partnership theme. Cooperatives are defined by the International Cooperative Alliance as: “autonomous associations of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations, through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise”.

The UN’s objectives for the International Year of Cooperatives are: Increase awareness: Increase public awareness about cooperatives and their contributions to socio-economic development

12|independent education| issue 1|2012

and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals Promote growth: Promote the formation and growth of cooperatives among individuals and institutions to address common economic needs and for socio-economic empowerment Establish appropriate policies: Encourage governments and regulatory bodies to establish policies, laws and regulation conducive to cooperative formation and growth.

The UN has suggested the education sector become involved by researching and disseminating cooperative activities, good practices and lessons learned, and for cooperatives to be included in curriculum and educational programs. To assist this aim, resources will be made available from the dedicated UN website throughout the year.

Below are some examples of nongovernment schools that are tapping into the potential of partnerships.

Partnership enriches learning for girls in Tiwi Islands A business partnership is playing a pivotal role in improving education for secondary girls attending Tiwi College in the remote area of Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory, writes IEUA-QNT Communications Officer Elise Cuthbertson.

The program entitled ‘Growing Young Women’ is a key initiative for The Smith Family, Tiwi College and other organisations under the ‘Partnership Broker’ program.

Feature

Cooperation in East Timor Senior Program Coordinator at The Smith Family, Helen Crawford, says that this partnership aims to engage girls attending the co-education Tiwi College and enrich their skills and experiences.

“Girls from this area have a whole range of needs including personal, social and educational. The close cooperation involved in this program is to respond to these needs and act as a kind of aspiration building,” Ms Crawford says.

“I believe this program has given these girls opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have had.”

The program, which has seen attendance at school by senior girls increase by 24%, involves funding weekly education sessions, personal counselling services and intercultural activities.

Tiwi College Principal, Ian Smith, has seen real improvements in the secondary girls’ engagement with learning as a direct result of the program.

“I think the girls feel more important because they now have a program designed specifically for them,” Mr Smith says.

“As a result of their good behavior and attendance the girls were recently rewarded with a trip to Tintern Girls School in Melbourne, organised by The Smith Family, which was a really positive experience.”

Programs developed for the girls strongly focus on personal development and building self-esteem.

“The ‘Shine’ program for personal development evolved into a drama activity where the girls wrote their own scripts which was a very positive and successful experience,” Mr Smith says.

The ‘Growing Young Women’ initiative has had such a positive impact that a paid coordinator’s position has been created at the college to oversee the program.

The Smith Family plans to continue developing the initiative in the future by establishing a reference group to contribute new ideas.

Mr Smith says a work experience program will also be included in the initiative from 2012 to help the girls explore job opportunities on the mainland.

The Tiwi Islands are located about 80 kilometres north of Darwin and are home to approximately 2500 people, of whom over 90% are Indigenous Australians.

Berry St taps into local mentors Strong links with the community are playing a crucial role in keeping potentially disengaged students attending at Berry Street school, writes IE Journalist Sue Osborne.

The school has two campuses, at Noble Park in Melbourne and the rural BEST@The Shed in Morwell, Gippsland.

The students get the experience which is more Than just learning maths and English.

They actually develop empathy for people.

independent education| issue 1|2012|13

Feature

Berry Street school students

This boy was the first person in his family to ever have a job.

14|independent education| issue 1|2012

Each campus has about 30 students aged 12-16. Students are usually refered from other schools, government agencies, families and includes young people in residential care.

IEU Member Allan Swan is the VCAL Coordinator at the Gippsland campus.

Allan says the school has worked hard to make connections with the community and to provide the students with pathways for their future, particularly to training and then onto employment.

“This helps hold them at school and give them focus,” Allan says. “Local businesses such as the abattoir, dairy and some mechanics have students visit.

Working with industry is an important part of my role.”

Local business owners also act as mentors for the students, providing work placements. The school works closely with Work Solutions, a State Government employment agency, to find jobs for the students.

Allan says: “We had a 16-year-old boy who spent five days with a local painter. The painter was so impressed with him that he offered the young bloke an apprenticeship. This boy was the first person in his family to have a job in generations. The young man had artistic talent but he had no background that lead him to think about what to do with his life. We have had a number of success stories like that, of students getting jobs due to work experience with the local community.”

Allan says the community connection is great for the Berry Street teachers to see the link to the world of work, and how this motivates the students.

He acknowledges that motivating some students in the classroom can be difficult but believes that seeing a connection to community is very beneficial for students. Allan says: “It is rewarding for the teachers to have this relationship with the community, and to enjoy the flexibility that a range of businesses offers”.

He says the feedback from the community was positive: “No one has ever said ‘no’ to taking on another of our students.”

More than just an education Building a simple shed not only makes a difference to a remote Timor Leste community, but also to the students and teachers of three Queensland schools, writes IE Journalist Fiona Stutz.

Edmund Rice Education Australia’s (EREA) philosophy of compassion and commitment to social justice has seen students from St Patrick’s College, St Lawrence’s College and St Edmund’s College help remote villages in the

country build sheds to use as communal areas and schools to bring education closer to the community.

Since 2010 groups of students and teachers from EREA schools spend two weeks a year lending a hand in a remote Timor Leste community.

The students, who are learning a trade in their schools with most on schoolbased apprenticeships, work with their teachers and the locals to put up sheds and adjoining water tanks in the local community. Not only will the shed be used as an area for educating local children, but also water can be collected in the tanks and used to provide for the community.

St Laurence’s College teacher Mark Wockner admits it is more than just physical labour and building a shed.

“We’re providing some form of support for their basic needs of gathering water as that’s their primary goal. Education really is a secondary issue, but if we can bring these infrastructures in place, so that they can get their basic needs met at a place where they can get an education, then that’s the way to have a bit of a win,” Mark says.

While there is no doubt Timor Leste villages have benefited from the addition of infrastructure, the students that take part also benefit from the unique experience.

St Edmund’s College Principal Brendan Lawler said the project helps his students to look beyond their own school. “We find that the boys get back every bit as much as they give in terms of being exposed to another culture, of just appreciating the friendship and the gratitude of the people when they’ve done this work. Many of the boys have come back and say it’s been an experience of their lifetime,” Brendan says.

Mark agrees that the experience has changed the students’ outlook on life significantly. “The students get the experience, which is more than just learning maths and English. They actually develop empathy for people.”

He says helping the community was also a profound experience for himself.

“I’ve now become an advocate for these people. I certainly have a different perspective of where we are at in our lives and how privileged we are, just through the sheer luck of being born in Australia.”

To find out how you can support this project or for more information, contact St Edmund’s College Principal Brendan Lawler at blawler@sec.qld.edu.au

Teaching and learning

PrimaryConnections

Nobel Laureate supports science program

Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt has announced his support for PrimaryConnections, an education program designed to support science teaching in primary schools.

Supporting science and science education is vital to the nation’s future.

In 2004 the Australian Academy of Science launched the PrimaryConnections program in response to research which showed many primary school teachers did not feel confident when teaching science, and were therefore spending little classroom time on it.

The PrimaryConnections program was designed to address this lack of confidence in science.

It’s a teaching and learning model based on “five Es”: engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate. It promotes enquiry-based learning among students.

Each of the 30 units provided leads both teacher and student through a term. The five Es are designed to act as a learning journey.

In ‘engage’ students become physically or mentally engaged with an activity or question; ‘explore’ is designed to provide students with opportunities to interact with the concepts and skills being developed.

During ‘explain’ students represent and explain developing ideas and it introduces students to scientific explanation of concepts.

‘Elaborate’ allows students to apply and extend new concepts and skills, and the final phase ‘evaluate’ provides an opportunity for students to review and reflect on their learning during the unit.

The program, which was funded by the Federal Government, has proven successful, with take-up rate of 56% in primary schools in Australia.

However, from this year, PrimaryConnections will no longer receive any government funding.

In December astronomer Professor Schmidt announced he would donate $100,000 from his share of a Noble Prize for Physics, won with collaborator Adam Riess, to support the program.

“One key thing I’m trying to promote post Nobel Prize is primary and secondary education,” Professor Schmidt says.

IEU Member Jane Denny is Education Officer for Curriculum Teaching and Learning with the Broken Bay Diocese.

She has used PrimaryConnections as a classroom teacher and been trained as a facilitator for the resource.

“As a classroom teacher I found it a great resource - clearly written, easy to follow and allowing teachers to assist students to learn in a scientific way,” Jane says.

“For teachers for whom science isn’t a strength - you’re still able to teach science particularly well using PrimaryConnections.

“Primary school teachers have to have expertise in so many key learning areas, so it’s a fantastic resource because it’s well researched, organised in a clear and concise way and it links beautifully across the other key areas of the curriculum, particularly literacy skills.

“It’s really good professional learning because it’s got all the background and information.

Sometimes in busy primary classrooms you may not have the opportunity to do the research needed to deliver a unit of work with all the correct and detailed information and PrimaryConnections provides that.”

Jane said Professor Schmidt’s donation shows he is “someone who sees the values of educating our students in science and building the knowledge and understanding that teachers need”.

If you are interested in using PrimaryConnections in your school or classroom, visit www.science.org.au/ primaryconnections. The website includes a calendar of two-day workshops around the country, for teachers new to the program.

independent education| issue 1|2012|15

WILL YOUR FUTURE BE

SUPER ENOUGH?

Teach science with

(# 7.4 *-.6 3' 3 +,.23 ,(++(.- 4231 +( -2 6(++ 1$3(1$ 6(3' % 1 +$22 super  than  they  expected? Â

confidence

This  shortfall  may  affect  your  lifestyle  in  retirement  and  things  may  not  be  04(3$ 2 24/$1 2 7.4 ' # './$#

â€œâ€Ś one of the most effective tools I have seen to help in teaching scienceâ€?

PROFESSOR BRIAN SCHMIDT, ASTRONOMER AND NOBEL LAUREATE 2011

Initiated by the Australian Academy of Science, PrimaryConnections is a rigorous, innovative, inquirybased teaching program that links science with literacy. Our professional development workshops and quality curriculum resources are known to enhance primary school teachers’ confidence and competence for teaching science.

YOURSUPERFUTURE  IS  A  FREE  ONLINE  SUPER  ADVICE  TOOL  TO  HELP  YOU  LOOK  AT:   1.  your  annual  super  contributions         Â

2.  which  investment  choice  is  right  for  you 3.  your  insurances  within  QIEC  Super  4.  setting  and  working  towards  a  retirement  income  goal. Â

To register for a workshop or to find out more about our curriculum resources, visit our website.

2 4/$1 ,$,!$1 3'(2 #5("$ (2 ++ %1$$ .% "' 1&$ -# 5 (+ !+$ -.6 3'1.4&' 7.41 /$12.- + ,$,!$1 .-+(-$ 6$!2(3$ % 7.481$ +1$ #7 registered  %.1 ,$,!$1 .-+(-$ 2(,/+7 +.&(- 3. ""$22 % 7.481$ -.3 +1$ #7 1$&(23$1$# /+$ 2$ ".-3 "3 42 %.1 7.41 42$1- ,$ -# / 226.1# #$3 (+2 '(2 (2 7.41 9123 23$/ 3. 2$"41(-& .41 4/$1 4341$

1300 Â 360 Â 507 Â qiec.com.au

www.science.org.au/primaryconnections E: pc@science.org.au

*According  to  an  ASFA  media  release,  published  on  7  April  2010. '(2 (-%.1, 3(.- (2 .% &$-$1 + - 341$ -# #.$2 -.3 3 *$ "".4-3 .% 7.41 (-#(5(#4 + 9- -"( + 2(34 3(.- .!)$"3(5$2 .1 -$$#2 $" 42$ .% 3'(2 7.4 2'.4+# !$%.1$ "3(-& .- 3'(2 #5("$ ".-2(#$1 3'$ //1./1( 3$-$22 .% 3'$ #5("$ ' 5(-& 1$& 1# 3. 7.41 .!)$"3(5$2 9- -"( + 2(34 3(.- -# -$$#2 .4 2'.4+# .!3 (- 1.#4"3 (2"+.241$ 3 3$,$-3 5 (+ !+$ 3 0($" "., 4 -# ".-2(#$1 3'$ !$%.1$ , *(-& -7 #$"(2(.- % 7.4 1$04(1$ 24"' 2/$"(9" #5("$ 7.4 2'.4+# ".-3 "3 +("$-"$# 9- -"( + #5(2$1 4/$1 37 3# 3'$ 1423$$ .% 4/$1

(2 .1/.1 3$ 43'.1(2$# $/1$2$-3 3(5$ . 4-#$1 4231 +( - (- -"( + $15("$2 ("$-"$ .

-# (2 43'.1(2$# 3. /1.5(#$ &$-$1 + 9- -"( + /1.#4"3 #5("$ (- 1$+ 3(.- 3. 24/$1 --4 3(.- '(2 /$12.- + #5("$ (2 /1.5(#$# !7 37 3# '$ 1423$$ (2 -.3 1$2/.-2(!+$ %.1 -# #.$2 -.3 ""$/3 +( !(+(37 %.1 3'$ /1.#4"32 .1 2$15("$2 .1 "3(.-2 .% .4 2'.4+# 42$ 7.41 .6- )4#&$,$-3 !$%.1$ 3 *(-& 4/ -7 /1.#4"3 .1 2$15("$ .%%$1$# !7 .

advert.indd 1

20/02/12 3:

Teaching and learning

Gateway to the Arab world Don’t know your hijabs from your hijoods, that Muslims developed the decimal system, or that the translation movement began in Baghdad? If you and your students are a little hazy on the nature and contribution of the Arab world, the Arab Gateways resources may have arrived just in time, writes IE Journalist Tara de Boehmler.

With the impetus for the resource stemming from the 2005 Cronulla riots, Syd Giller from the Council for Australian-Arab Relations tells IE a website and booklet were developed to promote understanding of the cultures, values, beliefs and diversity of peoples of the Arab region.

“This is not about propagandising but about providing more factual information of a balanced nature. Following the Cronulla riots there was some very negative press about the Arab community in Australia and about Arabs in general. There were also horrendous results in a survey done of views at the time.

“We made the equation that fear often comes from ignorance.”

Delivered to all Australian secondary schools in late 2011, Syd says there is a good reason the Arab Gateways resource targets students.

“Research shows that people’s attitudes become pretty much settled by the time they reach their mid-20s to early 30s.

Students are more open minded and through schools there is an established communication route.”

Featuring videos, fact sheets, discussion pointers, interactive data maps and quizzes, case studies and more, the material is relevant for multiple curriculum areas, including history, maths, geography,

environmental studies, economics and business studies.

The website and resources are particularly aimed at Years 8 and 9, however they are suitable for all high school students, Syd says.

“We had a business studies person speak at the launch who said it would be helpful for Year 11 and 12 students, particularly with the case studies. For history students there are opportunities to learn less well known facts about the region up to the turn on the century,” he says. Information on sustainable water use and mapping tools also link back to geography and the environment.

“There is quite a wide application but it fits with the existing curriculum and people believe it will fit with the national curriculum.”

For students wanting to further connect with their oversees peers, Syd says a project is currently looking at establishing links between NSW schools and students in the United Arab Emirates. For information on how to become involved, contact the Council for Australian-Arab Relations secretariat.

Arab Gateways is an initiative of the Council for Australian-Arab Relations and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. To experience it online visit www.arabgateways.edu.au. To contact the CAAR Secretariat email caar@dfat.gov.au.

independent education| issue 1|2012|17

Jarek Ferenc

Elizabeth Newman

Marg Koenen

The creative profession It is not uncommon for people to move into teaching from a different job. What do these people bring to the profession, and what do they gain from it? IE Journalist Sue Osborne spoke to three teachers who come from a variety of fields, yet share the same sense of liberation in their new work.

Elizabeth Newman has been English and Drama Teacher at Catherine McAuley College, Westmead, Sydney for eight years, but for 10 years prior she worked as a professional actor.

“I graduated from NIDA in 1982. I had always wanted to be an actor from a young age,” Elizabeth says.

“I took a variety of roles in film, radio, theatre, television, the whole gamut.”

Elizabeth had guest roles in A Country Practice, Playschool, and Home and Away, a lead role in Robbery Under Arms and appeared in the movie spin-off of Robbery Under Arms. She also worked with the Fortune Theatre Company in Canberra, Riverina Theatre and Philip St Theatre.

“When I had children I reassessed what I wanted to do with my life. I decided being an actress was not an easy or practical way to raise a family.

“I had been running workshops in voice and acting and had started my own after-school drama workshop.

18|independent education| issue 1|2012

“I also volunteered at my daughter’s school, directing the school play.

“I realised I really enjoyed teaching and mentoring young actors and it provided me with different challenges, while still working with drama.”

She decided to do a Masters of Teaching at Sydney University.

Most would view acting as a creative profession, but Elizabeth says the move to teaching has been liberating, allowing her more freedom.

“As an actress you are limited to what roles you can get by the way you look. Nowadays I’d probably be typecast as a ‘mum’.

“As a teacher I can choose what plays I’m interested in. Even in the Year 12 syllabus there’s room to choose what plays you do to accompany a unit of work.

“I find that more intellectually stimulating than being typecast into a role.

“I love literature and poetry and I can choose texts to share with the students that I

Teaching and learning

might never have a chance to go near in the acting profession.”

Elizabeth says she uses skills gained from her profession to communicate with students, parents and colleagues.

“There is an element of performance in the classroom. I find teaching has given me more opportunities to explore myself as a performer, using different ways to get my message across to students.”

Elizabeth as Miss Polly Peacham in Brecht’s Threepenny Opera.

I find teaching has given me more opportunities to explore myself as a performer.

Communication skills Communications skills gained in the hospitality and finance industries have stood Jarek Ferenc in good stead in his new role as Acting Religious Studies Coordinator at St Francis Xavier College, Florey in the ACT. Originally from Poland, Jarek worked in the hospitality industry in London before teaching English to adults in his home country.

He immigrated to Australia in 2004, and started a Masters degree in Commerce specialising in Human Resources Management at the University of Western Sydney, followed by a Graduate Diploma in Education.

Jarek worked at the Marriot Hotel at Circular Quay during his studies, then at Ashfield Leagues Club on reception, followed by a financial services role with the NAB. “Working in hospitality I learnt a very comprehensive and professional way to talk to people.

“This has been useful, especially when dealing with parents – it’s an ability to communicate information politely and professionally,” Jarek says.

“Working in the different roles has given me an insight into how to cope with a range of situations.

“But I always wanted to have a lot of independence in my work. The work I had to do in the finance sector particularly, did not allow much creativity.

“There was a set pre-ordained way of doing everything.

“In teaching I have the opportunity to design my own classes and choose my own way of getting the lesson across to students effectively.

“I value highly the degree of creativity and independence which other jobs do not provide.”

Pastoral care When Marg Koenen was growing up on a farm in Victoria she would spend hours practicing nursing on her dolls, and as soon as she turned 17 she joined the profession.

“I loved it. I became a Registered Nurse at Ballarat Base Hospital where there was a variety of experiences.

“I mainly worked in surgical, theatre and emergency.”

But when Marg married and had three children she found juggling nursing and a family tough.

“By the time my kids started school I had worked through three Christmases in a row. I was juggling night shifts and weekend work.

“I was helping out with sport at the kids’ school and someone suggested teaching.”

Marg did her DipEd and was promptly offered a nurse educator role, lecturing in paediatrics.

“But I had just completed my teacher training and I wanted to try out one year as a teacher in a school before I moved back into health.”

Marg got a teaching job in Canberra, and the move back into the health profession never happened.

“I’ve never looked back. I loved teaching.”

Marg has been a Principal for 14 years and she’s now head of St Vincent’s Primary at Aranda, ACT. The pastoral and nurturing aspects of primary school teaching are similar to nursing and Marg has had to use her first aid knowledge a few times as well. But there are more subtle ways she uses her nursing skills in school.

“I’ve been able to help people in the school community that have lost loved ones, as I did when nursing.

“Working in an emergency department has given me the ability to deal with issues as a Principal and manage situations.”

However, the transition from nursing to teaching has not always been a smooth one for Marg.

“At first I found it difficult, because in nursing there are set rules and procedures in place for how you treat someone who’s had a cardiac arrest, or someone who’s got diabetes.

“In education there are lots of different philosophies and ideas and not always a set way of doing things.

“I struggled with this at first, as I’m not a naturally creative person. But now I appreciate the ability to make decisions and enjoy the freedom.

“I can be creative in the way I run a school and create a nurturing environment for staff and students.

“I love being able to run with ideas and love working on a project with other people.

“You don’t have that kind of creativity in nursing.”

independent education| issue 1|2012|19

League stars tackle disengaged readers Rugby league heroes such as Roy Asotasi, Benji Marshall, Billy Slater and Scott Prince are encouraging disengaged primary schools students, especially boys, to get into reading, discovers IE Journalist Sue Osborne.

Australian Catholic University Lecturer in Boys Education, Literacy and Education Studies, Suzan Hirsch, has devised a program called Rugby League Reads.

She conducted research at two independent, two Catholic and seven public schools in NSW, and found primary school students were more likely to have female teachers, She also found more females read at home.

Boys in particular were disengaged from reading and underperforming in literacy.

“Both boys and girls tended to see reading as a girls’ activity as the majority of their reading role models were female,” Suzan says.

She says research indicates many boys consider being literate, proficient at schoolwork and showing emotions are “signs of femininity” and that they need more role models showcasing the transition from boyhood to adulthood.

She noted that the majority of students identified with sportsmen, particularly rugby league players, and that students believed these players did not like or need to read.

“I started a mentoring reading program with the Manly Sea Eagles called Sea Eagles Reads, with the aim of shifting the negative attitudes

20|independent education| issue 1|2012

Both boys and girls tended to see reading as a girls’ activity.

about reading by using the students’ selfidentified heroes,” she says.

A first-grade player was assigned as a class reading mentor to work with the same class each week during a term, talking about their reading habits, reading with students and setting challenges.

The program was a success, so Suzan approached the National Rugby League (NRL) with an idea to reach more schools.

She produced Rugby League Reads magazine, which features a reading captain - players from all the NRL clubs – talking about their reading habits, recommending books and settings goals for students.

The magazine was trialed in 11 schools in 2010 and three editions a year are now available to all schools as a resource.

Suzan says her research found 78% of male students and 25% of female students were motivated to read in the classroom when using the resources, and 60% said they read more at home as a result of the reading captains.

The research also found 85% of teachers reporting that Rugby League Reads was helping to engage reluctant boy readers.

“Taking the Rugby League Reads magazine home allowed connections to be made

Teaching and learning

Manly Sea Eagles players George Rose (top), Glenn Stewart (left), and Steve Matai

between students and parents, with many students commenting on that bond with their father strengthening when reading and discussing the content of the magazine.

“This assists in providing male reading role models for boys.”

In a research paper published in Thymos, the Journal of Boyhood Studies, Suzan wrote that after the 10-week program, boys borrowed more library books and took part in more voluntary reading at home and school.

However, she wrote that teachers’ attitudes, especially to sport stars and rugby league players in particular, could play a role in the program’s success.

“The construction of masculinity and male identities, exploring the stereotyped identities that are constructed about boys and reading, as well as the various stereotypes of footballers in Australian society, are areas of contention.”

She also notes “the role of the teacher is particularly significant in influencing boys’ propensity to read as well as their choice of reading.

“The role of the teacher is crucial in helping pupils develop a positive attitude to learning.

“In the present case studies, the teachers were willing, open minded and did not hold prejudices about professional rugby league players, despite frequent media negative portrayals.”

More research could be carried out in that area, Suzan says.

St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Asquith, Teacher and IEU member Louise Lawrenson, whose Year 3 class has used the resource, says: “The resources cover every text type, so even if a child is not a rugby league fan, they can still find a text type they enjoy reading”.

Text types in the magazine are linked to the NSW English K-6 syllabus and come with accompanying teacher resources.

Find out more at www.rloc.com.au Reference Hirsch S 2011, Professional Rugby League Players as Reading Mentors for Primary School Boys, Thymos, Journal of Boyhood Studies, 5, (1), 52-60

Manly Sea Eagles

Reading Captain Josh Perry What is your message to students about reading?

Books, magazines, poems and plays have the ability to transport readers to other places and times.

Reading is a very enjoyable pastime for children and adults.

Learning to read allows us to do that.

What have you been reading?

I have read Big League Magazine each week as well as the Manly Daily. I like cooking so I have read Bill’s Kitchen by Bill Granger.

I enjoyed reading Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly.

(Extract from Rugby League Reads Magazine)

independent education| issue 1|2012|21

Sustainable classrooms

Ideas that may grow on you As the global population and the demand for increased material wealth continue to grow, there is a realisation that the planet cannot keep meeting the expanding needs and expectations of the population, writes Environmental Education Consultant Phil Smith.

Andrew Charlton (Quarterly Essay, Issue 44, 2011) describes this phenomenon of increased growth and demand as “rising numbers and rising appetites”.

The massive intensification, especially in the developed countries, of energy and resource use and technological waste production associated with industrialisation, consumerism and economic growth, means that humans consume a wildly disproportionate share of the world’s resources and at a rate faster than any system can replace them. The Global Footprint Network figures show we are approaching the point where our extraction of resources will be twice the natural replenishment rate. Some say we are running out of planet.

Draw up two columns. One for unsustainable growth – for those things that must not continue to grow out of control. Another for sustainable growth – those elements that can keep growing. Have conversations about what to put in each. The ideas below might help.

When growth is not sustainable Some types of growth are clearly unsustainable, including: • military expenditure and build-up. Some estimates say there are around 25,000 nuclear warheads in existence • physical and psychological separation from the rest of nature by urbanisation • powerlessness and alienation from democratic processes. There is a rising cynicism with political processes that are too easily skewed to do the bidding of vested interests, and • income disparity between the rich and poor.

A gap that widens daily.

22|independent education| issue 1|2012

What can continue to grow?

Your sustainable growth list might include some of those things that make life worth living: • good relationships, creativity, tolerance, gratitude, empathy • our ability to protect and nurture ecosystems • the amount of food we grow for ourselves • participation in local communities and actions. Our ability to work together • our commitment to sharing • a sense of ourselves as citizens, not consumers • our willingness to learn from the past • the health of our children and communities • our abilities to ask tough questions • our ability to make decisions in consideration of broader, longer-term impacts on planet and people • investment in genuine research and development into sustainability technologies and processes • policies that foster innovation and a switch from scarce commodities to alternative materials. “The Stone Age didn’t end because the world ran out of stone,” said Sheikh Yamani, former head of OPEC, when asked if the world would run out of oil. Better ways of doing things were found, and • solutions that work for the developing countries, not just the developed.

What will you weed out? What ideas, actions and values will you plant and let grow wild?

For more information contact Phil Smith via rephilled@hotmail.com

Diverse roles

Safe port in a

STORM Supporting students during their most vulnerable times can make all the difference in young people’s lives. So who are the brave souls that put their hands up to do this job on a daily basis? IE Journalists Tara de Boehmler and Fiona Stutz hear from three school counsellors about the nature of their roles and how they avoid burn-out.

independent education| issue 1|2012|23

Kim Rienecker

Bruce Paine

IEU members Bruce Paine, Janet Costello, and Kim Rienecker all have something in common. All have completed years of additional study to help tailor their skills and qualifications to best serve their student clients.

Bruce has a business background which saw him training senior managers in residential programs. When he felt it was time to formalise the teaching side of his role, he built on his business degree with a Bachelor of Teaching in Early Childhood, then an honours degree in Education with a major in Sociology.

After two years working in early childhood education, Bruce got an offer to work at Kinross Wolaroi, an independent K-12 co-educational day and boarding school in Orange, NSW. “In independent schools most counsellors are also qualified teachers, so they are able to pick up a teaching load.

I qualified for this, plus I had the business background.”

But a couple of years into the job, when Bruce decided there were additional skills he needed, the school “very generously” paid for him to do a graduate certificate in counselling with a psychology component.

Thirteen years on and Bruce says the 24|independent education| issue 1|2012

Janet Costello

school now has an “enormous amount of social capital” invested in him. “I know the family backgrounds and social conditions of so many kids. It’s stressful and emotional but every day is different and that keeps it exciting.”

Wearing three hats Janet Costello started her teaching career in a government secondary school, where the principal nominated her to be the student welfare coordinator. The Education Department paid for her to complete a counselling graduate diploma one day per week in Student Welfare.

Sometime later while on maternity leave, Janet saw a position advertised for a counsellor in a Catholic girls school which promised more flexibility, a closer proximity to home and the opportunity to job-share with a friend. She worked there for 12 years, paying her own way through another graduate diploma in Health and Human Services and four years psychotherapy training in Gestalt therapy.

For the past two years Janet has worked .6 at Kilvington Grammar School, in Victoria, where she wears “three hats”.

“It’s a challenging role involving counselling, chaplaincy and religious and values education,” she says. (As at press

time, Janet was on her way to a retreat as part of a Masters in Theology and ordination training to be a Baptist minister.)

Thrilled to join profession Multiple hats are also a feature of Kim Rienecker’s job. She works part-time across a primary and secondary college in the Catholic sector: St Columbans College, Caboolture and Queen of Apostles, Stafford, both in Brisbane.

“After having worked as a teacher for more than 10 years I was ready to expand my career pathways. I was encouraged by the school leadership team to study to become an APRE (Assistant to the Principal - Religious Education). Soon after completing this qualification, Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) began employing guidance counsellors. After working closely with the counsellor at my school, I realised that one day this would become my career direction.”

With Kim’s interests shifting more towards students’ social and emotional wellbeing and a feeling that she had achieved what she wanted to in her teaching role, she undertook a Master’s Degree in Educational Studies (Guidance and Counselling) while on maternity leave. A

Diverse roles

few years later she was “thrilled to finally be working in the profession”.

“Now having worked continuously in the role for over five years, I have caught the study bug again,” Kim says. “I am presently working towards a Graduate Diploma in Psychological Studies, on the road to becoming a registered Psychologist.”

Passion for the role If there is another thing Bruce, Janet and Kim have in common, it’s an understanding of their strengths and an acknowledgement of the vital role they fulfill.

“Counselling with kids, and especially adolescents, is big time stuff as they are at such a vulnerable point in their lives,” Bruce says. “I see my role as so important, which is why I’ve been [here] for 13 years.

“The two things that are my greatest strengths are having had my own children and my experience working in early childhood. This can be handy because when adolescents are experiencing trauma they can tend to fall back into their childhood.”

Bruce describes his approach as “two pronged”. “I focus on re-instilling in kids their sense of connectedness and the other primary aspect of my role has to do with physiology and how they are looking after themselves – health, wellbeing, sleep, meditation and spirituality. If kids have people they can connect with in a crisis and if they are skilled in looking after themselves, they are setting themselves up for success at adulthood.”

Janet’s approach is inspired by her experience with Gestalt therapy. “Gestalt is about helping people to get in touch with emotion instead of just the brain.

I believe that if kids have a safe place to talk with a counsellor they can hear what they are saying, reflect and make changes in their lives.”

Other than the one-on-one work Janet does with students, a significant part of her role involves mediation with teenagers and parents.

“It’s about improving communication and getting them to understand each other’s position - for the students to start behaving in a safe way and for parents to start trusting them.

“Parents really appreciate having a school counsellor to work in partnership with, especially when they could otherwise be spending hundreds of dollars and having to wait for weeks for an appointment.”

Kim says the counselling role in both her part-time positions is predominantly based on developing social and emotional competencies.

“I love the roles in both of my schools,

though they are quite different. The primary role gives me a broad scope of psychometric assessments, a large focus on supporting students to access curriculum and a very close collaboration with the family unit.

It also provides an opportunity to facilitate wellbeing programs, run group counselling sessions, and consult with teachers on behavioural concerns.

“The secondary role has a strong focus on individual and group counselling.

There is less assessment and less contact with the family unit.

Challenging issues “I really enjoy counselling adolescent students and it is possibly my greatest strength – it is counselling in its ‘true form’.

The emotional concerns that students face in secondary school are often much more challenging. For some students the counsellor is the only significant adult who is willing to listen to them and help them to find a solution to their issues.”

With so much at stake it is little wonder that burn-out is a significant concern.

Bruce, Janet and Kim all work hard to ensure their own wellbeing is also catered for.

“Because of the confidentiality of the role, very few people know of the challenging issues we face on a daily basis,” Kim says. “If a teacher has a ‘thought-provoking’ day they can chat about it to their colleague or friends. In our role, confidentiality is paramount, so mentally processing some of our caseload can be difficult at times.”

Bruce says it is crucial to be able to regularly step away from the pressures of the job and he makes an effort to put into practice his own advice. For Bruce this is assisted by living 45 km from his workplace – keeping it at an arm’s length - and enjoying the drive there and back. This and having a clinical supervisor, with regular appointments paid for by the school, are “the most important things” for Bruce. “With these in place I can face everything else.”

Janet agrees it is crucial for school counsellors to have supervision, to help them monitor their own wellbeing.

“That’s how counsellors retain their optimism and positive outlook. It can get you down so you need to ensure you don’t get bogged down.”

For Bruce, Janet and Kim, perspective is paramount and to see the results of their labours is the greatest reward. Says Janet: “Most kids come through it. I see the counsellor’s role as a companion in the journey to help kids come through their issues well and achieve their full potential.”

Because of the confidentiality of the role, very few people know of the challenging issues we face on a daily basis.

independent education| issue 1|2012|25

Flip side of the

leadership fantasy Feel like you’re having your own, personal leadership crisis? Are you starting to suspect your efforts will be stymied more often than not?

According to Geoff Aigner from the Benevolent Society’s Social Leadership Australia, the answers to many a dilemma facing those in positions of authority can be found quite close to home. IE Journalist Tara de Boehmler reports.

26|independent education| issue 1|2012

Speaking with IE following the publication of his new book, Leadership Beyond Good Intentions, Geoff says the Benevolent Society takes an interest in leadership because of its role in helping to make progress in society.

“Leadership happens in every industry and at every level,” Geoff says. “And it is always for a social purpose – helping to make progress or positively impacting our society. Otherwise, it’s not leadership. It is something else.”

Geoff believes leadership is “more relevant in schools than anywhere else”, in that he sees leading as being able to bring people together to understand what they are facing and to develop solutions to their own issues.

Those working in schools have the opportunity to model compassionate leadership and embrace their own power, showing how it can serve a purpose, Geoff says.

“The people involved in turning points in my life were almost always teachers – and they were conscious of their own power. They allowed me to understand who I was, what I was trying to do and, really, to solve my own problems. This applies to teachers, teachers’ assistants, subject coordinators, principals, students, support staff and other stakeholders.”

But while leadership is undeniably important for achieving common good, the flip side for many in positions of authority is at least the occasional pang of uncertainty and frustration.

Leadership

In Leadership Beyond Good Intentions, Geoff writes that most attempts at change start with a “collusion” in a fantasy about leadership: “We fantasise that our problems will be solved by a mythical saviour or that we will be the saviour ourselves, sweeping away people’s problems to applause and thanks … it can be quite surprising that people are uncooperative or ungrateful.

Don’t they see the problem? Don’t they understand I am here to help? Didn’t you tell me to fix this?” (Aigner 2011) To avoid falling victim of a leadership fantasy, Geoff suggests looking within, to identify our own perceptions, then being clear about our purpose as we work out how the system we operate in can solve its own problems.

Common traps “It is a common problem for people who are trying to lead to have lost sight of what their purpose is,” Geoff says.

“They need to understand the difference between the role and the person – there’s an overlap but they are quite separate.

“People you come into contact with will interact with and reflect onto your role. So if you mix it up with your personal needs – if it becomes all about you – it becomes muddy.” Besides, as Geoff says, leadership is never a solo pursuit.

“It’s always about working with others”.

“In the work we do with communities, we are teaching people not to go in and be a hero, because heroes are generally short-lived and unsustainable for the systems one is trying to serve. Instead, we ask them to consider how one can go in and get the system to see the challenges it is facing. It can be easy to think that getting people to solve their own problems is abdicating, but it is not this at all. The role of the leader never abdicates responsibility.”

When looking for examples of effective leadership, Geoff says there are some synchronicities with the empowering and

nurturing role of child-raising.

“Allowing a system to work on its own problems does not mean you stop providing direction, protection and the maintaining of some kind of order in the system.”

The role stripped bare Breaking down the “impact and function” of authority can help bring us back to the core purpose of our roles and become a basis for exercising more useful leadership. Geoff lists these as: • getting people to pay attention or notice the issue • keeping them in the room – maintaining their attention and energy, and • directing resources to support the work required.

Differentiating the terms ‘authority’, ‘leader’ and ‘leadership’ can also be useful.

“We see authority as the power we have, informally or formally, whether at work, within our families or our communities. Leadership, meanwhile, is something we do, which is why we avoid using the word ‘leaders’.

“We do not believe there is a static thing called a leader. Exercising leadership is always a choice and it is always about doing. In fact, in many organisations the title of ‘leader’ is given to people who are not exercising any leadership.

“For most people in positions of authority, about 90% of their role is about fulfilling the functions of authority – eg providing protection, direction and order - and if they are lucky they will have 10% available to help systems adapt to change.”

Confronting perceptions In trying to facilitate any change, “there is going to be some disequilibrium and some push-back’, Geoff says. But when

people speak of effective and ineffective leaders, Geoff says he challenges them to explore what they mean.

“What we hear most often in the media is that ‘we need effective leadership here’. What they often mean by this is ‘I want someone else to solve the problem’. If we can make people aware that when this kind of language occurs it is the fantasy playing out, then we can bring them back to understanding the role of authority, what we are trying to achieve and our purpose – and see if we can exercise leadership from it.

“This is what I like about working with people in school systems. They are generally positive about authority – much more than any other system – and they understand that power is useful.”

Reflection questions • Think about the adaptive challenges you face in your work.

What happens when you think about them in terms of what the system needs to learn rather than what needs to change?

• How do you get seduced into doing the work for others? Is there a particular role that is easy for you to slip into that you keep on playing?

• What would it mean for you to let go of that role? What might you gain? What might you lose?

Geoff Aigner’s ‘Leadership Beyond Good Intentions: What it really takes to make a difference’ was published in 2011 by Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest NSW.

independent education| issue 1|2012|27

Professional development at your fingertips

When the bell goes at the end of the day sometimes the last thing you want to do is battle traffic and distance to get to a professional development course, writes IEU Professional Development Officer Amy Cotton.

There’s also a good chance that a course conflicts with your extra-curricula commitments, family responsibilities or when you mark assessments and plan lessons.

This is why the growing availability of online learning opportunities is exciting for teachers.

Now you can proceed with learning at your own pace, tailoring your professional development (PD) to your needs. As long as you have a good internet connection, you can access a vibrant international learning community.

Teachers are increasingly becoming truly global citizens as the lines between countries and states become irrelevant next to the question of how do we best educate our students? Never before has it been so easy to learn about methods tried by teachers in the next city, state or country. You can even do it in your pyjamas.

Finding quality online PD What should you look for in good online PD? Start with the reputation of the provider. If it’s a specific topic such as additional needs, go to the expert group first. Always read the ‘About us’ section of any provider’s webpage. Ensure that the provider’s motivations match your philosophies. While we all love a free course, if the provider is promoting a particular agenda that doesn’t match your beliefs, the PD might be an uncomfortable experience for you.

Also check the track record of the provider in professional development. Are they

28|independent education| issue 1|2012

recognised in their field? Do the course writers have any experience teaching in schools with a similar context to your own? Check the tutors’ biographies and don’t be afraid to ask questions of the provider – eg, is this course suitable for me? If they can’t answer with some level of engagement to you personally, think carefully before investing your time (and money).

What to look for: • grants from government departments, and • endorsement from a teacher institute or college that operates under professional teaching standards (such as the Victorian Institute of Teaching or NSW Institute of Teachers).

If the provider has something like the above, their ability to deliver courses effectively as well as their purpose has been scrutinised.

This doesn’t preclude them from being a commercial enterprise, but it is another way to distinguish those that are serious about their interest topic. Always make sure to read any limitation of endorsement carefully – some providers are endorsed for specific topics/ courses and not others.

Spend time reading testimonials or online chatter about the provider. Use a search engine to search for testimonials not published by the provider. But take everything with a pinch of salt – no course is going to satisfy every participant.

Technology

What’s available online?

This is just a taste of the types of professional development available online.

Note that the following providers are mentioned as examples to guide the reader and not as a recommendation.

• Traditional information plus short question format – not moderated by a tutor (may be electronically marked).

• The Australian Communication and Media Authority – Offer both PD and teachers’, students’ and parents’ resources through their Cybersmart initiative They have interactive simulations of social media websites that illuminate the impact of online bullying (cybersmart.gov.au). Free.

• Cricket NSW – The course Introduction to Cricket looks at games and movements appropriate to different stages. (cricketnsw.com.au). Free.

• Pod and vodcasts – Usually by public broadcasters or passionate educators/topic specialists. The quality ranges between superbly produced public broadcast offerings to kitchen-table discussions between enthusiasts. Both ends of the spectrum have their merits as enthusiasm can outshine sheer funding. These are mostly free, but some are subscription fee-based.

• TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) – A non-profit group that invites experts to talk about their field, their work and their lives (ted.com). The vodcasts are free and distributed under Creative Commons, so feel free to use these in your classroom (after citing the source, of course).

• EdPod – The ABC presents a monthly exploration of education issues from early childhood to the end of secondary school (abc.net.au/radionational/ programs/edpod). Free.

• Social media, eg Twitter and Facebook – Teachers and associations use these forums to build a base of followers. They use the mediums to drip feed fresh links to web resources, draw attention to interesting news articles/broadcasts and promote events through short messages to their colleagues.

It’s definitely a way of staying at the cutting edge of innovation and to quickly share things you have found useful to an international group of like minded people. Completely free PD. • IEU’s Facebook page – Keep up to date with IEU’s news, resources and campaigns (facebook.com/ ieunswact) and (facebook.com/ieuaqnt). Free.

• Resource sharing sites – These are membership only groups. You upload your resources into a communal pool and are able to download other teachers’

resources in return. These communities focus on the principle of sharing rather than critiquing. If you’re looking for inspiration regarding how to teach a particular topic, these websites are extremely useful.

Membership is usually an annual association fee.

• Primary Teachers’ Network – An Australian association developed specifically to assist member teachers share information, resources and professional development opportunities. Teachers are encouraged to develop a network with other K-6 teachers. It is focused on pedagogy rather than a specific KLA. (ptn.org.au). Fees associated.

• Open resource groups – These are groups that create resources for teachers. They are usually driven by a philanthropic aim.

• Annenberg Learner – An American philanthropist group aimed at advancing teaching excellence in US schools, but we can access it as well. It has a mix of resources to use in classrooms, videos of expert teachers both in their classrooms and explaining their methodologies, and courses designed specifically for teachers. It covers a very broad range of topics (learner.org) Free online, print copies at cost.

• Edutopia – Part of the George Lucas Foundation dedicated to disseminating innovative, replicable and evidence-based teaching strategies. It includes many videos of education researchers and expert teachers as well as strategies to implement in your classroom (edutopia.org). Free.

• Long and short courses monitored and assessed by a tutor – Universities and other providers are starting to pay attention to the market of online learners.

Fees are usually associated with any tutor-run course. University of Newcastle provides online award courses. (newcastle.edu.au). Fee-based and may lead to a qualification.

• Wide World, Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education – Offers tutor-led professional development for teachers (wideworld.harvard.edu).

Courses do not necessarily lead to a qualification.

Fee-based.

• University of Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education – runs online courses on a range of subject topics and disciplines (www.conted.ox.ac. uk). Courses do not necessarily lead to a qualification.

Fee-based.

independent education| issue 1|2012|29

Legal

Discord in

harmonisation process The Federal Government’s objective of delivering national harmonised workplace health and safety laws is in danger of not being fully realised, writes IEU VICTAS OHS Officer Brian Martin.

Historically, all states and territories and the Commonwealth have been responsible for making and enforcing their own work health and safety laws.

This was set to change from January, when workplace health and safety laws were to be harmonised across Australia.

Prior to this latest attempt, there have been a number of on again, off again attempts to achieve a higher level of consistency of safety laws across Australia.

Perhaps most successful was the development of national standards and codes of practice.

However it seems the ideal of one set of safety laws and codes applying across borders may be a bridge too far.

Law firm CCH Australia reports that since January only 58% of workers around the country are covered by the harmonised laws.

At present only the Commonwealth, ACT, NSW, Northern Territory and Queensland have passed the legislation.

Although South Australia was the first state jurisdiction to introduce the bill to its parliament, it has deferred implementation

based on concerns that the new laws would disproportionately affect the cost of housing.

Likewise, Tasmania had at first voted to implement its Work Health and Safety Bill 2011 from January, but has delayed action.

Victoria and Western Australia remain the only jurisdictions that have not yet introduced a version of the Work Health and Safety Bill to parliament and they remain unlikely to do so for some time.

In most state jurisdictions, the election of the health and safety representatives, maintaining the right of safety reps to issue provisional improvement notices and direct that work cease, along with changes to how health and safety committees operate, will no doubt present some new challenges.

The right of workers to be protected from injury at work, to be consulted on matters essential to safety management in the workplace and to have a voice through their elected safety representatives are basic features of a modern, democratic workplace.

After years of inconsistency around the nation, these are at the very least what harmonisation should deliver.

The right of workers to be protected from injury at work are basic features of a modern, democratic workplace.

30|independent education| issue 1|2012

Opinion

Diary Information Communication Technology Educators of NSW Computing and ICT in the Highlands Saturday 5 May, 9am to 5pm and Sunday 6 May, 9am to 12.30pm Venue: The Hermitage, Old South Road, Mittagong Audience: Primary and secondary teachers Cost: Members $200 per person, nonmembers $250 per person Note: A $100 deposit is required with application Cost includes accommodation (Friday and Saturday nights) and all meals.

Registration closes: Monday 9 April Event Contact: Glenda Johnstone Email: glenda.johnstone48@gmail.com Web: http://ictensw.org.au for application form and information.

Australian Council for Health Physical Education and Recreation (NSW) K-6 PDHPE and Sport Conference Wednesday 30 May, 8.30am - 4.00pm Venue: Warilla North Public School, 30 Oldfield St Warilla Audience: Primary teachers Target Group: K-6 KLA: PDHPE Places available: 100 Registration closes: Wednesday 23 May Cost: Member $180 Non Member $250, Student/concession $50 Event contact: Julie Percival Phone: 02 95728602 Fax: 02 9572 8603 Email: achpernsw@achper.com.au Web: www.achpernsw.com.au, registration forms and information IEU Teach Survive Thrive Conference For teachers in their early career years exploring inclusive teaching, ICT innovation, accreditation and more.

Mercure Hotel, Sydney, Friday, 4 May, 8.30am-3.30pm.

IEU We Connect – Educators Online Conference including gaming in the classroom, online assessment, cybersafety, special needs, Scootle and many other ICT-related topics. Friday, 22 June, Mercure Hotel, Sydney, 8.30am-3.30pm.

IEU Women’s Conference with the theme ‘Women at Work - supporting, strengthening, sustaining’ and including a comprehensive agenda of speakers and workshops. Mercure Hotel, Friday, 17 August, 8.30am – 3.30pm.

For further details on all IEU conferences contact Iva Coric on (02) 9779 3200 or email iva@ieu.asn.au.

Letters to the editor We’re happy teaching in an open plan learning space We are writing in response to the article by Gregg Chapman, ‘Can too much open space make us deaf’ (IE V.41 #3 2011 p13). We teach in the 197 student learning space mentioned in the introduction to the article and would question the lack of relevant or substantiated evidence provided by the author.

The reference cited by Chapman (Tao Jiang 1997) referred to a case study of a physical education teacher who worked for 27 years in a school gymnasium in the United States, who was also a regular hockey coach.

To use this evidence to support the proposition that open learning spaces have any higher risks than regular classrooms is grossly misleading.

Chapman cites his own experience of open classrooms but does not indicate when or where he experienced these spaces. Nor does he indicate any studies or auditory assessment of these spaces. He does not substantiate his belief that “without exception, all have posed serious, permanent, irreversible hearing risks to both students and staff”.

As teachers and leaders currently teaching within a large open plan learning space, our experience has been very positive. Our space cannot be compared with a gymnasium. It

is well-designed learning spaces with effective acoustic insulation, positive classroom management and most importantly, good pedagogy, which has meant, for us that classroom noise has not been a major issue.

There are times throughout the day when you could hear a pin drop in our space, which now accommodates over 202 children and 12 staff. At other times of the day there is more noise as children engage in their small group or large group activities, but it is managed well within the space, just as effective classroom teachers have been doing for many years in their smaller traditional classrooms.

There are also breakout areas and sound-proofed studios to accommodate noisier activities like music. Most notably, the children have adapted well to the spaces and have learned to be accommodating of their peers.

We would like to take the opportunity to invite Gregg Chapman to observe our space to gain an insight into the way open plan spaces are designed and utilised in the 21st Century.

Louise O’Donnell, Mary Jo Mason, Amanda Bentley and Kerry Power St Monica’s Primary, North Parramatta

Background noise compromises learning I agree with psychologist Gregg Chapman who wrote in the last edition (IE V.41 #3 2011 p13) about the issue of noise in open space learning environments. My recent experience of open space learning in a medium size primary school supports Greg’s concerns regarding OHS health risks.

I certainly saw that instructions, stories and conferencing were all compromised due to background noise levels. I observed students looking for quiet places to avoid the whole area noise, sometimes putting themselves into corners to concentrate. Too many students were unable to focus on their learning tasks.

I observed that children who would normally enjoy singing, for example, seemed to find it very disconcerting to have an entire school as their audience all of the time. They were self-conscious and other class programs were definitely disrupted, and this also adding to the noise problem.

I must add that I have yet to read any convincing evidence that open schools, operating under these kinds of stressors, are attaining higher educational outcomes over conventional classroom environments.

IEU Member Name withheld independent education| issue 1|2012|31

Can teachers ever live up to parental expectations?

Need to share goals Greg Lane, Principal of Sacred Heart Primary School, Mildura Probably not!

Unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world and parental expectations vary enormously.

Where do such expectations come from? From parents’ own personal historic experiences, data sets for individual children and school performance, faceless experts, bureaucrats, politicians, media analysts, socalled commentators, allied professionals, car park gossip and, let’s not forget, from full and open discussions with teachers actually involved in the children’s education.

The last would seem to be the most reasonable source but would probably be, in reality, the least sought. Regular, constructive, thorough, informed, frank, affirming, respectful communication between parents and teachers based on shared knowledge, understandings, hopes, dreams, possibilities and supports would more readily align expectations between teachers and parents.

These could be and should be both informal and formal.

Good teachers not only draw on the focused time spent with each child on individualised learning pathways to establish possible expectations, but also on the plethora of data now extracted on every child relating to such things as standards, growth points, effect sizes, scale scores, rankings and percentiles.

As teachers we need to reclaim our profession and its standing in the community and indeed in our culture. Through the sharing of explicit knowledge on individual children, their specific learning needs, curriculum content, pertinent teaching methodologies and so on, and working in partnership with parents, we might achieve shared goals and then expectations would become relevant and realistic.

Need to align philosophies Melanie Roberts, mother of two, Melbourne, Victoria

I am the mother of two daughters, one who has just started Year One in an independent school in north-eastern Melbourne.

All parents have different expectations of schooling and of teachers. I have always expected that I am part of a team with the school and teachers and that my child’s education will happen with input from me.

I appreciate feedback and I have high expectations that I will be kept informed of how my daughter is going. I expect that my daughter’s teachers will take the time to try and understand her as she does present differently to a typically developing child. I have high expectations.

In prep, my daughter’s teachers were amazing. This was due to fantastic communication, from brief comments in the morning or at pick-up, detailed and current on-line reporting and regular prep newsletters emailed to us.

There were also so many opportunities to

32|independent education| issue 1|2012

become involved in the classroom, including reading, weekly swimming, participating in bush discovery and excursions. We had regular scheduled times for sharing and planning goals and the teachers were always available to discuss anything.

I would say that the Prep teachers have certainly lived up to my expectations.

However, I do know of other parents in my daughter’s class who have been disappointed with their experience of prep, but it is a school with a unique philosophy.

It would be extremely difficult for a teacher to meet the expectations of a parent if the philosophy of the school did not align with that of the parent. To us, this was probably the most important criteria when selecting a school for our children and we have not been disappointed.

Talking point

All in a day’s work John Iverson, High School Teacher Mount Carmel Catholic High School, NSW

I have noticed that parents can be loosely divided into three groups: • those who are not interested at all in their child’s performance at school • those who actively participate when it is warranted, and • parents who are overly ambitious for their child to excel.

The first set of parents are easy to please since they have no expectations of the teacher except to keep their child safe during school hours.

Most parents seem to fall into the second category. They want the best the school/teacher can provide for their child but are aware of the limitations of teachers as individuals and schools in general.

These parents expect that their child and the teacher are trying their best every day. If they are not, the parent expects to be

communicated with and a strategy/ solution agreed to.

Thankfully, the last group of parents is the smallest. Some parents appear to be either unaware of or unconcerned with the needs of other students.

This group of parents sets the bar higher and although it can be met by teachers from time to time, it takes a lot of time to do so and we have precious little of it.

There will always be parents whose expectations require an extraordinary effort that simply cannot be sustained.

For the most part, it is ‘all in a day’s work’ and experienced teachers meet the expectations of most parents.

Quite simply they want teachers to provide enriching learning experiences for their children in a safe environment and to communicate (prior to report time) when there is a problem with their child.

Let’s keep talking Stella Korlaki, Primary School Teacher, Xavier Catholic College, Hervey Bay, Qld

Initially when I was posed with this question, I thought it was a bit controversial.

However, when I thought about it and spoke to a couple of my colleagues about this topic, I realised that the answer was clear to me.

Yes! Teachers can, and mostly do, live up to parental expectations.

I’ve taught all primary year levels and the parental expectations do change according to the age of their children. However, I feel that the key component in living up to parental expectations is good communication.

Often a parent with their eldest child starting Prep will have unrealistic expectations, but that may just be because they are relying on what they remember and experienced 25 or more years ago, when they were at primary school. As the year progresses, with good communication, their expectations become more realistic.

It’s up to us, as teachers, to ensure there is clear, professional communication so that

parents are well aware and informed of what’s going on in the school community, as well as their child’s classroom.

If the communication is open and maintained throughout a school year then I find parents’ expectations continue to be realistic and well informed.

Unfortunately there can be a few parents who do have unrealistic expectations, and sometimes they are the most vocal. Often these misconceptions can be easily cleared up with contact made by the teacher or school so that the parents’ voice can be heard.

If teachers ignore parental concerns then issues may arise. It’s our role as professionals to ensure that lines of communication stay open.

Both teachers and parents care enormously about the needs of the child, and working together expectations can be achieved. independent education| issue 1|2012|33

Reviews

Everyone’s a critic The role of the film critic around the world has been undergoing a great deal of scrutiny.

What do they do, what is their function, how knowledgeable do they need to be, and are they needed?

The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) is concerned about how few film critics are paid, and the related rise in film review blogs, on-line film comments and social networking of people’s film reactions.

How valid is all this, and is there a role for a professional film critic?

Film criticism began with the birth of the movies in 1895, when some film commentators dismissed the Lumiere Brothers groundbreaking demonstration of the moving picture as a fad.

Since then, the film critic has been an integral arm of the movie industry, acting as a promoter of film releases, while at the same time reviewing the worth of the film’s story and visuals.

A distinction needs to be made between a film reviewer and a film critic (although the terms are often interchangeable). The former speaks to an audience who have not seen the film, so never reveal too much of the plot, while the latter speaks to an audience who have seen the film, with a detailed analysis of plot, genre, style, meaning, subtext, etc.

There is no formal training for film critics, but many have a strong media/film background and have journalistic skills. Film is an art form that requires a good understanding of film history, social context and film meaning. There is a whole art to semiotics, the study of film culture, shot selection, and sequencing (mise en scene).

Of course, the bottom line of any film review is a well-argued opinion, with many people following the views of particular critics that adhere to their own thinking. Many films divide critics while others achieve almost unanimous

34|independent education| issue 1|2012

acclaim or denigration. Some examples include: The Wizard of Oz (1939), which at time of release sharply divided film critics, with some dismissing the film as a slight children’s fantasy, while others commented on the richness of the narrative and stylish film-making and use of monochrome and colour.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), drew sharp comments from some film critics who failed to find any coherent meaning in the film, while others saw the visionary space and life commentary inherent in the challenging visual style.

Easy Rider (1969), was vilified as pandering to rebellious young people, while others commented on the revisionist Hollywood values that were being questioned by the tone of the film.

Currently, the Australian film A Few Best Men (2011) is dividing film critics, with some enjoying the broad humour, while others are vilifying it for its base scatology. The Tree of Life (2010) contrasts negative comments about the pomposity of the film-making style with the magnificence of its humanistic vision. The Artist (2011), arguably one of the best films never made by Hollywood (a French studio produced it) serves as a delightful homage to the silent cinema, which some critics dismiss as pretentious and irrelevant. Ah, film critics, what would we do without them?

Peter Krausz is Chair of the Australian Film Critics Association (www.afca.org.au), film festival advisor and film critic and film journalist on various radio stations, websites and in print.

For feedback and suggestions please email him on: peterkrausz8@gmail.com.

Fair funding for all Fair funding for all Australian schools Australian schools David Gonski’s report on school funding is out and now it’s time to have your say.

The Independent Education Union of Australia urges all members and non government education stakeholders to participate in the Federal Government’s community consultation process at: The Federal Government’s school funding website http://www.schoolfunding.gov.au/node/11 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/YourSchoolOurFuture Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/OurSchoolFuture Public forums http://www.schoolfunding.gov.au/event/school-funding-forum Its time to call on federal, state and territory governments to: •

work together to agree on national funding framework

•

commit to the extra funds necessary to keep current levels of spending (appropriately indexed)

•

boost funding for the most disadvantaged.

Join the IEUA funding campaign A Fair Go For All at http://educationforall.com.au/ This is your chance to contribute to the implementation of a new funding model, for all schools, which can finally end the public/private divide.

Nothing less than the future of non government schooling is at stake.

www.ngssuper.com.au 1300 133 177

Starting your teaching career?

Then why not go with an award-winning Fund dedicated to your sector?

NGS Super is the Industry SuperFund dedicated to education and communityfocused organisations. Recently named in the top 10 super funds in Australia for 2012*, NGS Super’s products and services are among the best in the country! * SuperRatings

Low fees Run only to benefit members No commissions

Issued by NGS Super Pty Limited ABN 46 003 491 487 AFSL No 233 154 the Trustee of NGS Super ABN 73 549 180 515