4 minute read
DEPUTY’S DESK
Embracing the new normal
There have been many silver linings to the enforced remote learning experience, one being the shift in how we prioritise an approach to professional learning that truly meets the immediate needs of our students and our teachers.
Advertisement
BY ADAM MAJSAY
THE months seem to have flown by since Australian schools were compelled by force majeure to find new ways to deliver teaching and learning to our almost four million school-aged students, essentially overnight. The shift from face-to-face teaching with digital platforms as, largely, an adjunct to the ‘real business’ of teach ing students in a physical classroom, to an environment in which online engagement provided the c ore means of connection between teachers and students, occurred at a rate and scale that required educators to dive into the deep end, with eyes wide open, and (to extend the metaphor even further) to sink, or swim. Six months on, it appears that teaching is a remarkably buoyant profession. The need to respond to unprecedented times has resulted in unprecedented acceleration of professional growth and development for Australian teachers, espe cially in terms of how we have embraced digital t echnologies as a core driver of student learning. The period of remote learning forced us to acceler ate our adoption of digital learning technologies as schools moved rapidly to provide an authentic means of connecting with our students and each other. Many schools achieved in a matter of weeks what might have taken many years to embed under the usual circumstances, against the usual competing priorities. However, these were not the
usual times, and, simply put, teachers didn’t have any other choice. positive change for school education, as we have embraced digital transformation, shifted to ondemand models of professional learning, uncovered previously untapped resources within our staff teams, and demonstrated that we have the capacity to exercise considerable flexibility and adaptability in our practice as we reimagined how schools function and how learning happens for students and for teachers.
Often, professional learning sessions designed to support teachers in implementing new technologies have been scattered throughout a school year, in hour-long blocks during startof-term staff development days or in afternoon staff meetin gs. Such staff training may be led by passionate and committed IT leaders or volunteer t eams of digital ‘early adopters’ keen to share the innovative approaches that have worked for them in their classrooms. However, when such teacher training moments are not part of a continuum of professional learning, when they are not clearly linked to observable and legitimate educational needs, and when the human resources required to enable ongoing support to teachers as they grapple with new edu-tech, the impact of such training is often diluted against the usual competing priorities of school life.
The adage that ‘a burden shared is a burden halved’ rings true when reflecting on this time. As schools settled into their model of remote learn ing, and as leaders adapted our available professional learning time to ensure that we focused on w hat was essential for teachers to learn so that they were immediately equipped to support the learning of their students, we benefited from the breadth of expertise within our school communi -
ties. Our staff meetings, no doubt delivered via video conferencing tool, were transformed into on-demand professional learning programs, with multiple simultaneous breakout rooms hosting teachers sharing their technology tips and tricks with other teachers. Though there was much for us to learn, the responsibility for our learning was widely distributed. Our collective know-how was shared more freely than ever before, and we all grew in skill and confidence, knowing that, though we were each furiously paddling to stay afloat, we were not alone in the water.
As many of Australia’s schools returned to a sem blance of business as usual mid-year, education r esearcher and advisor, Simon Breakspear spoke of the need to avoid a ‘snapback’ to the way we
have always operated. Considering our time navigating uncharted waters gives us an opportunity t o not only reflect on the key takeaways this time has offered, but also to allow this shared learning moment to precipitate a process of renewal for teachers and educational leaders, both in the ways we teach and, importantly, in the ways we learn.
There will always be a place for professional learn ing that addresses school-based and compliance-oriented priorities. However, the unique demands of this year have required us to pare back much of what we do in schools to what is truly essential and to reconsider how we spend the precious time that we have available. Perhaps, in such a pared-back environment, we would priori tise an approach to professional learning that
meets the immediate needs of our students and our teachers, in the moment. Perhaps we would ensure that we continue to benefit from inviting
the experience and expert voices of our colleagues around us to inform the professional learning conversation. Perhaps we would design professional learnin g programs that draw on our teachers’ understanding of their individual learning needs, of where they need to help to grow, and of how they best receive that help. It is time for us to embrace such a transformation in teacher profes sional learning, and to move ahead with the many positi ves we have gained in this ‘new normal’.
ADAM IS DEPUTY PRINCIPAL (TEACHING & LEARNING) K‑12 AT EMANUEL SCHOOL IN SYDNEY.
