Education Review - Aug 2013

ISSUE 6 SEPTEMBER 2013

Assignment of a lifetime

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contents EDITOR

NEWS

Antonia Maiolo 02 9936 8618 antonia.maiolo@apned.com.au

04 Australia slips in rankings Goal of reaching world’s top 5 by 2025 unlikely

JOURNALIST Aileen Macalintal aileen.macalintal@apned.com.au

05 Rebalancing act

Calls for better Asia literacy

PRODUCTION MANAGER Cj Malgo 02 9936 8772 cj.malgo@apned.com.au

SUBEDITOR Haki P. Crisden 02 9936 8643 subeditor@apned.com.au

08 NSW’s 3 strikes policy

05

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Underperforming teachers face dismissal

10 Teach for Australia to return Controversial program will probably be renewed

SALES Donna Scott 02 9936 8673 donna.scott@apned.com.au

INDUSTRY & POLICY

Luke Bear 02 9936 8703 luke.bear@apned.com.au

12 Great class size debate What is the optimum number?

Sam Pritchard 02 9936 8622 sam.pritchard@apned.com.au

16 Hope and strength

Thomas Korner 02 99368668 thomas.korner@apned.com.au

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Tracking education’s ultimate outcomes

IN THE CLASSROOM 22 Gear up for success

Schoolboys gain from new gym, increased play

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24 Playtime works

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28 A winning design

Chelsea Ostini and students in Uganda

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Inner-city Qld school’s renovation earns praise

COMMUNITY FOCUS 31 Helping educate Uganda’s children Aussies work to break poverty cycle

WORKFORCE 33 Mastering the curriculum Course helps secondary teachers stay up to date

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Australian high schoolers slip in world rankings ACER report shows declining reading levels for 15-year-olds, wider gap between rich and poor. By Antonia Maiolo

A

study has shown a slip in the performance levels of Australian high school students compared with the rest of the world, reinforcing doubts that the nation will achieve the goal of reaching the top five in education by 2025.

The analysis by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) also showed an overall decline in the reading and mathematics achievement of students in middle school, whilst highlighting a growing gap between the richest and poorest high schools in the country.

In addition, it cited a variation in the falling reading levels of Australian 15-year-olds, with greater declines in the ACT, NSW, South Australia and Tasmania than in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Victoria and Queensland.

However, it did reveal a small

improvement in Year 4 mathematics levels since 1994 and a slight improvement in Year 3 reading levels from 2000 to 2012.

The Measure for Measure report also examined Australia’s performance over time in several international surveys, such as the Programme for International Student Achievement, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, as well as NAPLAN sample surveys.

The data showed that Chile, Germany, Hungary, Korea, Poland and Portugal had demonstrated big improvements, whilst the majority of the other OECD nations remained fairly stable.

ACER CEO professor Geoff Masters said rather than focus on international rankings, Australia should relate these changes in achievement to developments in policy, practice and context that took place in the preceding years.

“Analyses like Measure for Measure are vital if we are to better understand changes in the achievement levels of Australian students,” Masters said.

In reading, for example, he said the

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report identified a need to understand what some education systems were doing that made them more effective.

Masters also said the report emphasised school funding reform as a crucial issue, given the evidence showing that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were likely to have lower achievement.

Australian Scholarships Group (ASG) CEO John Velegrinis said ACER’s research again underlined the need for a new funding system.

“No child should be disadvantaged,” Velegrinis said. “Parents should be able to feel confident that their child’s school receives sufficient funding to meet their child’s needs.” He said a recent survey by ASG further proved the need to invest in education, to ensure the decline in Australian standards did not continue.

But Velegrinis also said investment in education should not be just in financial terms. “We need to make sure we are valuing our teachers and supporting them,” he said. “Teachers are on the front line and can greatly influence a student’s achievement.” n

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Rebalancing act Educators discuss how to get more emphasis on Asia into the Australian curriculum.

By Aileen Macalintal

A

ustralia’s current interest in Asia did not come overnight. In fact, Australia has gone through many different phases of interest in the continent to its north.

Dr Ross Tapsell, lecturer in Asian studies at the Australian National University, says Australia has long considered Asia important, but the focus merges and submerges every now and then.

Right now, interest is definitely on the upswing.

“It started, you could say, as early as the 1970s,” Tapsell says. “And then it dropped off and came up again in the ‘90s, and then it dropped off and now here we are again saying Asia is important.”

The resurfacing of such attention on the region has come after research and studies following Asia’s changing economic landscape. Policymakers are seeing the advantage of Asian studies in higher education and Asia literacy at the grassroots – in schools.

That new focus is going to require some changes.

“The problem is there’s not a deep knowledge of Asia amongst many Australian teachers,” Tapsell says. “Most of them have been brought up learning about Europe, and most of them then fall back on the knowledge that they already have because it’s difficult to find time to undertake new knowledge of countries that teachers don’t know very well.

“So we need to retrain teachers so they have a better understanding of the issues that affect Asia. And it’s important to have a deep understanding, not just a superficial understanding,” he says.

In the national study Asia Literacy and the Australian Teaching Workforce, a team of researchers investigated the key elements teachers and principals need to educationreview.com.au | 5

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deliver the Asia literacy components of the Australian curriculum.

Professor Christine Halse, from Deakin University’s school of education, led the report, which was the largest ever study of Asia literacy among teachers and principals.

Halse says the study produced the first robust, reliable measure for assessing Asia literacy levels across the teaching workforce and determining how to raise them.

“An Asia-literate teaching workforce hinges on continuous, high-level tertiary study and professional learning, including direct professional and cultural experience of Asia through exchange, travel and study programs,” she says. “Or, put another way, two key enablers for the teaching of languages and studies of Asia in schools is time spent in Asia and tertiary study followed up by professional development.”

“Ultimately [for teachers and principals], the key benefit of teaching and learning about Asia was to build an appreciation for and connection with culturally diverse peoples and to create a more tolerant and successful Australia,” she says.

At a broader level, she adds, principals and teachers also see Asia literacy as necessary for building students’ competence as globally smart citizens able to operate effectively and successfully in a global world.

ANU’s Tapsell also agreed that direct experience is necessary.

In universities, “we are trying to get more Australian students talking to students in Asia, and we want more students spending time in Asia,” he says. “If we’re going to do it well, then we need to get teachers the direct experience of Asia. We can’t just expect teachers to suddenly be Asia experts overnight. We need to provide them with the training, professional learning and deeper understanding. This takes connections with Asia, as well as retraining either professionally or scholarly – at the university.”

He also says the Education Department needs to give teachers incentives to retrain in Asian studies.

CALL FOR A BROADER VIEW

University of Sydney South-East Asian studies professor Adrian Vickers shared another view: “I’m afraid that some people have a much narrower view of Asian literacy, that it’s just about understanding economics or politics, but I think you really do need to have that deep cultural knowledge from traditional to modern/ contemporary culture.”

In teaching history, he elaborated, most educators would focus on Hitler or Stalin. But for Australia to get a global perspective, a lesson in world history might include the Japanese expansion into Asia in the 1940s and its huge impact on Asian countries.

NOTHING LIKE BEING THERE “I think it’s really hard to get that importance Asia Education Foundation executive director across – just from that example. When World Kathe Kirby says, “It’s vital that we establish a And where War 2 in our region is taught, it is mainly about contemporary evidence base to support the does Asia start?

Australian military involvement in WW2 and not development of Asia literacy in Australian schools.”

Do we include what is happening in Japan, what is happening in She says it’s important to know what attributes are required of a teacher and a school leader to be Afghanistan and China, what is happening in South-East China,” says Vickers, who is also the director of the University of Asia literate.

Pakistan? Maybe Sydney’s Asian studies program and the Australian The Australian curriculum has traditionally Centre for Asian Art and Archaeology. been Eurocentric, she says, “reflecting Australia’s it’s a defective “If you want really good Asian literacy, then you heritage, rather than its current and future reality”. definition of Asia would integrate an Asian element in all aspects of “Our students still study very little about the that makes this a the curriculum. So if you’re teaching art, you’d be literature, arts, histories and geographies of the talking about Asian art as much as you are talking Asian region. A study undertaken by the Australian tricky question. about Picasso. And I think this is really the issue Council of Educational Research in 2009 indicated that the Deakin report is raising. You know, do we that only a minority of Year 12 students were actually have teachers trained for this?” learning anything at all about Asia and that the A holiday in Bali, he says, might give the many main reason for this was teacher choice of subject Australians who go there annually a lot of ideas material.” about Hinduism and Balinese culture, “but by Throughout the new Australian curriculum, the just going there, you don’t necessarily learn goal is to rebalance this Eurocentrism with a priority about that. It’s really good that we have as much on Asia. Kirby says, “[Educators of teachers] need to exposure to Asian conditions as possible, but it review their course offerings to ensure that they are would still be a matter of setting up programs in equipping the education workforce to deliver on all countries – visit galleries, spend time in the art aspects of the Australian curriculum.” school there, meet artists.

The Asia Education Foundation has sent more “You need to set that up in a very organised than 3000 Australian school educators to Asia on program and a lot of work and funding would be required.” exchanges and travel programs.

Then there’s the question of what to include and exclude.

“Evaluations indicate that direct experience expands educators’ Tapsell and Vickers both say this is an interesting and world views and knowledge of contemporary Asia and provides important problem. them with ongoing networks and resources to enrich their school “When Asia is mentioned in the white paper, they first of all think curriculum,” Kirby explains. of China and then maybe India and then maybe South-East Asia,” One of the recommendations of the Deakin report is Vickers says. He adds that Indonesia is also quite prominent in that “provision be made for teachers and principals to have Asian discourses in Australia – but what about some other places? opportunities for direct experience of Asia through exchange, “People are kind of forgetting about Thailand, there’s a little bit travel and study programs”. of focus on Vietnam, and the Philippines hardly gets a look in.

Kirby concurs. “One of the most effective ways to engage the “And where does Asia start?” he asks. “Do we include interest of teachers and principals in Asia is to take them there,” Afghanistan and Pakistan?” Maybe it’s a defective definition of Asia she says. “This direct experience smashes often outmoded that makes this a tricky question, he says. stereotypes. It provides opportunities to meet and connect Indeed, with all these grey areas, more research and with peers in Asia and develop opportunities for our students consultation is necessary. n to collaborate.”

6 | educationreview.com.au

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NSW gives teachers ‘three strikes’ Streamlined dismissal plan, more support for teachers on the way. By Aileen Macalintal

I

f a government school teacher in NSW fails to meet standards three times, a principal may initiate action that could lead to dismissal under a new policy.

The three strikes rule is part of the NSW Government’s $155 million plan to support and improve schools.

8 | educationreview.com.au

NSW minister for education Adrian Piccoli said principals would have stronger powers to manage the classroom performance of teachers and a quicker means of removing those not meeting standards.

"NSW has a great public education system, and the NSW Liberal and National government is committed to making it even better by giving principals more authority to manage the very small number of teachers who are underperforming," Piccoli said.

He said the changes were amongst the many initiatives developed from the NSW

Government's Great Teaching, Inspired Learning (GTIL) blueprint, which contains one of the most comprehensive sets of reforms to improve teaching quality ever proposed in Australia.

STRIKE THREE

One of the key reforms the GTIL framework mentions is simplifying existing performance management processes.

Under the new policy, a teacher still found unable to meet standards after a third ruling could be referred to an

news

had their accreditation withdrawn on the grounds of failure to maintain the standards," it reads.

TEACHERS’ AID

employment performance director and subject to further action, which could include dismissal. This process is designed to reduce the amount of time it takes to resolve underperformance issues.

Under the current guidelines, dealing with underperforming teachers takes too long, the GTIL blueprint stated. “Although some teachers who have not achieved professional competence in the prescribed period [three years for full-time teachers and five for part-time or casual] have lost their right to teach, no [teachers] have

The GTIL blueprint also highlights the importance of supporting teachers in efforts to achieve quality education.

“Teaching is the single-most important in-school influence on student performance,” Piccoli said. “By attracting the best people into teaching degrees and better supporting them once they enter the classroom, we will continue to lead educational performance in Australia and improve our standing internationally.”

He said from next year all permanent beginning teachers in NSW government schools will have two hours a week of release time to support their development in their first year. These teachers will also have access to an experienced peer who will be given one hour a week release time to provide mentoring and support.

“Teachers will also be provided with one hour a week in their second year,” Piccoli said. “It is vital that our new teachers are helped to develop their classroom practice and deal with a wide range of real-life school situations.”

The report stated, "Professional support will be provided to develop annual teacher performance reviews. School authorities are to ensure that executive teachers overseeing annual teacher performance reviews have access to professional learning to support the development of skills in supervision, mentoring, classroom observation and professional feedback."

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, which applies to all NSW teachers, provides a clear framework to guide teachers and a basis for removal.

THE INDEPENDENT APPROACH

Association of Independent Schools of NSW (AIS) executive director Dr Geoff Newcombe said the new policy applicable to government school teachers would not change the way independent schools manage underperformance.

Newcombe said, “Independent schools generally have staff management policies and procedures in place that apply to their individual contexts, including a focus on the performance and development of teachers and identification of appropriate professional learning to ensure their staff can undertake their job to the standard expected.

“Where these processes have been unsuccessful, an independent school can commence the formal process of dismissing a teacher according to the agreed industrial processes.” He also said evidence-based teaching and learning methodologies ensured that independent school teaching was of the highest quality.

“As teaching is a very collegial profession, it is common practice for experienced and high-performing teachers in independent schools to take on mentoring roles with less experienced staff, and to share their successful practices with others.

“The association also facilitates opportunities for teachers to learn new teaching methods and to share ideas through our own professional learning programs and a range of governmentassisted initiatives such as the Independent Schools Centre for Excellence, which ensures that the best practices are shared across the sector.”

He emphasised that stakes are high for independent schools in terms of maintaining high-quality teaching, since parents can choose to enrol their child in another school if they are not happy. n

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Teach for Australia expected to continue Newly elected Coalition government pledged continued support during campaign. By Antonia Maiolo

T

he Teach for Australia program appears set to continue, as both Labor and the Coalition have pledged support for the scheme, which fast tracks non-teaching graduates into teaching jobs.

Prior to September’s federal election, then-education minister Bill Shorten announced that the federal government would spend an extra $22.8 million to extend the program. The Coalition also said it would continue to support the program, which accelerates graduates into two-year placements at disadvantaged schools after just six weeks of initial training.

During this two-year period, the program’s participants – from backgrounds including engineering, commerce, law and science – are mentored by academics from the University of Melbourne’s graduate school of education.

Since 2009, TFA has positioned 227 teachers, known as associates, to over 60 schools in Victoria, the ACT and the Northern Territory.

CEO Melodie Potts Rosevear says the organisation is already seeing evidence of the impact associates are having within schools.

She says the teaching graduates are achieving remarkable results, such as better Victorian Certificate of Education results and marked improvements in attendance and participation, as well as dramatic literacy gains.

10 | educationreview.com.au

“One hundred per cent of principals would hire additional TFA teachers if they had the opportunity and [they] regularly cite the rigour and culture of achievement the teachers bring to the school,” Potts Rosevear says.

TFA says the program is extremely competitive, with over 3500 applications to date for just 227 places and an average tertiary entrance rank of 95.

But the Australian Education Union has warned that the training TFA provides is “insufficient”.

AEU federal president Angelo Gavrielatos says the organisation does not support TFA and that the premise on which it is based is “offensive”.

“We are told that associates are targeted to be placed in disadvantaged schools,” Gavrielatos says. “With all due respect, kids in disadvantaged schools equally deserve a highly qualified school teacher.”

He says the AEU would rather support a program aimed at improving and increasing entry standards into universities.

“We support programs that properly develop and contribute to high-quality training and qualifications for all teachers,” he explains. “TFA stands in stark contrast to that.”

Gavrielatos says all evidence shows that initial teacher education and more structured induction and mentoring programs for young teachers will lead to greater retention rates in teaching, adding that the attrition rates for the TFA are “very high”.

He says the program goes against the government’s own approach, as described in the Australian Institutes for Teaching and School Leadership agenda, which is aimed at producing teachers that are better qualified and better prepared.

With no evidence to show that the program contributes to improvements in educational outcomes for students, Gavrielatos says, the money spent could be better used elsewhere, such as to support teachers in their initial years. n

KEY FACTS FROM TEACH FOR AUSTRALIA

• T he average tertiary entrance rank of a Teach for Australia associate is 95.

• There have been over 3500 applications to date, and just 227 places offered.

• More than two-thirds of participants are promoted to positions of school leadership within two years.

• Eight out of 10 Teach for Australia participants would not have entered teaching if not for the program.

• All Teach for Australia teachers are placed in low-SES areas, including 45 per cent in rural and remote places and 30 per cent in schools with indigenous populations.

• More than 40 per cent of participants are teaching in the critical shortage areas of maths and science.

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One size does

not fit all 12 | educationreview.com.au

industry & policy

O

Australia is smack in the middle of the world’s debate over the ideal number of students in a class. By Louis White

ne of the continuing debates in education is about the optimum class size. It is an issue discussed around the world. Every country has its own opinion on the ideal number of primary and secondary school students in a classroom.

In a 2010 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development study, Australia sat in the middle in terms of class sizes. For primary education, Australia averaged 23.7 students per classroom for public and private schooling, which was slightly higher than the OECD average of 21.1 students.

In regards to secondary education, Australia’s classes again averaged 23.7 students, against the OECD average of 23.4 students.

Of course, classroom sizes will depend upon a country’s population, geographic spread, government and non-government funding, time available to teach and salaries (this obviously affects the number of people who want to enter the world of education and earn a living), and the underlying philosophy of what enhances a student’s learning capabilities.

The OECD study revealed plenty of countries policies reflect a belief that the optimal size for teaching and learning is less than 20. Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Switzerland (public institutions) and the UK reflect this theory.

While other countries head in the opposite direction, such as Korea and Indonesia, which reach 34 students per class in secondary education. China exceeds 50 students per class – also for secondary education.

“I don’t think there is a straightforward answer to this question,” says professor Nanette Bahr, the assistant dean of teaching and learning in the Queensland University of Technology’s Faculty of Education.

“There’s a whole range of variables that [affects] the success of schooling – not just class size,” Bahr says. “My initial reaction is to say that smaller classes are not necessarily better; however, I have not researched this area and it’s just my opinion. There’s a whole range of things that make an education experience more worthwhile – the constellation of students, the length of the teaching session and what is being taught.

“For example, there are some instances where a smaller class size is better. I was a music teacher for a while and there’s no way I would let a large class of students all play the drums at once – or the recorder.

“But there are some instances where engaging with a large class is possible, or even preferable. Think of a choir.

“When you consider high school teaching, I had 30 students for 45 minutes. So when you take into consideration getting the students into and out of the room, I had less than a minute to spend with each pupil. That is probably not ideal. But if the teaching session were longer, I could get around to each student and give them the individual instruction if needed.”

Reducing class size to increase student achievement is an approach that has been tried, debated and analysed for several decades. Some countries, such as Finland, favour smaller class sizes (20 students of fewer) and are among the most successful nations in the Programme for International Student Assessment’s (PISA) rankings. However, other countries, like Korea, have much bigger classes and also feature at the top of the PISA tables. What variables other than class size may explain the success of countries such as Korea?

The OECD research indicates that Korea and Japan (28 and 33 students per class for primary and secondary schooling respectively) tend to prioritise teachers’ salaries over class size. Both countries also report higher than average student performance in the PISA. “The optimum class size is determined to some extent by the cultural background of the students and teachers and the pedagogical approaches favoured by the educational institutions of the nation,” says the president of the Australian Primary educationreview.com.au | 13

industry & policy

When you consider high school teaching, I had 30 students for 45 minutes.

So when you take into account getting the students into and out of the room, I had less than a minute to spend with each pupil.

Principals Association (APPA), Norm Hart.

“In Australian schools, class sizes may need to be adjusted as the nature of childhood and community attitudes towards learning change and the number of students with disabilities in classrooms grow.

“For some children to successfully learn particular knowledge or skills, the teacher must be able to provide one-to-one interaction. For other learning, interaction between students is necessary.

“Clearly, the number of students in a class has a bearing on the teaching they receive. Where there are so many students in classes that teachers are forced to utilise a more constrained range of pedagogical practices than they might otherwise, better teaching and learning would occur with fewer students.”

The OECD research also shows Australia behind the average when it comes to staff-to-student ratios. The number of staff per 1000 students in non-tertiary education institutions in Australia is 100 (99.8), while the OECD average is 110.

This discrepancy of 10 staff per 1000 students can be attributed to many factors, including Australian Government spending. The fact that the country is so geographically spread out would also be a contributing element when you take into account remote country schools.

“This is a complex area,” says Jan Paterson, president of the South Australian Secondary Principals’ Association. “It is about the tipping point from which you need another teacher in a subject

area. If you have 90 students wanting or needing the same subject, do you have three teachers or four and do you put in another teacher at 91?

“Then how do you cope with what can be seen as much smaller classes? This is a dilemma for schools every year. What is the minimum number of students in a class such that they can afford to run that class and what is the maximum before a class has to be split? Most people would decide [by balancing] the subjects’ safety requirements and the cohort of students and their particular needs against how much money is in the budget.”

Paterson says in South Australia the average class size is between 20 and 30 depending on location and the students’ learning needs but in practical subjects ,where more hands on help is needed, the sizes would be smaller – between 15 and 20 students.

“My observation from overseas school visits is that there is huge variety,” Paterson says. “In China, there is now a general drop in class sizes in the wealthier provinces. In Europe it depends also on the wealth and budget. I think most schools seem to have the same sorts of issues of budgets, teachers and support staff, plus the subject matter on hand.

“I would also say the compliance of students is a reality factor. If you are in schools where students’ lives are very complex and that surfaces at schools as non-cooperation or anger, then class sizes have to be such that a teacher can manage this. I have seen this play out in funding allocation

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industry & policy benefits of smaller class sizes,” Hansen says. “Firstly, teaching methods can be tailored to meet the needs of students who are at risk of disengaging, especially those with learning disabilities. [Increased one-on-one time means] the teacher can provide coaching, reinforcement and corrective feedback.

“Secondly, it takes less time to identify a student who is having a bad day or has become disengaged from learning. Thirdly, smaller classes are generally quieter.

This reduces the noise barrier to learning and enables improved response and management of behavioural issues.”

Robyn Ewing, professor of teacher education and the arts at the University of Sydney, says who is in charge of the class is just as important as size.

“In some US states, they employed unqualified people to ensure class sizes were smaller but it did not improve student learning,” Ewing says. “Teachers used to working with large classes often need to have professional [training] to develop the skills to maximise opportunities for learning in smaller groups.

“It’s difficult to put hard and fast rules on maximum class sizes. How big is the space? Can it accommodate a larger number of students comfortably? Does everyone have visibility and access to

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resources? How does the teacher work with the students?

“It’s important to consider how the teacher manages larger numbers. They may still organise meaningful small groups and this can be more effective than working with a large number en masse all the time. Are there children with special needs? Children with special needs may need more individual attention. And the list goes on.”

One consistency with the OECD study is that primary school classes were on average smaller than secondary school ones worldwide. This can be attributed to the need to connect with a growing mind that requires constant engagement and direction with so many natural distractions on offer.

“I believe the evidence that the effect of student numbers in classrooms is small discounts the social and cultural knowledge and skills and deep understanding of self, others and the world that students in primary schools develop through frequent, in-depth interactions with their teachers,” the APPA’s Hart says. “When I taught [more than] 25 students in a multi-age Year 1 to 7 classroom, I know my capacity to provide the full range of teaching approaches was compromised.” n

S

and classroom sizes in Berlin, Stockholm and London.”

One example of a different model is Carinity Education – Glendyne, which provides a second chance for young people who have struggled in mainstream schooling. One of the fundamental goals is to maximise learning opportunities for the students.

“We encourage them to continue with their education by providing personalised learning support and additional tutoring they wouldn’t receive elsewhere, and we teach them life skills so they can succeed in the workforce,” Carinity principal Dale Hansen says. “Much of this is possible because of smaller class sizes. Broadly speaking, the smaller the class the greater the opportunities for students to learn, connect and be mentored.”

Students at Carinity have more time one-on-one with teachers than in a bigger class. In a classroom block of 50 minutes, every student in a class of 30 would get 1.6 minutes of contact with the teacher.

The classes of 12 provide more than four minutes per student in a classroom block the same length. This enables teachers to identify disengaged students easily and have more control over the behaviour and direction of a class.

“Research suggests there are three main

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industry & policy

Principal says poll data helps Arden track the ultimate outcomes of education.

By Graham Anderson

Measuring hope strength

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16 | educationreview.com.au

industry & policy

A

s a principal and teacher working in five schools over 31 years, I have followed education policy in Australia closely for decades. During this time, the education debate has increased its focus on standardised testing and the shortcomings of the Australian system.

Most recently, I have watched as the narrative in the media has shifted from the importance of student needs to student rankings and from individual school development to NAPLAN scores.

But what if the thinking were reversed?

What if teachers, principals, government, parents and students started talking about the drivers of academic success? The global business environment is embracing Big Data to provide in-depth analysis and predictions like never before. Why should schools be any different?

Beginning my time as principal of Arden, I went in search of a holistic way to understand student progress. Although we recognise the value of standardised testing, this does not give us enough information on how students are feeling about their lives, their ideas for the future and, in essence, their overall well-being. My goal was to give our leaders of the future a voice and to better understand how they were seeing their lives now, how we could engage them in their education and sustain them beyond their school-based learning.

After approaching Gallup, I immediately saw parallels in our philosophy, our outlook and our motivation for developing a better system of evaluation – for students and teachers. After undertaking our own internal evaluations, we saw that the sophistication of Gallup’s program surpassed any system we had in place.

The difference is in Gallup’s understanding of data and how to turn that information into tangible feedback, solid insights and actionable outcomes that we can easily incorporate.

Working closely with Gallup, we outlined a plan targeting our strategic goals, one of which was to implement a schoolwide engagement initiative with locally

appropriate programs focused on three key aspects of our school – leadership, staff and students. We knew we could not focus on one without the others because we know that success is all linked. Academic success comes from high student engagement, high student engagement comes from high teacher engagement, and high teacher engagement comes from having effective leaders.

To reach our ultimate goals of having engaged staff and well-rounded, engaged students who are 21st-century learners and thinkers, we had to start with our school leaders.

The first step in our program was to build the capabilities of our leadership team. We chose to use the language of Gallup’s Clifton StrengthsFinder. Following several executive development sessions, we measured staff engagement and then student engagement. This gave us a baseline understanding of how the people in our school were thinking and feeling, and it gave us something we could work to improve.

Staff data was collected both quantitatively (with an engagement survey) and qualitatively (with focus groups). We wanted to do a thorough job and get an unbiased understanding of how the staff was feeling.

Student data was collected using the student poll: a 20-item survey that measures student hope for the future, engagement with school and well-being.

The poll poses statements such as: • “ There is an adult in my life who cares about my future.”

• “ My school is committed to building the strengths of each student.”

• “ Did you learn or do something interesting yesterday?”

By asking students about hope, engagement and well-being, the student poll focuses on aspects of an education that aren’t otherwise being measured; things that people would describe as the ultimate outcome of an education.

By fulfilling their basic needs and

concentrating on behavioural outcomes necessary to improve the engagement of students, the research shows that we are also directly affecting academic success – hope, engagement and well-being account for one-third of the variance in student success. An outcome-focused approach such as this allows us to shift our thinking towards a more positive future, where students are able to do what they do best every day and are able to grow as individuals, all the while improving academically.

With both the staff engagement and student poll results, Gallup collates and analyses the data and then provides specific suggestions that are in line with the items; whether it be concentrating on leadership skills, training for our staff, or small daily tasks that drive engagement.

Our strategy was to look for data that could be used to identify progress against our KPIs. Simply looking at results was not going to make any changes in our school. Baseline results have now been analysed, five-year improvement targets set and action plans initiated across the school. With these actions implemented, we know we are on our way to creating the change at Arden we want. We believe in the power of feedback and the importance of giving everyone in our school and community a voice.

I am thrilled that Arden was able to be one of the first schools in Australia to trial the Gallup student poll. With students being given a voice on essential issues and a new method for feedback and evaluation, we are excited to be using positive dialogue in line with these findings to implement change.

One of the major initiatives Arden has implemented this year is a philosophy of Strengths-based education, one anchored in positive psychology and focusing on what is right with people. We have become a Strengths-based school, where to date, staff members have all completed their Strengths profiles and participated in

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industry & policy

By asking students about hope, engagement and well-being, the Gallup student poll focuses on aspects of an education that aren’t otherwise being measured; things that people would describe as the ultimate outcome of an education.

ARDEN RESULTS, REACTIONS In late 2012, 453 Arden students from Year 5 through Year 12 took part in the Gallup poll.

Key results include: • 84 per cent of students strongly agree there is an adult in their life who cares about their future • 82 per cent of students agree their school is committed to building the strengths of students • 72 per cent of students say “yes” they learned or did something interesting yesterday

18 | educationreview.com.au

Strengths-based teacher development days, key staff members have been trained as Strengths advocates and coaches, the executive team has participated in Strengths-based leadership workshops, and we are introducing Strengths to our students in Term 4.

Ultimately, we want to encourage all students and teachers to find what they are good at doing and to use their talents every day. It is through the process of becoming the best version of ourselves, and doing what we do best every day, that we become most engaged and thrive.

At Arden, we believe teachers are the key to student success: they have the ability to empower students by responding to their individual needs, by caring for them and by nurturing their success.

As we guide our students through primary and secondary school, we aim to provide them with the tools to become lifelong learners, which we believe is the best way to ensure they succeed beyond school.

This means ensuring that teachers have the resources they need to be effective in the classroom and that they have a strong, supportive leadership team.

From these top-line results, we recognise we are not perfect and clearly have room for improvement.

Although it sounds simple, having authentic, purposeful, consistent conversations with students about each of the three pillars is one of our primary strategies.

We are tracking our progress via annual measurements and have set five-year improvement targets.

In response to our initial results, we have developed an action plan.

Implementing a school-wide Strengths initiative

• All staff have taken part in Gallup’s Clifton StrengthsFinder survey. This tool is used to help staff better understand their strengths and how they can best be leveraged in interactions with students and peers.

Teachers have also taken part in personal development days at the start of the 2013 school year, and will have consistent follow-up at staff meetings throughout the year.

• Key staff members have been trained as advocates.

• Students in years 5-12 will have the chance to participate in identifying their strengths later this year.

As we plan, we are taking the feedback from the poll and creating a better learning experience.

There is always room for improvement and I want to address challenges directly. Our second measurement took place in August and we look forward to the results.

I am committed to creating an environment where students and teachers get to do what they do best every day, are engaged in their work, feel good about their lives and are hopeful for their futures.

This is because the most important aspect of education is giving students hope that they can succeed in life. n Graham Anderson is the Principal of Arden Anglican School, Pre-school to Year 12, located at Beecroft and Epping, in Sydney’s north. Arden is the first school to pilot the Gallup student poll, an initiative that provides schools with a holistic measure of student success. Research has identified that the factors measured in the poll – hope, engagement and well-being – are predictive of future individual and school success.

ABOUT GALLUP STUDENT POLL For more than 70 years, Gallup has built its reputation studying human development and delivering relevant, timely and visionary research on what humans around the world think and feel.

The Gallup student poll began in the United States in 2009, and has already surveyed over 1.3 million students. This ongoing initiative enables schools to collect feedback from their students annually. Schools track their progress across the main aspects the poll measures – hope, engagement and wellbeing.

Hope The ideas and energy we have for the future.

For students of all ages, hope drives effort, academic achievement and retention.

Engagement The involvement in and enthusiasm for school. Engagement reflects how well students are known as individuals and how often they get to do what they do best.

Well-being How we think about and experience our lives. Well-being tells us how students are doing today and predicts their success in the future.

industry & policy

educationreview.com.au | 19

in the classroom

AITSL’s Innovation Grants Project

Professor Brian Caldwell reflects on a project that is investigating innovative practices in professional learning and performance and development.

A new Innovation Grants Project has the participation of sixteen Australian schools, professional associations and other organisations, with seven concentrating on professional learning and nine on performance and development.

The focus is on teachers and school leaders improving their individual professional practice, with a further emphasis on teachers knowing what is expected of them; receiving frequent, useful feedback on their teaching; and having access to high quality support to improve their practice.

The project is framed by the Australian Charter for Professional Learning of Teachers and School Leaders and the Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework.

Schools and professional associations were invited in early 2013 to express interest in the project. Sixteen groups were chosen and each received a grant to support their work. Each project has an action research component, with the groups working with a ‘critical friend’ to develop a hypothesis. Evidence is then gathered to objectively investigate and assess the hypothesis.

AITSL is providing support to some of the most promising initiatives and the outcomes will be shared throughout Australia.

Professor Brian Caldwell and Associate Professor David Loader are serving as critical friends and working with AITSL in the design and delivery of the initiative.

Professor Caldwell is former Dean of Education at the University of Melbourne and Associate Professor Loader is former Principal of Wesley College and Methodist Ladies’ College (MLC) in Melbourne.

“There is a remarkable transformation in professional learning under way in Australian schools.

Professional learning has often meant a set-piece event organised by a school system or professional association and attended by teachers from several schools. Many of these events have been devoted to ‘stand-and-deliver’ presentations by eminent people in the field. While this approach to professional learning still has a place, its dominance is receding.

There is a new way ahead.”

Teachers take responsibility for, and actively engage in, professional learning in order to build their capacity and that of others

To change professional practice in ways that improve the learning, engagement and wellbeing of every Australian student

System leaders and policy makers enable and support a learning and development culture in schools

The Professional Learning Charter in action.

The project is being conducted in eight stages: • an initial teleconference with each participant to learn more about the project as initially described in the Expression of Interest • site visit by critical friend to refine hypothesis, determine an appropriate approach to gathering evidence and prepare an overview of the project • second teleconference to discuss project and further refine the approach • short presentations by each participant at an AITSL symposium • second site visit by critical friend • report of outcomes by participants • consideration of draft report by AITSL team, critical friends and external experts • report of project including recommendations for dissemination of the findings with a view to scalability and sustainability.

– Professor Brian Caldwell

www.aitsl.edu.au/professionallearning

20 | educationreview.com.au

School leaders engage in and model learning and lead the development of a learning culture in schools

www.aitsl.edu.au/performance

AITSL is funded by the Australian Government

in the classroom

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Performance and Development Cycle

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focus on student outcomes clear understanding of effective teaching leadership flexibility coherence.

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There is similar consistency with the characteristics of effective performance and development as contained in the Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework, for example, a performance and development culture is characterised by:

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• a high degree of leadership support for ongoing adult learning and risk taking • collective responsibility for improving practice • disciplined collaboration aimed at specific and relevant goals that relate to the learning needs of students • high levels of trust, interaction and inter-dependence • support for professional learning through school structures, explicit planning and the allocation of time • a focus on the professional learning that is most likely to be effective in improving professional practice and learning outcomes.

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At the mid-point of the project, it is clear that there is a high level of consistency between the findings of the projects and characteristics of effective professional learning as defined in the Australian Charter for the Professional Learning of Teachers and School Leaders. For example, the development of a high quality professional learning culture is characterised by:

F l e xi b ilit y

Performance and Development Culture and Cycle.

The activities of the participants address the needs of students, including the personalisation of learning and the use of technology, including social media. Activities related to performance and development are strongly aligned with classroom practice.

Overall, there is impressive progress in the integration of activities with parallel developments in learning and teaching.

The final report is expected to be received in December 2013 and will be subsequently made available.

Professor Brian Caldwell (left) with project participant Andrew Hiskens, State Library of Victoria.

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educationreview.com.au | 21

in the classroom

Gear up for enthusiasm St Pius X College inspires more fitness activity with new gym, equipment.

Antonia Maiolo writes

G

reg Virgona, sportsmaster at St Pius X College (SPX) in Chatswood, Sydney, has found that the newly renovated school gym is inspiring more students to get active and involved in sport.

With school sport becoming increasingly competitive and the responsibility of incorporating physical activity falling more heavily onto teachers, SPX, an independent boys’ school, decided it needed to give its old gym a facelift.

“I think the boys are spending more time at school with before-school, lunchtime and after-school sports programs, as well as attending Saturday sports days,” says Virgona, who has been a PE teacher at the college for the past 11 years. “With this we saw the need to improve our facilities and resources.” He adds that the old gym was small, with ageing and unsafe equipment.

So when school officials got the chance

22 | educationreview.com.au

to use the gym in an old church hall just a couple of hundred metres away from the main campus, they immediately took it.

Having had a wall knocked out to make way for more space, the gym can now hold a class of 32 teenage boys and has been re-fitted with brand new training equipment.

At SPX, all students are expected to be involved in a minimum of two terms of cocurricular activities; all juniors are expected to take part in sporting extracurricular activities the college organises.

The students can participate in athletics, basketball, cricket, rugby, squash, soccer, swimming and tennis, to name just a few.

“Certainly for contact sports, we have the responsibility to make sure the boys are well-equipped,” Virgona says. He says school sport for boys has in recent years become semi-professional and that a gym is necessary to stay on par with other schools. “The students are going to be pitted against other players who are doing gym and diet programs, so it would be irresponsible of us to put our boys in a competition if we weren’t adequately preparing them for good contest.”

in the classroom

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After some research, Virgona purchased a range of strength equipment, including a leg press, chin-dip assist, power cage, leg curl machine. He has also added cardio equipment, such as treadmills, bikes and rowing machines. Now that they have such a well-equipped gym, SPX students are able to complete practical physical education lessons that might have been impossible before.

“I’m really pleased with the equipment we have installed, and the students are really, really happy,” he says. “Some of them have even cancelled external gym memberships because our gym is now so well equipped.” He says the gym is also helping with physical preparation and injury prevention.

The gym renovation was done primarily from a sporting perspective, but it also ties into the college’s physical education program.

“We have classes time-tabled in there to use it as a PE space. That couldn’t happen before,” he says, with the gym in use as a wet weather option. He says teachers can also use the gym in their free time.

Virgona has witnessed a huge difference in the boys. “Boys need physical exertion and they respond better in all aspects of schooling if they have a balance,” he says.

Professor Keith Lyons, an expert in sport studies at the National Institute of Sports Studies at the University of Canberra, says the continuity of physical education in the teenage years requires a whole-ofeducation approach and that teachers have a vital responsibility.

“I think gymnasia offer space for

teachable moments,” Lyons says. “My experience as a teacher has encouraged me to believe wherever a vocational teacher works, learning and engagement follow,” he says.

David Manttan, president of School Sport Australia, says anecdotal evidence from teachers and principals shows where there is a strong involvement in sport there is also an increased academic performance.

Manttan also says data would show that more kids play sport in school than in clubs. He thinks the number is probably double, due to the cheaper cost and smaller time commitments. But he says teachers also have something to do with it.

“Their passion for what they do, their passion for motivating kids and getting them involved and sustaining that involvement” is vital, he says. n

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in the classroom

Playtime works I Even amidst all the demands on classroom time, physical education offers too many benefits to cut. By Jennifer White

24 | educationreview.com.au

f I were to reflect on my experience of primary school sport, I’d remember longing for the twilight sports carnival, the district athletic competition and interschool round robins, where I played netball and loved to serve in volleyball. Sport mainly revolved around gender-specific activities such as cricket, softball and football, interschool competitions with local primary schools, swimming lessons, physical education classes, excursions and clinics.

Fast forward to high school, where I was introduced to a range of different sports that I relished the chance to try, such as gymnastics, diving, triathlons, dance aerobics, golf, self-defence, sailing, skiing and recreational options like iceskating, rock climbing, bowling and orienteering. Not to mention the traditional sports on offer, such as soccer, tennis, basketball and hockey. It also helped that I excelled at sport, enhanced due to training a couple of times a week for athletics in addition to my passion for the field. I was at the sporting hub of opportunity and one that had high student participation rates and strong community support, driven by teachers dedicated to the cause.

It was no surprise that the school, Blackburn High in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, received a nationally recognised award in 2001 and 2002 for

outstanding school/community links and programs, awarded by the Australian Sports Commission. The schools’ programs were spearheaded by teacher and former director of sport, Mark Pasquali.

Pasquali’s philosophy was to cater for all students, not simply for the elite but for those beginning or continuing to learn motor skills. He “focused on two key areas, providing maximum participation regardless of ability and a wide range of sporting opportunities for students”. In order to increase buyin and engagement and have a high participation base, he ensured there was always an element of fun. Programs included lunchtime sports, sports leadership, interschool competitions and community-modelled opportunities where students entered their own teams and had a roster of referees to operate the games.

Pasquali developed one of the first extracurricular sport leadership programs for the school in 1997, involving senior students. He identified that after Year 10 there was usually no formal sport other than the theory provided by Year 11 and 12 physical education subjects. As a result, he created a course that allowed students who wanted a broad introduction into various avenues of the sporting industry. The program was designed to provide students with

in the classroom

information sessions run by those working in sporting fields, such as physios, sports psychologists, athletes, event managers, coaches and the like. It allowed students to have access to professionals and their expertise while also opening up those avenues for consideration as career options – a privilege students aren’t often provided. The other component of the program built strong community partnerships with local primary schools. High school students would partake in designing lesson plans and training younger students in fundamental motor skill development and game tactics.

Although the program began as an extracurricular commitment for students, it has since been incorporated into the curriculum and has been running continually for 17 years. Many schools now provide similar programs before students can pursue postsecondary options such as sports traineeships, recreational management and TAFE and university options.

Back in 1993, the Moneghetti Report identified the barriers to providing physical education in schools. It highlighted that a decrease in physical activities was often the result of a crowded curriculum. I would argue that now more than ever, there is increasing pressure on schools and teachers to produce better literacy and numeracy outcomes. As a result, subject areas such as physical education are often put under strain.

Since the release of the report 20 years ago, sport and physical education continue to be a requirement in all Victorian Government schools, which have a mandated amount of time educationreview.com.au | 25

in the classroom for the subjects depending on year level, ranging from 100 to 180 minutes each week. NSW also strongly encourages 120 minutes of planned physical education in schools, yet the requirement is not mandated by the government or the NSW Board of Studies. In Victoria, sport and physical education remains the only subject area that is mandated by minutes.

But are these guidelines and suggested timeframes regularly being implemented or are schools refining their focus on literacy, numeracy or NAPLAN testing at the expense of sporting opportunities?

Has the greater emphasis that was once placed on sport shifted to ICT and different government priority areas, depending on the state or territory or the specific need of the school?

Physical education coordinator Ailsa Davidson maintains that good sport programs “provide extensive time for sport, expose students to a wide range of physical outlets, provide examples of physical activities with minimal equipment, are time efficient and offer both competitive and non-competitive options”. She says “physical education builds motivation, achievement, attitude and success and is an excellent social avenue for students and adults alike”.

Her theories are supported by anecdotal

evidence and many studies, including research undertaken in 2010 by the Institute of Youth Sport at Loughborough University in the UK. The research determined that exercise encouraged “academic attainment, cognitive function, improved behaviour, school attendance and better mental health functioning”, among other positive results.

The National Physical Activity Guidelines developed by the Australian Government highlight the many benefits of regular physical activity, including to “help prevent heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure, reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and some cancers, help build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints reducing the risk of injury, and promote psychological well-being”.

The Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation also highlights the importance of “the link between physical activity and positive self-esteem, skill development and general healthy development of young people”.

Despite the benefits of keeping active and the national guidelines that recommend it, the National Health and Medical Research Council recognises that “the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Australians has been steadily

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Jennifer White is a Victorian teacher and sits on the Education Commission of the Victorian Olympic Council.

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increasing for the past 30 years” with “25 per cent of children aged 2-16 either overweight or obese”.

In response, the council developed Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity for Adults, Adolescents and Children in Australia, which highlighted the need to focus on “promoting healthy eating plans, increasing physical activity and making behavioural changes”.

A new health and physical education curriculum is still being finalised by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority; it is due to be implemented from February 2014. It would be in Australia’s best interest to incorporate mandated minutes from foundation to Year 10, as outlined by various research bodies and studies.

Education ministers from states and territories can continue to add their weight to these worthy recommendations and schools and teachers should develop a curriculum to support it for the best outcomes for students’ overall health and human development in both the long and short term. n

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in the classroom

The space to be

28 | educationreview.com.au

The revitalisation of an old school in an inner-city suburb of Brisbane has enhanced teaching and learning and won recognition in the wider community. By Antonia Maiolo

in the classroom

J

ohn Robertson’s dream of turning his school into a brighter and more connected learning environment has become reality – with help from award-winning specialists in school design and renovation.

Robertson, principal at Holy Family Primary School – Indooroopilly, commissioned Ferrier Baudet Architects to transform the cramped playground site and isolated teaching area into a fully accessible, open and inviting space.

The project was part of the Building Education Revolution program, which granted the school $2.5 million through Brisbane Catholic Education. It consisted of the creation of a multipurpose hall, as well as refurbishment of classrooms and the construction of a lift.

The aim of the new hall was to provide a much-needed outdoor area for sporting activities and arts-based events, to reinforce the school’s identity. The space previously housed an old tennis court that was closed in; the ground was so hot that only a few children would play there, Robertson says.

Now the space has been transformed into a multipurpose area and is used constantly throughout the day. It is equipped with a full-size tennis court, handball courts, a stage and off-stage area, a multipurpose room, storage for sports equipment, amenities, audiovisual facilities and kitchen.

It is also partially open and connects to the main part of the school.

The entire Holy Family Primary cohort can now be accommodated within the area for specific lessons and play, and the parish and community can use the space to host sporting and cultural events. Ferrier Baudet, the creators of the new design, won a regional commendation at the 2013 Brisbane – Queensland Regional Architecture Awards, in the Public Architecture category, for the multipurpose hall.

Catherine Baudet, director of Ferrier Baudet, says the design of the hall has changed the way the school operates and has enhanced supervision and connection, as teachers are now able to view the entire area from the staffroom.

“It has become the heart of the school,” Baudet says, adding that the colourful facade activates the edge of the school site, and ties in with the similarly colourful playground equipment, making the whole school more accessible and inviting. At night, the facade is illuminated to great effect.

Baudet says having a modern and beautiful building gives the children a sense of pride towards their school. “It has transformed the school from a drab, uninviting, stark space to a lively modern place for children,” she says.

The choice of colour was critical to the success of the building – the school colours provided a starting point but are presented with couplets that allow the use of strong but not bright colour to prevent any one shade from dominating.

Robertson explains that the colourful facade is important because he wants the design to become iconic, to liven up the street and general community and make the school seem more inviting.

The hall’s design also takes sustainability and cost limitations into account. Environmental and energy-efficiency initiatives that have been applied include an underground rain-water tank for landscaping and toilet-flushing, dual flush toilets, low-energy lighting, wall and roof insulation, natural ventilation and ceiling fans, energy-efficient glazing and roller shutters. The hall was made from low-maintenance, robust materials.

The other key refurbishment was the revamp of a classroom block. Robertson’s innovative idea was to remove the walls between five classrooms to make four flexible learning spaces with a computer hub in the centre surrounded by glass walls. “I really wanted a connectivity amongst everything,” he says.

The new design does away with the notion of an instructor at the front of the room with students in desks in lines. Before,

RENOVATING TIPS FOR PRINCIPALS 1. Consider the whole environment, not just the part you want renovated, as everything affects everything else.

2. Have a master plan, then prioritise.

Catherine Baudet

3. Think flexibility – make sure spaces can be adapted to different layouts.

4. Consider acoustics – noisy environments are stressful.

5. Include furniture in preliminary sketches so you understand how everything will fit and ensure you have enough room.

6. Become involved in the design process – the best results come when you work with the architect.

7. Renovating is a journey of problem solving.

8. There is no ‘one size fits all’.

9. A good contract is of paramount importance.

10. Good record keeping is essential.

11. People who work as a team and treat one another with care and respect are more likely to achieve a better outcome.

12. Cheap documentation leads to problems.

13. Leave colour to the architect, as everyone has different opinions on colour and you will never please everyone.

14. Daylight is the best light; be sure you can access enough of it.

15. The best cooling is through cross-ventilation.

– Catherine Baudet, ferrierbaudet.com.au

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in the classroom

It has become the heart of the school.

30 | educationreview.com.au

teachers couldn’t move easily between rooms, now teachers and students are able to work more collaboratively.

“When you walk in now it’s really like a large classroom all-in-one and in the middle a glass hub and in this glass hub is where the teachers from those classrooms have all their desks,” Robertson says.

He says this has created an open environment where teachers can offer and receive feedback.

“I love nothing more than to see the teachers in there and they are discussing what they are going to be doing with the children – I think that’s really important.

“I really wanted this sense of connectivity, of kids feelings that they were a part of something else,

that they belong to something wider than just their own classroom.”

Baudet says creating spaces that allow flexibility in delivering a program is important. She also says the new classroom block is an interesting departure from the traditional learning space and that Brisbane Catholic Education has been using it as a show piece for non-traditional classroom design.

Robertson says he is pleased with the outcome of the classroom block. He would like to continue his commitment to this new style of teaching and learning throughout the entire school and is looking forward to working alongside Ferrier Baudet again in the future.

“It has made a huge impact on learning,” Robertson says. n

community

A fighting chance The School for Life Foundation provides access to education for dozens of children in Uganda. By Antonia Maiolo

A

nnabelle Chauncy and Dave Everett were both just 21 years old when they decided to set up the School for Life Foundation after spending time in Africa and observing the poverty many people endure.

Always wanting to make a difference, Chauncy first travelled to Africa in 2007 after graduating from the University of Sydney with a degree in arts/law to embark on a humanitarian aid program teaching kids English throughout Uganda.

“There were so many kids everywhere, the majority of whom were simply just not going to school at all; and those who were faced all sorts of issues [such as] not having a desk or chair, books or pencils,” Chauncy says.

Moved by the lack of access to schooling in rural areas of Uganda and the number of children falling through the cracks, she decided she wanted to do more.

She contacted her friend Everett, who was also inspired to set up an organisation that would give Ugandan kids access to an education. educationreview.com.au | 31

community Having raised more than $500,000 together, Chauncy and Everett bought 10 acres of land through the School for Life Foundation to build Katuuso Primary and Vocational School in the rural village of Katuuso.

The small village of Katuuso sits in the Mpigi district about a Youth 90-minute drive west of the capital city of Uganda Kampala. It is one of the most needy areas in Uganda yet now has access make up to a school with clean water, food and even healthcare.

60 per The school opened in January 2011 with 80 children, aged 4-7, in nursery and primary 1. Since the beginning of 2012, cent of the 40 more students have enrolled and a primary 2 class has population opened. The foundation is also providing opportunities for and 40 per education and training to adolescents, school drop-outs and adults with programs including tailoring, English lessons and cent of the agriculture. adults are Chauncy says the education facilities when they first arrived in Katuuso were dire. The school buildings were falling down, unemployed kids worked on a dirt floor, materials and uniforms were a and lack barrier for many, and the lack of water, nutrition and teaching vocational resources made learning especially difficult.

Only 49 per cent of Ugandan children, compared with 98 per and business cent of Australian youths, make it to grade five. Youth make up skills.

60 per cent of the population and 40 per cent of the adults are unemployed and lack vocational and business skills.

“What really instilled the value of education for me was that in Uganda there is this terrible poverty cycle where if your parents aren’t educated, they can’t get a job; they have 10 children, then those children can’t go to school, then they can’t get jobs,” Chauncy says. “And it just goes on and on, this cycle that is so difficult to break free of. We thought we could actually break this cycle through providing education.”

The School for Life Foundation is also giving Australian teachers the opportunity to work at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School, primarily as mentors to the Ugandan teachers.

Chelsea Ostini, a teacher from western NSW, spent three months this year mentoring the teachers at Katuuso. Having taught in Australia for three years, Ostini was able to offer the Ugandans advice on strategies and also suggest resources they might find useful in the classroom.

“The refreshing thing was that they were very receptive, they took on any new advice and they really went with it, which was wonderful,” Ostini says.

Whilst at Katuuso, Ostini also helped implement a behaviour management system called Behaviour Bingo – a game that rewards kids for their positive actions.

She says although the children are generally well behaved, they find it motivating to strive to do their best.

“That’s one of the things I found amazing while I was over there, the children as a whole valued their education and they [appreciated] going to school,” she says.

Ostini was so inspired she plans to return next year to continue as a mentor.

“I am addicted to that place now,” she says, adding that she is keen to check on the programs she helped implement. “I’m interested in going back and seeing how they have been going with it and making sure that they are still successful. And if [there’s a need for] any sort of changes I can be there to help them.”n

32 | educationreview.com.au

Workforce

Mastering the method UWA course helps secondary teachers embrace lifelong learning and devise pedagogy for rapidly changing times. By Aileen Macalintal

T

he University of Western Australia’s master’s in curriculum studies aims to give practising teachers a renewed edge. Finding culturally significant, technologically relevant and ethically responsible ways of teaching is the goal of UWA’s new degree.

“Teachers in Western Australia are in the midst of monumental changes to the way schools and curricula are structured,” says Winthrop professor Helen Wildy, dean of the graduate school of education. Wildy says the master’s of curriculum studies will help teachers adapt to these challenges.

It gives teachers tools to better understand and interpret the Australian Curriculum for their own classrooms.

“The course is not about providing teachers with lesson plans but about upgrading their skills to deliver teaching that fulfils the requirements of the Australian Curriculum as well as the new National Professional Standards for Teachers,” Wildy explains.

It’s also about further education.

“There is no doubt that curriculum content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge are changing rapidly,” Wildy says. “Teachers, as models of lifelong learning, embark on professional development routinely. The postgraduate master’s of curriculum studies gives not only a valuable subject matter update but also support in applying this to the practical context of the contemporary classroom.

“Our first group of students is in their second semester, and the feedback on the content and structure of the course has been overwhelmingly positive,” she says. “It clearly addresses a strongly felt need among teachers.” educationreview.com.au | 33

Workforce The degree, offered to specialist teachers of English, history and geography, is a three-and-a-half year, part-time course that will eventually be opened to other specialisations, including mathematics.

The first three years is focused on subjectspecific and education units that will expand students’ use of ICT, pedagogy and research skills. Participants will complete a major research paper in the final year.

Students may also enrol in a two-year graduate diploma of curriculum studies, which can lead to the master’s.

“Our first students are all specialist English teachers, so in their first semester they studied under the guidance of Winthrop professor Philip Mead, awardwinning writer and internationally acclaimed inaugural chair of Australian literature,” Wildy says. The course allows “teachers to update their core subject knowledge and pedagogical skills, learning from highly experienced experts in the field”.

The teachers are also studying with associate professor Mark Pegrum, a specialist in e-Learning and digital literacies.

Pegrum has received multiple teaching awards and has engaged in international instruction, including professional development for 500 teachers for the Chinese Ministry of Education last year.

“In addition to allowing teachers access to expertise at the highest level, we are mindful of the time commitments of working teachers, so the classes are scheduled outside school hours to cater for the requirements of full-time education professionals,” Wildy says. “The units are delivered face to face in small groups, supported by various online applications.”

COURSE ORIGINS

Mead says the idea for the degree started when he and Wildy discussed planning a master’s degree course for practising secondary teachers to enhance both their educational and disciplinary knowledge.

Mead explains, “One of the briefs for my position as a federally endowed chair of Australian literature was that I would continue my work in promoting the teaching of Australian literature in schools, and consult with teachers in the secondary sector and with teacher educators about Australian literature in the curriculum.

“The master’s of curriculum studies (English) course was designed with the advent and implementation of the Australian Curriculum: English in mind.

So the initiative was shared between the faculties of Arts and Education, a collaboration that Helen Wildy and I wished to foster.

“Each of the three English units addresses the three strands of the Australian Curriculum: English – language, 34 | educationreview.com.au

literacy and literature – but from the way to reconnect with her subject within perspective of literary studies, broadly an educational context. defined.”

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the weekly Mead thinks the importance of teachers’ seminars where interesting and lively further education can be explained by a discussions [take] place around the number of points, but for him, the most readings on critical paradigms,” she says. important is English teachers having an “Professor Mead has been an excellent ongoing investment and interest in the guide, expanding on our understanding discipline in which they have trained. and providing much-needed direction, Professional development for teachers, encouragement and support throughout he explains, tends to focus on immediate the course. and pragmatic aspects, whereas literary “We have discussed the different studies focus on a disciplinary training theoretical perspectives and critical that is changing and progressing in paradigms that have currency in the “multiple, fascinating and influential study of English at the moment. So much ways and teachers often don’t want to has changed since the early ‘90s! We leave that behind”. have focused on the contentious area of He highlights how important the national literature as well as the growing approach is in mentoring teachers who interest in world literature, transnational have been disconnected from further literature and, in contrast, regional and studies for a relatively long time. local perspectives.”

“I think communication across the McPhee hopes to learn some practical secondary and tertiary sector in English strategies to implement technology in the teaching is vital for the strength and growth classroom and how to enhance the digital of both,” he says. “It’s also important for literacy of her students. students. One of the most important Sheila Lea, a secondary teacher at the things with mentoring is simply to make Schools of Isolated and Distance Education, information available, to be a conduit says she was attracted to the graduate for awareness about the practices and diploma/master’s of curriculum studies development across the sectors. degree because of her desire to get back in In other words, I don’t touch with her passion, English. She particularly emphasise also liked the inclusion of online my interest in “If you wish to Australian literature, reconnect with your and my sense subject area whilst staying of its value and focused on education, you importance, but rather will find this course allow that to be satisfying.” communicated Maggie McPhee through my introduction to the “Think about what current landscape of advice you'd give to your own literary studies.

“In my experience, children or your students who are English teachers are considering university study and take always interested your own advice! I know I would tell them to go for to learn how the it, to do what they LOVE. So, if you love your various paradigms subject and you love teaching, then do it or models of English and don't look back. have changed, or are You love learning, remember?” changing. And the field of Melanie Wilson literary studies is incredibly dynamic and varied, nationally and globally. Being able to judge the appropriateness and grip of publications in the field is “I would encourage anyone important, too, which requires who is interested in the subject an up-to-date and ongoing English – or in new directions and awareness of knowledge approaches to teaching the subject – about literary education.”

WHAT THE STUDENTS THINK

Maggie McPhee, an English teacher from Perth College enrolled in the course, says the master’s of curriculum studies seemed like a good

to enrol in this course.

I am enjoying the journey.”

Sheila Lea

Workforce development units and the fact that the course is spread over four years.

Lea is delivering certificates in general education to 16- and 17-year-olds whose literacy and numeracy skills need further consolidation or development. She says the master’s course has given her a deeper insight into the issues surrounding the implementation of the national curriculum.

“It has certainly made me more aware of alternative ways of reading and possible approaches with which to encourage students to have a richer and maybe different experience and engagement with texts.

“As online delivery is the bread and butter of my teaching, I look forward to maybe being presented with some new ideas and thoughts on this way of [educating].”

Melanie Wilson, an English teacher at Ashdale Secondary College, says, “I really liked the idea of doing some postgraduate study but didn’t think spending months writing a thesis on one particular topic was for me.”

Wilson explains that her experiences in Mead’s English unit have been fantastic.

“We’ve looked at all sorts of fascinating topics, including book publishing history, national literature versus world literature, close reading versus distant reading and more,” she says. “There was lots of

reading to do, lots of late nights struggling with various concepts but then coming to class and being able to de-mystify some of the concepts with Phil and other class members made the course really rewarding.

“It has renewed my passion for literature and given me an excuse to engage with aspects of the Australian Curriculum in ways I had not considered before.”

Her paper is titled Teaching the Juvenile Delinquent: Approaches to Young Adult Literature in the Secondary English Classroom. “I’ve read some young adult novels with an Asian setting as part of my major assignment, which has given me a better sense of how to address the ‘Australia’s Engagement with Asia’ aspect of the curriculum.”

As for next semester’s unit, Lea says she can’t wait. “I did my bachelor of education at UWA almost five years ago and I still remember how engaging Pegrum [who is running the upcoming unit] was in a one-off session we did on e-literacy.” Now that she has students of her own, she says she’ll be able to implement some of the ideas.

“It is challenging, but like teaching it’s a rewarding kind of challenge,” she says. n

MASTER’S OF CURRICULUM STUDIES: AREAS OF SPECIALISATION History • Communicating history • Reading and questioning the evidence •F oundations and frameworks of historical knowledge English • Australian textual cultures • Contemporary writing • Critical paradigms Geography •A dvanced studies in geography and planning •G eographic information systems applications • Urban and regional analysis Source: studyat.uwa.edu.au

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