Sunata Edition 4 2014

s nata The Staff Journal of St margaret’s Edition 4

s nata The Staff Journal of St margaret’s Edition 4

Contents

Eat, sleep, move – the new mantra for adolescents 2 Kelly Alford | Head of Year 7 Renewal through rejuvenation 5 Trish Barlow | Personal Counsellor Theories of intelligence and why they matter 7 Samantha Bolton | Dean of Academics Dr Andrew Martin: motivation and engagement 9 Bruce Bullpitt | Coordinator of History Inspiring creativity: a dialogue with empowerment 10 Jen Chaplin | Drama and Visual Art Teacher Using child-friendly language to promote self-regulated learners in the primary school 13 Evan Chia | Primary Teacher Early career teacher mentoring program 14 Kim Cohen | Deputy Principal Calculating connections 16 Ray Cross | Secondary Teacher Flipping the classroom – technology allows catch up 18 Michael Crowe | Head of Teaching and Learning – Years 6 and 7 Employee assistance programs: are they worth the investment?

20 Kate Curran | Human Resources Consultant Mindset and maths: anyone can be a ‘maths person’ 22 Nanette Dodd | Secondary Teacher Tall poppies 25 Janice Emmett | Primary Teacher Understanding rural and remote students 28 Lesa Fowler | Head of Boarding Reflection of research in your teaching 30 Jessica Fumar | Primary Teacher Reflections on downsizing field work 31 Anne-Marie Gerlach | Head of Faculty – Humanities Growing the mindset 34 Marilyn Ivers | Secondary Teacher The benefits of taking a break 35 Meg Kerr | Head of Year Learning to be a better teacher 36 Ros Lawrence | Primary Teacher Global exchange programs: how do you measure and validate your program’s success? 37 Sharon Mahony | Global Exchange Coordinator Application of Marzano’s The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction. 39 Jacqui Smith | Primary Teacher Positive education: positive psychology and classroom interventions 40 Georgina Stevenson | Primary Teacher Unlocking the secrets of the autistic brain 41 Kathy Thorne | Secondary Teacher Connecting with culture through curriculum inclusiveness 42 Desley Upton | Head of Faculty – HPE

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Eat, sleep, move – the new mantra for adolescents Kelly Alford Head of Year 7

The big picture of health and wellbeing of young Australians is marked by paradox, contradiction and ambiguity. Young people are portrayed as either having the time of their lives, or struggling with life of their times.

Adolescence is defined as the period of gradual transition between childhood and adulthood, with conceptually distinct physical changes marking puberty and maturation (Pinyerd & Zipf, 2005). Along with dramatic changes in physiology and neural networks (Giedd et al., 1999), adolescents have to face new challenges and assume responsibility for issues such as their academic and vocational careers, peer relationships, increased physical, emotional and financial independence from parents and siblings, and leisure-time activities.

Dealing with these issues is potentially stressful and, accordingly, it is assumed that adolescents with better coping skills will deal more successfully with these challenges (Grant et al., 2004). But what can we do to promote the general health and wellbeing for our youth? A new mantra. Research suggests that the current refrain ‘YOLO’ (You only live once) should be replaced by ‘Eat, sleep, move’. While it is true that you only live once, and we want to encourage our teens to embrace life and all it has to offer, the truth is that, generally, adolescents are experiencing a quality of life that is concerning and far worse than most people appreciate.

The health and wellbeing of our young people is critical to the health and wellbeing of our society and our future, which, in many regards, is not looking bright. There is an epidemic of chronic health issues such as obesity and diabetes threatening to shorten the life span of the current generation of children entering high school. Twenty-five per cent of young people are obese, physical activity is declining, and, as a result, cardiovascular disease and stroke are no longer diseases of the old and infirm – they are striking down the young and the fat (Begg et al., 2007). Risk behaviours such as drug and alcohol abuse are increasingly common in teenagers: 60 to 70 per cent of 16 year olds consume alcohol; 30 to 40 per cent marijuana; seven per cent of 12 year olds are smoking cigarettes – and the take-up rates increase with age to approximately 20 per cent by the age of 18.

Young people are taking more risks on the road, with dire consequences in the form of death and injury. They’re also taking more risks with their sexual behaviour, as evidenced by an increase in sexually transmitted infections (Begg et al., 2007). Psychological distress in young people is high, with up to 20 per cent of adolescents suffering a mental disorder at some point, such as depression or anxiety. Youth suicide levels remain unacceptably high, particularly in isolated rural communities (Larson, 2000).

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A lifestyle which focuses upon good nutrition, quality sleep and moderate exercise will not necessarily arm an adolescent against a physical or mental illness, or guarantee overall wellbeing, but research proves that these three factors can greatly improve the quality of adolescents’ lives. These three factors – eating

well, sleeping well and regular exercise – are quite simply keys to positive human functioning. Together, they promote the wellbeing of the body and the brain.

Physical fitness is a critical component of positive human wellness. The positive effects of regular leisure time and physical activity on physical health and wellbeing have been well documented. Although the brain accounts for less than two per cent of a person’s weight, it requires 20 per cent of the body’s total oxygen consumption (Drubach, 2000). Regular aerobic activity can increase the capacity of the body to deliver oxygen to the brain and all tissues of the body. A well-oxygenated brain contributes to alertness, cognitive endurance, performance and enhanced mood. A well-oxygenated brain also facilitates a well-oxygenated ‘rest of the body’, leading to increased levels of vigour and performance. Endorphins released during vigorous exercise contribute to a heightened sense of wellbeing.

Regular physical activity substantially reduces the risk of chronic disease, but evidence also suggests there are many mental and emotional benefits as well. Physical activity improves mental health by improving the body’s ability to deal with the effects of physical and mental stressors (Salmon, 2001).

There is some evidence that physically active people have better emotional health than those who are sedentary. Physical activity has been found to be associated positively with emotional wellbeing and negatively with anxiety and depression (Salmon, 2001). Meta-analysis (Gruber, 1986) reveals that physical activity and vigorous forms of exercise produce statistically significant increases in self-esteem. Aerobic activity appears to generate larger benefits to self-esteem than other types of moderate intensity activities (Gruber, 1986). High-intensity exercise and the length of training (greater than 15 weeks) produced greater reductions in anxiety; it has been consistently shown that exercise reduces depressive symptoms.

So what’s stopping teens from participating in regular exercise?

Poor time management. Wellness involves purposeful energy expenditure to support lifestyle practices across time. Physical activity takes time. Young people often have many activities competing for their time – school, jobs, clubs and organisations, family responsibilities, homework and entertainment activities, to name just a few. Given the many competing demands for time, young people need effective time-management skills to ensure that actions supportive of wellness are specifically planned into daily schedules. Without a time plan, physical activity may become optional, leading to inconsistent practice.

Lack of time is consistently cited as the most common reason why individuals do not exercise as regularly as they intend to (Salmon, 2001).

The natural partner to exercise is good nutrition, which is another proven defence against poor wellbeing. Nutrition and a balanced diet is a key concern for children and schools.

Adequate and balanced nutrition obviously is the foundation of physical health but also plays a crucial role in psychosocial, cognitive and academic development.

Malnourishment is, in general, a condition that results from an unbalanced intake of micronutrients. Children who are malnourished fall into two categories: those who are undernourished because they do not receive enough micronutrients through their food and beverage intake; and those who are overnourished – that is those who consume more than they should, but not of the proper micronutrients (Begg et al., 2007). Thus, while children can consume large amounts of food, they may be deficient in the specific micronutrients needed for proper development. Both undernutrition and overnutrition can have a severe and chronic negative impact on development.

Overnutrition commonly leads to children being overweight.

Obesity among children has become a problem of epidemic proportions and has implications for children’s physical, psychosocial, and academic health. While the problem of overnutrition has historically been a problem in developed countries, developing nations are increasingly seeing the impact of poor nutrition choices as their diets change to a more Western orientation (Popkin, 2001).

Studies have found that undernourished children and adolescents were more likely to have seen a psychologist or psychiatrist for emotional, mental or behavioural problems; were significantly more likely to have trouble getting along with others; and were more likely to be suspended from school (Alaimo et al., 2001). In a study of homeless and low-income housed mothers, Weinreb and colleagues (2002) found that among preschool-aged children, 51 per cent experienced

moderate hunger while eight per cent experienced severe hunger. There also were significant relationships between experiencing severe hunger and homelessness, experiences of traumatic events, and internalising behaviour problems. Of the participating children in the study, those who participated in a breakfast program had significantly better student and teacher ratings of psychosocial problems. The role of proper nutrition in health and development for children means that schools are logical settings for helping to encourage good nutrition; they have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the children they serve.

The third factor (alongside exercise and nutrition) in increasing the overall wellbeing of adolescents is quality sleep habits. The way adolescents sleep critically influences their ability to think, behave, and feel during daytime hours. Likewise, daytime activities, changes in the environment, and individual factors can have significant effects on adolescents’ sleeping patterns.

Although laboratory data demonstrate that adolescents probably do not have a decreased need for sleep during puberty, survey and field studies show that teenagers usually obtain much less sleep than school-age children, from 10 hours during middle childhood to less than 7.5 to 8 hours by age 16.

Although sleeping less than when younger, over 54 per cent of high school students in a Swiss study (Strauch & Meier, 1988) endorsed a wish for more sleep.

Concurrent with the changes in adolescents’ sleep physiology is a behavioural truncation of sleep duration across adolescence, driven by later and later bedtimes, while rise time stays the same

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or is even earlier due to school schedules. The later bedtimes are driven in part by changes in the biological systems that regulate sleep and manifest as a preference for later bedtimes in older adolescents.

Working together with the biological changes are the evolving social environment and roles prescribed for teens, which further encourage later bedtimes. Such environmental changes include increased independence, socialising with peers at night, extra-curricular activities (e.g. sports, part-time jobs, etc.), increased exposure to media (e.g. computers, tablets, smart phones, television) and consumption of caffeinated drinks (Yudofsky et al., 2008). Despite the later bedtimes and shorter sleep duration with each passing year, studies suggest that the amount of sleep that adolescents ‘need’ does not change and the optimal number of hours is between 8.5 and 9.5 hours.

However, a poll of 1600 American teens showed that sleep duration declines from 8.4 hours at around age 12 years to 6.9 hours at age 18 years (Yudofsky et al., 2008). This trend of declining sleep has been found in most other countries studied.

With regard to mental health, this declining sleep duration during adolescence is of concern. Numerous studies have shown the negative impact of an acute sleep restriction on mood, anxiety, attention, cognitive performance and decisionmaking in otherwise healthy individuals. The long-term effects of such a volitional truncation in sleep duration remain unknown, but short sleep duration has been prospectively linked to the onset and persistence of psychological distress in young adults and behavioural problems in children (Yudofsky et al., 2008). Furthermore, short sleep has been shown to predict excessive weight gain and obesity. In addition to the behaviourally-induced decline in sleep duration, problems falling and staying asleep also emerge during adolescence.

This disrupted sleep may be a marker of vulnerability for the development of psychiatric disorders.

But are we looking too hard and overlooking what’s staring us in the face? Perhaps we are so focused on searching for new strategies to assist the young, we are forgetting the basics.

The statistics are telling us that the combination of eating a balanced diet, getting enough quality sleep and participating in regular moderate exercise provides adolescents with a significant advantage in promoting health and wellbeing.

Like most things in life, you only get one opportunity and adolescence is no exception. So move over YOLO, there’s a new mantra on the block: Eat, sleep, move!

References Alaimo, K., Olson, C., Frongillo, E., Briefel, R., (2001). Food insufficiency, family income and health in US preschool and school-aged children.

American Journal of Public Health 91(5): 781 – 786.

Begg, S., Vos, T., Barker, B., Stevenson C., Stanley, L., and Lopez, A., (2007). The burden of disease and injury in Australia 2003. PHE 82.

Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Calfas, K. J., & Taylor, W. C. (1994). Effects of physical activity on psychological variables in adolescents. Pediatric Exercise Science, 6, 406-423.

Drubach, D. (2000). The brain explained. Upper Saddler River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Giedd, J. N., et al., (1999). Brain development during childhood and adolescence: a longitudinal MRI study. Nature Neuroscience 2(10): 861 – 863.

Grant, B.F., et al., (2004). Prevalence and concurrence of substance use disorders and independent mood and anxiety disorders: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.

Archives of General Psychiatry 61(8): 807 – 816.

Gruber, J. J. (1986). Physical activity and self-esteem development in children. In G. A. stull & H. M. Eckert (Eds.), Effects of physical activity and self-esteem development in children (The Academy Papers No 19, pp. 30-48).

Champaign. IL: Human Kinetics.

Larson, R. W. (2000). Toward a positive psychology of youth development. American Psychologist, 55, 170 – 183.

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Fortunately, sleep behaviour is modifiable and several therapeutic approaches exist. Adolescents will benefit from education regarding proper ‘sleep hygiene’, which entails stabilising sleep/ wake rhythms by going to bed and waking up at the same time each day and avoiding naps. Night-time activities play an important role in sleep hygiene and quality. For example, teens should avoid activities that are arousing or stressful, such as accessing social media right before bed. In addition to being arousing, use of electronic media at night exposes teens to bright light, which sends a cue to the brain, interfering with sleep onset and maintenance. Thus teens can benefit from taking mobile phones out of the bedroom at night and restricting computer and television use in the hour before bed.

Murphy, J. M., Pagano, M.E., Nachmani, J., Sterling, P., & Kleinman, R.E. (1998). The relationship of school breakfast to psychological and academic functioning: Cross-sectional and longitudinal observations in an inner-city school sample. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 152, 899-907.

We are constantly reminded that we live in a ‘complex and ever-changing world,’ where teens seem to be faced with unprecedented challenges every day. Educators and parents are relentlessly striving to gain the upper hand on safeguarding adolescents against mental illness. Professionals continue to search for the magic bullet or the next big thing to better prepare our youth; to equip them with the skills and knowledge to tackle what is known to most as a difficult transition – adolescence.

Strauch, I., & Meier, B. (1988). Sleep need in adolescents: A longitudinal approach. Sleep, 11 378 – 386.

Seligman, M. & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 0003066X, 2000, 55(1).

Pinyerd, B., & Zipf, W.B., (2005). Puberty timing is everything! Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 20(2): 75-82.

Popkin, B. M., (2001). The nutrition transition and obesity in the developing world. The Journal of Nutrition, 131(3): 871 – 873.

Salmon, P. (2001). Effects of physical exercise on anxiety, depression, and sensitivity to stress: a unifying theory. Clinical Psychology Review, 21(1): 33 -61.

Weinreb, L., Wehler, C., Perloff, J., Scott, R., Hosmer, D., Sagor, L., & Gundersen, C. (2002). Hunger: Its impact on children’s health and mental health. Pediatrics, 110, e41.

Yudofsky, S. C., Hales, R. E. (Eds.). (2008). The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences.

Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

Renewal through rejuvenation Trish Barlow Personal Counsellor

After my return from an Oxbridge Teachers Seminar experience, I felt compelled to share with you all the joyous and inspirational renewal to my life as a teacher this journey has provided.

One cultivates humanity by developing three capacities.

The first is the capacity for critical self-examination and critical thinking… the second is the capacity to see oneself as a human being who is bound to all humans with ties of concerns. The third is the… ability to empathise with others and to put oneself in another’s place.

(Martha Nussbaum, 1997, pp10-11) Martha Nussbaum’s words have increasing relevance to me as a teacher following my recent exhilarating experience in Oxford.

The three capacities referred to flowed into my veins as if by osmosis from the very first minute I stepped into the grounds of my college. I left Australia jaded and returned physically and mentally replenished. My aim is to inspire others to follow the same path. Through discussion with colleagues, school leaders and this publication, I hope to find a way to help other staff enjoy these, or similar academically inspired, ‘rest and recreational’ experiences.

If our education system is to flourish and teachers are to continue to be inspired as professionals, something has to change. We need to hold tightly to the passion that drew us to our profession in the first place. Today’s classroom is light years away from those experienced by our grandparents, our parents, or even us, for the world is now a very different place.

Do you ever stop to wonder, or ask yourself, how our teachers are able to continue fighting in such a negative environment?

Unfortunately, the answer is a sad one. Teachers are finding it more and more difficult, and educators are leaving this honourable profession in droves. The burdens they face every day are immense. Yes, they teach, and the greatest majority of teachers love to impart knowledge and skills to the young.

However, they also have to be sports coaches and take on numerous other extra-curricular activities. They are required to adopt the role of counsellor, and to fill gaps left vacant by busy parents and diminishing churches. Some are even required to help provide sustenance for children whose families cannot afford to provide an adequate breakfast or lunch. The hours worked by teachers are long and demanding. We often hear ill-informed citizens commenting on the continuous holidays that teachers enjoy. Show me a teacher who does not take work home on a daily basis. Show me a teacher who does not use their ‘holiday’ to catch up on the previous term or prepare for the one to come, and I will show you an aberration to the norm.

Teachers, like all good leaders, need rest and recreation from the battlefront. ‘R and R’ is an elusive beast, but one that we must seek out if the teaching profession is to survive. We have had a cursory look at the problem. Let us now provide a solution.

Over twenty years ago, prompted by the despairing cries of teachers internationally, Professor James G Basker saw a need for a renewal opportunity for educators, and ran with it by founding the Oxbridge Teacher Seminar Program. Today his vision has grown beyond expectations. His aim was to provide, ‘in an academic setting steeped in history, a “rejuvenation” for tired teachers, a stimulation for dedicated educators by indulging their intellectual interests, and an opportunity for these professionals to engage with like-minded individuals’(Oxbridge Brochure, 2014).

This and other similar opportunities are available to us all. Let us step into James G Basker’s envisaged remedy for the tired teacher.

How important is a setting in the realisation of such a vision?

Professor Basker would argue that the academic setting is of utmost importance, for such places not only provide the bricks and mortar of historical relevance, but they have provided a home to generations of great scholars and continue to do so. Where else would tired, jaded educators find replenishment? Where else would one find generous academic benefactors prepared to share their knowledge and passion? As I sat with my study group one beautiful summer afternoon in the local pub, The Turf, having a quiet wine in the courtyard at the end of a stimulating day, I had the luxury of enjoying an amazing conversation with a young man on the other side of a hurricane wire fence. He was down on his hands and knees working on an archaeological dig at the back of the pub. I learned more about English history in that one session than I could possibly have taken from a text book or university lecturer. As well, when I recount the information back to my students, I will do so with a very different passion. As I sat on a balmy English summer evening in the Bodleian Library Courtyard watching a Globe Theatre Company performance of King Lear, the antiquity of the surroundings added a realism to the experience impossible in most other settings. My sharing of

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There is no doubt that today’s world is one of extreme stress for our young. In the Western world, pressures are brought to bear on children of every country in an attempt to ensure they achieve higher results than those of their global neighbours.

Added to this, we have, among numerous hurdles, the unfortunate demise of the support from the extended family; the devastating financial situation in many countries; and the rise of the influence of social media through technology. It is clear that today’s students are facing an uphill battle. So, where do we find the leaders who will help these classroom soldiers actually fight this battle? Our parents are often extremely busy in their professional lives and struggle with the extra stresses placed on our young. The extended family – spread across the world by opportunity and easy travel – is no longer easily accessed. As numbers continue to fall away in Churches (at least in Christian churches), they cannot be called upon to fight the battle. No, the ones who are fighting to save our young citizens are our educators – our teachers, and yet how often do we read articles or watch television programs condemning the standard of teachers and the role they play. What a sad indictment on a world where everyone strives to be ‘the best’. Teachers: there by choice, there because of their love of learning, there because they genuinely care about the young, and yet not respected as professionals. Some of us belong to very supportive institutions,

however we hear frequently of other teachers who are not supported adequately in their important profession.

Only a teacher? Thank God I have a calling to the greatest profession of all!

I must be vigilant every day lest I lose one fragile opportunity to improve tomorrow.

Ivan Welton Fitzwater (Trinity University).

the play will now be one of utmost joy and emotion. As I watched a young group of international students practising a drama performance in the grounds of Christ Church, they seemed to be consumed with an energy only arrived at through the joy of their surroundings. Wandering through the labyrinth of the Pitt Rivers Museum, my husband and I had the privilege of being drawn into conversation by a young museum guide from East Africa who proudly explained the historical significance of the exhibits we were viewing. He came from that area and his love for his country and the passion for its history almost made me cry. I wanted to instantly run back home and imbue my students with some of his emotion.

Historical settings inspire us all, however at the Oxford Seminar we were extremely fortunate, while in such surroundings, to enjoy international scholars who willingly shared their passion. We worked with the previous Poet Laureate, Professor Sir Andrew Morton. We travelled the jungles of Central Kalimantan with Dr Graham Bangs, who has lived with the Bornean orangutans since 2007. Through his articulate recounting, wonderful visuals and remarkable sense of humour, we were carried along on a journey that very few will ever be privileged to enjoy. Professor Valentine Cunningham, author of, among countless other publications, The Life of Charles Dickens (2013), exposed the intricate weaving of the various layers of canonical texts, and helped us to ‘get to the bottom’ of literary meaning. The role of past poets in bringing about the emancipation of American slaves was convincingly expounded

by James G Basker, while Dr Helen Kidd, prolific Oxford poet and feminist writer, allowed our creative juices to flow through group poetry writing in the beautiful garden setting of an Oxford College. Current issues in education were addressed in many ways, but the final session of our teachers’ seminar, chaired by Professor Ian Mentor, brought many such issues together through the UK 2014 report on ‘Research and Teacher Education’. Professor Mentor had that week returned from addressing leading Australian educators in Sydney, Australia, and it seemed somehow bizarre, being an Australian, and listening to years of research into such an important topic, knowing that it had been presented a week prior on the other side of the world. I often think about the term ‘global community’ and that was one of those times.

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A similar thought crossed my mind when I first met my seminar group. There were five different subject groups and I had chosen ‘Current Issues in Education’. Here we were, a very diverse looking group, attracted to each other by the choice of the topic we would explore for the next eight days. I asked myself how we could, coming from such very different cultures, find issues in common. We not only did, but because of our combined passion for our profession, also helped each other rekindle our love for teaching. Guided by the wise leadership of John Altman, Headmaster at Trinity College Preparatory School, Manhattan, we investigated many international models of education: including the Finnish model, (Sahlberg, 2010), to glean the successes or otherwise of their curricula. We discussed in great detail the importance of ongoing research by teachers as a necessity in our profession: (BERA, 2014). We argued over the promise and pitfalls of educational technologies helped by, among other researchers, Collins and Halverson

(2011), Prensky (2003), Carr (2010), and Christenson, Horn & Johnston (2011) and often agreed to disagree. Throughout all our wrangling, there was a respect for each other and the points of view presented. Back in Queensland, at our recent school staff meeting, I listened with a new and appreciative perspective to the ideas and suggestions tendered by our school leaders. New ears and opened eyes have allowed me to appreciate fully what is being offered. I now have colleagues in Canada, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Pakistan, United States, India, France and Mexico who I can contact on a regular basis and who contact me. I now wish to rediscover the incredible wealth of knowledge and collegiality right here on my doorstep. Perhaps we could make the time somewhere in the extremely busy lives spent at our own institutions, to step outside our classrooms and keep alive the passion for our profession.

Martha Nussbaum’s three capacities for learning, as part of a solution for tired teachers, have been borne out for me. Through the added emphasis of James Basker’s remedy of ‘replenishment in an academic setting to indulge one’s intellectual interests with like-minded individuals’, we have been offered the perfect package deal. You may choose not to indulge yourself through an Oxbridge experience. However, I implore you to explore, if not this, then another similar option to rediscover exactly why you chose to become a teacher in the first place, and to find renewal through professional stimulation.

References Basker, J. G. (2014). Oxbridge Brochure. Foundation for International Education.

Basker, J. G. (2012). (reprint). Amazing Grace, An Anthology of Poems about Slavery, 1600 -1810. Connecticut: Yale University Press British Educational Research Association [BERA], (2014). Research and the Teaching Profession: Building the capacity for a self-improving education system. Final Report of the BERA-RSA Inquiry. London: British Educational Research Association.

Carr, N. (2010). The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to our Brains. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Christensen, C.M., Horn, M.B., & Johnson, C.W. (2011). Disrupting Class, How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. New York: McGraw Hill.

Collins, A. & Halverson, R. (2011). Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America. Columbia University, New York: Teachers College Press.

Cunningham, V. (2008). The Life of Charles Dickens, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Nussbaum, M. (1997). Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defence of reform in Liberal Education. Cambridge, England: Harvard University Press.

Prensky, M. (2014). The World Needs a New Curriculum. Educational Technology. May-June 2014.

Prensky, M. (2007). Digital Game-Based Learning. St Paul, Minnesota: Paragon House.

Sahlberg, P. (2010). Finnish lessons – What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland? New York: Teachers College Press.

Theories of intelligence and why they matter Samantha Bolton Dean of Academics

In the 27 years since I began teaching, there has been significant change in the way learning is viewed. As a consequence, there have been equally significant changes in what is considered to be a quality learning environment. The literature emerging from educational research over the past 20 years is diverse. Much of it has focused on either the psychological or neuroscientific elements of learning. This has included an emphasis on learning mindset and the brain’s plasticity, resulting in a more complete understanding of learning and how it is best facilitated.

Fundamentally, a review of the literature reveals that learning is accessible to all students if appropriate environments are created – these environments must encompass the psychological, emotional and physical needs of learners. Throughout 2014 at St Margaret’s, we have made a commitment to using new understandings about learning emerging from current research to refine our practices and optimise the opportunities for girls to learn well. This paper contains a review of some of the literature relating to learning mindset. It provides a rationale for the approach being systematically embedded throughout the School.

In essence, the literature supports the notion that students need to understand the learning process and their own role in it.

They need to be made aware of the idea that scientific findings indicate that through persistent and meaningful effort they can make progress.

Central to this review is the idea that an individual’s demonstrated ability (level of academic success) is related to their beliefs about their intelligence and how those beliefs sit within their broader assumptions regarding the world and how it works. Of particular interest is the way this notion translates to an educational context and the implications this may have for teaching and learning.

Blackwell, Trzesniewski and Dweck’s article in Child Development (2007) establishes some of the key points of interest for this

At this point it is necessary to explain something of the nature of the intervention. Both the control and the experimental groups took part in an eight week workshop. Both groups were instructed in the structure and function of the brain, in study skills and in the dangers of stereotyping. Only the experimental group received the sessions on the incremental theory of intelligence and had the opportunity to discuss the notion that learning makes you smarter (Blackwell, Trzesniewski & Dweck, 2007). Through the study it was established that the sessions were successful in teaching both groups about the study skills, but that only the experimental group recorded significant differences on their responses to the questions relating to the incremental theory. Thus it was asserted that this theory of intelligence was successfully taught to that group, although the long term change was not measured, revealing a weakness in the validity of the results over time.

While there are limitations to this research in terms of the breadth of the studies – each of the two outlined being administered in a single school – the methodological summary provided by the authors suggests a balance of both empirical and narrative evidence. The former is particularly relevant in the assessment of the impact of the intervention on the academic achievement of the seventh grade students who were the focus of the second study. ‘Growth curves using assessments at three time points... were used to examine differences between the experimental and control groups’ trajectories following the intervention’ (Blackwell, Trzesniewski & Dweck, 2007, p. 256).

The findings indicated that students who had held an entity theory belief pre-intervention were the group who benefited significantly from the intervention, with their ‘declining grade trajectory being reversed’ (Blackwell, Trzesniewski & Dweck, 2007, p. 258). It was also noted that the impact of a student’s theory of intelligence was only evident in times of stress or challenge. The implication from Blackwell, Trzesniewski and Dweck’s studies is that it is possible to change a student’s key belief about their intelligence and thus impact positively on their academic performance by enabling them to meet challenges with greater perseverance and resilience. Yeager and Dweck’s more recent work on resilience (2012) takes this further to include both academic achievement and social competence.

They conclude that ‘what students need the most is not selfesteem boosting or trait labelling; instead, they need mindsets that represent challenges as things that they can take on and overcome over time with effort, new strategies, learning, help from others, and patience’ (Yeager and Dweck, 2012, p.312).

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The work of Professor Carol Dweck of Stanford University has become synonymous with ‘mindset’ and its impact on students’ learning (Blackwell, Trzesniewski & Dweck, 2007; Yeager & Dweck, 2012). The basis of this work is the claim that individuals have an implicit theory of intelligence which means they view their intelligence as fixed (the entity theory) or malleable (the incremental theory). This intelligence mindset appears to be part of a framework of thinking which encompasses levels of resilience, motivation and response to challenge. This in turn influences behaviour, which in turn impacts on the nature of academic goal setting (Grant & Dweck, 2003). A fundamental tenet of Dweck’s research is the suggestion that an incremental theory of intelligence can be taught. This idea of teaching a specific mindset is visible in the work of others (Aronson, Fried & Good, 2002; Good, Aronsen & Inzlicht, 2003; Walton & Cohen, 2007).

review. It summarises the results of two studies which address the relationship between implicit theories of intelligence and student achievement. The first establishes the assertion that whether a student has an entity theory of intelligence or an incremental theory of intelligence is a predictor of achievement in Maths over a five year period. Interestingly the significance of a student’s thinking about intelligence appears to emerge when they face situations which are challenge-rich. The second study takes this idea further and measures the extent to which an intervention involving teaching the incremental theory of intelligence to an experimental group will impact on their achievement when compared to a control group which is not provided with the same experience.

To understand these ideas more completely, studies related to goal setting, specifically performance goals versus learning goals are useful. Grant and Dweck’s 2003 work on Clarifying Achievement Goals and their Impact defines performance goals as having the purpose of validating ‘one’s ability or avoid(ing) demonstrating a lack of ability’ (p. 541) and learning goals as goals where there is an ‘emphasis on understanding and growth ... where the aim is to acquire new skills’ (Grant & Dweck, 2003, p.541). Grant and Dweck conducted five studies designed to provide greater understanding of the link between performance/ learning goals and motivation or achievement (2003, p.543).

The outcome of their research was the suggestion that learning goals have a positive impact on motivation and performance, particularly in situations of challenge. Conversely, performance goals were seen to be ineffective in such contexts (Grant & Dweck, 2003, p. 552). Numerous studies link an entity theory with performance goal setting and an incremental theory with learning goals (Blackwell, Trzesniewski & Dweck, 2007; Aronsen, Fried & Good, 2002; Good, Aronsen & Inzlich, 2003 ).

Aronsen, Fried and Good (2002) refer to the work of Dweck and her associates when they allude to the importance of intelligence theories in goal setting. However, their work has particular relevance to the impact of such theories on groups of students who suffer from stereotyping of some sort. Such students ‘essentially face the same predicament (as low performing students), the troubling implication that they are intellectually limited, with little or no hope for improvement’ (Aronsen, Fried & Good, 2002, p.115). Aronsen and colleagues hypothesised that by performing an intervention which ‘taught’ the incremental theory of intelligence to black college students in the United States they could negate some of the impact of stereotype threat on those students. Another study by Good, Aronsen & Inzlicht (2003) focused on the impact of intelligence theories on racially stereotyped groups in terms of their motivation to respond to stereotyping in a more academically positive way. This study also included the impact of such stereotyping on girls, particularly within the context of Maths achievement. Dweck asserts that ‘mindsets can contribute to math/science achievement discrepancies for women and minorities’ (2008, p. 2). Whether it is race, gender or socio-economic disadvantage, the idea that changing mindset can impact on achievement in such a way that it furthers the quest to redress some of the imbalances which exist within the education system is a powerful rationale for more research of this type.

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Walton & Cohen (2007) took the importance of mindset further by transferring the ideas of Aronsen and colleagues from a purely academic context to a social context. The value of this from the perspective of this review is its implications for the importance of intelligence theories to a range of contexts. It is also significant that the results of this intervention which addressed beliefs about belonging revealed improved academic performance for the previously excluded students who were part of the experimental group (Walton & Cohen, 2007, p.92).

While Walton and Cohen’s work (2007) was in a tertiary institution, Good and her associates (2003) worked in the context of a junior high school, allowing interesting comparisons with Blackwell, Trzesniewski and Dweck (2007) whose 2003 intervention was also in a junior high school. Both studies

were focused on improving the performance outcomes, and attitudes of participants to the academic context. Both studies acknowledge the transition to junior high school as a time of stress and challenge and the results of both indicate that it is at such times that teaching a malleable theory of intelligence appears to be of most use.( Blackwell, Trzesniewski & Dweck, 2003; Good, Aronsen & Inzlich, 2003). In their paper, Good and her colleagues stated that, ‘encouraging adolescents... to think of intelligence as expandable rather than fixed, or to attribute difficulties to the novelty of the situation rather than their own shortcomings, can meaningfully increase student achievement, especially for those students who face negative stereotypes about their abilities’ (2003, p.658). Such negative stereotyping increases the stress of academic work for those who are its target, making their education a period of consistent challenge.

This review has outlined some key ideas associated with implicit intelligence theories and their impact on learning. Specifically, it has provided evidence that changing a student’s belief regarding their ability to learn by giving them an understanding of the incremental theory of intelligence (growth mindset) has resulted in improved achievement in a range of contexts. This is the finding which underpins the curriculum changes at St Margaret’s in Years 7 and 8. It also informs many of the programs delivered in other year levels and the professional development being offered to staff.

References Aronsen, J., Fried, C.B. and Good, C. (2002). Reducing the Effects of Stereotype Threat on African American College Students by Shaping Theories of Intelligence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 113-125.

Blackwell, L, Trzesniewski, K.H and Dweck, C.S. (2007). Implicit Theories of Intelligence Predict Achievement Across an Adolescent Transition: A Longitudinal Study and an Intervention. In Child Development, 78, 1 pages 246-263.

Dweck, C.S. (2008). Mindsets and Maths/Science Achievement. Prepared for the Carnegie Corporation of New York-Institute for Advanced Study Commission on Mathematics and Science Education.

Carnegie Corporation, Princeton.

Good, C., Aronsen, J. And Inzlicht, M. (2003). Improving adolescents’ standardized test performance: An intervention to reduce the effects of stereotype threat. Applied Developmental Psychology, 24, 645-662.

Grant H. and Dweck, C.S. (2003). Clarifying Achievement Goals and Their Impact. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 3, 541-553.

Walton, G. M. and Cohen, G. L. (2007). A Question of Belonging: Race, Social Fit and Achievement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 1, 82-96.

Yeager, D.S & Dweck, C.S (2012). Mindsets That Promote Resilience: When Students Believe That Personal Characteristics Can Be Developed, Educational Psychologist, 47:4, 302-314, DOI: 10.1080/00461520.2012.722805

Dr Andrew Martin: motivation and engagement Bruce Bullpitt Coordinator of History

A research expert in psychology and education, Dr Andrew Martin is renowned for his work in fields such as the gifted and talented, academic resilience, parenting, teacher-student relationships and Aboriginal education (University of Sydney, 2014). His main focus is on motivation, engagement and achievement and his message is of great value to both parents and teachers.

Dr Martin has developed a Motivation and Engagement Wheel, which groups under four themes the factors he sees as essential to achieving the aims of today’s educators. This model reflects the thoughts, feelings and behaviours underpinning academic engagement at school and identifies factors that enhance motivation rather than constrain and reduce it (Australian Psychological Society, 2003). These positive thoughts and behaviours include self-belief, task management, sense of academic control and reduced fear of failure.

Because St Margaret’s recognises that nothing succeeds like success, and that one of the most vital components of self-belief is the necessity for students to experience success, assessment tasks ideally include strategies that ensure students have access to success. It is essential, for example, that students understand fully the requirements of a task, that the task can be broken into manageable parts, and that there is appropriate scaffolding for effective research or experimentation, note taking and analysis of information or data. Success is a cornerstone of self-belief (Bandura, 1997) and a student’s interest and motivation will be sustained through the successes enjoyed as each segment of the task is tackled.

Reducing fear of failure also contributes to the growth of a strong sense of student academic control. Just as the approach to a task can be greatly improved through the submitting of drafts and acting on the advice given, a student’s ability to accept a disappointing final result for an assessment piece can be a positive experience if the result is regarded not as a failure, but as gaining information and knowledge that can help the student achieve improved results in future similar tests (Covington, 1992). This attitude also enables a student to minimise the link between academic performance and his or her self-worth.

The focus should not be on the student but rather on the commitment to and the effectiveness of study: this may seem like a subtle distinction but it is a distinction that has significant implications for students’ orientation to challenge, adversity, failure, poor performance, and setback (Martin, 2003).

Dr Martin’s message is uncomplicated and its incorporation into pedagogical practice at St Margaret’s is clearly discernible. With the right motivation, engagement and achievement, a girl’s years at the School can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience.

References Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman & Co. Covington, M. (1992). Making the grade: A self-worth perspective on motivation and school reform. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Martin, A. (2003). Motivating students to learn. InPsych.

Retrieved 12 September 2014 www.psychology.org.au/publications/ inpsych/motivating University of Sydney (2014). The Conversation. Retrieved 16 September 2014 www.theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-martin-4809

It is also important for students to realise that they have the power to control many of their academic outcomes. Success is achieved through the quality and quantity of effort devoted to tasks, so St Margaret’s students are encouraged, for instance, to discuss assessment tasks with their teachers, to seek advice, to submit properly prepared drafts for teacher feedback and to follow suggestions made in response to those drafts. This requires a high level of planning and time management on a student’s part and consequently these skills are the focus of much of St Margaret’s Personal Development Programs.

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Inspiring creativity: a dialogue with empowerment Jen Chaplin Drama and Visual Art Teacher

The current purpose of schooling is to educate students, who can then productively engage in the world to the best of their ability. The concrete role of the teacher is as a facilitator of learning. Given current Australian curriculum trends, content continues to be dictated by agreed state and federal educational bodies who in turn define the national curriculum. The only job left for teachers to explore, in a personalised way, is the delivery of that content. This is a relatively ‘open to interpretation’ job description, based on two premises – how students best learn, and how to best teach them to learn. Embedded in each teacher is a wealth of experience and knowledge taken from understandings in and outside the classroom. An educational philosophy cannot help but be first born from the personal experiences we have as learners. By taking these experiences, we each respond to them, repackage them, and then find a place for them in how we are going to approach teaching the next group of students.

In the beginning ... a personal reflection: teacher as child and student As a child of the 70s, my time at school was coloured by teachers who were employed to teach the required lessons and turn me into a ‘decent citizen’. My lessons were delivered by first year teachers on country service in outback Queensland using the ‘chalk and talk’ method. This tried and tested method of the era didn’t encourage a dialogue between students and teachers; answers were marked either right or wrong. Feeling safe in class meant you knew how to avoid the cane and how to keep from being noticed.

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The result was that feelings of safety only came in a private world of imaginative storytelling and dramatic re-enactments of the world around. No one at the time spoke or understood the value of emotional intelligence, or De Bono’s coloured hats, which would have allowed some personal understanding of my learning. The shift into upper primary and the comfortable creative chaos I had felt as a child was solidly replaced with the world of the quantifiable and verifiable. The lovingly drawn ‘pink trees with purple leaves’ were replaced by colouring within lines, being told you shouldn’t sing and the wonderful benefits of rote learning. My painful learning experiences could be described as ‘how to kill a child’s creativity’ or identified in academic circles as a forfeited consequence or more plainly, ‘conformity blunts creativity’ (O’Farrell, 2007).

It wasn’t until years later, as a mature-age student, that I fully realised how much of my education had been stymied as a child. While studying Modern Art, I saw the work of surreal artist Rene Magritte. A realisation came about on the nature of the ‘concrete reality’ I had been brought up in, and how it could be challenged by sheer creative authenticity.

Educational philosopher Foucault had also seen the humour and contradictory nature in the work of Magritte (Foucault, 1983).

Ceci n’est pas une pipe (1926) primarily questioned the delusional nature of perception and became known for its conceptual nature. These were exciting concepts worth discussing as an art teacher and educator. By looking only for the reality in what we see, we close a door on the possible.

To truly release myself from the past concrete reality, a conscious shift was needed in my teaching practice. Teachers could be ‘the keepers of knowledge’ or they could choose to be a doorway to dialogue and understanding. The basis for my educational philosophy needed to come from not what was false, but my relationship to the truth (Foucault, 1997). My truth as a teacher needed to come from what was innately known to me in my childhood but couldn’t be expressed; that ‘original ideas have value’ (Robinson, 2006).

Placing value on creativity and innovation Professor Ken Robinson is an advocate for educational change.

He offers alternatives to what we should be teaching the students of the present and future and how we can improve that content and make it relevant to the future. He sees that the future lies in supporting the concept: ‘Creativity is the ultimate economic resource to harness’ (2001) in a future-orientated economy. This premise is constructed on the educational philosophy, ‘original ideas have value’ (Robinson, 2006). This perspective is neither new nor untried, but only lacks a market value. Once a measure is in place to quantify what it is to be creative or innovative, the shift to new practices that embrace creative literacy will be foremost in teaching forums.

As an educator and personal advocate for creativity, my teaching practice shifted to include dialogues with students about their own creative practices. This in itself needed innovative ways of delivery to model the message of creativity. To do anything else would be to revisit my own ‘chalk and talk’ lessons full of dogma.

The aim was to create a professional practice that allowed student empowerment: invite the complexity and creative emergence of students into the classroom and, moreover, allow students and teachers to share the platform of knowledge through creative and innovative means. This acceptance as a way forward offered opportunities for discourse and empowerment through shared knowledge and ideas.

Creativity and innovation are daunting topics to grasp in the classroom. There seems to be a widespread consensus on the definition of both creativity and innovation and how they can be used in educational contexts. Creativity has been defined as a product or process that shows a balance of originality and value.

It is a skill, an ability to make unforeseen connections and to generate new and appropriate ideas. Therefore, creative learning can be any learning that involves understanding, new ideas, awareness and a focus on thinking skills.

Creativity has been understood further as the ‘ability to produce work that is both novel and appropriate’ (Sternberg & Lubart, 1999, p 13). Craft (2005) sees creativity as the ability to see possibilities that others haven’t noticed. Esquivel (1995) sees it as the critical process involved in the generation of new ideas.

It is based on learner empowerment and centeredness. According to this idea, creative potential can be found in every child (Runco, 2003); it can be encouraged or inhibited (Sharp, 2004); and its development depends on the kind of training the learner can receive.

Sharing the knowledge – a source of student empowerment and innovation Francis Bacon (c.1620) espoused the philosophical statement ‘knowledge is power’. Outdated by time alone, power relationships still exist in educational institutions, between the different hierarchies within. Foucault contests this concept and says the only interest lies in the complex relations between power and knowledge (1991). Limiting relations lose dialogical opportunities and prove only to widen the gap between the educator and the educated. Dialogic inquiry is the investigation and rediscovery of material with students. This creative approach to teaching isn’t a technique or tactic but an invitation for a shift in power, ‘a moment where humans meet to reflect on their reality as they make and remake it into something else’ (Foucault in Shor & Freire. 19, p13). By reflecting together on what is known and not known, they can then act critically to transform reality.

Children should be encouraged in all domains Encouraging or inhibiting a child’s creative potential is a strategic balancing act that enlists both teachers and parents.

The measure of a child’s creativity needs to continue from the home into the classroom. The definition of the role of teacher expands to judge, jury and accountant who measure the worth of creativity and the worth of knowledge attained. The creative outputs of children are often original and valuable; hence creative for the children themselves, but not in comparison with larger norms (Runco, 2003). Despite the deliberation on meaning, there is a shared understanding that children have a huge creative potential that shares no measure (Malaguzzi, 1987; Robinson, 2006; Runco, 2003). This is formalised in education where there is a tendency to look for an ‘answer that is known’ and in the process ‘kill the creativity’ (Robinson, 2006). Evidence shows that creativity is not always valued in schools, although creativity and attaining knowledge can overlap to create deeper engagement (Runco, 2007).

The hierarchy of learning; creativity still the underdog?

The struggle that occurs for arts teachers is a misconception that the arts are less academic than other subjects. Upholding the academic reputation of a subject based on results tends to kill creativity through assessment (Beghetto, 2005). On the flip-side, Craft (2005) argues creativity is not the preserve of the arts alone, but can be fostered in all school subjects. Validating the inherent notion of creativity as art is a misconception that leads to the loss of potential of creativity for other fields of knowledge.

As creativity enhances learning, it should be promoted in all curricular areas. Seeing creativity as an alternative expression of the arts gives rise to a misconception that sees creative activities as synonyms of play and fun, rather than pathways to knowledge for all (Craft, 2005). The discourse in schools that suggest the arts are for fun feeds the non-academic notion. Time and effort are transferred from teaching practices to fight for recognition within the hierarchy. Robinson suggested subjects within a faculty are also endorsed differently (2006).

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As a dynamic response to the nature of student learning, dialogic inquiry becomes a larger part of the picture created in the classroom. The critical inquiry within this model relies on the curiosity and enthusiasm of the students being stimulated by an educator who doesn’t ‘own’ all knowledge. There is no fixed possession of content by teacher, only a rediscovery of the material with the students (Foucault in Shor & Freire. 19, p13).

Innovative teachers welcome a democratic classroom (Esquivel, 1995) where everyone has a say as they foster independence and empower those that seek alternate views or ways of working.

A gradual shift in emphasis from discourse to creativity is not a shift from the inherently negative or constrained. Nor is the struggle about domination, separation or submission.

Discourse is productive as it adds a creative dimension to action (Delanty, 1999).

Beghetto suggests that classroom discussion would be the ideal time for the promotion of creative thinking skills (Beghetto, 2007b). This should reflect a shift in pedagogy, moving towards an inclusive approach (Craft, 2005), where the environment is safe and learners are in control of their learning process (Woods, 2002). This discourse in power explores notions of autonomy in the teaching and learning process. Research indicates that traditional teachers tend to deter students’ individual autonomy (Ng, 2002), which affects their creative performance. Creative performance is more likely to happen with a teacher who empowers students in the learning process (Craft, 2005).

Foucault described this teacher-student relationship as ‘the pedagogical relation of guidance where the master helps the disciple to discover the truth about himself or herself’ (Foucault, 2001, p114). This dialogic inquiry forms the basis of the inquiry model used in student learning. Students can then become part of a larger more creative picture created in the classroom.

Tackling education from an innovative viewpoint asks both the teacher and students to listen to each other in an open and willing manner. Open dialogues will have successes and failures, but overall they offer a launch pad for creativity.

Research indicates that, for a multitude of reasons, creativity is currently not at the centre of education practices. This suggests that there is a need for a change in pedagogy towards a more permissive environment which cherishes students’ ideas, encourages risk-taking and mistakes, and allows learners to assume ownership of their learning. The traditional configuration of school space, time and structure also needs a shift and re-organisation for creativity to blossom.

Industry consultant Tom Peters and co-author of Re-imagine (1982) recognises the importance of teaching innovatively and training in creativity. He argues how essential it is in this age of ‘intangibles and intellectual capital’ to create a shift in education to creativity and innovation. Creativity and innovation can play an important role in our society, as a recognised skill for the future. Creating a new goal for education to include this alternate approach addresses a much broader role for creativity in education. To see the future in this concept, educational institutions need to steer curriculum content and, most importantly, consider the delivery of these new ideas to present and future students. Educators will become central in fostering the creative and innovative potential of students. The processes must generate something original and the outcome must be of value, in relation to the objective. These teacher traits will not just live in the realm of ‘the arts’, but can be embedded in all subjects. By finding a measure for this resource it can be nurtured, harnessed and, most importantly, valued.

My professional practice will always see the less harmful aspect of creativity and see it as the exciting dialogical future of education. I hope the world I sought as a young student will come about. However, it may be on hold until NAPLAN can test whether ‘pink trees with purple leaves’ is a measurable answer for future teachers and students alike!

References

Beghetto, R. A. (2005). Does Assessment Kill Student Creativity?

The Educational Forum, (69), p254-263.

Beghetto, R. A. (2007a). Creativity Research and the Classroom: From Pitfalls to Potential. In A.-G. Tan (Ed.), Creativity: A Handbook for Teachers. Singapore: World Scientific. p101-114.

Beghetto, R. A. (2007b). Does creativity have a place in classroom discussion? Prospective teachers’ response preferences. Thinking Skills and Creativity, (2) p1-9 Craft, A. (2005). Creativity in schools: tensions and dilemmas.

London: Routledge.

Craft, A., Jeffrey, B., & Leibling, M. (2001). Creativity in education.

London: Continuum Crowell, S., & Reid-Marr, D. (2013). Emergent Teaching; A path of creativity, significance, and transformation. Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield

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De Bono, E. (1970). Lateral thinking: a textbook of creativity.

London: Ward Lock Educational.

Delanty, G. (1999). Social Theory in a Changing World: Conceptions of Modernity. p105-108, Polity Press, Cambridge.

Esquivel, G. B. (1995). Teacher behaviours that foster creativity.

Educational Psychology Review, 7(2), p185-202.

Foucault, M. (1983). Discourse and truth: The problematization of parrhesia. J. Pearson (Ed.). Retrieved from http://www.foucault. info/documents/parrhesia/index.html Foucault, M. (1991). Discipline and Punish: the birth of a prison.

London, Penguin.

Foucault, M. (2001). Fearless speech. J. Pearson (Ed.). Los Angeles: Semiotext(e).

Jeffrey, B. (2006). Creative teaching and learning: towards a common discourse and practice. Cambridge Journal of Education, 36(3), p399–414.

Malaguzzi, L. (1987). The hundred languages of children.

(I cento linguaggi dei bambini. Exhibition catalogue),p16-21.

Malaguzzi, L. (1993). History, ideas, and basic philosophy: an interview with Lella Gandini. In C. Edwards, L. Gandini & G. Forman (Eds.), The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach - Advanced Reflections. Greenwich, CT: Ablex Publishing.

Ng, A.-K. (2002). The Development of a New Scale to Measure Teachers’ Attitudes toward Students (TATS). Educational Research Journal, 17(1), p63-77.

O’Farrell, C. (1997). Key concepts. Retrieved from http://www.michel-foucault.com/concepts/index.html O’Farrell, C. (2007) Conformity blunts creativity: The world of learning is no place for corporate or bureaucratic straitjackets, The Australian, December 12, 2007. Retrieved from: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/opinion/ conformity-blunts-creativity/story-e6frgcko-1111115087570 Peters, T. & Waterman, B. (1982) Re-Imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age. Baltimore: DK Publishing Robinson, K. (2001). Out of our minds: learning to be creative.

Oxford: Capstone.

Robinson, K. (2006). Do schools kill creativity? TED. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_ kill_creativity.html Robinson, K. (2010) Changing Education Paradigms, RSA Animate - Uploaded on Oct 14, 2010. Audio editor, Pyne.B , Producer: Stephenson, P. Animation by Cognitive Media. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U Runco, M. A. (2007). Creativity: theories and themes: research, development, and practice. Amsterdam; London: Elsevier Academic Press Shor, I., & Freire, P. (1987) What is the “dialogical method of teaching? Journal of Education, 169(3), p11-31. Retrieved from http://www.cocostudio.com/uga/shor_freire.pdf Sternberg, R. J., & Lubart, T. I. (1999). The concept of creativity: Prospects and paradigms. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of creativity (pp. 3-15). Cambridge: University Press.

Woods, P. (2002). Teaching and learning in the new millennium.

In C. Sugrue & C. Day (Eds.), Developing Teachers and Teaching Practice. p. 73-91. London: Routledge & Falmer.

Using child-friendly language to promote self-regulated learners in the primary school Evan Chia Primary Teacher

Robert Marzano, a leading researcher in education, has shown that when students have learning goals, it has a significant positive effect on their achievement. For primary students to develop learning goals, they need explicit guidance from the teacher on what they need to do to improve their academic work. Over the years, this has been done rigorously through assessment rubrics. However, because of the complexity of these, access to these tools by students has been limited. I believe there is some merit to the simplification of assessment tools, with particular emphasis on using more childfriendly language to encourage students to be self-regulated learners.

Assessment rubrics show, in an explicit way, what a student needs to do to achieve academically in a particular task. These are used as both a guide for the self-regulated student, as well as a tool for feedback and assessment from the teacher. This process is supported by Marzano’s research, which suggests that ‘goal setting and feedback used in tandem are probably more powerful than either one in isolation’ (Marzano, 2007, p.12). Due to the nature of the curriculum and most academic tasks, the language used in these rubrics becomes quite complex and technical. This results in students having limited access to rubrics as a goal-setting resource.

This year, I have been considering what teachers can do to help students more easily understand their learning goals. Students all too often do not have the skills to assess the quality of their own work and then improve it. Consequently, I have reconstructed assessment rubrics to improve student access to these valuable tools.

The first and most important change was the elimination of technical jargon coupled with an emphasis on child-friendly language. In some cases this meant a simplification of the criteria. I initially felt that this over-simplification would be detrimental to the quality and complexity of students’ work, however I didn’t find this. Better access to the information had a positive effect on the quality of students’ work. I found I could still use more complex discussion and technical words during verbal feedback with some students, but this didn’t need to be the guiding force for all students in the learning process.

Since using these modified learning goals, I have noticed that students have a greater ability to assess the quality of their own work. I have found that when working on a task without childfriendly learning goals, there are always some students who over-state their achievement level. Using child-friendly goals, I find that only rarely are students’ self-assessments incongruous with their actual achievement.

Simplifying the language of their learning goals has provided the students with a common metalanguage in which to discuss their work. Often, students can verbalise for themselves the exact feedback I would usually provide. I am finding that student conferences are more effective as the student already knows which direction they need to head. This creates more time to show the student more specifically how to get there.

References Marzano, Robert J. (2007). The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

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Another modification included the quantification of criteria.

On first impression, it seemed nonsensical to quantify certain criteria. For example, it didn’t seem right to ask a student when writing a narrative to include ‘three different ways of describing the setting giving a sense of place, time and atmosphere’. What I found, however, was that by quantifying goals students were more likely to comply with the criteria (in this case it was a description of setting).

Along with using child-friendly language and quantifying criteria, I removed A-E standards from the rubric. These standards were simplified into three levels: Students could aim for one star, two stars or three stars depending on their entry level of achievement. The removal of A-E standards removed the focus on marks. By using a simplified model, the students were able to use the information more effectively.

Early career teacher mentoring program Kim Cohen Deputy Principal

Worldwide, the exodus of Early Career Teachers (ECTs) from the profession has reached critical levels. With this in mind it is imperative that schools address the situation by ensuring that ECTs are receiving support and encouragement as they embark on their teaching journey. This is best done by a mentor/mentee relationship. Mentoring of new teachers is a strong factor in retention (Menter et al., 2010). It also plays an important role in the development of ECTs’ self confidence, their ability to make changes to practice and the wide use of a number of strategies to match students’ needs (Cordingley and Buckler, 2012).

At St Margaret’s in 2014, a group of dedicated teachers, led by Michael Crowe, designed a mentoring program for ECTs, to be implemented in 2015. The program is backed up by research, including conversations with numerous ECTs, experienced teachers and school leaders. The program draws much inspiration from The Toolkit for Mentor Practice created by Horn and Metler-Armijo (2011). For the purposes of this program, ECTs are defined as teachers in their first five years of teaching.

Mentoring is defined as ‘reciprocal and collaborative learning between two individuals who share mutual responsibility and accountability for helping a mentee work toward achievement of clear and mutually defined goals’ (Brondyk and Searby, 2013).

In order to introduce any form of change into a school environment, the culture often needs to change to ensure staff ‘buy in’. St Margaret’s staff members were pointed in the direction of relevant literature and reminded of their time as beginner teachers. The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) and the Classroom Practice Continuum were revisited.

Staff were introduced to the idea of mentoring as a partnership; one where both parties would learn from each other. They were then invited to be part of the team researching, investigating, creating and, finally, implementing the mentoring model.

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To develop such a program it was important that current teachers had the opportunity to provide input. To this end a working group was created; this group was made up of five teachers across the Primary and Secondary Schools, covering a broad range of experience; from a teacher in her third year to one in his thirtieth year of teaching, with international experience. The Deputy Principal was a member of the team.

The group brought very different experiences and knowledge to the table, and part of their brief was to have conversations with their peers in order to best represent the entire teaching staff.

The Deputy also met with all ECTs on the staff, to find out their concerns, stress factors and needs.

The program is based on the APST, linked to the criteria for annual staff reviews and is in line with the Classroom Practice Continuum. At the same time it adheres to the Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework, Figure 1 (Development Framework image, 2012).

Figure 1: Development Framework This framework calls for a performance and development culture in all Australian schools. It emphasises the fact that all that we do within our schools must have, at the centre, student wellbeing and academic outcomes. Schools need to take a long-term approach to building a culture that provides an environment in which all teachers can improve their practice and thus student outcomes.

According to the New Teacher Centre in the USA, ‘a growing body of research shows that students taught by teachers who receive comprehensive mentoring for at least two years demonstrate significantly higher gains’ (newteachercentre.org, 2012). This finding is confirmed by Carey, ‘the effect of a teacher’s instruction on students’ achievement accumulates over time’ (2004). ‘The challenge is thus to induct [mentor] teachers in ways that rapidly promote high levels of practice and ensure that all students have effective teachers’ (Horn and Metler-Armijo, 2011).

To ensure the mentoring process is effective, mentors and mentees need to partner in ways that stimulate and support learning and the growth of the other. Noller (1997) identified a number of strategies mentors need to encourage within their mentees for the relationship and the outcome to be successful: • pursue goals with a positive attitude • examine beliefs, ideals and values • be attentive listeners and assertive questioners • be independent thinkers who learn through inquiry • develop self-confidence by assuming responsibility for one’s actions • take risks by being an active participant, not a spectator.

A relationship of this nature requires mutual respect, trust, ongoing communication and a certain ‘chemistry’. The mentor should benefit as much from the relationship as the mentee.

Just as the mentor guides and supports the mentee, so the mentor requires training and ongoing support to develop the specific skills required in assisting the ECT; such as ‘building relationships, using tools to determine strengths and needs of the mentee, helping the mentee to set meaningful goals and providing meaningful feedback’ (Independent Schools Queensland, 2014).

The differentiated mentoring model thus created addresses five interconnected focus areas as required by the needs of the individual ECT, in line with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and appropriate to our school context: Building relationships Establishment of professional networks and building and maintaining positive relationships with students’ parents and colleagues.

Cultural understanding

Awareness, knowledge and understanding of the school’s norms, values, beliefs, behaviours and community expectations.

Emotional coping skills

Development of emotional intelligence, resilience, teacher identity and a positive engagement with the profession.

Cognitive processing

Creation of the ability to set goals and strategies, problem solve and critically reflect.

Pedagogical knowledge

Demonstration of knowledge and understanding of content, curriculum and the ability to communicate these through effective teaching strategies.

These focus areas will be approached in a way that is educative, transformative, evidence based, differentiated, intentional and part of a partnership. It is important that the mentoring shifts early on from technical and operational to educative, based on the idea that a teacher’s primary goal is to improve students’ outcomes.

Differentiation is vital for productive mentoring to occur. With this in mind it is important that the mentor and mentee are aware of where the ECT is developmentally in each of the focus areas: building relationships, cultural understanding, emotional coping skills, cognitive processing and pedagogical knowledge.

Figure 2, Differentiated Mentoring Structure, is a simple model to guide both mentor and mentee. By referring to this model the mentor would know at what level to aim their conversations in each area. The level of expertise of the mentee would determine the type of support required of the mentor: Dependency Gradual release and acceptance of responsibility Interdependence Emerging mentee

Developing mentee

Demonstrating mentee

Relational Cultural

Horn and Metler-Armjo recognise similar phases of development within the mentors: • Emerging: A level of development in which the mentor still relies on more experienced colleagues for support but is moving toward becoming more self-directed and independent in his/her practice.

• Applying: A level of development in which the mentor is able to successfully collaborate with a [mentee] in support of the [mentee’s] practice and easily applies what he or she has learnt about mentoring.

• Integrating: A level of development in which the mentor’s behaviour is consistently innovative and creative in all areas of mentoring and professional development. The mentor easily integrates what he or she has learned. The integrating mentor conducts professional development classes for continuing teachers and attends conferences and workshops that further develop their professional growth.

(2011) The program is thus based on the idea of transformational learning; this type of learning ‘seeks to change how we know, altering our existing frame of reference, our ways of making meaning’ (Garavusa, 2010). This kind of learning cannot happen without reflection and reflection is not an innate skill for most of us. Therefore the mentor plays an important role in guiding the mentee in their reflective practice.

The program is made up of six stages, each with a different focus of classroom practice as determined by the APST. The stages are not necessarily linear in their roll out; some processes within each stage will need to be completed prior to moving on to the next phase. The stages of the mentoring program are based on developing foundations, building relations, conferencing and ensuring there is both mentee and mentor growth.

There are numerous conditions necessary for the success of such a program; these include dedicated and professional mentors, enthusiastic mentees, supportive school leadership and sufficient release time for those involved in the program – all of which are available at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School.

References Brondyk, S., & Searby, L. (2013). Best practices in mentoring: complexities and possibilities. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 2(3), 192.

Carey, K. (2004). The real value of teachers. Thinking K-12, 01.8(1).

Emotional Cognitive Pedagogical Instructive Collaborative mentor mentor

Facilitative mentor

Figure 2: Differentiated Mentoring Structure (Adapted from ISQ, 2014)

Developing Mentees are at the stage of gradual release and acceptance of responsibility and require a collaborative approach.

Demonstrating Mentees are at the stage of interdependence and have moved to a facilitative relationship with the mentor.

Development framework diagram [image] (2012). Retrieved 21 August 2014, from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/search?q=performance%20and%20 development%20culture Horn, P., & Metler-Armijo, K. (2011). Toolkit for mentor practice (1st ed.).

Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.

Independent Schools Queensland, Action Plan Mentoring Early Career Teacher Project. (2014). [Brochure]. Brisbane, Australia: Author.

Menter, I., Hulme, M., Dely, E., & Lewin, J. (2010). Literature Review on Teacher Education in the 21st Century. Education Analytical Services, Edinburgh.

Noller, R. (1997). Mentoring, a voiced scarf (revised edition). Mt. Holly, NJ: Snedley Group.

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Emerging Mentees are still fairly dependent and require an instructive stance from the mentor.

Cordingley, P., & Buckler, N. (2012). Mentoring and coaching for teachers’ continuing professional development. In S. J. Fletcher & C. A. Mullen (Eds.), The sage handbook of mentoring and coaching in education (1st ed., p. 2). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Calculating connections Ray Cross Secondary Teacher

The historical twenty five year debate concerning use of calculators in mathematics teaching and learning is long buried. The latest technological iteration of classroom connected calculators arrived a few years ago; so what does this offer?

Graphing or graphics calculators, first marketed in the early 1990s, provided multi-modal representation of formulae, graphs and tables, which created an opportunity for a heightened level of teaching and learning for understanding. Subsequently, over ten years ago, computer algebra system (CAS) calculators were introduced, offering an entirely new pedagogy for quantitative analysis at secondary school level. Much research since has concluded student graphics calculator access generates enhanced mathematical understanding and achievement (Goos, 2013).

Specifically, research studies have shown that effective use of CAS graphing calculators improves student skills and achievements and positively impacts on algebraic understanding (Heller et al, 2006; Khojo et al, 2005). Importantly, wise CAS use improves student assessment performance even if not available during testing (Ellington, 2003). Additionally, it has also been determined that at Year 9 level, and possibly other levels, student CAS calculator access was one of the top ten factors relating to achievement in both ordinary and advanced mathematics classes ( EQOA, 2004). Furthermore, Ellington (2003) also concluded that students using these calculators had better attitudes to mathematics than their non-calculator using peers, clearly an extremely significant matter as we seek to encourage participation and engagement in STEM subjects in an increasingly technology dependent world.

More recently, connectivity of student hand-held CAS calculators or laptop emulator and the teacher computer via dedicated wireless access point, or through the school’s wireless network respectively, has become available. Both systems offer similar functionality with one of the major advantages being immediate, accurate, and informative feedback, supporting the research of Bellon et.al., (1997) who found that academic

feedback was more strongly and consistently related to achievement than any other teaching behaviour. However, effective feedback incorporates three components – student, teacher and parent – with all three being essential partners in optimising an individual’s academic achievement. The TINavigatorTM system, in either format, offers all of the above through the following functionality: Quick Poll: allowing for dynamic questioning, voting and assessment individually, by class or in pre-arranged differentiated groups. Instant correction and feedback to both student and teacher.

Class/Individual Screen Capture: real time teacher monitoring of student calculators, providing immediacy of specific assistance, discussion or collaborative activities.

Live Presenter: display of individual student screens via the whiteboard facilitating error analysis, solutions, class questions, discussion.

Document transfer: send, receive and collect all document types where lessons, homework and assignments may be stored, viewed and transferred.

Review and Portfolio: learning management system analysis, recording and display of marks, results and grades.

Opportunities for a wide range of formative questioning, assessment, discussion and correction formats improve the teacher’s knowledge of student thinking, enabling a better targeted and relevant pedagogical focus. Generally held misconceptions can be identified and corrected, and, if necessary, work programs modified. Kettle and Häubl (2010) found that anticipation of more rapid feedback improved performance.

Non-threatening student participation, immediate responses and student learning differentiation possibilities enhances achievement (SRI International, 2009). Transfer of preprepared documents affords independent thinking, homework reinforcement, assignments, evaluation or assessment. Choosing to display or hide the correct response permits these alternate approaches including that of summative testing.

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Fox (2013) highlights the effects on students of recording, analysing and possibly displaying responses when questioning students over their logic in choosing solutions. He noted that regarding concealing the correct response, ‘From a neurological perspective, this small level of suspense is likely to release dopamine in the brain increasing the likelihood the learning will be remembered’ (p.9). Further quantitative research (Walsh, 2012; Stroup et al, 2011) shows improved student performance and attitudes using TI-NavigatorTM are statistically significant.

Portfolio recording of polls, quizzes and assessments maintains a current itemised list of results easily incorporated within a report spread-sheet for forwarding as feedback to parents, possibly via an email merge.

Arnold (2014) states, ‘The teacher’s most powerful tool in the classroom is the question. It is our principle means of engaging and interacting, encouraging learning that is deep and meaningful – if the question is well chosen. In most classrooms, the question samples the students – experienced teachers select the students to answer with care and precision, but inevitably can only hear from a small proportion of the class. With the TINspire Navigator classroom, the act of questioning is a census – responses from every student are collected, scored and displayed.’

References Arnold, S. (2014). TI-Nspire Navigator for Networked Computers. Retrieved from www.compasstech.com Bellon, J.J., Bellon, E.C., & Blank, M.A. (1992). Teaching from a Research Knowledge Base: a Development) and Renewal Process. New York: Merrill.

Ellington A. J. (2003). A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Calculators on Students’ Achievement and Attitude Levels in PreCollege Mathematics Classes, n.p.

Fox P. (2013). Improving VCE Results. Retrieved from www.mav.vic.edu. au/files/conferences/.../Peter_Fox_Addendum_2.pdf Goos M. (2013) Using technology to support effective mathematics teaching and learning. Sunata, 3, 3-6.

Heller J. (2005). Impact of Handheld Graphing Calculator Use on Student Achievement in Beginning Algebra. Heller Research Associates.

Kettle, K. L., Häubl G. (2010). Motivation by Anticipation: Expecting Rapid. Feedback Enhances Performance. Psychological Science, 31 (2).

Khoju M., Miller G. (2005). Effectiveness of Graphing Calculators in K-12 Mathematics Achievement. Retrieved from http://education.ti.com/sites/ US/downloads/pdf/research_khojou_jaciw.pdf Ontario Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQOA).

(2001-2002). Technical Paper: Relationship between Education Quality Indicators and Achievement, Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics. Ontario, Canada: Canadian Government.

SRI International (Centre for Technology in Learning). (2012).

Enhancing Teaching and Learning Through Educational Data Mining and Learning Analytics: An Issue Brief. Washington: U.S. Department of Education.

Stroup, W. M., Carmona, L., & Davis, S. M. (2011).

Improving on Expectations: Preliminary Results from Using Network-Supported Function-Based Algebra. In A. Oldknow & C. Knights (Eds.), Mathematics Education with Digital Technology (pp. 61-74). England & New York: Continuum International Publishing Group.

Walsh P. (2012). Using TI-NavigatorTM to Increase Student Achievement. Molloy College, USA.

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Network connected calculator systems such as the TINavigatorTM potentially deliver efficient and effective technological access to long recognised valuable teaching and learning practices. Furthermore, the TI-NavigatorTM system is also an example of yet another technological development facilitating pragmatic pedagogical initiatives. Given appropriate professional development, using teachers accepting the challenge of venturing beyond pedagogical orthodoxy may contribute to improved pupil mathematical understanding, creativity and attitudes. In our increasing mathematically dependent society this is surely an offer worthy of acceptance.

Flipping the classroom – technology allows catch up Michael Crowe Head of Teaching and Learning – Years 5 and 6

Andrew Douch was ‘flipping his classroom’ well before the phrase was coined. One of the most beneficial professional learning experiences I have had over the past two years was the seminar Andrew conducted at school at the start of the 2013 academic year.

The learning that I experienced during this session was engaging and invigorating. The seminar opened my eyes to the possibilities on offer to enhance the learning of students both in the classroom and beyond. Since the presentation I have tried to incorporate many of Andrew’s ideas, and I hope, through refinement and development, these ideas will continue to enhance the educational experience of all my students.

As Andrew stated in his blog post from June 2014: ‘Our teachers didn’t have a choice; we do’. He says, ‘Our teachers didn’t have a choice about covering the whole curriculum in class – how else would their students be exposed to all the nuggets of knowledge they needed? Our students have the Library of Alexandria at their fingertips! That gives us a choice that our teachers didn’t have, about which parts of the course to spend time on in class and which parts to let our students take responsibility for covering themselves – or with the help of a smorgasbord of online teachers / animations / forums / courses / tutorials / screencasts / podcasts.’ He also stated, in the presentation he gave at St Margaret’s in January 2013, ‘What young people crave is a sense of connectedness to people and information, and a feeling that what they are doing has meaning (to them).’

I believe that when we incorporate powerful technological tools that provide the girls at our school and students in general with a sense of meaning and connectedness to information and people, within a context of the curriculum they are learning, we see more engagement in their own learning journey. As Douch (2013) states, ‘Technology makes it possible to learn anytime, anywhere; freeing up class time for more “human experiences”.’

I can track a clear path from the professional development opportunity last year to the practices I have incorporated into my teaching practice.

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The changes I have made and why

I initially started using the Swivl hardware and application to video my lessons to solve a problem I was encountering within my daily teaching. As part of the extra-curricular options at the School, students have the opportunity to participate in additional speech and drama and music lessons during a normal day’s timetable. Unfortunately, as a class teacher this means that students may leave class during a lesson, thus missing key elements of learning; or they may return in the middle of a lesson when it is almost impossible for students to fully access the learning that has already occurred.

The video provides the opportunity for students to catch up following the lesson either at home or during a lunch break. It means that students are no longer disadvantaged by missing lessons due to extra-curricular commitments.

This initial foray into ‘flipping’ my classroom has now developed into something much bigger and more powerful. To ensure students had immediate access to the resources, I needed a hosting tool. This tool had to be easy to manage when uploading content and also easy for the students to access both in and out of school. I decided the best option was a class blog.

Since the establishment of the site, it has grown organically to become an all-encompassing hub for students to access a plethora of information relating to their studies. This year I have created numerous tutorials using screencast tools that have enabled the students to access core learning prior to coming to class. This has enabled me to develop those more ‘human experiences’ Douch refers to. I have been able to add enormous depth to the curriculum and extend the learning experiences of all students.

Parents are no longer resigned to the usual answer of ‘nothing’ when they ask the child what they did at school that day. With access to information about learning undertaken in class, which is often uploaded prior to the end of the school day, parents can engage in conversations about their child’s learning that are far richer than before.

Observed and measured outcomes

Since the introduction of the blog, the students’ engagement in the website has been remarkable. Statistics show the ‘hits’ on the site are consistently high, and the data indicating the amount of tutorial views is also extremely positive. These statistics only tell part of the story though. In Semester 1, parents were surveyed about the blog and the feedback was extremely positive, suggesting the tool is serving its original purpose and more.

The students’ academic attainment is also something I believe can be attributed in part to the tutorials on the blog. The introduction of the screencast lessons has resulted in subsequent lesson time being freed up to focus on adding depth to the students’ learning. I believe the effect of this can be seen in both our internal analysis of value adding against our Year 5 SMART Goal and also in the NAPLAN results that have been achieved.

The students in Year 5 have improved, year on year, by over 2% above the previous cohort.

References Douch, A. (2013). Blended Learning: Tools of Engagement Using Technology to Humanise the Classroom. Professional Learning Day Presentation, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School.

Douch A. (2014). Our Teachers Didn’t Have a Choice; We Do. Posted on June 16, 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014 from http://andrewdouch.wordpress.com/

Why these changes have been an improvement on current practice

I believe this innovation demonstrates outstanding practice in line with the School’s strategic plan. I also believe that the introduction of this innovation has led to increased academic participation and increased academic success for all students.

There is an expectation for students to participate in the extracurricular life of St Margaret’s, and it is important for those students not to be hindered by the constraints of the academic timetable. Providing tutorials and short snapshots of the lessons taught has enabled students to take ownership of their learning and catch up in those areas they have missed.

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The class blog has become a hub for students to visit and connect with outside of school hours. Statistics from the blog show that all students visit thecrowkatoo.edublogs.org on a regular basis to watch tutorials, review the classroom learning, look at photographs and videos of their learning in action, or celebrate the success of their peers. It also provides a valuable informative tool for students and parents alike, on everything from homework to important school notices.

Employee assistance programs: are they worth the investment?

Kate Curran Human Resources Consultant

As employees walk around most Australian workplaces and greet colleagues with ‘hello, how are you?’, they generally get a simple response along the lines of ‘good thanks’. However, when you consider ‘in a 12 month period, 20 per cent of Australians will experience a mental health condition’ (PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia (PwC), 2014, p. 2), this may not be the reality.

Traditionally Australians have preferred to keep to themselves, however there has been a growing realisation of the benefits to employees and employers when both parties support employee health and wellbeing. It is estimated Australia’s healthiest employees are three times more productive than their unhealthy colleagues (Medibank Private, 2005) giving good incentive to invest in this area.

There has been much published in recent years in relation to the introduction of employee wellbeing programs. This is not a new concept. At the HR not ER Conference 2014, Andrea McCall presented Health and well-being in the workplace: the employee assistance program. McCall identified the earliest documented program identifying a need to ‘care’ for staff dates back to the 1770s with business owner Josiah Wedgwood recognising the need to care for employees through implementing anti-alcohol programs, flexible working hours and family support. The earlier programs supporting employee health and wellbeing were somewhat different from modern programs, with many of the early programs centred on alcohol and substance abuse with the understanding that such behaviour would affect a business with absenteeism and loss of productivity.

One way many employers are supporting the health of employees is through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The Employee Assistance Professional Association of Australasia (EAPAA) defines an EAP as:

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‘…a work-based intervention program designed to enhance the emotional, mental and general psychological wellbeing of all employees and includes services for immediate family members. The aim is to provide preventive and proactive interventions for the early detection, identification and/or resolution of both work and personal problems that may adversely affect performance and wellbeing. These problems and issues may include, but are not limited to, relationships, health, trauma, substance abuse, gambling and other addictions, financial problems, depression, anxiety disorders, psychiatric disorders, communication problems, legal and coping with change.’

(What is an Employee Assistance Program?, para 1)

Of the 1000 employers who participated in the Working Well, A Global Survey of Health Promotion, Workplace Wellness and Productivity Strategies (2014), 81 per cent are now offering an EAP. An EAP may be offered as an internal resource or may come from an external provider. One of the benefits of using an external provider is a higher level of confidentiality for the employee. Employers don’t have access to names or details of employees who have used the external EAP. A challenge related to this high level of confidentiality is that evidence of return on investment for EAPs is harder to gather. It is difficult to strongly establish a direct link between the EAP and return on investment as the employer is unsure who has used the service and therefore unable to gauge the benefits.

Research on the return on investment relating to investing in employees’ wellbeing more broadly is however widely documented. In the report, Creating a Mentally Healthy Workplace, Return on Investment Analysis (Price Waterhouse Coopers [PWC], 2014), it was identified that every dollar spent on effective workplace mental health actions may generate $2.30 in benefits to an organisation. These benefits are derived from a reduction in presenteeism, absenteeism, and compensation claims (PWC, 2014). The Health and Productivity Institute of Australia (HAPIA) reports the benefits of implementing a health initiative may include: improved productivity; increased creativity and innovation; improved employee engagement; improved staff morale; reduced absenteeism; reduced presenteeism; increased attraction and retention of staff; reduced workplace injury and workers compensation costs; improved employee relations; improved corporate image; and improved workability in an ageing workforce (2014).

Having established there is a return on investment to employers who invest in employee wellbeing, it is also important to note this is not a one way street. The workplace can also offer employees a benefit to their health. Graeme Cowan’s book Back from the Brink (2013) shares his research from surveying 4,064 individuals who had previously suffered mental illness.

When asked which of the treatments they had tried had been most effective, interestingly, 57.6 per cent of respondents rated very or highly effective the option of ‘fulfilling work’. To put some context around this, the lower rated responses related to medically prescribed drugs, while the higher responses related to psychiatrists and psychologists as well as support groups. Cowan goes on to cite research by the Gallup Organisation which found that ‘people with high career wellbeing were more than twice as likely to be thriving in their life overall’ (p. 177)

The Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM), in their consensus statement Australian and New Zealand Consensus Statement on the Health Benefits of Work (2011), report ‘there is a growing awareness that long-term work absence, work disability and unemployment are harmful to physical and mental health and wellbeing’ (p. 12). They go on to say that the longer someone is off work, the less likely they are to ever return. For an employee who is off work for 45 days, the chance of ever getting back to work is as low as 50 per cent. The evidence is compelling: for most individuals, working improves general health and wellbeing.

Many of the more publicised modern employee wellbeing programs focus on expensive bells and whistles – exercise classes, fruit bowls, pool tables, massages, and the list goes on.

Dr Sue Roffey, a founding member and director of the not-forprofit network Wellbeing Australia, states in relation to the question of staff wellbeing for teachers: “It goes well beyond straightforward physical health. I think it’s about teachers feeling valued, supported, acknowledged for the work that they do. It’s very much about looking at whole school processes.” (as cited in Earp. 2014, p 51).

Or consider the organisation ‘R U OK?’. They state on their website: ‘As employers or staff, we can all create a culture and environment where people feel confident asking and answering this most important question.’ (R U OK, R U OK at Work, para 1). When ‘R U OK?’ was founded in 2009 by Gavin Larkin, the mission for the organisation was to equip everyone to effectively and regularly ask ‘R U OK?’ The idea is not for this to just be something that happens on one day a year but rather raise awareness of the importance of asking others this valuable question. Given this we need to be mindful that employee wellbeing programs don’t need to include expensive bells and whistles. Much of what supports an employee’s wellbeing comes down to creating a culture where each individual plays a part in supporting their own health and that of those around them as well as the employer actively supporting good health and wellbeing.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (2014). Creating a mentally healthy workplace: return on investment analysis, Retrieved 21 October 2014 from http://www.headsup.org.au/docs/default-source/resources/beyondblue_ workplaceroi_finalreport_may-2014.pdf McCall, A. (2014, July). Health and Well-being in the Workplace: The Employee Assistance Program, Paper presented at the HR not ER Conference 2014, Melbourne.

Medibank Private, (2005). The health of Australia’s workforce, Retrieved 14 October 2014 from https://www.medibank.com.au/Client/Documents/ Pdfs/The_health_of_Australia%27s_workforce.pdf Employee Assistance Professional Association of Australasia (Inc), (2009), What is an Employee Assistance Program? Retrieved 14 October 2014 from http://www.eapaa.org.au/ Xerox Corporation and Buck Consultants (2014). Working Well, A Global Survey of Health Promotion, Workplace Wellness and Productivity Strategies Survey Report, 6th Edition, Retrieved 14 October 2014 from http://www.workplacehealth.org.au/UnderstandWorkplaceHealth/ research-and-reports Cowan, G, (2013). Back from the Brink, Canada: New Harbinger Publications Inc. The Health and Productivity Institute of Australia (n.d.). Best-Practice Guidelines: Workplace Health in Australia. Retrieved 29 October 2014 from www.workplacehealth.org.au/_literature_51087/_HAPIA_Best_ Practice.pdf WorkCover Queensland, (2014). Realising the health benefits of work.

Retrieved 29 October 2014 from http://www.workcoverqld.com.au/ forms-and-resources/health-and-wellbeing/realising-the-healthbenefits-of-work Earp, J. (2013). Focus on Staff Wellbeing, Australian Teacher, July 2013, Retrieved 28 October 2014 from http://issuu.com/tempomedia/docs/ july_2013/22 Malaysian Government, (2014) MH17 Press Statement by Minister of Transport, Malaysia, Friday 18 July 2014, Retrieved 26 October 2014 from http://www.malaysia.org.au/documents/MOT_18_7_14.pdf R U OK? (n.d.). R U OK? At work. Retrieved 26 October 2014 from https:// www.ruok.org.au/inspire-conversations/ruok-at-work The Australasian Faculty of Occupational & Environmental Medicine (2011). Statement on the Health Benefits of Work. Retrieved 21 October 2014 from http://www.racp.edu.au/page/policy-and-advocacy/occupationaland-environmental-medicine

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On reflection, I think back to the HR not ER Conference referred to earlier. I attended this conference on 18 July, 2014, the date the world also woke to the news that Malaysian airline flight MH17 had crashed in the Ukraine, taking the lives of the 298 on board.

These 298 passengers and crew had family, friends and work colleagues throughout the world who were affected by this news (Malaysian Government, 2014). It seemed a fitting reminder to this room of HR professionals that EAPs can be called on for a range of issues. I remember sitting in the room and being thankful that the St Margaret’s community hadn’t been directly connected to this devastating tragedy. You just never know when you or one of your colleagues might need some support. So to the question of EAPs and the return on investment. Investing in employee health and wellbeing in general makes good business sense, reaping benefits for the bottom line, productivity and business culture, not to mention the unquestionable benefits to individual employees and their families.

References

Mindset and maths: anyone can be a ‘maths person’ Nanette Dodd Secondary Teacher

A revolution is taking place in the United States. It’s being led by Stanford University Professor of Mathematics Education Jo Boaler, and supported by colleague Carol Dweck, renowned for her work on mindset theories. Its objective is to mend mathematics by changing the way the subject is taught. When you look at the evidence – widespread failure among young students, particularly minorities and girls, low PISA ranking, decreasing numbers of students choosing STEM courses at university and an alarmingly innumerate population – it is clear there is a problem.

Mathematics, more than any other subject, has the power to crush students’ confidence (Boaler, 2014). Methods of teaching which stress speed, memorisation and right or wrong answers intensify negative reactions, even fear. When these methods meet commonly held mindsets that maths is hard and that only some people can do maths, the reaction to difficulties is to make excuses (I just don’t have a maths brain), opt for easier work and then to stop trying altogether.

The changes proposed by Jo Boaler and her colleagues are based on Carol Dweck’s research, as summarised in her book, Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential (2006), which shows that students with a ‘growth mindset’– who believe that skills are improved through personal application – demonstrate higher levels of achievement, engagement and persistence. In an interview with Jo Boaler, Dweck states:

‘In a fixed mindset, kids hate effort. For me, effort is the secret of life, but for them effort means they’re dumb. Well, one thing is for sure, in maths you work hard, so fixed mindset kids are going to feel dumb every time they struggle, every time you tell them they got something wrong. When you teach a growth mindset, they begin to understand that effort is making them smarter and mistakes are an important part of learning.’

(Boaler, 2013, Session 4)

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Students come into maths classes with some of them finding the work easier and some of them finding it really challenging; but that doesn’t reflect their potential for future work. The potential for the brain to grow is huge. Research tells us that when teachers provide students with opportunities to apply learning through meaningful and challenging activities and they incorporate formative assessment and feedback throughout a unit, connections are formed that construct long-term memory (Dweck, 2008).

Carol Dweck (Brainology) and others have developed workshops where students learn the role that effort and challenge play in forming new connections in their brain and hence, over time grow their maths intelligence. This research suggests that all students (except maybe those with a specific learning difficulty) can achieve at the very highest levels in mathematics right up to the end of secondary school.

Increasing persistence

‘We’ve sold our children short by celebrating when they got everything right. In my book, if you got everything right, you probably knew it all already and that meant you didn’t put in effort so you didn’t grow those math neurones. (Carol Dweck in Boaler 2013, Session 4) Carol Dweck’s ideal classroom is one where students ask for more challenging work because they feel cheated if the work is too easy. There are various reasons why teachers might view this as wishful thinking. Grouping for ability sends a self-fulfilling signal that students in lower groups can’t manage enrichment activities. As a result, teachers of lower groups often concentrate on building fluency. That is, students mostly do short, closed tasks in the hope that they will build content knowledge (which they rarely do, because information learned by rote memorisation quickly falls into disuse at the end of a unit of work). So these students seldom experience the level of challenging tasks that teachers believe higher achieving students are capable of doing.

Also, students in lower groups or at the lower end of a heterogeneous group are used to being scaffolded by teachers, so over time they develop a lack of persistence and resilience in the face of difficult tasks. Lack of persistence among students who want to be spoon-fed is indeed a big concern. Alina Tugend, a New York Times columnist, wrote: ‘We are raising a generation of children who are terrified of blundering, of failing, of even sitting with the discomfort of not knowing something for even a few minutes.’ (Tugend, 2011) It’s a familiar scenario. Students get stuck on a question and they call the teacher over for help. They want to be led step by step through the work and the teacher feels an implicit responsibility to do just this, thus emptying the interaction of any real learning.

However, when you teach a growth mindset, students begin to understand that effort is making them smarter and challenge is an important part of learning.

In her Stanford online course, How to Learn Math (2013), Jo Boaler describes a range of ways that teachers might help students to feel comfortable with struggle. One maths teacher, on the first day of school, asked her students to crumple up a piece of paper and throw it at the wall in a way that expressed the feelings they had when they were struggling to think of a solution. She then asked them to retrieve the paper, straighten it and use a coloured marker to highlight all the creases left on the paper. These, she explained, symbolised the brain growth that happens when you struggle over something hard.

The following is a poster defining the kind of effective effort teachers would like all students to display:

‘Effective Effort is purposeful and targeted. It’s focused, and the best kind is also metacognitive.

When I am really trying effectively, I am doing a LOT! I pause and quietly think. I problem-solve. I research. I tinker. I figure out what isn’t working and change my strategy. I furrow my brow, and I don’t stop until I figure it out. Then I feel amazing!’

According to Jo Boaler (Boaler and Foster, 2013), the solution to lack of persistence is to build in challenge which is at just the right level for each student. She calls these ‘low floor-high ceiling’ problems; tasks that everyone can access and at the same time can be taken to very high levels. In other words, give work that pushes the boundaries, that encourages mistakes. A growth mindset about difficulty is critical to building persistence.

Building strong foundations

Is the curriculum’s requirement to teach algorithms serving our young students well? Some students feel constrained by the ‘rules’ of maths; algorithms can really limit how they see numbers fitting together and stop them investigating a variety of methods. An emphasis on rules can stifle curiosity and the confidence to explore. Surely we want children to understand numbers; not to blindly remember methods that they use, but to really understand why they work. Number sense in children isn’t developed through teaching algorithms. It is developed by encouraging children to solve number problems in different ways, such as by decomposing numbers and regrouping them.

This approach also emphasises an important attitude about maths – that it is a flexible and creative subject.

High achievers have learned to act upon numbers flexibly and low achieving students haven’t. This is critical because the flexible use of numbers and shapes is absolutely foundational to higher level maths learning. It’s not that low achievers can’t work in those ways; they haven’t learned to work in those ways. As young math students, they probably became very good at one counting method and came to believe it was the way to solve all their problems in maths. As the work eventually became more complex, the counting method no longer worked and they were lost. Now identified as low achievers, they move up the school and the sort of help they get is more focused on doing procedures very carefully and memorising them, rather than being taught to use numbers flexibly.

Students like these, who don’t have number sense or have gaps, can’t benefit from having a bank of automatic maths knowledge.

They end up with this impossible smorgasbord of different methods to remember.

Revolution spawns provocative ideas; for example that students should approach a maths problem like a humanities task and get emotionally involved with it. How exciting to think that there may be no right or a wrong answer but all these possibilities. When maths is offered as a dry, repetitive subject with few opportunities for understanding, girls feel alienated. This is because girls, in particular, thrive in inquiry-based classrooms, where their need to make sense of what they are learning is met and where there are opportunities to collaborate with peers (Boaler, 2014). Girls are therefore well suited to an approach which values critical thinking and requires students to try out ideas, use non-routine approaches, then explain and justify their understanding.

On the other hand, a conventional teaching method which relies heavily on routine workbook exercises, and praises speed and accurate calculation can make girls feel very anxious.

Development of anxiety and avoidance begins as students worry about getting the right answers, often in primary school. The worry diverts their brainpower away from doing the maths itself (Lin, 2013). Low floor-high ceiling tasks that meet the needs of most of the students in the classroom and that can be solved with different strategies in a variety of ways give students at all different stages of development the opportunity to grow and benefit from doing them. As a result, all students will be part of the maths conversation and all contributions will be valued. In time, this will raise the esteem and confidence of previously struggling students.

Justification and reasoning are critical aspects of mathematical thinking. When students discuss mathematical problems, talking about why they chose their methods and thinking about why they work, it develops reasoning, number sense and connections. Learners help each other when stuck rather than turning to the teacher. This promotes initiative and signals a move away from the teacher always being the authority.

Importantly, collaboration shifts the value to the process rather than the correct answer.

Valuing formative assessment and feedback

Feedback shows students where they are now, where they need to get to and how to bridge that gap. In a growth mindset classroom, the teacher believes that all students are on a learning curve and that, even though a student might not be able to demonstrate understanding of a concept yet, with effort the goal is achievable. So feedback needs to be specific to the difficulty the students are experiencing, showing them how to improve at that kind of problem.

Carol Dweck is very clear on the need for feedback to be related to the process (effort, persistence, level of challenge sought, improvement made) rather than the person (intelligence or talent displayed). Process feedback is perhaps most necessary for able students, who may be reluctant to exert effort in case it reveals their lack of giftedness. Sometimes students work hard and don’t do well. Then, although it’s important to acknowledge their effort and reiterate the teacher’s belief that the student will catch on to the concept in time, there is obviously a need to work more closely with the student to find the method that works for them. Teachers in Finland are known for their motto: whatever it takes.

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In Finland, one of the highest performing countries in the world, students do not start school until they are seven and are not introduced to formal algorithms until much later than Australian students. Their early years are spent exploring numbers and patterns (Boaler and Foster, 2014). The idea of being free to experiment with calculations is what gives students a real understanding of numbers and relationships in maths and is a vital change that Jo Boaler advocates.

Infusing challenge and collaboration

Research shows that students who are taught growth mindset along with study skills in maths, improve their achievement levels. Replacing assessment used merely to rank students with more formative assessment takes the focus away from evaluating ability and encourages students into the mindset of opportunities to learn. Increasingly, assessment could be related to the type of open-ended tasks that thrive in a growth mindset classroom.

Videotaping a student explaining their solution is a good way of keeping a record of their progress in problem solving. Academic notebooks may be used by students to record their thinking; they note reactions, questions, answers, insights and assessments of their progress.

Developing an inquiry relationship

Sebastian Thrun, computer scientist, robotics designer and CEO of Udacity, has a passion for mathematics. When interviewed

by Jo Boaler (Boaler 2013, Session 8), he spoke about the importance of developing an intuitive understanding of how to solve problems. The examples he used were everyday ones such as scaling up a recipe or loading a delivery van. Interestingly, he advised not attempting to solve a problem until you had an intuitive understanding of it. If you were to ask students about the role of intuition in maths, they would probably think it was not advised, a bit like guessing. Students who are reluctant to estimate, will work out exact answers then round them to look like an estimate. This is because they have not developed a good feel for numbers which would allow them to estimate instead of calculate and also because they have learned wrongly that mathematics is all about precision, not about making guesses.

Having a feel for numbers is an accidental by-product for today’s students rather than a desired outcome; it is left to the very young to be curious about mathematics.

Jo Boaler places intuition and curiosity together with confidence and the ability to make connections in her recipe for the perfect way to approach problems. She calls this having an ‘inquiry relationship’. Some people have a lot of knowledge about maths but do not have an inquiry relationship and conversely some people (often very young children) have an inquiry relationship without formal knowledge. Intuition and understanding are interrelated in very interesting and important ways. It may be that students’ lack of understanding and lack of opportunity to work on making connections partly inhibits the development of intuition; curiosity disappears from students who don’t feel good about themselves in maths.

understanding + intuition

confidence + curiosity

Problem solving is at the core of mathematicians’ work. In our technological world, employers increasingly say they value people who can reason with problems, estimate and verify results, find errors, produce and interpret different representations and connect with other people’s mathematical ideas.

Conclusion

The teacher asks, ‘What happens if you don’t know how to do something with maths?’ The student replies, ‘Keep on going until I do. Because if I can’t do it, then it annoys me. I need to see something through really until the end. I need to understand how I’ve done it. If I don’t immediately understand it, then I will keep on going at it until I do understand it.’

What then are the key features of a growth mindset classroom?

Norms: The teacher establishes a culture where students are expected to discuss, explain and collaborate as they make sense of the topic.

Language: Students are given growth mindset messages at all time – through the way they are grouped, the tasks they work on, the messages they hear and the assessment and grading.

Students believe everyone can do well in maths.

Tasks: Tasks are open and appropriately challenging with multiple entry points and a high ceiling. They are often complex, involving more than one method or area of mathematics.

Formative assessment: Assessment is based on clear learning goals. Feedback lets students know how to close the gap between where they are and where they need to be. Students are taught to assess their own and others’ work.

The result of this revolution will be maths classrooms which are no longer black and white, right or wrong, but ones in which students can express their own point of view, have different interpretations, discuss and share their solutions – maths learning communities in which students are sharing ideas, growing in confidence and discovering enjoyment in challenge.

References Boaler, J. (2013). The Stereotypes That Distort How Americans Teach and Learn Math. The Atlantic. Retrieved 24 August 2014 from http:// www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/11/the-stereotypes-thatdistort-how-americans-teach-and-learn-math/281303/ Boaler, J. (2014). Changing the Conversation about Girls and STEM, Retrieved 8 August 2014 from http://youcubed.org/pdfs/Youcubed%20 STEM%20white%20house.pdf Boaler, J. (2014). The Educators – Part 7, BBC Radio 4, Retrieved 29 September 2014 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04gw6rh Boaler, J. & Forster, D. (2014). Raising Expectations and Achievement: The Impact of Wide Scale Mathematics Reform Giving All Students Access to High Quality Mathematics. Retrieved 14 August 2014 from http://www.youcubed.org Boaler, J. & Stanford University (2013). How to Learn Math: For Teachers and Parents, online course retrieved 15 July 2014 from https://class. stanford.edu/courses/Education/XEDUC115N/Summer2014/about Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential.

London: Robinson.

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Dweck, C.S. (2008). Mindsets and Math/Science Achievement. Retrieved 8 August 2014 from www.opportunityeducation.org Lin, A. (2013). ‘Thinking Math-ishly’, TEDxSixteenMileCreek. Retrieved 27 August 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gW9g8Ofi8A Tugend, A. (2011). Better By Mistake. The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong.

New York: Riverhead Books.

Tall poppies Janice Emmett Primary Teacher

This article offers a critical and analytical look at a range of influences relevant to the development of potential of children who are profoundly gifted. Family values, home environment, and parental expectations can be seen to interact with factors such as family size and the intellectual and educational status of parents and siblings.

Issues discussed will include characteristics, identification and recommendations for supporting these children in the home environment.

Introduction

In this article there is a strong emphasis on family background, as a source of a child’s learning experiences. When we search for the reasons leading to some children, but not others, becoming profoundly gifted, more reasons will be related to differences in the home environment than to influences the school has on the child. To fully maximise the potential of a child, parents can make provision in the home environment to best cater for individual needs. Providing an interesting, stimulating and attentive home life can do this.

Definition

There is a vast range of ability within the gifted population; the terms gifted, highly gifted, exceptionally gifted and profoundly gifted are often used without a clear definition of their meaning.

So, who exactly, are the profoundly gifted and where do we draw the line between these children and the generic gifted?

Hollingworth’s study of highly gifted children used an IQ of 180 and above as the point at which an extreme form of giftedness is manifest. Similarly, Silverman and Kearney (1992) and Gross (1993), also define a child who scores at or above 180 as ‘profoundly gifted’ and state that these children are extremely uncommon. Indeed, such children are found so rarely that educators are often unfamiliar with their special learning needs.

Very little in the way of research has been undertaken on these children at the top end of the ability range.

An exceptionally high knowledge base in areas of interest Unusually advanced levels of socio-emotional maturity An overwhelming desire to learn to read The precocious development of reading Highly developed morals and ethics Marked discrepancies between intellectual and other areas of development A high degree of ability to think abstractly from an early age Awareness of detail Ability to understand concepts and look for underlying patterns Capable of metaphorical thinking at an early age A great need for precision High energy levels and the need for less sleep Appreciation of complexity Argumentativeness Rapid understanding of a new concept or idea An extensive vocabulary High tolerance for clutter and acceptance of what appears to others as chaos Persistence in accomplishing tasks Advanced visual and motor skills Sources: Clark, 1997; Delisle, 1992; Gross, 1993; Heller, Monks & Passow, 1993; Piirto, 1999.

Influence of the family

Tannenbaum (1983) views the family as one of the most important environmental influences on a child’s academic and social development. Howe (1990) believes that there are two main ways that the family can affect the chances of their children excelling. The first is helping children acquire essential knowledge, skills and mental strategies. Secondly, Howe (1990, p. 101) believes “The combined efforts of parental expectations and encouragement, the presence of scholarly role - models, and parents’ eagerness to ensure that a child not only has opportunities to learn but also devotes considerable amount of time to study, can create an emotional and intellectual atmosphere in which it seems difficult not to succeed.”

Studies of the family background and family characteristics of profoundly gifted children (Bloom, 1985) have noted several factors common to most families: • the close relationships held between parents and children • parents dedicated a great deal of time to their children’s extra-curricular activities • parents often supervised homework and sometimes checked it • parents placed considerable value on their children’s success • family life tended to be formally structured.

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For the purpose of this article, I will use the definitions above (an IQ of 180 or above) to define profoundly gifted children.

Until recently, gifted students have been grouped together under one generic label. Because the moderately gifted far outnumber the profoundly gifted, identification strategies, curriculum design and program development have generally been based on the characteristics and learning requirements of moderately gifted children. Researchers are starting to acknowledge the importance of identifying the various levels and types of giftedness and planning and implementing suitable programs for these children. Most researchers (Clark, 1997; Gross, 1993; Kearney, 1998; Tolan, 1989) agree on common characteristics and traits that are evident in this group, known as the profoundly gifted. Table1.1 displays some characteristics common to profoundly gifted children.

Table 1.1 Characteristics of profoundly gifted children

When exploring reasons that lead to some children and not others reaching their potential, more of those reasons will be related to factors and influences found in the home and not the school (Howe, 1990).

Birth order and family size

Many researchers have emphasized the importance of birth order and family size, suggesting an unusually high proportion of profoundly gifted children are first-born, and come from small families. In Gross’s (1993) study, she informs us that this tendency is even stronger in her Australian study, than in previous and current American studies. Similarly, Kincaid (1969) found in his research that half the children studied were first-born or only children.

Parents’ age and occupation

Literature suggests that profoundly gifted children tend to have parents who are generally older. Roger’s (1986) research found the mean age of mothers of children of average intellectual ability was 25.4 years. Gross (1993) suggests that generally parents of highly gifted children seem to have their first child several years later than parents of children of average intellectual ability.

The available research evidence suggests that parents of profoundly gifted children tend to be in managerial and professional positions. In Gross’s Australian study (1993), a high percentage of parents surveyed had professional jobs.

Identification

Moderately gifted students far outnumber the tiny minority of profoundly gifted students in our Australian schools; the programs and identification procedures used tend to be based on the characteristics and needs of the moderately gifted student (Clark, 1997). There is very little evidence of specialised programs for the profoundly gifted. These are the children we know least about, and yet those whose needs are greatest. The higher the child’s intellectual ability, the more difficult it becomes to find a suitable program to meet her needs.

The parents of profoundly gifted children can be a valuable resource in the successful identification and assessment of their child’s abilities. Gross (1993) suggests a combination of parent, teacher, peer and self-nomination will contribute to a school’s identification process.

Cline and Schwartz (1999) state how important it is to identify the profoundly gifted child. Gross (1993) agrees, saying these children, if not recognized, are at risk, as much as those whose achievement is below average. Several researchers including Renzulli (1978) and Tannenbaum (1983) have argued that we must try to identify and respond to the needs of these high ability children with specific talents.

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Care must be exercised when choosing an instrument to assess profoundly gifted children. When testing these children, using standardized tests, often the phenomenon of the “ceiling effect” occurs and it becomes very difficult to distinguish between the scores of the students who are all at the top of the range (Gross, 1993). Silverman and Kearney (1992) regard the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (Form L-M ), a measure that largely taps

abstract verbal reasoning ability, as the best single available measure of general intellectual ability. Silverman (1992) suggests it is the most reliable method of determining very high levels of intellectual ability. However Gross (1993) is concerned that more recently, standardised ability tests such as the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (5th ed.) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (4th ed.) provide insufficient observation of the most advanced levels of intellectual ability.

Moral development

It has been noted in research conducted with profoundly gifted learners that these children demonstrate unusually accelerated levels of moral development (Gross, 1993). Webb, Meckstroth and Tolan (1983) go so far as to say that those children who have reached the highest levels of moral development may even be prepared to break the law, to correct what they see as an injustice.

What can parents do to nurture and support their child in the home environment?

Janos and Robinson (1985, p. 182) warned: “The most highly talented are the most vulnerable, probably because they are exceedingly “out of sync” with school, friends, and even family.

They may become superficially adjusted but sacrifice possibilities for outstanding fulfillment and significant, socially valued contributions. Feldman and Goldsman (1986), suggest parents of the profoundly gifted child should design a “user friendly” home environment to provide every opportunity for developing their child’s potential. The following table (Table 1.2) provides ideas and suggestions for supporting profoundly gifted children in the home environment.

Table 1.2 Home support suggestions • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Freedom to make choices Time for personal interests Independence Acceptance and understanding Risk taking experiences Model life-long learning Family projects Recognize gifted abilities Remove time and space restrictions Provide opportunities related to passions Allow friends of all ages Challenge them Modeling appropriate behavior Ownership Time to be with same age peers Provide gifted role models Advocate for them at school Provide college and career planning experiences Seek counseling for family

Sources: Bloom, 1985; Clark, 1997; Gross, 1993; Howe, 1990.

Where to from here?

There is significantly less research carried out on the upper end of the ability range than the lower end, for a range of reasons that we will not investigate here. We need to further investigate several areas in detail, if we are to understand and develop the potential, in that small percentage of the gifted population, known as the profoundly gifted. We must fully comprehend the intellectual processes and be able to identify the social and emotional characteristics that differentiate between the varying levels of giftedness, in order to give them the right education.

If we are to gain a clear picture of the needs of the profoundly gifted child, then we must study their interaction with the environment and social and emotional factors, personal feelings and perceptions which influence their development.

Conclusion

To be responsive to the differing values, concerns, and behavioral manifestations of giftedness, we must recognise that differences exist between the various levels of giftedness, and that the children within these various groups share some similarities but are also different from each other. We must provide for these specific differences, thus responding to the needs of all levels of giftedness.

Profoundly gifted children tend to be from small families and are often first-born, with parents who are generally older than the average first time parent. The parents of these children are typically more highly educated than the average parent and many are in managerial and professional occupations. Factors common to the family backgrounds of these children include: a supportive and close-knit family, importance of academic success; structured family life; close supervision of homework and encouragement to participate in extra-curricular activities.

Profoundly gifted children may differ quite radically from moderately gifted children in not only their cognitive development but in their moral development, interests, attitudes and values. Parents must make provision in the home to cater for these differing needs. Although intelligence tests can be very useful, they are far from being perfect predictors of children who have exceptional abilities. We must be aware of their limitations and look at a combination of identification procedures when identifying profoundly gifted children.

Bloom, B. S. (1985). Developing talent in young people. New York: Ballantine.

Clark, B. (1997). Growing up gifted: Developing the potential of children at home and at school. (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

Cline, S., & Schwartz, D. (1999). Diverse populations of gifted children: Meeting their needs in the regular classroom and beyond. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Delisle, J. R. (1992). Guiding the social and emotional development of gifted youth: A practical guide for educators and counselors. New York: Longman.

Feldman, D. H., & Goldsmith, L.T. (1986). Nature’s Gambit: Child prodigies and the development of human potential. New York: Basic Books.

Gross, M. U. M. (1993). Exceptionally gifted children. London: Routledge Heller, K. A., Monks, F. J., & Passow, A. H. (Eds.). (1993). International handbook of research and development of giftedness and talent. Oxford, UK: Pergamon.Hollingworth, L. S. (1942, Reprinted 1977). Children above 180 1Q (Stanford Binet): Origin and development. New York: Octagon Books.

Howe, M. J. A. (1990). The origins of exceptional abilities. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.

Janos, P. M. & Robinson, N. M. (1985). Psychosocial development in intellectually gifted children. In F. D. Horowitz and M. O’Brian (eds.).

The gifted and talented: Developmental perspectives (149-195). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Kincaid, D. (1969). A study of highly gifted elementary pupils.

Gifted Child Quarterly, 13 (4), 264-267.

Kearney, K. (1988). The highly gifted. Understanding our gifted, 1 (I), 13.

Piirto, J. (1999). Talented children and adults: Their development and education (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

Radford, J. (1990). Child prodigies and exceptionally early achievers.

New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

Renzulli, J. S., (1978). What makes giftedness? Reexamining a definition.

Phi Delta Kappan, 60, 180-184, 261.

Silverman, L. K. (1992). Don’t throw away the old Binet. Understanding Our Gifted, 4 (4), 1, 8-10.

Tannenbaum, A. J. (1983). Gifted children: Psychological and educational perspectives. New York: Macmillan.

Tolan, S. (1989). Special problems of young highly gifted children.

Understanding our gifted 1(5), 7-10.

VanTassel-Baska, J. (1983). Profiles of precocity: The 1982 Midwest Talent Search finalists. Gifted Child Quarterly, 27(3), 139-144.

VanTassel-Baska, J. (1985). Appropriate curriculum for the gifted. In J.F. Feldhusen (ed.). Toward excellence in gifted education (45-67). Denver: Love.

Webb, J. T., Meckstroth, E. A. and Tolan, S S. (1983). Guiding the gifted child. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Psychology Publishing Company.

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If we increase our understanding and knowledge, we will be in a better position to nurture exceptional abilities and provide more opportunities for children to attain extremely high levels of competence. There is no single strategy or idea that is effective with every profoundly gifted child, but if we understand the complexity of the challenge, our ultimate goal is to allow each individual to reach their potential.

References

Understanding rural and remote students Lesa Fowler Head of Boarding

Transitioning to boarding school in an urban environment may be challenging for many of our boarders, particularly those from rural and remote areas. The life experiences of many of these students are broad and wide ranging. At the commencement of the school year, students bring all their experiences with them. A deep understanding of these experiences by staff is integral to the success of the boarding experience. Determining where to start in transitioning these students into successfully engaging with life at school can be daunting for staff both within the boarding house and the day school. We are dealing with a wide variety of educational experiences, which results in differing degrees of school readiness. In an environment that is foreign to students they need a ‘shelter’ where they can feel safe and secure, a space they can share. All students in boarding must be treated with respect by recognising and understanding their fears and insecurities.

One way of determining where our boarding girls come from is by the road distance from services. This is the standard method to define remoteness for statistical purposes in Australia (Australian Institute of Family Services [AIFS], 2014). Over two thirds of Australians live in major cities, one in five live in inner regional areas, one in ten in outer regional centres and one in forty live in remote to very remote areas (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2010). The geographical remoteness of the area in which children live can have a significant impact upon their experiences and how they spend their time. Over half of all state schools in Queensland are in rural and remote locations with approximately a quarter of state school students enrolled in these schools. In both the boarding and the day school, it is essential to understand where the girls live and what type of education they have received, but also to consider all the other experiences these girls have in relation to the work they do at home. Many boarders are used to hands-on work and the clear idea that everyone ‘gets in and helps’.

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Many of our boarders have been educated through distance education, where they are tutored in their own homes by a governess or by their mother. Many of these tutors are not skilled or trained to be able to adapt and change materials to suit their students. The new Australian Curriculum and the C2C materials available for distance education students have posed many problems for home tutors. It has been stated that the home tutor guides must contain all the information needed to ‘teach’ the lesson content, and outcomes and activities must be achievable for both students and home tutors. Some issues

faced by home tutors and students include unrealistic time allocations, unrealistic content and too many concepts to be taught at once. The materials also do not encourage independent learning in a multi-age classroom which may result in a lack of student engagement. There are also concerns felt by many of rural Australia’s small one or two teacher schools where teachers are expected to teach children from pre-prep to Year 7. These issues have been raised by the Queensland Isolated Children and Parents’ Association (ICPA) and need to be addressed to ensure equal opportunity for all students. Other issues raised by the ICPA include the number of grammatical errors, spelling and punctuation problems in printed and digital materials.

Home tutors and small school staff have to use the heavily focused digital C2C and often it will not download. Home tutors and distance education teachers have raised the issue that current C2C distance education materials are missing a lot of the fundamentals to learning, such as mental maths facts, creative writing, basic grammar and punctuation, and reading comprehension. These are important issues for us in boarding schools. They may explain why some students have gaps in their basic knowledge. It is important in transition to identify these gaps and work towards understanding and teaching these students with this in mind.

As a result of the varying backgrounds of boarders, the transition program has the potential to facilitate student performance in secondary school, particularly when adults have a commitment to student success. Attending to developmental needs in relation to self-esteem, motivation, self-regulation, family support and a sense of belonging is vital to success in boarding. Midgley and Maehr (1998) found that boarding students in middle school who lacked confidence in their ability to do their work avoided seeking help most. This was particularly so in classes where students perceived an emphasis on competition and relative ability.

Research has shown that positive relations and a sense of belonging are strongly related to students’ positive attitudes about school and boarding (Midgley and Maehr, 1998, Midgely and Maehr, 2000). Importantly we need to encourage boarder involvement in sports, arts and other activities in school.

Research has also shown that time spent on extra-curricular activities positively correlated with academic success in grades 8 and 10. Helping students develop a sense of self-regulation by providing limited choices between acceptable options, assisting with breaking large tasks down into manageable pieces, and providing guidelines for students to use in monitoring their own progress is instrumental to their success in boarding.

Good relationships with teachers are also a vital part of the student’s transition to boarding school and school itself.

Students’ social adjustment to transition is closely connected to their relationship with their teachers. Cocklin (1999) found that the nature of the teacher and the type of teaching were the main issues noted by students about transition to secondary school.

Boarding students reported a regression in their relationship with teachers at the secondary level. Gorwood (1994) found that it was difficult for secondary teachers to find a starting point for pupils with different kinds of educational backgrounds. Teachers need to communicate to students that what is valued in the classroom is understanding, effort, mastery and a willingness to take on challenging work.

Boarding students live and work in two worlds, the world of home and the world of school. Leong and Bedrora (2003) maintain that school readiness is not only about the characteristics of the children, but about the capacity and capability of the school to meet the needs of children. At a time when friendships and social interaction are particularly important for young adolescents, transition into secondary school often serves to disrupt friendship networks and thereby interferes with a student’s success in secondary school.

Therefore, it is vital for a transition program to provide social support activities that give students the opportunity to get to know and develop positive relationships with other students and other incoming students. (Hertzog and Morgan, Maclver, 1990).

Boarding students work, play and sleep at school. Boarding life also involves an elaborate system of regulation and tight scheduling of students’ daily routine, dictating when they wake up, sleep, eat, and participate in recreational activities. Students are told how, when, and where to complete their homework.

There are rules about standards for keeping their accommodation neat and tidy, as well as access to phones and computers.

Boarders typically spend a great amount of time with teachers, coaches, and other school staff and have a greater opportunity to develop mentoring and personal relationships with them than day students. Boarding schools develop a collective identity, in addition to the formal structures, through traditions, rituals and symbols associated with the boarding house within the school.

Boarding lends itself to self-discipline and independent thought.

Those who look after boarders both in the boarding house and in the day school need to be attuned to their unbridled energy, limitless potential and moments of doubt. Quality relationships are the key to the success of our boarders.

References Australian Bureau of Statistics (2010). Retrieved 10 October 2014 from http://www.abs.gov.au/ Australian Institute of Family Services (2014). Retrieved 10 October 2014 from http://www.aifs.gov.au/ Bodrova, E. & Leong, D. J. (2003). The importance of being playful.

Educational Leadership. 60(7), 50-53.

Cocklin, B. (1997). The Rural School as a ‘Learning Community’: Sifting the Rhetoric to locate the Reality. Paper presented to the Australian Research in Education Conference, Brisbane, 30 November - 4 December.

Dockett, S., Perry, B. & Kearney, E. (2010). School readiness: What does it mean for Indigenous children, families, schools and communities?

Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, Issue Paper No. 2. Canberra: AIHW & AIFS. Hertzog, C. J., & Morgan, P. L. (1998). Breaking the barriers between middle school and high school: Developing a transition team for student success. NASSP Bulletin, 82(597), 94-98.

Maehr, M. L., & Midgley, C. (1996). Transforming school cultures. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Morgan, P. L., and Hertzog, C. J. (1998). Breaking the barriers: The effect of transition practices between middle school and high school on the success of high school students. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, San Diego, Calif.

Whyte, M. & Boylan, C. (2008). Rural primary student transition to secondary boarding school. Paper presented at the AARE Annual Conference, Brisbane.

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Reflection of research in your teaching Students take control of their goals Jessica Fumar Primary Teacher

This year, I undertook professional development in relation to Robert Marzano’s The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction (2007). I wanted to be able to apply what I had learned during this experience towards my own personal goal, which was to ‘continue to improve feedback processes to improve student/teacher/ parent relationships and to ensure student engagement and connectedness in my classroom’.

I decided to focus on communicating learning goals, tracking student progress and celebrating success.

Research from Robert Marzano’s The Art and Science of Teaching reports that the 1993 study of Lipsey and Wilson shows that the percentile gain is 21 for classes where goal setting was effectively employed, compared with classes where goal setting was not employed. Marzano recommends that clear goals need to be created to establish an initial target. Students then need to be provided with information regarding their progress towards this goal, and if these are done together, they are more powerful than when done in isolation.

I have used this research to make changes to the way we assess students in Year 5 mathematics and also to modify the goal setting process. I wanted the students to be able to use their preassessment and formative assessment pieces as tools that would allow them to observe and track their progress.

Prior to implementing these ideas in our Year 5 classes, we asked each student to set a personal goal for mathematics that would last a term or semester. While it was beneficial to have the students reflect on their strengths and areas that needed improvement, I found that my students were not able to revisit these goals regularly as the area that they wanted to improve in might not have been covered during class time when they needed it. I wanted the students to be working towards a goal consistently and with my support, so instead I had my students work towards a learning goal that emphasised the knowledge or skills that they would potentially gain in the upcoming unit of work.

I first gave my students a pre-assessment task that allowed them to determine if they understood what they needed to know before the goal could be reached. It also allowed them to determine if they already had the knowledge and skills to achieve the goal. After the pre-assessment, I unpacked the learning goal and students analysed their work to come up with a score for themselves at the beginning of the unit. I then provided students with related activities to help them attain the learning goal. Those students who could already achieve the goal were then moved on to other tasks that allowed them to apply their understanding in unfamiliar situations. I showed my students how to chart their progress using a tracking system which allowed students to better communicate their progress with me and their parents.

Since beginning to use this method of students tracking their progress, I have observed my students being more engaged in their learning. They are focused, as each lesson they know how the work they are completing is helping them attain the learning goal. I have observed students excitedly taking out their learning tracker at the end of each lesson to record on their chart their growth and review their progress over time. Students have also shared their progress with their parents. I believe that every student has felt success, as they all have evidence that they have increased their knowledge or skills. Each week, I have students share their learning tracker with me and with their peers and we celebrate the gains of every student. I will continue to use this method in mathematics and also incorporate it into the other core learning areas.

References Marzano, R. J. (2007). The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

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Reflections on downsizing field work and incorporating student primary data collection methods in geography reports Anne-Marie Gerlach Head of Faculty – Humanities

“All of us in Australia have a job to do if we are to succeed in avoiding the foreseeable catastrophic loss of genes, species and ecosystems. Our tasks will be at various scales, from backyards to landscapes and from weeks to decades.”

(Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, 2010).

Introduction and background

to modify and alter the presentation of my students’ work to reflect elements of assessment designed by Wendy Bolton from Stuartholme School and Bruce Galletly from The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James in Townsville. Under their tutelage, students in these schools have not only honed their study focus into a small area, they have effectively integrated multiple layers of information, transforming and manipulating data, to present their conclusions succinctly in a professional and sophisticated manner.

Designing and developing effective assessment items is always a challenge, even for the most experienced of teachers, and some assessment genres can be trickier than others. Undertaking a field report based on field work is an essential component of the discipline of geography. It is the tool or practice that facilitates an understanding of the patterns, processes and theories discussed in class and provides students with a deep understanding of what occurs in the real world through an inquiry methodology.

Within a senior student’s verification folio, a report based on primary data is a required assessment genre (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority [QCAA] 2007).

Frequently, schools select Theme 3 – Resources and the Environment and its core unit Sustaining Biodiversity as a possible unit in which they undertake such a task. As a state panelist and Vice President of the Geography Teachers’ Association of Queensland, I am frequently asked to provide examples or advice to teachers around the state about what they could or should do to improve their assessment. This article, in conjunction with a presentation given at the recent state conference, aims to provide teachers with some points to ponder regarding their own field work practices and the structure of the report they require their students to complete.

So, in Term 1, buoyed with enthusiasm and a desire to embrace the intent of the syllabus, I decided to start from scratch and design a new senior geography report task based on primary data collection that was small scale – very small scale. But where to start? What topic?

In recent years, I have seen numerous reports which fail to adequately address the syllabus requirements for students to base their findings on primary sources of data gathered in the field. While the syllabus does acknowledge the importance of secondary data it states, ‘In a report, secondary sources should be less important than primary sources’ (QCAA, 2007, p69). Problems emerge when students have been given tasks that require researching and reporting on, and developing management strategies for huge areas, such as entire national parks or even regional ecosystems such as rainforests. These are topics governments would struggle to address, let alone a 16 year old. Not only is the size of the area completely impractical, but much of what the students end up reporting on is secondary data, supplemented with a dozen or so photos that may have been taken on the day of an excursion, but more than likely have been downloaded from a web site or Google images.

Increasingly, what is being submitted does not require students to personally measure or record data which has the capacity to be manipulated or transformed in some way.

As I began my investigation, everywhere I seemed to turn, things kept pushing me in the direction of gardens, verges and footpaths and urban open space. From television cooking shows showing chefs using honey from bee hives on roofs in Paris and vertical herb gardens in restaurants, to Costa Georgiadis on ABC’s Gardening Australia replanting footpaths, the importance and methodologies for sustaining urban biodiversity became my focus. In particular, I felt a resonance and connection with Costa’s presentation and the sentiments that he expressed.

He said, ‘Examining the garden is like taking a small lens to the bigger world picture. While it’s great to understand about climate change and protecting the planet, what’s really important is knowing that we can all make a difference.’

They say ‘life imitates art’ and in this case it was my life inspiring the topic and the project design. I was watering plants in my garden and discovered about ten huge green caterpillars on a recently purchased plant. They had successfully munched their way through most of the leaves and the pot was looking quite denuded. I was at the point of pulling them off the remaining branches and feeding them to our chooks, when my daughter suddenly said, ‘Mummy, they could be butterflies.’ So, feeling guilty about my thoughts of mass murder and the possibility of destroying the fate of a rare birdwing, I headed inside to grab the iPad and start searching for insects in my area. Unfortunately for the caterpillars, they turned out to be a condemned pest and they quickly became a delicious snack for the hens; however this event got me thinking about wildlife in my garden and possibilities for fieldwork.

He reiterates the metaphor of our streets being the arteries of life. ‘One of the biggest problems we face is that the arteries are clogged. We need to allow the flow of life back into them. That’s where we can have maximum impact.’ (Gardening Australia, The World According to Costa, 2013). I now had my topic: I wanted to get students to re-engage with their spaces and places. I wanted them not to take their backyard for granted but to really appreciate that they have the ability to influence and affect the environment. I wanted them to think deeply about ways they might contribute to sustaining biodiversity in their space.

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With this shortfall in mind, I decided this year to target student data collection techniques and applications as a priority area for my students and their field work. In addition, I specifically wanted to integrate the possibility of students using their mobile phones to collect and record data as part of a faculty technology initiative. To enhance the new report assessment item, I sought

The study evolves

Review and reflection

The report

The task I designed required students to study a backyard, verge or a small section of open space and to investigate the sustainability of the area’s biodiversity. To do this, they needed to observe, record and measure the features and uses of their selected area, and the site’s immediate surroundings. After identifying and analysing the features, patterns and processes, they evaluated two best practice strategies for achieving biodiversity in an urban area against their selected location. They justified the suitability of these strategies for their site based on urban design and sustainability concepts, as well as their potential impacts to people, the environment and the bottom line. Where appropriate, students made suggestions and modifications to their garden, mindful of the fact that many households would not be substantially altering their residential landscape.

They needed to provide creative solutions to the issues raised in their field work. Decisions to improve and or maintain biodiversity needed to be not only aesthetically pleasing and user friendly, they also needed to mitigate any risks and hazards while at the same time accommodating users, flora and fauna.

Students were asked to be mindful of any environmental, historic or culturally significant elements of the backyard or the surrounding area and the effects that changes to their site may have on the area’s character and habitat. Throughout the study, students were asked to follow an inquiry methodology such as the one outlined in Table 1: Table 1: Key questions for the backyard inquiry

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What and where are the issues or patterns being studied?

What is the issue?

Where is the issue located?

What are the characteristics of this location/community?

How and why do these issues and patterns develop?

Why has this issue developed on the site?

What are the processes or activities that have affected and impacted the site? (physical/ topographical, social/historic/ cultural, economic)

What are the impacts of these patterns and issues?

What are the current or future factors that will impact the site?

How could these impacts affect the sustainability of biodiversity in this area?

What is being done or could be done to sustainably manage these impacts?

Following your analysis of the site and its features what strategies should or could be implemented to better manage and sustain biodiversity in the area?

While discussing in class the many and varied outdoor spaces that students had selected to study, it became apparent that no matter what the size and location of some student’s homes, all the girls had the potential to undertake the task and collect primary data. Even the most challenging of scenarios – a student living in a flat on the second floor, became an interesting study into what was on her balcony, directly adjacent to her in the trees and below in the apartment’s grounds. For the students living in the boarding house at school, they were able to investigate their boarding house garden or a section of the school grounds, while those on larger properties simply reviewed a section of their garden. In other words, no student was disadvantaged by their study location and it enabled a wide variety of sites to be investigated and assessed.

Having an easily accessible study site enabled students to increase the frequency of site visits and subsequently enabled them to obtain multiple data sets to analyse and interpret.

Primary data recorded and tallied included everything from the number of birds and other wildlife present, to noise levels, activities being undertaken in the area, temperature, glare and shade, soil pH and moisture, and vegetation and ground cover surveys.

While collecting data on stationary objects such as site features, vegetation and soil pH did not change on a daily basis, once collected it became ‘parked’ information until the analysis commenced. Of greatest interest to the students as they collected data in the field was the variability in glare and shade, temperature, noise and the presence, or lack thereof, of wildlife.

Many of the students appeared to be intrigued, yet frustrated, by the lack of fauna in their yard and this prompted them to engage in more covert activities to see if they could spot animals.

Students attempted to address the problem by visiting their site during the night and early morning (dawn); some used binoculars; others hid; and one even set up a camera to record the activity when they were not present. Yet, despite these problem solving initiatives, many still did not spot larger animals.

I was fascinated by their initial inability to connect their inner city location (in most cases 4 to 10kms from the Brisbane CBD) with the history of urbanisation in their area and a distinct lack of any form of native habitat that could adequately support wildlife to their study site. Stories of past sightings of scrub turkeys, lizards, snakes, frogs, butterflies and possums were common, but there was little or no evidence over the study period in the data collected by nearly all students. It was not until they were sitting talking together in the second week of the task that the penny finally dropped and they started to identify relationships between the data. As their teacher, this was the best part of the study for me; it was as if a light bulb had been turned on and they began to ask each other about the features of their yards (exotic plants, pools and large tiled entertaining spaces), who used the yards (people, dogs, cats) and the activities undertaken in the space (mowing, washing, playing games and entertaining) and where exactly they lived and where the space being studied was in relation to other elements. Animated discussions broke out across the room and lots of, ‘and what about...?’, ‘that could mean...,’ ‘look and the pattern on…’, ‘my

yard has the same thing as yours…’ could be heard. From that point on, connections and relationships were being drawn left right and centre in an attempt to account for the patterns, distributions and the results of the data collected.

Studies across the world have found that ‘fieldwork helps to arouse students’ curiosity and makes the study of geography more enjoyable and relevant. It fosters active learning by enabling students to observe, ask questions, identify problems, and hone their perceptions of physical features and human activities. Fieldwork connects students’ school activities with the world in which they live’ live’ ((US) Geography Education Standards Project, as cited in Kleeman, 2009, p. 43). The work that the girls were now doing certainly reflected the sentiments of the American studies. Suddenly the cognitive and procedural elements of the discipline outlined by Lambert and Reiss (2014) were clicking into place, as they began analysing and synthesising their findings. The Lambert and Reiss (2014) UK study acknowledged the benefits of students independently making tentative links and connections in their findings as they processed data and refined their ideas and conclusions. I concluded that I needed to give the students more time to get their heads around what they were doing and not to rush this important step. Perhaps too frequently in the past I had jumped in to give the explanation or to join the dots, rather than letting the students have their own Eureka moment. I was learning with them to change my pedagogy. Ultimately, having very little data on animals from insects up actually became advantageous to the learning experience in our school’s scenario. It provoked broad ranging discussions not only about the current vegetation and uses of people’s backyards in the area, but also about how people design and modify the spaces we live in, and what impact that has on wider ecosystems and environments.

This task allowed students to discover how their neighbourhood had changed over time and what measures councils and community groups are implementing to try and mitigate further species decline. Students were able to see firsthand how they could apply strategies to assist in maintaining or enhancing biodiversity in their selected space. They discovered that solutions to sustaining biodiversity did not have to be costly or difficult and that they could make a difference.

I was thrilled with the student response to the task not only in terms of the quality of the student’s final assessment item, but also the learning journey that they had been on. Many students have discussed their study and its findings with their parents and it has generated positive responses with neighbours and relatives who are now reassessing the use and sustainability of their backyards. While the task was not designed to change the world, it has certainly changed the mindsets of my students as to how peoples’ actions and behaviours within urban areas can impact on the biodiversity of an area. It demonstrated to me that field work need not be done at vast expense. It showed all students can access a location to study, and that small scale sites can produce lots of primary data that can be used to write a report that meets the requirements of the syllabus. I will definitely be revisiting this space in 2015.

References Gardening Australia, (2013). The world according to Costa. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s3717732.htm Kleeman G (ed) (2009). Geography Bulletin. GTANSW, Sydney, 41(1), p2.

Lambert D. and Reiss M. (2014). The place of fieldwork in geography and science qualifications, Institute of Education, University of London: London.

Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (2010). Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010-2030. Australian Government, Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Canberra.

QCAA (2007), Senior Geography Syllabus, Retrieved from www.qcaa. qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/snr_geography_07_syll.pdf Tesla C. (2014). A sneak peek into what augmented reality is, and the challenges its future faces. Retrieved from www.tumotech.com/2014/04/28/a-sneakpeek-into-what-augmented-reality-is-and-the-challenges-its-future-faces

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In terms of having data to manipulate, transform and to refer to in their finding section of the report, the students had more data than they knew what to do with. The important guiding questions asked of students when they sought feedback were, ‘What does the data show or prove? Are there any links between your data sets or information you have found? Are the links simple or complex? Is anything showing up in your data that is unusual or that doesn’t’t fit a pattern?’ Students were asked to vary the presentation of the data to demonstrate their analysis and ICT skills. Annotations, tables, overlays, infographics, diagrams as well as graphs were all strongly suggested and incorporated. The girls embraced the opportunity to use these techniques to reduce their word totals and at the same time make their reports reader and user friendly.

Conclusions

Growing the mindset Marilyn Ivers Secondary Teacher

Carol Dweck’s book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (2012) provides both affirmation of teachers’ understanding about the basics of learning and good advice for teachers to engage effectively in growth orientated teaching.

Teachers understand that both effort and ability are ingredients that lead to student accomplishment. Teachers want their students to develop a love of learning, an appreciation for challenge and an attitude that recognises mistakes as opportunities to learn. Teachers aim to encourage students to be positive and motivated – that is, to have a growth mindset.

Unfortunately, often teachers encounter students who are more concerned about the outcome or the grade rather than the learning and therefore the accomplishment. Understandably they are discouraged by the students who question ‘Is this task for assessment?’; by those who complain that their poor results are because they simply are no good at maths; or because they hate reading; or because the teacher hasn’t explained the topic clearly or explained exactly what they needed to know for the test. There are those students who claim they could have done better but they really didn’t study much – the students who cannot admit that they just might not be as naturally talented as they want to believe, and feel deflated if they have to admit to putting in effort.

These are the students who exhibit the fixed mindset.

Dweck offers advice for teachers as well as parents and coaches by outlining ways to change an individual’s mindset from a fixed to a growth mindset. At St Margaret’s, students are supported in this endeavour in Science of Learning classes. The classes, run for girls who are making the transition into secondary school, help them to recognise and identify the elements of both mindsets. This transition stage at school can cause some concerns – work can be more challenging, there are more formalised assessment policies, and they no longer have one core teacher. At the same time, girls are dealing with adolescence and the pressures associated with this. Research by Stanford University’s Dr Dweck, Lisa Blackwell PhD and their colleagues has been widely published to support the benefits of students and teachers developing a growth mindset.

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For teachers, this means engaging in growth orientated teaching.

Teachers must promote learning as a wonderful opportunity, ensuring that students see them as learners also. Setting and maintaining high standards means students must be guided in the means to reach them. Fair and honest feedback that avoids stereotyping or pre-judging students is necessary. This can initially pose problems for many students, possibly more so for girls who generally want teachers and peers to compliment and praise them, continuing the pattern they have already experienced. As young girls, they have been told how cute they are, how well-mannered, how polite – they have learned to rely on and trust other people’s assessments of them. Boys, on the other hand, are more likely to have been scolded for boisterous or mischievous behaviour and be less concerned with others’ opinions. In other words, boys are more resilient when it comes to accepting feedback.

Without realising the danger, many parents often praise their children by overstating the child’s ability because they want to boost self-confidence. Praise can be an effective way to boost self-belief when there has been a successful outcome, but the child might experience a very different reaction once there is a less successful outcome or failure. Feelings of vulnerability can lead to lack of persistence and can inhibit the development of resilience. Therefore, it is essential to give the right type of praise.

Teachers know that criticism that attributes failure to lack of ability lowers persistence, whereas criticism of lack of effort leads to improved performance. Similarly they should remember to praise the work and effort, not the ability, taking care to resist praising intelligence and skills such as speed and perfection, since students will doubt themselves as soon as something becomes difficult or can’t be done quickly or perfectly.

Dweck quotes advice from author and psychologist, Haim Ginott, ‘Praise should deal, not with the child’s personality attributes, but with his efforts and achievements’ (Ginott, Ginott, & Goddard, 2003, p. 32). Focussing on this will help to grow the mindset of the students in the classrooms. It would certainly be advantageous if parents also followed this advice, however Ginott reminds us, ‘While parents possess the original key to their offspring’s experience, teachers have a spare key. They, too can open or close the minds and hearts of children’ (Ginott, as cited in Rogers, 2002, p. 1).

References Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. USA: Ballantine Books.

Ginott, H., Ginott, A., & Goddard, H. (2003). Between parent and child.

New York: Three Rivers Press.

Kamins, M., & Dweck, C. (1999). Person versus process praise and criticism: Implications for contingent self-worth and coping.

Developmental Psychology, 35(3), 835-847. doi:10.1037//00121649.35.3.835 Rogers, B. (2002). Classroom behaviour. London: P. Chapman Pub.

The benefits of taking a break Meg Kerr Head of Year

I’ve always contended that teaching is one of the most interesting professions one can pursue. At the risk of espousing clichés, no two days are ever really the same and students, colleagues and curriculum provide an endless stream of interest, inspiration, challenge and amusement. The flip side to this dynamism, however, is that with so much time and energy spent ensuring that each day at work sees us performing to the best of our ability, the thought of taking time away, without adversely affecting our students’ progress, can seem too overwhelming to consider. However difficult this may seem, taking the space to reflect on pedagogical practices and school culture through the window offered by experiencing a different educational environment results in positive, rather than negative, effects for both a teacher and their classes.

The term ‘sabbatical’ is drawn from the Biblical lexicon, referring to the time when God ceased his labour after the six demanding days and nights spent creating the world. In the modern working context, we see it as taking time out from our day-to-day jobs, often to gain a wider perspective or experience directly benefiting our line of employment. This year, I’ve had the privilege of taking two short sabbaticals in vastly different schools. Just prior to returning to work in January, I spent two warm weeks at The Stepping Stones School, an English language school located in a small village outside of Siem Reap, Cambodia. In Term 3, I spent one very chilly week visiting The Wilderness School in Adelaide, a prestigious all-girls school with many similarities to St Margaret’s.

At the Stepping Stones School, I joined with eleven other teachers from around Australia to assist with the training of local Khmer teachers. As the teachers at this school do not receive a university education in teaching, Stepping Stones relies on volunteer educators to provide the professional knowledge and skills required to teach a class. A number of the Khmer teachers were only in their late teens and, in less than a month, were to begin teaching the fundamentals of English to lower primary students. Most of these trainee-teachers were not completely fluent in English, and all were either finishing secondary school or commencing tertiary studies, balancing these demands with working long hours in other jobs in order to support their families.

Another great benefit of my time at Stepping Stones was somewhat unexpected. The Australian teachers brought with them a wide range of professional experiences and I found myself working in a team that included early primary specialists. As a secondary teacher of English and Humanities who has spent the last few years mainly teaching senior classes, I learnt a lot about the basics of teaching someone to read and write, as well as how many teaching activities one can extrapolate from a single, simple picture book. In all, this experience provided a real insight into, and appreciation of, the work of early primary educators.

My second sabbatical was vastly different to the first, but similarly rewarding. The week I spent at Adelaide’s The Wilderness School allowed me the opportunity to observe and participate in classes similar to the ones I teach at St Margaret’s.

Anecdotally, many teachers cite simply watching fellow teachers at practice as the best form of professional learning, however, we rarely find the time to pursue this regularly amongst the busy-ness of the regular school term. As such, my week at ‘Wildy’ allowed me to reflect on what constitutes excellence in girls’ education through working alongside outstanding teachers.

Specifically, I was able to collect ideas for my own classes, as well as to provide contributions to their English and Humanities Faculties on successful practices implemented at St Margaret’s.

Overall, however, it was once again the staff who impressed me the most, with their friendliness, collegiality and the passion they invested into their classes.

The benefits of sabbaticals are widely published. One source surmises that they serve as an agent of rejuvenation and renewal, provide a time for reflection, furnish a new perspective, deliver an opportunity to build new professional relationships and enhance classroom teaching through the infusion of renewed energy (Simaq, 2000). My time in Siem Reap and Adelaide can certainly attest to this. If I had to name only one thing that these experiences consolidated for me though, it would be the power of attitude, both of staff and students, in stimulating educational success.

So if one is gifted with the space to spend time in a different school, and I use the term ‘gift’ very deliberately, I would encourage teachers to pursue the opportunity with relish. The benefits are immense and, based on my own experience, there is nothing that is so important that it can’t wait until your return.

References Simaq, C. (2000). “The Role and Benefits of Sabbatical Leave in Faculty Development and Satisfaction.” In: Serra, L. What Contributes to Job Satisfaction among Faculty and Staff. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Chapter 6.

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The school’s facilities were the pride of the village, but would appear rudimentary to most Australian teachers: no classroom laptops, TVs or iPads; cement floors, wooden benches and chairs for the students; and half-walls running the side of the structures in lieu of fans or air-conditioning. But the steadfast enthusiasm and dedication of the teachers, the strong community

atmosphere and the positivity and unwavering gratitude for the opportunity to learn (shown both by the staff and the barefoot scholars) led me to the conclusion that Stepping Stones has the best culture of any school I have been in. This little Cambodian village school really proves that it’s not the facilities that make a school excellent, it’s the attitude and perspective of the pupils and staff within its grounds.

Learning to be a better teacher Ros Lawrence Primary Teacher

“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”

George Bernard Shaw echoes this sentiment, ‘I’m not a teacher: only a fellow traveller of whom you asked the way. I pointed ahead – ahead of myself as well as you.’ Although having taught over many decades, with two of them at St Margaret’s, I have seen many changes and I admit to occasionally shaking my head in despair when faced with yet another change. However, when I embrace new ideas, I am impressed with the results. You are never too old or too experienced to learn!

Using just a few of Wiliam’s (2011) formative assessment techniques has given me insight into student understanding to help progress their learning. Before embarking on a new lesson, my first step is to recap on the previous lesson, trying to give all students the chance to answer all questions by using hand signals. I use any wrong answer as a helpful indicator, and couple it with a ‘Could you tell me more?’ comment. Where possible, my questions are now more carefully designed to provide opportunity for students to explain their answer.

I have found these techniques have opened communication lines and students (and teacher) are able to track their progress more easily.

Research shows that the teacher is one of the most important factors in a child’s education. In fact, John Hattie (2003) reported that teachers account for a variance of 30 per cent in student achievement. (50 per cent lies with student ability, with 5 to 10 per cent each on the effect of home, choice of school and choice of peers.) A major thrust of Hattie’s work was to discover exactly what determines an ‘expert teacher’. These attributes ranged from the affective to the instructive domain, but one of the essential dimensions was the monitoring of learning and actively giving and seeking feedback.

In relation to feedback, I started with implementing small changes, realising that comments such as, ‘Well done’ or ‘Weak effort’ do not constitute feedback. Feedback should offer cognitive (not emotional) response and focus on specific improvements, offering a way to move forward (Wiliam, 2011).

To this end, I have tried to ensure my feedback gives specific direction and instruction to the student in question. However, it is tempting to fall back on old habits and Wiliam (2011) refers to those instincts as ‘the elephant’ in everyone. You know what to do but you revert to what you have always done.

After attending a Professional Development session on Formative Assessment by Dylan Wiliam in January 2014, I realised that this was an area where I could improve my current practice. Many teachers would relate to that depressing feeling where you realise that some students have not sufficiently grasped what has been done previously, making it difficult for them to move forward. Formative assessment is a tool that has great potential to improve both teaching and learning.

Tomlinson (2014) states that because teaching is too complex to invite perfection, even the best teacher will miss the mark some days, but using formative assessment will help bridge the gap between today’s lesson and tomorrow’s.

Formative assessment and improved feedback are my current educational goals. However, ‘learning’ to be a better teacher means consistently having an open mind when presented with new ideas or strategies and… keeping the elephant at bay!

John Cotton Dana

References Hattie, J. (2003). Teachers Make a Difference. What is the research evidence?

Australian Council for Educational Research: University of Auckland Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers. Maximising impact on learning.

New York: Routledge.

Tomlinson, C. (2014). The bridge between today’s lesson and tomorrow’s. Educational Leadership, 71(6), pp.10 -14. Accessed online 3 September 2014 at: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar14/vol71/ num06/The-Bridge-Between-Today’s-Lesson-and-Tomorrow’s.aspx Wiliam, D. (2011). Embedded formative assessment. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

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Global exchange programs: how do you measure and validate your program’s success?

Sharon Mahony Global Exchange Coordinator

Global connectedness is commonplace for today’s students participating in various programs that foster cultural and global competency through local and international initiatives.

Each year, one quarter of the St Margaret’s Year 10 students have the opportunity to spend a term at an overseas partner school in one of nine countries. Each student then hosts her exchange partner for an alternate term at St Margaret’s, which greatly enriches our school community and its intercultural understanding. Programs such as these have obvious advantages for students and school communities, but how do we measure and justify the success and value of an exchange program?

I was most interested in the specific outcomes of determining student development and the link to student leadership as a direct result of the exchange program. This has led to a series of surveys being completed by each student at various stages of her exchange journey. Surveys were conducted once students were selected to go on exchange, during their time away and upon their return. Statistics continue to be compiled with regard to student study options and directives following the completion of Year 12.

The feedback provided has proved invaluable for the continued development and success of the program. Conclusive measures determined that personal challenge, engaging in a new school community, studying subjects not in the Australian curricular, extra-curricular involvement in a different context, and the expectation of developing life-long friendships were the major reasons girls applied to participate in the program.

Overwhelmingly, the data collected from girls who returned from exchange concluded that self-reliance, heightened problem-solving abilities, confidence and self-discovery were the factors that stood out from the rest. These factors further determined that new aspirations and attitudes towards student leadership, future study and an enhanced desire to succeed evolved as a direct result of their exchange experiences. Several responses highlighting the lack of daily availability of technology to communicate with family was in turn a positive factor which encouraged girls to further immerse themselves within their new peer and friendship groups. Strong feedback was provided with regard to a deeper appreciation for the St Margaret’s school community, and greater awareness of the love and support of their own family. There was clarity around the summation that the program empowers students to understand others through a broader range of perspectives, which then allows students to better understand themselves.

From the exchange program survey results compiled for 2013, the percentage of students who went on to hold leadership roles in 2014 was 96.83%. Over the last four years, seven of our eight school co-captains have been exchange participants.

Students selected for the program will already have proven some predisposition to being outgoing and open to new ideas, willing to take risks and looking to aspire to leadership positions.

Nevertheless, this exchange program would no doubt have helped hone their skills and the attributes for developing good relationships.

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Much research is undertaken prior to forming a partnership with a new exchange school and partnerships are formalised with an agreement between the two schools. It is vital to form and to maintain solid and trusting relationships with key staff in the exchange partner schools. Regular and effective communication with staff, parents and students is paramount to the continued success of the program.

The St Margaret’s Global Exchange Program continues to evolve and to culturally enlighten and challenge girls to embrace the opportunities, to gather life lessons and to expand their horizons for the future.

Parent testimonial: Seven months ago I sent my daughter on exchange to England. I’m not sure when or how it happened, but a wonderful, confident and independent young woman has returned in her place. Lara had an amazing experience whilst living in England and visited places that most people will only ever dream of. At home Lara is a day girl but whilst on exchange she experienced life as a boarder and loved it. She embraced the opportunity and from all accounts was a welcome addition to her new surrounds, both in the boarding house and in her various classes.

As parents we were initially concerned that such a long absence from St Margaret’s would leave her with a learning gap. In hindsight Lara is now better prepared for future studies as the onus was on her to keep in touch with her teachers back home. She is now organised, self-motivated and plans her schedule ahead of time.

Being a host family is not always easy and nine weeks with a stranger in your house can present its own challenges but that aside, the daily interaction with a foreign student was a valuable experience for our whole family. The exchange program offered at St Margaret’s is a unique opportunity for girls and one that we would highly recommend to other families.

Dianne North

Student testimonial: I absolutely love life at Shawnigan! It is very busy all the time as we have something on every afternoon. I have chosen field hockey as my sport; it’s fun and there are lots of girls I have met as well. On other days we do ‘fine art’ and I have chosen textiles. On fine art afternoons we are driven to this little village which has a few shops, one of them being where we go to knit. I have never knitted before so a few girls are teaching me to knit a scarf.

I especially love the electives and have chosen Mandarin and sports science. Mandarin is really interesting and the teacher is very helpful considering I have never done it before. Sports science is a bit tricky as it entails a lot of fitness, however I have decided to keep it up as it will be good to keep me fit and will also be interesting when we learn about muscles. My class is mainly boys and I have made friends with them, as well as the two girls in my class. Everyone is really friendly and I feel so privileged to have this opportunity.

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Groves boarding house is amazing; I love the people, the atmosphere, the common room, my house mothers and everything about it. Last night my ‘big sisters’ made cookies for everyone and we have all planned to go out for dinner this weekend.

Sally Marples, Shawnigan Lake School, Vancouver Island, Canada

Application of Marzano’s The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction.

Jacqui Smith Primary Teacher

According to Robert Marzano’s research into the art and science of teaching, an integral and possibly the most fundamental element to quality teaching and learning is determining highly effective ways in which to ‘establish and communicate learning goals, track student progress, and celebrate success’ (Marzano, 2007).

Evidence of the framework’s implementation in my teaching:

Within the setting of any classroom, students naturally progress along the learning continuum at different rates, exhibiting readiness for specific skills at different times, acquiring knowledge at varied paces and pursuing a wide range of interests. This individual progression supports Marzano’s research which calls for specific learning goals to be set with an emphasis on establishing clear targets related to information and skill. This is evident in my classroom with periodical, individualised goal setting as a result of a collaborative approach between each student, myself and parents. Students in my classroom are asked to identify three learning goals within the areas of English, Mathematics and Personal Development to be tracked and reflected upon continually over the course of a term.

Marzano’s research specifically highlights the crucial element of tracking student progress as ‘establishing and communicating learning goals alone do not suffice to enhance student learning’ (Marzano, 2007).

Changes made to the teaching and learning process:

This led me to develop and introduce a tracking device specifically for plotting reading progress. Students used digital recordings of their skill levels to demonstrate progress, reflect and determine further goals for improvement and success. Each student developed a scale or ‘steps’ for achieving their goal with specific skills, knowledge and understandings identified that would be required in order to achieve the end learning goal. I subsequently introduced a ‘High Five and a Hint’ reflection tool in order to deliver feedback to students on their progress and guide them in terms of further steps that could be taken towards goal achievement.

Improvements on current practice and observable outcomes: Through the implementation of Marzano’s action steps to establish and communicate learning goals, track student progress and celebrate success, I have observed improved student engagement in the goal setting and tracking process and greater ownership of learning and personal development. I believe that this process and the tools implemented have supported students to see that they have the ability to effect change in their skills and knowledge rather than the teacher solely holding the keys to their success. It is with interest that I will continue to develop this process and make adaptations to the tools used within my classroom in order to further improve the effectiveness and power of Marzano’s first instructional design question emphasising the critical importance of goal setting.

References Marzano, R.J. (2007). The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction. Heatherton, Victoria: Hawker Brownlow Education.

Whilst I had previously set individual goals with my students, I was determined to develop more effective ways of supporting my students to set meaningful learning goals that could be tracked using age appropriate strategies. I wondered, ‘How could young students identify how they would go about achieving their learning goals and truly identify progress made?’ In pursuit of the most effective approach to this, I followed the six action steps outlined by Marzano: • Action Step One: Make a distinction between learning goals and learning activities or assignments • Action Step Two: Write a rubric or scale for each learning goal • Action Step Three: Have students identify their own learning goals • Action Step Four: Assess students using a framework approach • Action Step Five: Have students chart their progress on each learning goal • Action Step Six: Recognise and celebrate growth

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Positive education: positive psychology and classroom interventions Georgina Stevenson Primary Teacher

The paper ‘Positive education: positive psychology and classroom interventions’ (Seligman, Ernst, Gillham, Reivich & Linkins, 2009) focuses on the importance of teaching students the skills of resilience, positive emotion, engagement and meaning throughout their education. It is of great importance that students learn these skills, which will not only help them in later years, but also more immediately in their attitude to learning.

‘Positive education is defined as education for both traditional skills and for happiness,’ (Seligman et al, 2009, p 293).

Throughout this year, I have specifically focused on trying to ‘change’ the mindset of some of my students about their perception and, consequently, their personal expectation of themselves as Mathematics learners. I firmly believe that any student who feels positive about and has a realistic expectation of themselves, and the support and understanding of their parents, will find some form of success in their school work.

Students need to understand and accept that minor ‘failures’ in their learning will eventually lead them to be more successful learners.

My teaching strategies in each Mathematics lesson allowed me to share my own mathematical experiences in Year 6, most of which were not pleasant. In my case, this was probably because the teacher didn’t understand that I had little or no confidence in my Maths ability. So there was no support, empathy and understanding. This brought about unhappiness and a determined unwillingness to put that little extra effort into achieving more satisfying results. Being able to share these real experiences (they entertained the girls at times) proved to be a successful strategy for maintaining and, more importantly, improving the mindsets of my students, regardless of their previous academic results.

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As for the students who had less self-confidence with the concepts that were being taught, I made myself available for questions and/or chats to share their concerns both before school, during the breaks and via email. When the girls met with me during these times and realised they were not alone, they showed obvious signs that they felt more comfortable to face their uncertainties and were more determined to gain a better understanding of what had been taught. They also showed more confidence in working with their peers with more challenging tasks. This resulted in seeing most students start to enjoy Mathematics, and also become more determined to be risk takers and own the ‘I can do it!’ approach. Observing this has been very fulfilling for me. It has made me realize that approaching students’ needs in various ways has broadened my understanding of individual perceptions of the girls as Maths learners.

It was also professionally satisfying to have an impact on students who were achieving higher levels of success through

sheer hard work, but at times lacked the confidence to do so independently. Implementing my strategy (sharing real experiences) helped many of these girls to stop second guessing what they were doing. It helped them to acknowledge that they were more than capable, even if at first they didn’t succeed.

Observing their increased confidence, willingness to take risks, and witnessing their ultimate enjoyment of Mathematics has been very rewarding to me as a professional.

I have also been vigilant in keeping in close contact with parents to share their daughters’ weaknesses and strengths and subsequent progress. Being in regular contact with parents and discussing realistic expectations has also been beneficial to all three parties (student, teacher, parent). It has proven that working together as a team results in happier students achieving more pleasing results. This, I’m sure will eventually lead to more success for many in the area of Mathematics.

The best way for a student to academically succeed and increase their confidence in learning relies not only on hard work but also on their realistic expectations of themselves, supported by their parents and teachers.

Parent • regular communication • realistic expectations

Teacher • encouragement • empathy (shared experiences • availability (communication)

Student increased confidence + happiness = success

Student • attempt at independence • known expectations

Teacher

+

Parent

+

Student

=

Student happiness/ success

I believe that sharing my experiences as a student with the girls has helped them to understand that, with the support of their parents and teachers, they can enjoy Mathematics more and become more confident and successful.

References Seligman, M.E., Ernst, R.M., Gillham, J., Reivich, K. & Linkins, M. (2009).

‘Positive education: positive psychology and classroom interventions’.

Oxford Review of Education, Vol. 35 (3), 293-311.

Unlocking the secrets of the autistic brain Kathy Thorne Secondary Teacher

Much has been written about autism – its causes, symptoms and diagnosis. Yet, despite this ever increasing body of knowledge, people in the field often still express a desire to get inside an autistic person’s brain to see how he or she thinks. In her latest book, The Autistic Brain – exploring the strength of a different kind of mind, Temple Grandin (2013) does just that.

Temple Grandin is a leading authority on autism and animal behaviour. Born with autism at a time when people like her were institutionalised, her parent’s progressive approach to her disorder allowed her to develop fully, maximise her intelligence and abilities, develop coping strategies and ultimately become a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. She is therefore probably one of the most qualified people in this area.

In the first part of the book, she explains autism. She looks at the physical differences between her brain and a ‘normal’ one.

Since 1987, when she had her first MRI scan, Grandin has had seven or eight brain scans, availing herself of every new way of investigating the brain as it became available. Major differences between her brain and a ‘normal’ one have been found. She also discusses the effects of genetics on autism and the sensory problems that are usually associated with autism.

All this is very interesting, but for educators the really exciting part is when she starts explaining how people with autism think.

She looks at three ways of thinking – bottom-up, associative and creative – that are typical in people with autism and how they can be viewed as strengths.

Bottom-up thinking: People with autism are generally very good at seeing detail, sometimes to the point of obsession, and struggle to see the ‘big picture’. They ‘can’t see the forest for the trees’. This explains why people with autism struggle with facial recognition, yet they are better than others when only one facial feature is shown. Interestingly, this is what actually makes Grandin so good at what she does. For example, she can see a splinter of wood on the fence of a cattle-holding pen that might spook a cow, while other engineers are focusing on the whole structure.

This type of thinking also affects the way people with autism learn concepts (not facts). A top-down approach won’t work – they need to see all the ‘trees’ before they recognise it as a ‘forest’.

In other words, they need to understand all the underlying concepts first before they will see the big idea. So people with autism don’t learn well through direct instruction.

Creative thinking: The ‘forest’ that the autistic brain ends up putting together might not look the same as the one of a neurotypical person. Grandin believes that this means that people with autism are more likely to have ‘creative breakthroughs’ as they have a huge database, unaffected by emotion and with no idea of where it may lead.

In the final chapter of her book, entitled From margins to the mainstream, Grandin offers practical approaches to maximise learning in people with autism, using her ‘three kinds of minds hypothesis’. The idea here is to try to identify what type of thinker a person is and work with their way of thinking rather than trying to force them to do things that are impossible for them. She proposes three categories: 1. The picture thinkers want to create what they see in their imagination. They like hands-on activities – constructing and making things. They are often not good at algebra and other abstract maths, but good with shapes and geometry.

Grandin suggests letting them experience Lego, models, painting, cooking, woodworking, sewing and experimenting rather than calculating. Some maths can be brought in on a practical level. Grandin herself is a picture thinker and used to think that all people with autism were too.

2. The pattern thinkers are similar, but think about the way the parts of an object fit together. They are good at maths and music, but might find reading a challenge. Grandin suggests they should be allowed to do maths in their own style and not be forced to show working if they can do it in their head.

3. The word-fact thinkers are just as the label says. They are easy to identify as they will tell you – with an endless stream of facts, e.g. entire movie scripts. Maths skills tend to be, at best, average, and they have little interest in construction or art. They can be helped by encouraging writing in the form of assignments. Depending on their ability, they can write articles for local papers or post on the internet.

One needs to bear in mind that autism is often a symptom of a wider, complex disorder. In many cases this underlying disorder is caused by a genetic abnormality that also results in intellectual impairment and coordination problems. So each person’s situation has to be approached differently, but Temple Grandin has certainly provided much food for thought and a starting point for the development of individualised learning plans for people with autism.

References Grandin, T. & Panek, R. (2013). The Autistic Brain: Exploring the strength of a different kind of mind. USA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Bibliography: Braidotti, G. (2010). New insights into the autistic brain. Swinburne University of Technology Venture Magazine. Vol. 11. Retrieved 7 August 2014 from http://www.swinburne.edu.au/magazine/11/199/new-insightsinto-the-autistic-brain/ Grandin, T. (n.d). Temple Grandin: Inside ASD. Retrieved 7 August 2014 from http://www.autism.com/advocacy_grandin Treadwell, Mark (2013). The Paradigm Shift: Intelligence redefined. Retrieved 7 August 2014 from http://www.marktreadwell.com/memory

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Associative thinking: Like many autistics, Grandin has a very poor short term memory which means she has a poor working memory. This affects her ability to multitask as well as other aspects of learning and problem solving, which require much repetition before understanding occurs. However she has an excellent long term memory. There is little research in this area but it would seem, anecdotally, that this is possibly typical of autism. So she likens her brain to a search engine – when she thinks about a topic or experiences something new, her brain accesses all the stored data, making many associations around

the topic. This leads to connections between concepts and the development of new ones i.e. creative thinking. As Grandin puts it: “If you can’t see the trees you’ll never see the forest” (2013, p128)

Connecting with culture through curriculum inclusiveness Desley Upton Head of Faculty – HPE

The Australian Curriculum emphasises intercultural understanding and has a specific focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) peoples. This paper focuses on how teachers can facilitate this through quality culturally competent learning experiences for their students.

The Australian Curriculum emphasises intercultural understanding and has a specific focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) peoples. This paper focuses on how teachers can facilitate this through quality culturally competent learning experiences for their students?

Perso (2013) recognises that ‘merely having the ability to be culturally competent is insufficient and that cultural competence or responsiveness must be demonstrated for it to be authentic’ (p. 3). Hassim (2013) identifies responsiveness as ‘the ability to interact effectively, appropriately and constructively with a diverse range of people’ (p. 3). Most importantly though, this competence must encompass not only understanding and knowledge about differences between population groups, but the skills, attitude and disposition to deal with and accept these differences. The following pedagogical discussion identifies theoretical models, strategies and ideas that may provide teachers with practical advice on how to connect with culture through curriculum inclusiveness.

Whitinui (2010) proposes ‘that a culturally responsive framework or ‘educultural wheel’ (p. 3) approach to teaching must draw on culturally specific values and principles’ of the selected population groups. This is pivotal in enhancing the understandings, knowledge and values of a culturally competent teacher. For Aboriginal, Torres Strait and Pacific Islander (ATSPI) students, similarities in their cultural and values systems are evident. Family, whether immediate, extended, past or informal, is at the centre of these systems (Active Education, 2013). Common beliefs revolve around the interconnectedness of land, kinship, the importance of spirituality and traditional rituals (McLennan & Khavarpour, 2004). An individual’s mental health involves the interplay of their social, emotional, spiritual and cultural wellbeing within a community framework (Australian Principals Associations Professional Development Council [APAPDC], 2007). Finally, the need to develop a sense of belonging and identity are considered critical factors associated with improving the educational outcomes of ATSPI students.

To develop student understanding of past and present experiences, the identity of and the continuing value of culture to ATSPI people’s learning experiences must be delivered in a culturally safe classroom environment (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2013.) The ‘notion of the third space’ (Kramsch as cited in Hassim, 2013) suggests there needs to be a safe space or platform where students can ‘engage in experiencing cultural beliefs and practices that foster understanding and cooperation, rather than debate’. A further technique described by Ober and Bat (as cited in Perso, 2012) is the shared ‘both-ways’ approach, in which everyone participates as both a learner and a teacher and where ‘teachers are willing to become students of their students and their culture’.

The most challenging factor for teachers who do not identify as ATSPI, is to reflect on how their own cultural values can often suppress ‘culturally-connected’ learning from occurring (Macfarlane and Whitinui as cited in Whitinui, 2010, p.3).

Sometimes, the more dominant schooling pedagogies, including the use of the ‘deficit’ model of learning prevail. This dismisses the learning integrity associated with achieving both ‘culturally competent’ teachers and learners. Recommendation four of the Indigenous Cultural Competency in Teaching and Learning: Guiding Principles (Universities Australia, 2011) explicitly states that ‘culturally safe’ learning experiences for all students, whether ATSPI students or not, be reflected in the writing of units, the choice of content and in the teaching strategies used. So, how can this be achieved?

The first teaching strategy proposed is based on the strengthsbased perspective or model, supported by the CDAMS Indigenous Health Curriculum Framework document (Committee of Deans of Australian Medical Schools, 2004).This model acknowledges that indigenous cultures and perspectives are different but not deficit and that the differences should be valued. It further encourages discussions that highlight the particular strengths and resources found within the ATSPI communities. It is important to stress that these discussions should not be based on comparisons with the dominant ‘Anglo-Saxon/white Australian’ culture (Perso, 2012). Adopting this approach is more likely to reduce negative stereotypes and offer all students the opportunity to reflect on biases and perspectives related to cultural backgrounds. It will not only foster effective learning environments within the classroom but create culturally-connected interactions between students and teachers (remember the catch phrase: teachers are willing to become students of their students and their culture). Other planning strategies and teaching ideas/learning experiences that may assist teachers in creating culturally-competent students (and teachers) within our school community follow.

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In planning and unit/content development, units should be based on both traditional and contemporary ATSPI history and cultures and supported by culturally appropriate resources. Teachers need to ensure that the selected resources do not contain stereotypical or biased material that might damage students’ cultural identities and further promote negative stereotypes (Perso, 2013). Some practical suggestions may include the use of ATSPI authors, themes or stories (APAPDC, 2007).

Teachers should also look to incorporate local ways of knowing and teaching into their work and offer a range of views and examples of ATSPI experiences in terms of historical and cultural aspects. This might include the concepts of the extended family, the stolen generation, strong cultural ties, the loss of languages and traditional history through stories (Committee of Deans of Australian Medical Schools, 2004).

Positive examples of success are also important in the ATSPI context. An example of this is the ‘Deadly Vibes’ comic related to health promotion to Indigenous youth. It has helped redefine the way health messages can be delivered to and accepted by young ATSPI people (Committee of Deans of Australian Medical Schools, 2004).

As culturally competent teachers, we should acknowledge the identity of all students by showing interest in their origin, heritage and culture, (Active Education, 2013) and encourage the sharing of family histories and viewpoints. Teachers should consider cultural practices, sacred sites and spiritual connections with ancestors as important components of all ATSPI students’ sense of wellbeing and explore teaching/learning experiences (and the presentation of assessment tasks) through stories related to the ‘dreaming’. ‘Dreaming’ is the founding drama of ATSPI spirituality that identifies the relationship to other people, to the spirits, and to the land. (McLennan and Khavarpour, 2004).

As always, teaching should focus on promoting positive self and community identity through integrating storytelling and ceremonies that have strong links to both the students and their community well-being. Teachers should use some creativity by looking at expression (and assessment tasks) through different forms such as rituals, paintings, storytelling, oral history and dance techniques Finally, we should think about how different cultural frameworks may offer effective solutions to ‘white’ discipline based issues or problems. For example, different models of healthcare – the western biomedical model contradicts the traditional beliefs and practices of ATSPI peoples.

Active Education, (2013). Breaking down cultural barriers through sport.

Issue 38.

Active Education, (2013). Understanding Cultural Diversity in Coaching Pacific Island Athletes. Issue 39.

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, (2012).

Australian Curriculum Health and Physical Education: Foundation to Year 10.

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (2014).

Health and Physical Education Overview: Cross-curriculum priorities.

Retrieved 24 October from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/ health-and-physical-education/cross-curriculum-priorities Australian Principals Associations Professional Development Council, (2007), A School Review Checklist: Indicators of a successful ATSI Education Program, APAPDC: Dare to Lead Steering Committee, Hindmarsh, South Australia Better Health Channel, (2014). Aboriginal health - barriers to physical activity. Retrieved 20 October from http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/ bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Aboriginal_health_physical_activity Committee of Deans of Australian Medical Schools, (2004), CDAMS Indigenous Health Curriculum Framework, Committee of Deans of Australian Medical Schools Creative Spirits, (2014). Traditional Aboriginal games & activities. Retrieved 27 October, 2014 from http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/ sport/traditional-aboriginal-games-activities Hassim, E. (2013), An ‘Intercultural understanding’ view of the Asia priority: Implications for the Australian Curriculum, Occasional paper 131, Centre for Strategic Education/IARTV Publications: East Melbourne, Victoria McLennan, V. & Khavarpour, F. (2004). Culturally appropriate health promotion: its meaning and application in Aboriginal communities.

Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 15(3).

Perso, T. (2012). ‘Cultural competence’ and National Professional Standards for Teachers, Occasional Paper 127, Centre for Strategic Education/IARTV Publications: East Melbourne, Victoria.

Perso, T. (2013). Culturally responsive schooling, Occasional Paper 129, Centre for Strategic Education/IARTV Publications, East Melbourne, Victoria.

Southern Cross University, (2014). Cultural Competency – Strategies and Approaches: Embedding CC in a first year Health Studies Units. Retrieved 22 October, 2014 from http://scu.edu.au/teachinglearning/index.php/77.

Universities Australia (2011), Australian Best Practise Framework for cultural competency in Australian Universities: Indigenous Cultural Competency in Teaching and Learning: Guiding Principles, Canberra, Australia: Charles Stuart University and Universities Australia.

Whitinui, P. (2010), Indigenous-based inclusive pedagogy: The art of Kapa Haka to improve educational outcomes for Maori students in mainstream secondary schools in Aotearoa, New Zealand, International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning, 6.1, 3

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In conclusion, it is hoped that through using the proposed theoretical models, strategies and ideas we may all become culturally competent teachers. We will feel confident in addressing and delivering the general capability of intercultural understanding and the cross-curriculum priorities related to ATSPI students in our school community, curriculum/subject focus areas and through unit development.

References

Notes

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Open Day

Saturday 7 March 2015 9.30am to 12.30pm

Open Morning Thursday 13 August 2015 8am to 10.30am After school care available in 2015 from Pre-Prep to Year 6 For all enrolment enquiries call our Registrar on (07) 3862 0777 or email registrar@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

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St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School 11 Petrie Street Ascot QLD 4007 Australia Telephone: +61 7 3862 0777 Facsimile: +61 7 3862 0701 mail@stmargarets.qld.edu.au www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au A School of the Society of the Sacred Advent

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