Sunata 2017 by St Margaret's Anglican Girls School

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2017 SUNATA

Sunata

GROWING 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 St Margaret’s School Council Ltd ABN: 69069684019 CRICOS Code: 00511K A School of the Society of the Sacred Advent

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great LEARNERS

STAFF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING JOURNAL

Sunata Edition 7 Principal: Ros Curtis Editors: Karen Gorrie, Wendy Johnston Graphic Designer: Pam Smiles Photographer: Victoria Nikolova

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Sunata THE STAFF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING JOURNAL

Contents

Operationalising the rhetoric Samantha Bolton | Dean of Pedagogy Popular music and its significant place in supporting identity formation, social connectivity, engagement and skill development in music education Angela Bowen | Head of Year WALT DISNEY: a transformational and charismatic leader Angela Bowen | Head of Year

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The free to roam classroom: the impact of technology on the learning space and pedagogy Peter Cottle | Head of Faculty – eLearning and Research

Review of ‘The Ideal Team Player’ by Patrick Lencioni Ros Curtis | Principal

Bringing the science of learning into the classroom. How is brain research informing teaching strategies? Nanette Dodd | Secondary Teacher

Using a professional learning community to support pedagogical changes in mathematics Angela Drysdale | Head of Primary and Ailsa Crockett | Primary Learning Enhancement Coordinator

Increasing connectedness in the classroom Katie Flanagan | Head of Year

Understanding cultural diversity in boarding Lesa Fowler | Head of Boarding

Handwriting versus typing Therese Garrahy | Secondary Teacher

Designing spaces for 21st century learning Naomi Holley | Head of Faculty – Business and Pathways

Promoting integration between international and domestic students: why and how? Emily Labinsky | International Pastoral Care Coordinator

AIMing high in languages at St Margaret’s Jenny Matheson | Secondary Teacher

Improving teacher-student feedback in languages: the role of recorded feedback for speaking tasks Kate Montgomery | Secondary Teacher

In pursuit of authenticity: do simulations make the grade? Meredith Morris | Secondary Teacher

Exploring a balanced curriculum… John O’Sullivan Williams | Head of Faculty – The Arts and Design

Interstate teacher exchange: professional sharing of ideas and knowledge Jayne Schinckel | Secondary Teacher

Girl peer pressure – is not all doom and gloom! Nikki Townsend | Dean of Students

Unlocking a culture of critical thinking through creativity Desley Upton | Head of Faculty – Health and Physical Education

Synergy through sound Nicole Walker | Secondary Teacher

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The MacArthur Museum: a teaching tool Bruce Bullpitt | Secondary Teacher

Operationalising Samantha Bolton Dean of Pedagogy At St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, we have a deep and unwavering commitment to high quality learning. This may seem to be a trite statement given that the core business of schools is indeed learning, but making these words a reality demands a sophisticated and tenacious approach, particularly given the current educational climate of competition and media driven imperatives, which can result in conflicting educational priorities. Our journey as a school in recent years has involved the identification of areas where change was required, the articulation of the nature of that change and its implementation. As one would expect, it is the latter which has proved to be the most challenging of these three phases. In fact, the implementation of what we believe to be best practice teaching and learning is and will continue to be a consistent and dynamic process, which requires long term engagement from all sectors of the community – staff, students and parents. In January 2016, we launched the St Margaret’s Framework of Quality Teaching and Learning. This was the product of years of dedicated endeavour focused on gaining a shared understanding of what good learning looks like and the factors fundamental to promoting it. These factors were then categorised in terms of learning environment, learning process and pedagogy. A significant amount of research was accessed to inform the St Margaret’s Framework in its final iteration. While

it does not follow any one approach, the tenets which underlie it are founded in studies from around the globe. In particular, the work of Ron Ritchhart, Carol Dweck, Usha Goswami, Dylan William, John Hattie and Guy Claxton has informed the thinking which underpins our philosophy, our practice and ultimately the Framework itself. The literature consistently emphasises that it is the successful transfer of a student’s understanding to an unfamiliar context which is the measure of quality teaching and learning (Claxton 2012; Hattie 2009; Mazur 1997; Ritchhart, Church & Morrison 2011; Ritchhart 2015; Stobart 2014). This assertion, combined with the premise that every student can make meaningful progress given optimal opportunities, sits at the heart of education at St Margaret’s. The Framework identifies five key pillars upon which an effective learning environment is based – connection, differentiation, motivation, challenge and feedback. The integration of these elements results in an optimal context for learning. These pillars (see Figure 1) form the foundation of pedagogical practice, inform curriculum development and shape the thinking which underpins educational leadership at our school. Together they create a framework which enables the provision of optimal learning experiences through thoughtful pedagogy and a clear understanding of the learning process. To facilitate this understanding, we

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the rhetoric have developed the St Margaret’s Taxonomy of Learning (see Figure 2). Drawing on the work of Hattie (2009), this diagram identifies three stages in the learning process. Surface, deeper and deepest. Surface understandings are gained through literal comprehension, while deeper understandings emerge from a more analytical and critical approach to the material encountered. The deepest level is attained when a student can transfer their understandings by applying them in an unfamiliar context or employing synthesis to create something with a level of originality. Of course, any effort to categorise types of thinking or organise them into a hierarchy is open to debate, so ultimately the taxonomy provides a springboard from which to launch students into discussion of and engagement with the processes of critical and creative thinking.

Operationalising the rhetoric of the framework to achieve genuine teaching for transfer has proved to be a slow and difficult process. We have learned that we need to provide teachers with the same conditions we see as fundamental to optimal student learning if authentic professional learning is to occur. For pedagogical practice to shift so that it is more focused on teaching for transfer, rather than primarily for the successful navigation of school-based assessment, teachers need to have ownership over the process and feel empowered to take risks and make mistakes. Of course, once students can authentically transfer their understandings, they can perform better in all contexts. While we have embarked upon several initiatives at the school to achieve this, I have chosen two to discuss here – cognitive coaching and thinking routines.

To ensure that learning at St Margaret’s is a dynamic and continually improving process, teachers are encouraged to consistently reflect upon their pedagogy. As a staff, we have articulated seven pedagogical questions which are relevant to the planning of learning experiences at a lesson by lesson level (Figure 3). They relate to the learning intention/s of the lesson, the engagement of students, the thinking required of students, the input of the teacher, checking for understanding, the learning dispositions students are developing and the overall effectiveness of the lesson in achieving its intention.

In Semester 2 2016, we implemented pedagogical coaching to facilitate professional learning. After six months of operations and a significant amount of reading, we have come to an understanding of the most effective approach to this initiative and the specific challenges involved in facilitating teachers’ professional growth through coaching in our context. We have identified key concepts relating to the use of coaching as a mechanism for change and have been buoyed by the immense potential for professional growth inherent in this approach, which we now refer to as reciprocal cognitive coaching.

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Figure 1

A review of the literature centred on coaching in schools identifies trust as being a key factor in its success, suggesting that it is facilitated through the relationship established between coach and coachee, and the sense of agency given to teachers. Productive collegial relationships in a coaching context require the absence of any element of performance management or evaluation (Fletcher 2012; Leat, Lofthouse & Towler 2012) and, for coaching to be successful, trust in a teacher’s professionalism and capacity to identify what areas of their practice require focus is imperative (Costa & Garmston 2003; Mullen 2012; McKinney & Reeves 2014; Shidler 2010; Campbell 2016; Joyce & Showers 2002). At St Margaret’s we are committed to promoting teacher agency through our cognitive coaching initiative. This is allowing our pedagogical practice to shift. Initially our coaching practice was too evaluative. It focused on the immediate context of the lesson rather than targeting the thinking informing it. Research has led us to embrace the essence of cognitive coaching (Joyce & Showers 2002; Costa & Garmston 2003), which is designed to allow teachers to reflect (Peterson, Taylor, Burnham & Schock 2009; Shidler 2010) on their practice in a safe space, so they can identify areas of challenge that require growth. Initially our coaching was behaviour centred rather than cognitively focused, but we have altered this by targeting ‘the source of behaviours’ (Costa & Garmston 2003, p. 9), and are seeing significant change as a result.

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The second initiative which has changed the face of our teaching and learning practice is the use of thinking routines. We want our students to develop the dispositions to apply their thinking when not directed to do so (Ritchhart 2007). Consequently, we are focused on teaching students to think, teaching for thinking and teaching about thinking (Costa 2008). This three-pronged approach ensures that thinking is a central focus of our curriculum. It is our intention that our students will emerge from school with an understanding of learning that goes beyond the remembering of data and always coming up with the correct answer. To contribute on a societal level, they will need to be questioners, critics, constructors of knowledge and problem solvers (Claxton 2012). It is these

dispositions which are essential if we are to prepare young people to ‘be able to operate with confidence in a complex, information-rich, globalised world’ (ACARA 2013). Interestingly, the necessity to teach thinking is not a new educational concern, but has been ‘one of the most persistent and ambitious aspirations of education with a tradition stretching back at least to Plato’ (Swartz 1990, p. 5). The question of how to successfully facilitate a culture of thinking within a classroom remains pertinent though. There is no magic mechanism for enhancing student thinking, but there are certainly some specific actions that assist. To educate students in a way which will not only enable them to think critically and creatively, but inspire them to do so, there is a need to ‘make thinking visible’ (Ritchhart, Church & Morrison 2011; Ritchhart 2015), and to provide them with frameworks and scaffolds that will allow them to practise different types of thinking. The first step in this quest is identifying the thinking that students are engaged in. This allows teachers to understand what their students are understanding, which then allows them to take the learning deeper and identify misconceptions (Ritchhart, Church & Morrison 2011). This deepening process is not about drilling students in thinking skills (Perkins & Ritchhart 2004) within a specific context, but rather about establishing routines which can be applied to multiple contexts. Ron Ritchhart, Senior Research Associate and Principal Investigator, Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education, is arguably the best-known advocate of the use of thinking routines to create the dispositions that will allow students to transfer their thinking capabilities to novel situations. He and his colleagues view thinking routines as tools to promote specific types of thinking, as structures which scaffold student thinking and as patterns of behaviour (Ritchhart, Church & Morrison 2011). Thinking routines are not subject specific, so they allow a focus on the thinking that is occurring using different types of content as the vehicle. We instigated whole school use of the ‘See, Think, Wonder routine’ (Ritchhart, Church & Morrison 2011) to promote a discussion of the different types of thinking being employed when engaged in literal comprehension as opposed to analysis. This was effectively used in a range of disciplines where students engaged with an image or with text. Through effective questioning, the teacher directs students to the different types of thinking required. The content used as the vehicle for this is significant, as it is the carrot which will draw students to the task. Guy Claxton of Winchester University says, ‘fussing about curriculum content – whether we should be teaching Bleak House or Harry Potter – matters most when we are trying to figure out what will entice students to commit the levels of energy and intelligence that will be repaid in epistemic growth’ (Claxton 2012, p. 16). When students feel a connection with the subject matter, thinking routines become more meaningful (Caldwell 2012). It is easier to challenge and push students’ thinking when the subject matter engages them.

How will I engage students in the learning?

SURFACE UNDERSTANDING

What input am I providing?

Literal comprehension

IN An EPER alys TAND ing U ing • I NDERS • Evaluat nterpreting

DEE G Syn PEST UNDERSTANDIN ing th rr e esising • Creating • Transf

Do the students understand?

WHAT IS THE LEARNING INTENTION OF THE LESSON?

What learning dispositions are students developing?

How effective was the lesson in achieving the intention?

What thinking am I requiring of students?

Figure 2

Figure 3

These two school-wide approaches reflect our commitment to a continual improvement of the culture of learning at St Margaret’s. They also reveal that this culture is important for all within our community. Operationalising the rhetoric of our Teaching and Learning Framework is messy and difficult. It requires the tenacity to tolerate discomfort and not knowing. It requires active participants not passive receivers of information. Our environment promotes learning for both teachers and students, providing the ingredients for sustained and holistic growth.

Mazur, E 1997, ‘Understanding or memorization: Are we teaching the right thing’, in J Wilson (ed.), Conference on the Introductory Physics Course on the occasion of the retirement of Robert Resnick, Wiley, New York.

References

Ritchhart, R 2015, Creating Cultures of Thinking, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Caldwell, M 2012, ‘Inquiry into identity: Teaching critical thinking through a study of race, class and gender’, Middle School Journal, March 2012, pp. 6-15. Claxton, G 2012, ‘School as an epistemic apprenticeship: the case of building learning power’, The 32nd Vernon-Wall Lecture presented at the Annual Meeting of the Education Section of the British Psychological Society, viewed 15 April 2016, http://www.winchester.ac.uk/aboutus/ lifelonglearning/CentreforRealWorldLearning/Documents/ Claxton%20(2013)%20School%20as%20an%20epistemic%20 apprenticeship%20(Vernon%20Wall).pdf

Perkins, DN & Ritchhart, R 2004, ‘When is good thinking?’, in DY Dai & RJ Sternberg (eds.), Motivation, emotion and cognition: Integrative perspectives on intellectual functioning and development, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ. Peterson, DS, Taylor, BM, Burnham, B & Schock, R 2009, ‘Reflective Coaching Conversations: A Missing Piece’, The Reading Teacher, vol. 62, pp. 500–509. doi:10.1598/RT.62.6.4 Ritchhart, R, Church, M & Morrison, K 2011, Making Thinking Visible, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Shidler, L 2010, ‘Teacher to teacher: the heart of the coaching model’, YC Young Children, vol. 65, no. 4, pp. 70-75. viewed 18 April 2016, http://search.proquest.com/docview/87822803?accountid=14723 Stobart, G 2014, The Expert Learner, McGraw-Hill, Berkshire. Swartz, RJ 1990, Teaching Thinking: Issues and Approaches, Midwest Publications Co Inc., California. Wiliam, D 2011, Embedded Formative assessment, Hawker Brownlow, Melbourne.

Costa, AL 2008, The School as a Home for the Mind, Corwin Press, California. Costa, AL & Garmston, RJ 2003, Cognitive coaching in retrospect: why it persists. viewed 15 April 2016, http://www.thinkingcollaborative.com/ wp- content/uploads/2012/08/CC-in-Retrospect-Why-Persists.pdf Fletcher, SJ 2012, ‘Coaching: An Overview’, in SJ Fletcher & CA Mullen (eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, SAGE Publishing Company, London, pp. 24-40.

This article was originally published in Independence. See reference below.

Bolton, S 2017, ‘Operationalising the rhetoric’, Independence, May 2017, pp. 40-43.

Hattie, J 2009, Visible Learning, Routledge, New York.

Leat, D, Lofthouse, R & Towler, C 2012, ‘Improving Coaching by and for School Teachers’, in SJ Fletcher & CA Mullen (eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, SAGE Publishing Company, London, pp. 43-58.

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Joyce, B & Showers, B 2002, ‘Student Achievement through Staff Development’, in B Joyce & B Showers, Designing Training and Peer Coaching: Our needs for learning. VA, USA: ASCD. viewed 15 April 2016, http://skat.ihmc.us/rid=1P0729X06-20SDKMY-2Q0H/ randd-engaged-joyce.pdf

Angela Bowen Head of Year

Popular music and its significant place in supporting identity formation, social connectivity, engagement and skill development in music education With the explosion of integrated technologies, social media, YouTube and other Web 2.0 tools, music students can interact with the curriculum in more ways than ever before. A strong music curriculum needs to include more than just opportunities for skill development and performance. It needs to engage, excite and motivate students to achieve to their own unique potential. Moreover, a strong and relevant curriculum can provide unique opportunities for students to form their own social and cultural identity, build relationships, foster connectivity to students, teachers and the musical content, as well as create enjoyment and a place of refuge for all students.

The same parallel can be drawn between literacy in the English or library sense and musical literacy. Musical literacy involves developing in the students a working knowledge of notation, harmony, melody, rhythm, texture and the other elements of music. Traditional methods of music education would focus on teaching these skills in a theoretical sense and then applying them to music that often has no relevance or meaning to students – particularly students in the middle years of schooling. Many of these students would be turned off the subject before they really had a chance to see if they had any aptitude or talent.

This article discusses the importance of incorporating contemporary and popular music into the music curriculum to utilise its unique ability to support identity formation, social connectivity, engagement and, as a result, skill development and knowledge acquisition. It includes reflections from my own experiences, as well as defines musical literacy and musical texts, justifies the importance of integrating popular music into the classroom, discusses the technologies available in today’s classrooms, and relates this to the needs of 21st century learners.

At St Margaret’s, all Years 7 and 8 students have one 45 minute lesson of music each week. To make music enjoyable and enriching for these students, there has been a focus on popular repertoire and repertoire the students select themselves. This repertoire is used to find examples of the elements of music and develop the student’s musical literacy in a way that is more relatable and makes more sense to the students. They enjoy the content so are therefore engaged and learn more effectively. Traditional methods of music education support a skills-based approach to learning, and Dowdall et al. (2014, p. 3) allude to this approach being favoured in the current climate of policydriven developments and the national curriculum. While the new Australian Curriculum Senior Music syllabus (QCAA 2016) is much more prescriptive in the suggested repertoire for study, there still seems to be scope for the teacher incorporating popular pieces, as well as allowing students to have choice in the repertoire they choose for some pieces of assessment.

Popular texts and literacy in the music classroom

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Much of the literature on popular culture and curriculum tends to focus on the use of popular texts in literary settings, such as libraries and English classrooms. However, parallels can be drawn between popular texts in the typical literary sense and the varied media that can be classified as a ‘popular text’ in a music classroom. In the same way that Dowdall et al. (2014, p. 1) highlight the need to value the texts that have value to students, a music teacher needs to value the songs, bands and styles that have value to music students. Focusing solely on repertoire that only includes Mozart, Beethoven and Kodaly-based techniques can be potentially off-putting to those students that find it hard to relate to these styles (Estrella 2016). It is important to teach students about musical history and to instil an appreciation for the masters and the associated techniques and skills. However, popular and contemporary music can be used in the earlier years to ‘hook in’ the students, engage them in the subject matter and then teach them transferable skills that will prepare them and teach them the musical literacy that is expected. Once the students have a love for music, a working knowledge of musical skills and techniques, and are engaged in the subject matter, they are more likely to find a deeper appreciation for the classical texts in later years.

While Dowdall, Vasudevan and Mackey’s (2014) article is an editorial for Volume 48 of the Literacy journal, they provide many valuable insights into the incorporation of popular culture in literacy curricula. The collection of articles in this journal are all very relevant and provide a number of different perspectives on successful integration of popular culture into the curriculum (Dowdall et al. 2014, p. 1). Of particular interest is their summary of an article by Kontovourki (2014), which discusses the concept of embodiment as the idea of popular culture not only relating to typical vehicles such as books, media and music, but to clothing and other markers of self-expression and identity. From a music education perspective, some students tend to be almost fanatical in their following of artists or bands. Why not incorporate this embodiment into curriculum and assessment so students can not only learn about musical concepts through repertoire they feel passionate about, but also feel safe and supported in their formation of identity?

The use of popular texts to foster engagement and identity formation As a music teacher, I have been fortunate to teach several students over the years whose musical education became somewhat of a refuge or a safe place where they could be their true selves. There are so many eclectic musical tastes in students, particularly those in the middle years. By allowing students to work on projects that feature artists or bands they are truly passionate about, they are given the opportunity to not only show the class their individual personalities, but also can often introduce other students, and sometimes the teacher, to new styles or artists. This can do amazing things for self-esteem and validating students’ individual styles. These thoughts were echoed in Kontovourki’s article (2014, p. 11) as she discusses the relationships between literacy education, identity formation and the ever-present link to power relations – ‘…school literacy at its intersection with pop culture excerpts power onto students’ bodies and produces norms and regularities that students take up, subvert and/or resist’. I found this quote very interesting, particularly when looking at power relations with other students in the class and the concept of social connectivity. The role of the teacher as a facilitator in any projects involving students discussing their own popular texts is crucial, as they need to ensure a safe and supportive environment where everyone’s unique style and musical taste is valued and acknowledged. In environments where the teacher does not support the individuality of the students successfully, individuals can be judged harshly by their peers for not following perceived social norms, leading to a lack of social connectivity and, in some cases, social exclusion. Similarly, in environments where popular texts are not encouraged, students can more easily decide to disengage from the learning, as they struggle to find a connection to the subject matter, the other students in the class and the teacher. As educators, we have such a powerful opportunity and responsibility to really make a difference in our students’ lives on a day to day basis.

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Fostering student engagement in the curriculum and learning experiences is crucial to the academic success of students. This importance is discussed by Hurt (2015) as she speaks of her own memories as a student and how she was so happy to be given the opportunity by her music professor to share her passion for Stevie Nicks with her classmates. This memory stayed with her as she created opportunities for her students to shine by celebrating their uniqueness and allowing them to undertake research projects on their own specific interests. She uses these ‘passion projects’ as an opportunity for those students with varied interests, who many not generally be comfortable with presenting projects to the class, to demonstrate their expertise in their chosen area (Hurt 2015. p. 37). The projects are appropriately scaffolded with careful planning and negotiation of the conditions between student and teacher, but the students are given the freedom to negotiate the content and decide the most effective way

to present their project. Hurt makes very valid points in discussing the inquiry-based nature of the projects, stating that the students remained engaged throughout, in turn learning more about themselves and each other (Hurt 2015, p. 39). In my own practice, I strongly believe if a student is engaged, they are more likely to remain motivated and learn the necessary skills. The skills learned in projects like these passion projects range from subject specific knowledge to transferable skills needed by 21st century learners, such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking and the integration of technology (Hurt 2015, p. 39). Technology integration and 21st century learners The integration of popular texts in music education can provide wonderful opportunities for collaboration between students and teachers, creating the strong learning bonds and true engagement that is crucial to academic success in 21st century learners. The possible learning experiences in music education are far more diverse and complex now than in previous generations, where a traditional curriculum would suffice. This is due to many aspects, including innovations in technology and an omnipresent and portable access to music in all forms at all hours of the day (Kaschub & Smith 2014). Today’s music teachers must be ahead of the game, constantly reviewing their practice to ensure they can keep up with the ever-changing needs and demands of 21st century students. Today’s students have grown up with technology in ways their teachers never did. Technology surrounds everything they do, at all hours of the day. As educators, we need to embrace the incredible potential the integration of technology provides, as well as its crucial role in identity formation and connection. Beetham (2013, p. 45) suggests that the digital world provides teachers with the opportunity to break from traditional teacher-led methods of instruction. This has never been more significant than in music education where, given the opportunity, students can access all types of music in performances from all over the world. Further to this, I believe that educators need to embrace the use of mobile phones and teach students to use their incredible potential responsibly. Cook et al. (2011, p. 182) argue that mobile devices are cultural resources that facilitate interaction and support meaningmaking when utilised effectively in the curriculum.

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St Margaret’s Year 8 students complete a ‘Battle of the Bands’, unit where they have to demonstrate basic skills on guitar, bass guitar, drum kit and piano, and then work together in a group to perform a song. Previously, they submitted digital recordings of their basic skills to a class ‘OneNote’ document for assessment; however, the students found it easier to record each other on their phones and then upload the files to a private YouTube link. They were more invested in the task when they could make the technology work for themselves. When they started working on their group band pieces, some groups chose songs that I had never heard of before, while some groups went straight to 80s classics, but all groups used

their phones to either listen to the original recordings, film each other to record progress, or to utilise the ‘Garage Band’ application to work out chord progressions and melodies. By the end of the project, each group felt a strong connection to each other and a sense of accomplishment at being able to present their chosen style of music in their chosen way. Furthermore, without them officially realising it, the students learned about rhythm, beat, harmony, tempo, expression and many other fundamental music principles. They got a unique perspective into what it actually takes to put together a real band, rather than supporting what, unfortunately, is this generation’s pre-conceived ideas of the immediacy of pop superstardom in a post-American Idol, reality TV based world (Jenkins 2006, p. 60). Incorporating popular texts into the curriculum is not only a useful tool for developing social identity, engagement and social connectivity, but is a crucial factor in preparing 21st century learners for success and helping them to thrive in the current climate. A strong music curriculum needs to engage, excite and motivate students; allowing students choices in the repertoire they study, can give them the opportunity to experience success in areas they otherwise may not have. Moreover, validating students’ passions can only make them feel more valued and fosters social connections, which are vital to ensuring they are happy and achieving to their highest ability. References Beetham, H 2013, ‘Designing for Active Learning in Technology - Rich Contexts’, in H Beetham & R Sharpe (eds), Designing for 21st Century Learning, Routledge, New York. Cook, J, Pachler, N & Bachmair, B 2011, ‘Ubiquitous mobility with mobile phones: A cultural ecology for mobile learning’, E-Learning and Digital Media, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 181-195. Dowdall, C, Vasudevan, L & Mackey, M 2014, ‘Popular Culture and Curriculum’, Literacy, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 1-3. Estrella, E 2016, ‘The Kodaly Method: A primer’, About Education, viewed 20 September 2016, http://musiced.about.com/od/ lessonplans/p/kodalymethod.htm Hurt, J 2015, ‘Utilizing students’ passions and interests to create a more meaningful research experience’, Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, vol. 81, no. 2, pp. 37-40. Jenkins, H 2006, ‘Buying into American Idol: How We Are Being Sold on Reality Television’, in H Jenkins, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide,: NYU Press, New York. Kaschub, M & Smith, J 2014, Promising Practices in 21st Century Music Teacher Education, Oxford University Press, New York. Kontovourki, S 2014, ‘Backstage performances: a third grader’s embodiments of pop culture and literacy in a public school classroom’, Literacy, vol. 48. No. 1, pp. 4-13. QCAA 2016, Draft 2 consultation – Arts, Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority, viewed 18 September 2016, https://www.qcaa. qld.edu.au/senior/new-snr-assessment-te/redev-snr-syll/draft-2consultation/arts

WALT DISNEY: Angela Bowen Head of Year

a transformational and charismatic leader

When someone manages to implant himself in American culture and the American psyche as deeply as Walt Disney did, analysts naturally look for explanations. (Gabler 2008, p. 7)

Introduction

perspective allows critical reflection on Disney’s leadership style in the social, cultural, political and historical contexts and their impact on Disney’s leadership practices. Disney’s leadership journey Formation

Walt grew up in small town Marceline, Missouri, with its iconic, unpaved streets eventually becoming the inspiration for Disneyland’s famous ‘Main Street U.S.A..’ Disney would spend his life trying to recreate his romanticised memories of small town country life, insisting on a sense of community in his early companies, believing ‘Marceline was a template for how life was supposed to be’ (Gabler 2008, p. 18). However, Walt’s time in Marceline was relatively short lived, as the family moved to Kansas City in 1910 to escape another of his father’s failed business ventures. Elias Disney had a great temper, and a young Walt Disney seemed to cop the brunt of it. Where his father was frugal, disciplined, taciturn and reproachful, Walt was charming, carefree and social. However, tenacity, drive and pride are qualities that both father and son relied on throughout their lives.

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Walter Elias Disney was one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. He was an innovator and revolutionary in many areas of entertainment, business and education, reaching far beyond animation, film, television, amusements parks and a certain iconic mouse. An enigmatic leader, he was feared as much as he was revered, and his leadership style took on many forms throughout his long and often turbulent tenure. Throughout his career, he navigated his companies and employees through the impact of the post-World War I economic boom, the Great Depression and World War II. He was the first movie mogul to harness the potential, rather than succumb to the threat, of television, and he revolutionised the amusement park in ways that continue to shape our culture on a global scale. Even NASA admitted that Disney’s fervent enthusiasm for its space program was instrumental in drumming up support for space exploration (Gabler 2008). This paper discusses some of Disney’s key leadership achievements, with reference to Gronn’s perspective of leadership as a career, utilising the four spheres of formation, accession, incumbency and divestiture (Gronn 1999). This

Kansas Ave, Marceline, Missouri

In Kansas City, a nine-year-old Walt and his brother Roy were bound by their father’s new paper route, waking at 3:30am to load and deliver papers and leaving school half an hour early each day for the afternoon run. It was brutal work for a young child, with Walt often trudging through ice and snow and sneaking a sleep in warm apartment foyers. Despite this, Walt believed the hardships of the six years of constant work helped to forge his character, saying that he ‘developed an appreciation of what spare time I did have and used it to great advantage in my hobbies’ (Gabler 2008, p. 21). The physical and emotional demands of the paper route stayed with Walt throughout his life, giving him nightmares and causing him to ruminate on his lost childhood. The influence of childhood experiences and family helps to forge a personal identity that greatly influences a leader’s character, hence the significance of these experiences in the formation stage of Walt’s leadership career (Gronn 1999).

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If Marceline was to be remembered for its magical innocence, Kansas was to show from what Walt had risen. As Walt grew, he seemed to rebel against his father, becoming his antithesis in many ways. At school, he was not the best student, no doubt due to the extreme tiredness he felt because of his paper route, but he was wildly enthusiastic. He was extroverted and quick witted, yet a dreamer with a great imagination who was obsessed with drawing, using his skills to impress his fellow students. He realised that most people found him charming and attractive and he used this to his advantage. In Kansas City, Walt began to ‘create the idea of Walt Disney – the idea of someone who beat poverty, hardship and neglect’ (Gabler 2008, p. 32). These were the early incarnations of the charismatic aspect of Walt’s future leadership style, where a powerful personal magnetism allows leaders to charm or influence others (Bligh & Kohles 2010).

Accession

After a brief, but significant period of service to World War I, Walt had changed physically and emotionally, and upon his return to Kansas City was ready to pursue a career as an artist. Post-war America was optimistic, and with the booming economy came the rise of the ‘go-getter’ (Gabler 2008, p. 43). Walt was determined to succeed and used his charm, boyish enthusiasm and garrulous persuasion to attract investors to his ‘Laugh-O-Gram’ company, where he was the creator and proprietor of a small group of cartoonists. Unfortunately, Walt was a poor financial manager and tried a variety of ways to keep the business afloat. Eventually, at the age of 21, he claimed bankruptcy and moved to the bright lights of Los Angeles. He brought the sense of fun and community of Laugh-O Grams to his new venture where, together with his brother Roy, he forged the Disney Brothers Studio and attracted a small group of talented artists. These early years were when the transformational aspect of Walt’s leadership journey was formed. He was an excellent communicator who had a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve and the drive and determination to realise his vision. As Bass & Riggio (2006) posit, transformational leaders can be charismatic, as Walt was, yet not all charismatic leaders are transformational. Transformational leaders bring out the best in their followers, engaging them and exploiting their full potential (Mulla & Krishnan 2011). Walt certainly brought out the best in his loyal artists, as they collaborated on exciting new projects, developing concepts and storylines together.

As the Disney Brothers company grew, they relocated to a new premise on Hyperion Ave where the name of the company was changed to the ‘Walt Disney Studio’. For the first time, Walt began to struggle with his staff, as a new distributor put great financial and artistic pressure on the company’s

output. This pressure, coupled with Walt’s own obsession with perfectionism, led to a change in temperament, where Disney became tense, abusive and harassed the staff, who conspired to leave Walt and start a rival studio. He was certainly testing his potential capacity as a leader, as characterised by Gronn’s accession stage of leadership. However, the success of the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series of short animations turned things around and the staff grew to 22 thriving animators (Gabler 2008). Walt had again demonstrated an ‘idealised influence’, where he built trust and respect amongst his staff and motivated and stimulated them to be innovative and creative. These are some of the important aspects of transformational leadership as discussed by Bass & Riggio (2006). As Walt created an environment of democracy and social empowerment, he demonstrated a ‘power with’ model of transformative leadership (Blase & Anderson 1995). The success of Oswald would eventually lead to one of the defining moments of Walt’s career that haunted him throughout his life. As Oswald became more successful, Walt took on more of a supervisory role which led to clashes with his distributor. Tired of Walt’s controlling ways, the distributor approached one of Walt’s former disgruntled employees to take over the studio and replace him. Disney had become dispensable at his own company and many of his employees had betrayed him. After hearing the devastating news at a meeting in New York and forced to start over, he vowed to make changes and never work for anyone again. On a fateful train journey from New York to Los Angeles, Mickey Mouse was born. Incumbency

Despite the tensions, Walt still had a very paternal management style and made sure employees’ working conditions were exemplary. During the 1930s period of the Great Depression, when most of America was struggling, Walt was paying his employees a relative fortune and had grown his staff to a happy unit of more than 500. The animators were ambitious and full of optimism as they began work on Snow White, with many buoyed and immensely proud of the revolutionary technical achievements the studio was making. Employees demonstrated a sense of commitment and a collegial approach to their work, collectively developing ideas and stories and pooling their talents for the good of the company. Disney was now a transformational leader in every aspect: He showed idealised influence, having earned the trust and admiration of his staff; inspirational motivation, where he was able to motivate his staff to see and support his vision for the company; intellectual stimulation, where his staff were driven to be innovative and creative in their work; and individualised consideration, where the needs and individuality of each staff member were understood and supported (Bass & Riggio 2006). After the unprecedented popularity and success of Snow White, output from the studio drastically increased, with work beginning on Bambi, Pinocchio and Fantasia. However, the necessary move to bigger and more extravagant premises in Burbank led to Walt’s isolation from his employees as conditions became ‘too perfect’ and cracks began to show. Now there were three separate units working on three different projects, which led to rivalries and competition that ruined the collegial atmosphere of the old studio (Gabler 2008).

By the early 1940s, Walt was less visible and less engaged with his staff, and union pressure and discontent from staff led to a devastating strike. Walt had tried to use his charisma and rhetoric to address the employees and explain the financial pressures of the company (Heracleous & Klaering 2014); however, it was not enough and the strike lasted more than three months, destroying the spirit of the company and resulting in a downsizing of staff from 1200 to 694 (Gabler 2008).

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By 1929, Walt Disney had employed 28 of the best animators at the new ‘Walt Disney Enterprises’. The most substantial change from the old company to the new company was Walt’s expectation of excellence. His high standards pushed the animators to their limits and he ‘insisted on quality from individuals of whom it had never been required; he inspired commitment’ (Gabler 2008, p. 135). His transformational leadership style was more fully developed as his employees were motivated to go above and beyond expectations (Bass & Riggio, 2006). He had learned from his past failures and took great interest in his employee’s personal lives and challenges, demonstrating individualised consideration, another important aspect of transformational leadership. Disney had an ‘ability to make people feel that what he wanted done was a terribly important thing to get done’ (Gabler 2008, p. 164.). He magnified his charisma, and was revered and spoken of in quasi-religious terms, yet despite this, he prided himself on being ‘one of the guys’ and maintained the informal, first-name basis of his community. Sadly, sometimes charismatic leaders become victims of their own success (Bligh & Kohles 2010) and this was to be true of Disney. ‘Everyone was so desperate to please him, you’d do anything to get his approval’ (Gabler 2008, p. 212).

By this stage of Disney’s leadership journey, he had developed and honed his public persona and was in the incumbency stage of his leadership career (Gronn 1999). His studio was unlike any other Hollywood studio. They had created the first animation with synchronised sound in Steamboat Willie and were beginning the process of animating the revolutionary Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which would be the first fulllength animated cartoon. Walt initiated a brutal recruitment and training process in which he sought the most talented young art students and indoctrinated them into the Disney style and philosophy. All staff felt the constant and almost unbearable tension that arose from their need and necessity to please him. ‘The studio operated like a cult, with a messianic figure inspiring a group of devoted, sometimes frenzied acolytes’ (Gabler 2008, p. 212). In many aspects, there was a shift to a ‘power over’ model, yet the intention with the new employees was not just education but infatuation (Blase & Anderson 1995). Walt wanted his staff to be as committed to excellence as he was and he accepted nothing less.

Walt Disney’s apartment on Main Street, Disneyland. The apartment is furnished exactly as it was during Walt’s life, and the light in the window is now permanently left on as a tribute.

Disney’s Legacy

Walt was also prone to using his charisma in a more negative way, eschewing the ‘mantle of responsibility inherently implied for the charismatic leader’ (Owen 2015, p. 2). Walt became vindictive and cruel to his employees, and the onset of World War II did nothing to help, as the studio devoted itself entirely to the war effort. The post-war studio did not have the resources for the same level of commitment as was required to produce films of the quality of Snow White and Walt himself said, ‘We’re through with caviar. From now on it’s mashed potato and gravy’ (Gabler 2008, p. 423). While the film studio may have lost its appeal, something even more significant was on the horizon for Walt Disney, as he finalised plans for his most revolutionary contribution to the entertainment world, Disneyland. Divestiture

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As Disney began to lack the fulfilment he needed at the film studios, he moved into the divestiture stage of his leadership career, gradually yielding responsibility by taking a less ‘hands on’ approach and becoming essentially a strategist (Gronn 1999). The promise and challenge of Disneyland was now his priority and it consumed him. At the studios, he become even more volatile, and, as one employee described it, ‘Walt Disney, who had long been a distant and terrifying presence, had become even more distant and even more terrifying’ (Gabler 2008, p. 542). Disneyland opened in 1955 and provided Walt with something the film studios were unable to – it would never be finished and he could keep expanding and perfecting his vision. Everything was under his control, and he created the ‘Disney University’ to train the theme park’s staff and indoctrinate them into the Disney philosophy. ‘Cast members’ were hired who were specifically suited to their ‘on stage’ roles, and they had to be perfectly groomed and cheery at all times, consistently playing their part in the story. Walt was a constant presence at the park, even staying in a hidden apartment onsite in Main Street, where he would sometimes be spotted overwhelmed with emotion at the window as he looked over his utopia. He often wandered the park in disguise, ensuring that guests were receiving the very best experience, even going as far as turning up at 4am to load oranges into the juicing machines (Gabler 2008). Disneyland completely revolutionised family entertainment and amusement parks and was Walt’s primary focus now.

Walt was always conscious of his legacy, delegating more and more responsibility, and reorganising his various companies to ensure they would thrive after he was gone. At the time of his relatively sudden death from lung cancer in 1966, he was well into the planning of Walt Disney World in Florida, and spent his last night alive feverishly going through his ideas with his brother, Roy (Gabler 2008). He had also begun planning for CalArts, which is now a thriving Arts university and which was to be Walt’s most significant legacy. To this day, Walt’s innovations with regards to the day-to-day operation of his theme parks have set the standard for customer service all around the world. Cast members in all Disney parks around the world continue to be trained in the Disney philosophy and must maintain very strict ‘show quality standards’. Their uniforms are timeless in style, many like those used in 1955, and Walt’s belief that the parks would ‘never be finished’ has rung true, as there are constantly new lands and innovations being redeveloped all over the world. His legacy is felt in many ways and he can still truly be identified as one of the most influential figures of the 20th and 21st centuries. It is impossible now to conceive of a world without Disney’s overwhelming influence, all of which started with a mouse. References Bass, B M & Riggio, RE 2006, Transformational Leadership, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, New Jersey. Blase, J & Anderson, GL 1995, ‘Introduction: Theories of power’, in J Blase & GL Anderson, The micropolitics of educational leadership: from control to empowerment, pp. 13-22, Cassell, London, viewed 21 March 2017, https://qut.rl.talis.com/items/CB63CC6B-8841-E163-F72781F5B88226C7.html Bligh, M & Kohles, J 2010, ‘Charismatic Leadership’, in J Levine & M Hogg (eds), Encyclopedia of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, Sage Publishing, CA, USA, pp. 73-74. Gabler, N 2008, Walt Disney: The Biography, Aurum Press Ltd, London. Gronn, P 1999, ‘Leadership as a Career’, in P Gronn (ed.), The making of educational leader, Cassell, London,viewed 23 March 2017, https://qut. rl.talis.com/items/7374B285-394C-489D-FB91-DAB16A0FA71D.html Heracleous, L & Klaering, LA 2014, ‘Charismatic Leadership and Rhetorical Competence’, Group and Organisation Management, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 131-161. Mulla, ZR & Krishnan, VR 2011, ‘Transformational Leadership’, Journal of Human Values, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 129-143. Owen, N 2015, ‘Charismatic leadership’, Training Journal, pp.2831, viewed 22 March 2017, http://gateway.library.qut.edu.au/ login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/ docview/1791906581?accountid=13380 Raven, B 2008, ‘The Bases of Power and the Power/Interaction Model of Interpersonal Influence’, Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1-22.

Bruce Bullpitt Secondary Teacher

The MacArthur Museum: a teaching tool

While the debate over the value of school field trips continues, St Margaret’s holds that the primary purpose of such activities is to provide further learning opportunities that are culturally and academically enriching. Thoughtfully planned excursions promote stronger critical thinking skills and encourage increased historical empathy. One of Brisbane’s lesser known museums, the MacArthur Museum, is indeed an absolute gem in terms of its value to secondary school students of History, as well as anyone else curious about or interested in the role Brisbane played during World War II. An excursion to this museum is a feature of St Margaret’s Year 10 History course. Housed at the bottom of the Queen Street Mall on the eighth floor of the building now known as MacArthur Chambers, the museum’s Edward Street entrance is marked with a commemorative brass plaque. The location itself is of historical significance as, during the latter years of the war, this very level of the building was the site of the headquarters of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the South West Pacific, General Douglas MacArthur. Plans drawn up here led to final victory over the Japanese forces in 1945. Naturally, a main focus of the museum is on the military achievements of General MacArthur, particularly his leadership of the Allied Forces during some of Australia’s darkest days. A highlight for students is being able to enter the general’s actual wartime office, sit at his desk, hold his telephone for photographs and listen to recordings of his inspirational speeches. Other exhibits include a number of his medals, his walking cane, a replica of his iconic corncob pipe, and one of his heavily embroidered military caps, as well as myriad photographs. Beyond the focus on MacArthur, the museum provides an insight into life in Brisbane as a garrison town during the war years. Thousands of US, Dutch and British servicemen joined their Australian counterparts here, and the relatively small city had to rally to deal with this influx in a time of emergency. Students learn of the enormous strain on the transport system, accommodation, food production and entertainment facilities. The American influence on the city was considerable and relationships between the different

contingents were not always cordial, especially between the US and Australian personnel. Hundreds of well-filed newspaper articles tell the many stories, including those of the infamous Battle of Brisbane. In fact, the front page of every Courier-Mail published during the period is easily accessed. Links between the museum and other historical sites in and around Brisbane are strong. For instance, details are held of the top-secret work of the Code Breakers of the Central Bureau and the Allied Translation and Interpretation Section. Much of this work was carried out at Nyrambla, the imposing mansion that is a near neighbour of St Margaret’s in Ascot. Also, the Brisbane Maritime Museum’s prized fleet at South Bank includes the dinghy used by MacArthur to travel to various military locations on the Brisbane River. Displays at the museum are constantly being upgraded, with advantage taken especially of new information technology to give more life to items on display. An exciting development in 2016 is the installation of Data Pass, where a small electronic chip is placed on the wall near an exhibit. When a Near Field Communications enabled smart phone/tablet is tapped against the chip, a link is made to YouTube to display a video excerpt related to that exhibit. As an example, visitors can study the control column of the aircraft in which the commander of the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, Isoroku Yamamoto, was eventually shot down. A tap on the nearby chip will enable actual war footage of the aircraft being brought down to be viewed. The value of taking students out of the school to visit locations that provide visual and hands-on experience to stimulate curiosity and imagination is no more evident than at this window into World War II Brisbane. St Margaret’s is most grateful to the enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable staff at the MacArthur Museum for the opportunity they provide for the girls and their teachers. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS John Wright | Executive Officer | MacArthur Museum Brisbane Carlyle King | Assistant Executive Officer | MacArthur Museum Brisbane

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Peter Cottle Head of Faculty eLearning and Research

The free to roam classroom: the impact of technology on the learning space and pedagogy When John Hattie released Visible Learning in 2008, educators, for the first time, had the ability to quantify the impact of different influences on student learning. While there has since been debate about what works best (Killian 2016), teachers finally had a starting point to reflect on the aspects of their teaching practices that elicit the optimum results from their students. A best practice approach to all aspects of teaching and learning is what all good educators aspire to deliver. Based on Hattie’s list of the most effective influences (see Table 1), the classroom environment*, with its effect size of 0.56, is perhaps one area of the teaching and learning dispositions of teachers that is largely overlooked (Hattie 2008). Influence

No. of effects

Effect-Size

Feedback

139

1.13

Students’ prior cognitive ability

896

1.04

Instructional quality

1.00

Instructional quantity

.84

Direct instruction

253

.82

Acceleration

162

.72

Home factors

728

.67

Remediation/ feedback

146

.65

Students disposition to learn

.61

*Class environment

921

.56

Challenge of Goals

2703

.52

Bilingual programs

285

.51

Peer tutoring

125

.50

Mastery learning

104

.50

Teacher in-service education

3912

.49

Parent involvement

339

.46

Homework

110

.43

Questioning

134

.41

OVERALL EFFECTS

500,000+

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Table 1

.40

Like all aspects of teaching and learning, organisation and planning are key. If not approached correctly, a classroom can be set up in a way that is cumbersome, disorganised and, ultimately, stifles creativity and the promotion of a positive learning environment.

History has shown that the physical environment in the average school classroom has not changed very much since the origins of public education. The old paradigm of students sitting for long periods of time, in rows of desks facing the front, is a familiar sight to us all. A teacher working under this model, in a lecture style room with the desks aligned in rows, would find it difficult to organise group work; students, in turn, would find it difficult to perform this work. This environment may, by its very design, inhibit or even prevent a number of effective pedagogical approaches that support teaching and student thinking and learning. The interactive whiteboard was touted as a tool to bring students and teachers together in a more ‘democratic’ approach; however, as John and Wheeler (2008) argue, the interactive whiteboard is a misnomer. Rather than liberating a teacher, the technology only sought to reinforce the old paradigm of chalk and talk, as teachers became ‘slaves’ to an ‘electronic’ chalkboard. Students were again positioned as passive in the learning process and, in part, teachers became sceptical and even cynical about the use of and need for technology in the classroom. However, the right technology can play an important role in re-imagining the traditional classroom. When used correctly, it can facilitate the fluid transfer of knowledge, ideas and understanding, enabling students to demonstrate their thinking for all to see. St Margaret’s has recently undergone a school-wide deployment of Wireless Display (WiDi) technology, in conjunction with pen-enabled tablets and Microsoft OneNote. Singularly, the three elements are effective tools that can support the delivery of content and ideas by teachers; however, together, they offer teachers the first effective opportunity since the introduction of technology into classrooms to instruct, collaborate and conference with individuals, groups or the whole class from anywhere in the room. WiDi has provided our teachers with the ability to move away from the traditional ‘chalk and talk’ teaching model, where teachers are positioned at the front of the room, and allowed them to fluidly inhabit their entire classroom space while interacting with the content being displayed. They can project either teacher or student work from their tablet to anywhere in the room to convey an idea, and ideate and solve problems in a more collaborative way, while also providing individualised attention to a student where needed.

At St Margaret’s, we are focused on supporting students to understand the process of learning and the thinking associated with it – surface, deeper and deepest understanding. One area of learning where ‘untethered teaching’ has made a real difference is Mathematics. Ms Vicki Strid, St Margaret’s Head of Faculty – Mathematics, uses the combination of enabling technologies, which she believes has made a subtle but fundamental change to her teaching and the classroom environment. ‘Untethering from a fixed position at the front of the classroom has been liberating. I can walk around the classroom and simultaneously annotate notes and diagrams that I am projecting from my computer onto the whiteboard. In addition, I can freeze the image on the whiteboard for students to annotate over while sitting beside another student, conduct part of the lesson from the student’s desk and provide one-onone assistance if needed,’ said Ms Strid.

References Hattie, J 2009, Visible Learning, Routledge, London. John, PD & Wheeler, S 2008, The Digital Classroom, Routledge, London. Killian, S 2015, 8 Strategies Robert Marzano & John Hattie Agree On, The Australian Society for Evidence Based Teaching, viewed 3 August 2016, http://www.evidencebasedteaching.org.au/robert-marzano-vsjohn-hattie/ Ryan, H 2013, The Effect of Classroom Environment on Student Learning, Western Michigan University, Michigan. St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School 2016, St Margaret’s Framework of Quality Teaching and Learning, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, Brisbane.

American Management Association 2010, 21st Century Skills. AMA, viewed 7 August 2016, http://www.amanet.org/training/21stCentury-skills/

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It is the combination of WiDi, pen and tablet with OneNote that has allowed Ms Strid to finally move away from the old paradigm where the teacher was the focal point at the front of the room. She can observe from any point in the classroom and instantly seize opportunities to challenge her students to work together at the front of the classroom and solve a mathematics problem. Putting students in the teacher’s role increases self-confidence and reinforces learning. In effect, by surrendering the front of the classroom for collaborative and extension learning opportunities, Ms Strid has increased her control and overall impact. The subtlety of how this technology changes the classroom environment is difficult to measure, but it is hard to argue that the technology has not been the enabler.

St Margaret’s use of innovative technology has allowed its teaching staff to work more collaboratively with students rather than simply ‘stand and deliver content’. In effect, it has democratised the learning process. This is significant given the growing chorus in the business sector highlighting the importance of the 21st century employee being able to collaborate. According to an American Management Association survey (2010), 21st century business is demanding more of its workforce than ever before, outlining that the ability to ‘…thrive in a team setting while demonstrating tact, reason, and persuasion is critical to your management success’. In addition to the highlighted changes in teacher practice, the decision to cut the cord in the classroom, both literally and metaphorically, will be preparing our students for their future workplaces, as they are now learning and working in these ‘team’ settings.

Ros Curtis Principal

Review of

‘The Ideal Team Player’ by Patrick Lencioni Just occasionally a leadership and management book can really inspire you. This happened to me years ago when I was a Deputy Principal and came across The 7 Heavenly Virtues of Leadership (Barker & Coy 2003). I really related to its content, and to affirm my aspirations to lead I have revisited it often throughout my leadership journey. Just recently, I have read another book that has inspired me – The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni (2016). Its message is uncomplicated and reflects common sense.

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The Ideal Team Player is a leadership fable; it is both interesting and easy reading. As a well-crafted story, it offers a very believable scenario that slowly unravels Lencioni’s model; all the while the reader is identifying with the characters and their reactions and reflecting on their own experiences.

As I was reading The Ideal Team Player, I couldn’t help but think of that famous Aristotle quote: ‘He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.’ What we all know as school leaders is that the best precursor to success in senior leadership is a proven track record as an ideal team player. We have all worked in teams when the dynamic is less than satisfactory, and Lencioni comes up with a most straightforward view on what makes an ideal team player. I would recommend anyone interested in developing a culture of team work in their organisation to take the time to read this book.

The Ideal Team Player

The ideal team player model centres around three virtues, indicating that every effective member of a team in an organisation should have all three. Lencioni (2016, p. 155) writes: For organisations seriously committed to making teamwork a cultural reality, I’m convinced that the ‘right people’ are the ones who have those three virtues in common – humility, hunger and people smarts. I refer to these as virtues because the word virtue is a synonym for the nouns quality and asset, but it also connotes the idea of integrity and morality. Humility, which is the most important of the three, is certainly a virtue in the deepest sense of the word. Hunger and people smarts fall more into the quality or asset category. So, the word virtue captures them all. As we read the fable we are taken on the journey with Jeff, Bobby and Clare, who have taken over the running of the family business, Valley Builders. Jeff is new in the role of CEO and quickly realises that his team needs to expand and he starts to question why some managers and team members are more productive than others. With reference to Jim Collins’ work From Good to Great (2001), he knows he needs ‘the right people on the bus’. As the story unfolds, Jeff discovers that the ideal team player and, therefore, the right person, must be Hungry, Smart (as in people smart) and Humble. Hungry people are those who are motivated and hard working. They are always looking for more work, to learn more and to take on more responsibility in order to learn more. Hungry is about demonstrating a commitment to the job and going above and beyond what is required. In the Lencioni model, Smart refers to having good relationships with people, being attuned to the group dynamics, judging social and work situations correctly, listening to others and responding appropriately. Lencioni (2016, p. 160) likens it to having emotional intelligence but believes it ‘is probably a little simpler than that’ and that it ‘refers to a person’s common sense about people’. Humble is not about being self-deprecating and dismissing one’s talents and contributions to the team. It is about directing ambition to building something great; about being generous in thought and behaviour, being inclusive, working with other people’s strengths, and giving credit to those in the team. It is defined by a lack of ego and interest in status and hierarchy.

SMART Figure 1. (Lencioni 2016) This model (Figure 1) shows that the Ideal Team Player sits in the intersection of all three virtues and according to Lencioni (2016, p. 165): When team members are adequately strong in each of these areas – when they possess significant humility, hunger and people smarts – they enable team work by…..[being] more likely to be vulnerable and build trust, engage in productive but uncomfortable conflict with team members, commit to group decisions even if they initially disagree, hold their peers accountable when they see performance gaps that can be addressed, and put the results of the team ahead of their own needs. With this description, he is referencing his earlier work on teams, also another leadership fable, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Anyone who leads a team, is interested in being a better member of a team or helping students to become better team members should read The Ideal Team Player, as it will help in the recognition and cultivation of the three essential virtues of productive team work. References Barker, C & Coy, R (eds), 2003, The 7 Heavenly Virtues of Leadership, McGraw Hill, Sydney. Collins, J 2001, From Good To Great, William Collins, United States. Lencioni, P 2002, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Jossey-Bass, New York, United States.

Lencioni, P 2016, The Ideal Team Player, Jossey-Bass, Hobokan, New Jersey.

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All three virtues need to be present in the ideal team player – the power is in the combination of these and not the individual attributes themselves (2016, p. 161). However, in proposing this, Lencioni (2016, p. 157) asserts ‘that humility is the single greatest and most indispensable attribute of being a team player’.

Nanette Dodd Secondary Teacher

Bringing the science of learning into the classroom How is brain research informing teaching strategies? With the intention of illuminating a path through the forest of recent articles about how brain research can be utilised to improve educational outcomes, I attended a Science of Learning Research Centre (SLRC) Professional Development Program, which promised an exposition of current research in neuroscience and some practical applications to educational practice. The SLRC is keen to promote an interface between the science and the pedagogy, in which our knowledge of the brain and of what constitutes good teaching inform each other. Presenters touched on the following topics associated with their current research: emotions, assessment and feedback, attention and memory. They shared a number of trusted ways teachers can structure learning opportunities that apply what neuroscience research tells us about how the brain learns. These strategies complement current understanding of good teaching practice as expressed in St Margaret’s Quality Teaching and Learning Framework.

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The emotional brain has the power to shape learning experiences. Consider the emotions that are intrinsic to interest and curiosity, motivation and engagement, resilience, reasoning, even memories – all of these important aspects of learning are able to be shaped by emotions, both positively and negatively. The understanding that we think deeply about things we care about has important implications for education. Conversely, emotions such

as anxiety and stress can interrupt cognitive function and impede learning by slowing one’s capacity to think and function. It is said we need a positivity ratio of 3:1 to overcome more powerful negative influences. So, knowing that emotions have the capacity to enhance, support or undermine the learning process, understanding of the emotional contexts of classroom experiences on the part of teachers would seem to be paramount. Recent Sunata articles have discussed this topic in depth, pointing to the importance of nurturing intrinsic motivation in our students and fostering acceptance, belief and authenticity in their relationships. Throughout this presentation, I was reminded that while positive emotion is integral to cognitive engagement, negative emotion, more often than not, inhibits learning. Feedback is essential for the brain to build new knowledge and skills. Good feedback is task specific and focused on improvement rather than merely describing shortcomings. Consequently, feedback is closely connected to other pedagogical approaches such as formative and diagnostic assessment and explicit learning goals. The nature of the connection between teacher and student and the classroom environment can significantly impact on the effectiveness of well-meaning feedback, as can the student’s emotional response to the information given. In groups where there is a growth mindset, feedback is more likely to result in a productive response, with students

deciding to persist rather than giving up. Importantly, students need to be explicitly shown how to use the feedback they have been given in order to make the desired improvement. If they continue to practise and see the resulting improvement, the processes associated with feedback should become more self-directed over time. Memory is one of the most important scientifically-based factors for learning. The processes of encoding and retrieving memories are critical to consolidating learning. To learn new ideas, students must transfer information from working memory (where it is consciously processed) to long-term memory (from where it can later be retrieved). Chunking information can increase the amount of information that can be held in working memory; as can visual cues that complement a spoken explanation; and time should be made available for students to make sense of the information they have been given before moving on to the next step. Students could be asked to meaningfully organise the material, make a summary or answer questions that require some explanation.

Stories or an emotional cue are two ways that information can be remembered via some kind of attached meaning. We understand new ideas via examples but students often find it difficult to recognise the underlying concepts that will help them transfer their learning to unfamiliar situations. Therefore, it is important for teachers to assign tasks that require students to compare problems and discuss the strategies they employ to solve them. The publication by Deans for Impact on ‘The Science of Learning’ (2015) is a good reference point for the core implications for teaching from new insights into brain and cognitive science research.

In terms of presenting meaningful translations of neuroscience to real world learning contexts, the Science of Learning Research Centre is encouraging productive dialogue between scientists and educators. I found this seminar to be both insightful and informative. References Deans for Impact 2015, The Science of Learning, TX: Deans for Impact. Hattie, J & Donoghue, G 2016, ‘Learning strategies: a synthesis and conceptual model’, in npj Science of Learning 1, 16013; doi:10.1038/ npjscilearn.2016.13

Add to this idea a second strategy inspired by brain research; to interleave the techniques being practised. If students are only doing homework related to the current topic that they are very familiar with, they never have to think deeply about which procedure to use, or work too hard in order to remember how to answer a set of questions. But if their practice forces them to switch from technique to technique, or from topic to topic, or from the familiar to the unfamiliar, the effort they have to put into remembering deepens their learning. Students might be learning one thing

but practising many things. The benefits of interleaving plus spacing practice have been demonstrated in long term retention of knowledge and skills. I am certainly keen to adopt this method in my Mathematics classes and assess its merits. Furthermore, it would appear that a circular curriculum, whereby material covered in the past is periodically revisited and reviewed in the context of material currently being covered, is validated by this research.

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The hard fact of education is that if you want to learn something you have to devote time and effort to it. Practice, the term used to describe strategies that focus on the degree to which a memory is both well-established and able to be retrieved, has a significant effect size as reported by John Hattie (2016). Studies show that after a week, more than half of what was learned may well have been forgotten. Indeed, it only takes a day for memory to erode. However, a strategy called spacing has

been shown to improve retention rates dramatically. What it entails is breaking up practice sessions and spreading them out over a longer time span, rather than clumping them together in one long cramming session. By spacing study sessions out over a period of time, students have demonstrated enhanced learning, and better long term memory and performance. Cramming also does nothing for the transfer of skills. This suggests that review sessions and quizzes should be distributed throughout the semester.

Angela Drysdale Head of Primary

Ailsa Crockett Primary Learning Enhancement Coordinator

Using a professional learning community to support pedagogical changes in mathematics Quality teaching and learning is achieved through professional collaboration; connecting professionals is critical to school improvement. Traditionally, professional development, as described by Vescio, Ross and Adams (2007), has only focused on providing teachers with the skills and knowledge necessary to be ‘better’ educators. Also, these skills and knowledge come from ‘experts’ or researchers, outside the day-to-day work of teaching, who provide a prescription for better teaching (p. 89). An episodic approach to professional development does not allow for strenuous, sustained learning. Most significantly, this approach does not consistently facilitate change in classroom teaching, and, despite significant money, time and effort being given to professional development, it is not reflected in the outcomes for the teacher nor the student (Garet et al. 2001; Ingvarson at al. 2004). A systematic approach to professional development is necessary to have a lasting impact and ultimately improve children’s learning outcomes (Wei et al. 2009). Over the past few decades, key features have emerged as being effective for professional development (Rogers 2007). These include: • content which enhances teacher’s competence (Darling-Hammond, L & McLaughlin, MW 1995) • an importance placed on active teaching, assessment, observation, reflection (Hawley & Valli 2000) • coherent, aligned content knowledge and active learning (Garet, et al. 2001) • development of pedagogical skills to develop effective practice, student learning focus (Blank, de las Alas & Smith 2007; Wenglinsky 2000) • collaborative professional learning environments (Little 2003) • working collectively in a safe environment to reflect and critique practice (Ball & Cohen 1999) • addressing how teachers learn – teachers practice and reflect on teaching (Garet et. al., 2001) • professional development which is sustained, coherent and intense (Cohen & Hill 1998; Garet et al., 2001)

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• professional learning communities – the approach where teachers ‘learn to describe, discuss and adjust their practices to a standard’ (Little 2003).

The Professional Learning Communities (PLC) model represents a move away from this traditional model of professional development. PLCs move professional development beyond merely supporting the acquisition of new knowledge and skills for teachers, and provide opportunities for them to critically evaluate practice and student outcomes. Harris and Jones (2015) argue that professional collaboration, in the form of a PLC, can be a powerful catalyst for building professional capital and, by association, improving school performance. They further state that the powerhouse of school transformation and change resides in professional collaboration. PLCs are based on two principles; first, it is assumed that teacher knowledge comes from critical reflections on their day-to-day experiences. Second, that by actively engaging teachers in the PLC, it will increase professional knowledge and enhance student learning (Vescio V et al. 2007). Therefore, PLCs involve teachers in the dual capacities of both teaching and learning. Newmann et al. (1996) identified a number essential characteristics of PLCs: shared values and norms; and categorising learning and thinking in terms of surface, deeper and deepest. Hargreaves, Boyle and Harris (2014) underlined the importance of strong PLCs. One of their conclusions was that improved school outcomes were associated with structured and focused professional collaboration. They felt that the difference for learners was a result of the PLC and engagement. The PLC approach to professional development guided the Independent Schools Queensland research project undertaken in 2016. The focus of the PLC was to build teacher capacity in relation to pedagogical practices for teaching mathematics. Mathematics in schools is changing in response to research about the nature of students’ learning of mathematics and studies on effective classroom practice. It is also changing with advances in technology (Siemon et al. 2015). It is recognised that students need to have the following: a deep understanding of how numbers work; access to a wide range of strategies they can use confidently and flexibly to reason mathematically and solve problems; and the capacity to examine quantitative and spatial information critically. Further, ‘most learning in mathematics now goes beyond the need to recognise the number names and symbols, it needs to involve conceptual understanding; it needs to build on meaningful ideas and multiple representations to be supported by collaborative discussion, rich and challenging tasks and personal success’ (Siemon et al. 2015, p. 21). This impacts on teachers and how

they teach mathematics. Siemon et al. (2015) expanded this by stating that, ‘teachers are now expected to be orchestrators of engaging purposeful learning environments who have the knowledge and confidence to make connections between important mathematical ideas and strategies’ (p. 21).

Harris, A & Jones, M 2015, ‘Beyond four walls?: Professional learning communities within and between schools’, Australian Educational Leader, vol. 37, no. 4, p. 10.

The PLC has and will continue to be crucial to the implementation of Prime maths by providing a forum for professional learning as the teachers explore the other pedagogical practices.

Ingvarson, L, Beavis, A, Bishop, A, Peck, R & Elsworth, G 2004, Investigation of Effective Mathematics Teaching and Learning in Australian Secondary Schools, Australian Council for Educational Research, Melbourne.

Acknowledgements This article reports on the findings from a ‘Researchers in Schools Project’ (2016) funded by an Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) school grant, provided by Student First Support Fund (an Australian Government Initiative). References Ball, DL & Cohen, DK 1999, ‘Developing practice, developing practitioners: Toward a practice-based theory of professional education’, in G Sykes and L Darling-Hammond (eds), Teaching as the learning profession: Handbook of policy and practice, Jossey Bass, San Fransisco. Blank, RK, de las Alas, N & Smith, C 2007, Analysis of the quality of professional development programs for mathematics and science teachers: Findings from a cross-state study, Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, DC. Cohen, DK & Hill, HC 1998, Instructional Policy and Classroom Performance: The Mathematics Reform in California, Consortium for Policy Research in Education, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Darling-Hammond, L & McLaughlin, MW 1995, ‘Policies that support professional development in an era of reform’, Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 76, no. 8, pp. 897-604.

Hawley, WD & Valli, L 2000, ‘Learner-Centered Professional Development’, Phi Delta Kappa Research Bulletin, August, no. 27, pp. 7-10.

Little, JW 2003, ‘Inside Teacher Community: Representations of Classroom Practice’, Teachers College Record, vol. 105, no. 6, pp. 913-945. Newmann, FM et al., 1996, Authentic achievement: Restructuring schools for intellectual quality, JosseyBass Publishers, San Francisco. Rogers, P 2007, ‘Teacher professional learning in mathematics: An example of a change process’, in J Watson & K Beswick (eds), Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Adelaide, pp. 631-640. Siemon, D, Beswick, K, Brady, K, Clark, J, Faragher, R & Warren, E 2015, Teaching Mathematics, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Vic. Vescio, V, Ross, D & Adams, A 2008, ‘A review of research on the impact of professional learning communities on teaching practice and student learning’, Teaching and Teacher Education, vol. 24, no.1, pp. 80-91. Wei, RC, Darling-Hammond, L, Andree, A, Richardson, N, Orphanos, S 2009, Professional learning in the learning profession: A status report on teacher development in the United States and abroad, National Staff Development Council, Dallas, TX. Wenglinsky, H 2000, How Teaching Matters: Bringing the Classroom Back into Discussions of Teacher Quality, Milken Family Foundation and Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ.

Garet, MS, Porter, AC, Desimone, L, Birman, BF & Yoon, KS 2001, ‘What Makes Professional Development Effective? Results from a National Sample of Teachers’, American Educational Research Journal, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 915-945.

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Hargreaves, A, Boyle, A, Harris, A 2014, Uplifting Leadership, Wiley Business Press, USA.

Katie Flanagan Head of Year

Increasing in the classroom

In May 2016, I was fortunate to attend the Australian Positive Schools Conference at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Two full days of guest speakers providing inspiration in the field of Positive Psychology and its application to schooling was a professionally invigorating experience. One such speaker was Maggie Dent, educator, parenting and resilience expert, and author of several books, including Saving Our Adolescents: Supporting Today’s Adolescents through the Bumpy Ride to Adulthood. Throughout Dent’s presentation, she regaled the audience with humorous anecdotes from her days at the coalface, but the underlying message was a clear and powerful one: a student’s engagement and achievement is directly correlational to their ‘connectedness’ or feeling of belonging and acceptance within the classroom.

Much has been written in the past ten years about students and their connectedness to their school. Being connected to their school has been proven to: increase students’ involvement in extra-curricular activities; improve student respect and concerns towards others (Schaps 2005); improve educational outcomes; and perhaps, more importantly, it works towards reducing the likelihood that adolescents will engage in health compromising behaviours (Blum 2005). Two simple ways teachers can increase the connectedness of their students in their classrooms are: 1) by using students’ names 2) by the provision of specific and targeted feedback. Using students’ names ‘Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language’ (Carnegie 1936). While Dale Carnegie may not have been referring to relationships in classrooms when he included this advice in How to Win Friends and Influence People, it is worth placing in this context to understand the impact on student engagement. This particular advice strikes a chord with me, as I recall my own frustration and feelings of ‘invisibility’ when one of my Year 12 teachers in a subject I loved did not know my name by the middle of my senior year and, therefore, never referred to me by my name in any classroom interactions. A teacher who does not learn and frequently use students’ names appears disinterested and unapproachable (Glenz 2014), which is sure to discourage students from asking questions and seeing this teacher as an adult they can trust.

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Not only does frequent use of student names increase connectedness in the classroom, a flow-on effect of this is the activation of various parts of the brain that occurs when people hear their own name. Specifically, the areas that experience the most significant activation are the middle and superior temporal cortex (associated with long-term memory and auditory processing) as well as the cuneus (associated with visual processing) (Devaney 2014; Carmody & Lewis 2016).

Specific and targeted feedback

Feedback provided to students on behaviour, classroom tasks and assessment all contribute towards greater classroom connectedness. Students develop greater trust in their teacher when feedback is both constructive and encouraging, rather than purely corrective (Reynolds 2013), based on their teacher’s belief that they can improve and experience success (Blum 2005). There is a distinct difference between specific feedback that shows a student you have an interest in their progress and passing comments that offer no real direction. If students constantly hear, ‘good job’ or ‘nice work’ then, over time, these words become meaningless (Reynolds 2013). Genuine feedback that addresses specific improvements and provides a cognitive rather than emotional response offers students a different message entirely. This feedback not only suggests that teachers are concerned with their progress, but also that they are willing to take the time to provide substantial feedback to direct future learning. Safe classroom cultures with teachers who form positive and connected relationships with students create the most powerful forces for exceptional learning to occur (Dent 2016). When students are connected to their classrooms, they will, in turn, become more connected to their schools, thus decreasing risktaking behaviour, poor attendance and lower grades. References Blum, R W 2005, ‘A Case for School Connectedness’, Educational Leadership, vol. 62, no. 7, viewed 26 October 2016, http://www.ascd. org/publications/educational-leadership/apr05/vol62/num07/A-Casefor-School-Connectedness.aspx Carmody, DP & Lewis, M 2006, Brain Activation When Hearing One’s Own and Others’ Names, viewed 26 October 2016, https://www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1647299/ Carnegie, D 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Simon & Schuster, New York Dent, M 2016, Communication Secrets for Exceptional Learning, The Positive Times, viewed 18 January 2017, http://positivetimes.com.au/ communication-secrets-for-exceptional-learning-by-maggie-dent/ Devaney, E 2014, The Psychology of Personalization: Why We Crave Customized Experiences, Hubspot, viewed 24 October 2016, https:// blog.hubspot.com/marketing/psychology-personalization#sm.00f1uxj u181zeyk10f420h85l82hp Glenz, T 2014, ‘The Importance of Learning Students’ Names’, Journal on Best Teaching Practices, April 2014, pp. 21-22, viewed 18 January 2017, http://teachingonpurpose.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ Glenz-T.-2014.-The-importance-of-learning-students-names.pdf Reynolds, L 2013, ‘Giving Student Feedback: 20 Tips to Do It Right.’ InformED, viewed 26 September 2016, http://www.opencolleges.edu. au/informed/features/giving-student-feedback/

Schaps, E 2005, ‘The Role of Supportive School Environments in Promoting Academic Success.’ Getting Results: Developing Safe and Heathy Kids, Update, viewed 26 October 2016 http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/at/ documents/getresultsupdate5.pdf

connectedness

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UNDERSTANDING

Lesa Fowler Head of Boarding

cultural diversity in boarding

Cultural diversity and celebrating difference greatly enriches boarding life and help students become true global citizens. Culture is defined as ‘a body of learned beliefs, traditions, principles and guides for behaviour that are shared among members of a particular group’ (Zion & Kozleski 2005). Culture is not just about food, dance, dress, music, language and art. Culture impacts how individuals see the world and engage with it at the subtlest and deepest levels. Each school and boarding house has its own inherent culture. The embracing of cultural diversity brings with it many benefits that can impact every aspect of boarding life. All students are equal beneficiaries of the invaluable experiences that are generated by having a range of different cultures living in a close-knit community. Students from varied backgrounds share common experiences of growing up, of working together as a team, and dealing with stressful issues. Young people read the same novels, and dance and listen to the same popular music. To truly prepare our students for life, we need to ensure, when they leave the safety and security of the boarding house, they are equipped with the right tools and experience to be globally competent.

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Globally-minded students are curious about and engaged in the world and all its exciting opportunities. They are increasingly able to investigate the world beyond their immediate surroundings, understand their own and others’ cultural perspectives, communicate across differences, and take actions to improve conditions (Burridge & Chodkiewicz 2008). In a boarding house, there are many issues faced by a culturally diverse community. Culture shock, performance pressure, attitudes and assimilation are but a few of the hurdles some students need to come to terms with. International students are particularly vulnerable to transition problems because of extreme emotional reactions to separation from home, the loss of family and peer relationships, and the need to start a new life in an unfamiliar setting. These are aspects of

boarding that all students contend with, and therefore share with those students from a different culture. Understanding cultural differences is paramount for both boarding staff and students. Engaging both staff and students in accepting differences is the first step to ensuring all students are an integral part of the boarding community. Teaching students to recognise, analyse and articulate diverse perspectives – including those with which they personally disagree – gives them the skills they need to understand a range of issues. Staff and students need to understand that culture shapes a person’s sense of who they are and where they fit into their family, community and society. Developing cultural sensitivity and competence can be challenging, but it is also an exciting opportunity for students to expand their knowledge, skills and beliefs. Drawing on cultural diversity to explore underlying attitudes can broaden student learning experiences and better prepare them for life in a more culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse society (Burridge & Chodkiewicz 2008). Staff need to communicate with students regularly and with consistently high expectations around how they should be interacting in a culturally diverse community. The aim must be to create a foundation for safety and respect, so relationships among diverse groups of individuals can flourish (Henze, Norte & Sather 2002). We must help all boarding students recognise their own cultural differences and work towards understanding the values of different students. Being aware of the different cultural groups within the boarding house and having a thorough understanding of the differences which exist between different groups is essential. Acquiring background knowledge of where students come from and some understanding of their customs and cultural beliefs is a positive and powerful step in developing greater

understanding. In order to achieve an authentic cultural sensitivity, everyone within the community must have a willingness to accept cultural nuances and be able to put their own views to one side. The successful transition of all boarders is vital in ensuring all boarders feel safe and secure in the knowledge they are in a place where they can share their thoughts and feelings. Students from all backgrounds need to have the opportunity and time to share where they come from, their family, the school they came from and some of their family traditions. Students who can identify differences about their family and school experiences, soon realise that everyone has a different story, whether they are from Roma, Longreach or China. Understanding some of the cultural differences will allow them to be more accepting of some behaviours that they perceive as unusual. It is crucial to explore with students the idea that everyone brings a different insight and this will help everyone to broaden their horizons. Boarding house staff have an important role in creating an environment where all students are given opportunities and the freedom to ask questions. For those students in which English is their second language, it is often necessary to repeat instructions and ensure they understand expectations. Gently encouraging these students to move out of their comfort zone is the key to assisting them to try new things and actively engage in boarding house activities. There are many and varied strategies staff and students can utilise to ensure the smooth transition of culturally diverse students. Firstly, and most importantly, orientation cannot be the singular intervention. Within a broadbased and personalised program of welcoming activities, the focus should be on support messages that convey caution and routines. Rules should be kept to an essential minimum to avoid anxiety. When conveying rules, it is important they are repeated so that students fully understand expectations.

A continuous emphasis on developing a socially supportive community is essential. When students first arrive, it is natural for them to cluster with people from their own culture or language groups or from the same area in Australia, so students must be encouraged to make connections outside the group they initially feel comfortable with.

There are many other strategies that can be employed to ensure both staff and students of all cultures interact and live together in harmony. All students bring their own prejudices, values and beliefs to a boarding community, so we must strive to ensure all members of the community are culturally sensitive. Students should be encouraged to speak about their culture so that all members of the boarding community understand each other and are more accepting of differing views or are aware that misunderstandings can happen easily if we don’t understand cultural nuances. Providing these opportunities in informal and formal situations helps to break down barriers.

every girl, no matter where she is from, feels equally valued as a member of the boarding community. Cultural diversity training for boarding staff enhances their understanding of where students come from and how they can best assist them. Encouraging all girls to broaden their horizons and open their minds to becoming global citizens is a crucial role that the boarding house must play. These experiences will prepare the girls to flourish in an ever-increasing global world. References Burridge, N & Chodkiewicz, A 2008, Representation of Cultural Diversity in School and Community Settings, University of Technology, Sydney. Henze R, Norte E & Sather 2002, Leading for Diversity: How School Leaders Promote Positive Interethnic Relations, Corwin, New York. Mansilla, VB 2013, Educating for Global Competence: Learning redefined for an Interconnected World, Harvard Graduate School of Education, New York.

If staff and students have visited or lived in another country where English is their second language, they are more likely to be sensitised to the experience that international boarders are having, as opposed to those who have little experience of living in a foreign country. Empathy and a genuine interest in helping the girls to assimilate is essential. Moving to another country to attend school is very courageous, even more so if English is your second language.

Mansouri, F & Woods, S 2007, ‘The policy of values and the value of policy: managing cultural diversity in Australian Schools’, Education and Society, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 51-72.

Cultural diversity in boarding schools does bring its challenges and it is important for staff to be role models for the students. Staff must ensure that

Steward, V 2007, ‘Becoming citizens of the world’, Education Leadership, vol. 64, no. 7, pp. 8-14.

Meyer, E 2014, The Culture Map: Decoding how people think, lead, and get things done across cultures, Public Affairs, USA. Perso, TF 2012, Cultural Responsiveness and School Education: With particular focus on Australia’s First Peoples; A Review & Synthesis of the Literature, Menzies School of Health Research, Centre for Child Development and Education, Darwin, Northern Territory.

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One of the barriers to this can be the lack of confidence in English and this can often make it hard to make friends. International students may encounter ‘language shock’, realising their mastery of formal English hasn’t prepared them for fast-paced, colloquial or academic language. The amount of work required to read, write, listen and communicate in another language must not be forgotten. A strategy which can be employed in a boarding house is to have students spend time with others to help them understand slang and colloquialisms. It is also important to speak with the girls about the importance of personal space and body language. Communication styles vary from culture to culture and can often be misinterpreted. In Australian culture, there is often an emphasis on content, whereas in other cultures, context is stressed. This means that in these cultures the same word can take on different meanings, depending on the setting and circumstances. Another difference that must be recognised is that often their language can be more indirect and rely more on non-verbal cues. For those students who have English as a second language, staff and students should ensure questions asked are understood, and not just answered in the affirmative to show

agreement. Giving them time to translate and understand what they have been asked before they answer is important. Providing written instructions as well as verbal instructions is a helpful strategy. Boarding staff who clearly understand these differences will help to ensure communication is interpreted correctly.

Handwriting versus typing Today, computers, tablets and phones are so near to hand that there is little use of cursive writing, and notes can now be taken by apps that can change the spoken word into type. Will this have an impact upon the learning of the younger generations who have not had to make their own hand-written notes?

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Many studies are now being undertaken to examine the length of time knowledge will last in individuals when it has been typed, as opposed to hand-written. There is some evidence that handwriting strengthens the learning process, as it causes more processing in the brain than when information is typed.

In 2014, Muller and Oppenheimer, after observing university classes, did an experiment to examine the effect of writing as opposed to typing notes. They demonstrated over several experiments that writing results in better retention in the following weeks than typing. Stronger synthesis and conceptual understanding occurred with the students who wrote, as opposed to those who typed. Because writing takes longer, students need to summarise the work in their own words to capture the essence of the information. Muller and Oppenheimer suggested these processes enhance the storage, processing and retrieval of information.

Therese Garrahy Secondary Teacher Other studies by Magen (cited in The University of Stavanger 2011) and Longcamp (cited in Mikulak 2014) also cited the sensorimotor effect of writing on learning as opposed to typing – especially in pre-schoolers or those with learning difficulties. Again, researchers at Washington University in 2012 (Holtz 2016) determined that using laptops gave students an immediate advantage over hand note takers, but after 24 hours note takers again could remember and understand concepts better than the typists after some weeks. It appeared that the process of taking the notes by hand had encoded the material more deeply, perhaps because of the motor requirements of hand writing and the parts of the brain used both in the skill of writing and the processing of the material. The more parts of the brain that are used for the processing material, the more places it can be retrieved from. There is evidence derived from MRI studies that there are more parts of the brain involved when handwriting occurs. Kaufman’s experiments on a processing task using mobile (tablet or computer) and non-digital (printed material) showed that those who had the printed material achieved more abstract interpretations than those using the digital devices. This supplies credence to Carr’s (2010) ideas that books focus attention and allow for deeper processing, whereas the computer usage develops the ability for scanning and skimming. Carr also suggests that we may be losing our ability to concentrate and reflect with the multitude of sites available for us to review. Not all research agrees with Miller and Oppenheimer’s claim on the influence of handwriting in the learning process. Beaudoin (2014) suggests it is the testing that is at fault. He suggests that as students have better notes if taken by typing they can then go back and use a large collection of metacomprehension strategies to boost comprehension and recall. These included diagrams, question regeneration, and summarisation. Laptops are very useful tools, but, like all tools, need to be used appropriately. Online activities and demonstrations, and access to information for projects are all useful ways of using computers. Because students can usually take notes faster than they can write, there is the ability to take more information down, but it’s what is done after that that becomes important. It is suggested that because writing by hand is more time consuming, students will process the information before writing it down; in essence, they will do a summary at the beginning. This means that they are already processing the material more deeply than just taking down what is said. As Muller and Oppennheimer (2014) said: ‘Thus, taking notes by hand forces the brain to engage in some heavy ‘mental lifting,’ and these efforts foster comprehension and retention.’

Beaudoin, Luc P, Cognitively Potent Software Is Mightier than the Pen in the Hands of Able, Motivated Knowledge Builders: Response to Mueller & Oppenheimer (2014), CogZest, viewed 4 July 2016, https://cogzest. com/2014/07/cognitively-potent-software-is-mightier-than-the-penin-the-hands-of-able-motivated-knowledge-builders-response-tomueller-oppenheimer-2014/ Carr, NG 2010, The shallows: What the Internet is doing to our brains, W.W.Norton & Company, New York. Who Needs Handwriting? 2016, audio podcast, Freakonomics Radio, 10 February 2016, accessed 4 July 2016, http://freakonomics.com/ podcast/who-needs-handwriting/ Holtz, RL 2016, ‘Can Handwriting Make You Smarter?’, The Wall Street Journal, 4 April, viewed 4 July 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/canhandwriting-make-you-smarter-1459784659 Kaufman, G & Flanagan, M 2016 ‘High-Low Split: Divergent Cognitive Construal Levels Triggered by Digital and Non-digital Platforms’, Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Santa Clara, California, USA, viewed 1 July 2016, http:// dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=2858036.2858550 May, C 2014, ‘A Learning Secret: Don’t Take Notes with a Laptop’, Scientific American, viewed 1 July 2016, http://www.scientificamerican. com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/ Mikulak, A 2014, ‘Getting It in Writing’, Observer, vol. 27, no.7, viewed 4 July 2016, http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/ publications/observer/2014/september-14/getting-it-in-writing.html Mueller, PA & Oppenheimer, DM 2014, ‘The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking’, Psychological Science, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 1159–1168. Titcomb, J 2016, ‘Reading on computer screens changes how your brain works, scientists say’, The Telegraph, 9 May, viewed 2 July 2016, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/05/09/reading-oncomputer-screens-changes-how-your-brain-works-scienti/ The University of Stavanger 2011, ‘Better learning through handwriting’, ScienceDaily, 24 January, viewed 4 July 2016, www. sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110119095458.htm

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St Margaret’s one to one tablet program, incorporating digital ink, can leverage the power of the pen, where students can switch easily between typing to notating on the screens. Pen and paper can still be in play and it may depend on students’ learning preferences and the different learning tasks in front of them which dictate their choice; but the evidence would suggest there is most certainly still a reason to write.

References

Naomi Holley Head of Faculty Business and Pathways

Designing for 21st century learning

The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, published by the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MYCEETYA 2008), is a key policy document that underpins the implementation of the Australian Curriculum in all schools across the country. It details the necessary inclusion of critical and creative thinking through collaboration and the incorporation of technology in the classroom. It outlines two primary goals for Australian schooling and provides a commitment to action as to how these goals will be achieved. The two goals are: 1. Australian schooling promotes equity and excellence. 2. All young Australians become: • successful learners • confident and creative individuals • active and informed citizens (MYCEETA 2010, p. 3).

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The advent of Web 2.0 tools has made the influence of technology so pervasive on a student’s day-to-day existence that it has a significant impact on their ability to remain focused. The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the classroom has the potential to allow more selfpaced, interactive and personalised learning (OECD 2013). The Melbourne Declaration argues that, in this digital age, young people need to be highly skilled in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and although schools already employ these technologies in learning, there is a need to increase the effectiveness of how they are used (MYCEETYA 2008). The challenge to educators is to provide learning experiences that are both challenging enough to be engaging, while also enabling students to relate to each experience. Therefore, for students to achieve their learning potential, ICTrich learning spaces must be available to reflect the current and emerging education and technology trends (MYCEETYA 2008b). Unfortunately, many learning spaces are not equipped to foster or support inquiry-based

learning to drive a collaborative and enriched learning experience (Kolb and Kolb 2005).

Blackmore et al. (2010) argue that learning spaces can produce conditions and mediate relationships that can improve student learning. The implementation of professional development opportunities for staff to be better equipped for implementing ICT into the classroom is fundamental in the evolution of appropriate learning space design. A greater understanding of ICT and its capacity to impact learning further enables teachers to better understand their students and how they learn. Developed by the Australia Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) in 2010, the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers outlines that Lead Teachers (those considered to be at the pinnacle of the profession) not only have an understanding of how students learn (as demonstrated by teachers at the Proficient stage), but are able to ‘lead processes to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching programs using research and workplace knowledge about how students learn’ (AITSL 2010). To do so, one could argue that teachers must have an understanding of what best engages students. For the 21st century student this invariably means the effective use of technology. This presents opportunities and challenges for 21st century schooling and the design of learning spaces (MYCEETYA 2008b). Whilst the Melbourne Declaration provides a foundation for a number of important initiatives brought to light in the creation of the Australian Curriculum, it is the reference to the importance of ICTs in the curriculum in Goal Two that outlines the successful outcomes necessary for the 21st century learner. Learning is enhanced in stimulating spaces. Visual and kinaesthetic experiences motivate and engage students and teachers, aiding memory as ‘humans associate what they learn with where they learned it’ (Gee 2006). Therefore, there is a greater

need to embed these important ICTs into the curriculum, causing a need for learning spaces where staff can promote independent learning and learning that is more indicative of the environment that students will enter when they complete their secondary schooling. Classroom design needs to enable and foster new ways of learning, ‘using technologies demanded by 21st century economies’ (Education 2010). The Melbourne Declaration (2008) explains that successful learners are able to collaborate and work in teams and communicate ideas. Hattie (2009) explains that peer collaboration and feedback have the greatest impact on the improvement of student outcomes and, therefore, the need for a flexible learning space is evident. The implementation of collaborative table groupings, which can be manipulated around the room, will lead to more discussion, further student engagement and the ability for the teacher to provide more detailed ‘informal’ assistance

spaces (Whiteside, Brooks & Walker 2010). The significance of a well-designed and stimulating educational environment should not be overlooked in promoting effective, visible learning for all users in the school environment. Fisher (2001; 2005) argues that there is a strong link between learning space design and student outcomes and suggests that academic achievement soars with improvements in space conditions and cosmetic factors. Therefore, it is imperative that learning spaces are created for educators that foster the innovation and engagement with new technologies and their deliverability to students. References Blackmore, J, Bateman, D, Loughlin, J, O’Mara, J & Aranda, G 2010, The connection between learning spaces and student learning outcomes: a literature review, Department for Education and Early Childhood Development, Melbourne.

Education.au. 2010, 21st century learning spaces, viewed 1 August 2016, http://apo.org.au/ system/files/20236/apo-nid20236-10641.pdf Gee, L 2006, ‘Human-Centered Design Guidelines’, in DG Oblinger (ed.), Learning Spaces, viewed 1 August 2016, http://www. educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/P7102cs20.pdf Hattie, J 2009, Visible learning: a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Routledge, London. Fisher, K 2001, ‘Building Better Outcomes: The impact of school infrastructure on student outcomes and behaviour’, Schooling Issues Digest, viewed 1 August 2016, http:// www.dest.gov.au/sectors/school_education/ publications_resources/schooling_issues_ digest/ Kolb, AY & Kolb, DA 2005, ‘Learning Styles and Learning Spaces: Enhancing Experiential Learning in Higher Education’, Academy of Management Learning & Education, vol. 4. No. 2, pp. 193-212, viewed 1 August 2016, http://158.93.191.150/qep/documents/ articles/learning-styles.pdf

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs 2008, Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, viewed 1 August 2016, http://www.curriculum.edu.au/ verve/_resources/National_Declaration_ on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_ Australians.pdf Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs 2008, Learning Spaces Framework. viewed 1 August 2016, http://www.scseec.edu.au/ site/DefaultSite/filesystem/documents/ Reports%20and%20publications/ Archive%20Publications/ICT/LOWLearningSpacesFWork.pdf OECD 2013, Trends shaping education 2013, OECD Publishing, viewed 1 August 2016, http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-AssetManagement/oecd/education/trendsshaping-education-2013_trends_edu-2013en#page1 Whiteside, AL, Brooks, DC & Walker, JD 2010, ‘Making the case for space: Three years of empirical research on formal and informal learning environments’, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, vol. 33, no. 3, no pagination.

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Emily Labinsky International Pastoral Care Coordinator

Promoting integration between international and domestic students: why and how? Globally, the demand for international education services has experienced strong growth in the past decade. In 2014, international students made up 20 per cent of enrolments at Australian universities (Productivity Commission 2015). In 2017 St Margaret’s had over 50 international students from various countries, the majority from Asia. Despite the growth in international student numbers, there is still a limited body of research into their experiences, with almost all of it focused on tertiary education settings. This article aims to take some of the findings from current research and apply it to the secondary setting, to make recommendations.

Discussion within the research about the impacts of international students on educational institutions tends to centre around the benefits of internationalisation and the costs caused by the additional demand on support services (Ward 2001). The marketing material for Australian higher education institutions often lists the internationalisation of their campuses as an advantage which enables students’ perspectives to be broadened and helps to prepare them to enter a global workforce. ‘There is an assumption that cultural osmosis will happen naturally’ (Trikokekar & Kizilbash 2013, p. 12). However, much of the research finds that levels of interaction between international students and their domestic peers is low (Ward 2001). The presence of international students does not equate directly with the internationalisation of educational institutions. This lack of interaction plays a role in the feelings of isolation and loneliness reported by international students (Andrade 2006) and research suggests that international students expect and desire greater contact (Ward 2001). We have an opportunity to build intercultural understanding in our young people, a trait that will serve them well into the future. As educators, therefore, we must create environments where this interaction can occur, as it will benefit both domestic and international students. Academic issues

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There are many teaching strategies to assist the learning of students who have English as an additional language. As teachers, we are mindful of the pace of our speech and the use of idioms. However, there is an additional question: should we be internationalising the curriculum, both in terms of content and skills? An internationalised curriculum would certainly promote integration, but may conflict with the demands of the Australian Curriculum; perhaps a happy medium is the ideal outcome.

There are ways classroom teachers can add international perspectives to the content they are teaching. Asking international students about the situation in their home country when talking about social or economic issues can serve as an extension opportunity for the whole class. The social differences between students are to be viewed as a resource in the classroom and all students will gain from the varied cultural perspectives if it is unlocked by the teacher (University of Michigan 2016).

We can be guilty of assuming a shared level of prior knowledge and cultural awareness in our global classrooms. We do so at our own risk. An example from my own experience is that asking about the demand and supply of ‘Zooper Doopers’ on a hot day is a very culturally specific question and is best generalised to ‘ice cream’ in our international setting. In addition, cultural norms around plagiarism and academic integrity can vary and so the expectations here must be addressed regularly and in a frank manner. We must also recognise that international students may not be accustomed to some of the strategies we use within our classes (University of Michigan 2016). For example, class discussions may prompt anxiety not just because of a lack of confidence with the language, but also because of a lack of experience in participating in such group discussions. Pastoral issues As educators, we are concerned with students’ wellbeing; we recognise its intrinsic link to learning outcomes. Successful integration of international students will increase their sense of wellbeing and foster connectedness to the school community, thus contributing to positive learning outcomes. The whole school community should work towards addressing existing stereotypes, such as the idea that all Asian students excel in maths and science. It is important that adults, both teachers and parents, try to address these opinions during conversations. Moreover, an institution needs to move beyond ‘contact with’ towards ‘celebration of’ other cultures (Young 2014, p. 2). These approaches will help to make integration successful and therefore have a positive impact on the learning outcomes of overseas students, as well as providing a more genuine international experience for domestic students. Literature suggests that the presence of international students in higher education settings places pressure on support

services. A similar, if not larger, effect is likely in a secondary setting, where students are less independent and more likely to need support with the logistical and administrative challenges of studying overseas. Staff need awareness of specific issues faced by international students, such as student visa requirements, accessing banking and health services, and planning holiday accommodation. In fact, the legalisation in this area expects additional support services to be provided for international students (Australian Government 2016). Research from England suggests that rather than feelings of excitement during the initial stage, students were ‘overwhelmed by negative psychological and emotional symptoms’ (Ward et al. cited in Gomes, Berry, Alzougool & Chang 2014, p. 3). In addition, Sawir’s 2008 study found that two-thirds of participants suffered from loneliness and/or isolation and that this was particularly prevalent in the early months (Sawir cited in Gomes, Berry, Alzougool & Chang 2014, p. 3). New international students are keen to forge relationships with their domestic colleagues and therefore may need some assistance to build these relationships in the initial stages. St Margaret’s uses a buddy system when new girls join the school to aide this process. It is important this process is ongoing and not just part of an initial orientation program, as some girls will take longer than others to settle. Authentic, genuine and long- term interactions should be the goal. Conclusion

Andrade, MS 2006, ‘International student in English-speaking universities: Adjustment factors’, Journal of Research in International Education, vol. 5. no.2, pp. 131-154. *Arkoudis, S, Baik, C, Borland, H, Chang, S, Lang, I, Lang, J, Pearce, A, Watty, K, Yu, X 2010, Finding common ground: enhancing interaction between domestic and international students: final report, Australian Learning and Teaching Council, NSW. * Arkoudis, S, Baik, C, Borland, H, Chang, S, Lang, I, Lang, J, Pearce, A, Watty, K, Yu, X 2010, Finding common ground: enhancing interaction between domestic and international students - guide for academics, Australian Learning and Teaching Council, NSW. Australian Government 2016, Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000, Compilation No. 30, Office of Parliamentary Counsel, Canberra. Gomes, C, Berry, M, Alzougool, B & Chang, S 2014, ‘Home Away from Home: International Students and their Identity-Based Social Networks in Australia’, Journal of International Students, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 2-15. Productivity Commission 2015, International Education Services, Commission Research Paper, Canberra. Trikokekar, RD & Kizilbash, Z 2013, ‘Imagine: Canada as a leader in international education. How can Canada benefit from the Australian experience?’, Canadian Journal of Higher Education, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 1-26. Centre for Research on Learning and Teaching 2016, Teaching International Students: Pedagogical Issues and Strategies, University of Michigan, viewed 9 May 2016, http://www.crlt.umich.edu/ internationalstudents Ward, C 2001, The impact of international students on domestic students and host institutions: A literature review, Export Education Policy Project, Strategic Information and Resourcing Division, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Wellington. Young, NE 2014, Seeking Best Practices for Integrating International and Domestic Students, University of Minnesota, Minnesota.

*Support for the original work was provided by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd, an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

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We must continually look for ways to celebrate different cultures within the diverse school community that we are fortunate to work within, actively promoting integration between domestic and international students. The responsibility to facilitate this integration falls to teachers and other school staff and will benefit both international students and domestic students now and in the future.

References

Jenny Matheson Secondary Teacher

AIMing high

in languages at St Margaret’s

The teaching and learning of languages other than English in Australia is a labour of love. While many Language teachers have a deep appreciation for the languages and cultures to which they are introducing their students, and while they have typically found their lives immeasurably enriched by their knowledge of multiple languages, it is immensely challenging to create an environment within a classroom that can truly illustrate to students the value of learning a second language, and can engage and motivate students to want to continue developing their knowledge of the language. In Europe, students come so frequently into contact with speakers of other languages, and travel to other countries is so simple and accessible, that the importance of speaking multiple languages is clear, and progress can be rapid due to the many opportunities for practice. These are not the realities in Australia. Within our largely monolingual society, opportunities for practice are exceedingly rare, and travel to non-English-speaking countries can be prohibitive and is not accessible to all students. As such, Language teachers are continually seeking ways to create richer, more immersive, and more engaging classroom experiences so that students can derive the greatest value from their time in language classes. At St Margaret’s, we have found a solution that is yielding promising results: The AIM Method. The Accelerative Integrated Method (AIM) for learning languages was developed in Canada by Wendy Maxwell during the 1990s and early 2000s (AIM Language Learning, 2016), and was originally designed for the teaching of French. The method proved to be so successful that it has been adapted for use in the teaching of several additional languages including Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese.

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AIM represents a significant divergence from traditional methods of teaching languages. In a typical language classroom, students might learn vocabulary lists and specific grammar points related to a current topic of study, and be able to communicate in a limited

and highly structured manner about specific aspects of that topic. Students can feel inhibited in their attempts to communicate because they may worry about making errors, and, as a result, some may in fact speak very little French during a typical lesson, and therefore fluency develops very slowly (AIM Language Learning, 2016). With AIM, the goal is to build students’ fluency rapidly through two key techniques. The first is the use of pareddown language (PDL), meaning that essential and highly common vocabulary is taught that refers directly to students’ everyday experiences (Maxwell 2004, p. 4). This enables students to communicate authentically about their daily activities and typically does not require the memorisation of complex grammar rules for effective and flexible conversation. The second technique is accompanying each word with a gesture so that language becomes not only an auditory phenomenon, but also a visual and kinaesthetic one (Maxwell, 2004, p. 5). In addition to the use of PDL and gestures, AIM creates engaging contexts for learning using storytelling and drama rather than the study of topics, so lessons become highly interactive and encourage constant active participation by all students (Maxwell 2004, p. 6). As such, AIM engages all types of learners, allows for the learning of large amounts of vocabulary quickly, and empowers students to communicate with more confidence. If you were to observe a typical AIM classroom, you would see the teacher gesturing to students anytime he/she spoke to them. You might also notice the teacher prompting students to speak, either individually or all together, by gesturing to them, indicating what they should say. As students develop their vocabulary and confidence, you would notice them responding to a teacher’s questions with spontaneous and original statements demonstrating the flexibility with which they are able to use language. Students’ learning is supported by instructional videos that teach them the vocabulary and the gestures, and they are expected to practise regularly with these videos at home. As such, instead of spending large amounts of class time

teaching vocabulary, the teacher can have conversations with students during class, or can engage the students in other interactive, immersive activities in the target language. In this manner, an AIM classroom becomes an immersive environment in which lessons can be conducted almost entirely in the target language within weeks of the students’ first lessons. Each unit of study culminates with the performance of a play which the students learn and practise during class time alongside other class activities, and these performances are typically a highlight for all students, enabling them to showcase the full range of their language abilities. At St Margaret’s, our AIM students act out familiar stories such as the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Chicken Little, and a range of original stories and adaptations of African folktales. At St Margaret’s, the AIM program was first introduced on a trial basis in late 2013 for Year 6 French students, and has expanded every year since then. AIM is now taught across both French and Mandarin in every language class from Years 1 to 7. Since we have begun the teaching of AIM, we find that our students look forward eagerly to their language classes and show great enthusiasm with regard to the learning activities. This is due to the engaging nature of the activities themselves, but also to the success that all students can experience within an AIM classroom. Students are eager to share and speak and write in the language they are learning, because they feel confident that they have something worthwhile to contribute. AIM was initially designed for younger language learners. The program has since been adapted for use with students of all ages; however, as students advance in their language learning and seek to communicate about more complex ideas, it becomes necessary to begin teaching grammar more explicitly. Hence our approach at St Margaret’s is to teach AIM through to the end of Year 7 and then transition students into programs that reflect their growing maturity and the complexity of the concepts with which they are engaging

in their language lessons. In this manner, we hope to have students achieve critical fluency and confidence in their language of choice, and then build upon that foundation with a deeper understanding of the mechanics and structure of the language. The fluency and appreciation for language that students acquire through AIM can support their progress at all levels of language learning. Our original cohort of AIM French students is now in Year 9. A somewhat larger percentage of students than usual chose to continue with French as an elective subject in this cohort, and anecdotally, the group’s fluency overall is quite impressive. Long-term outcomes remain to be seen, but our hope is to increase retention in language students beyond Year 8, at which point languages become elective subjects, and we hope to see our students show increased fluency and greater confidence and willingness to speak when they have the opportunity. Students in Language classrooms will inevitably feel farther away from their comfort zones than they will in many other subject areas, but with a strong foundation in the AIM Method, we hope that our students will feel more at home in their Language classes. We believe that AIM can promote high achievement in languages well into the senior years of study, but, more importantly, we believe it will empower our students to seek out and engage actively and confidently with opportunities to use and develop their language skills throughout their lives. References AIM Language Learning, 2016, How AIM Began, accessed 24 November 2016, http:// www.aimlanguagelearning.com/about-aim/ how-aim-began/

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Maxwell, W 2004, ‘The Accelerative Integrated Method: A holistic approach to the teaching of French as a second language’, Réflexions: the Journal of the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers, October, accessed 24 November 2016, http:// www.caslt.org/pdf/aim.pdf.

Kate Montgomery Secondary Teacher

Improving teacher-student feedback in languages: the role of recorded feedback for speaking tasks SUNATA

As teachers, we devote much time to writing detailed feedback on studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; work; however, are our students processing this feedback? In the last decade, educational researchers have been exploring the potential benefits and drawbacks of teachers providing students with recorded verbal feedback on their work, as opposed to written comments. Case studies suggest that while providing recorded verbal feedback is generally more time consuming for the teacher, students often find it more accessible and beneficial for a number of reasons.

A study within the Social Science Faculty at the University of Liverpool (Bunyan, King & McGugan, 2008) compared the benefits of recorded verbal feedback versus written feedback, as earlier studies had revealed that the potential learning benefits of providing students with feedback were often not realised (Chanock 2000; Higgins, Hartley & Skelton 2002; Duncan 2007; Hounsell, McCune, Hounsell & Litjens 2008). The research highlighted that staff effort in providing written feedback was often wasted and students were not always processing the comments they received.

In recent years, I have asked my Years 11 and 12 French classes to submit formative oral tasks to their private page within the class Onenote notebook and have in turn provided them with individual recorded audio feedback on each of these tasks. A survey of students’ reactions to this audio feedback provided responses correlating with international case studies. One of the main stated benefits of audio feedback from the teacher is that it allows communication of a more personal nature (Bunyan et al. 2008, p. 147). St Margaret’s students also commented on this aspect of recorded verbal feedback: ‘It’s more ‘personalised’ or tailored to your actual speaking’ (Year 12 student); ‘I feel like I am actually having a conversation with a teacher’ (Year 11 student). The privacy of this form of verbal feedback was also mentioned: ‘I always question whether my pronunciation is correct or not and having feedback privately is less daunting and embarrassing’ (Year 11 student). Connected to the concept of audio feedback being more personal is the ability to convey tone when providing comments on students’ work and the role this plays in clarifying intention. Our students also commented on this facet of feedback, with statements such as: ‘When feedback is verbal, students are better equipped to interpret what the teacher is saying. When written feedback is given, sometimes the intention or criticism can be taken the wrong way’ (Year 11 student). Studies revealed that students perceived audio feedback to be more motivational than written feedback (JISC n.d., para. 2). A Year 11 St Margaret’s student offered this comment: ‘I find it helpful because I take it more seriously and spend more time on finding ways to improve on what the teacher suggests.’ According to the literature, one of the main advantages of audio feedback is that when staff are not constrained by providing written feedback on a set rubric, they tend to provide more detailed feedback and offer more informative advice as to how students can improve (Bunyan et al. 2008, p. 151). Given the nature of audio feedback provided to St Margaret’s students, i.e. verbal feedback on oral work, all students surveyed commented on the great benefit of hearing the correct pronunciation of any words they had mispronounced in the feedback. One Year 11 student provided the following obvious, but nevertheless powerful, statement: ‘It allows us to actually hear how to fix our mistakes, not just know they’re wrong’.

St Margaret’s students were unanimous in agreeing that there were no serious drawbacks to audio feedback from their perspective and that inconveniences such as wanting to hear the feedback when in a quiet space could be overcome with headphones. However, they were also in agreement that while they appreciated the recorded verbal feedback on their oral tasks, they preferred to receive written feedback on written work. While recorded audio feedback has obvious applications for Language teachers, the aforementioned studies and comments suggest that its application may be beneficial across a range of subject areas, especially in response to formative oral tasks. References Bunyan, N, King, D & McGugan, S 2008, ‘Does it make a difference? Replacing text with audio feedback’, Practice and Evidence of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, vol. 3, no.2, pp. 145 – 163. Chanock, K 2000, ‘Comments on essays: do students understand what tutors write?’, Teaching in Higher Education, vol. 5, no.1, pp. 95-105. Duncan, N 2007, ‘Feed-forward: improving students’ use of tutors’ comments’, Assessment and evaluation in Higher Education, vol. 12, no. 2, pp.148-153. Higgins, R, Hartley, P & Skelton, A 2002, ‘The conscientious consumer: reconsidering the role assessment feedback in student learning’, Studies in Higher Education, vol. 27, no.1, pp. 53-64. Hounsell, D, McCune, V, Hounsell, J & Litjens, J 2008, ‘The quality of guidance and feedback to students’, Higher Education Research and Development, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 55-67. JISC Digital Media n.d., Guide: using audio feedback for assessment, viewed 14 July 2016, http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/guide/ audio-feedback

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Case studies found that audio feedback helped students to better process comments by forcing them to listen to all of the feedback, not just selecting the sections they want to read (JISC n.d., para. 2). As stated by one of our Year 11 students: ‘It forces you to actually listen and not just skim read.’ Some students pointed out that it could be inconvenient when relistening to feedback to find the exact spot where a correction was mentioned; however, they counteracted this problem by stating it could be easily overcome if they took notes while they listened. Many students commented on the advantage of

being able to re-listen to the feedback as often as they wished, although one Year 12 student added that recorded verbal feedback should not replace face-to-face teacher-student conferencing where students have the opportunity to ask questions throughout the given feedback.

Meredith Morris Secondary Teacher

In pursuit of

do simulations make the grade?

Much of the discussion around curriculum reflects the vital importance of quality assessment as part of a student’s learning experience. When designing teaching and learning programs, assessment serves as the end goal, therefore shaping the nature of the learning that needs to occur. Not only does assessment need to be valid, it needs to be contextualised and meaningful to support learning outcomes and encourage student engagement and motivation. Teachers have the power to craft both assessment of learning and assessment for learning. In doing this, we need to ask ourselves: what thinking skills and learning dispositions are we inspiring in our students through the programs we’ve designed for them? When posing such questions about assessment, educators have come to use the phrase ‘authentic assessment’. A number of researchers in the area of authentic assessment reference the work of Newmann and Archbald (1992, pp. 71-72) in Toward a New Science of Educational Testing and Assessment, who define authentic assessment as tasks for which the learning outcomes are ‘appropriate, meaningful, significant and worthwhile forms of human accomplishment’. Further, they argue that authentic assessment should promote skills that are able to be transferred beyond the school context, like constructive higher order thinking, inquiry and problem solving. Four years later, Herrington and Oliver (1996) argued that authenticity in learning and assessment relies on what they call ‘situational learning’. These learning experiences happen within an ‘authentic context’ and thus reflect ‘the way the knowledge will be used in real life’. As such, they will be ‘ill-defined’ and should demand ‘collaborative construction of knowledge’. Here, there’s little room for the teacher as the fountain of knowledge. As such, this view of assessment goes a long way in creating a classroom culture that values deep thinking before recall and engagement over compliance. More recently, Mantei and Kirvan (2009) highlighted that authentic learning experiences draw heavily on the personal strengths of the teacher, as it was each teacher’s ‘sense of the world’ that framed the task. This concept of authentic assessment supporting the development of transferrable, meaningful skills and dispositions is an interesting one.

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I have seen excellent examples of authentic, meaningful assessment (particularly in science, environmental science and outdoor education) but I have also come across interpretations of authentic assessment that rely upon creating ‘life-like’ tasks, or simulations of the real world.

Could it be that real-world simulation doesn’t always cut it when it comes to supporting meaningful, transferrable learning?

In Contextualising Authentic Assessment, Cumming & Maxwell (1999, p. 12) suggested that simulation activities have come to define authentic assessment, despite the fact that the very nature of simulation tasks dictates that they don’t have ‘real consequences’ and that the student is ‘not fully accountable for the outcomes’. Likewise, as simulations are conducted under limits that artificialise the task, students are protected from ‘extra complications and unforeseen contingencies’ that come from similar tasks in the real world. They argue that performance on tasks completed in simulation is inherently different from the real-world equivalent, again adding weight to the argument that skills learned in simulation are not easily transferrable into the real world.

authenticity: So where does this leave teachers?

2. Build multi-disciplinary connections

I have devised ways in which teachers can view assessment so it has a better chance of being transferable and meaningful and supporting the development of the dispositions students need to thrive in life beyond school.

Primary schools are doing amazing things in this space; that is, building multi-disciplinary learning activities and assessment. I don’t believe high schools do this as effectively. How many opportunities do high school students have to use scientific reasoning, mathematical problem-solving, outdoor education, written communication and sociology in one meaningful task.

1. Build connections with the community and have students do real things for real people Students are often surprised to see that they can do things that grown-ups see as being valuable. Teachers can do great things when they make use of the parent community. I’m not a parent, but I can imagine I would feel good knowing I could influence and offer something to the curriculum.

3. Assess students on the quality of their questions, not just on the quality of their responses Questions not only drive learning but are the outcomes of learning. The more you learn the more questions you have. You may not have the time to explore all the questions, but the message to students is ‘this is where the learning can take us’. I have been amazed at the impact of this on my students’ motivation and engagement. There is nothing more real than being able to identify what you need to know, what you don’t know, and how to seek and critique answers. 4. Free up some of the curriculum for students to undertake their own inquiry learning in an area of interest This poses some logistical challenges, but schools are doing it. Woodleigh School, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, offer a number of elective subjects where students undertake research into an area of interest and then coordinate a servicebased activity in the community in response. Some schools are even adopting the Google 20% ‘creative time’ concept, like Grimoldby Primary School in the UK. It falls to us, as educators, to ensure that our students have opportunities to develop the dispositions they’ll need to thrive in the adult world. Authenticity of assessment and, in turn, meaningful, transferrable learning, has a vital role to play in this. Teachers are the leaders of thought, discovery and creativity. The responsibility rests on us to open the door to the real world, with all its messiness, complexity, unknowns and unknowables. References Berlak, H, Newmann, FM, Adams, E, Archbald, DA, Burgess, T, Raven, J, Romberg, TA 1992, ‘Toward a New Science of Educational Testing and Assessment. SUNY Series, Teacher Preparation and Development’, Journal of Educational Measurement, vol. 31, no. 1, (Spring 1994) Cumming, J & Maxwell, G 1999, ‘Contextualising Authentic Assessment’, Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 177-194.

Mantei, J & Kervin, LK, ‘‘Authentic’ learning experiences: what does this mean and where is the literacy learning?’, in A Moult (ed.), Proceedings of the Bridging Divides: National Conference for Teachers of English and Literacy, Australian Association for Teaching of English/ Australian Literacy Education Association, Hobart, Australia, pp. 1-16.

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Herrington, J & Oliver, R 1996, ‘The effective use of interactive multimedia in education: Design and implementation issues’ in C McBeath & R Atkinson (eds), Proceedings of the Third International Interactive Multimedia Symposium, Promaco Conventions, Perth, Western Australia. pp. 169-176.

John O’Sullivan Williams Head of Faculty The Arts and Design

Exploring

a balanced curriculum…

Amanda Minotti Exchange to Emma Willard School This article is in response to receiving the Amanda Minotti Exchange to Emma Willard School in Troy, USA in 2016. During my time at Emma, it was a wonderful opportunity to immerse myself in both curricular and co-curricular activities that were both similar and dissimilar to what I am accustomed to at St Margaret’s. For this response, I have focused on Emma’s recent transition from a subject specific school to providing a more robust and balanced curriculum.

Upon entering the grounds of Emma Willard, I felt like I was transported to another reality. The magnificent and grand buildings of a bygone era resembled the fictional landscape of Hogwarts, juxtaposed with sleek, glass, modern extensions, resulting in a campus like no other I have seen. With such an impressive campus blending old and new, I was intrigued to learn about both the school’s culture and curriculum. Not surprisingly, my search to learn more was soon achieved as I observed the first lesson of the day, which effectively displayed the Harkness Method teaching style in conjunction with the demands of the American curriculum. Through consequent conversations with teachers and lesson observations, I realised the school, much like St Margaret’s, was determined to create a balanced curriculum for its students while creating a learning atmosphere conducive to inquiry and discussion. The notion of the teacher being a facilitator and mentor was evident, rather than one who instructs (while students listen and record information) and was confirmed through meetings with various members of the faculty.

According to staff, though, the school was undergoing significant change due to an academic shift. In recent years, a STEM focused curriculum had been implemented, at some expense to Arts and Humanities subjects. This move had impacted the school, as University Entrance requires students to hit more than one area of expertise. A change to school leadership has brought attempts to rectify the situation that resulted from narrowing the curriculum. Instead, while STEM is still a feature of the school curriculum, with assistance from Heads of Faculty and the school counsellors, part of the strategic plan is preparing each girl to be an ‘independent, autonomous and wellbalanced student in an interconnected world’ (Lambert 2011). With Queensland schools currently preparing for the new senior assessment, it was timely to be at a school such as Emma and witness the issues that invariably accompany change. The curriculum program at Emma Willard appeared to provide engaging and inclusive learning opportunities for students from various countries throughout the world, including South America, the Middle East and Asia. Providing deep learning experiences for all students regardless of various cultures

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or backgrounds appeared challenging, but, like St Margaret’s, it is central to the school’s objective. Teachers spoke of this refreshing approach that moved away from more limiting and narrow curriculum structures. Emma Willard, like many other educational facilities, strives to move away from what Snow (1959) classified as a school of ‘two cultures’, referring to the traditional Arts/Humanities and the forwardthinking sciences. He described this separation as ‘misunderstandings, lost creative chances and social rigidity delineated between these increasingly separate and distinct forms of human inquiry’ (Kelliher 2016, p. 8). While observing at Emma, I found myself considering whether this ‘drawing a line in the sand between subjects’ type of thinking is dated? Perhaps it is not, in the present Queensland curriculum environment. To many, the narrowing of a school academic focus such as a STEM program appears to be moving with the times propelled by words such as ‘innovation’ and ‘coding’ with the Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk (2015), declaring: ‘Our plan is for all students to be global citizens who are skilled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.’

While at Emma, I was impressed with the students’ management of their studies and engagement in deep learning opportunities. Much of this success, I believe, derives from lessons using the Harkness Method. Williams describes this process which encourages ‘students to learn to think critically, listen analytically, and interact respectfully. Most importantly, however, the method promotes the idea of each student taking responsibility for his or her own education, with teachers largely acting as facilitators’ (2010, p. 58). Regardless of the discipline, students’ desks were either positioned in a circle or, in other rooms, students sat at a large table facing one another. Observing these lessons, the girls were encouraged to

In observing Emma’s culture, where does this leave the school in terms of preparing each student to not just perform well for university entrance exams, but to develop deep learning? As a whole, the school’s approach seemed to focus upon students’ independence and autonomy to plan, engage, and review their learning, balanced with interdependence and social engagement with peers and teachers alike (Cohen as cited in Taka 2015). Faculty members communicated a move to redirect the singular focus of a STEM approach, as, with its implementation at a whole school level, subjects became divided and, to a degree, pitted against one another. With teacher discussions of a subject’s worthiness and academic rigour, this brief period in the school’s life saw student learning affected and relationships between faculties strained. Hence, the move towards returning to a more diverse learning culture that supports its international student body and global objectives became an imperative for the interim leader.

Having observed and participated in various lessons at Emma, I was impressed with the learning culture. In various classes I saw real examples of teachers incorporating open-ended and real world problems across multiple subjects. In one memorable class, I participated in a senior lesson in Algebra. I entered the room somewhat fearful that coming from an Arts background I would be asked a mathematical equation that I would struggle to answer. Yet, much to my joy, this teacher was committed to building problem-solving skills through a transdisciplinary approach. Kaufman (2003) defines this approach as involving several disciplines focused on a problem or issue. This type of integration engages the knowledge, processes and skills from more than one discipline. For the purpose of this lesson, students were asked to not only demonstrate an understanding of the equation, yet also respond to the real-life context in which it was situated. Wright postulates that multidisciplinary programs ‘start with the issue or problem and, through the process of problem solving, bring to bear the knowledge of those disciplines that contribute to a solution or resolution’ (2007, p. 124). In essence, students were encouraged to move beyond the text and work together to solve a problem in the form of passionate debate, yet within the process of the Harkness Method.

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To many experts, such an approach seems sensible and in keeping with the times of predicting future employment opportunities. However, where does this leave Humanities and the Arts in a time of changing assessment, where scholars ‘have defined the construct of critical thinking as reflective thinking focused on the evaluation of various alternatives’ (Ennis 2002, Jones et al, 1995 in Lampert 2011)? It appears that in the case of Emma, the school recognised the value of STEM related subjects, but at the expense of either removing Arts and Humanities subjects and/or limiting opportunities of study. A review of academic structures saw the value in providing a balanced curriculum that allows students to be connected, creative and critical learners across all subjects.

Emma Willard is a school that has a ‘core respect for the learner and deep understanding by teachers of the unique assets of each student’ (Takanishi 2015). The student’s ability to wear casual dress, move freely throughout the campus and even work on their own when a teacher is absent without supervision was unique and refreshing to observe. An ‘Emma girl’ very early on in her high school journey has her sights firmly placed on admission to top universities post-school, yet also participates in a wide variety of subjects and co-curricular experiences. In observing the girls, they appear to have very little spare time and therefore use the little they have diligently. Discussions at school meetings focused on familiar issues such as study habits, providing cut off times for study at night, the avoidance of studying in the dining hall while eating and debating internet access for junior and senior girls. Much like St Margaret’s academic focus, great emphasis was placed on the wellbeing of the girls and ensuring they were engaging in healthy lifestyles.

engage in the content while the teacher acted as a facilitator. Having classes of 10 or less provided ample opportunities for each student to contribute and engage in learning and girls were also marked on their participation. However, after beginning to see students’ learning across different subjects, I was impressed with their ability to provide mature and balanced responses – greatly defined by their academic focus. For example, in a Gothic Literature class, students of mathematical or scientific streams provided statistical information regarding the plague that tore through the setting in the novel, while those from an English major focused on the romanticism of the protagonist and his desire to protect the one he loved. Clearly, the girls’ abilities to engage in a variety of subjects allowed these transdisciplinary ideas to lead the students towards a common goal of knowledge. Again, such values mirror the St Margaret’s Way and the Learning Framework through the community’s acceptance of various perspectives and a desire to embrace contrasting information.

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It was clear in the culture of the school, that Emma is moving from what appeared to be quite a stringent academic approach to that of a more collaborative and balanced curriculum. In speaking with teachers, they felt strongly about such a culture and not simply adding a tokenistic ‘A’ (Arts and Humanities) to STEM to create STEAM. Seemingly, the school wanted to avoid the Arts and Humanities being simple add-ons; or worse, as areas that could be ‘brought out’ at school events as if to say, ‘See? We are a school focused on science, math, engineering and technology but our kids can play an instrument too’. Kelliher (2016) cautions such an approach making the arts subservient or ‘service-based role’. Rather, much like St Margaret’s, the Emma Willard School’s hope is for a balanced curriculum to be entrenched across the academic school. Brush and Saye (2008 in Quigley) support such a notion of balance through a ‘broad curriculum delivery emphasising problem based learning’ and argues

that it is well suited to assist with the knowledge construction, active learning and reflective thinking around illstructured problems in which there is not one correct answer. Having the opportunity to observe and participate in lessons whilst at Emma, allowed me to not only learn new strategies for classroom instruction. The exchange has also given me the ability to reflect on the Arts at St Margaret’s. I certainly found a common link between both schools where each girl is engaged and challenged to explore deep learning in the classroom, while also being fully involved in an extensive array of co-curricular activities. The lesson for St Margaret’s teachers, students and parents alike is that we needn’t define ourselves solely as a STEM-centred school, nor should we go down the route of throwing an ‘A’ into the mix to provide a tokenistic STEAM. The Arts and Humanities are important in their own right. Instead, I believe the attraction of many a parent to enrolling their daughter into our school is the balance that we provide through our curriculum. Opportunities for girls to participate in an array of subjects across faculties is needed to ensure that we have girls who can follow their passion, yet also provide an alternate perspective when engaging in problem solving. Teachers at Emma focused much of the girls’ success on SATs (standardized admission tests) and the diverse curriculum which enables students to connect their critical thinking across disciplines. With the changes to senior assessment in Queensland with external exams and the need for students to connect and use cognitive verbs, the delivery of a balanced curriculum clearly resonates with our objectives of providing autonomous, balanced and innovative learners.

References Department of the Premier and Cabinet 2015, Media Statement: Advancing Education to prepare students for jobs of tomorrow #codingcounts, viewed 12 May 2017, http:// statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2015/10/14/ advancing-education-to-prepare-studentsfor-jobs-of-tomorrow-codingcounts Kelliher, A 2016, Technology and the Arts: Educational Encounters of the Third Kind, IEEE Multimedia. Washington DC. Lampert, N 2011, ‘A study of an after-school programme and critical thinking’, International Journal of Education through Art, vol. 7, no 1, pp. 55 – 67. Quigley, C 2016, Finding the Joy in the Unknown: Implementation of STEAM practices, Springer Science & Business Media, New York. Reinders, H & White, C 2010, The Theory and Practice of Technology in Materials Development and Task Design, Cambridge University Press, Harwood. Snow, C 1959, The Two Cultures, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Takanishi, R 2015, ‘Do our Education Systems Do Enough to Enable Learners to Flourish as Independent, Autonomous and WellBalanced Individuals’, European Journal of Education, vol. 50, no. 2. PP. 123 - 127 Williams, G 2010, ‘Harkness Learning: Principles of a Radical American Pedagogy’, JPD: Journal of Pedagogic Development, vol. 4. no. 3, pp. 58-67. Wright, R 2007, ‘A conceptual and methodological framework for designing and evaluating community-based after school art programs’, International Journal of Cultural Policy, vol. 13, no. 1. pp. 123-132. Bibliography Rivero, V 2014, Learning by Design: Common Sense, Common Core, and Tools for a STEM to STEAM Approach, Pro Quest Central, vol. 21, no. 3

Interstate teacher exchange:

professional sharing of ideas and knowledge

Jayne Schinckel Secondary Teacher Learning opportunities, such as travel and teaching abroad, enables novice teachers to develop professional identity and lead to new perspectives regarding human differences (Walters 2009). During Term 4 I visited St Catherine’s School in Melbourne, where I had the opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge, broaden my personal and professional experience in a diverse environment, and learn about a different education system. In the lead up to my exchange, I was feeling excited for the opportunity ahead; however, I was a little anxious about navigating my way around Melbourne, having not been there in many years. I knew there would be nothing to worry about once I had arrived, as the support and constant communication with St Catherine’s was exceptionally well organised in the lead up to the exchange. My week began with the senior school swimming carnival held at MSAC. Interestingly, this carnival was for students in Years 7 to 11 as Year 12 had started their VCE exams. The carnival ran similarly to a St Margaret’s carnival, with many races and plenty of house spirit on display. This carnival is the first opportunity for the Year 11 leaders of 2017 to organise their house and get to know students across all secondary school year levels. As St Catherine’s has a smaller number of enrolments than St Margaret’s, the carnival was finished by lunch time and girls returned to classes in the afternoon. While at St Catherine’s, I was fortunate to observe a range of different lessons across multiple departments. These included Health, Physical Education and Science through the junior, middle and senior schools. I found there were many similarities between St Catherine’s and St Margaret’s, such as the passion and enthusiasm teachers displayed in their lessons, engagement and focus of the students, and the dedication and team work by staff members across departments. One of my foci while at St Catherine’s was to discuss with teachers the strategies they use to prepare students for external examinations, as Queensland schools move to this system in 2019. This was a great opportunity to compare each of our education systems and share resources around senior assessment. It was interesting to see that VCE in 2017 are making changes to their Science syllabus in Years 11 and 12 to use assessment pieces that are already being used in the Queensland system. This was a great chance to share with staff how we prepare students for this piece of work in a Queensland context.

Although my time spent at St Catherine’s was short, I have much to take away from the experience. Particularly, as a teacher in the beginning stages of my career, it was a fantastic opportunity to observe different learning styles, pedagogical techniques and assessment strategies. There are many practices I look forward to implementing into my teachings, including the use of weekly assessment pieces to prepare students for external examinations, designing practical lessons in Physical Education that supplement and enhance theoretical learning, and offering more recreational activities to encourage student participation and enjoyment of exercise. I encourage my colleagues to apply for this teacher exchange opportunity next year and thank the St Catherine’s staff and community for the experience and growth I have gained as a professional. References

Walters, L 2009, ‘Learning globally, teaching locally: incorporating international exchange and intercultural learning into pre-service teacher training’, Intercultural Education, vol. 20, Iss, Sup1, pp. 151-158.

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While working with the Health and Physical Education Department, I was interested in their student-led programs for Sport and Recreation in Years 9 and 10. This program is set up to encourage students to take Senior Physical Education in Years 11 and 12. I spoke with two Year 9 students who, as a part of their assessment, had organised an excursion to ‘Clip and Climb’ with a unit focus on trust and team building. The girls had booked the facility, arranged buses, organised staff members, and completed a risk assessment, meeting all

requirements of their project. After attending this excursion it was clear how much value and enjoyment this program gave to all students, as both participants and organisers. Another reason this program is utilised in Years 9 and 10 is to promote physical activity outside of the sporting context and to show and expose the girls to other recreational activities that are available to them.

Nikki Townsend Dean of Students

GIRL PEER PRESSURE

– is not all doom and gloom! Peer pressure is the influence you feel from a person or group to behave in a certain way. Reachout Australia (2014) states: ‘Peer pressure can be present at school or within a broader community. It can affect people of all ages and backgrounds.’ This pressure can happen directly, where someone is telling you what to do; indirectly, where it is not obvious to the person involved; or individually, where the pressure actually comes from the person themselves, who may feel different from their group. When girls lack self-esteem and confidence, they are more likely to feel the negative effects of peer pressure, such as smoking, underage drinking etc. However, to many people’s surprise, peer pressure is not all doom and gloom; in fact, it can be a very positive influence in one’s life. Psychosocial factors during adolescence can significantly impact a girl’s mental and emotional wellbeing. As social beings, we are directed by the social circumstances presented in the moment. These pivotal moments can either direct good or bad behaviour. For the majority of teen girls, confidence is built from supportive friends and parents. During middle female adolescence (14 to 17 years old), Michael Carr-Gregg (2006) claims that, ‘peer relationships help her explore and develop her own identity’. Research shows peers steer and influence behaviour. Therefore, if harnessed correctly, peer pressure can, in fact, have a positive effect where it motivates the individual to challenge themselves to be the best they can be.

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Most importantly, positive peer pressure can provide a feeling that one is valued and belongs. Leading psychologist Andrew Fuller (2014) states: ‘At the centre of resilience and wellbeing is our sense of belonging. Belonging is the most powerful antidote to suicide, violence and drug abuse.’ Clearly, the importance of belonging and feeling connected to a group is extremely important for most people. From this connection stems the real sense of security where teen girls gain confidence to be themselves and to feel comfortable that their friends know them well. This provides a safe environment which allows female adolescents to take risks, to try new things and to meet new people through their social network. Being in a strong friendship group allows girls to develop their social skills, where they learn to negotiate, accept, compromise and ultimately learn how to get along with others.

This social interaction also allows girls to enjoy the company of others, get to know themselves and hence develop and find their own identity. Lockwood (2006) concluded that, ‘young women are more inspired by outstanding female role models than male role models’. Recent studies have shown that positive peer relationships can inspire individuals to be more focused and determined to engage in the classroom and extra-curricular activities. If properly directed, peer pressure can help girls achieve their goals; hence, the importance of an all girls’ education. The presence of strong role models to whom girls can relate, in terms of age, gender and ability, enhances self-efficacy and motivates performance (Bailey, Wellard & Dismore 2004). Behaviour is learned through observation of others and direct experience. These behaviours and attitudes modelled by encouraging peers can also influence participation (Vilhjalmsson & Thorlindsson 1998). Exposure to positive peer relationships heightens self-concept which leads to greater self-esteem. This increased sense of social connectedness is beneficial as it leads to a positive social identity. To enable girls to flourish during adolescence, it is imperative they have positive peer relationships which will support and encourage them with their goals and endeavours. The exposure to positive female role models will allow girls to feel valued, encouraged, comfortable and supported within their group. This in turn provides them with the opportunity to find their identity and to weigh up their own potential for success. Girls grow and learn best in relationships surrounded by inspiring female role models that challenge their thinking, who understand their needs and who ignite their passion to be the best version of themselves. Therefore, adolescent girls should be seeking peers who accept their past, support their present and encourage their future.

Amy Poehler

References Bailey, R, Wellard, I & Dismore, H 2004, Girls participation in physical activities and sports: Benefits, patterns, influences and ways forward, International Council of Sports Science and Physical Education and the World Health Organisation, viewed 25 May 2017, http://www. icsspe.rog/sites/defualt/files/Girls.pdf Carr-Gregg M 2006, The Princess Bitchface Syndrome: Surviving adolescents girls, Penguin Books, Melbourne, Victoria. Fuller, A 2014, ‘Positive Conversations’, in H Street, N Porter (eds.), Better than Ok, Fremantle Press, Fremantle, Western Australia. Lockwood, P 2006, ‘Someone like me can be successful: Do college students need same-gender role models?’, Psychology of Women Quarterly, vol. 30, pp. 36-46. Reach out.com 2014, ‘Get through tough times: Fact Sheet Peer Pressure’, viewed 26 May 2017, http://us.reachout.com/facts/factsheet/ peer-pressure

Vilhjalmsson, R & Thorlindsson, T 1998, ‘Factors related to physical activity: a study of adolescents’, Social Science and Medicine, vol. 47, no 5. pp. 665-675.

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Find a group of people that challenge and inspire you. Spend a lot of time with them and it will change your life

Desley Upton Head of Faculty – Health and Physical Education

Unlocking a culture of critical thinking through creativity

Behind digital literacy, critical thinking and creativity are growing in popularity as the skills most sought after by employers in recent years (Vision 2016); however, critical and creative thinking can appear to be polar opposites. How, then, can teachers develop these transferable, lifelong skills (in a complementary way) in the students we teach? For our students to possess the ability to think creatively is to allow them to cope, and hopefully succeed, within the everchanging world of the 21st century. Employers look for people who are flexible, who can think creatively and who can work in teams. Sir Ken Robinson (cited in Azzam 2009) believes ‘being creative is essential…companies are looking for people who can be innovative, who can think differently…this demands high levels of innovation, creativity and ingenuity’. Therefore, being a ‘creative thinker’ is an essential disposition all St Margaret’s students need to cultivate. They need to possess genuine imaginative insights to develop and implement new ideas. Students must work collaboratively and in a highly-focused way to create and make critical judgements about their ideas and innovations (Robinson 2011). We must teach our girls to be productive, innovative and resourceful – we must teach them to think ‘creatively’. When looking at the many and varied definitions of critical and creative thinking, it becomes apparent that, whilst these two concepts appear on different sides of the same coin, there are many core curriculum elements or ‘higher order’ dimensions that are achieved by learning experiences promoting either type of thinking. Through synthesising a variety of expert opinions, the following discussion will define critical and creative thinking, while highlighting the differences and similarities between these two forms of ‘deeper learning’. As Beyer (cited in Chase 2015) proposes: Creative thinking is divergent, whilst critical thinking is convergent. Creative thinking tries to create something new, whilst critical thinking seeks to assess the work of something that exists. Creative thinking violates accepted principles, whilst critical thinking tries to apply these principles. By adapting descriptors from both Fisher (2002) and Hurson (2007), a more conceptualised interpretation of the differences between critical and creative thinking can be tabled.

Table 1: The characteristics, dispositions or skills of a creative versus a critical thinker. Creative Thinking: characteristics, dispositions or skills

Critical Thinking: characteristics, dispositions or skills

• Divergent • Generative • Possibility • Hypothesis forming • Open-ended • Non-judgemental • Expansive • Ability to generate new ideas • Skills of flexibility, collaboration and originality

• Convergent • Analytical • Probability • Hypothesis testing • Closed • Judgemental • Selective • Seek results that are precise • Skills of interpretation, evaluation and explanation

DiYanni (2015) suggests that an open-minded, creative thinking mindset seeks alternatives and generates a variety of options or solutions to a problem. Furthermore, by providing students with learning experiences that encourage them to think of ‘a common idea in an uncommon way’ develops a level of cognitive flexibility. From the above discussion, it is evident that these two theories of thinking develop contrasting and opposing characteristics, dispositions and skills within the learner. However, Hurson (2007) proposes that using both creative and critical thinking strategies together will generate much more productive learning outcomes. Consider the following analogy from him: Think of the thinking process as a kayak with 2 paddles. One paddle represents critical thinking while the other represents creative thinking. If you were only to use one paddle, you’d end up going in circles. To make the kayak move forward, you’ve got to alternate between paddles. It is also apparent that both creative and critical thinking are crucial to any deeper thinking and operate in unison most of the time. The ‘higher order’ thinking dimensions of elaboration, synthesis, integration and combination, complexity and abstraction are actively established and promoted in students, whether strategies are focused on creative or critical thinking. Therefore, creative and critical thinking should be considered as complementary rather than contradictory practices that effectively encourage independence and student-centred learning in classrooms. So what pedagogical links, teaching approaches and generic skills/routines of creative thinking should be employed in classrooms to enhance student capacity to think creatively?

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The Five Pillars identified in the St Margaret’s Framework of Quality Teaching and Learning (2016) are conducive to creating a learning environment that can foster either creative or critical thinking, or both at the same time. Ritchhart (2002),

refers to the ‘8 Cultural Forces that Define our Classrooms’, which explicitly promote ‘creative thinking’ by encouraging teachers to consciously embrace these forces, particularly opportunities, routines and interactions. To intentionally focus on deeper creative learning processes, a conceptual framework of student-centred learning has been identified by Jones and English (2006). They suggest a departure from a traditional lecturer-centred, passive learning approach to a teaching style that is action-oriented, and encourages experiential learning. This learning revolves around goal-driven and challenging project-based tasks that involve ideas generation and problem solving. Jackson (2008) reinforces this approach and recommends designing open-ended, flexible but customised situations that require divergent thinking and offer enquiry-rich problem solving experiences. However, it must be stressed that structured scaffolding and the integration of the broader curriculum content remain necessities. As questioning is at the heart of creativity and innovation, Dyer et al., (2011) prescribes productive ‘disruptive’ questioning – Why? Why not? What if? – leading from explanation to innovation. Practical application of this approach would see students engaging in ‘group-questionstorming’ sessions in which only questions are allowed in the process of thinking through a problem. Following are some points for teachers to consider when designing and/or implementing learning experiences to foster both critical and creative thinking in students: • The teacher’s role is one of facilitation rather than transmission, whilst placing emphasis on understanding and not content mastery. • Provide all students with the opportunity for choice, independence, negotiation and autonomy (Jones & English 2006). • Provide all students with the opportunity to work on open-ended tasks that do not depend on memory. • Develop the tools, techniques and skills of brainstorming, modification and problem solving, associative and ‘lateral’ thinking (Chase 2014). • Deliver novel and challenging tasks that are open-ended in nature, but require discretion in decision making and the final choices that are made. • Allow students to take risks without the fear of failure. The following creative thinking routines from Harvard Project Zero (n.d.) are also worth experimenting with:

In conclusion, creative and critical thinking are complementary rather than contradictory practices that can successfully foster independence and student-centred learning in classrooms. Teachers are encouraged to embrace the pedagogical links, teaching approaches and generic skills/ routines of creative thinking that have been highlighted in this article to explicitly promote ‘inventive and innovative thinking’ in all their students. As Albert Einstein once said: ‘Creativity is intelligence having fun’. References Azzam, AM 2009, ‘Why Creativity now? A conversation with Sir Ken Robinson’, Educational Leadership: Teaching for the 21st Century, vol. 67, no. 1, pp. 22-26. Chase J 2014, ‘Critical thinking Vs Creative Thinking’, VigorNotRigor web log post 24 August, viewed 13 February 2017, https://vigornotrigor. wordpress.com/2014/08/26/critical-thinking-vs-creative-thinking/ DiYanni, R 2015, Critical and Creative Thinking: A brief guide for Teachers, John Wiley and Sons, UK. Dyer, J, Gregersen, H & Christenson, CM 2009, ‘The Innovator’s DNA’, Harvard Business Review, December 2009, viewed 13 February 2017, https://hbr.org/2009/12/the-innovators-dna Fisher, R 2002, ‘Creative Minds: Building communities of learning for the creative age’, Paper at Thinking Qualities Initiative Conference, Hong Kong Baptist University, June 2002. Hurson, T 2007, Think Better: An Innovator’s Guide to Productive Thinking, McGraw-Hill, Sydney. Jackson, N 2008, Tackling the Wicked Problem of Creativity in Higher Education Surrey Centre for Excellence in Professional Training, University of Surrey, England, viewed 13 February 2017, http:// imaginativecurriculum.pbworks.com/f/WICKED+PROBLEM+OF +CREATIVITY+IN+HIGHER+EDUCATION.pdf Jones, C & English, J 2006, ‘A Contemporary approach to entrepreneurship education’, Education and Training, vol. 46, no. 8/9, viewed 13 February 2017, http://eprints.utas.edu.au/828/1/p416.pdf Ritchhart, R 2002, Intellectual Character: What It Is, Why it Matters, and How to Get It, Jossey-Bass Publisher, USA. Harvard Project Zero n.d. ‘Creativity Routines’, Visible Thinking, viewed 13 February 2017, www.visiblethinkingpz.org/VisibleThinking... ThinkingRoutines/...CreativityRoutines Robinson, K 2008, ‘Changing Education Paradigms’, Speech given at Royal Society of Arts, UK, June 1008, viewed 10 February 2017, http:// www.cfpscourseweb.com/pluginfile.php/1099/block_html/content/ RSA%20%20Ken%20Robinson%20Lecture%20-%20transcript.pdf Robinson, K 2011, Out of our Minds: Learning to be Creative, John Wiley and Sons, UK. St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School 2016, St Margaret’s Framework of Quality Teaching and Learning 2016, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, Brisbane.

Visions 2016, Top Enterprise Skills Australian Employers Are Looking For, Connect Testing, viewed 10 February 2017, http://connecttesting. com.au/top-enterprise-skills-australian-employers-are-looking-for/

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Creative Hunt A routine for looking at parts, purposes and audiences Creative Questions A routine for generating and transforming questions Does it fit? A routine for thinking creatively about options Options Diamond Exploring the tensions of decision making routine

Options Explosion A routine for creative decision making Step Inside: Perceive, Know, Care about A routine for getting inside perspectives

Nicole Walker Secondary Teacher

Synergy

through sound The concept of synergy sees differences being valued and perspectives being acknowledged as ‘the whole is [deemed] greater than the sum of its parts’ (Covey 1989, p. 262-263). Music students are familiar with this reality as they perform in groups and compose for vocal and instrumental ensembles. However, to explore this concept to a greater degree, the senior Music class of 2017 composed works for the instrumental ensemble Topology. As part of their unit Seasons of Change, the students embarked on this task that required instrumental parts to be written for violin, viola, double bass, saxophone and piano. Traditional instrumental sounds were explored and consonant harmonies were challenged as the students were inspired by the changing images and forces of nature. Utilising contemporary technology, students frequently recorded short motivic ideas into their phones and later transcribed these into the Sibelius notating program. This point of the creative journey often marks the completion of students’ school compositional work within a classroom context.

However, mirroring a scene change in a play …. enter Topology! This ensemble of professional musicians was founded by Dr Robert Davidson, who is also the Senior Lecturer in Composition at The University of Queensland. Topology’s belief that ‘everyone is creative’ (Topology Music 2016) was experienced as these musicians collaborated and inspired our music community in this ‘shared musical adventure’ (Topology Music 2016). Interestingly, the musical connections Topology makes possible are replicated in the diversity of mathematical connections evident in topology concepts within the Maths discipline.

Upon reflection, many students who had previously considered the performing dimension to be their strength, realised that the music within them has great value and potential.

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The Topology incursion in May 2017 saw the completion of student drafts and the exciting reality of hearing compositions played live in front of a peer audience. Tinged with some understandable apprehension, the students maturely engaged in this workshop, witnessing the creative process in action. Their music sprang off the pages and resonated through the Arts Centre, much to the delight of The Arts and Drama staff! Trust was high as the students contributed to meaningful dialogue, receiving supportive feedback and ideas on which to ponder. Dr Davidson praised the melodic lines the students had written, distinct evidence of their vocal maturity. Xanthe Lowe-Brown (Year 11) commented that: The Topology Incursion was an empowering experience and the suggestions put forward by the professional musicians has certainly enhanced my composition! I was delighted with the kind feedback from the quintet about my ‘beautiful’ melody and the way I captured the mood, atmosphere and emotions of my chosen image. The incursion provided insight into the various ways instruments can reach their full potential in terms of tonality and articulation throughout the composition. Upon reflection, many students who had previously considered the performing dimension to be their strength, realised that the music within them has great value and potential. This experience highlights the importance of Dweck’s Growth Mindset (2014). The empowering nature of experiencing new and unfamiliar contexts is broadening horizons and establishing connections beyond our classroom walls. Additionally, the development of Emotional Intelligence

has occurred. Goleman’s teaching (2004) in this area clearly aligns specific actions with passion and the development of strengths in many areas. Likewise, Senge’s belief that team learning aids the capacity to ‘look for the larger picture that lies beyond individual perspectives’ (2013, p.10) encourages the composition process to flourish in the future. As our creative journey continues, the students will operate with increased resilience and self-efficacy, aware that abilities and skills can be developed. Bandura’s belief (1998, P.53) that one’s perceived self-efficacy, ‘a judgement of one’s capabilities’ is enhanced by ‘mastery experiences’ (p. 54) has certainly been experienced in this context. The students’ positivity serves as a reminder of the importance of being lifelong learners, meaningfully working with others to embrace challenges, enhance outcomes and experience the possibilities presented to us. References Bandura, A 1998, ‘Personal and collective efficacy in human adaptation and change’, Advances in psychological science, vol. 1, pp. 51-71. Covey, SR 1989, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The Business Library, Melbourne: Dweck, C 2014, The power of yet, viewed 8 April 2017, https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=J-swZaKN2Ic. Goleman, D 2004, ‘What Makes a Leader? Insider the mind of the leader’, Harvard Business Review. Jan 2004 Issue, pp. 82-91. Senge, P 2013, ‘Give Me a Lever Long Enough … and Single Handed I Can Move the World’, in M Grogan (ed.), The Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. Topology Music 2016, Our Vision/Mission, Topology Music, viewed 10 March 2017, https://www.topologymusic.com/about/ our-vision-mission/.

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DISCOVER

the St Margaret’s DIFFERENCE

• • • • • • • • •

Small school (under 1000) where each student is known and nurtured Personalised approach to learning Flyers Program for high achieving students and elite performers Supervised Study Sessions offering free after hours homework support Outside School Hours Care Year 10 Global Exchange Program Diverse day and boarding student population A wide variety of subject choices and alternative pathways Outstanding educators committed to nurturing the next generation of young women

St Margaret’s PRE-PREP - YEAR 12

BOARDING YEARS 5-12

Interviewing NOW

for entry into 2018 to 2020

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St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School 11 Petrie Street Ascot QLD 4007 T: (07) 3862 0777 E: admissions@stmargarets.qld.edu.au www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au St Margaret’s School Council Ltd ABN: 69069684019 CRICOS Code: 00511K

Sunata Edition 7 Principal: Ros Curtis Editors: Karen Gorrie, Wendy Johnston Graphic Designer: Pam Smiles Photographer: Victoria Nikolova

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