Teacher TALK Your
FREE
education & lifestyle magazine for Australian teachers
SEPT 2015 EDITION - VOL 3 For your FREE monthly subscription, go to www.teachertalk.com.au or like us at www.facebook/teachertalkaus
Students describe qualities of Great Teacher
School uniforms a blessing or a curse?
CLICK TO READ
Computers Look Like an Obstacle to Learning
Classroom Discipline: Rethinking Teachers’ Ways
FITNESS AND SELF COMPASSION
Teacher TALK
From the editor Dear Teachers
I
t is with great pleasure that we present to you our third edition of Teacher Talk. Our subscriber base continues to grow and we received some valuable feedback this past month from you, our teaching community. Teacher Talk aims to be an inclusive magazine sharing useful articles to assist teachers both in their workplace and in life in general. Within this edition, we share some articles on topical issues, including an approach to inclusive education,
about us
divergent opinions on school uniforms and interesting insights into how IT is impacting education. Teacher Talk appreciates contributions from educators on any topic - ranging from useful teacher tips to opinions on current educational matters, or just ideas on how to improve our magazine. Please do not hesitate to send in articles to me on editor@teachertalk.com.au. Also, please email the link to our free electronic copy to your teacher colleagues. Free monthly subscriptions can be easily accessed on our website - www. teachertalk.com.au.
Editor Tania Cohen editor@teachertalk.com.au Sub-Editor Donna Surdut Creative Director Toni Bernal production@teachertalk.com.au Marketing Director Liz Green advertising@teachertalk.com.au
Sales
Happy Reading! Tania
Yifat Oron 0450 122 412 yifat@teachertalk.com.au
INSIDE
04 NAPLAN, One-size-fits-all 05 Literacy Planet 06 Uniforms - blessing or curse? 08 Inclusive education 10 Computers: obstacle to learning 12 Teaching bad ideas 14 Educators and Social Media 16 Great Qualities of Teachers 18 Fitness & Self Compassion 20 Tropfest: Calling for Entries 21 How teachers taught 22
3
Stacey Potash 0416 353 086 stacey@teachertalk.com.au Sophie Berman 0410 667 447
What Spelling Bee can tell us
sophie@teachertalk.com.au Subscription accounts & enquiries
04
accounts@teachertalk.com.au
Teacher TALK Level 11, 151 Macquarie Street Sydney, NSW 2000
22
Australian ISSN Application Form Teacher Talk 2205-1252
Teacher Talk Disclaimer: Except where expressly stated otherwise, content in Teacher Talk is provided as general informations only. The articles in this paper have been contributed by a third party. The opinions, facts and any media content here are presented solely by the author, and Teacher Talk assumes no responsibility for them. It is not intended as advice and must not be relied upon as such. You should make your own inquiries and take independent advice tailored to your specific circumstances prior to making any decisions. We do not make any representation or warranty that any material in the papers will be reliable, accurate or complete, nor do we accept any responsibility arising in any way from errors or omissions. We will not be liable for loss resulting from any action or decision by you in reliance on the material in the papers. By reading the papers, you acknowledge that we are not responsible for, and accept no liability in relation to, any reader’s use of, access to or conduct in connection with the papers in any circumstance. Photographs submitted by individuals or organisations are assumed to be their property and are therefore not otherwise credited. All articles in this paper have received the expressed consent of the author to publish in this paper.
21 14
Teacher Talk Publisher: Teacher Talk Pty Ltd (ABN 73130322575) Comments or suggestions to: tania@teachertalk.com.au Article submissions to: editor@teachertalk.com.au Advertising: Liz Green e-mail: advertising@teachertalk.com.au Tel: 0416-070-404 website: www.teachertalk.com.au
4
Teacher TALK
LEARNING LANGUAGE By Misty Adoniou
T
he world is divided into three types of people. Those who can spell – and know it. Those who can’t spell – and are ashamed of it. Those who can’t spell – and pretend they don’t care. Spelling bees are full of the first type. They are usually clever kids who can do much more than spell. Spelling bees don’t do much for the self esteem of the rest of the population that struggles with spelling. However, we CAN all be good spellers and if we are not, it is because we haven’t been taught how words work. How do we learn to spell? We don’t learn to spell words simply by being surrounded by them. There are many avid readers who can’t spell. Educated adults know around 60,000 words and they didn’t learn to spell those words just by remembering the look of each one. Spelling isn’t about “looking”. We don’t learn our words by their sounds. Not only can hearing impaired students spell – and spell very well, as evidenced by one of the contestants on the Great Australian Spelling Bee – but most words simply cannot be sounded out. Spelling isn’t about “hearing”. Spelling is about “meaning”. When we know what the word means but can’t remember how to spell it, thinking about the meaning can help us spell it. When we read a word and don’t know what it means, unravelling its spelling can help us understand the word. How DO words make their meaning? The two questions we should ask when trying to spell a word are: What does this word mean? How does this word make its meaning? Children usually spell magician as they hear it – “majishun”. If we ask them to think about what the word means, they will tell us it is a person who does
What spelling bees can tell us about learning to spell – and what they get wrong magic. That gives us the base word magic, and now we can hear the “ic” ending that disappears in magician. Knowing the word is from French helps us choose a “g” to make the middle sound in “magic”. Magician makes its meaning by adding the suffix “ian” to the end of magic. This turns the base word magic into the person who does that word. It is a suffix that does this work in many other words that end in “ic”, e.g. electrician, physician and mathematician. Understanding how magician makes its meaning uncovers the logic of its spelling. English spelling is not random and chaotic but neither is it natural and innate. English spelling is a human invention that has evolved over 1500 years of invasions, explorations, innovations, exchanges and egos. It needs to be taught. Spelling improves learning in all areas of schooling. When spelling is focused on meaning, and how words make their meaning, spelling improves and so does reading, comprehension, writing and vocabulary across all subjects. For example, when teaching the concept of perimeter in mathematics, the teacher can unpack the two meaningful parts of the word, “peri” – meaning around, and “meter” – meaning to measure. This helps students spell the word, but it also teaches them that perimeter means they must measure around the shape. This clearly differentiates the mathematical concept of perimeter from area – two concepts students often confuse. It also turns a long word of nine letters into two much more manageable chunks to learn to spell. Knowing what the word means makes it easier to spell. (Courtesy of Network Ten) What can we learn from spelling bees? Watching contestants in spelling bees can show us how good spellers spell. In the big US spelling bees, which have been captivating that nation for decades, the contestants are allowed to ask a number of questions as they attempt to spell their words. They can ask for the meaning of the word and this helps unpack any of the meaningful parts of the
word. For example, magic and ian. They can ask to hear the word in a sentence so they know what kind of word it is, and this may help them decide how to spell some of the sounds they can hear. For example, choosing ian rather than ion. They can ask for the word’s origin and this can help them decide which letters are most likely to represent the sounds they can hear. For example, choosing g rather than j, and c rather than k in a French origin word. Before giving their answer they often write the word to visually check their spelling. Each of these questions gives an insight into how good spellers tackle spelling. They don’t just memorise a dictionary. What do spelling bees get wrong? We learn to spell words best while they are doing their day job – communicating. Spelling bees take words away from their day job, and place them in some sort of party game. Words do nothing and mean nothing when they sit by themselves in long lists - randomly selected and disconnected from context. When spelling words are learned from isolated lists, they are learned as a discrete skill and quickly forgotten. This explains why the words learned for the Friday spelling test are often forgotten by the time Monday comes around again. An opportunity lost? The only question some contestants asked in the Australian version of the Spelling Bee was “Can I have the definition of the word?”. Perhaps the other questions which feature in US spelling bees were not allowed. That would be a shame, because having the children simply bark letters back at the judge just reinforces the misconception that good spelling is the freakish talent of a lucky few, and robs us all of an opportunity to improve our own spelling. Misty Adoniou is a Senior Lecturer in Language, Literacy and TESL at University of Canberra Source: theconversation.com
Teacher TALK
5
One-size-fits-all is past its NAPLAN use-by date EDUCATION By Pete Goss and Jordana Hunter
E
very year, NAPLAN tests provide a snapshot of how students are performing in Australian schools. The scores shed light on what students know, and how this varies across Australia. Changes over time allow us to see whether performance has improved or stagnated among schools and individual students. But we don’t want this information for the sake of interest. We want it to lead to better learning. Unfortunately, preliminary results for 2015 don’t bring a lot to cheer for most states. Since the first NAPLAN tests in 2008, results in Queensland and Western Australia have improved for most year levels and most subjects. Yet the only areas of substantial improvement are in reading and grammar in year 3 in Queensland – no doubt helped by the introduction of a prep year in 2007. In other states, the only glimpses of improvement are in year 3 reading and year 5 numeracy. The percentage of year 9 students who meet minimum standards has stayed largely static. The big story from the 2015 NAPLAN results is how little has changed. This is troubling. It shows Australia has failed to improve learning, despite many years of concerted effort. International PISA tests show that several other countries are doing a better job. One in five of our 15-year-olds fall short of PISA’s minimum standard in maths, compared to only 9 per cent in the top 5 systems. Among our strongest students, only 15 per cent of our students reach the highest levels,
compared to 40 per cent in the top systems. It is easy to analyse NAPLAN results, much harder to improve them. You don’t fatten a pig by weighing it. NAPLAN data can’t tell governments what to do next. If NAPLAN results are to improve, we need to improve student learning. Tinkering with school autonomy or lifting community engagement, for example, will do nothing unless it improves student learning. Grattan Institute’s latest report, Targeted Teaching, shows that the most effective way to improve learning in the classroom is to target teaching to every student. This is hard work: teachers must be able to assess what each student knows now, target their teaching to what they are ready to learn next, and track each student’s progress over time. Targeted teaching represents a significant change from business as usual in many classrooms, particularly in secondary schools. But as the NAPLAN results make clear, business as usual is not producing the outcomes we want. Knowing where each student is starting from is the critical first step. NAPLAN results can help but they are not available until students are well into their fourth year of school. Teachers need more frequent and detailed assessments of learning to build an accurate picture for each student. Then they need to be able to use the data to work out how to target their teaching, based on where the student is at now. The typical classroom has a widespread of achievement – five to eight year levels between the strongest and weakest students, on average. In a year 7 maths class, for example, there may be
students working at a year 1 level while others have mastered concepts from year 8. This spread makes it imperative to move beyond a one-size-fits-all model, in which the same year-level curriculum is covered regardless of whether it makes sense for each student. Unfortunately, this model is all too common in many schools. Neither teachers nor schools can make these changes on their own. Governments must provide guidance and support, including the time, tools and training that teachers and schools need to adjust their approach. Some schools are making targeted teaching a reality. In NSW, these efforts have been supported by the government’s Early Action for Success program in disadvantaged primary schools as well as by the Diocese of Parramatta in its primary and secondary schools. These initiatives help teachers to collect accurate data on each student’s learning and target their teaching in response. Change will take time, and sustained effort. A new approach to teaching the five-year-olds who start school in 2016 won’t show up in year 3 NAPLAN results until 2019 or in year 9 results until 2025. We do know that if we keep doing the same things, we are likely to get the same outcomes. For the sake of our children, we need a better approach. Published by Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday 5 August. Source: http://grattan.edu.au/report/ targeted-teaching-how-better-use-of-data-canimprove-student-learning/
Get 50 teachers from your school to subscribe (for free!) to Teacher Talk and receive
1 YEAR’S FREE SUBSCRIPTION to
A Complete School Music Management Solution See page 17 for details
For further information e-mail leora@myschoolmusic.com.au
6
Teacher TALK
Leading online literacy resource adds a ‘guided learning’ mode TEACHING TACTICS Literacy Planet
A
ustralian-developed online education resource LiteracyPlanet has launched an exciting new development for schools. A new student guided mode features comprehensive and Curriculum-aligned content for literacy development in a structured adventure-style learning path for students. When students log in they are presented with exercises matched to their level in the form of a quest-style adventure. The adventure allows students to progress at their own pace and is ideal for self directed learning. The student guided mode requires teachers to only choose their students’ level of ability which can be done individually or as a class group, and include multiple year levels. The exercises are then mapped out accordingly to form a learning journey that has been designed by educators. Teachers can use the new mode in combination with LiteracyPlanet’s teacher guided mode where they assign tasks and differentiate learning. According to LiteracyPlanet CEO Adam McArthur the development makes the resource
more flexible and easier to use, and is in response to requests from teachers. “We spend considerable time consulting teachers, and they tell us they want effective tools for the classroom that can be implemented quickly and easily without time-consuming administration.” The new student guided mode reflects the trends in eLearning towards automation and self-directed student learning. McArthur said the initial feedback from teachers had been fantastic: “Teachers are telling us they are really excited by this and it’s exactly what they want. It gives them a trusted and effective resource to help with literacy teaching that is flexible and can be easily used in different ways.” Designed for students K-9+, LiteracyPlanet features 1,000s of interactive games to support the teaching of pre-reading, phonics, sight words, reading, spelling, comprehension, grammar and punctuation. LiteracyPlanet merges game-based learning for children with evidence-based teaching methods and content that supports the Curriculum, with proven results. Schools actively using LiteracyPlanet tend to achieve
5-10% higher than the national averages in the NAPLAN literacy skills tests. According to McArthur the most important thing for students about LiteracyPlanet is that they find the gamified aspects of it fun. Students have a customised Avatar, they can play against their friends, earn points and see themselves on global leaderboards. “We pride ourselves on building a program that delivers the best improvements in literacy outcomes, while being fun and engaging for students. The student guided mode is literacy education packaged into an interactive learning adventure. When learning is fun it comes more easily. Positive learning outcomes naturally follow.” To celebrate the launch of the new student guided mode LiteracyPlanet is offering schools that subscribe by October 30, 2015 the rest of 2015 free, a special report on eLearning in the Australian Classroom and a classroom pack with Curriculum guides and merchandise for students. To learn more about LiteracyPlanet’s new student guided mode and register for a free school trial go to www.literacyplanet.com.au
The leading online literacy resource for Australian schools is now even better NEW
Student guided learning mode We have done the planning for you. Students simply log in for their guided learning adventure. 1,000s of interactive exercises for K-9+ Developed by Australian educators Supports the Australian Curriculum Adaptable for differentiated learning Proven to improve learning outcomes Fun game-based learning that students love!
Special Introductory Offer Start a free trial today and confirm your 2016 subscription by 30 October 2015 to receive: • Remainder of 2015 free • A copy of our special report: eLearning in the Australian Classroom • Free LiteracyPlanet Pack: Curriculum guides, stickers, certificates and more!
Start your school’s 30 day FREE trial today Sign up at www.literacyplanet.com.au or call us on 1300 565 696
8
Teacher TALK
Better to have all the kids matching?
SCHOOLING
School uniforms – a blessing or a curse? By Eva Dobozy
W
hether it’s parents complaining about the cost of school uniforms, or students complaining about having to remove their nose piercing, the majority of public and private schools have uniform and dress policies with varying degrees of strictness. I have researched the benefits and downsides of school uniforms and, while there is no conclusive empirical evidence to say whether uniforms are beneficial for formal learning, the way schools conduct rules and enforce policies teaches students more about civics than the curriculum does. WHAT ADVOCATES OF SCHOOL UNIFORMS SAY Sense of community and belonging There is a general perception that school uniforms can reinforce a child’s sense of community and belonging, especially when the child is young. Improvement in student behaviour The media have established that many parents and, I am sure, also a considerable number of teachers, believe that school uniforms contribute to improvements in student behaviour. However, there is insufficient evidence that supports this belief. Less violence As the media have shown, there is a general belief that school uniforms contribute to improved student discipline. Interestingly, however, there is verifiable
data that shows that alternative education systems, such as Montessori schools, which generally have a “free dress code”, report less discipline problems and student suspensions than other schools. This example shows that there are many variables that contribute to acceptable or unacceptable student behaviour. Less competition and peer pressure concerning fashion items In our fashion-conscious society, there is a concern that teenage girls, but also boys, may be under substantial peer pressure to dress in a particular way and if they do not do so, they may be less accepted by their peers or even excluded from their social circle. Proponents argue that school uniforms negate this issue by requiring everyone to dress the same. The reality in our highly technological world is that peer pressure simply manifests itself in different ways. WHAT OPPONENTS OF SCHOOL UNIFORMS SAY Source of discontent and rebellious behaviour When children get older and have a stronger urge for control and independence, they are much more sensitive to how the school represents itself, what it values and what it stands for. Opponents of school uniforms say they too often invite and contribute to rebellious behaviour and present an opportunity to challenge authority. Hypocrisy – ‘do as I say, not as I do’ During my research, I saw a young male high
school teacher punish a Year 9 student for wearing sunglasses when walking into class. The teacher told the student to take them off. The student slid them on top of his head instead of taking them off as directed. The student was given “lunch detention”, meaning that he was not allowed to socialise with his friends during lunch time, but instead was required to eat his lunch in silence in the “detention room”, facing the wall. What was most disturbing about this incident was that the teacher was wearing sunglasses on top of his head for the duration of the lesson. He may have forgotten that they were there, but this is a powerful example of how school uniform policies can be interpreted very narrowly and be the cause of major and often unnecessary problems. Demotivation with schooling Children who are in trouble at school because of overzealous policing of “rule breakers” are not going to be motivated to attend school regularly, try hard in classes, or have a sense of belonging. They are much more likely to feel frustrated and alienated, which can and often does lead to truancy and premature departure from high school. Impose financial hardship on poor or financially struggling families School uniforms cost a lot of money. For example, my son’s year 12 leaver’s jumper cost over A$250 and he was attending a local public high school. Although I find this unreasonable, I felt compelled to purchase the “leaver’s jumper” for him anyway.
Teacher TALK AN IMPORTANT LESSON IN VALUES What is important to remember is that decisions about school uniform policies and practices have great implications. School students all around Australia complain about what they perceive as “unfair” practices concerning school uniforms. An example of these many complaints shows these policies are no trivial matter: I go to a public school. I was told I could not wear my headpiece which is part of my cultural heritage to
9
objection to the wearing of uniforms then the schools concerned are risking those students’ education by imposing sanctions in pursuance of a policy which does not have a legal basis. What is perhaps most important is to remember that schools have an important role to play in the teaching and learning of the value of democracy. Teacher and school leaders should be mindful that they teach children certain values in their day-to-day classes. Hence, the teaching and learning of civics
I go to a public school. I was told I could not wear my headpiece which is part of my cultural heritage to school. The teacher told me if I wore it to school again he would confiscate it. Can he do that?
school. The teacher told me if I wore it to school again he would confiscate it. Can he do that? School staff have an obligation to know and adhere to the law concerning school uniform policy. The Queensland Ombudsman noted in a 1998 uniform complaint case: I am … concerned if schools are attempting to compel the wearing of uniforms when they have no legal power to do so. If parents or students have an
and citizenship happen through daily life and not through the imparting of curriculum content. Students (and parents) have a right to know not only what a school’s uniform policy is and how it is enacted, but also what it aims to achieve, if it is lawfully enacted and who can request changes to the policy. Eva Dobozy is a Senior Lecturer, School of Education at Curtin University Source: theconversation.com
School dress code policies can have significant implications
Teacher TALK A connected teacher community is a strong teacher community.
Subscribe for our free monthly magazine at www.teachertalk.com.au or like us at facebook.com/teachertalkaus
10
Teacher TALK
Inclusive education means all children are included in every way, not just in theory
EDUCATION By Kathy Cologon
R
ecent articles on The Conversation and in The Guardian question whether inclusive education can do more harm than good – but neither article presents examples of inclusion. Rather, they present tragic examples of exclusion that are claimed to be inclusion-not-working. What does ‘inclusion’ really mean? There seems to be a lot of confusion and misinformation about what inclusion actually means. Inclusive education involves the full inclusion of all children. No children are segregated. Supports for inclusion are embedded within everyday practices. If aides are employed they circulate around the classroom, or spend time assisting the teacher and making adaptations to materials, rather than being off in a corner with one particular child. There are no separate areas or curricula for children who experience disability. All children are supported to be involved in all aspects of learning. At one school I visited in my research, a young boy with Down syndrome was learning a modified version of sign language, which supplemented his spoken language, with the rest of his class. His teachers completed a one-day keyword sign workshop at the start of the year. His teacher introduced a unit on Auslan (Australian sign language) where all of the students learn about Auslan and learn new signs together each week. Learning sign language in this way did not single him out. However, it did create the opportunity for him to share his knowledge with his peers and support their learning, while also supporting him in his communication. This example provides only one snapshot of inclusion within a classroom experience, but it illustrates some key elements of inclusion in action. The child in this example participates in the classroom experiences with the other children in the class, but with supports and adaptations as needed (for him and his peers). That each child has individual differences is not ignored. It is embraced and valued as what makes each person unique. The goal is not to make any child “normal”, but rather to grow and learn together. The child who experiences disability could be sitting in the same classroom, separate to his peers,
with an aide who may or may not be using sign language. However, this would not be inclusion – this would be exclusion. Common misunderstandings of inclusion relate to (incorrectly) considering integration and inclusion to be synonyms; viewing inclusion as simply the presence of a child who is labelled “disabled” or “different” in a mainstream setting; thinking that inclusion is only about some people (instead of about everyone); and viewing inclusion as a process of assimilation. These misunderstandings of inclusion lead to macro or micro exclusion, which is sometimes mistaken for – or misappropriated as – inclusion. Macro exclusion is where a child is segregated into a separate classroom, unit, or school. Micro exclusion is where, for example, a child is enrolled in a mainstream setting, but is segregated into a separate area of the classroom or school for all or part of the day; where a child is only permitted to attend for part of the day; present but not participating in the activities along with the other children in the setting; or present but viewed as a burden and not an equally valued member of the class or setting. While the recent article on The Conversation claims to explore research on inclusive education, studies cited in that article explicitly represent examples of macro or micro exclusion. It is alarmingly common in research and practice for examples of exclusion (micro and macro) to be reported as being about inclusion. Special education commenced (gradually in the 1900s) as a then-revolutionary idea that children who experience disability can and should receive some form of education. In the main, this was an important first step towards social justice for children who experience disability, who were previously routinely denied any formal education at all (albeit with some exceptions). Following this commencement of formal education for children who experience disability, the 1960s and 1970s saw the development of ideas of “normalisation” and “integration”, as questions began to be raised about whether segregation was actually the best approach to education. The 1992 Disability Discrimination Act made it unlawful for any setting to discriminate against a person on the basis of disability (though with some caveats). This paved the way for much greater integration and, eventually, for inclusion.
Since then, philosophical arguments and relevant research progressed from the initial recognition that children who experience disability can and should receive some form of education to the idea that children are of equal value; that the education of all children (including children labelled disabled) should be of high quality; and, therefore, that education should be inclusive. INCLUSIVE EDUCATION VS SPECIAL SCHOOLS Contrary to what could logically be expected (given the higher teacher-to-student ratios and the special education training for teachers in special schools), there is no evidence that special schools have any benefits over mainstream schools. Inclusive education has been found to have equal or better outcomes for all children – not just for children who experience disability. This includes better academic and social outcomes. No evidence exists that special schools have any benefit over mainstream schools. It is common for parents and teachers to worry that the inclusion of a child who experiences disability will lower the standard of education for children who do not experience disability. However, research clearly demonstrates that this is not the case. By contrast, along with myriad other benefits of inclusion (including social and communication development and more positive understandings of the self), inclusive teachers engage with all children more frequently and at a higher cognitive level, with important benefits to all. Frequent claiming of micro (and even macro) exclusion as inclusion creates significant barriers to, and confusion about, inclusion. Lack of understanding of what inclusion is, and subsequent unwarranted fear of inclusion, are also significant barriers. Inclusive education involves supporting each child in belonging, participating, and accessing ongoing opportunities, being recognised and valued for the contribution that he or she makes, and flourishing. Kathy Cologon is a Senior Lecturer, Institute of Early Childhood at Macquarie University. Source: theconversation.com
ourschoolapp A Customised App 4 Up to date information Preschool
Springfield School
4 Highly Secure
Year K
First Name
Year 1
4 Track member usage
Last Name
Year 2
Year 3
Mobile Create Password
Year 4
Repeat Password
Year 5
Take your FREE trial email info@ourschoolapp.com.au
Next >
Chess Club
Customised with your school name, logo and colours
Customised for parents so they see only information relevant to them!
For all communication to parents calendar
alerts
blogs
newsletters
media
School Music concert The school music concert will be held on Saturday, 16 July 2015 at 9.30am. Please can you indicate whether you will be attending.
ALL
Preschool
Preschool class has ... Room 23B, Springfield Campus
Preschool, Year K
Year 1
Year 1
Community Annoucement ALL
Room 23B, Springfield Campus
Preschool
• Up to date events • Sync capability to personal diary • Automatic event reminders
• Alert notifications
• Consolidated news view
• In App alert list
• Accessible on the go
• RSVP to events
ourschoolapp
• Direct media to specific school groups • Consolidate courses.
…Up to date school information on the go.
For a free trial, contact us on (02) 8073-4690 or email us at info@ourschoolapp.com.au
12
Teacher TALK
Computers Look Like an Obstacle to Learning TECHNOLOGY One with the Internet. Photographer: Nicolas Asfouri/Getty Images
By Leonid Bershidsky
I
nformation technology is great, but it may not be making kids smarter, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which has an authoritative program for assessing school education quality, and has published a report showing that increased computer use in classrooms leads to lower test scores. The researchers compared data from 2009 and 2012, the most recent sets of testing under the Program for International Student Assessment. As you might expect, the number of computers in schools and households increased in those three years, as did the time kids spent online. In OECD countries and in Russia, a student spent, on average, two hours a day online in 2012, and 25 minutes of that time was at school. That figure undoubtedly has increased since then, given the proliferation of cheaper mobile devices and laptops. The use of computers for schoolwork has increased, especially in Western countries. Education systems in Australia,
the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway were the leaders in integrating tech. In Norway, 67 percent of students reported having used spreadsheets in math lessons and 31 percent said they had used a computer to draw graphs. In Australia, kids spent almost an hour a day online at school. In Denmark, 35 percent had access to school-provided tablets. Yet, there are some outliers: Japan, China and even tech-loving South Korea, where the share of students using computers at school declined to 42 percent in 2012 from 63 percent in 2009. They may be on to something. The OECD study found that the use of computers was negatively correlated with improvements in
student performance on math tests: And this doesn’t apply only to math: In countries with higher numbers of students who frequently browse the Internet for schoolwork at school, reading performance
tends to improve more sluggishly than in others, or even to worsen: In line with these findings, students in Korea and other Asian economies, where computers are less integrated into the learning process than in Australia or northern Europe, perform better even on computerbased assignments, including what PISA calls “digital reading� -- dealing with online content that includes hyperlinks:
Teacher TALK
The decline in performance becomes especially noticeable in countries where students often use online chats for schoolwork. They “may be missing out on other more effective learning activities,” the report suggests. And less computer use in class doesn’t mean kids aren’t comfortable with technology: According to the report, Korean and Singaporean students are better than anyone else at Internet navigation because they are “already proficient in higher-order thinking and reasoning processes in other domains.” The study’s results are not clear-cut, however. Australian kids are good at online reading, and Danish and Norwegian
schoolchildren score high in math, defying the negative relationships charted in the report. Teaching quality matters. In Norway, teachers are good at letting kids practice on their computers rather than just watching demonstrations. The general problem is that teachers often aren’t very adept at using technology themselves. Like most of us, they picked up their skills as they went along, and they often are no better than students at coming up with productive ways to use computers. Both the kids and their teachers are wandering in the dark. As the report puts it: Schools and education systems are, on average, not ready to leverage the potential of technology. Gaps in the digital skills of both teachers and students, difficulties in locating high-quality digital learning resources from among a plethora of poor-quality ones, a lack of clarity on the learning goals and insufficient pedagogical preparation for blending technology meaningfully into lessons and curricula create a wedge between expectations and reality. If these challenges are not addressed as part of the technology
Make yourself heard.
plans of schools and education ministries, technology may do more harm than good to the teacher-student interactions that underpin deep conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking. In most cases, teachers are better off sticking to imparting universal concepts and reasoning skills. Students will figure out how to apply them online, or in any other environment. Working on digital skills may be useful -- a generation of Excel wizards appears to be emerging in Norway, for example -- but tech is developing so fast that these skills could become as obsolete as, say, analog photography expertise is today. It’s appropriate that that schools should try to prepare children for life in the 21st century, but there’s no way they can be sure life won’t change as dramatically in the next decade as it did in the last 20 years. It makes sense to keep to basics. Leonid Bershidsky is a Bloomberg View columnist. He is a Berlin-based writer, author of three novels and two nonfiction books. Source: www.bloombergview.com
3
reasons to advertise in Teachers Talk
1. M ost competitive rates guaranteed! 2. C irculated to all schools in Australia. Teacher Talk is always interested in new content. Should you wish to publish an article, please e-mail – editor@teachertalk.com.au
13
3. F ree design work. Contact Stacey on 0416 353 086 or email at advertising@teachertalk.com.au
Teacher TALK
14
Teacher TALK
TEACHING TECHNIQUES By Greg Ashman
B
ack in 2012, I attended a conference in Sydney about school improvement. Although the speakers were there to talk about a diverse range of topics, many took the chance to disparage ‘transmission teaching’, where the teacher stands at the front and talks to the class. They knew that their audience would welcome this view. Such a scene encapsulates much of what is wrong in the strange bubble of education conferences. Educators often talk to themselves. They give a nod and a wink to each other to signal their alignment with values that are not necessarily shared by members of the general public or even other teachers. While real policy decisions are made by government ministers outside of the education establishment, this does nothing to puncture the groupthink; educationalists merely characterise such decisions as coming from know-nothing, philistine politicians who impose their views on experienced professionals. It might make sense for educationalists to be so dismissive of policymakers if the processes of education were grounded in strong evidence, as they are in medical practice. However, a lot of what is pursued by educationalists actually flies in the face of the evidence. For instance, on the issue of using phonics to teach children to read, there are three national reports from the UK, US and Australia which all support the largely common-sense view that learning to read by sounding-out words works. Yet influential educationalists still express scepticism, and it seems that teachers are still not trained effectively in phonics. Transmission teaching, to which the education establishment is so opposed, is basically what most people think of as ‘teaching’. A teacher will stand at the front of a class, explain some
Educationalists: teaching bad ideas concept or new bit of terminology, and then ask the students some questions about the new concept or term to see if they have understood it. This offends the sensibilities of those who don’t like the idea of teachers being sources of authority and would prefer pupils to ‘construct’ their own knowledge. Countless studies comparing transmission teaching with constructivist approaches find in favour of transmission teaching. Again, this is simply common sense. Instead of letting children flounder and make the same mistakes generations of children have made before them, a skilled teacher can pre-empt these problems, focus students on more fruitful avenues and explain why in the process. But this is not what teachers are encouraged to do. In an influential book for the National Academies Press in the US, the constructivist position is explained in terms of the children’s book Fish is Fish. In the story, a frog visits the land, and then returns to the water to explain to his fish friend what the land is like. You can see the thought bubbles emanating from the fish as the frog talks. When the frog describes birds, the fish imagines fish with wings, and so on. The implication is that we cannot understand anything that we have not seen for ourselves; each individual has to discover the world anew. If this were true then there would be no point in books, because it would not be possible to communicate ideas through words. There would be no point in magazines or the internet, and no point in education conferences. A large part of what many educationalists believe to be best practice can be easily falsified by everyday experience. Educationalists’ fondness for therapeutic approaches to education is also undermining good teaching methods. Yes, teaching pupils directly – giving them strong and clear
instructions and guidance – might be a more effective way of getting them to pass exams, so the argument goes, but what of developing students’ character? If we allow students to work out how to solve problems on their own, they say, then we will help them build their resilience. In short, we are asked to accept the logic that we should teach children badly in order to prepare them for life’s frustrations. Sadly, it seems that UK education secretary Nicky Morgan has bought into the idea that schools should help build children’s characters. However, the education world is changing. Teachers are starting to ask questions using social media, blogs and even through their own conferences. One notable success has already been chalked-up by the blogger Andrew Old, who forced a change of tack from the Ofsted, the English schools inspectorate. Ofsted had been effectively enforcing constructivist methods on teachers by criticising them for talking to their students or for not organising enough group work. Old assiduously collected the evidence of this on his blog, forcing Ofsted to issue new guidance to inspectors. Frustrated politicians of all stripes are unleashing unprecedented disruption on education systems by creating new kinds of schools and new ways for teachers to qualify. It is sad that it has come to this, but educationalists who have ignored evidence in favour of ideology for such a long time will finally have to reckon with the unleashing of teacherled critique. Greg Ashman taught in state schools in London for 13 years before moving to Australia. He now teaches in a country town and writes a blog about education. Follow him on Twitter: @ greg_ashman Source: www.spiked-online.com
• Your one-stop shop for laboratory design, fabrication and installation • Laboratory fitout specialists • Over 30 years experience • All products locally manufactured within Australia • Extensive refurbishment and furniture experience within schools, universities and industry
amicuslabline.com.au +61 2 9498 3992 sales@labline.com.au
16
Teacher TALK
What Educators Want From Using Instagram and Social Media SOCIAL MEDIA By Jason Papallo
M
any teachers want to use social media in their classrooms but just need some guidance. What better way to find out what works than for educators to talk with one another. Understanding the legalities of minors posting personal information on social media accounts for class, general ways to use Instagram and other social media effectively in the classroom, and finding a sense of equality and ethical standard within BYOD policies, were only a few of the highlights of the expansive conversation on using such tools in K-12 at this year’s EdCamp Connecticut. “I make them make a new account,” said one educator regarding students working with Instagram for classroom assignments during a discussion on using the popular social media platform. She continued to say that doing it through school emails was the most secure way of starting off. Other educators suggested using universal accounts with one username and password for the whole class on Instagram and other social media sites, providing that the students are trustworthy enough not to highjack the account for their own personal assessment. A recent University of Phoenix College of Education poll conducted in April shows that 13 percent of the 1,002 K-12 educators surveyed are using social media as a learning tool. The data also found that 62 percent of those surveyed were reluctant to bring social media into the classroom, with only 45 percent believing it offered educational benefits in the growing spectrum of available digital learning tools. Michael Nash, an instructional technology specialist at Ellington Public Schools for grades 7-12, highlighted that it all depends on population when it comes to working with social media, including trusting students with access to class-wide accounts. “The health teacher was doing this [project] on awareness around healthy eating, so she started a hashtag so that kids could post good ideas around healthy eating - it was a
no-sugar challenge,” said Nash. “The students were not receptive to posting on their personal accounts.” Nash recommended having a teacher account despite asking students to use their own. One educator noted that personal accounts could be tricky due to the nature of content that students may post, including things that are inappropriate to associate with a school project. “They’d say: ‘This is my private space, not my school space,’” chimed in another teacher. “So it’d be a tactical error for them to use it in that sense.” Four out of five of K-12 teachers surveyed in the University of Phoenix College of Education poll believe there could be issues with both parents and students over social media use, with a quarter of responders saying that they were intimidated by students’ deep understanding of mobile devices. Robin Doherty, a grades 11 and 12 English teacher from Malden High School in Malden, MA, offers utilising social media as an option for extended projects, such as using Instagram while students act as a marketing agency that posts for the class. She goes by the Instagram username MSDMHSENGLISH, and offered samples of what her students shared on Instagram through the hashtag #T3Reading. “It was a term three reading project…they need to know that if we use a class hashtag, I don’t need to be following them to see it,” said Doherty. The project covered mini book reports and other fun tidbits during their assigned reading, she said. An elementary teacher from from Ellington saw benefits to the public nature of Instagram as an image-sharing service. “There’s a great opportunity for communication between school and home [over Instagram] because if parents can see what work their kids are doing through looking at a hashtag, that’s a neat thing, and I feel like they’ll take more ownership that way,” she said. She also wants to begin using it to share her anger charts for professional development use
by other educators. She cited that she finds charts on Pinterest all of the time, and is just started diving into Instagram to get the same type of material. Others suggested posting homework assignments, citing wide-use of Instagram amongst students, and Doherty describe her students as a generation that was imagebased, which the room readily agreed with. The University of Phoenix College of Education poll also showed that limited training in tech tools topped the list of concerns for today’s teachers, with nearly half wanting to learn more about EdTech. While 95 percent of those surveyed had experienced training related to classroom technology integration, 62 percent said it was minimal training, or they had none at all. Events like EdCamp CT, which was held at The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Conn., this year, offer educators a chance to collect knowledge while sharing from their experiences. Article by Jason Papallo, Education World Social Media Editor, Education World. Souce: http://www.educationworld.com/ reprint_rights.shtml Education World [www.educationworld. com] offers teachers, parents, students, administrators, and school technologists a place where they can start each weekday of the school year with a wealth of new, practical content. Education World now incorporates SchoolNotes [www.schoolnotes.com], the leading school-to-home communications platform.
CALL US:
1300 761 480 The easy and affordable online registration and administration system designed specifically for school music programs.
A Complete School Music Management Solution Our web-based system integrates all aspects of organizing your school music program: management of students, instrument management, parent rostering and reminders, document management, emailing and many more features including online registration. Accessible securely from anywhere, anytime. STUDENT AND ENSEMBLE MANAGEMENT View and manage all your student information, ensemble and instrument details, all contact information, medical data, and much more.
INVOICE AND RECEIPTS MANAGEMENT Create and email music invoices, manage receipts and send reminders with ease.
ONLINE REGISTRATION AND RE-ENROLMENTS Parents can register online for your music programs using a customisable registration form.Annual re-enrolments are all performed online, ensuring information remains accurate and up to date.
MUSIC CONTACT MANAGEMENT View and manage all contacts for your music program: committee members, school staff, conductors, music stores etc. Send emails to one or more contacts from any web enabled device at any time.
AUTOMATED PARENT ROSTERING & REMINDERS Create rosters for parent supervision duty. You have the option to allow parents to select dates themselves online or for the system to randomly allocate parents to roster dates. Automated email reminders can be sent to parents 7 days and 1 day prior to duty to avoid missed parent duty.
PARENT PORTAL AND COMMUNICATION A parent portal is available for parents of children enrolled in your school’s music program to see relevant events and messages and to access forms and information. Through the portal parents can also register or re-enrol their children in the music program, update contact information, select parent supervision duty dates and complete online permission slip packs.
INSTRUMENT AND HIRE MANAGEMENT Keep a full inventory of all your school instruments, including all history. Manage the hiring, repairs and servicing of your musical instruments.
TUITION TIMETABLING Set-up tutorial slots, then allocate children to tutors and timeslots. Manage tutorial attendance.
BAND CAMP MANAGEMENT Create all your music camp permission forms for parents to complete online. View and manage the completed information. Allocate children to cabins for overnight stays. Keep all music camp information and files together online so as to avoid lost information from year to year.
EVENTS CALENDAR View and manage all your school music events from an easy to use events calendar. Rehearsals are automatically added to your calendar for each ensemble. Then add any additional events and performances. Events on your calendar are displayed in the parent portal.
DOCUMENT AND EMAIL LIBRARY Save, organize and share all your music program documents and email templates in one place with full control over who sees each document.
REPORTS Select from our list of standard reports to access information you need from the system. Customisable reports can be created for your school on request.
More detail on functionality available at www.myschoolmusic.com.au
Teacher TALK
18
Students Describe Qualities of Great Teachers TEACHING
educationworld.com
V
iewing students as consumers -and consumers with strong ideas about how their instructors should treat them as learners and individuals -- can help good teachers become great teachers in the eyes of the people who matter most, according to a new book, Included: Tips for building relationships with students. Much research has been devoted in recent years to what makes a good teacher -- education, content knowledge, student test scores, evaluations. Little consideration has been given to the views of teachers customers -- the students who sit in their classrooms everyday. Students, in fact, have a lot of opinions about what makes a good teacher. School administrators Kelly E. Middleton and Elizabeth Petitt captured some of those pointers in their book, Simply the Best: 29 Things Students Say the Best Teachers Do. Suggestions range from the very simple -- smiling at students and knowing their names -- to more personalized efforts, such as attending student events and
visiting their homes. Middleton and Petitt argue that the best teachers take a customer service approach to education and focus on making connections with students and getting to know them as individuals. Teachers who do that, they write, see greater academic progress and fewer discipline problems. The two authors talked with Education World about their book and the pervasive effects of positive relationships with students. Education World: Why is building relationships with students more important these days? Kelly E. Middleton, Elizabeth Petitt: Relationships always have been integral to the teaching and learning process. However, building relationships in schools is becoming a non-negotiable -- something schools must embrace to ensure student success. Data suggests that, unfortunately, many students have little contact with their parents or other adults. Yet, the need exists within each individual to feel connected and to belong. Without an intentional focus on relationships,
and systemic efforts to develop those for every student, the likelihood exists that many students will become chronically disengaged from school. EW: What are the benefits of strong student-teacher relationships? Middleton, Petitt: Research from a variety of perspectives indicates a strong correlation between positive student-teacher relationships and student success in schools. Those include: • increased student learning and desire to achieve at high standards; • decreased negative behavior incidents and dropout rates; • increased school satisfaction and motivation; • increased sense of student self efficacy; • improved positive attitudes toward school; and • improved student social-emotional skills, such as caring, empathy, social responsibility. Dr. Robert Marzano suggests the quality of relationships teachers have with their students is the keystone to effective
Teacher TALK classroom management, and perhaps even to the entirety of teaching. As one learns about having high expectations for all students through strong student-teacher relationships, it becomes apparent that relationships impact almost every aspect of education, from student achievement and closing the achievement gap to school safety. In fact, relationships permeate the culture of a school and indicate either a positive or toxic culture within the school. EW: How would you respond to the concern that teachers putting a focus on customer service could lead to lax classroom standards? A focus on customer service allows one to have higher standards and greater expectations because we know that students will work harder for educators who believe in them and who demonstrate in words and actions they care about them. Middleton, Petitt: The first reaction to that statement is that actually the opposite is true. A focus on customer service allows one to have higher standards and greater expectations because we know students will work harder for educators who believe in them and who demonstrate in words and actions they care about them. Perhaps Dr. James Comer said it best when he shared, “No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship”. Customer service that includes making connections with students and building relationships is not allowing students to do whatever they want in the classroom. It is not about becoming the students friend. It is about conveying to students’ that you know who they are; you have high expectations; you will treat them with respect; you will give them opportunities to demonstrate mastery of learning, even if it requires providing some additional assistance beyond the initial instruction; and that you honour the relationship that exists between you and every student, each and every day, without favoritism. EW: What do you think are the toughest to implement of the 29 things students say the best teachers do -- and why? Middleton, Petitt: Students want to know how that what they are learning is important in the real world. They have an innate desire to understand why it is important to learn a
particular concept on a particular day. One of the toughest suggestions to implement professionally is relevance and real-world application. No one can argue with the importance and need to consider that aspect during instructional planning. However, the ability to incorporate relevance and realworld application with each instructional concept in each content area often proves to be a difficult task. The toughest of the 29 for teachers personally to implement probably relates to admitting making a mistake and knowing how to recover successfully. Sometimes as teachers, we are pre-programmed to think we need to be perfect; we need to have all the answers. Many equate mistakes with eroding student and administrative confidence in ones teaching ability. However, based on research, it is often better to make a mistake and recover from it successfully than never to make a mistake at all. Students see many desirable behaviors modeled when adults admit their errors. How can we teach students to take academic risks if we never convey through our own words that failure and overcoming a mistake are valuable learning experiences? EW: What would you say to teachers who say they are already overwhelmed and can’t take the time to visit students’ homes or attend their athletic events? Middleton, Petitt: Many of our teachers would probably reply, “Not taking the time costs you even more in the long run!” One of our teachers was asked by a group of teachers from another school district about how one goes about getting buy-in from other staff members who are reluctant to embrace that concept. Her response was: “Do you want greater student motivation and fewer discipline problems in your high school? That is what I’ve witnessed as a teacher, and my colleagues would say the same! Schools are bombarded with increased expectations coupled with fewer resources, including unfunded or underfunded federal or state mandates. Many of those expectations stem from the battle cry for more accountability and testing, or more paperwork and policy geared toward a plethora of school issues. As we reflected on the efforts in our schools, we asked, Whats the most important thing in our district? We came to the realization that we
19
had lost sight of the student, that is knowing who he or she is, taking time to interact, building a rapport between the home and school, and taking ownership of the individuals and how we interact with them in our schools. The majority of educators chose the profession because of the student-teacher relationship and their desire to make a difference in the lives of others. What we are observing is that a focus on developing positive relationships reconnects staff members with why they initially chose to become teachers. EW: How can teachers be better prepared to build relationships with students? Middleton, Petitt: A teachers content knowledge is crucial in improving student achievement. However, we must first see the students as individuals and what each brings to the table in terms of interests, strengths, gifts, and areas for growth. Building relationships begins with the simple things that matter most to students -- smiling at them, using their names, knowing who they are and what they like, allowing them to know who you are as a teacher, being consistent, not being afraid to admit you made a mistake -- and proceeds to thinking about how to use the relationship to connect students to learning and to give them ownership in the process. It means valuing who they are and what they have to say. We like to think of it as treating all students like you would want your child to be treated. John Dewey once said that what the best and wisest parents want for their child should be what we want for all children. This e-interview with Kelly F. Middleton and Elizabeth Petitt is part of the Education World Wire Side Chat series. See more at: http:// www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/ chat268.shtml#sthash.UP9XiUIG.dpufx Source: http://www.educationworld. com/a_issues/chat/chat268.shtml Education World [www.educationworld. com] offers teachers, parents, students, administrators, and school technologists a place where they can start each weekday of the school year with a wealth of new, practical content. Education World now incorporates SchoolNotes [www.schoolnotes.com], the leading school-to-home communications platform.
20
Teacher TALK
Fitness and Self Compassion:
A Psychotherapist’s View LIFESTYLE
yourself that you have a choice: you can accept where you’re at today, and give your body kindness and gratitude, or you can reject and judge yourself. Keep doing what feels better.
By Sophie Clark
Q&A with Psychotherapist Megan Bruneau
M
egan Bruneau is a trained psychotherapist with extensive experience helping people struggling with issues related to perfectionism. Due to a desire to face new challenges in her professional career, she is now working for a wellness startup called Aloha.com that specialises in nutrition and holistic wellness. Megan explains the importance of mindfulness and self-compassion when pursuing health and fitness goals.
First, could you tell me a little about yourself and your current work with ALOHA? Sure! I’m trained as a psychotherapist, and have spent the last few years specialising in perfectionismrelated concerns—namely: anxiety, depression, self-confidence, and eating disorders. I struggled with all of these to some degree, myself, prior to working in the mental health field. At the time, I was working as a personal trainer and suffering deeply inside. My struggle manifested in anorexia and bulimia, overexercising, anxiety and depression. I was prescribed yoga by my physiotherapist after yet another running injury, and from there discovered the healing qualities of Buddhist philosophy. My personal experience informed my educational pursuits: After obtaining my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Family Studies, I pursued a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology. From there, I started a blog focused on self-compassion. A few months ago, after several years in the field, I decided to shift from Vancouver to NYC to step out of my own comfort zone. I’m now working for a wellness start up, Aloha.com. I manage our internal and external communities and I am involved in branding and marketing. It’s definitely the challenge I was hoping for! Do you have any advice for people who are struggling with their self-perception or injury that has impacted their capacity to be physically active? Practise self-compassion! This means be gentle with yourself. Injury is challenging on multiple levels—
not just in a physical sense. It’s common for those who identify as athletes, or people who generally place their self-worth in their physical fitness, to feel lost and notice their self-esteem plummet. Those who are used to relying on endorphins and a sense of accomplishment from exercise or sport will also find they aren’t able to rely on those coping mechanisms anymore. Remind yourself that you’re healing; see it as an opportunity to develop new and different (healthy) coping mechanisms, and be kind to yourself. What do you think about social media and its capacity to inspire people who want to pursue their fitness and wellness goals, but also potentially encouraging harmful selfcomparison? Through mindfulness (paying attention to our inner experience), we are able to learn what serves us and what does not. When you look up ‘fitspirational’ Instagram accounts or images of models (many of whom look the way they do because of their genetics), it’s easy to feel inadequate. There are also many ‘motivational’ sayings out there that can actually leave people feeling worse. Again, be realistic with your expectations. Be aware that like everything else, your body is impermanent and will continue to change, even after you reach your ‘ideal’. Finally, ask yourself if you believed in the past that reaching a certain goal would bring you happiness— and if that actually happened. Instead of placing your focus on the future, place it on the now. Remind
Do you have any advice for how to tell the difference between pushing yourself to your limits in a harmful way and persevering with fitness habits and goals in a healthy manner? Again, it comes back to being aware of your internal experience— both physical and psychological— and being honest with yourself. If you’re noticing it’s affecting your social life or relationships, causing anxiety or guilt, causing sleep difficulties, this might be harmful. Ask yourself, who’s in control here: you, or the gym? Finally, do you have any advice for people who want to provide positive encouragement to a friend or family member who seems to becoming obsessional in their pursuit of health and wellbeing goals? Above all, take care of yourself. It can be an extremely painful, anxiety-ridden, and heartbreaking process to watch a loved one self-destruct. We often feel powerless, frustrated, and desperate. Depending on the level of distress it’s causing in your life, it might be helpful to see a therapist, yourself; but, at the very least, ensure you have friends or family members to talk to about it. There is no magic formula to inflict insight onto another person, but compassion is generally the best avenue. Try not to accuse, berate, patronise, or rationalise the person you’re concerned about out of their behaviours. Instead, express that you’re concerned about them. Try not to attach to the idea that they must heal in order for you to live your life. This is something you can work on with your therapist, and far easier said than done—particularly if the loved one is your child or partner. Above all, though, make sure you have support. Practise self-compassion, know your limitations, set boundaries, and remind yourself that whatever you’re feeling is valid and normal. Read more: http://blog.theupsidesport.com/ fitness-and-self-compassion-a-psychotherapistsview/#ixzz3j8qiZqwD
Teacher TALK
21
Tropfest
Calling For Entries TROPFEST By Sandra Tiltman Growing from humble beginnings at the Tropicana Café in Sydney’s Darlinghurst, where twenty-three years ago, an eager crowd of 200 showed up to watch a short film screening organised by Tropfest founder, John Polson, Tropfest is now the world’s largest short film festival. Attracting a live audience of around 150,000 in Australia, the Festival has grown internationally, hosting standalone competitions in New Zealand, South East Asia, New York and the Middle East in recent years. This year’s Festival is expected to be Tropfest’s biggest yet and filmmakers from across the globe are being encouraged to enter. Scores of filmmakers compete annually for the chance to be one of the 16 finalists whose short films will premiere live to a national audience, as well as broadcast on SBS 2 to an even bigger home audience. Tropfest Australia is now calling for entries for the 2015 competition. Film buffs
will have an opportunity to unlock the door to stardom by having their stories screened to a massive live audience across Australia on Sunday, 6 December 2015. Along with enormous attention from the local and international film community, the winner of Tropfest will also receive a $10,000 cash prize, plus trip to Los Angeles for a week of meetings with film industry executives, as well as a Nikon D810 and $2,000 worth of lenses and accessories. Filmmakers are encouraged to submit films shot on their DSLR for their chance to take home the Nikon DSLR Film Category prize. Finalists who make an entry on DSLR are automatically entered into both the DSRL category and main competition, giving them the chance to take home two prizes. All you have to do is grab a camera and start shooting. Tropfest is open to anyone eager to tell their story through film, whether you’re a beginner or a professional. Films must be no longer than seven minutes and in Tropfest tradition, must contain the Tropfest Signature Item “CARD”. John Polson, Tropfest Founder and
Director, said Tropfest is a phenomenal launching pad for filmmakers. “It’s been twenty-three years since Tropfest began. Today the event is a ground-breaking opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their skills in front of the largest live audience a short film, or any film for that matter, can get.” Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events, Stuart Ayres, said the NSW Government is proud to be supporting Tropfest Australia 2015 through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW. “Tropfest represents an important event for the Australian film industry and we are thrilled this exciting festival will be returning to Sydney’s beautiful Centennial Park to host one of Australia’s most iconic cultural events. With 2015 entries now open, I encourage filmmakers across the nation to enter for the opportunity to have their film showcased at the world’s largest short film festival,” he said. Entries close on Thursday, 8 October.
Teacher TALK
22
How teachers are taught to discipline a classroom might not be the best way
TEACHING TACTICS By Anna Sullivan
T
he
national
education,
review released
of
teacher
last
week,
the following types:
“consequences” that increase in severity
• Low-level disruptive behaviours
and are used for all types of unproductive
• Disengaged behaviours
behaviour.
• Aggressive and anti-social behaviours.
usually begin with a warning, in-class timeout,
These
stepped
approaches
emphasised that teaching graduates
The results showed that low-level disruptive
out-of-class timeout, being sent to school
need to enter the classroom with practical
and disengaged student behaviours occur
leader, then suspension and exclusion. They
skills for handling a classroom, and not just
frequently, and teachers find them difficult
involve isolating students from their peers
knowledge of the subject they’re teaching.
to manage. Aggressive and anti-social
and removing them from their learning.
One of the most important aspects of
behaviours occur infrequently.
educating future teachers is teaching them how to manage a classroom.
How are teachers taught to deal with student behaviour?
This
approach
might
seem
sensible
because it allows the teacher to continue to teach and other students to continue to learn.
Research clearly shows that students
For many years, teachers have relied on
However, it ignores the root of the problem.
learn best in engaging environments that are
intervention strategies to curb unproductive
The “offending” students find it hard to get
orderly. However, all children are different;
behaviour, such as rewards – which are
back into learning after missing work and
they respond to discipline in different ways.
used to promote compliant behaviour – and
continue to disengage from schooling.
So how do we teach our teachers to manage
sanctions, which are used to deter students
all types of behaviour?
from disrupting the learning environment.
What sort of unproductive behaviour generally occurs in the classroom?
The teacher survey showed that 85% of teachers indicated that they had used
Not so long ago, schools across Australia
a “step” system involving an escalation of
readily used corporal punishment as a way
actions during the past week of teaching. Yet
of responding to inappropriate behaviour.
only 33.3% reported that it was effective.
Recently, my colleagues and I used the
Following the banning of corporal punishment
Teachers seem to realise that threats
Behaviour at School Study teacher survey
from most schools, schools introduced
and actions that remove students from
to investigate the views of teachers about
stepped systems.
their learning do not always work. This
student schools.
behaviour The
in
South
unproductive
Australian student
behaviours they identified were grouped into
Gone are the days when teachers can threaten kids with the strap. Stepped systems are a standard set of
is supported by an emerging body of international research. The evidence clearly shows that relying on punitive approaches
Teacher TALK to managing behaviour, such as putting
such as the teaching method and
students in timeout, are not effective
curriculum influence engagement and
at fixing the problem. In fact, they
therefore student behaviour.
exacerbate it over time.
23
The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) now
So what is more effective in stopping unproductive behaviour? Focusing on prevention is the key. Considering the physical environment, the curriculum and resources and the teaching method can prevent students from becoming disengaged and thus
requires all teacher education programs to ensure graduates can create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments. This is a significant development in teacher education. It recognises
becoming disruptive. Teachers should
the importance of the whole learning
teach problem-solving and conflict-
environment, rather than just focusing
resolution skills so students don’t resort
on managing student behaviour. There will never be one approach that
to aggression to cope with situations. Teacher education involves learning
can be applied across all schools and
how to establish not only engaging but
classrooms to prevent and respond to
orderly learning environments. We know
unproductive student behaviours.
that the most common behaviours
Teacher education courses need to
teachers are likely to encounter are
teach approaches, skills and strategies
low-level disruptive and disengaged
for
behaviours, so it is important that teachers learn how to prevent such behaviours from occurring in the first place.
handling
unproductive
student
behaviour in ways that are educative and caring, but, most importantly, that focus on how to prevent such behaviour occurring in the first place.
The Behaviour at School Study
Anna
findings show that teachers should
Sullivan
shift their attention away from focusing
Lecturer:
on trying to “fix” student behaviour by
Environments/Middle
using
at
rewards
and
consequences.
Instead, they should seek a greater understanding of how other factors
is
a
Managing
University
of
Senior Learning Schooling
South
Source: theconversation.com
Australia. Gone are the days when teachers can threaten kids with the strap.
Don’t miss these fantastic Asian Tours! CHINA September 19 to Oct 2. Shanghai, Beijing, Great Wall, Forbidden City, Xian, Terracotta Warriors. Suzhou , Yangtze Cruise, Pandas. most meals. $4500 per person twin. BURMA Departing January 15. Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and In Le Lake. 10 days $3995 per person Twin Share TURKEY Departing every Friday. Ask for quote VIETNAM Easter 2016 Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An and Saigon, Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta. $3599 per person twin share. CAMBODIA/LAOS June/July 2016. $3790 per person twin share. As well as tours we help you do your own tour. Don’t go without a quote from us. We have been trusted in taking locals on great tours to Asia for more than 10 years.
Terry Tremellen - Aussie Professional Tours - 0431 359 283 terrytremellen@hotmail.com
Your Easy “No-Dig” School Garden Greenfingers at School Those who discover the joys and benefits of gardening early will reap its rewards throughout their lives. Having a garden at school is a gift.
T
he ‘growing-food-in-schools’ movement is expanding. Research and practice has provided the multi-sided developmental and educational benefits of this earth-grounded and hands-on activity. Wise educators increasingly see gardens as essential parts of a school’s infrastructure. It seems there has never been a child who couldn’t find something to enjoy in a garden. Here are two key reasons why you should incorporate gardening into your school:
the garden in ways that are appropriate for purpose and which are sustainable in the long-term. at School The Greenfingers at School series published by User Friendly Resources provides teachers and learners access to specialised knowledge and guidance that is vital to meet this challenge.
Sustainability: Organic horticulture practised in a school’s food garden provides an on-site working demonstration of environmental management. This meets part of the requirement in schools for a cross-curriculum emphasis on sustainability. A garden and gardening programme may also work well in meeting other sustainability imperatives – for example, in the area of recycling.
The series demonstrates how: • Getting active in a garden provides physical exercise. • Mastering horticultural skills fosters self-confidence. • Food knowledge builds a foundation for sound nutritional habits.
Community involvement: With its high visibility and virtually universal interest, an organic food garden on school grounds can become a place for building the bonds between school and community. There are many opportunities for people from outside the school to become involved in a garden project. Managing this aspect in a positive way is covered in the published resource The Essential School Garden.
Here is how you can design, build and plant your own school garden: Preview my Greenfingers at School series online and get access to a step-by-step process to setting up a school garden that will produce edible plants throughout the school year. Ideal support for introducing school gardening projects this spring and summer. – Pauline McKelvey
For teachers and administrators in a school, the challenge is to develop and sustain a functional teaching garden that will fulfil its purpose, justify the investment of time and money and not cause problems. Success depends on setting up, developing and maintaining
Pauline is the author of Greenfingers at School series published by User Friendly Resources. She is a technical journalist, writer and editor. She now works extensively in school and community gardening as a facilitator and resource person.
What we do and what makes us different? User Friendly Resources specializes in creating and developing high quality supplementary curriculum and teacher support materials. They are designed with diverse learners in mind, and provide engaging and innovative ideas to supplement your teaching programmes. We know about curriculum, teaching, learning and learners first-hand because our books are written by teachers for teachers. With over 700 teaching resources and
25 years of experience, we’re worth checking out! We are looking for teacher authors. We are always looking for new authors. If you are from a teaching background, keen to share your idea on what has worked for you in the classroom, or perhaps have a resource in mind or paper that needs a platform then we would love to hear from you. Just send us an email – info@userfriendlyresources.com or give us a call on 1800 553 890.
TEACHING & LEARNING RESOURCES
Greenfingers
Important developmental needs of children are met simply by them being allowed to be in close contact with biological processes of growth.
Wr itten
BY TEACHERS, FOR TEACHERS
To place your order or to find out more go to: www.userfriendlyresources.com.au or call 1800 553 890