At first each participant could watch footage of the teacher for a period of one minute and then make their judgement. Things became very interesting when they minimised the amount of video footage that the participants viewed. When they cut the video from 60 seconds to 10 seconds the rating of each teacher remained the same. It was even more amazing when they cut the video down to two seconds and the participant impressions remained the same.

Students who had been sitting the class throughout the semester also completed their end of term feedback and it was highly correlated with the video participant data.

Two seconds.

What does this mean?

How could a teacher’s body language from a 2 second clip tell you about the learning environment of students?

Why would the perception of a teacher be virtually the same as the opinion of a student who had worked with the teacher for a semester?

Last month we had the chance to meet with Valerie Hannon from the Innovation Unit. It was a great opportunity to hear about the innovation projects that have been developed in education, local government and social justice. Specifically in education I was encouraged by reading about the 10 schools for the 21C and also 10 ways to 21C education.

Since returning back to SCIL I have been encouraged to think about the people that are influencing and guiding my innovative thinking. By meeting with people who I wouldn’t normally spend time with, by going to places where I wouldn’t normally go, by immersing myself in strong cultures and then reflecting on the experiences I am beginning to see how this affects my teaching and learning practice. Go climb a tree, get a different perspective.

It was an amazing experience to visit Simon Langton Grammer School in Kent, UK. As part of the SCIL 2011 Study Tour we met with school leaders who informed us of the leadership structure and vision of the school. There were a few key comments they made that have provided me with some food for thought.

Firstly, they wanted their students achieve more than just the National Curriculum. Rather than setting up programs and classes based on the curriculum they organised teaching and learning modules that were based on innovation, creativity, character development and community involvement. They found that students were much more engaged with this model.

Next, they encouraged each teacher to be researching and learning so that they could be role models for students. The passion and enthusiasm that teachers show is rubbing off on the students and the research they are producing is amazing. Some staff are allocated one day of research to four days of teaching and learning.

When speaking with the students about why they enjoy learning at Simon Langton Grammer they suggested the following:

- Management of the teaching and learning environment is strong;

- Opportunities for students in many disciplines;

- Resources that help to engage learners; and,

- Enthusiasm and passion of teachers.

One of the school projects involved students generating electricity via their foot steps along a school corridor. They could then see how much electricity was required to light different areas of the school.

Next, we are looking at how we operate as a team. We’ve just started reading The five dysfunctions of a team. Lecioni suggests that conflict can be a good thing as this helps to force clarity and closure. I’m looking forward to seeing how this will impact our collective work.

A few weeks back I attended a great session with

Ewan McIntosh about learning spaces. It was a good

chance to consider the ways that students communicate,

interact and learn. Then, of course, it was interesting

to realise that most of these means aren’t used for

learning in schools.

I thought it could be helpful, for my own thinking,

to reflect on some 21C teaching and learning strategies

that have helped to form my teaching and learning

perspective for  different learning spaces. (And in light

of the session with Ewan, consider how these new

learning spaces could be used).

“We are on the cusp of change, moving from

teacher-centred to learner-centred models, from

face-to-face to digital, from synchronous to

asynchronous, from solo to group learning,

coloured and improved by technology.”

 Alexi Marmot, AMA Alexi Marmot Associates

I believe the biggest change that is required from

teachers today is that of moving from teacher-centred

to learning-centred models. Chalk and talk was the

experience that most current teachers experienced

at school and therefore it becomes

our native language in the classroom. While this may

be a comfortable zone for the teacher, this is hardly

a method that will help to engage students given their

variety of learning styles. The idea that teachers

‘control’ the classroom as opposed to guiding and

encouraging learning is another area

of transition that is important for student learning.

‘A learning space should be able to motivate learners

 and promote learning as an activity, support 

collaborative as well as formal practice, provide

 a personalised and inclusive environment, and be

flexible in the face of changing need.’

Designing Spaces for Effective Learning

A guide to 21st century learning space design

The layout of rooms and spaces for learning can have

a major impact on how students approach learning and interaction.

I have been challenged to think about the best ways that

Room design can assist student learning. Sometimes

this will be in a large group, other times in a small group,

and then other times working

individually. I’ve noticed that when there is flexibility with

the design of a room it is easier to look after the learning

needs of students.

The other areas that I see as being vital ingredients of

21C learning include:

personalised learning, project based learning and technology

that aids learning.  This document has helped me to see

how I need to keep on developing my understanding of

21C learning so that students not only meet the curriculum

outcomes for school, but more importantly develop life

long learning skills.

.

1. Learning – Students should be active and engaged in their learning. This can occur when learning is personal, self directed, collaborative and relational. Charles pointed out that schools require high levels of systems and high levels of empathy.

2. Technology – It was interesting to consider the three types of available media: old, industrial and digital.

3. Innovation – Discussion centred around the  Cs of innovation: Crisis, Curiosity, Combination, Connection, Conversation, Challenge, Commitment and Co-creation.

• I can record sessions during class and then upload them to our school’s moodle (Learning Management System);
• During class I can broadcast examples of student work through the projector and celebrate great work and point out areas for improvement;
• If students are struggling with a particular concept or question then I can create a step by step explanation that they can watch in their own time;
• When absent from school I can still leave resources for student that assist their learning.

Lately I’ve been reading about two types of leadership that are prominent in school leadership systems today. The first, transactional leadership, is where each aspect of a team’s performance is broken down into separate transactions. It is a leadership style where each person works out of a sense of duty and the chief motivator for staff is either reward or punishment.

Transformational leadership is where team members are inspired by a clear vision from a leader. Rather than just completing day to day tasks team members are aware of a bigger picture that the leader has laid out. Silva, D.Y., Gimbert, B. and Nolan, J. (2000) notes that transformational leaders in schools will,

‘help redesign schools, mentor their colleagues, 
engage in problem solving at the school level, 
and provide professional growth activities 
for colleagues’

They also found that transformational leaders,

‘navigate the structures of schools, nurture 
relationships, model professional growth, 
encourage change, and challenge
 the status quo’

So a number of questions arise.

Have you considered your current leadership style?

What strategies could be followed in order to develop transformational leadership?

 

Article
Silva, D.Y., Gimbert, B. and Nolan, J. (2000) 
‘Sliding the Doors: Locking and Unlocking
Possibilities for Teacher Leadership’, 
Teachers College Record 102(4): 779–804.

These are some of the apps that have been most helpful.

Adobe Ideas – These has been a helpful drawing tool for students. Once the student has worked through the solution I can email the screen shot directly to them.

Splashtop - This is a remote desktop app which provides access to my laptop. It has been very helpful to access different files and resources mid-lesson. Additionally I can play flash files on the iPad with this app.

Mercury – This has been my browser of choice due to the tabbed web pages and gestures options. I can easily navigate through our moodle pages as well as other websites.

You can personalise the gesture menu to your liking.