Poetry in the Classroom - Jo Hinchliffe

I received an email recently, from Jo Hinchliffe who is a Teacher who has a love of poetry. 

 "Over the past 20 years, I have specialised in the genre of poetry. I have visited hundreds of schools all over Australia conducting writing workshops for children in the classroom and poetry P.D. sessions for teachers."

Jo already runs a website with many things on offer;

http://johinchliffe.com/


Recently she contacted me about an exciting new facebook page called "Poetry in the Classroom".  Jo says this page is "an interactive poetry site for teachers to receive ONE POETRY FORM each week to model to their students and a facility for sharing of poems on this page."

Again, this facebook page is very new but we can expect more wonderful examples as time goes on. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Poetry-in-the-Classroom/401055643287540

Regards,

Mel

The Autism Enigma.

"Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the fastest growing developmental condition in the western world. There is no typical case and there is no accepted cure for it. Fifty years ago it was considered rare, affecting one in 10,000 children. Now the number of children being diagnosed with ASD in the United States is one in 90. The incidence is also rising dramatically in Australia."

 Full article:  http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2012/08/23/3574441.htm

This program will air tonight (Monday 27th August 2012) on ABC 1 at 8.30pm.

Thanks to Shayne Keenan, the Horsham/Wimmera CRT Network co-ordinator, for the heads up!

We'd also like to remind upper Hume CRTs that our "Autism Spectrum Disorder and Visual Resources" professional development workshop with Sue King is open for booking!

Regards,

Mel.

The wheels on the bus go round and round..

VIT CRT Networks are like a bus.  They are a wonderful vehicle for taking large groups of people to the places they want to go.  As Network coordinators we sit in the drivers seat and know some of the good places to take people to see the sights on offer.  

The question is, what use is any of that unless you have a bunch of people that want to go places?

Recently, while wandering through my duties as a Teacher and Network Coordinator, I had reason to revisit Dawn Colcott's paper, "The Professional Identity of Relief Teachers".

It opens with this;

"Teachers working in casual relief and emergency positions (CRTs) struggle to establish an identity within the profession. The nature of their work and professional isolation often means that they are marginalised by their colleagues and perceived to be a ‘lesser’ group of teachers. While this view of CRTs may have been justified in the past, CRTs deserve to be respected, as members of the profession because all teachers registered in Victoria are now required to meet and maintain professional standards."

This paper is from 2009, a few years ago now, so why does this strike me as worth commenting on now?

As a CRT I am frequently given feedback by the Teachers and Aides I replace or work alongside.  All too frequently many of us receive little feedback from schools directly other than the fact that they keep hiring us (VAGO report on CRT Arrangements, "Findings").  The other day I got some feedback as the Wodonga CRT Support Network coordinator;

An Assistant Prin brought up the fact that she has noticed the steady improvement in the quality of CRTs in the last 3 years. How they used to look at their lists of "possibles" at the beginning of the year and have to heavily prioritize which CRTs they could most rely on to actively teach. Often this led to only a handful of "high priority" choices. This year they had a much easier time choosing a lot more "high priority" (my term, not hers) CRTs they could access and are confident in hiring.

The activities of the Wodonga CRT Support Network were credited as one of the main driving forces behind this improvement and I was heartily encouraged to 'keep on doing what I'm doing'. This was a great piece of feedback for me to receive and made me as pleased as punch.  All my efforts were having a positive and measurable effect on the local school community.  Sometimes though, I wonder whether the credit for all this makes it as far as it should go.

The simple fact is that what I do is probably not even half of the story. That sounds odd to many people who know precisely what I do:- organize presenters for PD workshops, a venue for the meetings, catering for both, maintain a blog etc.  All that is, in the end, is providing an arena for things to happen in.

None of it works unless our members are genuinely interested in Learning.  Because of our membership "policies" there are a lot of CRTs taking advantage of the opportunities we provide to various levels.  

What we are noticing though is that there is a lesser and lesser focus on the PD hours required to maintain registration with each passing year. There is more and more focus on being good teachers.

Presenters and the Wodonga Network.

This is a short section and can be covered with one observation

We get presenters in from across the state to provide Professional Development for CRTs.  A common feedback comment is they really enjoyed themselves because the atmosphere is boosted because everyone seems to want to be there.  They counterpoint this with stories of other presentations where they have gone into a school to present and...

many of the participants just don't really want to be there.  They aren't disruptive, they dutifully learn what they are intended to learn.  They are quiet and reserved, more passive in their learning, and are the first to pack up and step out the door.

With our Network they notice something very different.  There are relatively few who are quiet and reserved though there are still those who head for the door.  The tables turn in a special way though.  The ones who head for the door aren't usually the ones who were quiet and reserved.  Apologies fly as they leave too!  The ones who were quiet and reserved hang back to discuss the workshop with the presenter, their colleagues or myself.

The presenters often comment on the difference in the atmosphere and the much higher level of the participant's general thirst for knowledge. 

They have felt left out in the cold for so long, lacking easily accessible avenues to the same types of PD opportunities as their full-time counterparts, but instead of being content to remain on the bottom rung they are eager to seize every opportunity to catch up with the rest of the Teaching community.

CRTs as a whole simply don't want to be "lesser" teachers.

As the driver of the bus you need those willing passengers to make it worth leaving the parking lot. 

While some are quick to congratulate me on my personal efforts with the Wodonga CRT Support Network and "what it has achieved", I think the role of local CRTs in this process is often given far less credit that it deserves. CRTs crave the knowledge required to be good at their jobs to the same extent as any other teacher.  While I think we can all agree that, in the past, there was a case to think of CRTs as "lesser" Teachers, the justifications behind this view are well and truly fading.

While the opportunities provided through VIT CRT Networks are sometimes hard work, none of that hard work will pay off unless there's CRTs out there actively wanting to engage in their professional growth as a Teacher.

If CRTs were, by and large, "lesser teachers" there would be no way we could have built the network up to the stage it's at.  It really is that simple. It is the desire of CRTs, their drive to learn, their desire to be good at what they do that makes it all work.

Our bus is going to a different destination but that doesn't mean it's a shorter journey!

"But they don't have to plan", "they don't work every day", "they don't have to write reports" I often hear from many.  Well, you know what?  They have to have a whole other set of other skills.  They don't have the luxury of taking a week to get to know their class and muddle through what works best for which student.  They have to walk into a class, figure out students inside of 10 minutes and know precisely what attitude to take towards which students and which behaviour management strategies are going to work.  Without being good at these things the students don't get the learning they deserve.

In that same 10 minutes they have to decipher a lesson plan, often understandable only to who wrote it, divine what they are supposed to be doing for the day, figure out exactly what the teacher intended them to get out of it and launch into productive teaching.  Planning may be work to full-timers but I assure you there's times you'd kill for the opportunity to have done the planning yourself.  How different are we when what full-time teachers consider work we consider a luxury?

All that in 10 Minutes is a skill permanently employed teachers just don't need.  While there's a lot of similarities between all teachers, there are things that are also different.

Being a CRT is "different" but that doesn't mean CRTs are "lesser".  The greater education community is slowly coming to understand that too.  VIT started CRT Networks because, although they consider CRTs "equals", they know they are different.  The DEECD created it's CRT Professional Learning Support Initiative because they now understand the role of CRTs in the Education System is crucial to it's operation and the expectations placed on them are higher than ever.

The people most in a position to continue this change in attitude and carry it through the entire education community are CRTs themselves.  If the CRTs of the Wodonga Network are anything to go by?

They are more than worthy of that task.

Well done each and every one of you, keep up the good work.  Even if you aren't getting the feedback directly, it's coming in and I can assure you that attitudes are changing and schools are noticing the difference!

Regards,

Mel.

More Newspaper articles for the archive!

We got an Email through from Shayne Keenan yesterday, Coordinator of the Wimmera Horsham CRT Network, with his periodic distribution of Newspaper articles.



 Thanks again Shayne!



Newspaper stories -

• Sun newspaper 19th August 2012 school funding.
• Schools beg for aid 17th August 2012
• Gonski response from Age 19th August 2012
• 3000 schools face funding cuts sun newspaper 19th August 2012.

As usual you can find these articles on our Skydrive.

Regards,

Mel.

Prezi Presentation Software

Recently, at Caryl York's PD workshop, she recommended Prezi presentation software.  After seeing it in action during her Workshop we thought it was well worth a look!

First of all, Prezi is available for free as long as you are willing to edit online.  The basic package is somewhat unsuitable for Teachers because it lacks the ability to make your presentations private.  The good news is that if you have access to an edumail account (or any email address with .edu in it) they offer a free upgrade to teachers and students.

We remind all CRTs that the DEECD has encouraged schools to supply CRTs who work for them on a semi-regular basis with an Edumail account so they can receive announcements and gain full access to Ultranet.  Please visit the school you work for most and ask for them to supply you with one.  If they are unaware of this memo (it went out a little while ago so newer members of staff may not be aware) you can find reference to this in the VAGO report, section 3.3.  Please remember that schools are encouraged, not instructed, to supply you with an edumail account.

Free is always a bonus but we all know how "free" often works.  It's a reduced-function copy of a premium piece of software aimed at the people who just can't pay 100's of dollars for the good stuff.  The end result takes longer to produce and isn't as polished as the commercial version would be.

All of which isn't that good for teachers, let alone CRTs.  You spend enough of your time on preparation as it is, the last thing you need is to stretch that out, and as a CRT you often need to be able to knock something out that's engaging and polished at a moment's notice.

So here's the good news!

 

Having never used the software before we took an opportunity to watch the basic tutorial videos on the Prezi website.  We then selected one of the templates they offer, threw in a bit of text and 15 minutes later we had produced the above Prezi presentation!

Not only that but you'll notice that we were able to embed the presentation directly into our blog through their supplied embed code.  You can also send links to Prezi presentations that you have set to Public for online viewing on the Prezi website. If you have a .edu email account, you can also download the presentation to run sans-Internet with the free education package.

The only "drawback" is that you must be online to create or edit your Prezi presentation.

Upgrading to the paid option for Educators ($59.00 US per year - 30 day free trial) upgrades your online storage to 2gb, gives you premium support and also lets you use Prezi Desktop to create and edit Prezi Presentations when you aren't connected to the Internet.

The web-based Prezi editor works on our Windows computer and our Android tablet through a browser and on the iPad (through the Prezi viewer app).  Prezi Desktop is available for Windows, MacOS and Linux operating systems. We have also played back Prezi presentations on our Windows computer, on android devices (through the standard browser) and also on an iPad (using the free Prezi viewer from the app store).  It is a pretty versatile tool for your toolbox!

Just what can you do with Prezi?

The magical theory of relativity on Prezi

A very intriguing tool.. I can't wait to set it to task in the classroom!

It's free and highly functional tool that's actually pretty easy to use.  The flow you can get out of a presentation makes it a lot more engaging than a "slideshow" too.  Very well suited to CRTs who often have to be more engaging than a regular teacher just to keep the kids on side and behaving well.

In our opinion it's well worth a look and you can check it out at http://prezi.com/index/

Regards,

Mel.

The "Reading Comprehension" workshop was successfully run on Thursday 16 August 2012.

The feedback on the workshop from those in attendance were very positive!  Unfortunately we have that bug going around and many were unable to attend due to personal or family illness.  We feel for you all and hope everyone gets well soon!

Estimated Cost per Head value: $85.00 - $125.00 (based on similar commercial PDs)

Cost per head we paid: $49.35

Cost per head for CRTs?   Gold coin Donation!

Offering this PD would not have been possible without some help. We'd like to thank:

• The Wodonga South Primary School for the venue.
• The DEECD for the CRT Professional Learning Support Initiative and the funding it provides
• VIT for starting and helping to maintain 24 CRT Networks across Victoria.
• and everyone who attended! 

We'd also like to take this opportunity as this marks the conclusion of our 3rd evening PD which officially marks the end of our trial run with them.

You have all shown us that the demand is certainly there to encourage us to continue to offer these opportunities.  Even though many were absent for Caryle, it indicates to us that these are also viable to run in areas outside of Wodonga where lower numbers are simply to be expected.

We look forward to bringing good quality PD for CRTs to a wider range of locations across the upper Hume region in the future!  It won't be immediately, there's a lot of organization involved, but this trial has shown us that it is definately worthwhile to devote the required effort to doing so.  

Regards,

Melinda Lichnovsky-Klock
Wodonga CRT Support Network Coordinator.

Blogging as Reflection?

When I first went about creating a blog I did some reading about teacher and education blogs and how they could be used to enhance communities of practice.  When we revamped the blogs back in 2011 I did some wider reading about the different roles Blogging can fill in Educational Systems.  I've tended to keep my eye in on certain subjects ever since.

One trend I've watched closely, and watch grow enormously, is Teachers using Blogs to reflect on their practice through editorials.  When I first started looking I thought to myself "hey, there's a great way to get your ideas out there into the wider teaching community" but it took a while to catch on to what was going on in a fuller sense.

Teachers were creating their own little networks of like-minded individuals.  People who read what they were writing and adding comments that helped them reflect on their practice and provide an incentive to move on to bigger and better things, keeping themselves on the cutting edge of Teacher Practice.

I take a different approach to this blog, it's purpose being part of the operation of the Wodonga CRT Support Network.  I'm looking to inspire further research in an existing Community of Practice rather than create a new one to help me reflect on my own personal experiences.  That doesn't stop me working my way through many teacher blogs in my own private search for opportunities to reflect on my practice as a Teacher.

Blogging is kind of unique for reflection in that you put yourself out there, on anything up to the global stage, to seek a wonderfully wide variety of feedback from just about anywhere in the world.  Sometimes you get a little bit institutionalized slogging away in any given educational system but Blogging can help you break that mould by inviting input from people in a different state's, or country's, educational systems.

It can be inspirational in that you can find answers to problems you face when your own educational system doesn't quite have anything to fill that gap.  Sometimes it's even inspirational when you see Teachers in less fortunate countries wishing they had what you have at a point when you are disheartened with your own system.

It can take some time to find the right blogs for you, or to start your own and build a community, but what a wonderful way to take a day-trip through global education!

Regards,

Mel.

Point Cook blog post: Create your own Professional Learning Network!

Yesterday Point Cook put up a good post about a resource that can help you learn to create your own Professional Learning Network.

http://pointcookcrtnetwork.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/creating-your-own-professional-learning.html

It's through an online resource designed for school library staff, educators, learning support personnel and curriculum leaders.  It's well worth a look considering the role Professional Networks will play in the upcoming National Professional Standards for Teachers.

Thanks Point Cook CRT Network for the heads up!

So, we are saying "we are doing our best to be your ready-made professional network".  Why would we also recommend this too?

National Standards for Teaching, Standard 6, 6.3 "engage with colleagues and improve Practice", "Highly Accomplished":

"Initiate and engage in professional discussions with colleagues in a range of forums to evaluate practice directed at improving professional knowledge and practice, and the educational outcomes of students."

While we can certainly cater to the "average" CRT, there's only so far we can take it before the new National Standards for Teaching move up into that "highly accomplished" level and start wanting you to branch out.

One thing we don't advocate is looking at the "career stages" and use that as if it's what you should try and achieve.  If you think you can achieve more, and want to achieve more, then we firmly believe you should be given every opportunity to do so.

Exploring the boundaries of what you are capable of is an excellent way of identifying your strong and "not so strong" areas as a Teacher.  I'm a CRT "by trade" but by exploring my personal boundaries and improving what that showed me I needed to improve?  I'm now also a CRT Network Coordinator, a moderately successful blogger, have come up with my own hands-on teaching strategies/resources, used them to become an effective Literacy tutor and moved on to also present those strategies in Workshop form to other teachers.

Aim high!

Regards,

Mel

The National Standards and Professional Networks.

With the new National Professional Standards for Teaching, Victorian Teachers have a newcomer on the block with regards to terminology; “Professional Networks”.  Since I used this in a previous post I have received a couple of emails and it has been made clear that I have clouded the issue of what constitutes a "Professional Network".

"Professional Networks" in this case does not mean Networks with a singular identity run by someone in a professional capacity.  It simply means a network of people in related Professions from which you can draw upon for information related to your Teaching.  

 It is simply the “job related” version of a Social Network and there's no reason a teacher can't build their own network of professionals.

The idealized version of a “Professional Network” when in regards to the National Standards for Teaching is a network which includes immediate colleagues in your field, colleagues in related fields, outside professionals dealing in some way with your field and outside social organizations or individuals related to your field.

•  “Immediate Colleagues” is other CRTs.
•  “Colleagues in related fields” means other educational professionals whether they be Principals or other school leadership, Teachers in permanent positions, Tutors or Aides for example.
• “Other Professionals” means workshop/seminar lecturers and the like who, although they do not teach in a classroom setting, still provide valuable information on teaching in classrooms.
• “Social Organizations” are “support” and similar groups dealing with related subjects such as Autism/Dyslexia, domestic abuse, low income and other factors that influence teaching and learning.  Parent groups also come under this heading.

Teachers are perfectly free to build their own network as much as access an organized group or network facilitating the same sort of access.  

The Wodonga CRT Support Network aims to facilitate access to all of the above and be a ready-made "Professional Network" for local CRTs.  This doesn't mean you should rely solely on the network if an outside source is what you need as a CRT.

However we do aim to be something you can use as your core "Professional Network" and also provide examples of the opportunities you can access beyond us to build your own "Personal Professional Network".

• By supplying PD workshops we are facilitating access to “outside professionals”.
• By holding collegial meetings we are facilitating access to “Immediate Colleagues” in a profession-related manner.
• By inviting guest speakers we are likewise facilitating access to “Colleagues in related fields” and “Social Organizations”.

A well rounded approach we believe allows us to become the core of the Professional Networks for local CRTs.

What must be kept in mind is that not all CRT Networks are operated in the same way.  Different CRT Networks have different focuses depending on the local needs of Students and CRTs but that in no way means they are any less important to the Professional Networks of CRTs.

Some Networks concentrate on providing local CRTs with accessible and affordable Workshop or Seminar based Professional Development opportunities.  While this doesn't constitute a "professional network", they are all bulletproof additions to any Professional Network you are trying to build.  They allow easy access to outside professionals without having to have access to these professionals to build a personal rapport with.

Likewise there are Networks who concentrate on the Collegial Learning afforded through scheduled meetings with other CRTs.  Again, while not a "Professional Network" in it's entirety, they are an excellent addition to your own Professional Network.  They provide ready access to other CRTs all on a basis that has been pre-organized for your convenience.

In both cases these Networks will help you make the connections necessary to build your own Professional Network. 

Regardless of it's particular focus, every single CRT Network in Victoria is a valuable asset to CRTs in building their Professional Network.  We urge all Victorian CRTs to consider their local VIT CRT Network as an option to include in their Professional Network.  We truly believe that each and every VIT CRT Network is an invaluable resource for it's members and are only going to get more valuable as time moves on. 

Regards,

Mel.

Speaking of National...

VIT and the DEECD are riding the crest of the wave in ensuring the Victorian Education System caters well for CRTs under the new National Curriculum with it's focus on Professional Networks.  No other state has gone to the lengths that Victoria have in ensuring that it's CRTs have full and easy access to the sorts of opportunities that they will need under the new National Standards to be considered "good teachers".

Very shortly we are going to provide an arena where you can state your case for why CRT Networks and funding for CRT relevant PD at affordable prices is important.  The aim is to show other state governments why it is very important for them to follow Victoria's lead on this matter.

We are doing this through Facebook using a Group where you can come and leave your feedback.  Anyone may read the comments but you must be a member to post.  To join, simply use the "join group" featureand I will try to make sure I check in every day to approve new requests.

We are aware that there's some drawbacks that some of you are experiencing with Networks.  Being the first we have some teething problems!  An abstract look at the problems you are having will not only let us do a better job as Coordinators but let other states try to come up with some solutions before the implementation of any program or initiative they wish to pursue!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/100668146749551/

Regards,

Mel.

Welcome to CRT Networks Clifton Hill!

We'd like to take this opportunity to welcome the newest addition to CRT Networks, Clifton Hill CRT Support Network, into the fold!  This brings the number of Networks operating in Victoria up to 25!

Good on you Sarah!


http://cliftonhillcrtsupportnetwork.blogspot.com.au/

Their blog now also appears in our sidebar list of CRT Network blogs.

Regards,

Mel.

New Skydrive Folder

Shayne Keenan, the Coordinator for the Wimmera and Horsham CRT Network, does a good job at keeping an eye on his newspapers for Teacher related articles.  He's been circulating the articles he finds to CRT Network Coordinators for the benefit of their members, just to make our lives a little bit easier.

Well done Shayne!  Keep up the good work.


Today we thought we'd create a permanent repository for them!

PD Documents folder on the Wodonga CRT Support Network Skydrive.

This is a Public folder so you don't have to be a Wodonga CRT Support Network member to read or download the files.

We also invite members, other Network Coordinators and even just frequent readers to follow Shayne's lead and do the same for the benefit of their fellow CRTs!

Regards,

Mel.

The new National Curriculum, National Standards of Practice and what CRT Networks mean for YOU.

Following our last meeting and her appearance as a Guest Speaker, we had a chance to sit down and discuss these things with Dawn Colcott, the Manager of Professional Learning for the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

Along with the new National Curriculum, a new set of National Professional Standards for Teachers are also being introduced.  The current VIT Standards of Professional Practice will be replaced with the new National Standards.

Today I will be dealing with Standards 6 and 7 and how they relate to CRT Networks in general and how the Wodonga Network is structured around these new Standards in particular.

As always you should remember that these are my musings and for rock-solid answers you should contact VIT to make sure you get all the correct answers right from the horse's mouth!  Like you, I'm just a CRT and I don't get it all 100% right the first time through either ;).

At the very least, you should now understand the reasons we put in the groundwork with our "what is PD" series of posts as well as the "Collegial Learning" series and why the Network considers Meetings very important even though attendance at them is lower than for Workshops/Seminars.

What are Standards of Practice?

Up front I think it's worth having a look at what "standards of Practice" are.  I recently fell into a trap with standards because of the current emphasis being placed on them through changes in registration requirements.  This was compounded further than many of you will experience because of my role as a VIT CRT Network Coordinator.

I made the mistake of letting myself think that Standards of Practice are all about a way to reference quality PD.  The new VIT Registration system takes out the old requirements and instead made the gage of their value or suitability by being "standards referenced".  The simple fact is that I deal so much with the VIT registration side of things that it altered my way of thinking.

Standards of Practice are the set of guidelines each and every teacher "should be following to be a good teacher".

From the AITSL website:

"The National Professional Standards for Teachers is a public statement of what constitutes teacher quality.  "

While I don't think it should be treated as some sort of "ticklist" it does set out a framework to what all the research points to as being the most worthwhile way to approach being a teacher.  In other words, keep your eyes open and when an opportunity to follow one of the standards presents itself, follow it.  

Dabble at least a little in each and every subheading when you can seize the opportunity to do so.  If you find that the dabbling is solidly improving your teaching then start doing a little more than dabbling in that area.

The current standards now and how Networks fit in:

http://www.vit.vic.edu.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/787_standards.pdf 

Standard 7:  Teachers reflect on, evaluate and improve their professional knowledge and practice.

Specifically sub-section 2:  Teachers work collaboratively with other members of the profession and engage in discussion of contemporary issues and research to improve professional practice.

and Standard 8: Teachers are active members of their profession.

Specifically subsection 1: Teachers contribute to the development of school communities that support the learning and wellbeing of both students and fellow teachers;

and subsection 2: Teachers work effectively with other professionals, parents/guardians and members of the broader community to provide effective learning for students;

This, in a nutshell, is where we currently fit into the standards of practice as members of VIT CRT Networks.  All VIT CRT Networks target one or more of these standards (and a couple others by default through simply offering opportunities for you to choose from) to various levels.  One of our primary functions is to supply you, Victorian CRTs, with relevant and valuable PD opportunities to maintain your registration.

The other primary function, the one we in Wodonga consider the more important of the two, is to provide Victorian CRTs with the right PD opportunities to become better teachers outside of those "100 hours in 5 years" or "20 hours in a year" parameters set to maintain registration.  We consider our blog and our PD workshops as new sources of fresh ideas to drive the collegial aspects set out above.

Being in a room full of CRTs helps you to reflect on and evaluate your professional knowledge.  It gives you a frame of reference to gage your own practice against a room full of people required to do the same things.  Being in a room of CRTs also gives you access to a pool of experience and knowledge to help you with improving those areas you think you could do with knowing a little more and strategies to help you improve.

We are also supplying a collaborative atmosphere where you can all work on the issues together whether it be to come to a deeper understanding of the issues and research as well as give you access to a wide range of applications.

The nature of CRT work being in more than one school, you are taking those collaboratively created understandings, skills and practical applications to many schools, helping to spread the results to the wider school community.

Standard 8 Subsection 2 is already covered.

The network itself is also designed around:

Standard 8: Teachers are active members of their profession.

Specifically sub-section 3: Teachers promote learning, the value of education and the profession of teaching in the wider community.

which is why we try to maintain such a high public profile through posters for businesses that support us, the use of mycommunityconnect.com.au and similar measures.  Why we supply you with business cards and encourage you to make others aware of the opportunities we offer.

You are helping to get the word out that CRT Networks are out there, CRTs aren't just babysitters and their goal is the same as any other teacher, to provide students with the best educational experience they can.

Many don't realize this but I do have parents/guardians pull me up and question me about the Wodonga CRT Support Network because word travels.  By handing out those cards, discussing the network and what it really means for education in a broader way, you are taking part in a chain of events that is promoting the importance and integrity of the teaching profession to the greater community.

All in all we are there to give you easier access to standards 7 and 8 and through that give you a greater knowledge of, and ideas on how to follow through on, the other 6 standards.

The National Standards.

http://www.teacherstandards.aitsl.edu.au/Standards/Overview

The national standards are a little different in that they put a very heavy focus on a few things that the current standards don't.

Primarily

Standard 7: Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities.

Specifically Proficient level:  Participate in professional and community networks and forums to broaden knowledge and improve practice.

and Highly Accomplished level:  Contribute to professional networks and associations and build links with the wider community to improve teaching and learning.

For Graduate/PRT members Networks also cover

Graduate level:  Understand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening Teachers' professional Knowledge and Practice.

the big difference with these new standards where CRT Networks are concerned is that a very heavy focus is now placed on accessing existing or organizing your own professional networks where before no specific source was emphasized.

Again, CRT Networks will offer this type of opportunity in whole or in part.  It will depend on the focus of the Network in which way your local one will begin to provide a gateway to these standards.  I do think it's worth saying though that if your local CRT Network isn't offering a full range of opportunities it's worth seeking out some other Professional Network whether it be a neighbouring CRT Network or something different.  A wide array of Professional Networks exist and even belonging to something like a Dyslexia or Autism support group can lead you to a greater understanding of how to best teach those students in the classroom.

Everything Networks have always done according to the current standards is still in the new National Standards,  there is just this new added emphasis on Teachers joining or creating professional networks.

Whether you need more PD hours or not, you are still expected to participate in these professional learning Networks to some level to be a "good teacher".

This particular writing has been on the wall for quite a while and was one of the major motivations behind VIT's move to help create CRT Networks in the very beginning.  If you scroll down to the post below this one, there's one particular quote I want to draw your attention to.

 In the 4th video, about 20 seconds in, Dawn Colcott says  

"From the Institute's point of view you're not second class teachers".

In our discussions with Dawn over the years it is clear that CRT Networks were created with one of the founding ideas being that these Networks were a pre-emptive response to these coming changes.  They are to provide Professional Networks that are 100% relevant to the specific needs of CRTs.

Again, it is important to note that the different CRT Network Coordinators are free to decide to what extent their Networks should approach section 7 of the new National Standards.  No matter how they approach it your local CRT network will prove an invaluable part of your professional network.

Some concentrate on the collegial meeting side, some concentrate on providing 100% relevant and easily affordable PD opportunities while others straddle the line between the two.  Even within those networks that straddle the line, a different amount of emphasis is placed on the 2 sides of the coin.

Even though we at the Wodonga CRT Support Network access the DEECD's CRT Professional Learning Support Initiative to provide PD workshops, The Wodonga CRT Support Network places the emphasis on the Collegial Learning and Professional Networking aspects above the Workshops.  While we take the responsibility of selecting appropriate and relevant PD Workshops very seriously, we believe that giving you access to an active and effective Professional Network, is more important.

We have a continuing commitment to covering Section 6 of the new National Standards:

• 6.1: Identify and Plan Professional Learning Needs
• 6.2: Engage in Professional Learning and improve practice.
• 6.3: Engage with Colleagues and improve practice
• and 6.4: Apply Professional Learning and improve Student Learning.

 

to the same high level we address the current versions of those standards in an arena that is 100% aimed at CRTs.

Engaging with colleagues for varied reasons is a common theme throughout sections 6 and 7 of the new National Standards and on balance it is more emphasized than the traditional PD Workshop or Seminar (although these are still important!).  Combined with the AITSL quote up near the top, these are all things that you are "expected to do" to maintain  a high quality of teaching practice.

As members you can rest easily knowing that absolutely everything is in place to allow you to address sections 6 and 7 of the new National Standards without us changing the way we currently operate.

We took our role in this transition seriously so everything is there, everything is ready and all we have to do is keep doing things the way we currently do them. 

This doesn't mean we won't keep moving forward!  

We have some exciting new "stuff" in the pipeline that has been waiting in the wings to offer you even greater opportunities to participate in the new Standard 6 and Standard 7.  Moving to a National Standard opens some interesting gateways for participation in the teaching profession in a National, and often global, way!

Regards,

Mel.

Dawn Colcott Presentation - Video

This presentation now has a new, easier to find, home via a permanent page on this blog.

http://wodongacrtsupportnetwork.blogspot.com.au/p/rego-and-pd-video-dawn-colcott.html

Bonus Meeting addendum content;

During last night's meeting with the guest speaker Dawn Colcott, she referenced how we had run through various sources of information on what "is PD".  A couple of these were done through the blog and a couple of CRTs in attendance havn't been reading our blog for that long. 

Here's the recap on those posts as promised:

http://wodongacrtsupportnetwork.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/what-is-pd-part-1.html

http://wodongacrtsupportnetwork.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/what-is-pd-part-2.html

http://wodongacrtsupportnetwork.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/what-is-pd-part-3.html

While this doesn't cover everything in the list that "is PD", it's some of the more "out of the ordinary" sources.

The intention was to help with the understanding that if you learn something that helps you grow as a teacher, accessing the source of the information that launched that growth "is PD".

The learning and growth is what is important, not the source itself.

Regards,

Mel.

Blog Spotlight; What Ed Said

Recently a post has turned up on one of my favourite teacher blogs, "What Ed Said".

This time it's about "Communities of Practice".

http://whatedsaid.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/communities-of-practice/

After reading this you'll notice some familiarity with the way we have structured the Wodonga CRT Support Network.  I'm going to reference my comments against the network because it is the practical application of our ideas on the subject of "Communities of Practice".

If you have a look at the accompanying picture, you'll notice a list of very important words.

Of course, all of us being CRTs there was always a common purpose.  That part took care of itself.

I hope you all feel ownership of the Network and I feel that that is a very important part of the way we operate.  While I "coordinate" the details, I hope you have noticed that I leave it very open to your input wherever possible.  From discussing what sorts of PD workshops we need occasionally to setting topics for meetings but letting it go wherever you all think it needs to after that.

The bridging step to another topic, "Active Participation".  We have no compulsory activities for a reason.  This allows you to understand that you have ownership because your participation is always on your own terms.  It also ensures that when you are there?  You are always there to actively participate.  Everyone is on the same page.

This lends itself to Mutual Trust.  Because you know everyone who is there is there because they want to be, and want to actively participate, you can trust that everyone is there for 100% the right reasons.

Our monthly meetings give you an arena where we can flex the muscles of Collaboration and Collective Intelligence.  Watching this unfold in the way it does is nothing short of amazing.

As time goes on?  I don't know what you see but what I see is a growing and growing sense of Shared Vision and Shared Passion among our members.  The more they realise what an effect this is having on their teaching, and how they are helping to improve the teaching of others, the more passionate you all become.

After this all we do is organize PD workshops/seminars and put links on a blog to stimulate the injection of new theories and new information into that atmosphere for all of you to think about and discuss.

What we do as organizers of this "Community of Practice" is important and I'm grateful every time someone shows appreciation.

But here's a short story for you.

I was pulled up the other day by someone from school hierarchy to talk about something and the subject changed to the Network.  Out of this came some words about how the quality of the average CRT has improved remarkably in the past few years and how the Wodonga CRT Support Network is one of the things driving that improvement.  How I needed to keep doing what I was doing.

While it was flattering, the hard part is done.

Here is the plain and simple truth.  I don't do half as much as many of you think I do anymore.  I book rooms, organize catering, book presenters, set topics for meetings, whack stuff up on the blog.  Procedural "stuff".  It's the members and the way they have taken to the community that I imagined when I first set out that is doing everyone so much good.

"Collegial Learning" and "Communities of Practice" genuinely work.  They work because of the members, the input of members, the attitude of the members towards learning, the attitude of the members towards each other.

If you have the chance to participate in Collegial Learning or become part of a Community of practice, seize the opportunity.  It's not one of those theories that is around the fringes and might work or might not, it's a rock solid opportunity to both gain new information for yourself and pass on your own personal insights to others.

As a side note;

Well done, each and every one of you!  You all make me proud to be the Coordinator of the Wodonga CRT Support Network and a CRT.

Regards,

Mel.

Teaching, is it just teaching or is it more?

What are you really doing when you teach?

There are some disturbing statistics out there.  At a recent PD I learnt that 80% of criminals in jail have some form of dyslexia.  The cycle starts young with them playing up in class because it's preferable to be the class clown to the "stupid kid".  One domino, then another and another until playing up and breaking rules becomes a way of life.

How much heartache are you saving them if you teach them alternate ways to learn and set them on the road to success?  How much are you saving those who's wallet, or car, they stole?  Or the guy they beat up and mugged?  Or the family of the person who they hit with their car because they were speeding and showing off?

The teaching profession often gets relegated to a "middle of the road" profession.  Parents treat us with disrespect thinking we work for them and just teach their kids to read and do some maths.  The government bodies who decide what we are paid don't give us what we are worth.  This is, in some ways, understandable.  It's not right, but it's understandable.

In the grand scheme of things we often find ourselves working in a factory.  A factory designed to produce functional adults.  This is what governments want out of schools.  They are interested in a functional country, not the best interests of any given student. 

In all of this there's one person who should never buy into that.  You.

You.
Save.
Lives.

By teaching that student described above ways to cope, or any student struggling against any number of quite frightening statistics,  you save them from a life in prison.  You make the lives of everyone who their criminal activities would have effected better.  You are even literally saving lives.

Like any job that you've done for years it can be easy to get bogged down and a little disheartened.  But all it takes is one child.  That one problem student you are able to get through to and the amount of good you have done in the world is incalculable.  You will have touched such a vast number of lives in a positive way that it is unbelievable.

The next time you think you are just turning up for work and treading water?  Think about this instead.  If they paid you a million dollars a day you would be worth every penny.