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3.14 School ownership of active professionalism

Description

This is a continuing activity in up to 50 schools over the term of the AGQTP. School-based professional development management teams will engage with teachers to improve and recognise the professionalism of the teachers within the school campus. The focus of such development will be within the target groups and priority areas of the AGQTP. This activity takes as its base premise that professionalism does not result from the establishment of a school's community but from the active development of those who find themselves within this community.

Contacts

Outcomes

Through participation in an AGQTP project, teachers will have strengthened the currency and depth of their learning area knowledge and understandings.
Through participation in an AGQTP project, teachers will have strengthened the currency and depth of their pedagogical knowledge and skills.

Access

Targeted CEC schools in New South Wales.

Design

The professional learning strategy for this activity includes:

• school-based projects to engage teachers in workplace learning that is based on a cycle of continuous improvement


• workplace mentoring and coaching aligned to meeting the NSW Institute of Teachers' professional teaching standards


• flexible learning that includes components such as self-paced and facilitated online learning, face-to-face workshops, video and teleconferences, online mentors, and discussion groups


• onsite and offsite participation in knowledge building and skill sharing activities


• partnerships for formal courses or awards


• participation in formal courses or awards


• partnerships with professional associations and higher education institutions to provide expertise in the development, design and/or implementation of professional development activities.

Implementation

School Ownership of Active Professionalism will involve the following activities:

• Initial research to identify school and individual needs in relation to improvements in professionalism within the priority areas of literacy, numeracy, science, technology, values education, vocational education, the Safe Schools Framework, students with particular learning requirements, professional standards and gifted and talented education. The school will develop a school-based professional development management team to target teachers, groups of teachers and mentors for engagement with the activity.


• The school-based professional development management team will:
  
  
  
  • negotiate with participants as to possibilities for action research and intended professional outcomes and the links to current and trial practices
  
  
  • in conjunction with mentors, work with participants (individual or group) to establish realistic views to improving skills, pedagogy and understandings within their teaching specialisation.
  
  
  
  


• Individuals and groups will engage with mentors in regard to implement trials of school or classroom-based research activities after documenting the process and intended outcomes.


• The participant / mentor professional relationship will continue to support and encourage the process to remain on task or to vary the previous agreed process after professional dialogue.


• It is intended to share the findings of the research and the trial with colleagues within and beyond the school. It is hoped that participants will be able to share with colleagues from other schools by way of inviting them to visit during the school day to engage and observe.


• Schools and mentors will be encouraged to support participants in the recording and publishing of participants work for the school community. Where there is broader relevance, work could be added to the NSW AGQTP website for use in other school communities. The action research content of the project is intended to centre on individual school outcomes to ensure local ownership of professionalism, sharing beyond the school will need to be investigated.

Delivery

workplace learning, online learning mentoring, action learning project, workshops/course, conference, resource development

Timeline

By May 2007:

• project launched within participating schools


• school needs determined


• participants and mentors engaged


• individual plans developed and documented


• submit progress report in May.

• all participants will have completed projects evaluations, sharing and possibly showcasing their learning


• improved ownership of school professionalism evident and celebrated within the school community


• participants are active supporters of professionalism resulting in significant enhancement in the status of the teaching profession


• submit annual report in November.

Sectors