3.04 Quality teaching action learning
Description
This is a continuing activity. The activity connects teacher professional learning needs to a comprehensive change process focused on improving student learning in the priority areas.
Sixty-one projects have been identified. These projects will continue to focus on the implementation of information communication technology modules within the Quality teaching model; support for early career teachers; and the priority curriculum areas of literacy, numeracy, English, mathematics, science/science and technology, environmental education for sustainability, information and communications technologies, civics and citizenship and targeted learning needs (e.g. boys, Indigenous students, gifted and talented students, students with disabilities and learning difficulties, and English as a Second Language students). Teachers will be supported to use resources contained in TaLe, the Learning Federation Learning Objects and the ICT Online modules. Teachers will also be invited and supported to complete an online self assessment tool for ICT skills. Online self-paced ICT modules at https:detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/ict can be accessed to enhance teachers' capability to use ICT in teaching and learning.
Schools will engage in the identification of specific student learning needs and teacher professional learning needs within priority curriculum areas through the analysis of relevant, available qualitative and quantitative data. A school's planned initiative will be linked to its management and professional learning plans, The Office of Schools Plan 2009-11 and the NSW Institute of Teachers Professional Teaching Standards.
Each teacher is a member of a small action learning team, which has initiated surveys and conducted focus groups to determine team and individual learning needs to shape and further implement a broad action learning plan.
The activity will be managed by designated project officers who will take responsibility for the activity meeting the professional needs of participating teachers.Involvement of higher education institutions and professional associations School-based project teams are each supported by an academic partner from a higher education institution through school visits, email communication, phone and video conferencing, and planning and sharing conferences as they undertake their action learning.
Contacts
| Kevin Bradburn email: kevin.bradburn@det.nsw.edu.au Ph 02 9266 8680 Fax 02 9244 5849 Sector: DET |
Eleanor Igoe email: eleanor.igoe@det.nsw.edu.au Ph 9266 8510 Fax 02 9244 5849 Sector: DET |
Outcomes
Through participation in this project, teachers will have strengthened the currency and depth of their pedagogical knowledge and skills.
Through participation in this project, teachers will have engaged productively in collegial networks that extend and support knowledge and skills.
Access
Targeted NSW Department of Education and Training schools.
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 model
- provision for some clusters of schools to work in collegial networks
- workplace mentoring and coaching aligned to meeting the NSW Institute of Teachers Professional Teaching Standards
- flexible learning components such as self-paced and facilitated online learning, face-to-face workshops, video and teleconferences, online mentors, and discussion groups
- use of ICT resources such as those from TaLe and the Learning Federation Learning Objects
- use of an online assessment for ICT skills and accessing ICT Online modules at
https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/profcurr/integrating_ict/splash.htm - local, regional and state workshops and conferences that enable participants to have their work publicly celebrated and critiqued
- onsite and offsite participation in knowledge-building and skill-sharing activities
- partnerships with higher education institutions to provide expertise in the development, design and/or implementation of professional development activities.
This is phase 5 of a continuing Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme activity. Each phase has involved a different cohort of schools. The further implementation of this phase is informed by participant evaluation and the external evaluations commissioned as part of the ongoing activity.
This activity incorporates the NSW Department of Education and Training's Quality Teaching model.
Implementation
The implementation of the activity will be supported by the following personnel: designated project officers; academics partner; sector consultants; and school-based action learning teams.
Delivery
Workplace learning, action learning project.
Timeline
By March 2009:
- distribute further funding to schools
- regional sharing conferences held for all school project teams and participating academic partners (Term 1, 2009)
- meta analysis of the 2003-2006 school project reports by the Unversity of Sydney
- school project teams continue to implement action learning plans, with support from academic partners, DET consultants and Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme project officers
By November 2009:
- sharing conference held for all school project teams and participating academic partners (September 2009).
- submit annual report.
Sectors
