Proceedings
2007 – 2008
A bi‐annual publication by
The Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales
PROCEEDINGS 2007 ‐ 2008
Introduction by the President ................................................... 3
Mrs. Frances Fleeton
Editorial ......................................................................................... 4
Mrs. Frances Fleeton
Middle Management in Schools............................................... 9
Mr. Alan Harper
Presentations from The Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales
Annual Conference – ‘Education for a Sustainable Environment: Is there still time?’, May 2007
Sustainability: Truth, Hope & Learning .................... 19
Professor Cynthia Mitchell
Leading with the HEART: Learning strategies for an
endangered planet ........................................................... 37
Ms. Sue Lennox
Introduction to Stuart Braga, The Teacher’s Guild of New
South Wales Annual Dinner, 2007 ......................................... 41
Mr. Alan Harper
The Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales Annual Dinner
Address, 2007 .............................................................................. 44
Mr. Stuart Braga
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Presentations from The Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales
Professional Seminar – Professional Learning: The New Era of
Standards and Accountability, May 2008
Improving Teaching to Improve Learning .............................. 49
Professor Geoff N Masters
Building a Professional Learning Community ...................... 62
Dr. Maree Skillen
The Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales Annual Dinner
Address, 2008 .............................................................................. 75
Mr. John Sheldon
The Teacher’s Guild of New South Wales Annual Dinner
Life Member Address, 2008 ..................................................... 83
Mrs. Gwynneth Hall Bowley
Expression of Thanks................................................................ 86
Mrs. Gwynneth Hall Bowley
The Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales Annual Dinner,
Trinity Grammar School, 2008
Research Award Winner Address ................................. 88
Sarah Loch
Award for Excellence (Secondary Division) Address
Amanda Feeney...................................................... 90
Dynamic Nagle College teacher wins Award ...................... 93
Courtesy of the Catholic Education Office
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Introduction to Proceedings 2007 – 2008
Mrs. Frances Fleeton
President, Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales and Head of
Senior School, Arden Anglican School
My special thanks are extended to Mrs Judith McMurrich,
without whom this publication would not be possible. She has
been the sole driving force behind its development and final
printing. The Teachers’ Guild is also indebted to Mrs Deryn
Smyth, whose proof reading skills are greatly appreciated and
whose time and energy we value in the production of this
publication. Thanks must also go to Mr Alan Harper for his
contribution of written material to “Proceedings”.
The Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales continues to deliver a
suite of opportunities that enhance the professional
development offerings for teachers in independent schools.
Although it remains a small organisation, it has been able to
attract notable educationalists to present at its various forums,
which has enabled it to remain in the forefront of educational
professional development. I commend the following articles to
you and hope that the material can be of some use.
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Editorial
Mrs. Frances Fleeton
President, Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales and Head of
Senior School, Arden Anglican School
Middle managers are vital to the functioning of any
educational institution, whether their area of responsibility is
pastorally, curriculum or organisationally based. Mr Alan
Harper, Director of Studies at Trinity Grammar School
Summer Hill explains that above all else, it is the children’s
welfare rather than that of the staff that must take priority in
school management focus. Needless to say, staff loyalty to the
School is expected and teacher’s professionalism must be
developed instead of allowing it to be come stagnant. Above
everything else, middle managers must create a balance in
their lives between school and home – this is essential for their
own survival and functioning in this important management
role.
Sustainability has become a catch cry for our world over the
last few years. Associate Professor Cynthia Mitchell from the
University of NSW comments that our world is developing an
unsustainable future through environmental, economic and
social actions which will ultimately get worse before they get
better. There are many factors that have contributed to the
climate changes we are experiencing, but our survival must be
related to how we perceive the connection between
community and the environment. As teachers, we need a
vision of a sustainable future and we need to look to
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developing emerging qualities in our students. Our very
survival depends on this.
Sue Lennox from OzGREEN, is a passionate environmentalist
who has created an organisation that elicits support from
learning communities to engage in practical projects to reduce
our carbon footprints and encourage youth to take more
responsibility for sustainable living. Certainly as teachers of
youth, we can be more proactive in generating interest and
action with our learning communities for the future of our
world.
From sustainability to professional learning communities, our
focus has become more centralised. Geoff Masters from ACER
asks us to consider what made an effective teacher. Effective
teaching can lead to improved student learning, providing we
can take into account teacher recruitment, teacher professional
development and remuneration. As teachers, we must
consider what our students know already, their interests and
motivations and their individual learning styles. Learning is
more effective when it leads to deep understanding. Teachers
need a depth of content knowledge in order to deliver effective
teaching experiences, as well as encouraging students to take
responsibility for their own progress. As a consequence,
professional development for teachers must assist them to
tailor learning experiences to individual students, develop
deep understanding and create learning cultures where
students accept responsibility for their own learning.
5
Dr Maree Skillen from Arden Anglican School, Epping outlines
how building a professional learning community as a school,
assists classroom practice for both new and experienced
teachers and can be used to provide professional learning
experiences for staff, as well as, contributing to the
establishment of professional standards for teachers. Effective
schools expect staff to engage in learning experiences that
enhance student learning by developing improved student
outcomes through transformational teaching. This process
must be supported by sustainable professional learning.
Teachers that make a difference, work together, have a sense of
responsibility for their students’ learning and possess a sense
of efficacy in achieving desirable outcomes. Critical to the
professional learning community is the commitment to
continuous improvement and reflection.
A highlight of the Teachers’ Guild year of events is the Annual
Awards Dinner. In 2007, the Guild honoured Mr Stuart Braga,
who continues to be a professional educator, even after his
retirement from active teaching in 1998. Mr Braga has long
been connected with the Teachers’ Guild, serving in a variety
of roles and joins an elite group of Life members. He indulges
in his twin loves of history and writing in his spare time. Mr
Braga is a wonderfully modest and humble individual who
has inspired countless students with his passion for History,
and indeed, living life, through challenge and learning. His
recollections of his early teaching reminds us all that we are
human, full of fault and yet, our eagerness to share with our
students often overcomes these shortcomings. Mr Braga
reminds us that our professional development begins by
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joining professional associations and actively contributing to
them. He has been a loyal and faithful servant of the Teachers’
Guild, fulfilling the main precept of the Guild “to promote, in
all possible ways, the care of education.”
The Annual Awards Dinner of 2008 honoured Mr John
Sheldon. He speaks of the Teachers’ Guild’s reputation in the
educational community and about the influence of one of the
Teachers’ Guild’s founding fathers, Arthur Giles, on Mr
Sheldon’s perception of a School Master. To be a member of
the Guild is to share in a heritage of commitment and
professionalism in teaching. He encourages our younger
teachers to remember that the future of our country lies in their
hands – the classroom is the nursery for the values and skills
which allow the current generation to take our country
forward.
Life membership was bestowed to Gwynneth Hall Bowley at
the Awards Dinner in 2008. Mrs Bowley was a graduate of the
Teachers’ Guild Teacher Diploma course and began her
teaching career at Danebank, Hurstville in 1948. Mrs Bowley
continued her Diploma course in the evenings and taught
primary students at SCEGGS from 1962 until the end of 1976,
having been in the position of Mistress in Charge of SCEGGS
Primary School since 1973. This did not end Mrs Bowley’s
relationship with the Guild. In 1978, she successfully applied
for a position as a practical Tutor in Education, which
continued until 1980. Since then Mrs Bowley has been a
staunch supporter of the Guild’s activities and we welcome her
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as a Life Member to honour her 60 years of contribution to
education.
Also at the Annual Awards Dinner in 2008 we presented Sarah
Loch, Dean of Middle School, Abbotsleigh with the Research
Award. This award highlights the importance of continuing to
learn through action research, which is essential in the
development of a professional learning community that
enhances student learning experiences. Amanda Feeney, HSIE
teacher at Nagle College, Blacktown South stresses that her
growth as an educator relies on her ability to recognise and
accept opportunities for professional development. This has
been invaluable in fostering a passion and determination to
share a love of learning with her colleagues and students.
Amanda is a worthy recipient of the Award for Excellence
(Secondary Division).
It is my sincere hope that this edition of Proceedings provides
you with informative and practical strategies that can be
implemented into teaching practice for the future of our
students in our schools.
8
Middle Management in Schools
Mr. Alan Harper
Secretary, Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales and Director
of Studies, Trinity Grammar School
Management has undergone a revolution in the last
generation. Hierarchies reminiscent of military chains of
command have given way to flatter structures, with teams
characterising the workplace more than lone ranger problem
solvers.
In schools, too, management has undergone a parallel, but
different revolution. In the past, schools tended not to
recognise the many things which they had in common with
other complex organisations, including a management
structure. The prevailing paradigm was one of the professional
community, with each fulfilling his role under the all‐
embracing authority of the Head. Modern schools, however,
without, one hopes, diminishing the professionalism of the
enterprise, have come to recognise the existence of their
complex management structures. Countless published studies
have drawn attention to the concept of “distributed
leadership” or shared leadership, in which the role of
individuals other than the Head in providing leadership for
the organisation is recognised.
Whatever the individual structure of the school, any large
school has a number of positions which can correctly be
termed “middle management”. Such positions reside between
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the Head and his / her Executive staff, and the staff whose
prime focus is their classroom teaching. Middle managers may
include Heads of department, Heads of House and a range of
staff in positions of similar status. It is with these staff that the
present article is concerned. It seeks to focus on four areas: the
responsibilities of middle managers to
the children
the school
their staff
themselves
The Importance of Middle Management Jobs
Without doubt, schools need Heads with drive and vision to
give direction and leadership to the community. Clearly they
also need excellent classroom teachers: the strength of any
school lies in its classrooms before anything else. But between
the two are the vital middle managers. No matter what the
many talents and strengths of the Head, he / she cannot be an
expert in every subject, a master of every pedagogy, a leader in
each area of pastoral care. It is the middle managers who fulfil
these roles. It is the Head of History whom the schools trusts
as the subject expert in History, to whom it looks for up to date
knowledge of History curriculum and best practice historical
pedagogy. It is the Heads of House whom the school expects to
be conversant with a range of appropriate approaches to
pastoral care and students’ problems. It is the middle
managers who are the specialists. And without their expertise,
the school cannot function well. They usually have a
significant degree of authority delegated to them by the Head,
which he / she expects them to use for the benefit of the
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children in the school. Middle managers are the people who
either make it all happen, or who do not.
It is essential that middle managers honour the importance of
their role with a deep sense of dedication to it. They need to be
committed to the school and to the job they have taken on.
They need to be committed to working hard. They need to be
committed in the long term. One should not take on such a
significant role unless one is committed to remaining in it for a
considerable amount of time. To do otherwise is irresponsible
and dishonouring of the children one serves.
Responsibility to the Children
Children’s learning and welfare are the bottom line.
Middle managers will have many situations in which they feel
squeezed from multiple sides. But their priority must be
children’s learning and welfare.
This means keeping up to date. It means encouraging best
practice among those under their authority and setting an
example of excellence for those same people. It means always
putting the interests of the children first, even when it may be
unpopular with colleagues to do so.
A child I knew had three teachers for one subject in Year 7. Not
three consecutive teachers, resulting from unfortunate staff
changes, but three teachers simultaneously. This resulted from
(a) two teachers job sharing, and (b) the child’s class being split
between two loads for timetabling convenience. One of the two
loads happened to be the job share load. One can only
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conclude that that particular school was run for the
convenience of the staff, not for the welfare of the children. It
is, after all, the staff who have the power and usually the
loudest voices.
Middle managers must also always ensure that fairness and
justice characterise children’s dealing with the school. Of
course, children do naughty things and must be dealt with, but
there are also times when children are the victims of the
unfairness, witting or otherwise, of staff. In some places, there
is an unwritten code of conduct that the school must back the
staff, right or wrong. Nothing could be more unjust or teach
children a poorer lesson. It will rarely be the popular thing to
back a child when they are right and the staff member is
wrong, but it must be done, albeit in a way that preserves the
dignity of the teacher. It is a dilemma that can face middle
managers too often.
Part of the role of middle manager, being the leader in one
aspect of the life of the school, is communication to the school
community. Not only are schools complex and confusing
places, but parents and children are bombarded with
information, much of it of poor quality, in the press and other
media. Furphies abound. A key responsibility to the school, the
children and the parents is for middle managers to
communicate about their area of expertise, using the
communication channels provided by the school. Obviously
this must be done with the approval of the Head and the
school needs to speak with one voice, but if those who do have
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and understand complex information accurately do not speak
up, those who are less competent will.
Responsibilities to the school
First and foremost among middle management responsibilities
is loyalty – loyalty to the school and loyalty to the Head. Of
course the nature of the middle management role is that
incumbents relate both to the Head and senior management
team, and to their own staff. As such, they are a vital
communication link in the school. However, inevitably there
will be situations when their staff will disagree with a decision
made by the school, and the middle manager may well
privately agree. In this circumstance, loyalty demands that
they not take on the role of advocate for their staff’s position.
Whatever may be said, appropriately, privately and
professionally, the middle manager’s public stance must be
with the Head and the school. If you are on the Head’s team,
you have to play the Head’s game. Divisiveness and white‐
anting can destroy the best of schools.
Related to this is a second and obvious responsibility: to set an
example of good teaching and appropriate conduct. Staff will
generally follow the example of their immediate senior; it is
incumbent on the middle manager to look the part that they
would hope for the teachers under their administration. This
will involve everything from how they dress, how they relate
to the children and their parents and to colleagues, how they
deal with situations, how they approach tasks and even the
hours they put in. Nurturing the next generation of leaders is a
serious responsibility.
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Middle managers are the experts in their respective areas of
control. As such, it is important that they provide timely
advice to the Head and management team about
developments in their area. While this includes many things,
perhaps the most important will be significant curriculum
changes – new courses which the school may wish to offer,
new physical requirements which must be budgeted for, new
textbook or equipment needs which also must be
accommodated. If the relevant middle manager does not
advise the school of these developments, who will? The school
cannot be caught out unprepared for such inevitable changes,
nor indeed can the affected department!
The same expertise also carries the requirement that the
middle manager ensure that the school is fully compliant with
legal and other requirements. In this era of growing
compliance requirements, no Head or senior manager can
possibly ensure that every curriculum requirement is met,
every pastoral ‘i’ is dotted and ‘t’ is crossed. The school looks
to its middle managers to ensure that the school is compliant in
all areas under their administration.
Those who are best at middle management learn to grasp the
“big picture” of the school’s operation. Being parochial about
one’s own area of interest can be counter productive, although
clearly advocacy for one’s area is also essential. Nevertheless,
at times priorities will mean that one’s own area misses out on
something in favour of more important priorities. After all,
budgets are not unlimited, nor is time; timetables are full of
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compromises and decisions about priorities. Being able to see
the big picture and knowing how one’s own area fits into it is a
very important middle management skill.
Finally, middle managers need to keep moving forward. This
means keeping up to date, attending to their own professional
development, implementing new ideas and strategies – in
other words remaining alive professionally. I was once in a
school where an independent consultant reported that most of
the Heads of department were “moribund”! They were stuck
in the mud of their own inertia, settled and comfortable with
an outdated status quo and so forever attempting to block
initiatives in the school which would have required them to
change. While it is commendable that many teachers find their
role in a middle management role and wish to stay there, they
must avoid the danger of inertia, where they become part of
the problem, not part of the solution.
Responsibilities to the staff
Middle managers are leaders and need to provide leadership –
direction, initiative, inspiration, encouragement, enthusiasm.
Staff will not respect a manager who does not lead. Part of
providing that leadership is building a team. While teachers
often find themselves acting individually, the school depends
on teamwork. The middle manager needs to help build the
team and to discourage the “lone ranger” who is so often also a
“loose canon”. People need to support each other, to follow
procedures and to act within the parameters that have been
agreed. Everybody gains from a team approach to a common
purpose. New members of staff need to be inducted into the
15
culture of the school and into the team, allowing for the new
insights they may bring from elsewhere to have their influence,
but also ensuring that they are aware of their role and place in
the team.
Middle management also involves rewarding and disciplining
staff. Most of us are careless about giving rewards, but nothing
is more powerful or affirming than the genuine word of praise,
or even the occasional gift or token to recognise good work.
Managers need to organise themselves to do this. Harder to do
is disciplining staff. Nevertheless, everyone in management
must, at some time, look someone in the eye and tell them
something they would rather not hear. It is never easy and,
although it gets easier with practice, it is always a hard thing to
do, but it has to be done. If done fairly and justly, calmly and
professionally, it is surprising how well most staff take it, or
even how much they appreciate it. It remains, however, one of
the tough roles of the middle manager.
Another responsibility to one’s staff is for their professional
development. As professional people, of course, staff will also
make their own decisions regarding their professional
development, will join professional associations and set some
of their own directions. There is still a vital role for middle
managers to encourage staff to learn new skills which are
required in the school, and to help teachers find direction in
their career. It is highly desirable that managers work regularly
with staff to help determine their direction in their professional
development, while exemplifying through their own
commitment what is required.
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Responsibilities to yourself
Is there really time to think about oneself when one is trying to
balance all of the responsibilities discussed above, let alone
teach one’s classes? There must be and there can be, and it is
vital to avoid burnout, or that feeling of being totally and
constantly drained.
Middle managers need to work at their own collegiality among
peers. No one will provide a better listening ear to a Head of
House than another Head of House, who is struggling with the
same challenges. Heads of Department have much in common
and much to share. There needs to be informal, as well as
formal, opportunities for sharing among peers. We all need
support groups and finding or creating one is an important
responsibility to oneself.
Middle managers also need to keep growing professionally.
This will involve attending to one’s own professional
development, finding challenging and worthwhile
opportunities, but will also involve finding new challenges in
the job. We owe it to ourselves to ensure that the job does not
become boring and we “moribund”. Teach a new course, teach
a familiar topic in a new way, investigate how your subject is
dealt with in a different state, apply to mark public
examinations, visit another school, or even apply for an
exchange. Or perhaps it is applying for a promotion that will
provide the challenge. There are lots of things that we can do
to discharge this responsibility to ourselves.
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Above all else, middle managers, like all of us, need to keep
their lives in balance. That oft‐repeated phrase “work‐life
balance” needs to be more than an election slogan; it must be
at the heart of our lives, busy as they are. While our job is
important and demanding our loved ones are far more
important. We ourselves need time for recreation and rest, not
just for our health and well being, but so that we remain
interesting and effective people, able to relate to our colleagues
and to the children whom we teach. No Head wants a staff
who do nothing but work; nobody ever lay on their death bed,
regretting that they did not spend more time at work!
Middle management is a demanding and important role in our
schools. Those who serve in middle management roles have
many responsibilities which I have attempted to outline in this
article. Working at them will be challenging, but also very
fulfilling. Far from being the ham in the sandwich, middle
managers are the vital oil that makes the engine work. They
should be recognised as such; they should also recognise this
about themselves.
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Power Point Presentation
SUSTAINABILITY: TRUTH, HOPE, AND LEARNING
Teaching and learning as if sustainability matters
Professor Cynthia Mitchell
Professor of Sustainability, Institute for Sustainable Futures,
The Teacher’s Guild of New South Wales Annual
Conference, 2007
Take home messages
On Truth
– We are in a sustainability emergency. The news
is bad and will get worse.
On Hope
– There is time, if we act swiftly and boldly.
On Learning
– We all need life long learning skills now more
than ever before.
On Values
– An integral vision of sustainability must be the
core of what and how we teach.
Creating change towards sustainable futures
ISF is an independent, largely self funding, research and
consulting organisation, which is part of the University
of Technology, Sydney.
Our work explores options across strategic, tactical and
operational domains to foster action towards
sustainable development.
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We work with public and private sector partners. Our
work impacts industry, government and the
community.
We work across traditional disciplinary boundaries
using teams of researchers with expertise in economics,
engineering, science, architecture, law, management,
learning and social science.
We aim to balance rigour and relevance
The Truth: Things are going from bad to worse
We are in a sustainability emergency
environmentally,
socially, and
economically
An unsustainable future is the result of many separate
unsustainable actions
Environmentally
– An exponential increase in population
– Then increase per capita consumption as well
– Significant over‐use of renewable resources e.g.
water, fisheries, forests causing serious
environmental damage such as loss or change of
the global climate
Economically
– Develop an economy that is dependent on a non‐
renewable resource, then drastically deplete it
– Adopt trade policies of a developing country ‐
export raw materials and low value commodities
and import value‐added goods and services
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Socially
– Widen the gap between haves and have‐nots,
both within and between countries
– Embrace materialism as the moral foundation of
our society
Climate change: the truth is bad and it gets worse
What we know:
– 9 of the last 10 years are hottest on record
– We are shifting global processes more rapidly
than ever before
– Last year, average temp around Australia rose by
nearly one degree
Large changes in temperature are now unavoidable
‘Runaway’ climate change is an increasing reality and,
climate change compounds existing problems:
biodiversity loss, Murray River siltation, coral reef
extinction, …
The root of climate change is massive increases in largely
fossil fuel‐based energy use
Energy is used (especially by affluent communities)
as a substitute for effort
– Electricity e.g. air‐conditioning
– Transport e.g. car ownership, kilometres
travelled
to reduce perceived shortages
– Not enough water? Desalination!
– Not enough food? Intensive farming!
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– Not the food you want? Import it!
– Ore quality decreasing? Intensive processing!
Phosphorus: a closer look at an emerging crisis
Phosphorus is essential for all life
90% of phosphorus demand is for food production
key to food production, and therefore growth of
society
Projected 50% by 2025, 100% by 2050 Non‐renewable! No substitute!
At current rates, reserves depleted in 50‐100yrs
Global reserves are highly skewed (China, Morocco,
USA)
Nutrients are increasingly urban!
Historically, rural people returned some urine to
agriculture… but from 2008, global population is
more urban than rural.
Forget drinking recycled water: Managing
phosphorus will shift how we think about sewage
and food production.
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Perhaps the most pressing social inequalities are illustrated
by the MDGs
Millennium Development Goals
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Achieve universal primary education
Reduce child mortality
Improve maternal health
Ensure environmental sustainability
Promote gender equality and empower women
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Develop a global partnership for development
The ‘pig’s ears’ model of sustainability is one reason
Ian Lowe
Economy
EnvSociety
23
Linear Material Flows is another
24
Finally, we fail to see the connection between community
and landscape.
Unhealthy Unhealthy Landscape Community
Healthy Healthy Landscape Community
We need to move from a vicious circle to a virtuous circle
“We canʹt solve problems by using the same kind of thinking
we used when we created them.”
Albert Einstein
Hope…
‘Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep
and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going
well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously
heading for success, but rather an ability to work for
something because it is good.’
Vaclac Havel
Artist, dissident, and founding President Czech Republic
25
First, we need a vision of a sustainable future
Society
Economy
Environment
A more sustainable future?
Environment
Society
Economy
26
Cultural Change and Diffusion of Innovation
We target change agents and transformers. What might
teachers’ role be?
Alan Atkisson
‘Believing Cassandra’
27
An important distinction: growth or development?
Growth: An increase in quantity From To or
Development: An increase in quality From To
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The tipping point is real, and gives reason for optimism
Al Gore’s film, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’
Stern report (former World Bank Chief Economist)
o Cost of not acting far outweighs the cost of action
now
o Climate change could spark a global recession
unless immediate cuts to greenhouse gas
emissions are undertaken.
o The consequent revolution in technology and
lifestyle will necessarily be as profound as the
industrial revolution
o Australia is particularly vulnerable to rising
temperatures
International Panel on Climate Change Report 2006
Massive shift in media and consciousness
… Environment is squarely on political and social agenda
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Industry is ready to lead…
Australian Business Roundtable on Climate Change: BP, IAG,
Origin Energy, Swiss Re, Visy and Westpac
… it is possible for Australia to deliver significant reductions
in greenhouse gas emissions at an affordable cost, whilst
maintaining strong economic growth. (April 06)
… as are SA and Vic State Governments.
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And we need more, much much more. Firstly, from our
leaders…
Bill Grace:
To what can we hold leaders accountable?
Telling the truth
Asking good questions that engage the people
Pointing towards hope
http://www.munileague.org/MUNINEWS/2004‐04/Grace.htm
Says Bill:
“Accountable leaders move away from quarrelsome, ego‐
bound nay‐saying. Plenty of people tell us what won’t work.
We need more leaders to tell us what will, thereby calling us to
possibility and hope, and in turn, holding us accountable for
compassionate action. They will ask us to lay aside cynicism
for creative engagement, apathy for compassion, and privilege
for duty. So, let our accountability be mutual, let it be deeply
internal, and let it be broadly informed by the common good.”
Imagine, for a moment, that our Federal and State
(Education) Ministers talked in these terms …
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The X, whY, ZZZZ and forth dimensions of change
Supply: Demand:
Provide more stuff Provide more service
The X‐FACTOR
We need 25X increase in material use efficiency
So, focus on service or outcome e.g. clean clothes,
cold beer, comfortable house
Via leapfrog technologies that cross the boundaries
between currently segregated infrastructures
Inclusive, integrated assessment frames
Externalities
Deliberative processes
Partial, narrow assessment
frames
intangiblestangibles
Actua Benefits transfer Contingent
l tiSurrogat
Conservation or supply option
Water system avoided
Ca
p
O
p
Ca
p
O
p
Waste water system avoided
Stormwater system avoided
Ca
p
O
p
Ca
p
O
p
Customer al
imfinanci
pact
Ca
p
O
p
Green house
Customer perceptions
Regional economic
impact
River health
InLandscape and other
environments
trinsic
The WHY factor: Why we do invest where we do?
32
Issue: change is necessary; learning is
a prerequisite for change; and
belongs in the realm of
experience
We (engineers) hide everything;
silently, effectively, removed
all visible means of support for
the way we live our lives
Solution: make our infrastructure and
impacts visible
VViissiibbllee iinnffrraassttrruuccttuurree
IInnvviissiibbllee iinnffrraassttrruuccttuurree
The X, whY, ZZZZ and forth dimensions of change
The FORTH dimension:
from homo economicus to globo sapiens
Issue: We need to broaden our idea of
what is right and good beyond
rationality.
Solution: That means building
knowledge and skills in exploring
‘internal’ (psychological, cultural)
value judgments, both in us and
our students at every level
Go FORTH with humility wisdom
33
The emerging qualities of globo sapiens
S/he will be sensitive to the different ways we learn
from each other and know the world.
S/he will show evidence of global consciousness.
S/he will be able to contemplate changes to their
current way of life, rather than taking its
continuation for granted.
S/he will be capable of trans‐generational thinking.
S/he will be able to contribute to a ‘learning society’
through growing ‘dispositions of generosity, of
openness, and of serious engagement’.
Patricia Kelly: Futures 38:696‐707
What if we sought to embody these qualities as
teachers, and to develop them in our students ?
The X, whY, ZZZZ and forth dimensions of change
From homo economicus
to globo sapiens
Supply:Provide more stuff Demand:
Provide more service
Visible infrastructure
Invisible infrastructure
Partial, narrow assessment
frames
Inclusive, integrated assessment frames
34
Take home messages
On Truth
We are in a sustainability emergency. The news is bad
and will get worse.
On Hope
There is time, if we act swiftly and boldly.
On Learning
We all need life long learning skills now more than ever
before.
On Values
An integral vision of sustainability must be the core of
what and how we teach.
There is no use trying, said Alice; one can’t believe in impossible things. I dare say you haven’t had much practice, said the Queen. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Charles Sturt Unisolar-powered tree…
35
For more information about who we are and what we do,
visit our website www.isf.uts.edu.au
or contact me directly
+61 2 9514 4950
Resources, references and further reading
• Inaugural Rick Farley Memorial Lecture: Ian Loweʹs
transcript:
http://www.nrac.nsw.gov.au/news/PDF/RFL1‐
Ian_Lowe.pdf
• Alan Atkisson ‘Believing Cassandra’
• Donella Meadows et al ‘Beyond the Limits’
• Patricia Kelly: Futures 38:696‐707
• ARIES (Australian Research Institute for Education for
Sustainability) at Macquarie Uni
• ARIES publications
• Education for Sustainability portal
• Schools programs
• NSW Dept of Environment and Climate Change:
‘Learning for Sustainability’
• DECC Sustainable Schools program
• Earth Charter
• Sustain Ability
• Ollie’s World
• Ecological Footprint Calculators
36
Power Point Presentation
LEADING WITH THE HEART
Learning strategies for an endangered planet
Ms. Sue Lennox
Co‐Founder/CEO OzGREEN
The Teacher’s Guild of New South Wales Annual
Conference, 2007
About Oz GREEN
Established 1992
Independent, Non‐profit
Transformative learning and leadership programs for
sustainability
Informed participation Special contribution Ongoing support
Oz GREEN Projects
Australia
- Youth LEAD
- MYRiveR
- Living Communities
- Leading with the HEART
- National
37
International
– India ‐ Varanasi Clean Ganges Campaign
– Papua New Guinea Wara Bilong Yumi
– East Timor ‐ Oecusse Village Environmental Action Program
– Int. Youth Water Challenge
Oz GREEN‐Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Living Communities
Responsible Workplace
Sustainable Living
Ave 35% reduction footprint
Capacity increase 2/10 to 8/10
Leading with the HEART
• Inspiration
• Focus
• Skills
• Action
• Support
Youth LEAD SVA BigBOOST National Winner 2003
AAEE Best Practice Case Study 2006
• Enviro Leadership
• Deep questions
38
• Eco/Social projects
• Youth to youth mentors
• National network
• Facilitator Training
• 15‐25yrs
My River
Engaging, equipping and enabling youth and their communities
to care for our rivers, our land, our future.
Pro‐bono legal advice
Murray‐ Darling River Basin Youth
How to argue a case
NSW Parliament
SA Parliament
Federal Parliament
East Timor
• 5% forest cover erosion, landslides, siltation • Tidal inundation and salination of ground water
39
• Poor water quality water borne disease
• Famine, poverty
• Destruction
ʺThe significant problems we face cannot be solved with the same
level of thinking we were at when we created them.”
Albert Einstein
Strategic Questions
Focus
What are you most concerned about?
How has this affected you personally?
How do you feel about this situation?
Vision
What would you like to see happen?
Change
How do you think this can happen? (brainstorm ideas)
Action
What are you prepared to do?
What can you see yourself doing?
40
INTRODUCTION TO STUART BRAGA
Mr. Alan Harper
Director of Studies, Trinity Grammar School and Secretary,
Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales
Stuart Braga is no stranger to these surroundings. From 1985
until his retirement in 1998, Stuart served as Senior Master and
Director of Studies at Trinity Grammar School, a period of
some fourteen years, during which he took on legendary status
in Independent schools as scholar, teacher, administrator and
leader, and quintessential professional educator. Stuart, we are
delighted that you and Patricia are with us tonight and that
you have been joined by your sons, Chris and David – both
Old Boys of Trinity – and your daughters‐in‐law, Beth and
Karen. You are all welcome indeed.
In another sense, too, Stuart is no stranger to this occasion. He
served as President of the Teachers’ Guild for three years from
1985, and remained on the Council for a number of years
following, serving in a variety of capacities, not least as Editor
of our journal, Proceedings. He is a Life Member of the Guild.
Stuart has attended many occasions such as this and has
participated in the adjudication of these Awards a number of
times. Indeed, as our resident historian, he has frequently
suggested who should be honoured by the Awards, and it is a
delightful irony that this year, it is Stuart himself to whom our
attention turns.
41
For me, introducing Stuart is a great personal pleasure. Not
only has he been a very good friend for more years than I can
remember, but as I am now Director of Studies at Trinity, I
now do part of the job he used to do. This has not made me
hold him in any less awe. In August 2000, I was present when
the Governor‐General, Sir William Deane, launched one of
Stuart’s books, Anzac Doctor. I have not often had the
opportunity to introduce anyone who keeps such august
company and it adds to my pleasure tonight.
Not only was Stuart Braga the finest of school masters, but he
was also a committed member of the wider teaching
profession. Apart from his service to the Teachers’ Guild, he
was heavily involved in the Australian College of Educators,
from whom he received a Fellowship in 1988, in the
professional development activities of the Association of
Independent Schools, and in other Independent school
organisations. He is a fine example of the true professional in
education.
His first book, Barker College. A History, was published in 1978,
when he was on the staff at Barker. This work set a new
standard in school histories. It was a thoroughly researched
and scholarly account, numbering some 523 pages. Since
retirement, Stuart has been able to indulge his twin loves of
history and writing. Anzac Doctor was published to critical
acclaim in 2000, and was followed by Kokoda Commander. The
life of Major‐General ‘Tubby’ Allen in 2004. Both books quickly
sold out, and were reprinted, indicators both of their quality
and their readability. To these three magna opera Stuart has
42
added over the years a number of shorter works and has
several projects currently under way. It is hardly surprising
that he is a Life Member of the Royal Australian Historical
Society and Chairman of the Beecroft Cheltenham History
Group.
It is thus our pleasure this evening to honour a distinguished
colleague, an outstanding school master and education
professional, and a man whose contributions to our profession,
to the writing of history and to the wider community mark
him out as a distinguished Australian and colleague.
I introduce to you Mr Stuart Braga.
43
STUART BRAGA ADDRESS
Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales Annual Dinner, 2007
Mr. Stuart Braga
Retired
I begin with two comments. First, Archbishop Michael
Ramsay, Archbishop of Canterbury, when introduced in a
more than fulsome way, said to the other guests, ‘please pray
for me, because I enjoyed it’. Second, RB Finlay, distinguished
past President of the Guild, rose to speak at his retirement
dinner. He said, ‘a lot of lies have been told, and I don’t
approve at all’. I shall return to him in a few moments.
Looking at the list of people who have been recognised by the
Teachers’ Guild, I find that I knew or know most of them. You
may be forgiven for thinking that this shows I have an
extensive experience of parochialism, but the Teachers’ Guild
is a unique organisation. I shall also return to the Teachers’
Guild.
I began teaching in 1961. The year before, I was invited to join
the staff of Hale School in Western Australia. I was terrified I
would be as bad as the worst teacher who had ever taught me.
So I went to see RB Finlay, the Senior Master of Barker College,
at whose feet I sat for four years in his English class. It was at
the end of term, and he was very tired, but he gave me an hour
of his time. I carefully wrote down his tips, but I was never
able to live up to them. My notes on them are now in the
Barker College archives. As he escorted me to the door of his
study, he laid his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Well, Stuart,
44
it’s a good idea to go as far away as you can to make all your
mistakes’. If I was terrified before, I was even more
apprehensive now. Hale School was in West Perth, even
further than Perth itself! It took five days to get there by train.
Finlay was wrong. To the end of my teaching days, I was still
making mistakes. Every day is a challenge, a learning curve.
However, that lit a fire under me as nothing else has ever
done. Foolishly, I thought I knew my subject when I went
west; as all teachers know, you can’t stand still, or you sink,
like the Apostle Peter.
In those days, every teacher was on his or her own. Your
classroom was your castle. You entered, shut the door, and
you were on your own to sink or swim. If teachers sank, and
there were many who did, that was the Head’s fault for
making a poor appointment. There was no such thing – no
such term – as professional development. All that changed
over time, but in the 1960s, it was up to you whether you
joined your professional subject association or anything else.
In education, there were many very good things that happened
to me. Three of them are:
(i) The mentoring of fine teachers, including RB Finlay,
who was my colleague for 14 years. I had the honour
of speaking at his retirement dinner, and then, sadly at
his funeral 11 years later. He modelled and expected a
very high standard, with meticulous attention to
detail. ‘Unambiguous efficiency’ was a phrase used by
another of his colleagues.
(ii) Joining the Australian College of Education in 1968 and
taking an active part in it and its committees almost
45
(iii) Becoming involved with the Teachers’ Guild. Mr Finlay
congratulated me on becoming President. ‘It’s never
been large’, he said, ‘but it’s always made a difference.’
Indeed it has.
Perhaps the greatest difference it ever made was just after
World War II, when the independent schools were desperate
for staff. Yes, I was at school then, and some teachers were not
up to it. Rising to meet the need, the Teachers’ Guild ran
training courses and issued diplomas, and for some years, had
its own Guild College, certified by the government. It was later
folded into other organisations as several other small colleges
were, to the loss of their special characteristics.
The Teachers’ Guild alone of them, continues to be active in
education. Its motto is ‘I teach that I may learn’. When it was
founded 116 years ago, its founder, A.B Weigall, saw its role as
‘to promote in all possible ways the care of education’. It has
always sought to encourage teachers, and to improve their
professional standing and their professional competence.
Alone in the field of teacher professional development, it is run
solely by teachers for teachers, with a Council of very
dedicated senior members of the profession.
Today, amongst other things, it recognises teachers with much
potential. When I served for some years on the selection
committee for the awards being presented tonight, I was
deeply impressed by the fine calibre of people commencing
46
their careers in education, and so it is tonight. We used to wish
that we could give more awards than we did, because the
nominees were worthy. That remains the case. May I look for a
moment at two of tonight’s awardees.
Elizabeth Stone had a successful career in law, and has taken
up a second career in teaching, because it is here that she will
make a real difference to people’s lives. Her Head of
Department writes that ‘she has boundless enthusiasm and
energy’ and is ‘ceaseless in her efforts to daily investigate and
improve her mathematical understanding’.
Bronwen Williams explains with much wisdom that ‘my
experience on practicum has demonstrated to me the
importance of planning, of commitment and versatility’. Well
said.
Lastly, a word about my family. My parents set me by precept
and practice on the path of service for others. My wife Patricia
has been steadfast and loyal in all the ups and downs of
several decades in schools. It is said that no‐one on his
deathbed ever wishes that he had spent more time in the office.
For many years, school swallowed me up once term began, so I
apologise to my sons for my neglect, and thank them for their
forbearance.
I conclude by saying that whatever I have achieved in
education has much to do with the challenges given to me by
good colleagues and good students. Each day in a school is an
opportunity and a challenge, because students and colleagues
47
expect much from you. You still make mistakes even if you are
not on the other side of the continent. May I say to those who
have received awards tonight that I am sure that you will fulfil
all that students and colleagues expect of you.
48
PowerPoint Presentation
IMPROVING TEACHING TO IMPROVE LEARNING
Professor Geoff N Masters
Australian Council for Educational Research
The Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales Professional
Seminar, 2008 ‐ Professional Learning: The New Era of
Standards and Accountability
What do highly effective teachers know and do?
In particular, what do highly effective teachers know and do
that leads to improved student learning?
The answer to this question is fundamental to:
• teacher recruitment
• teacher education programs
• ‘standards’ for accomplished teaching
• professional development
• recognition and remuneration
49
Research: Top Influences on Student Learning Influence Effect‐Size
Reinforcement 1.17
Cues and feedback .97
Graded homework .79
Cooperative learning .76
Class morale .60
Personalised instruction .57
Home interventions .50
Walberg, H (1984). Improving the Productivity of America’s Schools, Educational Leadership, 41(8),24.
Influence Effect‐Size
Feedback 1.13
Students’ prior cognitive ability 1.04
Instructional quality 1.00
Instructional quantity .84
Direct instruction .82
Acceleration .72
Home factors .67
Hattie, J (2003) Teachers Make a Difference: What is the Research Evidence? Paper presented at ACER Research Conference ‘Building Teacher Quality: What Does the Research Tell Us?’ 19-21 October 2003, Melbourne.
How People Learn
“Evidence from research indicates that when [the following]
three principles are incorporated into teaching, student
achievement improves…”
Principle 1
Learning is enhanced when learning opportunities are tailored
to individuals’ current levels of readiness.
“The most important single factor influencing learning is what the
learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly.”
Ausubel (1968)
50
“Teachers need to be able to assess precisely the strengths and
weaknesses of each individual student they teach, select
the appropriate instructional methods to help them to learn, and
deliver instruction in an effective and efficient manner .”
McKinsey (2007)
“There is a good deal of evidence that learning is enhanced when
teachers pay attention to the knowledge and beliefs that learners
bring to the learning task, use this knowledge as a starting point for
new instruction, and monitor students’ changing conceptions as
instruction proceeds.”
Bransford, Brown and Cocking (2000)
ground
sky
air
space
(Nussbaum, 1979)
A traditional view of teaching and learning?
Curriculum Teach Learn Assess Report
51
A traditional view of teaching and learning?
Darling‐Hammond (2004) refers to this as the ‘factory
assembly line model of schooling’ developed during the early
years of the 20th century…
“The assumption was that a sequenced set of procedures would be
implemented as a child moved along the conveyor belt from 1st to
12th grade.”
A traditional view of teaching and learning?
“In elementary schools, children move from one teacher to the next
every year. Every year we trash a yearʹs worth of relationships built
between children and their teacher, and we throw away all the
knowledge the teacher has gained about what each child needs and
can do. Each year, we tell every child and teacher to start over gain.”
(Marshak, 2003)
52
Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7
Band 6
Band 5
Band 4
Band 3
Band 2
Band 1
mat
hem
atic
s ac
hie
vem
ent
6
5
4
3
2
1
12 13 14 15
Age (years)
53
“The very best systems intervene at the level of the individual
student, developing processes and structures within schools that are
able to identify whenever a student is starting to fall behind, and then
intervening to improve that child’s performance.”
McKinsey (2007)
“In Finland, special education teachers provide support one‐on‐one
or in small‐group to students who are at risk of falling behind. They
intervene to support 30 per cent of all students in a school in any
given year.”
McKinsey (2007)
In education, we often have assumed that appropriate
interventions can be identified from a knowledge of group
membership(age, grade, gender, Indigenous status, SES, etc).
Group‐based educational solutions have, in general, failed to
close gaps.
54
Reading Score
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
SES -2.5 -2.0 -1.5 -1.0 -0.5 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5
read
ing
achi
evem
ent
socioeconomic status
In Summary…
To improve student learning, teachers must tailor their efforts
(learning opportunities)to learners’ current levels of readiness
‐‐ what students already know, believe and can do
‐‐ their interests and motivations
‐‐ their learning styles?
This involves finding out these things for individual learners.
55
Implications for Professional Development
Content (subject) knowledge is not enough.
Effective teaching also requires knowledge of how students
learn subject matter (pedagogical content knowledge),
including:
‐‐ knowledge of common / effective paths of learning
‐‐ knowledge of common misunderstandings / errors
‐‐ ability to establish an individual’s current needs (e.g.,
diagnose misunderstandings)
‐‐ knowledge of best ways to address individual needs
(what works, for whom, under what conditions?)
The Current Reality
Teachers often lack the time and skills required to identify
individual learning needs:
‐‐ pressure to cover year‐level curriculum
‐‐ some philosophical opposition to treating students
differently (differentiated instruction)
‐‐ history of using group‐based solutions to address
student needs
‐‐ teachers dealing with widely dispersed levels of
attainment
56
How People Learn
Principle 2
Learning is more effective when it leads to deep
understandings of subject matter.
“One of the hallmarks of the new science of learning is its emphasis
on learning with understanding.”
(Bransford, Brown and Cocking, 2000)
The learning of facts and procedures is very important.
However, the teaching of disconnected knowledge undermines
understanding and does not help students learn when and
how to apply what they learn.
Underlying concepts and principles give meaning to
knowledge and help learners to organise what they are
learning and to understand the contexts to which their
knowledge can be applied.
Research shows that students who can recall facts and apply
algorithms to solve standard ‘problems’ sometimes have naïve
and incorrect understandings of key principles.
These often are exposed only by asking questions in non‐
traditional ways.
57
In Summary…
To improve student learning, teachers must develop students’
understandings of key concepts and principles, providing
multiple examples of how what they are learning can be
applied:
‐‐ a deepening of the knowledge base and
‐‐ the development of a conceptual framework for
subject matter
Implications for Professional Development
Teachers themselves require a deep understanding of the
material they are teaching (‘content knowledge’), including:
‐‐ a rich knowledge base
‐‐ a deep understanding of big ideas, key concepts,
and underlying principles that enable them to
organise their knowledge and to understand the
contexts to which knowledge can be applied.
The Current Reality
Teachers too often lack the depth of content knowledge
required for highly effective teaching. Reasons include:
‐‐ limited own school achievements in subject
‐‐ many teachers teaching ‘out of field’
‐‐ no minimum standards set in relation to content
knowledge for entry to teacher education or into
teaching itself
58
35% of secondary mathematics teachers
28% of secondary physics teachers
say they have a ‘major’ or ‘moderate’ need for better
content knowledge in the subject they are teaching.
McKenzie, P, Kos, J, Walker, M & Hong, J (2008). Staff in
Australia’s Schools 2007. Canberra: Department of
Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
How People Learn
Principle 3
Learning is more effective when learners are supported to
monitor and take responsibility for their own learning.
In a ‘learning oriented’ rather than a ‘performance oriented’
culture (Dweck, 1989):
• learning is motivated more by a desire to understand
and to acquire new skills than to satisfy somebody
else’s requirements / expectations;
• teachers support risk‐taking and tolerate mistakes
(rather than competition among students and a fear of
failure);
• students are encouraged to take responsibility for,
and to monitor, their own progress; and
Assessment is used not merely to establish whether students
have learnt what teachers have taught, but to identify starting
points for learning and to provide feedback to student
learning.
59
Learning is facilitated when teachers encourage risk‐taking,
tolerate mistakes and provide feedback that allows learners to
monitor progress. (i.e., ‘learning oriented’ rather than
‘performance oriented’ cultures)
(Dweck, 1989)
Learning is facilitated when learners are supported to monitor
their own progress over time (across the years of school).
In Summary…
To improve student learning, teachers must create classroom
learning cultures in which:
‐‐ there is a belief in every student’s ability to learn
‐‐ individuals feel supported to take risks
‐‐ teachers provide timely and useful feedback
‐‐ students monitor their own learning over time
Implications for Professional Development
Teachers require skills in creating classroom learning
communities.
They must be passionate, committed and skilled in:
‐‐ engaging and motivating students
‐‐ providing timely and useful feedback
‐‐ supporting students to monitor their own learning
60
The Current Reality
62% of secondary mathematics teachers and
61% of secondary physics teachers
say they have a ‘major’ or ‘moderate’ need for more effective
ways of engaging students in the subject they are teaching.
Classroom learning often is driven less by curiosity than by
external demands (e.g. to achieve high exam scores, to meet
externally‐imposed targets). Teachers often lack the time and
skills to provide individualised feedback to guide learning.
The grade‐based structure of schools makes the seamless
monitoring of individual learning difficult.
In summary, learning research suggests that professional
development should be designed to assist teachers in:
1. Tailoring learning opportunities to learners’ current
levels of readiness (what they know and believe,
their interests, motivations and learning styles);
2. Developing students’ understandings of concepts and
principles ‐‐ giving meaning to factual and
procedural knowledge and helping students
to apply what they are learning; and
3. Creating classroom learning cultures in which
students feel supported, are given feedback and are
encouraged to accept responsibility for, and to
monitor, their own learning.
61
PowerPoint Presentation
BUILDING A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY
Dr Maree Skillen
Director of Curriculum , Arden Anglican School
The Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales Professional
Seminar, 2008 ‐ Professional Learning: The New Era of
Standards and Accountability
Overview
Providing a Context
What is a Professional Learning Community (PLC)?
Importance and Effects of Professional Learning
o Teachers
New Scheme; Experienced
o Classroom Practice
Professional Learning and Professional Standards
Revisiting the Context
Sustainability of a PLC
Lessons Learned
Providing a Context – Arden Anglican School
History
Location
Vision
Motto
Staff
62
What is a PLC?
Definitions:
o Communities of Practice
o A Professional Learning Community
Rationale:
o Effective schools
o Effective professional learning
o Effective teachers
Models and Frameworks
63
Effective Schools Model Diagram insert
Source: DET‐South Australia (2005)
Professional Learning in Effective Schools
Effective Professional Learning Model
Source: DET‐South Australia (2005)
Professional Learning in Effective Schools
64
Effective Professional Learning
7 Principles of Highly
Effective Professional
Learning
Teacher Knowledge and
Skills
Effective Professional
Learning Models
Focused on student
outcomes
Focused on and
embedded in teacher
practice
Informed by best
available research on
effective teaching and
learning
PEDAGOGICAL
KNOWLEDGE
Collaborative, involving
reflection and feedback
Evidence based and data
driven to guide
improvement and
measure impact
DISCIPLINE
KNOWLEDGE
Ongoing, supported and
fully integrated into the
culture and operations of
the system – schools,
networks, regions and the
centre
An individual and
collective responsibility at
all levels of the system
PEDAGOGICAL
CONTENT
KNOWLEDGE
Professional
learning teams
o action learning
o study groups
o case discussions
Peer observation
Mentoring
Coaching
In‐house programs
External
consultant/critical
friend
External
workshops
Accredited courses
Structured
professional
reading
Personal
professional
reading
Practicums/school
visits
Online learning
Professional
conversations
65
The Importance and Effects of Professional Learning
Teachers o Educational goals: classrooms, students, subject
area
Transformation of teaching o Encouragement and support
Improvement in student outcomes o Four interconnected factors:
Student learning
Authentic pedagogy
Organisational capacity
External support
Results o Challenging learning experiences for all students
o A school culture that nurtures staff collaboration
and decision making
o Meaningful opportunities for professional
growth
Professional Learning and Professional Standards
The initiative’s Self‐assessment Framework articulates how
schools can use their data to align teachers’ individual learning
needs with school priorities, goals for student learning and
teacher professional learning. The accreditation process
comprises five elements:
o induction for teachers new to the school
66
o use of multiple sources of feedback on teacher
effectiveness for individual teachers and teams of
teachers
o customised individual teacher development
plans based on individual development needs
o quality professional development to meet
individual development needs
o belief by teachers that the school has a
performance and development culture
This Professional Learning Framework taken from CEASA
(The Council of Education Associations of South Australia) has
been designed to support teachers, through the activities of
67
their professional association to plan teacher learning
programs for sustainable changed pedagogy. It was developed
in partnership with the “Teacher Quality“ Unit within
Organisation & Professional Development Services (OPDS) of
DECS. It is OPDS which oversees the contract between CEASA
and DECS.
The Framework is based on current research of the elements
that best support sustainable professional learning. The
Framework supports teachers to reflect on their knowledge,
skills, practice, values and beliefs through inquiry processes. It
provides a comprehensive, structured approach to teacher
learning and has been developed to inform the design of
association CEASA funded activities in 2006.
The six elements of the Professional Learning Framework call
for professional learning that is collaborative, planned, focused
on the classroom, based on inquiry processes, data collection
and analysis and supported by quality leadership.
Each of the six elements of the Framework works together to
produce high quality professional learning that is sustainable.
The Framework provides opportunities for educators to
engage in dialogue and explore current research related to
curriculum design and pedagogical practices.
There is no single starting point when planning for learning
using the Framework. The starting point may come from data,
from an issue, from research, from a “system” requirement, or
from the setting up of a professional learning community. The
starting point could come from teachers or individuals
68
analysing an element or descriptor of the Professional
Standards for Teachers.
Sustainability of a PLC
Requires planning
Direction
Implications of change
Teachers making a difference
Example of a professional learning framework linking to Professional Standards
Effective professional learning is grounded within a range of
principles, processes, structures and activities that have as
their focus the development of the knowledge, values,
relationships and practices that will have a positive impact on
the learning outcomes of all students. Sustainable professional
learning and development needs to be planned. It is about the
direction and implications of change and is not about the
maintenance of the status quo. Teachers that make a difference
are those who work together, have a sense of responsibility for
their students’ learning and posses a sense of efficacy in
achieving desirable outcomes.
When designing professional learning for teachers, planning
needs to ensure that each of the elements is addressed and
incorporated to ensure that the learning is sustainable, that
pedagogical change happens and student outcomes are
improved. No one element is more important than another,
planning can start at any element, but all elements must be
included.
69
Revisiting the Context
The PLC
o Building a focus
Initiatives
o K‐12; Secondary; Junior
2008 Priorities
o Assessment
o Leadership
o Grants
Focus for 2008
First aid versus boot camp
Assessment (K‐12) initiative
Secondary: Emphasis on tasks, marking criteria,
developing awareness
Leadership (K‐12) Middle Leaders Matter (MLM)
Accrediting staff; building knowledge; working
collaboratively (K‐12; junior; secondary)
Building teams (e.g. Creative and Performing Arts)
Grants: AGQTP Professional Standards
Focus on developing a framework and supportive
structures and processes for New Scheme teachers (12
across K‐12)
Involving staff at all levels to lead and be involved with
projects, PD days, leading workshops and/or PD
sessions
Supporting staff with individual needs at curriculum
(department level) plus whole school approach
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Lessons Learned …
The Vision
Relationships
Empowerment
Academic focus
Feedback
Leadership
Inclusivity
Significance Factor
The Vision
Focus on the students
Set priorities
Nurture the staff and the students develop the community
Engender confidence in those that you are working with
and for
Relationships
Build an atmosphere which provides a caring and
productive environment
Develop trust and relationships that reflect this
Encourage collaboration
Reduce isolation bonding
Empowerment + ownership + opportunities
Promote increase quality
Set (high) expectations
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Academic Focus
Make connections
Encourage professional reading; develop a discourse
Awareness and knowledge of purpose and philosophy
(by all)
Encourage informed decision making about adoption
and implementation
Continuous learning, continuous interactions assimilate ideas and support
Identify new practices conduct action research
Feedback
Should be meaningful and constructive
Provide a safe forum for discussion; reinforce the
values of the community
Develop procedures for management and the resolution
of conflict; peer mediation; linking – identify, form action research
Leadership
Be at the centre, not the top
o Share, be available, have a physical presence
(accessibility is the key)
Provide opportunities for stimulating conversation
about T&L bind ; persistence; role of supporter and provider of assistance
Inclusivity
Provide foresight and personal involvement in
nurturing the expansion process
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Fashion meaningful ways for teachers to come together
to focus on issues and work that concerns all of them
Start with those ready to start , BUT note and remember
it is imperative to include ALL staff in a school avoid fragmentation
Significance Factor
The role of the Principal or other designated leader who
is best positioned to help guide toward new forms of PL
share with staff in a democratically participatory
way:
o Leadership; Power; Authority; Decision making
Building … Reflecting
Richard DuFour – May 2004 Volume 61 Number 8 Educational
Leadership
To create a professional learning community, focus on learning
rather than teaching, work collaboratively and hold yourself
accountable for results.
Remember four crucial questions that drive the work of those
within a PLC when engaging and exploring:
1. What do we want each student to learn?
2. How will we know when each student has learned it?
3. How will we respond when a student experiences
difficulty in learning?
4. How will we deepen the learning for students who have
already mastered the essential knowledge?
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The answer to the third question separates learning
communities from traditional schools. Critical to the PLC
culture is the commitment to continuous improvement.
Importance of the process of reflection
A culture of collaboration discourse community of
professional learners
That is:
PLC communities of continuous inquiry and improvement.
Hord (1997) refers to a quick‐fix mentality, especially prevalent
in US culture, resulted in many schools being poorly prepared
for their plans for change and therefore implementing change
in a superficial and less‐than‐high‐quality way. This approach
might be called the “microwave oven” theory of school.
Improvement: pop a new program in for four minutes with a
designated hero to manage it and improvement is done. What
then?
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JOHN SHELDON ADDRESS
Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales Annual Dinner, Trinity
Grammar School, 2008
Mr. John Sheldon
Retired
It is a great honour indeed to have been invited by the Guild
Council to present the awards this evening. This remarkable
institution has proved amazingly resilient in its one hundred
and sixteen years of existence. With the advent of teachers’
unions and the many new initiatives in professional
development, the earlier crucial roles of the Guild seemed to
be sidelined, but it has continued to find a niche in the world
of education, inspired by a small but enthusiastic band of
teachers committed to its aims and ideals. A typical example of
this resilience is the programme introduced some years ago to
encourage the pursuit of excellence in the profession by
recognizing the work of outstanding teachers at various stages
of their careers. In keeping with the respect which the Guild
has maintained for its past leaders and others of significance in
education in this state, the awards also honour one of these
each year. To be included in such a galaxy is a humbling
experience and I would like to take this opportunity to speak
not about myself but about someone who has influenced my
perception of the role of a schoolmaster and who is almost
forgotten these days. He was dead before I was born, but he
occupied the position which I held for many years and he
somehow remains a living presence in the Lower School at
Sydney Grammar. He was one of the Guild’s founding fathers
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and his portrait appears in the collection at the beginning of
the official history of the Guild. His name is Arthur Giles.
Here are a few of the tributes which were paid to him at the
time of his death in 1932:
From AHS Lucas: “I think that probably Arthur Giles
was the greatest schoolmaster of us all.”
From an Old Sydneian: “Mr Giles, with his wise
understanding of small boys, his shrewdness and kindly
humour, his tolerant and direct nature and the strength
and simplicity of his idealism, did most to mould the
characters of those who have passed through the School
during the last half‐century.”
From the Grammar Trustees: “Coming to Australia as a
young scholar of high attainments and great promise,
with wise interests and of proved character, he was well
content to bring his unusual gifts and his very human
sympathies to the study and the development of
generation after generation of small boys.” (The
Trustees).
The last Headmaster under whom he served, H S
Dettmann spoke of “his amazing freshness of outlook.
This old schoolmaster, refusing to be cynical or jaded,
was a priest to us all of the wonder and bloom of the
world.”
Arthur Giles was born at Nether Hallam, Sheffield, England
1859, the son of a Baptist minister. He attended the City of
London School. Dr Edwin Abbott was Arthur’s Headmaster
and Herbert Asquith, later Prime Minister of England, was
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Captain of the School in Arthur’s first year. Sadly, Arthur’s
father died when he was thirteen. His mother was about to
remove him from the school when Abbott, no doubt realizing
what a talented pupil he would lose, as well as for
compassionate reasons, urged her to allow him to stay.
According to a testimonial of 1912, he held school scholarships
in Classics and Mathematics, Sanskrit, and Natural Science.
He was head of the year in Classics and Mathematics. Arthur
Giles won an open scholarship to Queens’ College, Cambridge,
where he showed real distinction as a mathematician. Shortly
after this, in 1881, he applied for the post of Second
Mathematical Master at Sydney Grammar School. He was
offered the position on the recommendation of his former
mentor, Dr Abbott. He left the shores of England in December,
spending Christmas in the Red Sea; he was filled with the
spirit of adventure and the promise of a new and better life in
the antipodes. “How abundantly the promise was to fulfill
itself I was to learn”, he later said. His trip out was not without
drama as some of the passengers on his ship were found to
have smallpox. Giles had the inconvenience of a period in
quarantine on arrival in Sydney in 1882. He was not alone in
Sydney for long as his mother and two younger brothers
followed him in 1883. Arthur Giles left Grammar at the end
that year to be Mathematical and House Master in the
Launceston Church Grammar School in Tasmania. On a return
visit to Sydney he was married in 1884 in Strathfield to the
daughter of a farmer from Braidwood. The Headmaster
A.B.Weigall invited him to return to Grammar and he did so
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mid‐way through 1885. Two years later he was appointed
Master of the Lower School, a post he held for 45 years.
We have a description of Giles as a young master in his first
years at the School from the pen of J Le Gay Brereton, the poet
and Professor of English Literature at Sydney University. “I
remember him as he entered the room to take charge of us for
the first time and glanced with a kind of familiar confidence
along the lines, as if he were taking a kindly interest in each
separate boy....He taught us pleasantly, as though he enjoyed
sharing with us the knowledge that he could bestow ‐ not
forcing us to undertake repellent tasks, but inviting us to
accompany him in a quiet adventure. He went with us,
instead of attempting to drive us. He gave us a sense of
comradeship, and so he had seldom to make a show of
authority. Yet there was no lack of firmness in his discipline.
When sternness was necessary it was forthcoming, but it was
so obviously a matter of duty and so devoid of personal feeling
that it left in its victims not the slightest sense of undue
harshness, far less of injustice. It deepened our respect and left
our affection unimpaired.”
Among his chief activities outside school was the Teachers’
Guild with which he was associated from the time of its
foundation in December 1892. He was, in fact, a member of
the first Council and became President in 1896 and 1897.
When the Guild decided to launch a journal The Australian
Teacher in 1893, Giles was its keenest supporter and later
became its editor. When the decision was made to launch the
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Teachers’ Central Registry, Arthur Giles was a member of its
first executive committee.
The Guild has always had periods of difficulty in maintaining
its numbers. As Beverley Fletcher says in her centenary
history of the Guild The Care of Education “The major drawback
remained, nevertheless, the failure of the organization to
attract assistant masters to membership.” In describing the
early decades of the Guild, she cites Arthur Giles as “the only
enduring councillor who was not a head master and the only
non‐head master to assume the Presidency.” Giles undertook
much onerous work for the Guild over a long period. He was
also an industrious contributor of articles to The Australian
Teacher. One of the men with whom Giles worked most closely
over all those years was the Reverend Dr Charles Prescott,
Headmaster of Newington College, who succeeded Giles as
President of the Guild in 1897. Prescott paid this tribute to
Giles after his death:
“Mr Giles brought to our discussions wisdom and
experience of a skilled and practical teacher and was
always heard with attention. At a time when the
examinations that largely governed school work were
entirely in the hands of the University, the Guild,
which at that time had a different name, afforded
opportunity for conference between teachers on the
one side and university professors on the other. Such
conference has been carried much further in the later
days, but it was the Guild that inaugurated it and Mr
Giles was a leader of the Guild.
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On all questions of educational and public importance
Mr Giles expressed himself with independence,
decisiveness and fearlessness. He was a keen critic
and a forceful debater. His contributions to
educational thought and policy always commanded
respect, and he did a considerable amount of work for
the educational journals that circulated among us. He
was keenly interested in those philanthropic
establishments in the poorer districts conducted by the
Kindergarten Union.”
Giles was an educational conservative, but the following
statement made in 1922 shows that he was open‐minded
enough to deal with the profound changes which followed the
Great War. “I have devoted considerable time latterly to
observation of the changes in educational ideals and methods
advocated both here and at home. While there is much that is
helpful in these, all the schemes proposed seem to me lacking
in balance or practicability, and I am more and more convinced
that our forefathers ‘builded better than they knew’. The
change in the outlook of the younger generation ‐ brought to a
head during the War years ‐ has perforce occupied much of my
attention. In many aspects it is puzzling, but sympathy and
forbearance seem to me the main essentials in dealing with the
change.”
At the time that he wrote these words Giles was 63, an age at
which many teachers are retired or contemplating retirement
these days. He had another decade of productive work ahead
of him and he lost little, if any, of his enthusiasm for the job.
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This earlier generation of teachers, our founding fathers, set
the bar high and we can only look with wonder at their
stamina and derive inspiration from their example. To be a
member of the Guild is to share in this heritage of commitment
and professionalism. Those of you who are receiving awards
tonight have certainly showed that you share a vision of what
it is to be a good teacher. You should be proud of your
achievements and remember that the future of our country lies
in your hands: the classroom is the nursery for the values and
skills which will allow the coming generation of Australians to
take this country forward into the Twenty First Century.
Doceo ut discam ‘I teach that I may learn’, the motto of the
Guild, is no platitude. We all know that in order to teach
effectively we must have a real grasp of our subject and we
must carry in our minds a considerable body of knowledge. It
is not sufficient to refer one’s pupils to web sites and ask them
to ‘Google’ the answer to questions. Certainly they need to be
able to make proper use of the facilities provided by all the
modern technology, but they must learn to value the personal
interaction which the classroom provides in the acquisition of
knowledge. They will only do so if they have respect for the
ability of the teacher as a source of information. This was the
very quality which Giles and his great contempories had in
abundance. We must continue to aim high, to ‘screw our
courage to the sticking point and we’ll not fail.’ After all, the
Guild’s continuing existence has not been achieved by building
in the sand of a sentimental hankering for the past, but in the
rock of never tiring work to maintain professional standards.
In this context I would like to conclude with prophetic words
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spoken by A.B.Weigall in his address to the Inaugural Meeting
of the Guild in 1892. ʺPerhaps no worse fate could befall the
education of any country than to be reduced by external
pressure to a uniform level of mediocrity, or to be strangled by
red tapeʺ. One hundred and sixteen years on the battle lines
are still drawn and the Guild continues to promote its ideals of
which we see practical examples tonight. Thank you for
inviting me to be part of it all again.
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LIFE MEMBER ADDRESS
Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales Annual Dinner, Trinity
Grammar School, 2008
Mrs. Gwynneth Hall Bowley (née Thompson)
Retired
In January 1948, I applied for a teaching position at Danebank,
Hurstville, to assist the Headmistress, Miss Edith Roseby Bull.
Together we taught three to five year old girls and boys.
Miss Ball advised me to go to the Teachers’ Central Registry
office in the Assembly Building in Margaret St Sydney, to
register as a teacher. The Teachers’ Central Registry placed
suitably qualified teachers in schools of which the Teachers’
Guild of New South Wales approved.
At Danebank during 1949, I began teaching a composite class
of 3rd and 4th class girls. In the same year, the Teachers’ Guild
resumed offering its teacher training course, which had ceased
during World War II, and Miss Ball encouraged me to apply
for the Teacher Diploma course, which was offered two
afternoons / evenings per week during term time, over a three
year period. To attend the course we had to be already
employed by a non‐government school. The course taught us
how to teach, with practical tutors assessing our classroom
teaching methods. I remember two of the tutors were Mr RB
Finlay and Miss Ruby Wheaton. At the end of the course,
eleven men and women graduated with a Primary School
Teacher Diploma.
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In Term 2 of 1950, I began teaching 4th class in the primary
school at my old school, SCEGGS in Forbes Street
Darlinghurst. I had done my Leaving Certificate at SCEGGS in
1947, so my last year as a pupil coincided with the first year of
a new, young Headmistress, Miss Barbara Chisholm. When I
returned to SCEGGS as a staff member, Miss Chisholm too
encouraged my training with the Teachers’ Guild.
In December 1951, I not only completed my Diploma, but I also
married Ronald Bowley. During that year, in addition to
teaching at SCEGGS, I had also been employed as a live‐in
boarding mistress at St Catherine’s at Waverley, where my
former Latin teacher from SCEGGS, Una Fitzhardinge, was the
new Headmistress.
I left SCEGGS at the end of 1956, and resumed my teaching
career in Term 2 1962, when I returned to SCEGGS to teach 4th
class. In Term I 1973, I was appointed Mistress in Charge of
SCEGGS Primary School, which was housed in the newly
refurbished Begbie Terrace on Bourke Street at Darlinghurst. I
remained at SCEGGS until my retirement from teaching at the
end of 1976. The year after my own retirement, Miss Chisholm
also retired, having completed her thirtieth year as
Headmistress.
In 1978, I applied to the Guild Teachers’ College of Advanced
Education for a position as a practical tutor in Education. By
this stage, the College was government funded. The Principal
was Edward Roman, and Miss Barbara Zaremba, an American,
was the Deputy Principal. I served in the Guild College until
1980. In 1982, the College amalgamated with Sydney College
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of Advanced Education on the campus of the University of
Sydney.
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EXPRESSION OF THANKS
Mrs. Gwynneth Hall Bowley (née Thompson)
Retired
It was with sincere thanks and gratitude that I received Life
Membership of the Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales,
presented by the President, Mrs Frances Fleeton, at the Annual
Dinner and Presentation of Awards, on Saturday, 6th
September 2008, at Trinity Grammar School.
My husband, Ron, and I appreciated your kind invitation to be
guests at the dinner, especially being able to spend time with
old friends from the Guild. We were delighted to have the
opportunity to be seated with the guest of Honour, Mr John
Sheldon, whom we had met on many Guild occasions over the
years. I am quite sure that the 2008 Awardees, who received
their teaching awards, would be inspired by Mr Sheldon’s
impressive career.
During the course of the past sixty years of my membership of
the Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales, there have been
many radical changes, both in the classroom and in school
administration. Congratulations to the President, Fran Fleeton,
and to the Honorary Secretary, Mr Alan Harper and the Guild
Councillors, who have maintained such a high standard. It was
a humbling experience both to see and hear the quality of
achievements produced by the young teachers who received
Awards in their early years of teaching, the Guild Scholarship
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and the Research Award at this year’s very special Awards
evening.
On a more personal note, thank you also for the elegant ‘Gocci’
hand made Italian glass serving bowl, which was presented to
me by the President. Truly, it will serve as a happy reminder of
a wonderful Annual Dinner and of the 2008 Presentation of
awards at Trinity Grammar School.
Thank you for your thoughtfulness. It was appreciated.
Yours sincerely,
Gwynne Bowley
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RESEARCH AWARD WINNER ADDRESS
Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales Annual Dinner, Trinity
Grammar School, 2008
Sarah Loch
Dean of Middle School, Abbotsleigh I would like to thank the Teachers’ Guild for offering the
Research Award. I am honoured to be a recipient of this
award. This award is a symbolic recognition of the importance
of highlighting a combination of teaching and researching, and
researching about teaching, in schools today. In my role at
Abbotsleigh as Dean of Middle School, I am fortunate to be in
a position and at a school where this combination is promoted
and encouraged. I know that many present tonight will agree
that it is not always easy to be undertaking postgraduate
research whilst maintaining a leadership role in a school. I am
therefore thankful to the Guild for its recognition of the
importance of bringing more school‐based research into an
active school environment. I would also like to recognise and
thank Judy Poole, the Headmistress of Abbotsleigh for her
practical support and encouragement, and my family for all
their support.
My area of research has expanded this year into a PhD
program at the University of Queensland. I am looking at how
young adolescents make educational decisions about their
future and how they negotiate their subject selection
opportunities. Last year I completed a project as part of my
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Masters of Educational Studies which has formed a starting
point for my current work. In this project I investigated the
role that career education could play for middle years students
and I used student interviews as a base for my data and
analysis. I was fortunate to see the realisation of this research
with Abbotsleigh’s commitment to employing a Middle School
Careers Counsellor this year and for the ongoing support I
have had in developing programs in this area. I believe this is
enhancing our Middle School program and the continued
research focus is helping us to implement further research‐
based reforms.
The opportunity to conduct authentic research within a school,
and to not have to leave my job in school in order to do this, is
something I value very highly and I hope to be able to continue
to combine these two compatible aspects of education more in
the future. The generosity of the Teachers’ Guild will assist me
to purchase a software package for qualitative analysis and
also contribute towards the travel I need to do to spend time
on campus in Queensland. This practical assistance is
gratefully received, especially because it represents the Guild’s
recognition of the importance of research in schools, and its
ongoing commitment to vibrancy in this area of education.
I look forward to sharing more about my research and the
research process with future audiences of the Teachers’ Guild.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you and
congratulations to the other teachers recognised tonight.
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AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE (SECONDARY DIVISION)
ADDRESS
Amanda Feeney
Winner, Award for Excellence (Secondary Division), 2008
Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales Annual Dinner, Trinity
Grammar School, 2008
Good evening ladies and gentlemen. As the recipient of the
2008 Senior School Award for Teaching excellence I am very
honoured and extremely proud. Thank you to everyone from
the Teachers’ Guild who was involved in the selection and
interview process including Mrs Frances Fleeton, Mrs Irene
Holt and Mrs Janelle Varlow who made me feel very relaxed
and confident during the panel interview.
Whilst I stand before you today accepting this award, I owe
much of who I am and what I have achieved so far in my
teaching career to my family, friends and colleagues.
The first question which was asked of me during the interview
was…Who is Amanda? What is your story? After the initial
shock of being asked such a simple yet complex question, I
responded and proceeded to describe my own educational and
life journey to date. Throughout all of the experiences was the
common theme of opportunity. That is, within my personal
and professional life I have been extremely blessed with a
multitude of challenging and exciting opportunities.
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I owe much of this award to my family and especially my
parents Norman and Johanna and my grandmother
Henderika. From a young age my parents have strongly
emphasised the importance of education as a dynamic and life
changing force. It is through their continual support and
encouragement I have developed a love of learning and
challenged myself in various college and army leadership
positions. The desire to challenge and expand my life
opportunities continued throughout my time at
The University of Sydney and was manifested in my studies
and extracurricular activities such as the Golden Key Society,
the Centre for Learning Innovation and the Beyond the Line
rural exchange program. All of the above experiences would
not have been possible without my family who have always
believed in my abilities and supported my ambitions.
Upon graduation, I was selected as a targeted graduate and
employed as a Humanities and Religion teacher at Nagle
College, Blacktown South. At Nagle College I have been
extremely fortunate in entering into a school community
where the staff, students and parents are extremely supportive
of new teachers, new ideas and new programs. Our school
motto is ‘In Deed Not Word’. Both staff and students
consciously and unconsciously live out this motto and it is
hard to believe in just over one and a half years I have been
given the opportunity to participate in so many diverse
teaching and learning activities including:
the establishment of a new Stage 5 subject, the development of
the Year 7 Integration Pilot Project, trial on‐line assessment and
participate in the 2008 Nagle College European Study Tour.
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The support of my principal Mary Leask, the executive, my
supervisor Ellen Lonergan, mentor Diane Sheen and especially
my HSIE colleagues has been invaluable in keeping my
passion and determination alive, sharing my love of learning
with like minded professionals.
Once again, thank you very much to the Teachers’ Guild,
family, friends and colleagues for the wonderful opportunities
which you have supported me in to date. Thank you.
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Dynamic Nagle College teacher wins Award
Courtesy Catholic Education Office, Parramatta
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
Amanda Feeney, Human Society and its Environment (HSIE)
teacher at Nagle College, Blacktown South has been awarded
The Teachers’ Guild of NSW 2008 Early Career Educator
Award.
The prestigious award is presented to one teacher in their
second or third year of teaching in a NSW or ACT Independent
or Catholic secondary school. Nominated teachers are judged
on their strengths as a classroom teacher; their contribution to
the broader life of the school; professional development
involvement; and their future goals in education and teaching.
Amanda Feeney was chosen as the winner from 31 other
nominations after a comprehensive selection process including
an interview with three experienced educators.
Now in her second year of teaching at Nagle College, in 2006
Amanda completed a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and
Social Science and a Bachelor of Education, Secondary with
Honours Class 1 at the University of Sydney.
As a result of her outstanding results she was selected for the
Parramatta Catholic Education Office’s (CEO) Graduate
Recruitment Program, which aims to employ outstanding new
teachers in its schools. Mary Leask, Nagle College principal,
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who nominated Amanda for the award, is very pleased to have
her at the College.
‘Amanda is an exceptional, dynamic, passionate and reflective
teacher. She creatively targets the needs of all the students in
her classes and sets tasks and projects so that each student can
achieve. She is very positive and the students catch on to that.
She makes teaching and learning fun and the girls want to be
in her classes,’ said Mary.
Passionate about Geography and History, Amanda says she
hopes her enthusiasm and interest creates a similar interest in
her students. Amanda particularly enjoys adding real life
experiences to her classes. When her students were studying
the 1920s and 1930s she would come to class dressed in the
clothes of those eras. She invited a group of Vietnam veterans
to talk to the girls when they were investigating the Vietnam
War, and as part of their crime and punishment study, she
organised a visit to Maitland Gaol and a ‘Sinister Tour of
Parramatta’.
‘My education has brought me many opportunities in life,’
said Amanda, who got a taste for the classroom while peer
teaching during her army cadet days. ‘I want to enable my
students to also have those opportunities.’