Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong

The 9th Annual Australian Centre for Educational Leadership Conference

26th February 2010

Venue: Building 67 University of Wollongong Campus

Inspiring Teachers: Aspiring Leaders

Concurrent Presentations

Christopher Bounds

Abstract: "Developing leaders and developing leadership capacity: two concepts that can work together"

Amidst ongoing concerns about the lack of candidates for senior leadership positions, schools and systems are investing in the leadership development programs of a different type. This workshop provides an opportunity for discussing experiences of leadership, and explores the possibility that developing a school's leadership capacity may provide an increase in the pool of those willing to accept the formal leadership.

Bio:

Christopher Bounds has held a number of senior leadership positions in the Catholic and independent schools as well as a secondment to the NSW Office of the Board of Studies. His particular interest is in the improvements in student outcomes through enhancing teacher collective leadership. He is currently the Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching at Chevalier College, Bowral, and is completing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership at the University of Wollongong.

 

Michael Ross

Abstract: Key Elements of Effective Middle Years Education Through the smarTrack Program

The middle years of schooling represent an exciting area of school reform, both nationally and internationally. There is an ever-growing body of research literature, government reports and strategic documents focussed on developing more effective methods of meeting the unique developmental needs of young adolescents upon which educators can build their own responses. This workshop will explore one school’s responses to the identified key elements of effective middle years education through the smarTrack program, which has yielded significant results in terms of school growth, student engagement and the development of middle years pedagogy. This is a program which is grounded in Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence model and demonstrates how we as educators can bridge the gap between research and practice in ways that enrich the learning of our students. Participants will be encouraged to look afresh at specific areas of middle years research and assess their own school’s responses to this significant transition point in young people’s lives. Participants will receive copies of aspects of the smarTrack program and will be encouraged in their leadership in the middle years.

Bio:

Michael Ross has had 14 years experience in K-12 education in State and independent schools in NSW and QLD, both in urban and rural areas. He is Primary trained but has spent the majority of his career teaching in the middle years (particularly Year 7-8). As an educator he is passionate about seeing young adolescents reach their potential and be engaged in their learning. He is currently Head of Middle School and Director of Curriculum Development at Charlton Christian College in Lake Macquarie, NSW. He has completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) at the University of Western Sydney and a Master of Educational Studies at Southland College, Sydney (formerly ICTE). He is passionate about fostering teacher leadership and student-centred learning and seeing teachers realise their own professional aspirations.

 

Alan Ibbett & Michelle McKinnon & Kayleen Petzer 

 

Abstract: Leading changes in learning and teaching in an age of increasingly available information communication learning technologies (ICLT)

Leading changes in learning and teaching in a digital age is a critical area for current leaders and those aspiring to be leaders within schools. The question may be asked, can low cost hardware when combined with open source software be matched to create an effective learning device that could be deployed to create a 1: 2 learning environment in primary schools? This Session examines this question from an engineering and school leadership point of view that has been informed by good educational practice and modern trends in ICLT in education. The session examines the creation of a Learning Device (TDL) and its deployment to a typical primary school in NSW. The examination is in two parts. Part A includes the choices, specifications and deployment options available to TLD whilst using Open Source software. Part B is a review of the leadership and policy requirements that were required to make the deployment successful. The session concludes with an open discussion on the lesson learned, particularly in relation to the leadership of the program, and the next steps for the school in its journey to bring about this change.

Alan Ibbett, Be (Electrical), Grad Cert Eng, Me. 

Alan is the Chief Technology Officer for the Catholic Education Office, (CEO) Wollongong Diocese. Alan graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney as an Electrical Engineer with a focus on communications and communications systems. After graduation he became the manager of the NSW Department of Water Resources Instrumentation and Control Lab where a keen interest in the then developing IT industry. In 1997 Alan joined the NSW TAFE as Senior Communications Planner and retained that role until 2007 when he joined the CEO in Wollongong. A key component of Alan’s work since 1997 has been the provision of high quality ICLT services in the Education Sector.

Michelle McKinnon

Michelle McKinnon is currently the Assistant Principal at Our Lady Help of Christians (OLHC) Catholic Primary School at Rosemeadow in a job share arrangement for 2009-2010. She has worked in six Catholic primary schools in a variety of roles. More recently she has carried out professional learning and mentoring roles to promote Inquiry Learning as a pedagogy, and to promote more engagement of students with their learning and bring about improved learning outcomes for all students. In this work she has implemented projects related to the Wollongong Catholic Education Office (CEO) Diocesan Learning & Teaching Framework (DLTF). Michelle is passionate about the use of ICLT as a tool to promote learning for students.

Kayleen Petzer

Kayleen is currently Principal at Our Lady Help of Christians (OLHC) Catholic Primary School, Rosemeadow. She has worked in a number of primary schools, in a variety of leadership positions, within the Wollongong Diocese throughout her 22 years of teaching. For a period of time at the Wollongong Catholic Education Office (CEO) she also carried out the role of Education Officer, assisting teachers with the integration of Information Communication Learning Technology (ICLT) into the learning and teaching process. Kayleen is committed to ensuring that all students are engaged in their learning, with particular interest in incorporating ICLT as a tool in the classroom. She is currently working on 1:2 electronic device projects across the school.

 

Jennifer Werakso & Toni-Maree Sillis

Abstract: First principalship: Leading and planning for improvement in a new cultural environment

After developing ones self as a leader for many years, taking up the first principalship appointment can be a daunting, challenging, and exciting experience. Important issues to be faced by a person new to the principalship role, include becoming familiar with the culture of the school to which one has been appointed, and continue the planning to bring about ongoing improvement and change for the better. Key elements in this are developing a shared understanding of the purpose of the school’s existence, identifying the priorities to bring about improvement, and the development of relationships with the school community, and in particular with the staff of the school. This can sometimes involve bringing about a professional change in community’s culture in order to build a school of moral purpose and professional practice, with a clear focus on the learning of students and teachers. Having taken up their appointments as new principals some twelve months ago, the presenters of this workshop will offer some reflections on these issues, and some anecdotes that relate to theory of cultural change.

Jennie Werakso

Jennie has been involved in education for nearly 20 years and has taught in TAFE, high schools and primary schools around NSW. Empowering students and teachers is her passion, with chocolate a close second. She has recently completed her Masters of Educational Leadership studies through the Australian Centre for Educational Leadership at UOW. Jennie is currently in her first year of principalship at St Brigid’s Catholic Primary School at Gwynneville, and she says “I am in my element; I'm loving it.”

Toni-Maree Sillis

Toni has taught in schools over the past twenty years across three Catholic Dioceses. Besides carrying out the role as classroom teacher, she has held various school leadership positions for the last ten years. In 2006 Toni was awarded with the Inaugural Catholic School Leadership Service Award in the Diocese of Parramatta. This was a formal recognition of Toni’s passionate pursuit of developing a culture of learning and purpose across school communities. Toni is currently Principal of Holy Family Parish Primary School Ingleburn where she is working towards developing a culture of shared leadership underpinned by continuous improvement of professional practice. This cultural change aims to yield high improvement in student outcomes whilst ensuring rewarding professional lives of teachers.

 

Steve Walton & Sue Walker

Abstract: "Building Academic Care"

Schools today seek to provide a high standard of academic care and to provide a connection between the cognitive and emotional welfare of their students. This workshop will explore academic care as a holistic approach between curriculum and pastoral care. This interactive session will allow participants to discuss successful programs in their schools and how they contribute to greater student outcomes. Discussion will be based around the AESOP studies and current practice and seek to address the ways in which practitioners can work towards ‘an innovative professional community defined by creativity, inspiration and social justice’. (The Fourth Way of Educational Reform – Hargreaves, 2009)

Steve Walton BSc, Dip Ed, MACE

Steve is currently the Deputy Principal – Welfare at Cedars Christian College. Upon graduating from the University of Wollongong he taught in the Central West of NSW for a number of years. Working as a Year Advisor and Head Teacher he gained an understanding of how caring for the welfare needs of students goes hand in hand with caring for them academically. Steve is committed to working in a learning environment where everyone has the opportunity to find success and strives to develop welfare programs to provide better learning outcomes for students.

Sue Walker BA Dip Ed, M Ed - TESOL, M Ed - Educational Leadership

Sue is Deputy Principal - Curriculum at Cedars Christian College. She has worked in a variety of educational contexts during a 30 year career. While much of that time has been spent in high schools, she has also worked in the tertiary sector. Highlights of her career include teaching academic English to Sri Lankan and East Timorese students as part of World Bank and AusAid projects. More recently her role has focused on areas of assessment, curriculum and professional development.

 

Christine Arthur

Abstract: "Student Engagement. Do we need to change our mental model of how students engage in learning?"

Our teachers all talk about the great lesson they thought they gave, but when they assessed the kids only 2 or 3 got it!!!
Maybe they were busy with the teaching moment and gave the students all the information they needed….but they missed the learning moment and didn’t give the students enough time to synthesize the information so that this information could be transformed into actionable knowledge.

Do your teachers miss these crucial “learning moments”?
How do we lead our teachers to willingly reflect and adjust their pedagogy to ensure their students can socially construct their learning?

Where do we start?

Christine’s workshop will discuss the student engagement action research project that she carried out in her school to explain gender differences in NAPLAN results for Year 3 and Year 5 students and put forward strategies to address these and other questions regarding student engagement and leading quality teaching and learning across a whole school context.

Bio:

In 2006-8 as a regional consultant Christine designed and implemented school improvement plans in seven focus support schools to facilitate change for teachers and leadership teams.

Christine has been interested in the affect of pedagogy on student engagement for a number of years and has designed research tools aligned to the NSW Quality Teaching Model to investigate “in task” and “on task” engagement in a number of school settings.
She is currently the Principal of Mount St Thomas Public School and is leading her executive to lead school development within the context of a cyclic professional learning model.

In the past 29 years Christine Arthur has worked as a teacher, executive, senior education consultant and Principal in a variety of school and regional settings.

 

Robyn Howson & Bruce Sander

Abstract:Luddites, Laptops and Learning

This workshop is about teachers, their teaching and the influence of classroom technology on their own learning and how it has impacted on their teaching.
In 2009 Bulli High School offered an innovative approach to Professional Learning called Three for Free. The result of this program was that a majority of staff participated in significant ongoing “in house” training after school throughout the year. The presentation will focus, not only on the model of training, but more specifically on the effects that it had on specific teachers and their approach to their trade. The workshop is about personal journeys through complex changes in the teaching landscape and how leadership is critical to guide these journeys.

Robyn Howson; BSc (Hons) (UNSW); Dip Ed (UNSW); Grad Certificate in Physics (Uni of Canberra), MEd (Deakin)

Robyn Howson is a Head Teacher Teaching and Learning at a Bulli High School. Robyn has been teaching junior science, Chemistry and Senior Science in both urban and remote rural settings for the NSW DET for over 18 years. In recent times, Robyn has become heavily involved in the use of digital technologies in the classroom. She has experience in using collaborative tools such as wiki’s to enhance student engagement and allow more student centred classrooms. Robyn has developed and presented technology based teacher professional learning using an innovative "three for a free program" to encourage teachers to develop technology skills in a supportive environment.

Bruce Sander, BSc Educ. (Indiana University of Pennsylvania)

Bruce Sander is principal of Bulli High School. Mr Sander came to Australia as a high school teacher in 1975. He has taught proudly as a public educator for 34 years and is now in his thirteenth year as principal of a NSW high school. From 1998 to 2006 he was principal of James Meehan High school serving the community of Macquarie Fields in South western Sydney. In 2006 he was appointed relieving School Education Director for Fairfield schools and later in that year moved into the principal’s position at Bulli High School in the Northern Illawarra. Mr Sander has led two schools through significant cultural change and made classroom technology the primary focus of professional learning at Bulli High School in 2009.