Shaping the Destination your Educational Organisation

It has been a while since I took some time out to write down my reflections about my current practice in education; however, recently I have found myself encouraged by the passion, willingness to serve and desire to raise up others within our profession. Over the last 12 months, I have been on an educational leadership journey.

At the start of 2021, I began a new role after 11 years at my previous school. There were immediate differences, though, I saw a willingness to adapt and grow. More than 12 months on, with a considerable amount of time navigating the pandemic through virtual learning, my team has continued to use the challenge to improve.

One of the key learnings I have made was, when we work together in a similar fashion it allows us to create a flow in which our students can improve. When we are at odds with each other and walking in different direction, it creates obstacles to student learning. As professionals, our goal is to improve the opportunities for students. My encouragement to you is to explore ways of working within your team that places both educational leader and the teacher on the ground on a level playing field. Use tools such as the strategic plans and school vision, what works best, the quality teaching framework and goal setting to identify the direction you are moving, then do what you can to keep discussions aligned to building momentum behind this.

As you do, solutions to issues develop out of collaboration and teamwork. Which then assists with the development of distributed responsibility and teacher leadership in shaping the destination your educational organisation is headed. By empowering educators, we empower the destination student get to in life.

Comments

Being a Globally Connected Educator with a Globally Connected Classroom

As educators we live is such an exciting time to teach. With the onset of the Internet we have had the ability to embed and curate videos , gamify , blog , have Minecraft in the classroom , flip the learning , use QR Codes , access social media and potentially video conferencing some educators could see that it is too much; however, I see its potential to benefit students and enhance professional development for educators. There has been no time in history where access to information has been so immediate and available. The potential for teachers to connect and be supported in collaboration, not bound by schools, districts, states and even nations inspires me. I am acutely aware that being globally connected presents the ability to bring expertise, skill and knowledge into my classroom beyond my capabilities. The networks that I have help me to design activities that measure students’ higher-order thinking skill...

Thornburg's Learning Spaces

Thornburg's Learning Spaces Theory (2014) is a revolutionary approach to classroom management that focuses on creating learning environments that are both engaging and effective. Created by David Thornburg Ph.D., an award winning futurist and educational consultant, the theory is based on the idea that students should be able to move freely in the classroom, and that learning should be an interactive process. The theory is built on the metaphor of four primary learning spaces: the campfire, the waterhole, the cave and life; however, is not limited to these. The campfire is a central gathering place for social interaction, explicit teaching and collaboration where they work together in a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. It is a place where students can share their ideas and experiences, be guided in direct instruction to grow their understanding and work together to solve problems. The campfire is a place where discussion, collaboration, brainstorming and problem-solving activi...

Guerrilla PD - The Rise of Social Media for Educators

I was recently asked by a group of preservice teachers what has been the most powerful professional development strategy that I had undertaken during my career? This was a profound question because they had give me permission to share with them a practice that had revolutionized my world as an educator. My response initially took them by shock but as I explained my reasoning and philosophy they discovered an untapped supply of experts, experience and resources. Social media once was just thought of as a means to connect social stories, updates and status but in recent times there has been a professional revolution with many educators taking up Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest etc. as a means for quality professional development. It has become a form of "Guerrilla Professional Development" where educators have access to professional conversations happening around the world anytime, anywhere, without cost and restriction. For me my choice in social media has been Twitte...

Brian's Blog

Search This Blog