Group 2
Empowerment - Now and Beyond!
Kathleen Kemp, Moana Anglican Grammar, NSW
For students to thrive we need to empower teachers to have the confidence and trust to facilitate a learning and well-being environment that is embraced by the whole school community and beyond. To do this, I focus on five key Leadership areas, I call the "Five L's":
- Language - how we use it and the specific words we use to build a positive and supportive culture amongst teachers
- Listening - how do we let our teachers know they are being heard? When they feel heard they feel supported and empowered
- Licence - teachers have been given a "licence" to teach and many of them do this very well. Not recognising that they have this licence leads to micromanaging, disempowers teachers and erodes trust
- Let them know you care – positive reinforcement of behaviour can be a game-changer for many teachers to encourage them to achieve their very best for their school community
- Levity – the pressure on teachers to be responsible for much more than delivering curriculum content, added to the pressures of being legally compliant, means they have a “tough gig” in the 21st Century. We need to ensure a certain amount of levity for them to flourish and thrive in the workplace
In my experience, focussing on the Five Ls has given me a framework to lead, support and empower teachers to help them grow, thrive and develop into the kind of teachers our students will be inspired by now and beyond.
During this presentation, I will be focussing on the two quotes below in reference to the Five Ls. I will engage the audience with relevant examples from my experience in leading not only humans but also animals in their learning. It may surprise you how much we can learn from animals. For some fun, I will also be using examples from the presentation I delivered at the Australasian Animal Training Conference 2018.
“Students learn what you teach them, not what you want to teach them.” (B.F. Skinner)
“Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It imposes responsibility.” (Peter Drucker).
TELL - Translating Professional Learning into Classroom Practice
Ross Phillips, Strathcona Girls Grammar School, Vic
Providing professional learning experiences for teachers does not necessarily translate into changed practice in the classroom. This session will outline TELL (Teacher Excellence Lifelong Learning) which aims to ensure PL transforms classroom practice while continuing to value teacher autonomy and creativity.
Preparing our students for learning through the teaching of Emotional Intelligence
Brett Borbely, Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School, Vic
How do we, as educators, support our students, the leaders of tomorrow, to be the people they need to be now so that they can learn, grow and be future-ready?
Helping our students make the most of their learning experiences starts with social-emotional literacy, as it will not only aid them in making the most of their current education but will also aid in preparing them to be future-ready. Explicitly teaching the five elements of emotional intelligence – self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social management – is the greatest support we can give while encouraging our students to learn from their life experiences and to grow from their learning opportunities.
This presentation will outline the five aspects of emotional intelligence and will include suggestions for activities that address each of the five aspects. The natural progression and connection from one element to the next will also be explored and shaped so that participants understand how each aspect relates to the other and how to develop explicit education to support this growth in students.
When we explicitly teach students how to develop their emotional intelligence, they will feel confident to advocate for their own learning and emotional needs in effective and respectful ways; they will speak articulately and compassionately; they will form messages aligned with their values; they will use intrinsic motivation to support their development in resilience; they will care for themselves while also working collaboratively with others on shared purposes; they will go on to be active and conscientious world citizens; and they will face their futures with resilience, grit, determination and self-efficacy.
Using data in your strategic planning
Peter Buckingham, Spectrum Analysis
Schools invest substantial funds in both infrastructure (buildings and facilities), and operational costs such as marketing for new students, bus contracts and in many other areas.
Are the decisions in spending these monies based on facts or opinion? Do you know what data is available to base your decisions on?
- What can we learn from the census data?
- How can we evaluate if an area can support the fees we expect to charge to operate our school?
- Is our catchment areas forecast to grow in population strongly, slowly, or actually dropping off in the numbers of student aged children that will be available in the next 10 years?
- How does this all fit into our student profiles?
This data is available for you and your staff to use to make the correct decisions applicable to your school. Maybe your Board also want to know what the long term future will look like before making major strategic investments?
Understandings from this session:
- Census 2021 - when is it being released and what does it contain relevant for Schools?
- How do we measure the Socio-Economic Indicators for your areas, as a way to understand what level of fees may be supported.
- ABS Population projections by gender and age groups, from 2017 - 2032 as the best way to know how your school can grow, and what enrolment projects should you be able to achieve? Based on these projections, should the Masterplan for the school be one of high growth, medium growth, or low growth/student retention – along with the current levels of student numbers, and how should we look at our capital spending for the future?
- How can we see all this on web-based maps to make it easy to interpret and use?
To act like a CEO in a corporation, you must understand what data is available for your decision making, and be able to assist the Board and your senior executives in using data to make better business decisions.