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Learning & Teaching Marian College Ararat - Professional Learning Newsletter Marian College Ararat - Professional Learning Newsletter Learning & Teaching
L &
earning
TeachingEdition 3 October, 2015 Page 1
Marian College Ararat Professional Learning Newsletter Edition 3 October, 2015
Our Commitment to Learning:
We encourage excellence and perseverance in learning.We strive for continuous improvement.
L &
earning
Teaching
Learning & Teaching
This is the final edition of the PL Newsletter for the year and I thank the many staff who have contributed articles to both this and earlier editions. As the Term draws to a close it’s good to reflect on the year and all that has been achieved in terms of our teaching, student learning and the relationships that have been established around these core activities. While the end of the year for many of us is, in large measure, dominated by assessment, report writing and results, especially VCE results, these are certainly not the only indicators for us of our work and what has been achieved.
Earlier in the year many of us read an article by Elliot Eisner, title, The Kind of Schools We Need, and I keep coming back to this and reflecting about some of Eisner’s ideas, and in particular his notion of aesthetic satisfactions. This reso-nates strongly with me and I have included here an extract from Eisner, as it provides us with another frame, a very powerful frame, for our end of year reflections.
“We don’t talk much about the aesthetic satis-factions of teaching and learning, but those of us who have taught for more than a few years know full well the feeling we experience when things go really well in our teaching. When things go really well for students, they experience similar feelings.
Continued on Page 2........................
Mr Stephen East with Kasey Mornane and Loci Devonshire
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In this IssuePage Article Author
1-2 Editorial Rodney Knight
3-4 Catholic Social Justice Teaching
‘The Dignity of the Human Person’
Stephen East
5 The Teaching Text
‘You’re Welcome”
Paul McLoughlan
6-7 Gifted Students Michelle Finch
8-9 Art in the Curriculum John Eagle
10-11 Formative Engagement at Marian
College
Rodney Knight
12-13 20 Hours to Learn Something New. John Coghlan
14-15 Motivating the Unmotivated -
Engagig the Disengaged
Jessica Brady
16-17 Mindfulness Trish Higgins
18-23 Responsible Thinking Process Rodney Knight
24 Culture of Learning Heads of Faculty
Continued from Page 1................
We ought not to marginalize the aesthetic in our understanding of what learning is about because, in the end, it is the only form of satisfaction that is likely to predict the uses of the knowledge, skills and perspectives that students acquire in school. There is a huge difference between what a child can do and what a child will do.
It is the aesthetic that represents the highest forms of intellectual achievement, and it is the aesthetic that provides the natural high and con-tributes the energy we need to want to pursue an activity again and again and again.”
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas break with plenty of relaxation and reflection.
Rodney KnightHead of Learning & Teaching
Learning & Teaching Marian College Ararat - Professional Learning Newsletter Marian College Ararat - Professional Learning Newsletter Learning & Teaching
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For over a hundred years the Catholic Church has turned its heart towards social justice teaching and it is the Dignity of the Human Person which is paramount to this teaching. Our dignity comes from being God’s special creation. Why are we God’s special creation? We need only to look within the first chapter of our Judeo-Christian Creation myths.
Genesis 1: 27 – God created humankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
I interpret this as the most important social justice statement in the Bible. We are all created in the image of God. There are no conditions of race, religion, colour or creed but simply humankind. We are all the chosen people of God. In today’s world, when so much of the media brings its audience news and vision of injustices that seem to have an ‘us vs them’ mentality, the audi-ence would do well to remember this verse.
Issues of Human Dignity permeate throughout the Bi-ble. The prophets Amos and Isaiah urged the Israelites to turn back to God. To care for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger in the land. To bring good news to the oppressed, liberty to captives, release to prisoners and proclaiming the year of favour with the Lord. Jesus then took on these teachings and brought them not only to the Israelites, but to the Gentiles as well. This is significant as it helps to explain that God is for everyone- we are all God’s chosen people.
The call to stand up for social justice is never easy as there are many who will oppose it. Amos’ words brought anger from the priests who said that he should be banished (Amos 7:12) and Jesus’ experience at the beginning of Luke alludes to the opposition and suffering which he was to experience in Jerusalem. Yet, it is so very important. As Catholics, we are called by Jesus Christ to be part of the solution to a world that hungers for justice.
Human Dignity permeates through Catholic Social Justice teaching much the same as blood flows through our veins. Without it, social justice teaching would have no life. The principle of human dignity is a building block onto which society can grow. Referring to Gen 2:18, 21-23 human beings are social beings. Social justice themes focussing on family, community, work conditions and the common good all come from this. The rights and needs of others must always be respected.
The first step to move from the individual to society is the family. Family is of the utmost importance to Catholic Social Teaching as it is the most intimate sphere in which people cooperate and the first place where children learn about themselves. The Austra-lian Catholic Bishops Conference made the family their focus for their 2012 Social Justice Statement. They were concerned that though we live “in a prosperous nation, many families are facing social and economic pressures that threaten their survival” (p.3). This is an echo of the concerns of Amos over 2500 years ago!
Catholic Social Justice Teaching – The Dignity of the Human PersonStephen EastHumanitiesFaculty
The following is an excerpt from a paper I wrote in 2014 for my Master of Religious Education
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Jesus taught about the Sabbath. A story that appears in all three of the synoptic gospels (Lk 6:1-5, Mt 12:1-8 & Mk 2:18-22) is when Jesus and his disciples are walking through a wheat field and his disciples pick and eat the grain.
‘Family is of the utmost importance to Catholic Social Teaching as
it is the most intimate sphere in which people cooperate and the first
place where children learn about themselves.’
Sabbath is not simply a time to not work, it is a time to relax, to connect with family and to worship. There will be times when the stresses and demands of work will be higher than at other times and this is when people need the Sabbath more than ever. This can be at any time. When a person is getting ready to go to work and their child approaches them, they should embrace them, talk to them, play with them.
Those few minutes may seem to mean nothing to the overall picture of a working day, but it will mean everything to the child and the worker might even be more productive by beginning the day with such a positive experience. Sabbath is for the people, not the people for the Sabbath.
A major social justice issue regarding human dignity in the school is the family concerns that the students are living through. A classroom full of children presents a plethora of back stories for each student, and no two students will have the same story. As well as teaching, an important role of the teacher is getting to know their students.
Each year new students present themselves and each year their teacher becomes involved in their lives. By getting to know their students, teachers can better provide the education and care that they need. It is a characteristic of Thomas Groome’s Shared Christian Praxis and it can be applied to not only Religious Edu-cation, but to the broader curriculum as well. By start-ing first from the student’s experiences the teacher can structure their curriculum to best suit their needs.
Catholic Social Justice teaching has grown incredibly since Pope Leo XIII released Rerum Novarum in 1891 yet we are still dealing with the same issues that Amos lamented over during his years of prophecy. Amos came from a farming background and his lamentations are still echoing in our farming communities today.
Before coming to Marian College I worked in a small school in a farming community and too often stories have been told of farmers succumbing to the stresses and pressures of their livelihood and what society and business expects of them. Working at a school in a farming community, means these stories are only too real. But there are many social justice issues that need to be met and a school needs to be well planned in order to do so.
The development and implementation of a well-structured Pastoral Care policy is of the utmost importance if the Catholic School is committed to fol-lowing the teaching and ministry of Christ. The first question that a Catholic school needs to ask about its Pastoral Care policy is:
Is the dignity and uniqueness of the individual person being respected?
An example of this is when Jesus ministered to the Gentile who lived amongst the tombs (Lk 8: 26-39). The first question Jesus asks him is “What is your name?” In that one simple action Jesus respects the man’s dignity by engaging him and attends to what makes him unique; his name.
It is simple actions that help support the dignity of others. Playing chasey with your child for two min-utes before going to work, giving a person an ear to listen to their stories, patting someone on the back when they’ve achieved a goal or when they need encouragement, God breathing into Adam (Gen 2:7). These simple actions give us dignity, they give us life.
Learning & Teaching Marian College Ararat - Professional Learning Newsletter Marian College Ararat - Professional Learning Newsletter Learning & Teaching
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The Teaching Text (You’re welcome)”Paul McLoughlanPE and Health Faculty
In recent years I have enjoyed the plethora of easily accessible teaching resources & ideas being shared through blogs, podcasts and social media (Twitter, Google+, Facebook etc). One of my favourite books recently has been “The Teaching Text (You’re welcome)” - the paperback version of this book is available for well under $20 (try Amazon or ebay), or you are welcome to borrow my copy (you’re welcome!).
To best give you an insight into this book, here are some noteworthy excerpts that I have selected:
“Students seated in my patented Column arrangement are all facing forward so that their faces and sense organs are optimally positioned for greatest absorption of knowledge. This lowers the likelihood of distraction as well, though when I am sermonizing from my podium how could anyone be distracted?”
“Interacting with students in a human way destroys the teacher/student relationship that I’ve worked hard to cultivate. They need to know that I am the Bringer of Knowledge and they are the receptacle of that knowledge. Students as sponge, as it were.”
“In Finland there are no professional development days because they had me come to speak to the entire country one time and now no one there needs to be professionally developed ever again until my next book comes out”
“Twitter is too human to allow for perfect teaching opportunities. Humanity has no place in teaching. Teaching is the transfer of knowledge from one body to another and the use of data to measure the efficiency of that knowledge transfer. Someday I will
find a paper and ink chemical combination that will allow me to simply rub the textbook onto my students’ heads until the knowledge therein transfers to the child, removing even more of the human interaction”
“I am simply the best, most inventive, most connected, astounding educator that ever picked up a piece of chalk and fired it at an unruly student from across the classroom. Not that I have unruly students in my class. This hypothetical situation would occur in a room where I have been invited into so as to show the teacher in that room how he or she could be a better teacher. Obviously not to the extent that I am, but who could be?”
Excerpts from Douglas J. Robertson’s “The Teaching Text (You’re Welcome)”
BOOK REVIEW:
“The Teaching Text (You’re welcome)”
by Douglas J. Robertson (2015)
Learning & Teaching Marian College Ararat - Professional Learning Newsletter
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The topic of ‘Gifted students’ seems to be one that gains
mixed reactions from parents, students and educational
professionals. Essentially, Giftedness can be excelling in
one or many areas. In my 18 years as an educator my
experience is that gifted students are often the most
ignored in an educational setting. My own child was
accelerated from grade prep into grade 2 and it seemed
that everyone had an opinion (usually negative) but
the same negative opinions came from parents and
sometimes teachers of children who were accelerated
in sport and other pursuits but academic acceleration
was met with inferences of ‘bragging’ and ‘socially
inappropriate’.
As a teacher I have witnessed the slow decaying of
motivation in many bright students who are just given
more of the same. The following article is designed to
explore some of the positive benefits of acceleration
as a means for addressing some gifted needs using just
some of the wealth of supporting research available. I
hope I can challenge educators to think differently about
acceleration practices.
One of the greatest challenges faced by educators of
gifted students is finding ways to meet their unique
and varying needs. Accordingly, various strategies and
models have been put forth by academics and adopted
by schools in different forms. There is an abundance
of research championing the academic, social and
emotional benefits of acceleration as a mechanism for
addressing the needs of some gifted students.
Acceleration in terms of education, may be defined as
‘moving faster through academic content, which typically
Gifted StudentsMichelle Finch
Humanities Faculty
includes offering standard curriculum to students at a
younger than usual age’ (Davis, Rimm & Siegle, 2011,
p. 125). VanTassel-Baska (1992) describes acceleration
as a set of administrative strategies that cater for the
diverse needs of gifted students. Sousa (2009) purports
acceleration as an intervention that recognizes students
learn different materials at different rates, irrespective of
their age.
However, acceleration is a strategy that is steeped
in controversy. Reasons for this are varying, but
many believe the reluctance by schools to utilize
acceleration options is based on false perceptions,
mostly surrounding the supposed social/emotional
ramifications. Robinson, Shore & Ennerson (2007)
suggest one reason for the infrequent use of acceleration
is that educators feel uncomfortable with the issue and
because they are not aware of the various forms of
acceleration, simply equate it to grade-skipping. Wood,
Portman, Cigrand & Colangelo (2010) interviewed 149
school counsellors who had not received formal training
in acceleration practices and found that whilst many
counsellors were asked for advice on acceleration from
students and parents, most were hesitant to recommend
acceleration, citing social and emotional concerns.
Colangelo & Assouline (2009) assert that the discrepancy
between what the research shows and widespread belief
is enormous. Indeed, the greater proportion of research
suggests that acceleration is usually a highly beneficial
strategy for gifted students (Benbow, 1992; Davis, Rimm
& Siegle, 2011; VanTassel-Baska, 1992). Kulik & Kulik
(1984) cited in Clark (2008) conducted a meta-analysis
of 26 studies of acceleration effects and concluded that
students were able to successfully handle the challenges
of acceleration. Twenty years later Kulik (2004) cited
in Gross (2008), still strongly attested to the benefits
of acceleration noting ‘In a review of approximately
100 different meta-analyses of research findings in
education, I was not able to find any educational
treatment that consistently yielded a higher effect than
this one’(p.248).
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Types of AccelerationWhilst academic acceleration generally refers to
a quicker progression through the curriculum,
there are a variety of ways that students can be
accelerated. Many researchers stress the importance
of differentiating between acceleration and
enrichment. DeLacy (1996) describes enrichment as
providing additional and/or more in-depth materials
to students who learn quickly. Unlike acceleration,
enrichment does not allow for faster progression
in standard curriculum. Southern and Jones
(1991), identify 18 different forms of acceleration
including: early entry, grade-skipping, subject
specific acceleration and credit by examination and
correspondence courses. The types of acceleration
strategies applied may vary depending upon prior
learning, pace and social needs.
Advantages of AccelerationCuriously, acceleration is considered a normal
practice in sport, music, employment positions
and many other non-academic pursuits. Education
seems to be one of the few places where chronology
dictates progress more than ability. A student
who is able to achieve at higher levels should
be acknowledged. In addition to this, students
have the right to work with students of similar
ability. As a consequence of acceleration, some
students have more time to enjoy successful
careers and Southern and Jones (1991) report that
studies of notable achievements show that many
important contributions were made by very young
professionals. Research has shown that students
who are not given the opportunity for acceleration
can become bored, frustrated, unmotivated, display
behavioural problems and are at risk of leaving
school early (Colangelo & Assouline, 2009; Davis,
Rimm & Siegle, 2011; Seely, 1993; Southern & Jones,
1991). Given this, more needs to be done to raise
awareness among education professionals about
the benefits of acceleration and to dispel negative
falsehoods.
ReferencesBenbow, C. (1992). Challenging the Gifted: Grouping
and Acceleration. Gifted Child Quarterly, 36(1), 59.
Clark, B. (2008). Growing up Gifted. (7th ed.). New
Jersey: Pearson.
Colangelo, N., Assouline, S. (2009). Acceleration:
meeting the academic and social needs of students.
In T. Balchin., B.Hymer. & D.J. Matthews. (Eds.), The
Routledge Companion to Gifted Education. (pp.194-
202). Oxon: Routledge.
Davis. G. A., Rimm, S. B. & Siegle, D. (2011). Education
of the Gifted and Talented. (6th ed.). New Jersey:
Pearson.
DeLacy, M. (1996). Acceleration for Gifted Students.
Retrieved from http://tagpdx.org/accelera.htm
Sousa, D. A. (2009). How the Gifted Brain Learns (2nd
ed.). California: Corwin.
Southern, W. T. & Jones, E. D. (1991) Academic
Acceleration: Background and Issues. In W. T. Southern
& E.D. Jones (Eds). The Academic Acceleration of Gifted
Children (pp.1-9). New York: Teachers College Press.
Van Tassel-Baska, J. (1992). Educational decision
making on acceleration and ability grouping. Gifted
Child Quarterly, 36(2), 68-72.
‘One of the greatest challenges faced
by educators of gifted students is
finding ways to meet their unique and
varying needs.’
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Art in the CurriculumJohn EagleArt Faculty
“Several of the leading universities in the US recently published reports examining the role of the arts in education. Last year Harvard and Stanford universities called for a greater presence for the arts on campus and in undergraduate and graduate programs. Earlier reports at the universities of Chicago, Princeton and Columbia appealed for similar far-reaching changes and reasserted in the words of the Chicago report that art is a central activity of the life of the mind.”
All these reports acknowledge the centrality of the arts in human endeavour. They also reinforce the importance of the visual and performing arts in fostering the ability of students to think imaginatively, to be creative risk takers and as the Stanford report adds, to move gracefully through a world of rapid change.
A visual arts curriculum should offer the opportunity to consolidate creative experiences while pursuing a creative structure in an art studio atmosphere with a wide ranging art syllabus based around the building blocks of all artwork, the elements of design: texture, tone, line, shape and colour.
Within the arts subject matter there is the opportunity of finding a link to each of the curriculum core subjects. It is this cross referencing and exploring that adds to the importance of art as an essential subject at all levels.
The following is an outline of one of the first lessons of the year for Year 7 students in 2008.
Year 7 commenced this semester with a look at the work by artist Paul Klee whose work more often than not contained many coloured squares and shapes. We took the idea of squares and shapes and using large soft coloured pastels developed artworks where each square represented the perceived personality of a student in the room. At this early stage of year 7 many students are still establishing their position within their peer group but more often than not there is an indication as to a bright happy person, a serious person or a quiet person and so on. By doing this we investigated colour and shape, we experienced a range of emotions that colour can provide, we were telling a story about a group of people, we were having a history lesson about a significant artist and art movement of the 20th century, and we were being creative.
The following is a quote from an article in the Australian newspaper of May 9 & 10th 2009.
‘We must ensure that the first three years of secondary
school art experience give them the best possible
grounding for future art studies.’
As the newspaper article so succinctly pointed out, that along with the sciences and humanities as they are both experienced and practiced, the arts are irreplaceable instruments of knowledge that allow innovation and imagination to thrive in our schools, to educate and empower creative minds across all disciplines, and help shape the 21st century.
How do we ensure that students coming into our art rooms in the 21st-century are going to be offered the wherewithal to become creative and articulate?
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At junior levels, Years 7 and 8 the work that the students undertake in the art studio must enable them to work with a wide range of 2-D and 3-D art materials, both singularly and collaboratively and to experience the satisfaction of working with clay, producing both hand built and wheel thrown work using a range of firing techniques and glazing processes. By Year 9 students should be introduced to photographic arts (both digital and darkroom/wet area where there is quite a revival of interest) and by Year 10 they should have the opportunity to work with video art and be able to extend darkroom photographic techniques.
Unfortunately in a great many schools by Year 10 art becomes an elective subject, often because the student priorities for career choices and university entrance scores have to take precedent.
Aware of the fact that many students need to focus on their chosen path and regretfully leave behind their art room experience. We must ensure that the first three years of secondary school art experience give them the best possible grounding for future art studies if, as often happens, this is the case.
The structure of those first three years needs to be such that their experience will be a lasting one. Most art teachers would agree that there are four disciplines that could be used as the focus: Painting and drawing, Ceramics, Printmaking and Textiles. (Marian College includes textiles as a technology subject). Each of these subjects provides their own range of technical skills and creative opportunities.
Ideally these four disciplines would be experienced twice during years seven and eight. Each year group would be time tabled for art at the same time each week and work in each of the disciplines with specialist teachers for a single term each year. By the end of year eight most students would be in a position to choose a discipline/disciplines for year nine where they could involve themselves with a great deal of certainty.
If a student then chooses to continue with art in year 10 it should be the year for each student to spend exploring their chosen area/areas more fully and becoming more competent in techniques and confident in decision-making and if V.C.E. art is a goal, year 10 would have been a sound foundation for further studies based on experiment, exploration and enjoyment of creativity.
Learning & Teaching Marian College Ararat - Professional Learning Newsletter
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Formative Engagement at Marian College- October 2015Rodney KnightHead of Learning and Teaching
Formative Engagement is the umbrella term for
the model of staff and student learning which
commenced at Marian College in 2015.
Formative Engagement is really about staff and
students being actively engaged in the construction
of their own learning with an explicit focus on deep
thinking and improvement. Underpinning formative
engagement is the significant body of international,
educational research data which identifies what
actually constitutes effective teaching and learning,
that is, what really adds value to student learning.
Examples of this may include, students thinking
deeply about their own learning and taking increased
responsibility for it, being more actively involved in
the classroom, assessing their own work and that of
others and also teaching one another.
The Marian model will draw heavily on the
formative assessment strategies of Dylan William an
internationally acknowledged educational researcher
and practitioner. Staff will work together in teams to
develop a shared understanding of these strategies
and how to engineer classrooms to further enhance
student learning. Teacher teams will discuss the
trialling of these strategies in the classroom and
then engage in the observation of one another’s
teaching as the central and ongoing vehicle for
driving improvement in the teaching and learning
programme.
‘Staff will work together in teams
to develop a shared understanding
of these strategies and how to
engineer classrooms to further
enhance student learning.’
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Context for the Project: International Research DataThe international research regarding school improvement
is quite clear. Building teacher capacity is absolutely
critical and the most effective way to achieve this is
through work embedded professional learning based on
the collaboration within and between teacher teams that
is aligned to school goals. Teams of teachers working on
a common value adding learning project, developing a
shared language, shared understandings and enhancing
practice across the school is fundamental if sustained
improvement is to emerge.
We are also fortunate at this particular juncture in
education to have international research which is so clear
about what does and what does not add value to student
learning.
So we know, in brief, what actually is effective classroom
practice and we know what constitutes effective
professional learning to deliver that practice and in so
doing enhance student learning outcomes.
Because we have the data regarding effective school
improvement and the building of teacher capacity this
should be the major focus of professional learning for
perhaps the next five years. We need to be abundantly
clear with one another, parents and students about this as
our key learning initiative. The risk with trying to roll out
several initiatives simultaneously is that little if anything
really changes. The initiatives become, in effect, paper
initiatives. In terms of improvement initiatives, less is
more.
Features of the Formative Engagement Model
• ALL teaching staff are involved
• The vehicle is the PLTs
• There are 5 PLTs and the staff in each will be drawn from
a cross section of faculties/learning areas
• The PLTs meet twice each Term in the 3.30- 4.30 pm
Tuesday timeslot
• All teams work on common material which provides
a shared focus, shared understandings and a shared
language of learning.
• Classroom observations focus on the strategies discussed
in the PLTs
• Staff in each PLT participate in classroom observations
with staff from within the PLT.
Key Objectives
• Strengthen the focus on pedagogy
• Strengthen the quality of learning and teaching
• Strengthen the staff learning culture- learning across,
not just within disciplines
• Strengthen peer observation as a key vehicle in
professional learning
• Empower students as owners of their own learning
• Enhance student learning outcomes
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20 Hours to Learn Something NewJohn CoglanHead of Applied Learning
VCAL is a unique course to teach because the
learning outcomes are very generic and it is
designed to cater of individual student needs
and interests. The challenge is how do you
prepare students for a 21st century workplace.
How do you prepare students for jobs that are
not invented yet?
The answer: Teach them how to learn.
Learning at schoolMost teachers know how to learn- they usually
suit their own learning style while doing so. A
good majority do it regularly.
This is a teacher centred process. It is the
student doing the learning so the process needs
to be student centred. In a teacher centred
classroom this is huge challenge but in a
student centred classroom this becomes more
manageable.
In a student centred class, the student becomes
responsible for their learning. Therefore the
student needs to have a clear understanding of
how to learn.
Learning how to learn: This skill becomes even
more important for when the student leaves the
classroom. In an ever changing world knowing
how to learn something new is vital. So I spent
some time this year researching the art of
learning.
My two objectives were:
• to be able to articulate to students a
process on how to learn, and
• for the students to feel the process was
practical and they were confident it would
work.
My research came up with two common
themes; reading and a mentor. This is a problem
for me because I don’t like reading and what
if you can’t find a good mentor. It turns out
youtube can replace either of these. So I turned
to youtube particularly TedTalks.
Eventually I came across a Ted Talk called
“20 Hours to Learn Something New” (http://
youtube/5MgBikgcWnY), a presentation was by
Josh Kaufman’s.
Josh had a 4 step process on how learn a new
skill
1. Deconstruct the skill
2. Learn enough to self-correct
3. Remove barriers to practice
4. Practice for at least 20 hours
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When I reflected on Josh’s process, step 2
stood out as something I had not given enough
consideration in the past. Feedback is one of
the highest influences of learning according
to Hattie so it makes sense self-correcting is
a fundamental of self-teaching. Highly driven
people are often very critical of themselves and
under achievers not critical enough. Self-learners
will need to find a happy medium to ensure they
remain motivated while achieving to a high level.
Don’t sack the teacher yet: Learning is obviously
easier when done with a good mentor. A good
mentor will be able to deconstruct the task, give
quality feedback, remove barriers to learning
and can make sure the student practices. The
teacher just should not be working harder than
the student because the student still has to learn
the skill.
This term in VCAL we are challenging the
student’s, to follow Josh’s model with the help
of a teacher mentor and any other reading/
youtube information, to learn a new skill. The
goal is for the students to challenge themselves
to face the fear of feeling uncertain. Everyone
feels uncertain when they try something new. If
they can fulfil this project then they are taking
a big step towards becoming independent
learners, ready for the complex world that
awaits them.
Josh Kaufman
‘The challenge is how do you prepare students for a 21st century
workplace. ‘
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Motivating the Unmotivated, Engaging the DisengagedWorking with students with Asperger’s Syndromein Mathematics
Jessica BradyMathematics Faculty
As a “first year out” teacher it has been both a
daunting and exciting experience at the same
time. There is nothing that can quite prepare
you for what we cope with on a daily basis in
our classroom or specific learning environments.
Every day is different but you will always have 25
students demanding of your attention at the same
time. Although I am relatively inexperienced as a
classroom teacher, I am grateful that I have been
able to draw upon my previous experiences as a
Learning Support Officer (LSO) from before I began
my teacher training.
At Keysborough College I worked with small groups
of students as well as one-on-one with a number
of different students with a wide range of learning
difficulties. I especially enjoyed working with a
number of students with Asperger’s syndrome.
This year at Marian College, I have the privilege
of having at least one student with Asperger’s
syndrome in each of my five classes.
Students with Asperger’s syndrome, affectionately
known as “Aspies”, often share a number of
characteristics and learning behaviours that will
be helpful to keep in mind when planning their
learning and assessment tasks.
Some of my general observations•I have found that my Aspies often take a long
time to process and formulate responses to
questions – sometimes up to a minute, and
sometimes longer. I have had to learn to be
extremely patient, so as not to rush them into an
answer.
•Usually, they find it especially uncomfortable and
difficult to maintain eye contact and may appear
to be daydreaming. Abruptly calling for their
attention is unsettling and increases their anxiety.
I try to calmly and quietly interrupt their thoughts
as necessary.
•Classrooms that lack structure can be distressing
and cause extra anxiety for students with
Asperger’s syndrome. I try to implement a “daily
routine” that happens every lesson so the student
knows what to expect. If I know that I’m going to
be away, I make sure I have a conversation with
the student beforehand so that it’s not a complete
shock to their routine and can prepare themselves
a bit.
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‘Every day is different but you will always have 25 students
demanding of your attention at the same time.’
Activities I have used with my Aspies:
•Aspies often love working with ICT like computers,
iPads, etc. I found an interactive webpage that one
of my Aspies was truly engaged with. They had to
select at least two items (motor bikes, basketballs,
computer games, etc) from ‘the shop’ and click
and drag them on to the counter and calculate the
total price. The next step asked them to calculate a
discount (such as 20% off) and the new sale price.
Finally, the student had to calculate how much
change he would get from a given amount. This
activity was great for my Aspie as it broke down
the concepts into simple steps. The click and
drag feature also added an element of choice and
ownership for the student – rather than being told
you went to the shop and bought an item for a
specific amount, the student could choose which
item he wanted, weighing up the cost of the item
for himself.
•I have used a number of Tarsia puzzles in most
of my classes because they are a great kinesthetic
learning tool which makes them perfect for Aspies
too! Students often appreciate the concrete nature
of having one solution, and these puzzles and
activities are a great example of that.
•Worksheets are often a good way to get Aspies to
work. This is because they are usually structured
and they can see an end point for the session. The
traditional approach of turning to an exercise on a
page in a textbook is often overwhelming. A regular
textbook can just seem like a HUGE pile of pages
and pages of nonsense.
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MindfulnessTrish HigginsTechnology/Art Faculty
Last year I attended the Victorian Home Economics
and Textiles Teachers Conference, held at the
Melbourne Town Hall. Dr Craig Hassed, Senior
Lecturer at Monash University’s Department
of General Practice, was the guest speaker. Dr
Hassed spoke on the topic of mindfulness and his
key question was “Can mindfulness make better
teachers and students?”
The topic of mindfulness was written about in
the first edition of this publication, by Danni and
Michelle, however I would like to share with you
some of the points I jotted down during Dr Hassed’s
presentation as I found it to be very interesting.
His findings are supported by current national and
international research.
• Higher TV watching at 3 years of age is
associated with higher ADHD by the age of 7
• High levels of screen time in prekindergarten
children is associated with attention problems
by the age of 4
• Fast paced TV cartoons watched for over
9 minutes have a negative effect on young
children’s executive function
• Current research is suggesting that 25% of
young people are addicted to their mobile
phones and their addiction shares the
symptoms of any addiction – withdrawal, an
inability to modify behaviour and impaired
relationships with peers
• There is a strong link between social media
and emotional intelligence. Non-verbal cue
recognition in preteens decreases as screen
time increases
• The amount of texting inversely relates to the
amount of fulfilment within a relationship
• Some suggestions for the use of screen time,
social media and technology were:
• Use all technologies discerningly at school and
in the home
• Limit recreational use of all screen time (phone,
computer, TV, Ipad) to less than 2 hours per day
• Developing brains need engagement and
sensory interaction. Virtual experiences cannot
replace real experiences. Eg a virtual art gallery
tour cannot replace the sensory experience of
visiting an actual art gallery.
• Avoid doing things with technology that could
be done experientially. For example, choose
a pencil and paper to sketch on, over the
ISketch App on an IPad. It is essential for the
developing brain to feel and explore the tactile
qualities and weights of different papers and
learn how different pressure on a pencil creates
different mark making.
‘.....as teachers we need to model
mindfulness in the classroom and actively
encourage the development of mindful
work habits in our students.’
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Attention Deficit Trait (ADT), was explained. ADT
is caused by trying to deal with too much input
and results in difficulty in staying organised,
setting priorities, managing time and produces a
constant low level of panic and guilt. This results
in a loss of perspective, shades of grey begin to
disappear and black and white thinking emerges.
Dr Hassed suggested that as teachers we need
to model mindfulness in the classroom and
actively encourage the development of mindful
work habits in our students. We need to manage
the inputs such as screen usage, sound and
distractions. This involves actively focusing on
one task at a time so that the brain is efficient
and quiet. Knowing where our attention needs
to be, prioritising this and maintaining that
attention with sustained concentration.
When the mind wanders the priority for our
attention must be recalled. Like any skill, this
can be achieved with constant, regular practice.
It also involves letting go of that popular
misconception of multi-tasking, which is an
illusion. Multi-tasking is really just switching back
and forth between tasks in an unmindful way.
When confronted with a challenge, students
need to be encouraged to see it as potential
for learning and focus on the task at hand and
persistence rather than their own feelings of
inadequacy and perhaps fear. Being brave is to
be encouraged. A mindful attitude of openness,
curiosity, and acceptance needs to be adopted.
Formal mindful practices in schools, for both
teachers and students, such as meditation for
5-10 minutes daily have the benefits of reducing
stress levels, decreasing psychological symptoms,
and improving classroom organisation, increasing
empathy, overall performance and self-
compassion.
However, opportunities for informal mindful
practices are equally important and often
overlooked. Teachers can model and scaffold
informal mindful practices in a classroom setting
by establishing clear routines, organisational
patterns and being a calm adult presence who
encourages concentration on the task at hand.
Teachers and students need to use all their
senses as a gateway to the present moment by
focusing on the task at hand such as listening,
eating, walking, talking or reading etc., with
focus, sustained concentration and resisting
intrusions into our thoughts.
More detailed information on this topic can be
found in the following publications.
• Mindfulness for Life by Dr Stephen McKenzie
& Cr Craig Hassed and
• Mindful Learning by Dr Craig Hassed and Dr
Richard Chambers.
‘When confronted with a challenge, students need to be encouraged
to see it as potential for learning.....’
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Responsible Thinking Process (RTP)Rodney KnightHead of Learning and Teaching
How the RTP WorksThe most important point to remember when dealing
with children is that they are, like all of us, human beings.
They have their own wants and goals, they have created
their own unique ways of perceiving the world, they plan
and structure their ways of living so that their lives are
the ways they want them to be, and they have their own
specific priorities.
Thus, dealing with children demands respect for their
worlds, and, more importantly, understanding how best
to help them work through the various difficulties and
problems that they have. Since their problems are internal
to them, the best way you can help them deal with their
conflicts is by getting them to look within themselves and
decide for themselves how they want things to be.
You do this by asking them questions. Lecturing them or
telling them what you think will only frustrate their desire
to work things out within themselves, which is how they
are designed to operate.
If used properly, the RTP questioning process gives parents
and teachers a powerful teaching tool for children who
are willing. By asking the right questions, you can teach
children, in a highly effective way, how to reflect within
themselves and to think in ways that will help them satisfy
their own internal goals, while at the same time you
are teaching them to do this in the most effective way
possible.
Lecturing children, telling them what they should be doing,
making judgments about what you think is wrong with
them—all these strategies have been tried for years and
have never worked. They just make things worse! Any time
you try to force children into a specific way of thinking or
push on them in any way, you cannot guarantee how they
will deal with you. And if they perceive what you do as
criticism or abuse, you’re in for a lot of pushing back.
The key in working with children is to ignore excuses, not
encourage them. Most counseling time with children is
spent arguing over the validity of excuses. A question
that should be avoided is “Why did you do it?” When you
ask why, you are encouraging children to avoid taking
responsibility.
Regardless of the why, the key to helping children take
responsibility is to stick with the critical elements: what
they did, the rules, where they want to be, and what will
happen the next time they disrupt. The only time why
questions might be used is when you are trying to help
them think of better ways to resolve their conflicts.
Asking why questions can lead to what they wanted; then
you could ask if there is a better way of getting what they
wanted that doesn’t violate the rules or the rights of
others. If you ask “Why did you do it?” prior to the time
that students are ready to make plans, especially if they
are in the middle of their conflicts, the question will lead
the children away from considering whether they want to
follow the rules.
What follows here is an outline of the RTP. This will provide useful background reading for staff at Marian College in preparation for 2016.
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“Why did you do it?” often leads them to try to justify their
actions. Then, all kinds of reasons and excuses will pour
out as they attempt to avoid responsibility. The focus must
remain on the violations of rules or of others’ rights. That is
where responsibility begins!
Also, when working with children, try not to be
judgmental, which they perceive as an attempt to control
them. This works at breaking down the mutual respect you
are trying to build. Rather, focus in on the key questions
and stay focused. Excuses are an attempt to focus you
away from the issue, which is breaking the rules.
The RTP questioning process, if followed to the letter, will
get you safely past their excuses. Remember, for children
to succeed, they must believe you care about them, that
you have confidence in their ability to solve problems,
and they must experience respect. The stronger the
relationship before the problems arise, the more likely
they will accept the process, thus the easier it becomes to
resolve the differences.
If the questions are asked in a respectful environment,
the Responsible Thinking Process can also help build
that relationship, because when you ask them what
they think, listen non-judgmentally to their answers, and
accept their decisions, this process creates that necessary
mutual respect. Remember to ask the questions in a calm,
respectful, curious voice.
Never yell, lecture, or tell; always ask. Stay focused, and
stay with the sequence outlined below until you get
familiar enough with the process.
Wherever humans are, there are also rules, standards,
and procedures. Their purpose is simple: they provide
guides for how we should act to accomplish our goals
without in any way interfering with others who are trying
to achieve their goals. This is how all of us can live in
harmony with each other.
If I respect the rules of wherever we are, I shouldn’t in
any way violate your rights while trying to exercise my
own. Whether it is on a football field, in a public forum,
at a school board meeting, at a restaurant, while driving,
or in a school, the purpose of rules remains the same.
If they are followed, we will have both the freedom and
opportunities to achieve our goals while respecting the
rights of others who want to do the same thing. And that
is what this process teaches children.
The questioning process is designed to help children look
within themselves and compare the way they are dealing
with others with the rules of wherever they are, and to
decide whether their ways of handling themselves are
violating the rights of others within that environment.
Continued on Page 18..................................
‘Lecturing children, telling them what they should be doing, making
judgments about what you think is wrong with them—all these
strategies have been tried for years and have never worked.’
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1. “What are you doing?” Most always, this question should be asked first. Any time
children break the rules or don’t conform to criteria or
guidelines, the first focus of concern should always be the
way they handle themselves, to become aware of their
actions, and, more importantly, how their actions might
affect others.
If they are going to respect the rights of others and follow
the rules, they must first look within themselves and see
what it is about themselves that is interfering with others’
rights. Talking about rules is meaningless unless they look
at what it is about themselves that relates to the rules.
But they must do the looking. It must come from within
the children themselves.
Telling them doesn’t teach them to self-reflect either
now or in the future. This is something they must learn
through experience by successfully dealing with their
issues. “What are you doing?” begins the process by
which you learn if they are ready to accept responsibility.
It should be noted that all staff members should use the
process. To quote my friend, Jack Foster, RTP Trainer and
Superintendent of Kashunamiut School District, Chevak,
Alaska, “Every adult takes responsibility for asking the
questions.”
2. “What are the rules?” To maintain mutual respect, you have to tie whatever
they are doing to the rules and standards of wherever
they find themselves. You are teaching them to
compare what they are doing to the standards of
their environment rather than what you want them
to do. Then, you are more likely to be perceived as a
respectful, interested party, and not as someone who
is trying to control them. When you say such things as
“do what I say” and “my rules are,” students will see
themselves as dealing with you, not the rules. It should
be clear that they are dealing with the rules, not you.
Once they are committed to following the rules, you
should be willing to help them create a workable
plan to achieve their goals. That’s what maintains
mutual respect. When you yell, tell, argue, lecture, or
insist on having your own way, they’ll perceive you as
controlling, and conflict will rear its ugly head. And,
what is more important, they’ll never learn to look
within themselves and decide how they want to be.
The rules of any environment are designed to allow us
to accomplish what we want without interfering with
the rights of others. Rules have nothing to do with
individual preferences, but everything to do with our
ability to live freely when we are with others.
3. “What happens when you break the rules?” Here, you are simply getting them to reflect on the
consequences of breaking the rules. If there are no
consequences, or if they are inconsistently applied, this
will work against their learning the purpose of rules
and the responsible way of living. They must believe
something will happen every time they break the rules
or a growing respect for others will never develop.
Continued from Page 17..................................
Responsible Thinking Process ......
‘....dealing with children demands
respect for their worlds and, more
importantly, understanding how
best to help them work through
the various difficulties. and
problems that they have.’
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4. “Is this what you want to happen?” Now you are asking them to look within themselves and
decide how they want to be as persons. You are really
asking them if this is the way they see themselves and
how they want to live their lives. You are asking what do
you want to happen to you for the rest of your life, do
you enjoy these kinds of consequences, do you want to
keep running from the law or from others, do you enjoy
the way you want to live your life? This question follows
logically, and it carries within it the seeds for powerful
changes in life style if the children reflect upon and deal
with the issues it suggests.
Most children look to consequences as something that
will happen to them. This question brings home the fact
that, indeed, this will happen to them—but it is within
their power to make changes.
Once they decide to make changes in how they want to
be as persons (which might take a short time or months
on end), questions three, four, and five will no longer be
needed. This will be apparent from the reaction you will
get after asking “What are you doing?” They’ll throw up
their hands or roll their eyes and say “Yeah, OK, I know.”
They’ve worked through how they want to be, and
now they’re learning to deal with being that way on a
continuing basis.
5. “Where do you want to be?” or “What do you want to do now?” This step can be used interchangeably with the prior
one. I’ve introduced a variety of questions to suit various
people and situations. The point here is to get closure as
to what they really want with regard to the conflicting
ways they’ve been living. Once they’ve agreed that they
want to be where they are and are willing to follow the
rules to be there, then they have to learn how to stay
wherever they want to be when various problems arise.
6. “What will happen if you disrupt again?” This question, along with the first, should always be
asked, even with those children who have already
reflected and decided to change how they want to be.
It asks, in a different way, the same thing as question
four. Do you want to deal, within yourself, with how you
treat others, and really be a different person? Reflecting
on the future consequences of the way they are
presently dealing with their lives is a critical part of the
process. Students should also reflect on the unintended
consequences of how their ways of reaching their own
goals are affecting others. Students who disrupt could be
keeping other children from learning, and might injure
or humiliate them. They certainly can make it difficult for
teachers who want to teach and keep their students on
task.
If necessary, ask them what they are doing compared to
other things they want. This isn’t always necessary. The
purpose of this comparison is to help the child perceive
that although she might be getting some of what she
wants when she shoves someone else to the ground,
there are other wants that she is being kept from getting,
such as being the kind of person she wants to be or being
with her friends and playing outside in the playground.
These questions should never be understood as a warning
to the student. They aren’t. Warnings imply possible
punishment. What this process is doing is asking students
to think about what they are doing in relation to the rules
of wherever they are. This would include losing their right
to remain where they are if they continue to violate the
rights of others.
They aren’t being threatened by the use of these
questions. Rather, the students are being asked to look
at the possibility of losing their rights and privileges by
violating the rules.
Continued on Page 20..................................
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Dealing with Children Who Evade Responsibility Not all children are compliant. When asked “What are
you doing?” some say nothing, some say “It’s not my
fault” or “He was talking first,” and some defend their
actions by explaining what they were trying to do. The key
is this: when they avoid answering a question, repeat it.
It they persist in not dealing with you, then ask “Do you
want to work on this or not?” If they continue to avoid
dealing with you, then say “You need to go to the RTC.”
Once you have said this, never back down. If you back
down, you are, in effect, establishing an additional time
for disrupting.
The process allows for two disruptions before students
go to the Responsible Thinking Classroom (RTC). An
additional disruption increases by 50% the number of
disruptions per child prior to having to deal responsibly
with their problems.
When they want to return and obey the rules, they must
be taught how to create a detailed, specific plan. It is this
plan which they use when negotiating with the person in
charge of wherever they were disrupting and from where
they came.
Dealing with Those Who Disrupt after Settling Down If children answer the questions and settle down but later
begin to disrupt again, then ask “What are you doing?”
and then “What did you say would happen the next
time you disrupted?” This question gets them to look
within themselves and reflect on where they themselves
admitted they had to go. Thus, you are not sending them
to the RTC; nor with the first set of questions were you
warning them. They are actually acknowledging that
earlier they admitted they knew where they would have
to go if they continued to disrupt.
You are not the “bad guy” but are simply asking them to
reflect on how the system works. If they become angry,
it is likely that they are mad at themselves for having
created this situation. But it is important here to note
that, as mentioned earlier, you must ask the questions in
a calm, curious, and respectful way. When they answer
that they have to go to the RTC, then the final question
from you should be “So where do you need to go now?”
The RTC is where students go who need help in creating
a plan that is designed to help them work through the
problems they are having with following the rules and
respecting others’ rights. Once they’ve arrived at the RTC,
they should not be pressured into making a plan. That
decision should come from them. Some might sit for a
while, angry at themselves, but that’s acceptable.
They are struggling within themselves, and that’s a
healthy sign. Once they ask for a plan, they’ve accepted
responsibility for dealing differently with the way they
tried to achieve their goals, and especially for how they
treated others. Then, ask them if they are willing to set
a goal to work at solving their problems in that area. If
Continued from Page 19..................................
Responsible Thinking Process.......
‘The key is this: when they avoid
answering a question, repeat it.’
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they say yes, that is the first step toward their success in
dealing with others. You are trying to determine if they
are really committed to changing the way they want to
be, and how hard they are willing to work to make that
happen.
Once strongly committed to changing how they structure
their life and deal with others, including resolving their
problems, children are ready to learn how to work on a
plan to satisfy what they want, using goals and charts
Negotiating Plans Is Important to the Process When children approach a teacher or parent to negotiate
back to where they were disrupting, they should be given
time to explain how they are going to deal with problems
the next time they occur.
This process shouldn’t take more than three to five
minutes. If the teacher or supervisor has any questions
concerning a student’s plan, this is the time to ask
questions and get clarification from the student. If part of
the plan is unacceptable, the student should be asked for
alternatives.
The teacher should offer alternatives if the student does
not. If the alternatives are acceptable to the student,
then the student must alter the written plan to reflect the
negotiated changes.
A plan should never be ignored or refused. It should
always be treated as a sincere commitment. Negotiating
is critical to building student-teacher relationships. Always
use questions—they help to teach responsible thinking.
After Negotiating, the Student Is Readmitted to Class Not all children think of their plans as ongoing
restructurings of how they deal with their difficulties.
Some see plan making as a way of “playing the game to
get people off their backs.” Others, such as preschoolers
and Special Needs students, might forget easily or have
short attention spans. Erin Powell, RTP special ed trainer,
found it very effective when working with disabled
children to review their plans three or four times a day,
asking the children if they were succeeding with their
plans or how the plans were going.
The plans then became ongoing parts of how they dealt
with themselves and others within the classroom.
Many teachers have found that when students disrupt
again after negotiating plans, the following questions are
especially helpful:
“What are you doing?”
“Are you following your plan?”
“Is your plan working?”
“Do you want to change your plan?”
Asking such questions provides opportunities for students
to reflect on their plans and to relate them to any present
difficulties they might be having in the classroom or
elsewhere.
‘The key in working with children is to ignore excuses,
not encourage them.’
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The Culture of Learning at Marian College
Our Commitment to LearningWe encourage excellence and perseverance in learning
We strive for continuous improvement.
Classroom Expectations
. Trial and consistently build into our teaching the five strands of Dylan Wiliam’s model from Formative Engagement:
. Know the students as learners
. Punctual commencement of classes
. Provide a variety of tasks in each lesson
. Respect the learning environment
. Set high standards and expectations re student preparation,behavior, engagement and work standards. Prompt return of assessed student work. Set homework related to the class-work and check homework tasks when due. Implement consequences for breaches of the Student Learning Action Statement
Student Learning- Action Statement
• LearningIntentionsandSuccessCriteria• Evidenceoflearning• FeedbackforLearning• PeerSupportedlearning• SelfRegulatedlearning
I WILL:
• Learnineverylesson• Comepreparedforeverylessoninattitudeandaction• Respectthelearningenvironment• Respecttherightsofotherstolearn• Acceptnewchallenges• Persevereandcompletealltaskstothebestofmyability• Acceptfeedbackasachancetogrow