The search for a blue giraffe

Building Strong Beginnings Forum

University of Western Australia 22 March 2012

What brought me to teaching?

What have I learnt about teaching?

How do I know that I am becoming a better teacher?

Homo economicus

“At 20 years of age the will reigns, at 30 the wit, at 40 the judgment.”

– Benjamin Franklin

What have I learnt about teaching?

Lesson 1 Teacher – Jem, age 6

“To be creative is to be human”

Lesson 2Teacher – “Leo” Year 4 student “Scaffold, but don’t sanitise”

“When I was a baby I learnt maths by copying my mum. When I was at Kindy I learnt maths by playing with blocks. Now I learn maths from a book.”

– “Leo”, Year 4, Western Australian Primary School.

“Scaffold, but don’t sanitise”

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea”

– Antoine De Saint-Exupery “Le Petit Prince”

Lesson 3Teacher – Albert Bandura

“Struggle, succeed, and build self-efficacy”

Constructivism and mathematics…..

How do I know I am becoming a better teacher?

Measuring my progression as an educator

• 4 KPI’s of improvement:– 1. Pedagogical content knowledge:• Minimum 40 hours per year of professional

development in a content area.

– 2. Feedback through relationships based on professional trust and respect:

– 3. Student feedback:

Measuring my progression as an educator

• 4 KPI’s of improvement

– 4. Personal reflection:• Friday night is reflection night!