E-news 14th May Vol 3 No 5
Edited
by Keith Redman
Topics covered in this edition include:
Tina DoeJoining
Hanan Harrison as an ANSN Networker in Queensland is Tina Doe (below).
Tina is a part-time senior lecturer in education and is the Central
Queensland University’s Embedded Professional Learning Co-ordinator.
Tina’s expertise is in learning design and the development of professional learning projects that work in partnership between the teaching industry and universities. Tina’s current research work explores professional learning through partnership, in the context of teacher practice. The specific focus is on teacher pedagogy.
Currently, she is finalising plans for some 2-day, action learning-based ANSN workshops, where participants “will design learning opportunities for Australian school children (learners) that promote and develop positive attitudes and perceptions and habits of mind”. Watch for more details in future editions of E-News. Tina has also been working with Hanan on Dimensions of Learning. To contact Tina, click here.
To launch the Hub in WA, she is organising 6 evening workshops (two per Term), starting on 20 May. The aims are to
National Hub Co-ordinator James Anderson has notified a significant change of arrangements to the NW Melbourne group, who have been meeting at The Meadows. Their final day of workshop will now be on Tuesday 11 November. Both Melbourne groups will combine on this day (with a change of venue to be advised) and share their work with Art Costa, who will be in Melbourne for the day. Watch for more news in future editions of E-News about this and further possible related activities.
http://www.mcrel.org/PDF/Instruction/5992TG_What_Works.pdf
For more information on the Dimensions of Learning contact Hanan Harrison on 0407 464472 or hanan.harrison@ansn.edu.au.
Participants in the recent Digi Kids Melbourne South Hub tackled this exact question in their initial two days of training. They then explored and discussed strategies that they could use to integrate technology into their own curriculum (see photos, below).
The workshop explored both open and closed technology resources, which could be adapted to engage and motivate student learning, in terms of academic outcomes, such as literacy, but also the essential social outcomes such as negotiating, communicating and team work. If you are interested in being part of the Digi Kids Hub, or in looking at having a workshop tailor-made for your school, on technology integration for early childhood, contact Hanan Harrison on 0407 464472 or hanan.harrison@ansn.edu.au
An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students, by Ron Berger, Howard Gardner, Deborah Meier and Kate Montgomery (Editor), was published in 2003 by Reed Elsevier Inc.
James Anderson, National Co-ordinator of the Habits of Mind Hub has recommended a shorter article to his Hub members. Again, this may be of interest to other E-News readers, as it is about a stroke victim’s extraordinary ability to be metacognitive and to “rewire” her brain during the recovery process. Michael Reilly’s article, based on an interview with Jill Bolte Taylor, appeared in the New Scientist of 19 April 2008, under the title, ‘Rebuild your own mind’.
Hanan Harrison suggests some technology-related reading, which can be found at
http://www.eschoolnews.com:80/news/top-news/?i=53593;_hbguid=34686b3f-0031-43aa-b144-a8988db9d684
This addresses recent research from the University at Buffalo (New York) and the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and identifies how well-integrated technology helps students develop key social skills, which in turn lead to improved cognitive skills. Hanan comments that the data from this research would be greatly supported by the many participants of the KidSmart and Digi Kids Hubs, who would have found, from first-hand experience, a range of similar results showing how technology integration developed not only academic results but a myriad of social skills, including negotiation, teamwork and communication with others.
As mentioned in previous editions of E-News, ANSN, jointly with IBM, published 11 teacher stories that highlighted Australian examples of related work, with each teacher focusing on a different area of how technology integration has benefited learning for her/his students. Three of these KidSmart Snapshots can be downloaded free of charge from http://www.ansn.edu.au/ansn_resources. The complete set of 11 snapshots can be downloaded on-line for $15 http://www.ansn.edu.au/product.
Cognitive Coaching Course
In 2008, ANSN is delivering an intensive 8-day leadership development course in Art Costa and Robert Garmston’s “Cognitive Coaching”. The course is being presented by Sue Presler in two 4-day segments, with the second segment coming up in August. If you missed out this time but want to find out more about the course, click here.
For details of opportunities for Cognitive Coaching training in Adelaide, in 2008, click here and email Gavin Grift.
When you have considered the options and decided what is appropriate for your school or group of schools, click here to contact John Hogan, and express your interest. He is gathering details of what schools want to organise and will explore the possibilities with you.
Topics covered in this edition include:
- Introducing a new ANSN Networker in Queensland
- Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) Hub: WA Workshop
- Habits of Mind Hub: Ongoing discussions and program changes
- Dimensions of Learning (DoL) Hub – Darwin
- Dimensions of Learning – some background reading
- Digi Kids – Some principles and the Melbourne South Hub sessions
- Some interesting professional reading
- External events, conferences, seminars and forums etc
- Reminders of ANSN activities
Introducing a new ANSN Networker in Queensland
Tina DoeJoining
Hanan Harrison as an ANSN Networker in Queensland is Tina Doe (below).
Tina is a part-time senior lecturer in education and is the Central
Queensland University’s Embedded Professional Learning Co-ordinator.Tina’s expertise is in learning design and the development of professional learning projects that work in partnership between the teaching industry and universities. Tina’s current research work explores professional learning through partnership, in the context of teacher practice. The specific focus is on teacher pedagogy.
Currently, she is finalising plans for some 2-day, action learning-based ANSN workshops, where participants “will design learning opportunities for Australian school children (learners) that promote and develop positive attitudes and perceptions and habits of mind”. Watch for more details in future editions of E-News. Tina has also been working with Hanan on Dimensions of Learning. To contact Tina, click here.
Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) Hub: WA Workshop
Helen Davey, ANSN’s Western Australian Networker (below, left) is developing an extension of the IWB Hub in her State.To launch the Hub in WA, she is organising 6 evening workshops (two per Term), starting on 20 May. The aims are to
- investigate IWB technology as a tool for improving student learning outcomes through classroom structures;
- improve participants’ technical knowledge and support in using IWBs;
- set up an on-line space where resources can be stored and shared; and
- increase participants’ network of colleagues who can provide IWB support
Habits of Mind (HoM) Hub: Ongoing discussions and program changes
HoM Hub participants are increasingly involving themselves in a Hub discussion list, to pose and address questions, share ideas, distribute resources, suggest areas for thought and share insights or other aspects of the work they are doing.National Hub Co-ordinator James Anderson has notified a significant change of arrangements to the NW Melbourne group, who have been meeting at The Meadows. Their final day of workshop will now be on Tuesday 11 November. Both Melbourne groups will combine on this day (with a change of venue to be advised) and share their work with Art Costa, who will be in Melbourne for the day. Watch for more news in future editions of E-News about this and further possible related activities.
Dimensions of Learning (DoL) Hub – Darwin
Hanan Harrison (below left), ANSN Networker, based in Queensland but ranging across Australia in her Hub activities, reports that educators in the Northern Territory are the latest participants to join the National Dimensions of Learning (DoL) Hub. The group consists of members of Charles Darwin University, Department of Education representatives (TLS) and teachers from Darwin and surrounding areas (below, centre and right, working in the sessions).
The initial two days focused on modeling DoL strategies, in particular
Dimension 1 – developing Attitudes and Perceptions. This was examined
in terms of developing environments for learning and sharing.
Participants also developed an understanding that their collective
knowledge as a hub provided a wealth of experience and reflection not
only for the content around DoL but also as school leaders.
Dimensions of Learning – some background reading
The web site at http://www.mcrel.org/Newsroom/hottopicInstruction.asp has a table that summarises in simple terms what highly effective teachers have in common, in relation to instructional strategies that improve student learning. All of these strategies are embedded and unpacked within the Dimensions of Learning Framework. For more detailed documentation of the research and how these instructional strategies improve learning, view the complete text on:http://www.mcrel.org/PDF/Instruction/5992TG_What_Works.pdf
For more information on the Dimensions of Learning contact Hanan Harrison on 0407 464472 or hanan.harrison@ansn.edu.au.
Digi Kids – Some principles and the Melbourne South Hub sessions
Hanan Harrison writes to comment about a common misconception – that computer integration involves students rotating between computers as they explore various educational software programs, in the belief that through this they will incidentally develop computer skills, vocabulary and general computer navigation. Hanan comments that if schools are focusing on computer integration then they first need to investigate the notion of “what is worth teaching to our young learners” and, from this point, move on to explore how technology can be used to achieve such outcomes.Participants in the recent Digi Kids Melbourne South Hub tackled this exact question in their initial two days of training. They then explored and discussed strategies that they could use to integrate technology into their own curriculum (see photos, below).
The workshop explored both open and closed technology resources, which could be adapted to engage and motivate student learning, in terms of academic outcomes, such as literacy, but also the essential social outcomes such as negotiating, communicating and team work. If you are interested in being part of the Digi Kids Hub, or in looking at having a workshop tailor-made for your school, on technology integration for early childhood, contact Hanan Harrison on 0407 464472 or hanan.harrison@ansn.edu.au
Some interesting professional reading
Viv White, ANSN National Coach, recently recommended to ANSN Networkers the work of Ron Berger, co-author of a book that may be of interest to the broader E-News readership. Ron has been a public school teacher in western Massachusetts for 25 years and works with the Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound school network, Harvard Project Zero, and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In his book, he draws on his experience as a “veteran” teacher to provide a vision of educational reform that transcends standards, curriculum, and instructional strategies. In particular, he talks about three “Toolboxes”:- The First Toolbox: A School Culture of Excellence
- The Second Toolbox: Work of Excellence
- The Third Toolbox: Teaching of Excellence.
An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students, by Ron Berger, Howard Gardner, Deborah Meier and Kate Montgomery (Editor), was published in 2003 by Reed Elsevier Inc.
James Anderson, National Co-ordinator of the Habits of Mind Hub has recommended a shorter article to his Hub members. Again, this may be of interest to other E-News readers, as it is about a stroke victim’s extraordinary ability to be metacognitive and to “rewire” her brain during the recovery process. Michael Reilly’s article, based on an interview with Jill Bolte Taylor, appeared in the New Scientist of 19 April 2008, under the title, ‘Rebuild your own mind’.
Hanan Harrison suggests some technology-related reading, which can be found at
http://www.eschoolnews.com:80/news/top-news/?i=53593;_hbguid=34686b3f-0031-43aa-b144-a8988db9d684
This addresses recent research from the University at Buffalo (New York) and the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and identifies how well-integrated technology helps students develop key social skills, which in turn lead to improved cognitive skills. Hanan comments that the data from this research would be greatly supported by the many participants of the KidSmart and Digi Kids Hubs, who would have found, from first-hand experience, a range of similar results showing how technology integration developed not only academic results but a myriad of social skills, including negotiation, teamwork and communication with others.
As mentioned in previous editions of E-News, ANSN, jointly with IBM, published 11 teacher stories that highlighted Australian examples of related work, with each teacher focusing on a different area of how technology integration has benefited learning for her/his students. Three of these KidSmart Snapshots can be downloaded free of charge from http://www.ansn.edu.au/ansn_resources. The complete set of 11 snapshots can be downloaded on-line for $15 http://www.ansn.edu.au/product.
External events, conferences, seminars and forums etc
Some E-News readers might be interested in a Forum that’s coming up in Brisbane on 28 May, entitled Higher Education as a National Priority: What Sort of Revolution is Needed, with Professor John Hay. Further details and registration can be found at http://www.conferenceonline.com.au/index.cfm?page=details_conference&pg=1&id=11642Reminders of ANSN activities
The following activities have been reported in detail in previous editions of E-News.Cognitive Coaching Course
In 2008, ANSN is delivering an intensive 8-day leadership development course in Art Costa and Robert Garmston’s “Cognitive Coaching”. The course is being presented by Sue Presler in two 4-day segments, with the second segment coming up in August. If you missed out this time but want to find out more about the course, click here.
For details of opportunities for Cognitive Coaching training in Adelaide, in 2008, click here and email Gavin Grift.
Opportunities for training in Action Learning and Protocols
As mentioned earlier in this edition of E-News, in 2008 ANSN continues to offer opportunities for training in both Action Learning and Protocols, through either introductory workshops or more advanced courses. For information about the possibilities for Action Learning click here.When you have considered the options and decided what is appropriate for your school or group of schools, click here to contact John Hogan, and express your interest. He is gathering details of what schools want to organise and will explore the possibilities with you.
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