It's not about Reading, or Writing, or Maths. It's about your approach to your teaching

For our Teacher only day, we had Tony Burkin talking to us from Interlead. 

Interlead is organisational learning and leadership. We have considerable experience working in the education sector and are able to match best practice approaches to educational development.

Tony Burkin

Director – Leadership and Learning

BSocSc Economics (Hons), Dip Tching, GradDipBus (Human Resource Management)

Without meaning to Tony has over the last decade developed specialist expertise in growing school leadership in ways expediting the development of schools as Professional Learning Communities.

The following are some highlights that I got from the day:

Pedagogy is a child-focused teaching approach, whereas andragogy an adult-focused teaching approach; or, formally, pedagogy is the art and science of helping kids learn, whereas andragogy is the art and science of helping adults learn.

"A tool is only as useful as those who use it." 


When we talk of our practice  what are we referring to ?

"Inquiry involves intuition , passion and emotion 

Teachers  who are inquirers will never announce that they "do" inquiry thus separating the activity from their professional being."

Professional Capital

Michael Fullan

What is it?

PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL :

Human capital

Social capital

Decision making capital

ALL 3 need to be in place in order to have professional capital.

"We can't be great teachers if we cannot be honest with each other."

"If you can hold yourself to accountability, you don't need anyone else to hold you to accountability."

It's not about proving how good you are as a teacher. 

Would you like your students to light up when you enter the room?

OR

Would you like your students to light up when you leave the room?

Interesting question. What would you choose?

OPIWA

Outstanding performance in the wrong area

An Everyone Culture

The reason people burnout is the extra effort people put in to 'hide'

"In an ordinary organisation most people are doing a second job no one is paying them for. in businesses large and small; in government agencies, schools, and hospitals all around the word. Most people are spending time and energy covering up their weaknesses, managing other peoples' impressions of them, showing themselves to their best advantage, playing politics, hiding their inadequacies, hiding their uncertainties, hiding their limitations. Hiding."

Managing risks to image.

Ensuring I don't look.

• incompetent 
• ignorant
• negative
• disruptive

This hit the nail right on the head for me. SO worried about not looking competent.

It's not about your work, it's about your learning!!!!!!!!

I thought about this a bit more. Does that mean I need to be willing to share everything in an effort to show I have nothing to hide?
I believe there are some things that we do not wish to share and it doesn't mean we are hiding but maybe that's me hiding from the fact that I am hiding...

The last thing that I got from this workshop are the three rules regarding Growth/Fixed Mindset.

Three Rules - Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset

The biggest challenge for me has been to slow down on the judgement I make of myself as a teacher and as a learner.  As long as I have a commitment to reflect on my practice and to learn from what I have done, then things will come in time.
It is important to acknowledge that we cannot rush the progress.

I am still learning....