R -Relationships #28daysofwriting Day 19

Relationships

As Cyclone Marcia is bringing down torrential rain already - I'm keeping tonight's post brief and linking in two previous posts on this topic. 

Relationships are one the foundational blocks of building success in schools. 
Please have a look and any comments appreciated.


Posted in 2013 and one of my favourite posts:
The Teaching River: Relationships are the key: One of the most essential ingredients in having students achieve success in the classroom is the relationship they have with their teacher. ...

Also from 2013:
The Teaching River: Every contact leaves a trace: “Every contact leaves a trace. Everything and everyone we touch is changed in some way. But the changes, they are never what we anticipate.” 


Bonus: My Twitter Recommendations- Letter R
These educators have been part of my PLN for some time and it is fantastic to be able to connect with them, share ideas, be challenged and learn from one another.

Robyn McCarthy
Rik Rowe
Roshea Buksh
Rebecca Davies
Russel Tarr
Richard Olsen
Rob McTaggart
Richard Byrne
Robert Schuetz
Rachael Lehr
Rachel Jones
Ross Halliday
Randy Norman
Rusul Alrubail
Ron Dorland

Q - Questioning #28daysofwriting Day 18

Questioning

Questioning is a driving force in learning. Whether it is the teacher or the student, questioning is key in getting the cognitive juices flowing. As long as the questions encourage deep meaningful responses, creativity and curiosity, or the desire to understand more. A good question can be a powerful motivating force in a classroom.


(Term has gotten very busy, it is hard to find 28 minutes between school and family for the blog, so this results in a few posts that may be shorter than originally intended)


Bonus: My Twitter Recommendations- Letter Q
These educators have been part of my PLN for some time and it is fantastic to be able to connect with them, share ideas, be challenged and learn from one another.

No-one today. Not many names starting with Q 

P- Passion #28daysofwriting Day 17

Passion

Image from: http://venspired.com/passion-as-a-catalyst/

I'm passionate about my wife & daughter, my family, my friends, my sporting teams, my learning, reading, PLN, and teaching. Passion is such an essential part of teaching. Passion is a key ingredient in being successful and connecting with students. 

I know the units/topics that I did not have a passion for resulted in some of my worse teaching weeks in my first two years. The students became bored and disengaged, because I did not enjoy the topics. I decided to change my program, inject more exciting and challenging topics. Also looked at different ways to present them and soon I managed to convey passion in teaching them. Now when I have a topic that I do not have a passion for, I can actually still be passionate about the learning process and the connections that the topic can create.

Passion for learning becomes contagious, and students can become passionate about their learning. Know what your students passions are, and they will know you value them. 

Make learning amazing, inspiring and passionate

Finding meaning in what you do and having a passion for it = Happy & Fulfilled life


Bonus: My Twitter Recommendations- Letter P
These educators have been part of my PLN for some time and it is fantastic to be able to connect with them, share ideas, be challenged and learn from one another.

Paul Browning
Pernille Ripp
Phillip Cooke
Phil Shapiro
Phil Taylor
Paul Gibbs
Peter Cameron

O -Observation #28daysofwriting Day 16

Observation

One of the greatest tools to help teachers grow is through observing other teachers. The opportunity to visit classrooms where there are teachers that are sharing great practice, engaging their students and being innovative is a tremendous resource. It allows teachers to interact and grow with one another, because invariably it leads to discussions and connecting of new ideas to trial. Observations allow teachers to share what they are doing every day in their classrooms with their colleagues, and it allows us to learn from each other. 

Bonus: My Twitter Recommendations- Letter O
These educators have been part of my PLN for some time and it is fantastic to be able to connect with them, share ideas, be challenged and learn from one another.

Oona Marie Abrams
Odette Holweg

N - Network #28daysofwriting Day 15

Network

Over the course of my career I have built up a network of contacts through work, school, university, church and now my teaching career. Each time I have connected with different individuals, and each one added a richness to my network. Then came Twitter in 2012, and my network has exploded. By connecting with educators online through Twitter it led to TeachMeets, EduTECH Conferences, Google Teacher Academy and even further connections. Suddenly a small network becomes a large connected network. 

Being part of a connected network allows me to find support, new ideas, be challenged, constantly learning, allows me to ask experts, seek advice, share and help other educators. I would encourage everyone to grow their network, share and support each other. Over the course of the past 12 months my PLN has grown, and I have connected with educators that I now consider friends and individuals that are incredibly generous with their sharing of knowledge. I recently went over 2000 Followers on Twitter; and I look forward to the next 2000 that will be part of my network to share and connect with.

Bonus: My Twitter Recommendations- Letter N
These educators have been part of my PLN for some time and it is fantastic to be able to connect with them, share ideas, be challenged and learn from one another.

Nicholas Provenzano
Nathan Weaver
Nick Brierley

M -Mentoring #28DaysofWriting Day 14

Mentoring

In all professions it is important that we don't work in isolation, depend only on ourselves and rely on our own judgments all the time. We need to allow coaching and mentoring to be a central part of our teaching careers. A good mentoring and coaching program is designed to help teachers develop, increase their skills, provide quality feedback to improve practice. One of the biggest roles would be in changing 'fixed mindsets' into a 'growth mindset'; a big challenge, but so crucial for development. Mentoring is especially important for beginning teachers to help them adjust, settle and to support them through their start as a teacher. As teachers we need to increase mentoring and coaching in all levels of our schools to support and encourage one another.

I hope we can all have a mentor and be a mentor to someone to help us all develop our skills as educators to serve our students, schools, colleagues and profession. 


Resource:
The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) shares some valuable resources, guidelines and ideas for school leaders to implement various programs - Have a look here: http://www.toolkit.aitsl.edu.au/category/coaching-mentoring This is on one of their pages under coaching & mentoring, and can be considered a definition for the role of it in schools for teachers:

"Coaching is an important professional learning strategy that supports professional growth. Coaching can address a range of characteristics and developmental needs that contribute to the effectiveness of a teacher."

Short post on a Saturday afternoon between the break in the cricket ;)

Bonus: My Twitter Recommendations- Letter M
These educators have been part of my PLN for some time and it is fantastic to be able to connect with them, share ideas, be challenged and learn from one another.

Matt Esterman

Matt Ives

Mark E. Weston

Michelle Hostrup

Maree Whiteley

Mark Yeates

L - Leadership #28daysofwriting Day 13

Leadership

I have always been involved in some form of leadership, whether being the leader or being a member of the leadership team. I have captained rugby union teams, cricket teams, been junior school captain, prefect, elected to leadership body at university and many other occasions. As well as work wise I have been involved in decision making to an extent, or helped the leader in supporting discussions. I'm by no means a great leader, or an accomplished leader; but I'm learning and constantly refining what are some of the key areas I would like to be as a leader. These are also the skills that I hope my school leaders would display, and that all school leaders would display.

My Leadership Skills Top Ten

1. Communication & Ability to Build partnerships with school community
2. High Expectations for students and staff
3. Innovative with projects, ideas and opportunities for school
4. A sense of Purpose and Confidence in Decisions
5. Fairness & Respect 
6. Trustworthiness
7. Balance of emotions
8. Empowerment of teachers and students
9. Courageous and willing to challenge the status quo
10. Future-orientated, embracing new ideas, technology and Always Learning

Just 10 on this list, but they are very complex and would probably require lengthy discussions for each one. An idea for future blog posts to focus on leadership skills/traits we would all like our school leaders to possess.

Bonus: My Twitter Recommendations- Letter L
These educators have been part of my PLN for some time and it is fantastic to be able to connect with them, share ideas, be challenged and learn from one another.

Lisa Marie Blaschke

Larry McKeown

Laura Hill

Louisa Rennie

Lisa Squire