Topics covered in this edition include:

• Habits of Mind work and an invitation to share ideas and feedback
• Dimensions of Learning conference reminders
• National Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) project workshop
• The next ANSN Board meeting
• Professional reading: two suggestions
• A link to the Forum for Education and Democracy
• Reminders about ANSN activities.

Habits of Mind work, and an invitation to share ideas and feedback

James Anderson, national Hub Co-ordinator for Habits of Mind, writes to say that it has been a very busy month for the Hub. Art Costa has been in Australia throughout April working with schools in QLD, NSW, VIC, SA and ACT. Well over 350 teachers heard Art speak on a range of topics from Introducing the Habits of Mind to Schools, to Leading schools with Habits of Mind in Mind, and Building a Culture of Thoughtfulness in Schools. James reports that feedback has been excellent, with everyone very excited by the work.

May and June 2007 will see two new groups in regional Victoria begin their work with the Hub; in the Ararat and Beechworth areas. The Hub will also be looking to launch a new group in the ACT, following on from a very successful conference with Art Costa at the end of Term 1. All the other Hub groups will begin looking at assessment with Habits of Mind, as well as lesson approaches.

On a somewhat different note, the Hub's email discussion list has been very active of late with resources being shared between participants. Hub members have also been asked to join a discussion about ways to approach the problem of Habits of Mind being viewed as “just another program” – a comment reported by a Hub member following a conversation with a teacher colleague who is unconvinced of the Habits' long-term value. To comment on your perspective, or to suggest how such a description might be countered most effectively, click here. We plan to include some of the responses in future editions of ANSN E-News.

Dimensions of Learning (DoL) conference in August – Reminders

In the previous edition of E-News, we drew your attention to the forthcoming Dimensions of Learning conference. To be held at Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast from 22-24 August 2007 – under the title Learning Management: Pedagogy that Works – the conference is co-sponsored by ANSN and Charles Darwin University. Keynote Speakers include Dr Robert Marzano, Prof Richard Smith, Dr Ken Rowe, Dr Lawrence Ingvarson and Prof David Lynch. For further information and registration details, go to http://www.learningmanagementconference.com/.

Remember also that ANSN is offering $300 scholarships to support registration for ten ANSN members. To express interest in these scholarships, or to seek details of ANSN's work on DoL, email hanan.harrison@ansn.edu.au.

National Interactive White Board (IWB) project workshop

National IWB project participants are meeting for their third and final workshop, in Alice Springs on 26 and 27 April. As part of their work, participants will be comparing what they anticipated and planned at the start of the project, in mid-2006, with what they have experienced up to now. We intend this discussion to contribute to future ANSN Snapshots.

Next ANSN Board meeting – via teleconference

The next meeting of the ANSN Board will take place by teleconference on Thursday 3 May, from 6.00pm to 7.30pm.

Professional reading

In the last edition of E-News we talked about James H Nehring's Conspiracy Theory: Lessons for Leaders from Two Centuries of School Reform, a Phi Delta Kappan front page feature article, which had been used as a focus for discussion at the recent ANSN Networkers workshop. In a spin-off, this led Joe Wickert (a Networker from NSW who manages our website, and whose company, Summer Hill Media makes videos for ANSN) to write an opinion piece about the possible appropriateness of using networks and nodes as metaphors for contemporary education. To read and comment on this piece, which Joe describes as “rough”, given its status as a quick reaction and opinion piece, click here. The piece is in a new section of the site which has commenting features enabled, so be sure to join the discussion.

We hope to attract and distribute other opinion pieces over time, to help expand and enrich the educational debate. If you would like to write one, please send it to the Editor of ANSN E-News.

As a second suggestion, a new Ken Rowe paper is about to be published, in May 2007, by the Centre for Strategic Education. Keep an eye out for it. The author, from ACER, is one of the keynote speakers at the Dimensions of Learning conference we talked about earlier. In the paper he argues strongly for an increased emphasis on teaching that reflects the evidence from research about what really works in the classroom. This leads him particularly to question the way in which constructivist approaches tend to be used at present, and to discuss the role of direct instruction.

A link to the Forum for Education and Democracy

Viv White, ANSN National Coach, draws our attention to the Forum for Education and Democracy website. The site's “About Us”, tells us that the Forum is based in Athens, Ohio and “supports research, publications, and action projects which promote the democratic purpose of public education”. The website is at http://www.forumforeducation.org/

The Forum also puts out an e-newsletter. In its 17 April 2007 edition this included an item on research results from a recently released survey undertaken by the Teachers Network in the USA. This survey of 5600 classroom teachers from all 50 US states finds that only 1% of respondents say the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) initiative is an effective way to assess the quality of schools and 60% report it is pushing teachers out of the profession. To subscribe to the Forum e-newsletter click here.

Reminders of activities

The following activities have been covered in detail in previous editions of E-News.

Dimensions of Learning (DoL) conference (and see article above)

• ·Dimensions of Learning conference, Sunshine Coast, 22-24 August 2007).

October 2007 – International Habits of Mind Expo and Workshop

• Expo, Melbourne, 22 October, 2007, repeated in Queenstown, NZ, 25 October 2007. For details click here.
  
• Trans-Tasman HoM workshop: Towards More Thoughtful Schools, in Queenstown, NZ, and Melbourne, Australia, in each case on the day following the Expo. For details click here.
  

Letters to the editor

Would you like to comment on issues that relate to the work we do as educators? To email a “Letter to the Editor of ANSN E-News”, click here.

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Send us your news

If you have an ANSN event coming up, send us details, so we can promote it. Or write a report about the activities and outcomes when you've had time to evaluate them, so we can share the learning more broadly among members. To send material, click here.