Enews 11th September Vol 3 No 10
Edited by Keith Redman
Topics covered in this edition include:- The ANSN Annual Forum: An Intergenerational Youth Compact – Follow-up presentation in Canberra, plus wide media coverage
- Connecting Lives and Learning – Check out the website
- Turnaround teaching, learning and outcomes – Hubs and workshops
- Habits of Mind videos on YouTube
- Bee Bots Workshops in Queensland and Victoria
- Media coverage of the ANSN Annual Forum
- Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) Hub – invitational sessions in Victoria
- Reminder of major Habits of Mind event #1: Creating a Mindful School 3-day workshop, Melbourne
- Reminder of major Habits of Mind event #2: Next Steps 1-day Conferences in Brisbane on 5 November and in Sydney on 6 November
- The WA Interactive Whiteboard Hub
- ANSN directions in 2009 for Dimensions of Learning and Habits of Mind
- Curriculum Design Research Circle – progress report
- Some interesting reading (three items)
- Reminders of ANSN activities
The ANSN Annual Forum: An Intergenerational Youth Compact
– Follow-up presentation in Canberra, plus wide media coverage
The 3rd ANSN Annual Forum, An Intergenerational Youth Compact, presented in conjunction with the University of Western Sydney (UWS), took place on Thursday 21 August, 2008 and was a great success. Subsequently, Viv White, Margaret Vickers and Sue French, from the ANSN Board, made a presentation of the Forum outcomes to the House of Representatives Committee for Education and Training at Parliament House in Canberra. Viv White reports that the work of the Forum was really well received by all of the Committee, which included members from both major parties, and that there is to be a further meeting with Sharon Bird MP, the Chair of the Committee. A report on the Forum proceedings and outcomes is being prepared and E-News will advise readers when it is available on line.Around 21-22 August, a number of related items appeared in the media. Coverage focused on interviews with Professor Margaret Vickers and included news items as well as chat show sessions, on ABC and commercial stations around the country. For details of the coverage, including summaries of the content click here
Connecting Lives and Learning – Check out the website
The August issue of E-News reported the launch of the Connecting Lives and Learning (CLL) website, aimed at schools and systems that are seeking ways to address educational disadvantage. The CLL project developed a `turnaround pedagogy’ that works in challenging school contexts. It has now developed into the Turnaround project, with a research-based Hub and a program of workshops (see news items below). The CLL website provides a wide variety of resources, which include teacher accounts of their pedagogical research, undertaken in a range of subject disciplines. For further information about the website, or to become a member of CLL, click here.Andrew Bills, national coordinator for the project, can be contacted by email at andrew.bills@ansn.edu.au or on his mobile at 0431 060 499
Turnaround teaching, learning and outcomes – Hubs and workshops
Teachers, school leaders, educational consultants and systems personnel now have the opportunity to participate in a Turnaround Hub – where they will experience a teacher inquiry approach to learning. Working in research projects, they will explore effective ways to address educational disadvantage, based on the groundbreaking work that has been done in the Connecting Lives and Learning project. Some of the principles that underpin this work are shown in the diagram below.
Alternatively, first familiarise yourself with Turnaround teaching,
learning and outcomes by undertaking a one or two-day workshop. School
leaders and teachers who participate in the Turnaround workshops will
be challenged to investigate how teachers’ understanding of their
students’ lives both in and outside of school can be used to improve
teaching and learning. Their learning will be informed by the results
from CLL – the first generation of the Turnaround project – where 30
teachers, working in challenging schools with over 1000 students,
researched their practice in collaboration with researchers from the
University of South Australia. The workshops will be presented by
Andrew Bills, the ANSN project co-ordinator, who is also Research
Fellow – CLL and Public Purposes project, Division of Education Arts
and Social Sciences at the University of South Australia..
For further details, or to express interest in joining the hub or undertaking a workshop, click here
Also just annouced a half day Turnaround Teaching workshop on October 3rd in South Australia.
Click here for more information
Habits of Mind videos on YouTube
The ANSN Habits of Mind (HoM) Hub recently circulated details of two HoM videos, which are viewable on You Tube and will be of interest to the broader ANSN readership. The first video shows a group of high school students using video techniques to show how they apply the Habits in various situations, and could be useful as a discussion pieces. To see this video, go tohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mscdS8Jnghw
The second video is from Scarlett Middle School and shows how they created tile mosaics for each of the Habits and displayed them in the school, providing an attractive alternative to the more familiar HoM posters. To see this video, go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZGxo-dE3hs&feature=related
Bee Bots Workshops in Queensland and Victoria
In October, Hanan Harrison will present two Bee Bots “Play, Make and Take” workshops, one each in Queensland and Victoria (see Bee Bots below, with workshop participants planning their movements).
These hands-on workshops introduce simple robotics for young learners,
as learning through play, in a program designed for Early Childhood
teachers. The workshops provide opportunities for participants to
explore and develop strategies for implementing Bee Bots across the
curriculum, with a particular focus on literacy, numeracy, science and
music. All participants will receive their very own Bee Bot to take
home (valued at rrp $88) as well as numerous curriculum resources and
ideas to support Bee Bots within the curriculum. The Bee Bot workshops
have proved tremendously popular with participants, so book your place
as quickly as possible. The dates and locations are as follows:Queensland Friday 17 October
Oonoonba Primary, Fairfield Waters Drive, Idalia 4811, Townsville
Victoria Friday 7th November
Osborne Primary, Craigie Road, Mt Martha 3934
To book your place, click here and download a registration form, which you should complete and fax to the ANSN office on (02) 9590 3416, by 12 October for the Townsville venue and no later than 5 November for the Melbourne venue
For further general information about Bee Bot workshops, click here
An additional workshop is planned for Brisbane in late October or early November – date and location to be advised. To express interest, email Hanan Harrison at hanan.harrison@ansn.edu.au or phone her mobile on 0407 464 472.
Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) Hub – invitational sessions in Victoria
Andrea Federico reports that two information sessions will be presented in September, for schools that might be interested in joining ANSN’s Victorian IWB Hub. The invitational sessions, in Eastern Metropolitan Region, will both be held on Thursday 18 September, at Kalinda Primary School, Kalinda Rd, Ringwood. The first session will run from 9.30am to10.30am, and the second from 11.00am to 12 noon.
Registrations are also open for schools in the other Victorian Regions
who would like to be part of the ANSN IWB Hub in 2009. To
register, click here, download the brochure, fill out the form on the
back page, and send it back as soon as possible.
Reminder of major Habits of Mind event #1: Creating a Mindful School
3-day workshop, Melbourne
In case you have not already registered, this is to remind you that a 3-day workshop,Creating a Mindful School will be held in Melbourne from 12 to 14 November. Art Costa, co-developer of the Habits of Mind, and James Anderson will work with schools in developing a realistic and sustainable plan to infuse the Habits in their curriculum and culture.
This is a unique opportunity for school leaders to work with other like-minded schools. To ensure the most effective use of time and maximum collaboration, numbers for this workshop are strictly limited. The 3-day conference will focus on:
- developing a clear picture of a Mindful School;
- generating tools for measuring progress towards achieving our goal of being a Mindful School;
- creating a plan for school change; and
- strategies for dealing with predicted or likely obstacles.
Reminder of major Habits of Mind event #2: Next Steps 1-day Conferences in
Brisbane on 5 November and in Sydney on 6 November
Art Costa will lead a day of professional learning that will both introduce the Habits of Mind and allow participants to develop an understanding of how Habits of Mind can be a powerful tool, for schools and other educational systems, to develop a culture and dispositions for learners to become independent thinkers for the 21st Century. Each of the 1-day conferences will focus on:- introducing and extending the Habits of Mind;
- explore how Habits of Mind has impacted on school’s culture and student learning;
- investigating how Habits of Mind can develop a climate of dispositions for learning and better thinking.
The WA Interactive Whiteboard Hub
Helen Davey reports that the WA IWB recently held its second session, in Rockingham. The session was both challenging and interesting, not least because the majority of the middle school participants did not yet have their boards, and were not likely to until next year. Primary school participants, who did already have their boards, were able to share their experiences. Kate Cooper came from Victoria to help deliver the session, with Karen Murcia, from Edith Cowan University, who is developing a project around IWBs. Rosie McAlpine, from Concept AV, also attended and continues to be supportive. For further details of the WA Hub, or to express interest in participating, email Helen at helen.davey@ansn.edu.auANSN directions in 2009 for Dimensions of Learning and Habits of Mind
During 2008, Hanan Harrison and Tina Doe have been working together on the Dimensions of Learning project, among other ANSN initiatives (see photos below from Tina’s recent workshop at Mirani State High School in Queensland). They report that in 2009 they will be continuing this work but also expanding on ANSN’s current work with Habits of Mind.
![\](/files/images/IMG_1688%20Tina%20Mirani%20small.200px.jpg "\")
Recently Hanan and Tina wrote to schools who have been Hub members in the past, inviting them to join in a new adventure, “growing the Habits of Mind into the future”. In 2009, they will offer sessions that focus on teachers and schools becoming acquainted or reacquainted with the Habits and, through new Action Learning Hubs, extend participants’ understanding of the Habits in fresh ways and a meaningful context.
So what is different about these 2009 Hubs, compared with what Hub members have done in the past? Members will
- challenge their current knowledge, strategies and skills with the Habits of Mind;
- work through a curriculum design and assessment framework that will help their schools to develop a common language for instruction;
- engage in professional dialogue and reflection with colleagues, to examine current practices;
- create learning journeys that focus on intellectual “bite”, as well as connectedness for learners of the 21st century.
To find out more about the exciting Habits of Mind Hub opportunities for 2009, contact Hanan by email at hanan.harrison@ansn.edu.au
or phone 0407 464 472.
Curriculum Design Research Circle – progress report
As reported in the previous edition of E-News, ANSN and Hawker Brownlow Education are presenting a three-day Curriculum Design Research Circle in Melbourne. It started on 1 and 2 September and will continue on 10 November, led by Gavin Grift, National Co-ordinator of the ANSN Curriculum Design Hub, and Director of the Association of Innovation in Education.For further details of the Research Circle or to enquire about future participation click here or contact Gavin Grift by mobile on 0409 110 050 or by email at gavin.grift@ansn.edu.au.
Some interesting reading #1: ASCD site and Habits of Mind article
Hanan Harrison has passed on the link for some reading, recommended by Art Costa, at the ASCD Express website. ASCD is the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), which describes itself as a non-profit, non-partisan organisation that represents more than 175,000 educators from 119 countries. Its members “span the entire profession of educators – superintendents, supervisors, principals, teachers, professors of education, and school board members”. Art describes the particular article on the ASCD site as follows: “It is an excellent resource to get educators thinking about how to implement Habits of Mind. The site has readings, video downloads and teacher reflections.” At: the following link you will find the article and also be able to explore the site more generallyhttp://www.ascd.org/
Some interesting reading #2
Hanan has also sent the link for a download from the McReL website. This article is aimed at school leaders, especially principals, who are looking at school improvement issues and want a systematic process to assist in making decisions or changes. The link ishttp://www.mcrel.org/PDF/SchoolImprovementReform/5982TG_AskingRightQuestions.pdf
Some interesting reading #3: Funding of public schooling
Readers might be interested in a paper called Reviewing the evidence: Issues in Commonwealth funding of government and non-government schools in the Howard and Rudd years. It’s by Jim McMorrow and published by the Australian Education Union. The author argues that federal government public school funding will be cut in real terms within three years, based on current budget projections. The report recommends an immediate investment of at least $1.5 billion to restore federal funding to 1996 levels, in order to ensure equality of opportunity.McMorrow puts forward two suggestions for increasing Commonwealth funding to schools to begin re-aligning its investment in its own education priorities. The suggestions are presented as ‘scenarios’ involving adjustments to Commonwealth general recurrent grants. To read or download the complete text, go to http://www.aeufederal.org.au/Publications/2008/JMcMorrowpaper.pdf
Reminders of ANSN activities, covered in previous editions of E-News
Cognitive Coaching – Research Circle forms
As reported in the previous edition of E-News, Gavin Grift is in the process of founding the first Cognitive Coaching Research Circle, which will be presented by ANSN and the Center for Cognitive Coaching. The research circle has been designed to assist schools to build reflective communities, using action learning and cognitive coaching to support changes in teacher pedagogy. To read or download a flier, click here. For further details email, gavin.grift@ansn.edu.auCommunicate, Collaborate and Create workshops in QLD and VIC
A new 2-day, hands-on workshop, entitled Communicate, Collaborate and Create, helps participants explore the potential of on-line tools and their capacity to change education radically in the future. The dates and locations for workshops in Queensland and Victoria are:Queensland Date: 22 and 23 September Time: 9.00am – 3.00pm
Venue: St Laurence's College, 82 Stephens Road, South Brisbane, QLD 4101
Victoria Date: 13 and 14 October Time: 9.00am – 3.00pm
Venue: Williamstown Primary School, Cecil St, Williamstown 3016
Please download the flier for more information including the faxback form at our website by clicking here. Please fax back your details to (02) 9590 3416, as soon as possible. If these dates and locations do not match your needs, but your school or district is interested in registering interest for a 2-day Communicate, Collaborate & Create workshop in your own area, or you just want to find out more about the sessions, contact Hanan Harrison on 0407 464 472 or email hanan.harrison@ansn.edu.au
How to subscribe to E-News
To complete a subscription application and receive E-News regularly, click here.Send us your news
To send us information or reports about news and events in your area, click here. If you do not wish to receive future issues of ANSN E-News, click hereTags:
![[]](/sites/all/modules/ecommerce/cart/images/cart_empty.png "View your cart items"){kind=spacer}
- The Australian National Schools Network -