The ANSN will be running two professional learning opportunities in Canberra in June.

Click the read more link to find out about our workshops in Habits of Mind and Dimensions of Learning.

Has your school been implementing and exploring the Habits of Mind or Dimensions of Learning and want to find ways to further enhance your school journey or alternatively your school is interested in developing a complete learning framework that incorporates a common language to bind assessment, pedagogy and planning though a "thinking" approach?

Then you might be interested in the Australian National Schools Network professional learning on Dimensions of Learning (DoL).

Edited by Keith Redman

Topics covered in this edition include:

• The Victorian bush fires: Helping the schools
• New Victorian office for ANSN and Big Picture Education Australia
• Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) Hub
• Two new ANSN Snapshots of Practice, from the IWB Hubs
• Cognitive Coaching in WA
• Dimensions of Learning national program for 2009
• Dimensions of Learning (DoL) in Queensland
• New Hubs in 2009: Setting the Stage – developing Habits of Mind, in context
• New Hubs in 2009: Improving Science Literacy
• Digi Kids Hubs – Early Childhood and Technology
• Big Picture Education Australia – PD in SA
• Some interesting reading
• Reminders of ANSN activities, covered in previous editions of E-News

Adria is a Year 5-6 teacher at Westbreen Primary School in Victoria.

Westbreen Primary School is in Glenroy, in the Northern Metropolitan Region of Melbourne. It is a small school, with around 250 students. There are twelve interactive whiteboards (IWBs) – one in every classroom, from Prep to Year 6 – and they are networked.

When I joined the ANSN IWB Hub at the start of 2008, I had little experience of using an IWB – not much more than having had a “play” with it, really.

Learning to Use Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom

Dean was a Year 5-6 teacher in 2008, and in 2009 is Middle Years Team Leader, at Mackellar Primary School in Victoria.

Mackellar Primary School is in Delahey, a western suburb of Melbourne. We are a very multi-cultural school, with around 800 students. In 2009 they will be in 30 classes.

Edited by Keith Redman

Topics covered in this edition include:

• Have you booked PD presenters for your curriculum days in 2009?
• Dimensions of Learning Hub: Opportunities in 2009
• Professional development through an Action Learning model
• Flexible Schools – Margaret Vickers on ABC Radio National’s Life Matters
• Teaching Our Digital Kids (Digi Kids) – completing the 2008 Hub activities
• Teaching Our Digital Kids – Hub membership and opportunities in 2009
• Habits of Mind Next Steps Conference
• Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) Hubs in Victoria – Registrations for 2009 still available but closing soon
• Interactive Whiteboards (IWB) Hub in WA
• Thanks and our best wishes to Andrew Bills
• Curriculum Planning Hubs and a Snapshot of Practice
• Big Picture Education Summer Institutes
• Another Life Matters item – Educational Success and Money
• Some interesting reading
• Reminders of ANSN activities, covered in previous editions of E-News

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.
John Dewey

Art’s biggest dream is to grow this body of work, the Habits of Mind and to see thoughtfulness strategised and articulated so that school communities grow and get ‘better at’ the thinking skills captured in the Habits of Mind.  By community remember this is not just about our learners or us as their teachers but about the connection with their families. 

Accordingly, the ANSN, with Art’s permission have made his powerpoint from the Next Steps professional learning opportunities available here.  This resource will remain until the end of the year and then it will move into a members only section on the site.  Art wants you to acknowledge the source of this work but he wants you to be sure to know that the intention is to USE this resource to make a difference, to inspire great thinking and problem solving in our learners.

Big Picture Education, in conjunction with partnering universities, is conducting several five day intensive Summer Institutes in WA, SA and Tasmania.

Big Picture Education develops public schools based on research in new designs for education, trains educators to serve as leaders in their schools and communities, and actively engages the public as participants and decision makers in the education of our youth.

• Bee Bots – a workshop report
• Communicate, Collaborate & Create: Using online tools for learning 2-day workshop – BOOK NOW!!!
• Hanan Harrison presents at IEU Conference
• Action Research Hubs
• Digi Kids Hub – Melbourne West, Day 5
• Digi Kids Brisbane
• Reminder of major Habits of Mind event #2: Next Steps 1-day Conferences in Brisbane on 5 November and in Sydney on 6 November
• Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) Hubs – Register for 2009
• Some interesting listening – a link to Habits of Mind
• Some interesting reading – Literacy, Numeracy and school performance
• An external conference
• Reminders of ANSN activities