Tina Doe, August 2009

To conclude its 3-day program, the Nudgee Dimensions of Learning (DoL) Advanced Hub held its Showcase day on Monday 27 July.

The following short reports of presentations during the day illustrate the breadth and depth of work that the participants undertook, and which they presented to their peers. Conceptualised and elaborated during the initial two days of this action learning Hub, the projects were individual or school team-based, and contextualised to the learning site and the relevant DoL priority/incentive.

We thank Nudgee College for generously hosting this hub.

The presentations were as follows, with photos taken during the sessions.

Trinity Lutheran College - Janette                

Janette addressed the issue of what can be done to ensure best pedagogical practice (DOL)

• as an individual;
• as an acting member of a teaching team; and
• as a whole staff

Janette came from the educating staff perspective rather than the classroom context. She shared her professional learning strategies and resources for the long term sustained DoL plan at her school. Participants particularly appreciated her use of visual cues and graphic organisers.

Ormiston College - Sharon

Sharon shared her exceptional Yr 9 Maths Support: Measurement Unit. We all agreed that if we had been taught Maths this way … well, the knowledge was just so meaningful! Pictured below is a demonstration that Sharon gave using her “magic tarp”.

What did Sharon do? She planned a whole unit of work around the frequent and systematic use of activities that involved physical movement (or the creation of physical representations of information). The majority of these activities involve games played on a life-size Cartesian plane. This portable tarp (3.5m x 3.8m) was then used for ease of reproducing a number/line grid each lesson. 

Ipswich Girls Grammar School (IGGS) - Deb

Deb had focused on ways to win through to lasting organisational change – change that is anchored, and thus linked intrinsically to the organisation’s vision and needs.

Deb got us to consider both human and non-human obstacles to change. Her emphasis was on winning hearts and mind. “SHOW ME THE MONEY!”, was the cry, as she led us through the use of steps 5 and 6 from Kotter’s 8-step change model, which would be used to keep the DoL momentum strong at IGGS.

Ormiston College Yr 6 and 7 team - Amanda, Stephanie, Leon and Justin

This team focused on the explicit teaching of Dimensions of Learning in their own classrooms.

Their presentation taught us about strength in collaboration and the powerful use of DoL as a common learning design language. This was a real chalkface approach to looking specifically at student talk about DoL, as convincing evidence of changed learning outcomes.

Ormiston College - Ian

Ian’s Yr 11 Maths: Statistics unit took us to the stories behind the data. Utilising the passenger lists from the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic, Ian (pictured below, with Merrilyn, during his exposition) brought meaning to maths by challenging learners to see maths not just as numbers but as being about things in the “real world”.

Ian tantalised participants with the website he had created to support the unit and used graphic organisers that brought statistics to life, to excite us in the interrogation of data.

Kirwan SHS - Karen and Meredith      

Karen and Meredith set themselves a project asking the following question: How do we create a culture in which all teachers personally value and commit to Dimensions of Learning?

Their well strategised and planned presentation clearly articulated the role for DoL as the fabric for Kirwan SHS. They explained how their project focused on the journey for teachers as leaders of learning using DoL, and modelled Best Practice as the way forward.

Emmaus College - Penny

Penny wowed us with her approach to Year 9 SOSE at Emmaus College. Penny’s introduction to DoL came in her first two days of this Advanced hub. Thrown in at the deep end, she rose to the challenge and gave us a solid, well-planned and carefully considered DoL implementation plan.

This achievable, faculty-based change project is a nuts-and-bolts approach to getting the job down and reinvigorating teacher pedagogy through the DoL framework.   

Ormiston College - Ivan

Ivan talked through his plan for a Yr 11 Maths A: Applied Geometry unit and brainstormed some of the resources he intends to use. His emphasis was on asking the questions “What am I teaching and why?”

This focus to the meaningful use of knowledge drew our attention to the importance of backward mapping in effective learning design

Nudgee College - Alison and Rebecca

In this showcase the presenters treated us to innovative practice, and gave us access to excellent working resources for the classroom, as they modelled DoL Best Practice within their curriculum areas – English for Rebecca and Drama for Alison.

They didn’t just show us the money that Deb had asked for in her IGGS presentation; they hit the jackpot. This is the “stuff” that teachers want: DoL in action.

San Sisto - Margaret and Julie

Staff Development was the focus for the San Sisto team and we witnessed a comprehensive and wide ranging approach to an ethic of excellence at San Sisto through the DoL framework.

Again we were reminded to focus on student articulation of DoL through a shared vision as a school community.

The day concluded with a feedback session. This provided an opportunity for presenters to review written feedback from their colleagues and then formulate a one-minute response to this feedback, as their “Final Word”.