AP/DP Cluster Trip to Hawkes Bay

As part of our cluster work with Carol from edLead we combined our two Term 3 sessions into one trip away. The focus from Carol for the trip was to have a look at Leading Change at one school, and the development of Professional Learning Communities at the other. I was looking forward to the first school as the principal had been a 'critical friend' for Douglas Park, and my own appraiser for several years. He was always very challenging to work with...in a good way. He often made me question my beliefs about teaching and learning, the choices I had made, or pathways I was heading down. He often asked...is this good for the teacher, or good for the learners?

He shared his recent leadership journey with us, he has been at the school for 18 months now. He was typically challenging and hard-nosed, had made some tough calls to get things moving in the school. He talked about:

- Really reflecting his school community. His parents can see their kids in the school, but can they see the culture. He mentioned hiring Indian TA's as he has a large Indian community, promoting the Pacific Island Language weeks, Diwali, and making the cultures visible...little things like Cook Island posters in his office window, or using Indian, Pasifica and Maori designs in his new uniform logo.

- Satisfactory Teachers aren't good enough anymore...a classic statement. Good is the enemy of great is something else mentioned. He wants big things for his learners, and they are challenging...so 'good' won't cut it. He has moved all his 'resistor' teachers into one Learning Community...he would 'rather they piss each other off, than piss off the others'. You are paid 70K a year, 'get over yourselves'.

- He believes student leadership shouldn't be exclusive. All his Year 6's and some Year 5's have roles...librarians, patrollers, councillors, peer mediators...all of them. Everyone is a leader. Any change to the school goes to the student council at the same time it goes to staff for input...powerful.

- The school has developed trading cards to reward behaviour...collect all 6 and get a gold card! Gold card means you go to the principal, and he can discuss the ways you have been meeting the school values

- No normal CRT for teachers...they get 6 chunks a term, and their class goes to Robotics and Coding. Massive engagement, and teachers now plan use of CRT better. Will carry on next year, but expectation that teachers learn from afterschool workshops about coding so that the following year it can be seen in normal learning programmes.

- Self-Directed teachers...some staff PLD is compulsory, but the weekly sessions are mainly optional. 3 sessions are run on a Tuesday. You earn points by attending, more for running a session. He gave out a minimum expectation of points...but doesn't track it. Him and his DP get out to classes, and if they see something awesome they shoulder-tap that teacher to run a workshop.


The second school was a small rural school, with a first time principal (4 years in). She spoke to us briefly around the development of Professional Learning Communities at her school. They have two teaching teams, and they get release from 11-3pm fortnightly to meet as a PLC. The have a process to follow, based on the work of Alma Harris. The leadership team meet weekly from 9-11am. The aim of all this is to develop leadership within the school, and to give time and resource to those meaty discussions that we need to have as teachers. That had 'monitoring' meetings in the past to discuss target children, but these were 'once over lightly', with no real depth. She has given us some further information to go and look at.

She also talked about Writing PLD...and how they actually focussed on Reading. Got their reading programmes improved, which exposes the kids to better language and model, which then transfers to their writing. An interesting approach.

She also spoke about PLD...its no good having one-off sessions. The best PLD is when the team pulls apart the data to find the needs, they research what best practice is, experts can be brought in, and they must have followup...observation, evaluation and reflection. She didn't go deeper...but that has given me plenty to think about.

Overall the day was great, some interesting things to consider and be challenged by. I'm intrigued by the Year 6 leadership challenge, the trading cards and the optional PLD...but the PLD idea clashes with the good process advocated by the rural school. Lots to consider.