Mark's Learning Log- Wondering if all teachers in training and graduate teachers are being taught to instruct all students in reading as though they were in the red? September 29, 2024I have this wondering that we are teaching all students in the class – as a whole class lesson – in the junior years as though they all needed the intensive phonic instruction and frequent repetition. Yes some explicit instruction … Continue reading →mwalker
- Why Why is the question we all need to answer! May 31, 2024In my work with school educators this is the question I ask them to resolve for themselves. What drives you to lead / teach young people and why? What happened to you and why is that important. I was reminded … Continue reading →mwalker
- Wondering if all teachers in training and graduate teachers are being taught to instruct all students in reading as though they were in the red? September 29, 2024
Mark’s Visitor Map
Readers Map
Category Archives: Harvard
Why Why is the question we all need to answer!
In my work with school educators this is the question I ask them to resolve for themselves. What drives you to lead / teach young people and why? What happened to you and why is that important. I was reminded … Continue reading
Harvard Data Wise Institute in Melbourne
Last week 19 school teams came to Melbourne during the last week of school holidays to attend a 5 day Harvard Data Wise Institute. There were long 8 hours days of intensive learning where participants shared their ‘why’ stories with … Continue reading
Posted in Data Wise Program, Feedback, Harvard, Instruction, Leadership, Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Jez – the old chestnut – ability grouping or streaming – is still being touted as a solution to falling standards!
Sorry Natasha, education editor for the Australian Newspaper, wrote a recent article on the state of education in Australia using the results of the recent PISA tests to say that our students are bored out of their brains at school, … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, Data Wise Program, Harvard, Instruction, Reading, Teaching, Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Another article tells the same story – postcodes predict education performance.
Reading an article in the Australian newspaper this morning (School system fails ‘fairness’ test, as PISA results show learning gap) which show lower academic performance in areas of socio economic disadvantage, rurality and indigenous communities. Here are some quotes: It … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, Data Wise Program, Harvard, school, Uncategorized
1 Comment
What I consider a balanced article to the issues around learning to read and reading to learn.
Why we’re failing to build the knowledge students need Age Newspaper 15/12/2023. In the early years of school, teaching should focus on systematic instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics, exposure to rich literature through read-alouds, and explicit teaching to build … Continue reading
Lilydale High School
During November I worked with the leadership team at Lilydale High School on collaboration. Some of the resources we used: https://hbr.org/2002/06/a-survival-guide-for-leaders Lilydale HS Meeting Rolling Agenda.docx http://mwalker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Inventory-of-Instructional-Initiatives.xlsx
Posted in Data Wise Program, school, school structures, Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Yarra – Darebin Network of Schools
Hi everyone, This post has the requested resources from our day together and some snapshots to remember the highlights: De-identified Primary School Data Inventory 2016 – 2018 DW Minutes sample The Five WHY’s protocol. Compass Points (survey monkey) Leadership-compass-self-assessment … Continue reading
Is Dante’s Hell a view of adaptive challenges? If so, hold onto that moral compass.
I recently watched a TED talk by Dan Leahy – The Dance of Learning Meets the Adaptive Challenge. In the talk Dan uses Heifetz, Glashow and Linsky’s need for adaptive change which is about facing the unknown and having to learn new skills to … Continue reading
Posted in Data Wise Program, Harvard, Teaching
Leave a comment
Revolution School, a must watch documentary on ABC television
There is a new 4 part documentary on our ABC channel called “Revolution School” with the first episode screened last week. I think this is a must watch show for anyone interested in schooling. The ABC took cameras into a normal secondary … Continue reading
DataWise – the community grows at the 2015 on-campus Institute.
The final challenge from the first day of the Data Wise Summer Institute (DWSI) here at Harvard was to encapsulate my learning experiences thus far, in only five words. Mine was; Similar challenges towards systemic improvement. I wanted to share … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, Data Wise Program, Harvard, Teaching
3 Comments
Diving Deep to Build Assessment Literacy – Step 2 of the Data Wise Improvement Process – Day 2
The focus of Day 2 of the Summer Institute is the work around both Organising for Collaborative Work and Building Assessment Literacy, (which comprise the Prepare Phase). At Elsternwick PS with new teachers joining the team and the existing staff … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, Data Wise Program, Harvard, Teaching, Travel
5 Comments
identifying teacher itches to scratch
Schools in Victoria have many standardised data sets about student learning, student attitudes to school, parent opinion surveys and finally staff opinion surveys. This post focuses on this last data set, staff opinion. There was industrial action for the 3 … Continue reading
Posted in Data Wise Program, Harvard, Observation, teacher efficacy, Teaching, Uncategorized
1 Comment
EPS data wise team reflections
This is the last post in the series by the 4 teachers overseas inquiring into the data wise process. As our trip draws to a close, we spent time reflecting upon and synthesising our learning both from the Data Wise … Continue reading
Posted in Accountability, Data Wise Program, Harvard, Instruction, Observation, reflections, school
2 Comments
EPS visits Jefferson Elementary School in New York
This blog entry is the eighth in a series from the team visiting schools in the States and comes to you from the ‘Big Apple.’ Today we visited Jefferson Elementary School (K-5), located in upstate New York in a town called … Continue reading
Posted in Accountability, Assessment, Data Wise Program, Instruction, Leadership, school, Teaching
2 Comments
EPS visit Joseph Lee and Harvard-Kent schools in Boston
Here is our new post, sent from South Station, Boston. This is the seventh post in the series from the team participating in the Data Wise Institute at Harvard. (Penny, Jess, Erin and Sarah) Today we visited two schools within … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, Data Wise Program, Harvard, Leadership, professional learning, Teaching
2 Comments