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
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Category Archives: teacher efficacy
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
Effective Lesson Planning: classroom systems and lesson sequencing
This is a follow up post number 2 on effective lesson planning. Now that we understand lessons should go differing lengths of time 20 – 40 minutes, what would that look like in one of the timetable blocks of 90-120 … Continue reading
Effective Lesson Planning: length of lessons
Some of the questions, concerns and issues raised by trainee teachers so far include: constantly repeating instructions to students students forget what to do students either don’t finish the tasks in the time set or finish in the first 5 … Continue reading
Working at Deakin University
One of the exciting opportunities that has presented itself this year is to work at Deakin University as a casual academic. What that means is that I work in the professional learning unit supporting trainee teachers in schools learn the … Continue reading
Why become a teacher? part two – my story
Some people can pinpoint a single incident or person that answers this question – for me I need to tell a story as I came to my moral purpose quite late. I went as a young 5-year-old to Corpus Christi, … Continue reading
Posted in reflections, school, teacher efficacy, Teaching
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Why are you a teacher?
Ever had that questions posed to you? I have and its often followed by the popular quip: “because of the holidays?” What do the numbers say? More often then not it’s the story behind the numbers or data that inspires … Continue reading
Posted in teacher efficacy, Teaching
8 Comments
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
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
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Student feedback to teachers – just ask them we did!
We were working with Kath Murdoch this afternoon on using our student feedback to adjust the 2015 curriculum plans. Our students provided the followed recommendations to teachers which I thought were worth sharing: less teacher talk: which we are thinking … Continue reading
Posted in Feedback, Instruction, school, teacher efficacy, Teaching
2 Comments
Alberta and Victoria: separated by two great oceans but close in educational thinking.
I have just finished rereading a 2012 research paper on transforming education in Alberta Canada. I found it a great read. I didn’t know for example that Alberta has been Canada’s highest performing province for over a decade. Andy Hargreaves … Continue reading
Posted in curriculum, Leadership, school, teacher efficacy, Teaching
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hire people who believe what you believe
I was listening to this Ted Talk by Simon Sinek on inspiring leadership and one line he said was the title of this post “hire people who believe what you believe”. He talked about a connector between inspiring leaders being “they answer … Continue reading
Posted in teacher efficacy, Teaching, Uncategorized, Video Clips
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Teachers Overseas: professional learning opportunities that also serve as an acknowledgement of effort.
I couldn’t help post these 3 images taken in New Mexico last week. The first is a group of teachers and principals from two neighbouring schools Elsternwick and Elwood Primary Schools who share a common belief that relationships build … Continue reading
Stop bashing public education for the tsunami effect will be big and long lasting.
I’m indebted to Greg Whitby for provoking me to write this post when he wrote on a quality education for all. Greg, I think was stirred by Prof Dinham when he recently wrote in the Age newspaper about what he perceived … Continue reading
Posted in China, Community, Instruction, Leadership, teacher efficacy, Teaching, Uncategorized
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Michael McQueen on navigating around student engagement.
This is the second post from that Principal’s conference I attended last term. The theme if your read the first post (McCrindle) was on social trends and their impact on education, schools and teachers. We were fortunate to have two … Continue reading
Posted in Instruction, teacher efficacy, Teaching, Uncategorized
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Walkthrough on Relational Learning
Over the past month we have conducted weekly walkthroughs to gather data on elements of our school culture. Prior to conducting a walkthrough we asked staff what they thought the protocols surrounding walkthrough should be. To build and keep up … Continue reading