Special Publication

staff professional learning

Professional Learning

Dylan William (Institute of Education, University of London) is quoted as saying:

“If we create a culture where every teacher believes they need to improve, not because they are not good enough but because they can be even better, there is no limit to what we can achieve.”

Professional Learning at Good Shepherd Lutheran School is enacting our vision statement “Active and connected, growing for LIFE.” Teachers as learners impact students outcomes as they inquire, grow and immerse themselves in a world of change and opportunity.

The Australian Professional Standards for teachers, developed by the Government organization AITSL, make explicit the elements of high quality teaching. Teachers at Good Shepherd record a personal professional learning log, and are accountable to the professional standards for teaching.

The following learning principles underpin learning for all members of our community:

Professional learning at Good Shepherd can be divided into three key areas of:

  • learning that supports the whole school development plan;
  • learning that supports team development e.g. Stage and staff teams; and
  • negotiated learning which supports the individual’s personal growth according to individual interests, past learning and previous feedback.

Learning principles -  Learning teams focused on one learning principle and set a yearlong goal/growth area and met regularly to give feedback and share their learning in this area. This led to highly focused growth across each stage learning team.

 

The whole staff focus learning areas were:

  • Embed the Good Shepherd Lutheran School Learning Principles (LP’s) into your learning through Assessment, Moderation & Feedback in the Good Shepherd context. In 2020 we had a particular focus on the ACARA Learning Progressions.
  • Assessment practices including Moderation and the Learning Progressions in the Australian Curriculum
  • Learning and Curriculum – The interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary/multidisciplinary planning as a stage team. Led by the Learning Innovation Team through the AISSA Metapraxis Project.
  • Good Shepherd as a school which embeds and grows a Culture of Thinking.This includes the 8 Cultural Forces, Snapshot Observations, learning spaces.
  • Agile and flexible learning spaces

AISSA Metapraxis project – the Learning Innovation Team, led by Director Learning Innovation embarked on a three year project in partnership between AISSA and the University of East London. 2020 was the second year of the project.

http://www.metapraxisproject.org/

Teachers are planning in their learning teams using a newly developed transdisciplinary planner. The Learning Innovation Team developed a new meta-synthesis reflective tool to reflect on the unit planner.

 

Lutheran Education South Australia, Northern Territory, Western Australia (LESNW) - Leaders in Lutheran Learning Communities (LILLC) - The Director of Wellbeing and Education Administration and Director Learning Innovation were involved in leadership days with a focus on the LEA Growing Deep Framework. Using the framework and working within the System Leadership Process, they are developing strategies for collective leadership. 

 

Lutheran Education South Australia, Northern Territory, Western Australia (LESNW) - Lab 1.0. The 4 Directors (Director JP, Director SP, Director ELC, Director Learning Innovation) began a journey of leadership learning and goal setting, facilitated by LESNW. The learning is based on the LESNW adopted leadership framework approach "Systems Based Awareness Leadership", including Theory U and Growing Deep. 

 

Professional learning of staff is coordinated by the Director Learning Innovation. In 2020 staff were involved in the following professional learning activities:

Learning that supports the whole school development plan:

Learning that supports team development e.g. Stage and staff teams: 

  • Several of our teachers attended ‘Equip’ Professional Learning days to support them in teaching Christian Studies. Teachers who had undertaken this course were certified as Accredited to teach Christian Studies in a Lutheran school.
  • Learning in Restorative practices led by Bill Hansberry with a focus on restorative conversations:

*Classroom management and how it intersects with restorative talk

*How not to over service bickering / squabbling 

*Using restorative questioning with kids

  • Various Learning Support workshops for the teaching team throughout the year, led by our Learning Support leaders including strategies for teaching Sensory needs and 5 point scale with a specialist presenter.
  • Ongoing professional discussions at team and whole teaching staff level on matters of curriculum: unit evaluation, moderation of student work, inquiry, transdisciplinary curriculum, Christian Studies,  and Cultures of Thinking.
  • Moderation and development of quality assessment tasks.   Following the year long project in 2017,  the Learning Innovation Team developed our moderation protocol for English, Mathematics and transdisciplinary, based on the learning from the project.
  • Professional learning discussions and development of curriculum at a Connected Schools level including ICT, Integrated Curriculum, Music, LOTE, Principal meetings, Directors meetings, Director Learning  Innovation meetings.
  • Valuing Safe Communities training was undertaken by new staff members.
  • A school wide focus on social and Emotional learning - various professional learning sessions led by experts and champions on staff.
  • Australian Curriculum – various training opportunities through the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia (AISSA).
  • Paraprofessionals training our teaching team eg. Cystic Fibrosis; Keeping Safe Child Protection Curriculum.
  • Positive Education training and sharing of resources.
  • Cultures of Thinking: Theory; practice; thinking routines; 8 Cultural forces – what is happening now and where to next? Led by the Director Learning Innovation.
  • “Can do 4 Kids” hearing PL. "Can do 4 Kids" offer support and services to children, young people and their families, who are blind, Deaf, have low vision, are hard of hearing, or have sensory needs.
  • Leadership professional learning for our teachers with Positions of Additional Responsibility (PAR).
  • An emphasis on preparing quality learning opportunities for our students to access online learning through the COVID 19 pandemic man dated lockdowns.