Skip to main content

Skip Resolutions, Set Goals

Shared Vision by William Ferriter (Flickr) CC

The new year is a great time to set new goals. I have decided to do something different this year and actually share my goals. So often we keep such things to ourselves. Maybe because others do not actually care about our goals, but also because we sometimes fear in sharing our goals that we open ourselves up to ridicule and failure. The problem with this mentality is that sometimes we are unable to really succeed, because we are unwilling to ever fail. So in the spirit of life-long learning here are my goals for 2014 ...

#1 - Utilise data in a more structured manner within the classroom in order to better personalise learning

There has been a real rise in education over the last few years in regards to the use of data. What has been interesting though is that often this 'data' has a tendency to be neither personal nor individual, whether it be things such as staff opinion surveys or NAPLAN results. Such data often speaks more about the overall culture of the school, rather than capturing what is actually happening within the classroom. In the past, I have always sort student's feedback at the end of each term, while in addition to this I started using the 'exit ticket' option in Socrative last year to get a better feeling for where students may be at. The challenge though is to not only gather this information, but to also utilise this in a structured and meaningful way in order to better personalise learning in the classroom.

#2 - Provide clearer instructions and more time for student lead learning

Whether it be flipping the classroom or giving more a voice to students, I really want to work on limiting the time spent on instruction to allow more time spent working with groups and individuals. Although a lot of my classes have a plethora of technology to draw upon, whether it be 1-to-1 netbooks or interactive whiteboards, making it easier to provide instructions and information online or in a more engaging manner. The biggest challenge though is how to limit the 'teacher talk time' (TTT) when technology is either not available or playing up. I recently purchased +Mark Barnes's The 5-Minute Teacher after reading +Peter DeWitt's post earlier this year, but am still on the hunt for more ideas and strategies. 

#3 - Lead by providing clearer reasons for change and supporting others in becoming better leaders

I always thought that the biggest challenge in regards to being a leader was getting things done. I have learnt along the way that individually you can get a lot done - setting up passwords, organising timetables, creating various collaborative documents - however, nothing really evolves and spreads. Although this approach may model the practise that you wish from others, it is all to no avail if no one actually takes it on. My challenge therefore is to support and empower others. 

I was particularly taken by a recent post from +Ian Guest calling us to skip the how and what and instead start with the why. In the past, I naively thought that the why was someone else's job, whether it be the government, network leaders or the principal team. However, over the years I have learnt that even though these people may support you, everyone has a job to sell learning, whether it be to parents, students or fellow students.

In addition to this, I was particularly taken by a post from Mary Jo Asmus in which she spoke about developing leaders as being everybody's responsibility. This can take on many shapes, such as tapping all potential, as well as leaving a legacy. However, what stood out most in Asmus' list was the importance of developing a culture of leadership. Having written elsewhere about the spreading leadership and the development of agreed responsibilities, I have learnt that often the best way to evolve things is to support everyone in taking on the responsibility of change themselves. My challenge then is how to best support this.

Can You Help Me?  

Having read through my goals for 2014, are there any suggestions that you would give? Resources? Ideas? Strategies? I would love your thoughts in the comments.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Are You Really Connecting If You Are Not Giving Back?

cc licensed (BY-SA) flickr photo by mrkrndvs: http://flickr.com/photos/113562593@N07/13713874174 Alan Thwaites posted the following tweet and it got me thinking. Not just what you Tweet Aaron, but watching how you use Twitter has been very clarifying for me. I appreciate it mate. — Alan Thwaites (@athwaites) April 6, 2014 How is it that I use social media anyway and more importantly, what does it mean to be a connected educator anyway? In a recent post about the benefits of blogging and being a connected educator,  +Tom Whitby  outlines some of the many benefits associated with sharing online. He states: The difference between writing a blog post and writing a magazine or journal article is the immediate feedback in the form of comments or responses. Before a blogger puts words to the computer screen the audience and its reaction are a consideration. The blogger will strive for clarity in thought. The blogger will strive for clarity in the writing. The blogger wi

The Tree - A Metaphor for Learning

creative commons licensed (BY-NC-ND) flickr photo by sachman75: http://flickr.com/photos/sacharules/7431640808 I remember in Year Four Ms. Bates teaching us about how trees grew. She explained that they reach to the sun and it is for that reason that they are not always straight. I am sure there is more to it than this, but Ms. Bates story really stuck with me, maybe because of its simplicity, but I think because it completely changed the way that I looked at the world around me. Thinking about it today makes me think that learning might be the same. I remember when my wife and I moved into our house we planted a series of lilly pillies down the side of property. The thought was that they would provide some screening and a bit more privacy. Clearly we weren't going to let them grow to their potential height of 100 metres as the tag suggested that they could in their natural surroundings, rather we would mould and shape them. As a plant, they are not only hardy, but

What Digital Revolution?

creative commons licensed (BY-SA) flickr photo by brizzle born and bred: http://flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/4934882110 In a recent ICT committee meeting, one of the participants made the remark that the digital revolution has failed to deliver all that it supposedly promised. Having been a part of the YVeLC pilot program almost ten years ago which focused on the potential of 2:1 laptops, it has been interesting seeing the changes that have occurred since that time. In a conversation with +Catherine Gatt , this is the list of reasons that we came up with as to why the digital revolution has failed to be the saviour that so many said it would be. Failure to Invest The government, both state and federal, has invested a lot over the last ten years. Whether it be providing Internet for students, WiFi access in schools, support in regards to servers and switches, as well as devices for students. In addition to this, the state government Victoria made a big investment wi