What's the ELEPHANT in your room?

We had another stand out day at the Manaiakalani PLG at Summerville Special school.  I always come out of these meetings regenerated and excited about what we're doing in our Cluster.  Today we were given photocopies of elephants and asked what 'elephants' were revealed through the data and feedback we were given from the researchers of the Manaiakalani programme from 2014.  It was a great experience sharing our thoughts and ideas around what the data revealed and as a group this activity gave us an opportunity to reflect deeply on what our challenges were and what solutions we could produce to meet them.  It was also wonderful to see that we all recognised the same 'elephants' and were very keen to listen to the ideas shared around these challenges.

The year 7-10 dip was an area I chose to initially focus on and the group I was in during this discussion was thoughtful, considerate and highly motivated.  The ideas, questions and light bulb moments shared were brilliant and then when we shared our elephant with the whole group we could see common threads between all the elephants in the room - this was excellent.
What will I be taking back to my school after today?

• Looking ahead - further develop our relationship with the college to ensure our teachers know what our students need, what the expectations are the next level up, what their next teachers want them to be able to do when they get there.
• Raise our own expectations - don't just teach what they need at their own levels but look beyond and teach up (don't limit students with boundaries set by levels - give them a go!).  
• Teachers MUST be "Life Long Learners" - Pedagogical content knowledge and curriculum knowlege is never ending.  Keep learning, keep developing, keep implementing....
• LEARN, CREATE, SHARE - for teachers in their own learning...the ethos works for EVERYONE!!!
• Consistency across the school - taxonomies, curriculum language, PLD - keeps everyone on the same page, on the same track, striving for 'school wide' goals.

So we looked at the elephants identified across the cluster.  You may think this approach would be like opening 'a can of worms'...but with collegiality and collaboration, what we ended up doing was changing those elephants into mice!

Leading from the Front...or the Back!

How does a manager inspire those at the chalk face when they haven't been at the chalk face for years?  In this ever changing educational evolution, it's important that school managers keep up with what is happening at the chalk face.  The digital age has sped up change so much that more often than not students know more about some things than their teachers.  With the introduction of the digital environment comes the inevitable paradigm shift in pedagogical practice - now this is where I think many managers become scared. 
It's a bit like the introduction of BETA videos in the 80s - I was 12 when my father bought a new 32 inch TV and a video player.  He brought it home, and it sat in the lounge for 3 hours before I got home from netball practice - waiting for me to show Mum and Dad how to turn it on...and connect the video...and show them how the remote worked.  It took them a good month or two to become comfortable with playing videos, and didn't usually put anything on without me being in the house to get them started.  My parents were afraid that they'd break the machine, push the wrong buttons and blow a fuse.  Needless to say, each time a new piece of technology has been added to my parents now impressive collection of necessities - this includes a laptop, ipad mini, smart phones, digital TV and GPSs - I get the job of coaching them through the new gadget (...and believe me this is a daily job!).

I sometimes wonder...why bother?  They get new gadgets all the time and I do recall some being shoved into the back of a cupboard never to be seen again - the kitchen whizz and the ipod (mum still doesn't know how to upload new music onto it).
Bare with me while I connect this story with school management...
With the implementation of digital tools in the classroom, management have it tough because they aren't at the 'chalk face' (so to speak).  It is very easy to feel uneasy about not having the knowledge, but wanting the technology because you know it will enhance the learning and it's what the future is all about.  But, how do managers do this without feeling afraid they are being left behind...because surely some do - a bit like my parents and their gadgets.  Management aren't in the classroom, they don't develop the planning, they aren't practicing what they preach.  For many managers, the classroom is a very different place to when they were last in one (...as a full time classroom teacher).  So how do Managers overcome the fear?
I believe it has everything to do with leading from the back.  It's important when following as a manager to do so with an open mind and a willingness to hand over control to those with more knowledge - learning from them as you go.  Managers have to understand the process, weigh up the benefits, identify the barriers, assess the big picture affects and decide on the best approach.  I think on reflection, managers also need to recognise if they themselves are barriers to learning and if so, what do they need to do to change that.  Professional development is the key to the implementation of new pedagogies and ALL managers need to participate in what ever PLD their staff participate - it also helps if PLD is school wide and not just carried out by individuals. 
So what about managing mentoring or coaching in the classroom, when teachers clearly have more practice around the technologies and pedagogies?  Once again, it's the leading from the back that comes into play.  Good managers don't pretend to be the fountain of knowledge, they identify the strengths of their staff and work with their expert teachers in developing the technologies and pedagogies of staff.  That's not to say that leaders shouldn't have any input here, but they should  acknowledge the strengths of their colleagues and utilize their abilities - without feeling intimidated.  I think its a matter of letting go - being a school manager is not the same as a classroom practitioner.  It can be scary and it's easy to let self doubt sneak in...but the best managers are the ones who share the responsibility, distribute the leadership and more often....lead from the back.

So going back to my parents and their gadget collection - they are scared every time they bring something new home.  But, they're excited by what the new gadget can bring to their lives.  They may stumble sometimes in gaining knowledge around it, but are happy to pass the buck onto me to set things up for them and take them through the motions of how to use it.  The benefits always outweigh their fear of the unknown...and they keep buying them.  God help me when they invent flying cars!!!!!

2015 - And so it begins....

It's the beginning of a new year and after a long and well rested break, I'm now getting back into school mode.  It will be an exciting year, with a lot of new learning to be had by all.  So, as we like to encourage students to set goals in their learning, I'm going to set goals in my learning in the role as a school administrator.

I guess my biggest goal this year is 'Clarity'.  Clarity in my communication with colleagues, clarity in my organisation, clarity in my decision making and clarity in my application.  Being in the role I am, I find that I am often more 'mind full' than 'mindful' of what I am doing.  I get so tied up in the business of the day, that I forget to take time to stop, reflect and see clearly what it is I am achieving and why.  I need to be more 'mindful' as apposed to 'mind full' - be clear about what I hope to achieve in a day, a week, a month, a term...a year.