Key+Lessons+Learned

As an cluster exiting this contract we are required to consider and share key lessons learned from the experience. Below are egs of this from past clusters courtesy of Centre4. Please share the key lessons learned from this cluster on the discussion page above.

• Adequate number of computers • Focus on one contract not lots || • Inquiry classrooms ensuring the integration of ICT in all curriculum areas. • Thinking skills are integrated into all curriculum areas. • Close liaison between the two schools has bee critical to our success. • Close liaison of the two Principals. • A facilitator who already has credibility within the cluster. • A facilitator who is full time in the position and takes an active part in both schools. || • Whole school is the most successful way to do Professional Development • Being in only one contract so you can fully focus • Value of getting out and seeing what is happening in wider world including schools in your own cluster • Change takes time and needs to be managed – expect it to take 5 years to change teacher practise • Get as many teachers to national conferences as possible • Just in time learning is better for students and teachers, than just in case • Commitment makes it work • Design of contract that allows for both school collaboration and school individuality • Need to look more carefully at what you are doing and let some things go – you can’t do new stuff and everything else you always did as well. • Understanding of what we really believe – you must do the Values and Beliefs ground work • Planned PD that involves an element of compulsory response to ensure teachers actually ‘do stuff’ || • Sharing ideas and getting ideas by working with others • Students working with students from other schools – exposing students to other ideas and the similar. • Stimulating conferences such as Ulearn for getting lots of ideas to use within the school • Getting to know other people – eg principals and lead teachers from the other schools || • ICT development needs to align with curriculum development and teaching and learning theory • Readiness of staff and sound professional learning culture vital for external facilitation to take effect • Three years enabled schools to develop sustainable measures for ICT integration • Strong leadership from those with sound pedagogy and effective communication skills || • School visits to spark new ideas about what is possible has made biggest impact (Apple bus tour) • Ensuring that school management teams allow for change with the curriculum so ICT flows in • Addressing issues of sustainability from day one of the contract • Multi-faceted model to meet all teacher’s needs (one-to-one, coaching and mentoring) • Limiting barriers: Keeping networks and infrastructure open, for ownership and accessibility to cut frustration levels for teachers and students • Schools need to address accessibility of gear and ease of use as well as internal funding || • The Facilitator of the project needs to have the skills to manage and lead the learning needs of diverse groups of teachers, to build their knowledge and skills to be able to make appropriate changes in their teaching for improved student learning. • Access to a wide range of pedagogical approaches is an important aspect in changing the learning culture of cluster schools; this can be achieved by inviting guest speakers, attendance at conferences or visiting other schools. Involving the schools management team is another important aspect of school ‘buy-in’. • Setting up regular Principal, DP and Lead Teacher meetings to facilitate and discuss the cluster goals and professional learning steps is pivotal to the change process. • Each school needs to have ownership of their targets and goals from their strategic direction but also need a collective responsibility to the cluster. Schools need to be aware of the accountability for funding…. || • Lots of sharing sessions within and between schools, ICT needs to be placed on the agenda of staff meetings. Key people (mentors and principals) must be willing to share skills and knowledge with other staff. • Having teacher laptops makes a significant difference. Noticeable growth in teacher confidence and competence as a result. School needs to have expectations of all teachers issued with laptops to use for specific tasks from day 1. • Conferences are valuable for teachers - opens up minds of teachers to how much they don’t know. • Time - if you don’t give them the time they are unlikely to implement the ideas. Release for teachers built into the programme to ensure opportunities for them to prepare and implement new ideas. Allow time for staff to experiment/use a range of IT equipment, preferably with a colleague. • Having a sharing place like Knowledge NET is valuable, especially coming to the end of the contract and looking at sustainability. A learning management system that links the cluster together provides ideal opportunity for extending the community of learners. • Always have good lunches, our people work hard and need to feel valued. • Al learning communities involved in pd opportunities–Principals, secretaries, teacher aides and BOTs. Works better off-site–Cluster dinner workshops worked well for these. • Key workshops should provide opportunities for more than one staff member. This is vital when there is a staff change • Involve experts in workshops, build a support network for the cluster. Experts who are willing to be involved in follow up are vital for this process. Avoid one off speakers in the interest of building long term sustainability. • Involve students in the learning process. Teachers should be prepared to learn with their students. • An effective and reliable network system is essential to be able to make progress with integrating ICT into teaching and learning. • Developing the ethos school wide that ICT is another tool for learning and that it is not something to be afraid of but to be learned from and experimented with. We are ALL learners!! • Support from BOT for $$ (PD and Equipment) and acknowledgement that education is forever evolving. ||
 * A stable and adequate network
 * • Key staff members need to be part of the senior management team and have a passion for ICT to drive the vision, and to have a big picture of what is happening in the school.
 * • Having Principals 100% on board
 * • The clustering concept with external facilitation has been successful
 * • Internal Funding from a school’s perspective needs to be addressed to support the contract
 * • Whole staff attendance at conferences to hear Big Picture messages about teaching and learning
 * The key to facilitating a successful cluster is building positive relationships with all personnel involved, developing a community of learners.
 * The key to facilitating a successful cluster is building positive relationships with all personnel involved, developing a community of learners.
 * • Multi-faceted approach to PD, such as Just-in time support, workshops where they work and create resources as they learn are valuable, 3 day model of support, Wintec Graduate Diploma of Information Technology in Education, where the teachers can build towards a qualification provides them with extra motivation for involvement. Facilitator support, school visits, professional readings, also make for powerful meaningful professional development.