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Program

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Summit Summary

SiMERR Summit

Ways to improve educational outcomes

in rural and regional Tasmania

4^th June 2008

Discussion Group Ideas

John Kenny: The group that I led considered the issue of engaging students in learning and came to the conclusion that Teachers were central to any moves to improve the curriculum. So professional learning for teachers, to support them and build their confidence was seen as essential to bringing about sustainable change.

It was commented that effective professional learning has also to be contextual, meaning in that it should relate to what teachers actually do and should occur close to and relate to their working environment.

Teachers also were seen central to acceptance of educational change by the broader community. It was felt that teachers have a valuable role as conduits or an interface explain and introducing change to parents and adapting central innovations to suit their local communities.

It was also felt by the group that adequate resources must be provided, and that early interventions would be more likely to be effective in bringing about improvements.

Denise Neal: Our group focussed on the need for sustainable programs/initiatives and the need to look to future directions which build real community, business, education and industry collaboration in a sustainable and ongoing way. This includes systemic change and focus which goes beyond the life of a government and looks at issues in the long term, recognising that real change takes time. 

We also discussed some of the issues around how we might innovatively support schools in engaging in projects and professional learning; these included the possibility of closer links with undergraduates and the possibility of employing more teachers in schools to support professional learning.

Helen Bound:

Building capacity - In order to build capacity we need to draw on resources such as existing infrastructure in a community, recognise that there are many within a community that we do not traditionally readily associate with schools who are part of networks we do not know about and therefore are great sources of different perspectives, have knowledge about different resources that may be available etc. (this concurs with the networking literature and strong and weak ties).

Jaci Brown: We discussed professional learning, the lack of it, the need for it and how to get more. Teachers pointed out that they would like to do more but really don't have any spare time. Their school holidays and weekends should not be used for PLs. Often they were already doing work on the weekends and in the holidays. They suggested that if they had an administrative assistant they would have more time for PLs. For example someone who is not a teacher to do playground duty and photocopying.

But who would fund the PLs? Business representatives pointed out that they needed clear proof that the PLs would be effective. Our conclusion - Could the universities encourage business to run PLs by showing them research that demonstrates the effectiveness and outcomes of PLs?

Kerry Howells: In our group there were two big ideas that were discussed with much passion and enthusiasm.

The first was the need to promote greater quality in the kinds of partnerships we have in the future. Of particular interest is partnerships that are invested in for the long-term (not just the life of a short grant), those that involve both public and private schools, and involve the community at all levels.

The other idea that provoked much discussion in our group was the notion that greater use of FaceBook would be an innovative and effective way of achieving improved professional learning for teachers. The reasons proposed were that it is gaining increasing popularity amongst younger teachers and is thought to be the leading communication network of the future. Other advantages discussed were that this would assist with breaking down silos and the isolation that can occur because of distance and shortages of time. It also has the potential to break down barriers in regards to Face Book would provide a common meeting point for teachers to share ideas, network, communicate, be connected, but it could also be a space where professional development could occur. This technology would hold great appeal to younger teachers and would also be a way of involving wider cross-sections of the community including parents, student representatives, and government and business representatives– all of who may not be able to “drive” to a particular location at a particular time.

Andrew Fluck: My group was keen on the idea of industry providing professional learning for teachers.

People from commence and industry know a lot about their businesses. They know a great deal about the science behind products, and how market research shapes what they do. Teachers often want to tap into this expertise, but are limited to the scope of their personal networks and their ideas of what local industry might be able to offer.

To bring these two groups together, the groups suggested that ICT be used to bring commitments and desires into alignment. Industry partners might list what they are prepared to provide on a web-based bulletin board. For instance, a firm might offer to provide 3 one-hour talks on measuring soil salinity within a 40km radius of Smithton in a year. Similarly, a school might request an expert in some area of agricultural science and commit 3 teachers for an hour to receive training in the subject.

Noleine Fitzallen: Recruiting and retaining teachers in rural and regional schools was the focus of our discussions. Many ideas were put forward that were based on the need to develop partnerships between local councils and communities, local businesses, and individuals. A holistic approach was favoured over individual projects and initiatives. Some main points were:

• Representation from local councils identified that councils could contribute to attracting teachers by taking on a marketing role, which would promote the benefits of a rural lifestyle and highlight unique aspects for their particular rural communities.

• The opportunities for businesses to contribute as providers of professional learning and ongoing support for teachers were also identified. This could allow teachers to develop expertise in areas directly related to the local regions.

• It was suggested that teachers could connect with businesses by visiting workplaces and engaging in a dialogue about knowledge, skills, and training required to assist in developing career pathways for students.

• Mentoring was suggested as a way of supporting teachers in rural communities. This would assist teachers to feel part of the community and identify more readily with the needs of the community.

Contact Sue Stack at Susan.Stack@utas.edu.au if you would like to propose a project.

Science, Information and Communication Technology and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional Australia