Sharing day reflections

On 6 September 2002 the teachers, mentors and community members came together to share reflections of the journey. The day allowed each school community group using a PMI (Plus-Minus-Interest) strategy to discuss the positives, challenges and interesting aspects of the project. These were shared with the whole group. A summary appears below.

Positives

Teacher development
Professional honesty with each other
Process has been viewed as positive and has been seen as a success
Professionally and personally rewarding
Increased knowledge of syllabus
Met great people
Felt we were a team – where everyone's ideas were valued and we looked after each other
Mentors – were supportive guides
ASSPA meetings – teachers attending, worked both ways
Changed attitudes, different ways of operating, using outcomes teaching
Students experienced success
Better insight into Aboriginal culture
Mathematics was seen as hard; now find a more positive attitude (community)
More confident in Mathematics
Increase parent involvement in Mathematics and the school
Whole school interaction
Another program on nutrition has been developed from this
Everyone valued – teachers asking parents translated into children being involved/interested
Process of reflection very positive
Development of different teaching perspectives

Challenges

Multigrade class
Teaching principal role meant constant interruptions (positive and negative aspects)
Organisation of activities involving wider community
Small school, isolated community
Distance (mentors from the school)
Structure of school, eg number groups
Mentor days – relay sharing of time
Casual replacements were not always great
Lack of recognition and support from colleagues and executive at school
Time (project) – high expectations
Attitudes of non-Aboriginal parents
Living within the community – relationships
Clarification of roles – mentors
Conflict – research vs process (getting in and teaching)
Feeling comfortable about putting extra load onto staff and school
Not able to observe learning outcomes (mentors)
Parents' history of school experiences

Interesting points

Parents and children learning together
Comparing our journeys – Walhallow PS and Crawford PS – each one is different
RESPECT for teachers, parents, children and teachers
Opportunity to observe different approaches and interactions
Parents beginning to get involved in Mathematics and the school
Another chapter will begin
Direction – what could happen?
What differences we can make?
How well community rallied when asked (Noula's snake painting)
Tutors have been so involved they are interested in seeking careers in teaching
Growth of program – enthusiasm of teachers, spread to community and shops!

The later sessions focused on discussion of three challenges:

What encourages or impedes the development of innovative curriculum development in schools?
How do we sustain long-term parental involvement?
How do you address situations where existing structures create barriers to curriculum development and teacher learning?

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Sharing day reflections

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