I've been teaching for YEARS...

...The evidence in my portfolio is all proficient and higher

Should it be?

When the standards first came out, and I began to work with them, I remember the assumptions I made.  None of my evidence was ever below proficient… at least not in my head.

At that time though, I didn’t understand what I do now about the content in the descriptors and how time served does not equal mastery. Now I see things very differently.

I expect there to be Graduate evidence in ALL portfolios...

...even if you've been doing this for twenty years.

Leaders and Principals, educators and pre-service teachers I want you to use this episode to really consider what the “Graduate” teaching standard represents.

Is it as simple as “evidence from someone at uni”?

… well no. It’s not.

In this episode we’re going to explore how we might need to change the associations we have with the titles above those career stages.

We’re going to think about what it says about you if you DON’T have any graduate evidence.

We’re going to make sure you are reminded of the learning journey you’re on and explain how almost every one of those journeys starts at Graduate…

… no matter how long you’ve been teaching

It's nearing the end of the school year and I bet reflective practice is one of the last things on your mind right now. You're busy assessing students, writing reports and winding down right? I know but, trust me, those assignments you've been marking contain the key to an amazing piece of evidence for your teacher portfolio. Here's how you're going to turn them into a Focus Area busting piece of GOLD!

There's this one kid I just can't get through to.

Has there every been a child in your classroom that you just can’t reach? Or an energy, that the whole class brings with in a specific lesson, that you can’t explain? 

Teaching is super complex isn’t it.  

Sometimes kids meet up to six different adults teaching six different subjects all in one day.

Have you considered what you could learn by follow them? 

By tapping into what they experience every day?

In this episode we move you from confused to inspired as you learn from your colleageus and your students

We're going to observe our students

In this episode I’m going to share with you the reasons for organising to use your NIT time to follow a student (or a whole class) whilst they work with another educator.  

We’ll talk about the four things you could consider as you do so:

1. What assumptions are you making about learners and are you right?
2. What does the whole curriculum look like in a day? – This is especially great if you’re a subject specialist.
3. How do different teachers (with their different teaching styles and personalities) teach? What’s their style and how do students respond differently to each?
4. How many different teaching strategies are you observing? How are they affecting the learning and behaviour in each lesson – This is the same class remember.

and explore how you can write this up in your portfolio.

I know that these questions are broad and that some of you would like some guidance around how to get the most out of this experience. For that reason, I’m sharing a freebie with you today that you can use to help you. 

Head to Edufolios.org/040 for more

If I'm working hard to make a difference, I wish I could ask them how I'm doing.

Student Voice.  We hear about it a lot don’t we?

It’s really important that we hear it but how can we listen to it more? 

We joined the teaching profession to make a difference. To positively impact  upon the lives of hundreds of young people in our local area.  That’s the focus of this entire teacher accreditation process. 

or it should be

If we’re serious about demonstrating impact (whether that’s on our students, our colleagues or at our site) then we could do with some tools and tips about how to check in with them and see if we’re on the right track.

It's easier than you think to include student voice in your portfolio.

Let me share three, easy to use, tips that can help you both collect and collate that voice and then…

most importantly..

Let’s talk about how you can use what that voice tells you.

How you can really listen so that you can move forward and improve what your’e doing now and into the future.

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome...  That's insane!

Do you know what, sometimes we get so focused on the big things, the obvious things we can challenge and change that we forget to question the actions, routines and structures that have just always been there.

• Why do/don't you have a seating plan?
• When do you take the roll in the lesson? Why?
• What does PD mean to you? Have you always done that kind of PD? Does it work for you?
• How/When do you communicate with parents? Why? Why not?

These little details are important and we often ignore them because.. we've always done it that way. What if you didn't need to? What if "that way" is based on an old problem with outdated restrictions?  

Good job we have reflective practice to help us with these things.  In this week's podcast I challenge you to find three things that happen in your practice at your site or in your study that you just accept as the norm.  I want you to find somethings that you haven't questioned for a while and take the time to examine them.  I wonder what you'll discover.

Show notes at edufolios.org/038

Have you realised that you've been teaching for 10 whole months now? That's 10 months in which you've had the time to get to know the nuances of your kidlets and have experimented (Through good times and bad) to find what really works for them.

You'll soon be busy writing an end of year report, planning what's what for next year and getting ready to wrap things up. In the coming weeks, how much time have you set aside to reflect on your growth this year? How much time have you put aside to identify goals for yourself. Are you making time to create a report card for your own learning this year?

In this week's podcast, Selena takes the time to discuss the importance (and the awesome timing) of making time to use data to accelerate your professional growth and give you room to celebrate all that you've achieved this year.

With 365,000 children in the top 10% of our learners, how much do you really know about gifted education?

This week’s podcast comes straight from my heart.  Gifted education has become a big thing for me and my family.  Why? Because I have a son who’s start to school was more than a little bumpy.  A child who, at home was attending STEM club for kids 4 years his senior, was writing sentences at 3, who started reading at two but his teachers wouldn’t believe me. Because he wouldn’t show them.  School, for him was about socialising. Home was where we learnt.  It was damaging to him.  

and do you know what…

it wasn’t his teachers’ fault. They were never taught about gifted education.  It’s just not part of the course.  There’s no funding for it and there are a heap of myths about what it actually means to be gifted.

My son is one of the lucky ones.  South Australia, WE are the lucky ones.  Did you know that we have the only school specifically for gifted children in Australia?  It was started 2 years ago by Lynda McInnes (and a bunch of very brave supporters.)  My son is one of the lucky children who get to attend it.

Lynda has broken the mould. 

She and her team at Dara School are an inspiration and she has so much to teach us.

It's time to listen up! It's time to reflect on Gifted Ed

In this podcast I interview Lynda about her school.  About why Dara needed to exist (verses a gifted program in a mainstream site) and she shares some amazing insights and practical tips that will shift your thinking…  trust me.

Tune in, listen in.. this isn’t one for multitasking to..

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or over on the Facebook community.  Get ready for a real treat!

Who here entered the teaching profession because they wanted to show that they could meet the requirements outlined in 148 sentences in a rubric? Anyone? Of course not! In this episode we explore the purpose of the standards and how you can re-frame your thinking so that you are in charge of them... not the other way around!

So you've got some stories of practice and you've been able to tag focus area after focus area (maybe even at different career stages as you go). How do you get some validation that you've selected the right focus areas? Is there a way to gain confidence in your ability to choose wisely. To ensure that your artefacts are all present and correct? Of course there is! Selena reveals the simple steps you can take right now to check you evidence is as strong as it can be.

What IS evidence? Is it things in a box? Or is it writing about what I do everyday at uni or in my classroom?  In this week's episode I share the secret ingredients to great evidence.  Three things to consider and, as always, a whole lot of support to help you get there.