Thousands of educators are creating portfolios of evidence right now.  Some of you are working on your Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA). Some are ticking the boxes on proficiency and others are striving towards Highly Accomplished and Lead.

No matter which career stage you’re working towards, the process of gathering evidence can feel really, REALLY intimidating! 

I get that. 

This is a time where you’re being asked to reflect and gather evidence against the Australian Professional Standards.

That can feel judgemental

It can feel like you’re being asked to prove yourself

and…

If you’re not clear on how those standards work then, not only do you have to be vulnerable about your practice.. you’ve also got to get your head around a VERY LARGE document.

What if, the overwhelm and fear surrounding that document wasn’t there.  What if you could see that rubric as something that helped you to move forward and celebrate?  

You KNOW that’s what we specialise in here!!

Teacher accreditation is a HUGE job with big risks involved
The teacher accreditation process in Australia involves four career stages.  Only two of them (That’s Graduate and Proficient) are mandated.  The other two, (Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher) are a choice for us.

With all the school lockdowns happening across Australia, we’ve been under extra pressure this year too. Right?

Whilst you stare at the rising amount of work before you, the idea of adding to that workload with an extra portfolio task seems so daunting.

You’ve been to the training session on Highly Accomplished and it feels like something you could do.. then the feeling of overwhelm sets in… It’s right there in the pit of your stomach. It’s such a huge job and there are no guarantees that your efforts will be met with success.

Can you relate to thoughts like:
“I’m not organised“
“I don’t have time or can’t manage my time well”
“I haven’t been teaching long enough anyway”
“Lockdown!!”
 
Have you considered that these are beliefs (NOT FACTS)...and you're in charge of them?
I totally understand where all of these thoughts are coming from.  As an accreditation coach, I hear them all the time.

The thing is….  they aren’t REALLY the reason you’re NOT working towards your next career goal. 

Tune into this week’s episode of the Reflective Teacher Podcast with Selena Woodward, to take a moment to explore what some of these beliefs might be trying to ACTUALLY tell you.

Let’s bust these beliefs wide open and see if we can’t get you moving forward. 
Don’t forget to share the reflections you write with @Edufolios on any social platform you like!  We can’t wait to read them!

Lesson Observations are a big part of professional growth
Everyone has to be observed as part of every career stage progression, whether that’s graduate, proficient, highly accomplished, or lead. 

And we might only have one lesson… or worse… 20 minutes to showcase our teaching and our student’s learning.

There is so much to think about.  The planning, the resources and then SHOWING why you made those choices in the first place.  Not all of that can happen in a 20-minute slot. 
So, how can we make sure that IMPACT is evident during that lesson observation?

In this episode of The Reflective Teacher Podcast, I’m going to share with you some top tips to make sure that, whenever you’re observed, you know how to showcase your kids and their growth in your lesson.

This episode is great for a mentor teacher who’s looking to see how they can better frame a lesson observation. It is wonderful for our uni students who are working on their graduate teacher portfolios (sooo… many examples in here for you!) AND it’s even got some tips for those of you who are preparing for observation at stage two if HAT or LEAD.

During the episode, I share one of my own lesson plans and the resources I gave an observer in one of my most successful lesson observations EVER.  Freebie available at Edufolios.org/110

Data sets are an essential part of all evidence of learning.  The Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA) has you explore data in great detail.  

Data is something that we all have as teachers.  It's something that we all use to varying degrees of success. Some say they don't need it.  Is that really true?

In this episode, we look at the importance of data in your GTPA or accreditation process.  We explore how it's important to the success of your students and what exactly the assessors are looking for as you interpret it and apply your professional skills.

 

What should I be collecting on prac for my Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA)?

This is a question that gets asked, on repeat, on various Facebook groups, Twitter chats and across the table at the uni coffee shop.

I get it.

The Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (or GTPA) is going to ask you to show what you know and you’ll need evidence to prove that. Evidence means you’ll need stuff… artefacts like lesson plans, student work and more.

You want to make sure you know what to take photos of, what to photocopy and what to store away until it’s time to start putting your GTPA together.  

Right?
Actually, there's a more efficient way to gather evidence for GTPA
The Graduate Teacher Performace Assessment, just like a Graduate Portfolio, is actually asking you to demonstrate that you can meet the requirements of the Graduate Standards.  It’s got very specific tasks and topics it wants you to cover AND it’s about much more than the things you can collect.  

In this episode, we’re going to unpack three very simple facts that will help you move forward, into your GTPA in the most efficient way possible. 

If you’re listening to this before you start your final practicum then grab a pen and take notes.

This episode will move you from foggy and confused about what the GPTA is about to clear, focused and inspired to get going. If you're mentoring, it's going to give you some ideas to really show YOUR impact on your pre-service teacher too.

Remember when you used to hate being on the webcam? Remember how intimidating it felt to "dial-in" to something online?

Has that shifted for you now?

In the last few months (maybe even the last year) you've gained some seriously cool new tools in online teaching and learning. Most of us, at one time or another, have experienced teaching online.  Things have shifted.

Hopefully, you've been measuring your impact on your students (proficient) as you go... but.. have you considered how you could use these new skills to create a wider impact on your colleagues? (highly accomplished)

In this week's episode, I'm going to share my experience of building The Evidence ENgine with you. How my course business mentor Amy Porterfield helped me overcome my fears and barriers and why, as a teacher, her course gave me the opportunity to experience curriculum and planning like never before. 

This is a story that I hope will inspire you to explore the idea that you too can make an impact on a wider audience.  Sharing your knowledge and passion for teaching and learning with others and gathering evidence of the impact that reaches beyond your own site to colleagues all over Australia.

There's even a really fun quiz to help you see if this might be an option for you!  

 

 

 

 

Did you know that habits help create happy, creative, calm educators?

It’s true!

But don’t take it from me… science backs up this factoid. 

According to psychologist Robert Cialdini, when you commit to do something and become consistent in that decision, it serves you well because you’ll want to stay committed to that consistency. 

And consistency, well that equals good habits… and good habits create solid success for your business’s needs.

"Where attention goes, energy flows," they say.

That’s why I’ve been thinking about ways we can all find more freedom for ourselves in our 24 hour day.

Thanks to some great advice and mentoring, I’ve been able to create daily habits that support me to make that space.  That give me the freedom to walk on the beach, be more creative and re-energise myself.

I’ve learnt to use these habits to say “yes” to myself.

and it’s having an amazing impact on my well being

If you’re feeling tired, overwhelmed and worried that you will never have time to get everything done… and you want to create some new habits that will help you reach your career goals AND create more freedom in your day for YOU then this episode is for you.

It’s even got a bonus; an amazing freebie!

I’m super excited to share my digital course creation mentor, Amy Porterfield’s brand new, free guide, Create More Freedom & Live Your Best Life: 6 Daily Habits To Swear By, with you.

Once you download the free guide, hit me up in the DMs (just use @edufolios) and let me know your takeaways. 

I want to cheer you on as you go!

Outdoor Ed? That's for Recreation Right? I'd never get evidence of practice there, would I?

“School camp”.  We’ve all taken our kids on these.  I’ve been on loads of class retreats and camps myself.   The idea, to get the city kids into the country, to give them a chance to experience things they had before and to create opportunities to build stronger bonds between them and with them.

Did I consider school camp to be part of the curriculum? Critical thinking, personal development, science and environment studies?  

Honestly. I probably hadn’t really thought about it like that.  How about you?

So many of my “outdoor ed” experiences have been about adventures across rope bridges, hiking and other physical pursuits.  All of which gives an opportunity for teamwork and bonding between us all. A chance to pus beyond our comfort zones and see what we can do

What if Outdoor leveraged the environment to create and hold a space that transformed students?

"I've changed as an overall person from this trip, my self confidence has increased and insane amount. Knowing that I'm good enough and letting go of that self doubt has caused me to be so much happier"

ANON YEAR 11 STUDENT

This week, we are joined by Mark Cridland, Chris Dennis and Rhi Flavel as they share the amazing work they are doing in their outdoor and environment centre in Queensland.

As we work with this site, it has become more and more apparent what amazing pedagogical practices they implement to create an incredibly unique, boutique and powerful experience for the students and staff they work with.

Rhi has been leading the charge to bring in the work of Arne Rubinstein to the students that grace their beautiful environment.  Working through an amazing process called “The Contemporary Rights of Passage”

In this truly emotional and powerful conversation, you’ll hear how Mark and his team have used Rubinstein’s research and work to implement something truly transformative.  

Connected to curriculum, to country and to the ultimate wellbeing and development of children.  

Rhi and Chris walk us through the four stages of the process which involves using nature and country to create a space where students can shed their armour, go within and honour both themselves and their friends.  

Powerful transformations occur at Tallebugera as they combine The Contemporary Rites of Passages with environmental education, critical and creative thinking and student lead pedagogy.

Every student who has the privilege of working with the team is given the opportunity to walk away transformed and truly connected to self, to their goals and their way forward.

Tune in to listen to their journey and how they are measuring this amazing impact.

Free resources and links, as always are below in the further reading section.  Don’t forget to let us know what came up for you as you listen!

When talking about ICT in my portfolio I just need to show I'm using some tech... right?

Technology. It’s “sexy”, “desirable” and expected to appear in our teaching tool kit. It even has two of its focus areas in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. (2.6 and 4.5)

Parents love to see their children using technology. iPads, VR, Kahoot, Minecraft.. they’re all signs of an innovative and future thinking school. Right?

When it comes to the evidence in your stories of practice, to cover ICT, you’d be forgiven for thinking that all you have to do is talk about a tool you’ve used. Because, honestly, that’s what you see all the time… Technology is “engaging”, the kids are always on task when they’re “doing Kahoot”.

The thing is. Engaging and fun doesn't always mean the intended learning is happening.... It’s there in the research (ooh standard six alert!). In fact since 1984 (I was 4 back then!!), Seymour Papert was warning us about putting the tech before the learning.

It’s so easy to think that, if we have the latest tech tools, our kids will learn more. They’re engaged! but…. digital distraction is REAL and so, skillfully using technology “to expand curriculum opportunities” (Grad 2.6) or “using effective teaching strategies to integrate ICT into learning and teaching programs to make selected content relevant and meaningful” (Prof 2.6) requires something deeper than just the latest tech.

There’s a really important piece of the puzzle that we MUST attend to….

IMPACT

That’s why I’m really excited to bring researcher and speaker Bron Stuckey to the Reflective Teacher Podcast to share her “Planning for Virtuality Framework”.

Her framework has everything you need to plan and deliver a lesson with ICT that will meet every verb, what and why in 2.6 at any of the career stages.

I'm not a leader. I'm not a DP, a Principal or a Head of Curriculum. I'm just a teacher...
I’ve had this conversation so many times with the teachers I work with.  

The culture in our profession has “leadership” defined by title and status.  Status through time- travelled as a teacher, or through career progression. It’s been that way since… well.  forever... Right?

What if Leadership is about people? About helping them to develop their potential?

This week I am joined by Dare to Lead™  and Daring Classrooms™ Facilitator, Anna Ranaldo.   As the founder of Collective Courage, she has worked with schools and educators to help them to understand just how they go about taking “responsibility for finding the potential in people” and where the courage comes from to “develop that potential”…

That’s leadership…

and in this episode, we’re going to unpack that.

We get vulnerable here.  I share some stories about my own leadership and personal struggles with “the shame cave” and anxiety and how that has impacted me as an educator.

This episode is REAL, it’s powerful and it will get you thinking.  

When you’re done listening, reflect on what you have learnt about yourself as a leader. No matter what stage of your teaching career you at.  Our entire reason for being a teacher is to unlock the potential in those we teach.  

In that way, we are all leaders.

How does that make you feel?

Reflect on it in your Edufolios and share it with Anna and I. Check the Further Reading section for more links and resources.