1. Identifying a focus for our peer observations in 2011.

2. Principle 4: Professional learning is collaborative, involving reflection and feedback (not just individual inquiry) I found the peer observation sessions last year encouraged me to reflect on my practice and provide structured feedback for my observation partner. What some of us said…

3. What others of us said… “We felt like we needed to invent a problem…”

4. Enter stage left… The Powerful Learning Strategy

5. What do we know about the Powerful Learning Strategy? APRIL 6 th 2011 Teachers participated in a whole school staff meeting where they acknowledged that at some level we are all engaged in the use of Powerful Learning Strategies. The interpretation of what this practice looked like was diverse Research suggests that a consistent approach to the use of these strategies is advantageous in terms of improving student outcomes.

6. Since then… Twilight sessions – attended by a number of staff Professional reading undertaken by staff involved in the focus group with David Hopkins run at EHS at the end of May Teachers have attended afterschool PD around Powerful Learning Invitation to be part of the NMR Working Party on Powerful Learning – Next Steps Invitation to assist in the development of video resources to support the implementation of the Powerful Learning Strategy across the region

7. Powerful Learning and Peer Observation Getting teachers to observe each other in the classroom and then share information about their methods, and collaborate on lesson planning is a key element in the region’s new strategy.

8. To overcome reluctance to the approach, staff were organised into three-person teams, where two would observe the teacher in class and meet to discuss what worked. We put an argument to teachers that if you want to improve your teaching you have to be open to change, you have to be objective but you have to be observed.

9. Getting people to work collaboratively and reflect on what they’re doing in the classroom is a very difficult thing to do. But if our members are given support by the department to do that they’ll react positively, and so far that’s what’s generally happened. - Meredith Peace deputy president of the Victorian branch of the Education Union.

10. How the coaches will support you… Support for staff to identify areas for peer observation observation protocols to be provided or developed  Professional learning around peer observation protocols

11. Where a particular personal focus is not identified… Expansion of understanding of what the Powerful Learning Strategy entails:  provision of professional reading  facilitation of professional learning teams around ‘Theories of Action’  Provision of observation protocols

12. Theories of Action Learning Intentions/Success Criteria Task Pace Questions and Questioning Feedback Collaborative group work Academic vocabulary

13. Where does EHS sit? “The transformation of a school system depends on neighboring schools developing and sharing excellent practices a habit that takes time to nurture.” An invitation to you all…