Overcoming Isolation: developing collaborative relationshipsLeisl Bruhn

Ivanhoe Grammar School

2017 Management Conference

WIFI: NEAS2017PASS: May2017!

#NEAS2017

Overcoming Isolation: developing collaborative relationships

Leisl Bruhn

Dean of International Students Ivanhoe Grammar School

This Presentation

Teaching demands a level of collaboration with colleagues irrespective of the school situation, environment, teaching roles or subject areas.

As colleagues we all need support and are able to give support, whether informally over a coffee or more formally at professional meetings or seminars.

Teaching in the EAL field can sometimes be isolating and the demands of the job can be sometimes be daunting.

This session will focus on building collegial relationships within school networks and teaching areas and provide some practical and positive strategies that teachers and leaders can employ to provide support and also potentially improve student outcomes.

There is also the reward of unintended outcomes!

Why?

• Support

• Overcome isolation

• Clarification

• Build networks

• Comparison

• Reinventing the wheel?

• Resources and ideas

• Benchmarking and assessing

Research says..

At a glance The quality of teacher collaboration positively influences teacher performance and student achievement.

THE STUDY Ronfeldt, M., Farmer, S., McQueen, K., & Grissom, J. (2015). Teacher collaboration in instructional teams and student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 52(3), 475-514.

WHAT THE STUDY SAYS Using sophisticated statistical analyses, researchers examined individual teacher-level and school-level collaboration to understand the nature and effects of teacher-to teacher collaboration in instructional teams. When teachers engage in high-quality collaboration that they perceive as extensive and helpful, there is both an individual and collective benefit. High-quality collaboration in general and about assessment in particular among teachers is associated with increases in their students’ achievement, their performance, and their peers’ students’ achievement.

Joellen Killion

www.learningforward.org October 2015 | Vol. 36 No. 5

Outcomes…

• Researchers conclude, “Student achievement gains are greater in schools with stronger collaborative environments and in classrooms of teachers who are stronger collaborators” (p. 512).

REFERENCE Learning Forward. (2011). Standards for Professional Learning. Oxford, OH: Author.

Graduate ProficientHighly Accomplished Lead

•Understand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice.

•Participate in professional and community networks and forums to broaden knowledge and improve practice.

•Contribute to professional networks and associations and build productive links with the wider community to improve teaching and learning. Show Illustrations

Take a leadership role in professional and community networks and support the involvement of colleagues in external learning opportunities.

aitsl (Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership)

Teaching Standard

7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities

aitsl…..

• The more one educator’s learning is shared and supported by others, the more quickly the culture of continuous improvement, collective responsibility, and high expectations for students and educators grows (Killion, 2012)

Collaboration Opportunities?

• How do you collaborate?

• Networks within school?

• Outside networks?

Within Workplace

• Location? Teaching / coordination space

• All day, every day informal opportunities

• Scheduled meetings and PD opportunities

• Access to PD

Outside of network

Victorian Department of Education Network Clusters – International Student Coordinators

Clusters are regionally based and meet once per term

VATE (Victorian Association for the Teaching of English)

• The Victorian Association for the Teaching of English is a professional body established to promote the interests of English education and to allow English educators in Victoria to exchange ideas.

• VATE brings together teachers in government, Catholic and independent schools, as well as tertiary educators and pre-service teachers.

VicTESOL

VicTESOL is a professional association committed to promoting excellence in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and fostering and supporting cultural and linguistic diversity through high quality multicultural education.

Vision International

Vision International (An Association of Australian Schools) was established as VISION (Inc) in 1993 in response to the need for people in schools which enrol full-fee paying students to network and provide mutual support in dealing with students from other cultures.

Other

Regional networks – Cross Marking VCE formal/informal

Ivanhoe Grammar School VCE Offshore Program• VCE offshore program

Background and Rationale

• 1. To overcome the relative isolation of EAL teachers within English departments in Victorian schools (and in offshore VCE in China programs).

• - English departments are typically large while EAL personnel are typically few.

• 2. To address the needs of EAL students (EG pacing, resources, text selection) who can be overlooked or whose needs can be de-emphasised if they are in predominately mainstream classes or in schools with low EAL numbers.

• 3. To prepare for and deliver the new study design with limited dedicated resources available and limited informed background (EG adapting and scaffolding activities/ resources is time intensive)

• 4. To help manage the conflicting demands we face as teachers/assessors/ course developers/pastoral carers/ professionals

• 5. To fill the gaps left by the limited opportunities (and time) for formal professional development. Informal collegiality allows for ongoing and timely support when needed rather than just at formal conferences and seminars.

• Jan Bruder & Leisl Bruhn BBE 28 February 2017

Vision International

• Vision International (An Association of Australian Schools) was established as VISION (Inc) in 1993 in response to the need for people in schools which enroll full-fee paying students to network and provide mutual support in dealing with students from other cultures.

• 1990’s Sr. Carol Hogan, chaplain to International Students at University of Melbourne made schools aware of services offered by Melbourne Council for Overseas Students

• Saw the need for information sharing and organized seminars to enable schools to network and deal with common issues

• History of Vision International

Vision International

• To provide professional development to stakeholders

• To provide support and networking opportunities

• To develop and promote best practice in international education

• To influence policy development and represent members’ interests

Vision International Aims

• Aims to enhance the quality of the educational experience of international students in schools

• Aims to be a voice of the sector by attending and participating in meetings and seminars regarding international students

VI Seminars and membership

• Seminar topics: guardianship, health issues, language and general assessment, cross-cultural issues, homestay, marketing, liaison with universities, role of government departments.

• Members: updates, networking opportunities, discount rates for PD, input into future seminar topics of interest

• http://www.vision-international.asn.au/

Join a network!

• Have coffee with someone you admire

• Someone who knows their stuff!

• Ita’s advice

• Find networks – they are there!

Thank you

Leisl Bruhn

Dean of International Students

Ivanhoe Grammar School

leisl.bruhn@Ivanhoe.com.au

+61429490600