Immediate 'Unedited' Thoughts

We were given a glimpse into the future - of a range of practical alternative possibilities for our school - that fit in with our directions - already taken.

Articulating the vision to all our community will be our foremost job (duty). I think we do it to hard in many parts of the school. Rosetta High School faced down those problems as a staff.

The part that intrigues me is how will we do it? Or what part is suitable for our school and community?

The bit I loved the most was listening to and watching teachers 'drive' their day with passion. I also witnessed this in the US last year. I think their passion is ignited because they have devised a structure that allows it to 'burn brightly' in everything they do.

I think we have all the ingedients to get this going, and I want to be a part of it.

The Hobart Schools Study Tour - Background

An ACT DET Professional Learning Fund Grant and a Principals Professional Learning Fund Grant provided Judy Pettiford (Principal Wanniassa K-10 School), Margaret Taylor (Executive Teacher and Coordinator ICT Innovation), Andrew Buesnel (Executive Teacher and Teacher as Coach – ICT Innovation), Judy van Rijswijk (Executive Teacher and Teacher as Coach – ICT Innovation), Ann Hill (Executive Teacher – Middle School) and Sam Brentnall (Executive Teacher – Middle School) with the opportunity to visit and learn from the work of Clarence High School and Rosetta High Schools, specifically in the areas of ICT supported learning. Judy Pettiford, Margaret Taylor, Andrew Buesnel and Judy van Rijswijk visited Clarence High School (in the bay side suburb of Bellerive, Hobart) on Wednesday 20 June 2007. They were joined by Ann Hill and Sam Brentnall for the two day visit to Rosetta High School (11kms north of the CBD on the Derwent River) on Thursday and Friday 21 and 22 June 2007.

The team was accommodated in 2 bedroom apartments at the Salamanca Inn, Gladstone Street Hobart. This proved to be an excellent location, only 30 metres away from the eateries on Salamanca Place and within walking distance of the CBD. An Avis 8 seater Tarago was used to transport the team around Hobart.

The weather over the three days was cold with unusually heavy snow falls overnight on Wednesday night. The team was intrigued by the sight of heavy snow on the lower slopes of Mt Wellington, so close to the suburbs we were visiting and so close to the coastline as well.

Clarence High School - Overview

Clarence High School Wentworth Street BELLERIVE 7018 (Phone 0362 449614) is a year 7-10 high school (around 680 enrolments) in the bayside suburb of Bellerive, a 20 minute drive east of the Hobart CBD.

We were met by the principal Marcelle Watts and provided with an overview of the school before meeting Neil Winter neil.winter@education.tas.gov.au (phone 03 6244 9618) the school’s ICT Coordinator and our host for the day.

Clarence High School Visit - Observations

The school receives around $80,000 per year IT Grant from the Tasmanian Department of Education (this figure is enrolment based). The Government supplies a laptop to each teacher. Teachers can access their own H drives and the school’s G drive from home.

There are no computing subjects in years 7 & 8. Instead ICDL courses (costing around $3,300 per year) are run in English and Maths courses in these years. There are a number of Computing electives offered to years 9 & 10 students, some with a significant programming focus.

The school runs an NSS (ie Net Support School - $60.00 per computer start up and then $16.00 per computer per year for upgrades) management system to support student use of computers in the labs in a well controlled way. It also runs a web based meeting room booking system through Source forge.net for the computer labs/library resource center etc. The web based system can be accessed both at home and at school. It even sends an email reminder to users.

The school employs a full time Network support officer (NSO) (Sam Leung) and a .6 trainee person. The Department funds a .4 NSO position in a school this size and the school is able to purchase the extra time allocation for the positions.

Clarence HS runs a school intranet through Microsoft Share Point Services. The intranet provides all sorts of help and advice for teachers using ICT and other services at the school. The intranet also supports a range of services that we would use Myclasses for in our schools in the ACT. There is a digital portfolio link from the student intranet. Digital portfolios were introduced to support the assessment of the Tasmanian Essential Learnings. This has proved to be problematic for the school however as there are server issues and a high need for staff PD.

Our team spent quite a bit of time looking at the specific programs offered in the Computing strand for years 9 & 10 students. There appears to be considerable scope for personalizing the learning of students in this area. We were struck by the emphasis on “Gamemaker” and the presentations of the articulate members of the Robocop team preparing for the state championships in Launceston in early August. Neil showed us his computer museum, a small wooden box containing intruiging artifacts from his long history working with computers from the early 1970s onwards.

Angélique Bowe angelique.bowe@education.tas.gov.au explained the Senior (Years 9 & 10) Enquiries Program to our team. The year 9 program is a Futures Enquiry and the Year 10 program is a Global Enquiry. The program comes from a desire to rebuild SOSE to incorporate the Enquiry Essential Learning area in the new (2005) Tasmanian Curriculum Framework. The Enquiries program is linked to Pathways Planning, Information Literacy, Communication Skills, Community Based Learning goals and supports the transition to years 11-12. It is an attempt to change the pedagogy to a more student centred approach.

The year 9 unit incorporates a Learning to Learn unit on the Brain. The program also gives students an opportunity to participate in the Australian National History Challenge, Ethics based units and Civics. In year 10 students focus on global issues eg poverty issues in Africa. The school’s Reporting software (SARIS and REPORTZ) is being developed to support the demands of assessing and reporting on these transdisciplinary units. We were very interested in their Employability Skills report (attached). The school has developed this Reporting format based on learnings from the Dusseldorp Forum.

Clarence High School Visit Reflection

Rosetta High School Overview

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Rosetta High School Visit - Observations

Tour of the school conducted by year 9 & 10 SRC students in the Make it Big Program: (remember Chris!). The team were blown away by the use of colour throughout the school - everyone knows that Mr Speight (Speighty) loves bright colour. Although an older style school recent renovations created a lively stimulating learning environment. The students all seem to know what Mr Speight believes about learning and the part that IT plays in enabling that learning. It was great to talk to all the ordinary kids and teachers attending the extraordinary Rosetta High School.

Our first workshop session was conducted by James Clark, the Grade 10 Coordinator, who introduced us to the the key features of the Make it Big program. He referred us to the work of Dennis Littkey "The BIG Picture" and Levine "One kid at a time" and the various writings of Alfie Kohn as important sources in the development of the program.

The "Make it Big" program evolved from the success of the established Make it Work and Make it Real programs. Grade co-ordinators developed the detail over a summer school prior to its introduction at the start of 2007. The program is focused on the principles of Relevance, Rigour and Relationship. Students in the Make it Big program (around 100 in grade 10 and around 30 in grade 9) have timetabled classes in Health & Wellbeing and an elective option (a total of 6 hours per week), the rest of their timetable is devoted to individual study determined by their Individual Learning Plan (ILP).

There are 6 Make it Big groups, each with a tutor who is responsible for the around 17 students in each group. Full learning profiles are constructed (based on tests and assessments) for each student prior to the development of the ILP. Students are required to demonstrate their learning/achievements in at least 3 "Exhibitions" over the course of the year.

Each of the 6 groups has a focus area although the boundaries appear to be very flexible.

1. Renaissance (for academically very able)
2. TAP (trade based)
3. Building and Construction
4. Outdoor Experience
5. CARE
6. MICRA (generic)

In 2008 applications to join the Make it Big program will be by letter.

Kathleen Mackintosh (Renaissance group tutor) and Michelle (Building and Construction tutor) talked to us about the ILPs. At the start of the year ILPs are developed over a one hour interview with each student (and parents). The headings are in the seven areas of the Tasmanian curriculum. Students then enter the details of their ILP into their own Study Wiz profiles.

We were most impressed with Leesa's (learning Area Leader - Health & Wellbeing) presentation about the continuing Make it Real program and the Health & Wellbeing learning area.

Make it Real: All year 9 & 10 students in the traditional stream (not in Make it Big) work for 3 hours a week with their tutor in the Make it Real program in the areas of Service, Personal Challenge, Enterprise and Work. Students are expected to be passionate and creative. their performance is linked to the school's Graduation Certificate. The program has a budget (a few thousand) to fund enterprise proposals from student participants. A committee exists to consider and determine funding applications.

Health & Wellbeing: The curriculum in this subject is based on student needs for learning and participating in the 21st century - a world away from the team sports play based curriculum offered in most PE Programs.

We attended a Make it Big team meeting after school Wednesday. We were impressed by the professionalism of the team being led by James Clark. Brendan Bolton (Yr 10 Grade Coordinator) later told us that strict protocols are followed at all Rosetta meetings: start with "awesome efforts", issues can only be raised if on the agenda, discussion is around strategies not problems.

Thursday started with a session conducted by Brendan on the "Accelerated Learning Cycle". Brendan had spent time at the Cramlington Community School in England where he had learnt the principles of this approach, previously based on the work of Alister Smith.

Rosetta High School Visit - Reflections

In the conclusion to Fierce Conversations, Achieving Success at Work & in Life - One Conversation at a Time, published by Viking and on sale as of September 16, 2002 everywhere books are sold, Susan Scott writes:

"We effect change by engaging in robust conversations with ourselves, our colleagues, our customers, our family, the world. Whether you are governing a country, running an organization, or participating in a committed personal relationship, your ability to effect change will increase as you become more responsive to your world and to the individuals who are central to your happiness and success."