When you tell someone you were once a high school English teacher, that person often asks, “Who’s your favorite author?” Or, “What’s your favorite book?” I never hesitate; my immediate answer is Pat Conroy. I stumbled upon his book The Lords of Discipline and The Great Santini while in college and have never turned back. I […]
INTO THE LION’S DEN
April 23, 2011 by
© Julie Boyd ‘And then I was hit on the head by a paper bomb that had been thrown at me…and one kid was so rude! Then she said I’d only told her off because she was black. I didn’t even notice her colour- just that she was the rudest young woman I’d ever met.’ […]
Why Teacher Coaching Can Fail
March 27, 2011 by
© Julie Boyd 2011 When I wrote the paper ‘Coaching In Context’ to start the statewide coaching program in Victoria, and the Literacy and Numeracy Coaches Program in South Australia, I warned of two key issues: 1. Coaching is not for everyone, and it is expensive. 2. Coaching is only one form of professional reflective […]
Students Using Technology Effectively
January 14, 2011 by
This is what Australian Education used to be about – students as co-developers of their own learning. What’s happened in the past decade here is shameful. http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/MiddleGround/Articles/August2008/Article1/tabid/1704/Default.aspx In his article “The Digital Learning Farm” Alan November describes six jobs that outline creative ways that your students can make valuable contributions to their learning community.Tutorial Designers […]
The Personal Responsibility of Each Teacher
December 1, 2010 by
Each Teacher has the personal responsibility: 1. To develop: Breadth and Depth of Repertoire of Strategies 2. To create: Capacity to align strategies / learning environments / curriculum / assessment 3. To build: Sophistication of personal teaching frameworks and ensure fit with broader society 4. To maintain: Interest in / Commitment […]
Future-proofing
July 13, 2010 by
http://www.sapmea.asn.au/conventions/middleschool2008/downloads/presentations/Martin%20Westwell.pdf
Bad teachers need to be fired without making good teachers feel endangered and abused.
Terrific commentary on a good teachers experience with a bad system By guest writer JENNIFER MATHIEU BLESSINGTON I started working for the Houston Independent School District in 2005. Teaching was not my first career, but almost instantly, I knew I had found the job I would do for the rest of my life. The best […]