Professional
Learning

Overview:

The world is changing and the future we’re educating young people for will be different from today. Our best schools are the schools that make the biggest difference to the lives of children and young people, supporting them and their society to thrive and prosper. Public education needs to constantly adapt if it is to deliver on this promise.

Professor Martin Westwell has been leading a state-wide conversation about public education, led by student voice and involving industry, parents, staff and stakeholders. These insights are being used to co-create a clear purpose statement for public education in South Australia, a set of principles to guide the work of everyone in public education and agreement on what we are going to hold ourselves responsible for. From this work South Australian public education will define its measures of success. This work is an Australian first.

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview:

The gap in educational achievement between advantaged and disadvantaged students is estimated by the OECD to be approximately three school years, with COVID-19 likely increasing this gap.  While schools alone can’t compensate for disadvantage – they can make a significant difference doing what they already do – well.  This presentation will consider how equity-focused leadership, particularly addressing school climate, policies and student wellbeing can better support all students, particularly students experiencing disadvantage. This presentation will review evidence-based leadership practices, processes and systems found to be the most closely associated with positive student academic achievement, behaviour and wellbeing.

AITSL Standards addressed:

Standard 1: Know students and how they learn

Standard 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

Standard 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments

Standard 7: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community~

Overview:

The commissioner will outline what children and young people have told her about their lives their views on schooling and how they believe it could better meet their diverse abilities aspirations and expectations as a generation born this century. 

AITSL Standards addressed:

Overview:

Stephen Shapiro and Mark Lamont will draw on their knowledge and experience in the US and Australia and engage in an interactive discussion with each other and the attendees  focused on the following questions:

• What types of communications take place between a school, its students, parents, teachers, and the larger community?
• As a teacher, why do you think these  communications are important ?
• What role do you play as a teacher in the communications efforts in your school or district?
• How did communications change during Covid? Have these changes continued in the post Covid era?
• Are current communications efforts effective?  How can they be improved?

AITSL Standards addressed:

7.3 Engage with the parents.

Overview:

Overview coming…

AITSL Standards addressed:

Overview:

Critical Mathematical Thinking (CMT) is the use of mathematical reasoning to address challenging problems in real world contexts, while also reflecting on the ethical, economic, environmental, and social consequences of decisions. As such, CMT is central to addressing both the national and international challenges that define a complex and rapidly changing world. However, while the importance of CMT is broadly accepted, there is little evidence to support that current curriculum and pedagogical responses to this challenge have been effective. In this presentation, Professor Vince Geiger will discuss the challenges and difficulties, but also the benefits and opportunities, for implementing intellectually challenging CMT tasks in classrooms.

AITSL Standards addressed:

1.2 Understand how students learn

1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.2 Content selection and organisation

2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies

3.1 Establish challenging learning goals

3.3 Use teaching strategies

3.4 Select and use resources

3.6 Evaluate and improve teaching programs

5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning

6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice

6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice

6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning

Overview:

It has become common to seek improved student outcomes through the tighter specification of what teachers should teach and how they should teach it, resulting in detailed curricula, increased government testing, and a search for teaching strategies that all teachers can be encouraged or required to use.

In contrast, I will argue that the challenges of better preparing young people for their future and ensuring that every student learns successfully and achieves their potential require fundamental reforms of the framework within which schools operate. This framework includes the curriculum, assessment and reporting requirements, and credentialling arrangements.

AITSL Standards Addressed:

1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students

1.2 Understand how students learn

1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities ~

Overview:

Overview coming…

AITSL Standards addressed:

Overview

Brief summary of webinar yet to come.

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview

Brief summary of webinar yet to come

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview

Brief summary of webinar yet to come

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview

Brief summary of webinar yet to come

AITSL Standards addressed

KNOW THE CONTENT AND KNOW HOW TO TEACH IT

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.2 Content selection and organisation

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

ENGAGE IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice

Overview

Brief summary of webinar yet to come

AITSL Standards addressed

2.4

1.4

2.1

Overview

Educators will be guided by ACARA’s Curriculum Specialist General Capabilities, Danielle Cavanagh to explore the changes and refinements to the General Capabilities in V 9.0 for both Primary and Secondary year levels. They will examine how the 3 dimensions of the Australian Curriculum work together to support student learning and develop a deeper understanding of the connections between the General Capabilities and the learning areas.

AITSL Standards addressed

KNOW THE CONTENT AND KNOW HOW TO TEACH IT

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.2 Content selection and organisation

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

Overview

How effective are student reporting processes used in schools? Are they aligned with teaching and learning practices? Do they provide quality information about student learning? A few years ago, we undertook a project that investigated national research, policies and practices related to the ways schools communicate student learning to explore questions like these.

Our aim was to provide an evidence-base for effective reporting processes. We collected information from a range of sources and stakeholders, and our findings prompted important questions about the purpose and form of student reports as well as school processes for communicating student learning progress.

This webinar will revisit the main findings and recommendations of the project, explore how these can usefully inform and improve reporting processes, and point to future research that has the potential to reshape student reporting policy and practice.

AITSL Standards addressed
~ 5.1 Assess student learning
~ 5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning
~ 5.5 Report on student achievement

Overview

Brief summary of webinar yet to come.

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview

Brief summary of webinar yet to come.

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview

Brief summary of webinar yet to come.

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview

Brief summary of webinar yet to come.

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview:

AISTL Standards:

It has become common to seek improved student outcomes through the tighter specification of what teachers should teach and how they should teach it, resulting in detailed curricula, increased government testing, and a search for teaching strategies that all teachers can be encouraged or required to use.

In contrast, I will argue that the challenges of better preparing young people for their future and ensuring that every student learns successfully and achieves their potential require fundamental reforms of the framework within which schools operate. This framework includes the curriculum, assessment and reporting requirements, and credentialling arrangements.

AITSL Standards Addressed:

1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students

1.2 Understand how students learn

1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities ~

Overview

Brief summary of webinar yet to come.

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview 

Brief summary of webinar yet to come.

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview 

The commissioner will outline what children and young people have told her about their lives their views on schooling and how they believe it could better meet their diverse abilities aspirations and expectations as a generation born this century. 

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview: 

Teaching and Learning in the middle years of schooling (grades 5-9) has unique challenges. In this conversation we’ll explore the Adolescent Success Position Paper and how you can use the concepts to cultivate a middle schooling learning environment that creates thriving students and teachers. This session will suit leaders and teachers in the middle years.

AITSL Standards addressed

1. Know students and how they learn

4. Create and maintain supportive learning environments

Overview 

Brief summary of webinar yet to come.

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview:

Coming soon…

AITSL Standards:

The ATWD Initiative does not directly relate to one standard but is focused on supporting the profession through creating an understanding of the teacher workforce and workforce experiences.

Overview

Educators will be guided by ACARA’s Curriculum Specialist English, Denise Roberts to explore the changes and refinements to English curriculum content in V 9.0. Key version 9 changes will be identified for both Primary and Secondary year levels. They will examine how the 3 dimensions of the Australian Curriculum work together to support student learning and develop a deeper understanding of the connections between the General Capabilities and the learning areas.

AITSL Standards addressed

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.2 Content selection and organisation

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies

Overview

Brief summary of webinar yet to come.

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview:

The latest version of the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics includes over 90 content elaborations connected to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority. Each elaboration also links to one or more of 9 rich contexts that tell narratives across the year levels and the 6 strands of the maths curriculum. In this webinar, participants will be introduced to each of these rich contexts including Caring for Country/Place, Indigenous Data Sovereignty, and Instructive Games and Toys. Participants will also get the opportunity to engage in a problem-solving task connected to several elaborations and consider local contexts for the classroom.

AITSL Standards:

Overview

Educators will be guided by ACARA’s Curriculum Specialist HASS, Rachelle Willington to explore the changes and refinements to HASS curriculum content in the Australian Curriculum V 9.0. Key changes will be identified for both Primary and Secondary year levels. They will explore specific changes within each of the five HASS subjects: HASS F-6, Civics and Citizenship, Economics and Business, Geography and History.

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview

Educators will be guided by ACARA’s Curriculum Specialist, The Arts Jane Polley to explore changes and refinements to The Arts curriculum content in V 9.0. Key changes will be identified for both Primary and secondary year levels. Participants will explore the new four-strand structure and examine how an authentic inclusion of First Nations content is expressed through the Exploring and responding strand.

AITSL Standards addressed:

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.2 Content selection and organisation

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice

Overview

Educators will be guided by ACARA’s Curriculum Specialist Science, Simon Collier to explore the changes and refinements to Science curriculum content in V 9.0 for both Primary and Secondary year levels. They will also explore the intent and structure of the Australian Curriculum: Science and the interrelationship between strands and sub-strands.

AITSL Standards addressed:

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.2 Content selection and organisation

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice

Overview

Educators will be guided by ACARA’s Curriculum Specialist Technologies, Melanie Hughes to explore the changes and refinements to the Technologies curriculum content in V 9.0. Key changes will be identified for both Primary and Secondary year levels. They will also explore the general capability Digital Literacy, examine the intent of the learning continuum and understand how it can be used to support digital literacy development across the curriculum.

AITSL Standards addressed

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.2 Content selection and organisation

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

2.6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice

Overview

Brief summary of webinar yet to come.

AITSL Standards addressed

Overview

Educators will be guided by ACARA’s Curriculum Specialist Health and Physical Education, Stuart Burns to explore the changes and refinements to Health and Physical Education curriculum content in V 9.0. Key changes will be identified for both Primary and Secondary year levels. They will also explore changes and refinements to HPE curriculum content that address mental health and consent. They will discuss how these changes support students to develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours that relate to wellbeing and respectful relationships. 

AITSL Standards addressed:

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.2 Content selection and organisation

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice