A lot has happened in the last month or so.
We are about to embark on an action research project that will be led by Jo Balatti and will involve the TROPIC Leaders from TNQT, WBIT and SQIT. Our first meeting is scheduled for the end of next week. The main aims of the project are to enhance the effectiveness of TROPIC in the 3 institutes, and to build the Leadership team's skills in organisational change, evaluation and action research.
Week after next Peter and I are meeting with SkillsTech management to plan implementation of TROPIC there. We should know by the end of the month if we are successful with our Reframing the Future proposals - but I guess we will proceed regardless. They are talking about training 140 teachers this year!
Last week I attended the regional institutes directors forum in Mackay with Jo Pyne. I gave a presentation about TROPIC and asked for discussion about some possible models Jason had drafted, for commercialisation. We agreed that I will link in with the regional institutes PD network chaired by John Elich. The overall aim being (as I understand it) revenue for TNQT in the short to medium term and long-term buy-in from the regional institutes with a goal of building capacity to implement TROPIC across the Queensland VET system. Peter's area will continue to support continuous improvement of the program through the action research project and formalisation of the training program.
Angela has been working on a framework for the program which 'chunks' the training and provides more capacity for current or future Leaders to conduct the training. We're not looking at accreditation but possibly at recognition. What I'd like to see is different levels of benchmarks set for network members, Mentors and Leaders/Facilitators.
Phil and I have had some discussions about promoting more TROPIC activity within TNQT. We have scheduled a lunch meeting next Monday and Phil has invited Mentors to observe his teaching sessions with the School Tech students the following day.
And linking all these elements together, Jason has drafted a strategic plan. Next step is to get together with Jo to discuss before presenting it to other stakeholders.
I'll try to remember to update more frequently.
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3 comments:
I recently approached five teachers in my network about TROPIC observations. Only one teacher was keen to learn about improving quality (next semester!). Two others agreed just to appease me (again, next semester!). The fourth teacher was unsure about having me in his class. The fifth teacher was hostile and suspicious. I'd welcome top-level support for the program, and will await approaches from teachers.
Good on you for making the effort Simon. At least one teacher was keen! I know a lot of teachers are suspicious, hostile, or apathetic. I guess all we can do is: work with the ones who are keen; model being open to change and improvement; engage with teachers to find out why they are suspicious/hostile; and incrementally change the culture so that observation and sharing/coaching/mentoring become a normal part of teaching practice.
Today I carried out my first TROPIC observation. I thought I'd be a bit rusty because two months have passed since our workshop in February this year, but I had no trouble filling in the observation sheets.
I really appreciated the opportunity given to me by the teacher under observation. I never usually get to see other teachers teaching, especially at a forty-five minute stretch. I found myself actively looking for the microskills that were being demonstrated.
The situation was quite stress free, given that ten students were busily carrying out practical activities in a small workshop area. The teacher ackowledged my presence at the start of the lesson, and the students hardly seemed to notice me after that.
Tomorrow, I shall return for a debriefing session with the teacher so we can discuss the observation.
It was a positive experience not only for both of us, but also for the other teachers in the team. They expressed interest in the program, and I'm hoping that more observing opportunities will arise. I'm also hoping that teachers will reciprocate in my class setting one day.
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