TROPIC in the dust

Last week I conducted observations and had conversations with teachers in Mount Isa and Normanton. Settings included classrooms, computer room, workshop and construction site. Vocational areas included electrical, construction, business/IT and diesel fitting.

There are some great things happening out there. Employment is booming with the mining, and TAFE and the mine have a good partnership going fast tracking apprentices in a range of areas. At the same time there are some challenges with persistent unemployment, disengaged youth and diverse communities. My overall impression was that teachers adapt their teaching styles well to meet the different needs of their client groups, and that they work hard to continually improve their teaching skills. Certainly I found that many teachers were prepared to invite me to observe and/or to engage in conversation with them about improving teaching practice.

I enjoyed my time there and found my conversations with teachers to be very rewarding. I certainly learned a lot.

A few random observations:

• teachers using students' names frequently - helps to maintain rapport and also to ensure that all students are called on to contribute - helps to maintain engagement too, as students need to be ready to be called on!
• a self-assessment checklist can be a very effective way of summarising learning, especially in a self-paced learning environment
• drawing on students' workplace and real-world knowledge is a good way of activating learning - but this can be difficult with younger learners who have more limited experience. One possible approach is to frame their learning with an initial attention-establisher, for example with WH&S to use a 'gory story' about workplace accidents to spark their interest...