Professional+Readings

Research that underpins why Communities of Practice are an effective way for teachers to improve their practice  Has the Curriculum audit been useful for you? Please take the survey below.
 * DEECD Article || xx ||

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Survey Results: What did your colleagues think?

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What was the purpose of the Curriculum Audit and what will be done with the results?

1. Best practices about teaching and learning 2. A candid clarification of their current practices (teachers assess the audit themselves and make recommendations for improving) 3. An honest assessment of their students’ current levels of learning (p. 24 DuFour) || Audit is a gap analysis that needs to be followed by a clear action plan- What are the standards and how will they be met? || Diagnose what is happening in your organization (heifitz, p.6) ||  || “engage people in distinguishing what is essential to preserve from their organization’s heritage from what is expendable” (Heifitz, p. 15) || “Create the conditions for perpetual learning. This creates an environment in which innovation and experimentation are viewed not as tasks to be accomplished or projects to be completed but as ways of conducting day-to day business- forever.” “participation in this process is not reserved for those designated as leaders; instead, it is a responsibility of every member of the organization” (DuFour, p.25) || References: DuFour, R. DuFour. R, and Eaker, B. (2009) New Insights into Professional Learning Communities at work Heifitz, R., Grashow, A. And Linsky, M. (2009) The Practice of adaptive Leadership
 * Benefits of audit || What to include in audit? Identification (the what) || What does the audit reveal? Interpretative (the why) || What to do with data from audit? =Interventions (the what next) = ||
 * Can identify teachers who work in isolation || Evidence of high quality formative and summative common assessment tasks || Collective inquiry into
 * Can identify teams that teachers work in that directly impacts on what happens in the classroom ||  || Need shared language- the same words have the same meaning for everyone || Structures that support collaboration on high quality formative and summative common assessment tasks. ||
 * “Organizational theorists advise that a key to improving any organization is honestly assessing the current reality and confronting the hard facts.” (p29 Dufour)
 * Clarify exactly what each student must learn (DuFour, p.26) ||  || Point out contradictions between what people say they value and what they actually value. Heifitz, p.26 || Align organizational practices or individual actions with the expressed purpose and priorities. (p.32 DuFour) ||
 * Change the focus from what is taught to what is learned (duFour, p.27) ||  || differentiate the technical challenges from the adaptive challenges. Heifitz, p.28 || “take the best from its traditions, identity and history into the future” Heifitz, p.23 ||
 * May reveal the “value in practice” Who gains from the current system and who stands to lose if things change? Heifitz, p.18 ||  ||   || How are the organizations culture and structure affecting people’s behaviour. Heifitz p.33 ||