Pulling No Punches:Change Management at Oakhill

College

Shani Hartley

Melissa Carson

Who are we? The Innovative Learning Team

Image source:Oakhill ILT

Background – Oakhill College

Image source:Oakhill Website http://oakhill.nsw.edu.au/pages/default.aspx?pid=5

The Report - ICT and Active Learning

Image source:Oakhill ILT (Glen Waverley Secondary College)

Interviewing ex-students

Video source:Oakhill ILT

Report findings

For learning to occur in a deep and meaningful way there needed to be a pedagogical shift by teachers to incorporate:

•the demands of a technology rich world•a reduction of the delivery of content and an increase in concept based, skill driven student activity

•authentic learning embedded in real-world connections

•integration of subjects •assessment tasks less about knowledge/content and more about active learning

Image source:Oakhill ILT

The origin of REAL

One of the main aims of REAL was to disrupt the majority of teachers out of their comfort zone of maintaining control from the front of the room so they could learn to have the courage to relinquish some of that control, thereby allowing students to take more responsibility for their own learning.

Image source:http://winehouse.com.au/categories.asp?cID=1371&cN=Rockford%20Basket%20Press&c=165329

The aims

● Promote critical thinking by incorporating student centred learning

● Support student engagement with relevant resources, tools, learning outcomes and a positive, appealing working environment that offers variety in learning opportunities in flexible learning spaces

● Showcase and support teacher development by facilitating a concentrated approach to best-practice in the classroom, allowing for collaborative teaching, transparent processes and communication, reflective professional dialogue and personalised professional development

The aims continued

● Design, a cohesive, strategic Year 7 Curriculum underpinned by UbD, centred around transference of skills and concepts linked to the Australian Curriculum General Capabilities using a matrix

● Facilitate open communication between all stakeholders in the educational process, students, staff, parents via a virtual environment offering continuous online access to curriculum documents and student work

● Track student development in a longitudinal study

The aims continued

• Truly differentiate the curriculum by supporting students with special needs directly, as well as extending the gifted and talented through access to project based learning opportunities and connections to tertiary institutions and global partners

“If you build it…” Field Of Dreams (1989)

Image source:http://www.into-the-dark.com/film-review-field-of-dreams-1989/

The birth of REAL

• Leadership clearly articulate and model pedagogical goals

• Grassroots implementation of pedagogical change

• Transparency for all stakeholders through technology

• Professional development for teachersImage source:Oakhill REAL Website http://real.oakhill.nsw.edu.au/

GOALS

The Technology

Image source:Oakhill ILT

Disruption

One of the main aims of REAL was to disrupt the majority of teachers out of their comfort zone of maintaining control from the front of the room so they could learn to have the courage to relinquish some of that control, thereby allowing students to take more responsibility for their own learning. Image source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vujraZVYrzU

DIY Research

Image source:http://www.incrowdnow.com/2013/07/3-benefits-of-do-it-yourself-research/

● GOAL: Longitudinal Study● Discussions with universities

for help with research failed● DIY ‘Active Research’● Lacks rigour and in-depth

statistical analysis● Nevertheless, provides useful

feedback

Observations

1.Timing of direct instruction versus student-centred activity.

2.Students each lesson asked three questions: What are you learning about this lesson (what is the big

idea?) What do you understand about this task/topic/activity

OR tell me what you understand about this What task are you doing now?

3. Teacher feedback (instruction coach role)Image source:http://www.psychology4a.com/science%208.htm

Survey of teachers

● I have never seen so much authentic collaboration in the classroom

● It has forced more reflective practice and a re-think of pedagogy

● I am more conscious of the amount of "teacher talk" and teacher centred activities in the classroom and make more of an effort to minimise these in favour of a student centred approach

● The opportunity to see how others are working in my own and other [faculties] provides chances to reflect on my professional practice

● I like the fact that as a department head, we as a group have had to have some real discussion and forethought about our programs, assessment and teaching practice.

Survey of teachers

● Finding new ways of connecting with and engaging with students - lessons have become more interactive and dynamic. Finding myself taking this into other grades (with varying degrees of success)

● Programmes are substantially more coherent and purposeful

● A more thoughtful process in designing and delivering lessons

● a) Planning the lessons pretty much one by one, and preparing resources, knowing students and their parents will be accessing this material and plan, has made me think more specifically than abstractly. b) I have learned more ways to use Google Docs. c) I have had to 'let go' to some extent of controlling and 'drip feeding' every step of student progress as students have access to material to keep going. Of course this is good because students can set their pace accordingly.

e-Portfolios

REAL program in action at its bestToday 18/6/14 we had a great practical example of the REAL program is action. In their PDHPE workbook p67-70 students have to do a group activity. We asked them to move into groups of 6 at their tables and before we could explain the activity, they were already assigning topics and starting the activity.We were trying to get them to stop and listen to an explanation….but they didn’t need it, so we shut up.Not one student asked a question or hesitated starting, they just worked it out. Halleluah!!Added bonus ….they are doing it correctly and collaboratively.We even have some mixed tables from the 2 classes.

Image source:http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/File:FAIL-Word-art-300x187.png

Except for Nickie:

In summary - leadership

Diagram created using Lucidchart. Image source:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:3D_Team_Leadership_Arrow_Concept.jpg

● GOAL: Clear message and modelling good practice by leadership

● REAL has the support of leadership

● Perception by teachers that REAL is not endorsed by the leaders

● Advantage: ownership

● Disadvantage: some teachers don’t see REAL as whole school philosophy and thus justify their resistance

In summary - grassroots

Image source:http://www.grassrootslawnandlandscaping.com/images/grassroots4.jpg

● GOAL: Tapping into grassroots innovative pedagogy

● REAL has created conversations about pedagogy

● Observable changes in teaching have occurred

● Survey results reveal teachers are changing their pedagogy

In summary - technology

Image source:Oakhill ILT

● GOAL: Transparency● Successful driver of change

through being held accountable by other stakeholders

● Successful driver of change through forcing teachers into an online environment

● Has made cross-curricular opportunities obvious

The future

Image source:http://www.annholm.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/road-sign_future.jpg

● 2015: Years 7 and 8 will be REAL

● 2016: Hope for whole school approach without REAL branding

● Improve our research methods

● Apply for a grant to fund further research

● Connect with other schools to be more collaborative

To finish...

REAL website: http://real.oakhill.nsw.edu.au/

Contact us

Melissa: mcarson@oakhill.nsw.edu.au @kookykevinc

Shani: shartley@oakhill.nsw.edu.au @shhartley

References

•ACARA. (2011). NAPLAN. http://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/naplan.html

•AITSL. (2012). Australian Charter for the Professional Learning of Teachers and School Leaders: A shared responsibility and commitment. http://www.aitsl.edu.au/professional-growth/australian-charter-for-the-professional-learning-of-teachers-and-school-leaders

•Armenakis, A. & Harris, S. (2009). Reflections: Our journey in organizational change research and practice. Journal of Change Management, 9 (2), pp.127-142

•Authentic Education. (2012). What is Understanding by Design? Retrieved from http://www.authenticeducation.org/ubd/ubd.lasso

•Baum, H. (2002). Why School Systems Resist Reform: A Psychoanalytic Perspective. Human Relations, 55(2), pp.173-198. DOI: 10.1177/0018726702055002182

•Bernhard, H. (1990). Managing for Change or Stability? Journal of Organizational Change Management, 3(3), pp.25-28. DOI: 10.1108/09534819010135344 

•Burnes, B. (2010). Call for Papers: Why Does Change Fail and What Can We Do About It?, Journal of Change Management, 10(2), pp.241-242 .

References

•Gurr, D. and Drysdale, L. (2012). Tensions and dilemmas in leading Australia's schools, School Leadership & Management: Formerly School Organisation, 32(5), pp.403-420, DOI: 10.1080/13632434.2012.723619

•Hartley, S., Carson, M., Cook, N. (2013). Dragging the Digital Chain: Planning the Pedagogical and Digital Direction of Oakhill College. ICERI2013 Proceedings, pp.6271-6279. Accessed from Proceedings CD:  http://library.iated.org/publications/ICERI2013

•Holmes K., Clement J. and Albright J. (2013). The complex task of leading educational change in schools, School Leadership & Management, 33(3), 270-283 DOI: 10.1080/13632434.2013.800477

•Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. 2008. Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. http://www.mceecdya.edu.au/mceecdya/melbourne_declaration,25979.html

•NSW Department of Education and Training. (2010). Action Research in Education Guidelines, 2nd Edition.  https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/proflearn/research/actres.htm

References

•Priestley, M., Edwards, R., Priestley, A, and Miller, K. (2012). Teacher Agency in Curriculum Making: Agents of Change and Spaces for Manoeuvre. Curriculum Inquiry 42(2), pp.191-213.

•Saka, A. (2003). Internal change agents’ view of the management of change problem. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 16(5), pp.480-496. DOI 10.1108/09534810310494892

•Saunders, R. (2013). The role of teacher emotions in change: Experiences, patterns and implications for professional development. Journal of Educational Change, 14(3), pp.303-333. DOI 10.1007/s10833-012-9195-0 

•Thursfield, D. (2008). Managers' learning in a UK local authority: The political context of an in-house MBA. Management Learning 39(3), pp.295-309. DOI:10.1177/1350507608090878