In schools, and across school systems more broadly, knowledge sharing between highly experienced educators and principals can have a transformative effect when that wisdom is put into practice back in the classroom.
At one Catholic girls’ school in Sydney, this practice is happening on a more local, albeit still very impactful, level by improving both their professional learning and overall wellbeing.
The ‘Open Learning Circle’ program (OLC) – a unique fortnightly forum for teachers at Loreto Normanhurst – involves professional learning groups, each made up of between five to eight teaching staff, who focus on an aspect of pedagogy each school term. Focal areas include deep learning, leveraging digital technologies, and social-emotional learning.
Since the program was launched last year, it has provided teachers with a holistic peer support group and a forum to engage in pedagogical creative thinking, and has proved highly effective in improving staff wellbeing across the school.
According to the school’s internal statistics, the program has made the learning experiences of 85% of the school’s teachers ‘more meaningful’, with 95% enjoying the refreshingly collaborative approach.
‘A dynamic exchange of ideas’
Simone Bryant, Head of Science at Loreto Normanhurst, said participating in the OLC program has greatly enhanced her professional learning.
“Working with teachers from various faculties has provided diverse perspectives and innovative solutions, which have benefited both student well-being and learning activities,” Bryant told The Educator.
“The whole-school approach allows us to address relevant issues promptly through regular troubleshooting sessions and peer advice. Our fortnightly meetings keep me accountable, focused and committed to my learning and planning goals.”
Additionally, said Bryant, the OLC encourages her to experiment with new strategies and technologies, giving her hands-on opportunities to explore and implement new apps.
“This dynamic exchange of ideas and practices has enriched my teaching methods and ultimately supported better student achievement.”
Motivating teachers to challenge the status-quo
Science Teacher Livinia Coombes said the OLC has challenged her teaching practices even though she has been teaching for 22 years.
“The cross curricular manner of the groups and the placement of staff with various levels of experience in teaching both within the College and in other contexts provides a level of depth that would not be able to be achieved if the groups were siloed based on faculties,” she said.
“The program allows for a level of discussion that facilitates the participation of all members of the group and draws on the latest research and the teachers personal experience.”
Coombes said it has also been rewarding to see what younger teachers are trialling.
“This is enhancing my desire to contest the status quo that can slip in after years of teaching and often is giving me motivation to question ‘If not now, when?’,” she said, adding a further benefit of the OLC is the development of social connections between staff.
“I have found that this has created an open dialogue between faculties that has helped me develop skills way beyond the scope of the program.”
Leveraging data for impact – collaboratively
Monica Boardman, Head of Visual Arts, said she particularly valued the data sessions of Term 2 this year.
“Using data to understand student learning has significantly improved outcomes for Visual Arts students,” Boardman said. “By analysing performance metrics, educators can identify areas where students struggle and tailor instruction through differentiation.”
Boardman noted that whilst teachers use differentiation in every Visual Arts class, collegial discussions in the OLC group across several subject areas gave breadth to the ways this can be formulated.
“During the OLC sessions we discussed the benefits to track progress over time enables educators to adjust curricula to better meet the needs of their students,” she said.
Boardman said the discussions were honest and relevant to the school’s context.
“It was a real luxury to sit with colleagues and have both blue sky dreaming and reality checks in exploring the benefits of leveraging data,” she said.
“This fosters a more responsive and effective learning environment, leading to enhanced student engagement and improved outcomes.”