Reflecting on ‘Teachers as Designers of Learning'. CEASA Spotlight Seminar - 22nd Feb 2012.

1. REFLECTING ON ‘TEACHERS
AS DESIGNERS OF LEARNING’
CEASA Spotlight Series 2012

2. Current contexts
 Australian curriculum
 New SACE
 AITSL and national standards
 NAPLAN and standardised testing
 Gonski report/Gratton report etc
 International comparisons
 Complexity of learners and learning contexts
 Teacher wellbeing and workforce issues
 New (state) minister of education

3. Teacher knowledge
 Content knowledge
 Pedagogical knowledge
 Pedagogical content knowledge
 Knowledge of self as teacher and learner
 Knowledge of learners and school communities
 Knowledge of working with others

4. ‘Designing’ learning
 Planned
 Purposeful
 Context specific
 Dynamic and responsive to need
 Evidence and experience (practice) based
 Inquiry and research based
 Manageable, resourced and supported

5. Valuing teachers
 To prepare and implement designed learning
 Trusting teacher judgement, expertise and
professionalism
 Providing professional learning opportunities,
pedagogical tools, time and contexts/situations for
ongoing learning and implementation of learning
 Support through wider networks

6. Networks of support
 Australian Government
 MCEECDYA, DEEWR, AITSL
 Jurisdictions/sectors
 DECD, AISSA, CESA
 Professional associations
 Common interests and needs
 Support, resourcing and learning opportunities
 Faculties, schools and school hub groups
 Local, context specific support
 APTA and CEASA
 Collective grouping of teacher associations to represent teacher
voices and facilitate action, including professional learning
 ‘Brokering’ negotiations and representation with other networks

7. Focus on jurisdictions/sectors
 What approaches did each have to support
teachers to be designers of learning? What issues
were prioritised by each?
 What the research tells us
 Pedagogical tools and practices (e.g. TfEL)
 Dedicated Australian Curriculum PL
 Dedicated National Standards focus
 Establishing partnerships of practice
 What cross-sectorial benefits were there?
 Shared knowledge, experience and resources

8. Collaboration
 Teachers on own pursuing PL, working with issues,
working with ‘tools’ can make small gains
 Teachers working together make larger gains
 Teachers working together and with sectors and
associations make larger gains
 Compounded benefits of wider collaboration,
across and between networks, including sectors,
schools, professional associations, CEASA, teacher
educators and researchers, etc

9. Teachers as designers of learning
 Valued, competent and confident
 Engaged in collegial sharing, networking and
collaboration
 Betterlearning outcomes
 Improved teacher (and learner) wellbeing
 Enhancement and sustainability of teaching profession