Ararat College

sky.lenny.s@edumail.vic.gov.au

 7-12 co-educational - 285 students (ICSEA: 928)

Central Highlands region of Victoria, approximately 100

kilometres west of Ballarat.

Almost exclusively English speaking backgrounds

High percentage of low socio-economic families
Bottom quarter
59%

Middle quarters
27%
12%

Top quarter
2%

 2006 Student Learning Needs - building on our

understanding of student learning difficulties, disability

and learning needs essentially acknowledging barriers to
learning for a range of students

2010 Consistent Approach To Student Management

coloured light warning system, series of escalating

consequences, student-teacher relationships, tighter
processes and clearer roles

 2006 Student Learning Needs - building on our understanding

of student learning difficulties, disability and learning needs

essentially acknowledging barriers to learning for a range of
students

2010 Consistent Approach To Student Management

coloured light warning system, series of escalating

consequences, student-teacher relationships, tighter processes
and clearer roles

2012 Consistent Approach to Classroom Teaching learning

intentions, success criteria, effective feedback, student selfassessment

2014 More rigorous use of Data PAT testing, closer analysis

of all of our data

 2006 Student Learning Needs - building on our understanding of

student learning difficulties, disability and learning needs

essentially acknowledging barriers to learning for a range of students

2010 Consistent Approach To Student Management coloured light

warning system, series of escalating consequences, student-teacher

relationships, tighter processes and clearer roles

2012 Consistent Approach to Classroom Teaching learning

intentions, success criteria, effective feedback, student selfassessment

2014 More rigorous use of Data PAT testing, closer analysis of all

of our data

2015 Curriculum documentation - Understanding By Design,

guaranteed and viable curriculum + PLTs - changed staff meeting

structures + Attendance focus

2016 Peer observations & Writing Across the Curriculum

 NAPLAN relative growth data

Teachers responses on the Genos survey (via Bastow course)
Any material which encourages teachers to discuss areas for

improvement. Having something visual to look at as a focus

or launch pad for discussion can stimulate discussion well,
like NAPLAN data, survey results
Start from a position of teachers are doing the best they can
with what they know.
Visits to schools with peer observation programs

PD PRESENTER: Kaye
Fletcher
Executive Director
Australian Centre for Effective
Partnerships (ACEP)
kfletcher@acep.net.au

 There are often genuine professional and personal

concerns about being observed by your colleagues.

Acknowledging those reasonable fears is vital.

 Under allotted teachers help cover

classes. Most teachers choose to do

observations during their non-teaching
periods.

Leading Teacher in charge of organising

and overseeing program

AP responsible for the covering of classes

(as Daily Org)

 SEMESTER 1: Mixed faculty triads (exception:

Maths wanted triad to focus on development

of new Maths Pathways program)

Three scheduled meetings a term: pre-

observation, post observation 1, post

observation 2

SEMESTER 2: Faculty-based groups of 2 to 5

Fortnightly meetings for pre-observation,

post-observation and skills training

 SEMESTER 1: We planned for teachers to be observed for TWO

FOCUS AREAS EACH TERM.

SEMESTER 2: We received feedback two focus areas was
+ Self-selected focus area
difficult. Term
Now1it Learning
is ONE Intentions
FOCUS AREA
Term 3
2

Self-selected
focus
area
Success Criteria
+ Self-selected
focus area

4
Term 3

Self-selected
focus area
Effective
Feedback
+ Self-selected focus area

Term 4

Student Self-Assessment + Self-selected focus

We provide a self-assessment
rubric that covers powerful
area

teaching and learning techniques from

School priorities (whole school approach to management and teaching)

Aitsl rubric
Hatties high effect size list

Pushing my students to think: to explain their answers in more detail, and to

allow time in class for students to do this. I think I will end up doing this one
on one during the lesson, and make time for a whole class review in the last
five minutes.

Students have been given the assignment sheet outlining

the learning goals and tasks they need to work through.
We have discussed success criteria for story writing as a
class a few weeks ago. Students are working on a range
of activities some writing their story drafts, others doing
comic strips, character traits tasks, setting description
tasks

You should observe me sitting with students, asking about their work
and using questions and discussion to draw out their explanations of
the relevant components of the success criteria of story writing: plot,
character development, setting description.
You should observe students explaining their understanding of the
elements.
You should observe me getting the classs attention in the last 5 minutes
to review important aspects of story writing.

Depending on the task the student is working on at the time:

Be able to explain elements of plot: exposition, complication, rising action,
climax, resolution
Be able to plan and write a story with the plot elements
Develop ability to describe the setting or bring characters to life.

 Describing without judgement

Framing feedback as a question to promote teacher reflection
Using evidence to support your observations (recording

student responses, teacher questions/comments)

Not giving advice.....

 Observed teachers must feel that they are in control

of the process and that it is for their learning.

The ideal is when the teacher:

identifies the focus for the observation
receives feedback related to the identified focus

has an opportunity to discuss the observational statements

is able to act on the feedback and adapt future teaching

 Start with a whole day PD

Make peer observation program part of an AP or LT role description. Larger school may

have multiple people.

Keep trying different combinations of teams, organising it until you find what is

sustainable. The composition of each team is important the people need to get to be
able to get along. You might need to make adjustments along the way, and youd be
lucky to get every team working well together!

Principals should find ongoing opportunities to mention peer observations. Leadership

need to present a united voice on key school priorities.

Consider having teams meet in the same large space as a means of having clear

expectations, guiding discussions to keep them on track, recording agreed dates for
observations, and establishing accountability.

Agree on team protocols early on.

Giving teachers time for the pre-observation conversation and the post-observation

conversation is important.

Get biannual feedback from teachers until you feel you have got the balance right.
Acknowledge the challenges and share the positives!

What new practice/strategy did you introduce/refine as a result of peer observations?

Differentiation in classes, and ensure students understand tasks via checking more

regularly

Seating plan
Use of learning intentions and how the success criteria needs to be accessible to students
Seeing younger teachers using ICT has inspired me to use more
Asking critical questions of my teaching rather than being closed-minded about classes

and student interactions

More conscious of handing out examples and rubrics for assessments prior to assessment

taking place

More aware of my classroom movements while delivering a lesson

Greater questioning of students to get beyond surface level responses and promote deeper

thinking

More of a focus on recapping the learning from the previous lesson

 REMEMBER for learning to improve, changes need

to happen at the instructional core:

What the teacher does

How the students engage

The quality of the learning tasks
Peer Observations is a collaborative team-oriented approach

that targets the instructional core.

When structures - like peer observation teams - are in

place then you have a flexible, adaptive and
collaborative school culture that allow those at the
coal-face to respond quickly to needs and
opportunities at the classroom level.
Thank you.