Tag: Andrea Stringer

Replied to Loosening the Shackles: Empowering Growth and Innovation (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

After the demanding requirements of finishing my doctoral thesis, the mere thought of delving into another scholarly endeavour feels drainin…

School leaders must be empowered to take the reins and drive meaningful change in the realm of PL. They need the autonomy to design PL experiences that are tailored to the unique needs and context of their school community. This may involve fostering a culture of collaboration, leveraging technology to facilitate ongoing learning, or creating opportunities for job-embedded coaching and mentorship. Furthermore, school leaders require the support and resources necessary to bring their vision for PL to life. This may entail investing in PL opportunities for staff, providing time and space for collaborative enquiry and reflection, or partnering with external organisations to access expertise and resources. The success of any educational initiative hinges on the commitment and vision of its leaders. By empowering school leaders and leadership teams with the autonomy, time, and support needed to reimagine school-embedded PL, we can unlock the full potential of our educators.

Source: Loosening the Shackles: Empowering Growth and Innovation by Andrea Stringer

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I read this piece a few weeks ago Andrea and it has really stayed with me.

Firstly, I feel I can relate to your point about once having a window into school via social media and blogs. However, my lack of investment in social media and the changes in that space have left me feeling far less connected. Sometimes I feel like a species caught on the wrong side of continental drift.

On your second point about leaders adapting PL to the needs and context of their school, I recently read Joel Selwood’s autobiography and he discussed the way in which he needed to transition how he lead to accommodate the needs of different group of players:

I was finding it difficult managing the transition from being part of a tough and tight premiership-winning group to needing to teach an emerging group often struggling to find what was right for them. Connecting with people inside and outside the club required more of my energy, and the standards I set for myself were not always met by others.
…
Although my relationships with teammates were strong enough to avoid animosity, I began to sense I needed to adapt, or my message would stop resonating. What underpinned success for me was not necessarily the same as what drove others, and I was beginning to have conversations with people inside the club about how I could be a better leader.
[Brian Cook] wanted me to develop what he labelled ‘influential skills’ on top of my ‘lead by example’ policy. He could see the young players on our list requiring more of everyone’s time.

Source: All In by Joel Selwood

Although this seems logical when you think about it, I had not considered the fact that the conditions that foster success at one point in time may not foster the same success at another point in time. I guess this comes back to your point about identity and change over time. What was intriguing was the team that he had around him to support this change, whether it be trusted teammates, ex-captain Cameron Ling, club CEO Brian Cook and psychologist Anna Box. Throughout the book, I was continually reminded that it success in any field really does take a village, I just wonder if we always provide the resources to build such a village? Instead, it can be easier to provide the answer or automate a solution, rather than invest in autonomy and self-determination.

Liked My 100th blogpost in 10 years. (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

Today is a significant milestone as I celebrate my 100th blog post! Looking back to where it all began a decade ago, with the encouragement …

Identity isn’t static; it’s a complex tapestry woven from personal and professional experiences, qualifications, personality traits, and values. Context and role responsibilities also play a significant role in shaping who we are. As I’ve navigated through different experiences and contexts over the years, I’ve watched my identity shift and evolve like a chameleon adapting to its surroundings. Change is inevitable, and it’s only natural that our identities evolve along with us.

Source: My 100th blogpost in 10 years by Andrea Stringer

Bookmarked “Let Them Leave Well” (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

Unfortunately, principals and leaders have limited options, but one thing they can do is guarantee that the classroom door remains ajar by ensuring effective teachers “leave well.” Leaving is not necessarily a reflection of the family or school environment; sometimes it is a result of certain circumstances or the need for independence, wellbeing, or personal growth. If they leave on a positive note, they may be enticed to return to the classroom or the school in the future.

 

Inspired by an ACEL presentation, “A synthesized model of teacher turnover” by Dr Hugh Gundlach, Andrea Stringer shares her thoughts on teacher retention. Gundlach and Gavin Slemp spent four years working on a meta-analysis on teacher turnover. One of the key take-aways is addressing those things that are within a school’s control by letting those who leave leave well. Associated with this, to help principals to better understand the situation, Gundlach provides some questions to consider in reflection:

  1. Was the teacher’s departure voluntary?
  2. Is the teacher’s departure a loss for the school?
  3. Could the school have done anything to prevent the departure?

Definitely food for thought.

Replied to

Andrea, Adam Grant’s discussion of care and ‘feeling joy of progress’ reminds me of Dave Cormier’s post about ‘care’ as learning’s first principle.

Once we jointly answer questions like “why would people care about this” and “how does this support people starting to care about this for the first time” and “will this stop people who care now from caring”, we have a place to work from.

I’m in this business because i think i might be able to help, here and there, with trying to build a culture of thinkers.

Replied to A Work In Progress (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

Meeting wonderful people is luck; keeping them in your life takes thought, care, forgiveness and devotion. Friendship is an art and a gift, and some people are brilliant at it. (Julia Baird, Phosphorescence, p. 154).

So true! One element I would add is effort. The year of 2020 has provided the opportunity to strengthen wonderful friendships, ignite those just forming, and develop new ones. Whether through a brief text, a phone call, a Bitmoji message, or a parcel sent overseas, friendship requires effort. Baird suggests to be purposeful regarding friendships. Acquaintances becomes friends with consistent effort and care. Value your friendships, irrespective of the effort being reciprocated. Meeting, conversing and connecting with people, simply fills my bucket. An introvert, I am not.

I have been thinking a lot about Baird’s statement on friendship since you posted it on Twitter. I feel I too often overlook the importance of the small stuff.
Replied to

Do you mean someone that you have not had the chance to meet IRL before?
Replied to Caution: Collaboration & Competition (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

Here are some wonderings…
To increase the level of professionalism, could we increase all teachers award salary?
If teachers become instructional leaders, why not simply decrease their teaching load? 
If we want to create a collaborative and authentic partnership approach to professional learning, we need to have a balance of power.
If we want teachers to develop professionally and instructional specialists are the answer, we must be careful that they are not used as performance managers.

Great reflection Andrea. Building collaborative teams is hard enough, adding competition into the mix never helps in creating the culture required.

I remember having a ‘build it and they will come‘ approach to collaboration. However, my experience since is that there are many nuances to creating a collaborative environment.

Replied to Rose-coloured glasses (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

Having a glass half full outlook or looking on the bright side is typically my approach to life and I believe I’m quite optimistic. However, I have had my rose-coloured glasses shattered a few times and you may be surprised to learn that I think this is a good thing. Glass shatters is that moment of realisation that changes your perception on something or someone. You’ve developed a new awareness; one that can’t be unseen. I’ve included a clip from How I Met Your Mother to explain further.

I think that the hardest thing to do at times is to own our experiences, because it is how we got to now. This includes the moments of shattered glass. It just feels like that is sometimes easier than others. You might be interested in a recent episode of Future Tense, which dives into our tendency for pessimism.
Liked Informed, Innovative, Empowered & Successful (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

Greg mentioned that some of the teachers have always been coached, as coaching has been embedded within school for over 5 years. To support teachers’ professional growth, coaching is their way of being. Greg provided me with his school ‘Evidence Book’, which had ‘Informed, Innovative, Empowered & Successful’ on the cover. I commented that this could apply to the teachers at Blairmount too. He replied, ‘and our parents too’.p

Replied to “Thinking about your life journey, who are the people who have inspired you?” (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

So, when asked this question about ‘who are the people who have inspired you?’, I decided not to list those people (or name drop) but to describe the characteristics of those who inspire me and who I aspire to be.

  • Successful without sacrificing integrity
  • Place people before profit
  • Generous with their time
  • Build relationships & connections (established & new)
  • Listen to understand, not to respond.
  • It’s not always about what you can do for them.
  • Genuine & Authentic. How they act in public is who they are.
This is such a nice reflection. It has me wondering what characteristics would make up my list and how I myself might stack up against all of this.
Replied to Killing Two Birds with One Stone (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

Taking into account individual contexts, schools and leaders must determine the purpose of professional learning plans. Blurring the lines only causes confusion and ambiguity. Problems arise when we try and kill two birds with one stone.

This is a great post Andrea. I always found it awkward to say the least to have a coaching conversation with the same person who I set my SMART goals with. Even worse when we were all encouraged to focus on the same goals to make the process easier.
Liked Time for Teachers – A response (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

If policies such as accreditation demand new mandates, then time provisions need to be equitable and sustainable, but most importantly, mandated. To influence teacher retention in a positive way, all policies must consider teachers’ high workload and support teachers with mandated time allocation to create more work-life balance.

Andrea Stringer’s response to a post in The Conversation: Six ways to support new teachers to stay in the profession.
Replied to Balancing Professional Responsibility & Accountability (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

Being linked to a salary increase, teachers and their supervisors experience an amplified workload and additional pressure. Does the outcome justify the time and effort required? If the outcome or focus is on professional growth, coaching, especially in a teacher’s first five years of teaching, could be more effective than this documented accreditation process. Coaching may also support teacher wellbeing and ultimately influence teacher retention.

The question of professionalism and accountability is such an interesting topic Andrea. I remember writing about this a few years ago in response to the question of performance pay. It feels like it is a misreading of trust and coaching.
Replied to I Have Time for You. by Andrea Stringer (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

Your actions should be authentic and your interest should be genuine. Surround yourself with people who are supportive, not sycophantic. Invest in your friendships but be cautiously selective, as it is a two-way street.

I have found myself writing letters personally thinking colleagues who have left this year. However, you really have me wonder whether that is in fact too late?

Here I am reminded of Matt Esterman’s challenge
(https://medium.com/@matt_esterman/of-giants-and-wisdom-f2b7a71eb35b) in receiving the Dr Brock Award:

“We all stand on the shoulder of giants, even when they’re seated. Even when they’re no longer with us.

I challenge you in the next week to identify someone who has had a positive influence on you, who has coached you, mentored you, challenged you, scared you, into being a better version of you. Find them. Thank them.”

I wonder what it is that holds us back? Is it fear? Career progression? Has me thinking, but maybe I’ll just start by saying thank you.

Replied to Knowing Me, Knowing You. (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

If we accept that Collaboration is complex, why do we assume all teachers will collaborate because research says it is effective?

I really like your point about subtly enforced collaboration. It can be so easy to say ‘let’s all collaborate’. The problem I have found is that unless people see where they fit in with it or benefit then it can really flop. I have written about this more here.

Originally published on Read Write Collect

Replied to Pedagogical Activist (andreastringer.blogspot.com)

One person, one political party, one organisation cannot
design a dynamic learning culture; it needs to be a collective effort. A
collective review and renewal of our curriculum and assessment practises to
allow organisations/schools to design, facilitate and lead dynamic learning
opportunities for our students. Students, teachers and educational leaders need
to have more influence and be more involved in the decision-making process. As the tweets and analogies above highlight, maybe it’s time we rethink
education in Australia.

  • What isn’t working in our context?
  • What is working well and how do we know this?
  • What can we learn from research, data and evidence?
  • What can we learn from other countries and contexts?
  • How could we adapt what we learn from others for our context? (not replicate)
  • How can we give all stakeholders a voice in the decision making process?
  • How can we promote and recognise educators as the ‘professionals’?
  • Who is prepared to take a risk for our students’ education?
  • What should we drop, retain or introduce?
I love the statement:

Let’s be pedagogical activists.

In part, this reminds me of a recent post I read about relationships and pedagogical love. I feel that we need to be committed to ongoing development, adjusting to the needs of the class and context at hand.