Dear All,
I hope your Thanksgiving was all that you wanted it to be. It is not a celebration
we have here in
Australia but maybe we should have, just so we can recognise our blessings.
A group that I am a part of is about to apply to our education authority for a
significant amount of
money to promote Gifted & Talented Education in our district (33 schools and about
20% of the
student population in the ACT). The proposals put forward so far are
1. A conference (possibly in school time) with a guest speaker and concurrent and
consecutive
workshops which may attract 10% of the teachers in the district. This would cost
about $10 000.
2. The appointment of up to three "coaches" (one for K-5; 6 -8; and 9-12) who would
work with a
small group of teachers in each school, probably for one day a week for 10 weeks.
This would cost
about $30 000 per coach.)
3. An on-going teacher mentor program that would cover the release of regular
classroom teachers
($300/ day) to visit, work with and be mentored by other classroom teachers in the
district who
already demonstrate best practice teaching of G. & T. kids in whatever model. For
one teacher for
one day a week, this would be $3000 and the total cost would depend on the numbers
involved.
It is my understanding that the outcomes should be
1. The establishment of a sustainable and successful program for G. & T. students
within the school,
that will continue even if the main driver of the program moves on. I believe this
would best be
achieved by building a solid base of knowledge and understanding at the
classroom-teacher level, so
teachers have ownership and the program is driven from the bottom-up not top-down
by someone's
passion.
2. An understanding of what is happening in our schools both across the sectors (as
in what other
primary schools are doing) as well as vertically (as in what opportunities students
will have when
they move to high school and college)
3. A greater awareness of the needs of G. & T. students and an acceptance that it
is not elitist
(therefore un-Australian) to meet their needs within regular school programs or to
provide special
assistance for them.
4. Acceptance and implementation of pedagogies that will meet the needs of these
students within
our classrooms.
Being the person I am, and committed to evidence-based practice, I am trying to
gather evidence
about which of these three models might help us achieve our goals most effectively
and efficiently.
Has anyone done any research that identifies the long-term effects of professional
learning
strategies and which one actually delivers long-term change?
If you can guide me to any online papers that I could forward to the committee
members (all of whom
are much grander and wiser than me) that would help them decide which option would
be the most
effective and which they could, through citing the evidence, demonstrate that it is
the best model
when they write their grant application, I would be most grateful.
It would also help boost the potential of the teacher-librarian in these sorts of
forums, often
peopled by those who are not aware of what we can provide. (I guess a little
evidence-based
evidence on my own behalf.)
I know you won't let me down - and of course, I will post a hit.
Barbara
Barbara Braxton
Teacher Librarian
Palmerston District Primary School
PALMERSTON ACT 2913
AUSTRALIA
T. 61 2 6205 6162
F. 61 2 6205 7242
E. barbara@iimetro.com.au
W. http://www.palmdps.act.edu.au
"Together we learn from each other."
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