This week’s provocation at Hobsonville Point Secondary School was Grant Lichtman’s Deeper Learning Cheat Sheet. To follow up on this our Learning Design Kitchen Table (20 minute staff ‘meeting’) was an activity based upon that reading.
We started off by looking again at the tips that Grant has disseminated for increasing student engagement, curiosity and student centred practice.
Many of these strategies are commonplace and found every day throughout our school. But we recognise that we can always improve our practice. So, we focused on how we can scale up or amplify our practice on these. Each staff member was given an A3 sheet of paper and asked to write down the following:
- 2 aspects you will develop and put into practice in the next 2 weeks
- Why these 2 aspects?
- How you envision this to look in your class
This left us about 10 minutes to get feedback and discussion on these. I thought it was important that the feedback came from outside each teacher’s normal day to day circle. So staff had to pair up with a colleague who was not in the same learning community, not in a team of any sort with (leadership etc.) and not someone that they are coteaching or working on a project with. We all then had to give feedback using at least 2 of “I like…” “I wish…” or “I wonder…”.
The room was buzzing over the next 10 minutes as staff discussed how they were going to implement these strategies and received feedback from a colleague. Looking forward to the Kitchen Table session in 2 weeks time when we feedback on our progress on these!
Steve Mouldey 
Thanks for sharing Steve. This is a great way of enabling staff to engage with the ‘Deeper Learning’ strategies. Makes it really manageable that they only have to consider two aspects, but they have the opportunity to look at them in depth as they apply to their own teaching practice, and then hear from others how they have done the same.
Thanks Celia. The focus was definitely on getting staff to engage and then set up to apply. 2 week timeframe allows us to try it out before a follow up discussion as well. The article is a great conversation starter
Thanks for sharing Steve – a good read. Sounds like you have PLTs working well. One of the secrets to a moving school.
Reblogged this on Create Great Schools and commented:
Deeper Learning……Increasing Student Engagement……..I Like….I Wish…..I Wonder…….
More evidence coming out of the recent ULearn PLN held recently in NZ where educators are sharing best practice around student centred learning.
What was shared? What is happening in schools across the globe especially to Aust, NZ educators? How does best practice look?
I love how you don’t have to attend these conferences in person but can learn so much “more” in one sense after the event by reading all the posts. Here is a great one from Steve Mouldy who gives us a glimpse inside his school and how teachers are working in TEAMS to share practice, discuss ideas, and solve problems no doubt. His reflection comes after hearing from Grant Lichtman’s work at the conference.
I love the “Kitchen Table” concept and teachers sitting around a table talking. Another way of reworking the staffroom and staff meeting concept.
Plenty of food for thought here.
Many thanks for sharing Steve.