National Networking Hui - Session 1 #NNH

Building Leadership Capacity and Commitment

Tasman School Nelson Moutere Hills Network

Presenters: Pip Wells and Justin Neal

Consists of: Tasman School, Upper Motutere School, Mahana School, Ngatimoti School, Tasman Bay Christian School

This whakataukī may resonate with those establishing and developing and nurturing networks:

 'Kaua te toka e haere ki te paua. Ka haere te paua ki te toka'

The rock cannot go to the paua. The paua must go to the rock.

When in rural settings, with small schools, we wanted to increase and empower the teachers, providing opportunities to develop - central, connecting regularly, a go to person, sets up fantastic talking networks. Research based on why people set up groups - social, building relationships, now build coherence, same year levels, for both teachers and students. Coming together two to three times a year. External providers to facilitate this. 

"Management Led, Player Driven"

Pedagogy is specific to whatever your focusing. Also, teachers as students, 

Consistency of practice, within school, plus network/cluster. Students need consistency too - created rubrics, co constructed with students/teachers. For example: Building on this for writing with: "wordy worm", "punctuation panda"

Ownership of the process - moderation, building trust, challenging, honesty, and sometimes uncomfortable at times. Over time, sense of responsibility with other schools. Although the schools are competing for the same students, the modelling and networking has been powerful.

  

Teacher PLG - clear focus on improvement, using Timperley's Spiral of Inquiry. Building the leadership, once per term on a Tuesday afternoon, across the cluster. Building consistency, protocols established. Obligated to attend, work as their PLD.

Student PLG - Building on the teacher PLG model, making it fun, providing activities, students meeting up with others, use the rubric, and discuss. What works for us, will probably work for our students. (BES links here). Students would take their work (less than a page), 4 -5 in the group, they would give feedback. These were targetted for priority students.

Always bringing it back to the students, sharing the data across the cluster, crunching together, sharing with the students.

Clear and tight leadership in this cluster - common, consistent shared vision for learning - from each other, together.