Module "T": Taking initiative

Communicating effectively
Communication skills I think are important for teachers.
 · Listening
 Being assertive
 Being empathetic
 Working through problems calmly

My thoughts on ""I thought this was my room…""

 Write a list of the things from most important to least important.
 Plan out your time.
 If you cannot fit in all the extra tasks, take on those you can and politely explain it is not possible
to take on the others

Communication skills I think are important for teachers.

 Listening- when you are unsure and to be respectful
 Assertiveness- when others are overstepping and to take control of a situation
 Compromise- find something that works for everyone
 Politeness- to be used at all time

Tips
 "Give your full attention to the speaker, their body language, and other nonverbal cues.
Have a clear mind and remove potential distractions (emails, mobile devices) so you don’t miss
nonverbal cues in the conversation.
Stay focused throughout the conversation and repeat key points in your head to discuss later.
Paraphrasing is a useful strategy that enables you to show interest in what is being shared as
well as helping you retain information."
 "Speak clearly and confidently."

What do the experts say?

 "In terms of teacher wellbeing and resilience, being able to set and sustain boundaries is a
valuable skill. Ferguson (2008) states that setting boundaries and saying ‘no’ “is not about being
selfish; it’s about being smart and using your time and energy for your advantage. Learning the
skill of saying ‘no’ to requests when you want to will boost your energy and increase wellbeing”
(p. 60). Sharplin, O’Neill & Chapman (2011) also found that setting work boundaries (in terms of
workload, role, tasks and time) was a strategy used by resilient teachers."

Problem Solving
My problem-solving strategies.
 Be systematic working through each step of the problem
 Have a plan B
 Be reflective
 Seek help if needed, there is no shame in this

My thoughts on "“Not quite picture-perfect…”"

 Breathe, think through what must be done first and work through from there
 Tell the mentor that due to the complications you may need a minute to reframe yourself
 Think about how you can get around the problems, such as the schedule and the lack of
resources, how can you teach without using the resource, can you do it as a whole group activity
using ICT or the whiteboard?
My top 3 problem solving strategies.
 Have a plan B and don't be afraid to move on if something is not working.
 Be flexible
 Work through the problem methodically, and don't forget to breathe.

Tips
 "Have a ‘bag of tricks’ – activities that will engage the students and perhaps provide a distraction
to the current problem and/or situation (examples may include subject ‘hang-man’, subject
bingo, writing a communal story / question response, quizlets or a focused activity review
comprising of 1 learned item + 1 question + 1 comment)."
 "I find that feedback is often the most important resource for improving what I'm doing in the
classroom. This is especially relevant for student feedback, since we can sometimes forget to
consider things from their perspective. Don't take feedback personally, see it as an opportunity
to do better.(Thanks to Michelle Steenkamp)"
 "Be flexible, write down a pros and cons list or even a list about what happens if you solve a
situation one way."
 "Assess every situation as well as you possibly can and be prepared for change."
 "“ Focus on the solution, not on the problem.” Jim Rohn.(Thanks to Sara)"
 "Build a rapport with your fellow colleagues and don't be afraid to ask for their assistance!
Everyone has been through the same feelings when they first start off teaching and its nice to
have an effective support system."
 "Constructive feedback is important. It can help you improve. Dont be ashamed when someone
gives you less than great feedback, use it to improve your resilience and teaching."
 "University cohort peers may also be of assistance. They may be having the same issues as you
and may have received advice from people at their school that may be helpful to you. "
 "Seeking help is one process, however, accepting it in the way it is intended and acting on it is
also important – critique of your practice is not criticism, it is a way of acknowledging where you
are and how to provide advice and support to move forward."

Quotes
 "If something’s really frustrating me I’ll just say right stop, put it away and we’ll just change and
do something more hands on or something more active that deals with it and that lets me have a
break as well."

What do the experts say?

 "Dewey (1933) defined teacher reflection as an “active, persistent and careful consideration of
any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the
further conclusions to which it tends” (p. 9). The term ‘reflection’ is used to describe behaviours
involved in thinking about our own thoughts and experiences. Through practice, these
behaviours can become a natural and automatic process of checking your own effectiveness
when you are teaching, such as when you are interacting with students, talking with colleagues
or family members, or writing in a journal (Latham, Blaise, Dole, Faulkner & Malone, 2011).
Schön (1983), in discussing the ‘reflective practitioner’ described ‘reflection-in-action’, which
occurs in the moment, and indeed is evidenced during “thinking on your feet” and ‘reflection-on-
action’, occurring after the event.
Archer (2007) described reflexivity as involving conscious deliberations about possible courses of
action, making decisions about what may be feasible at the time, and then choosing a way
forward. The 4R’s model of reflection (Bain, Ballantyne, Packer & Mills, 1999; Carrington & Selva,
2010; Ryan & Ryan, 2013) provides a framework for thinking internally about your practice, and
transferring this into action through your personal and intellectual growth as an effective
practitioner. These steps are: Reporting (describe significant events) and Responding (internal
emotional responses) Relating (make connections between these experiences and responses
with prior forms of knowledge and experiences) Reasoning (using critical thinking processes,
 draw on and combine ideas to make new personal knowledge) Reconstructing (use gathered
evidence, connections and reasoning to plan an action or new approach) "
 "An alternate model of reflection by Smyth (1987) focuses on the stages of reflective practice,
these being to describe, inform, confront and restructure. These stages can be addressed by
asking the following questions:
What did I do? (focus on who, what, when and where)
What does this mean? (information and understanding)
How did I come to be like this? (considering your values and attitudes)
How might I do things differently? (future action)
Reflective practice becomes a more conscious state when teachers experience a difficulty or
problem they cannot immediately resolve. After experiencing uncertainly, teachers step back
and analyse their actions. However, it does not only entail reflecting on uncertainty, but includes
teachers thinking and wondering about successful practices (Latham, Blaise, Dole, Faulkner &
Malone, 2011). Teachers’ identity and resilience can be promoted when they engage in
reflection (Johnson, et al., 2014) and in turn, resilient teachers are found to possess problem-
solving skills, a sense of self efficacy and an ability to engage in reflection (Leroux, Théorêt &
Garon, 2010). Therefore, all teachers, both pre-service and those in service, should be provided
opportunities to self-question and reflect in order to nurture their problem-solving skills (Leroux
& Théorêt, 2014)."
 "One challenge for pre-service and early career teachers can be asking for help when
experiencing difficulty (Fantilli & McDougall, 2009; Fleet, Kitson, Cassady & Ross, 2007; Flores,
2006; Jenkins, Smith & Maxwell, 2009). Jenkins and colleagues found that beginning casual
teachers in Australia were worried that if they asked for help from the school administrative
staff, then this could lead to doubts about their ability and jeopardise their chances of future
work. Nevertheless, help-seeking is one of a wide variety of proactive problem-solving skills used
by resilient teachers (Castro, Kelly & Shih, 2010). Having a formal, trained mentor teacher who
can offer practical and emotional support can reduce the feelings of stigma regarding asking for
help (Hirschkorn, 2009). Resilient teachers can seek out their own mentor for assistance: “…
help-seeking, or the act of seeking assistance from others, becomes a way of self-preservation, of
establishing one’s own resilience. Help-seeking requires the novice teacher to work with others
in order to attain needed information and resources. … help-seeking strategies involved seeking
‘adopted’ mentors, advocating for resources, and acquiring allies to resolve problems” (Castro et
al., 2010, p. 624)."

Ongoing professional learning

Strategies I use to ensure my professional learning is ongoing.
 Learning from others
 Professional development
 Set goals
 Join professional networks and organisations

My thoughts on "“My best friends, the APST”"

 What is the first step?
 What is SMART to work towards this step?

My strategies for developing my professional learning goals.

 Making goals and actually sticking to them
 Thinking about what is achievable
 Making short term and long term goals

Quotes
  "… they’ve sent me on quite a lot of PD, one of them is Classroom Management Strategies
training which is like behavioural strategies training and that’s really important I think you need a
lot of PD for strategies that you can use in the school."
 "[A resilient teacher] continues working towards a desired goal regardless of what difficulties
arise."

What do the experts say?

 "There are some areas of skills that can present challenges for even the most experienced
teachers. Classroom or behaviour management is one of the key areas in which all teachers
benefit from ongoing skill development (Beltman, Mansfield & Price, 2011). Teachers who have
doubts about their ability to manage classroom discipline are more likely to experience
emotional exhaustion and consider leaving their current position (Tsouloupas, Carson,
Matthews, Grawitch, and Barber, 2010). Similarly, pre-service teachers find classroom
management to be a major concern during professional placements (Kaldi, 2009). Other areas of
concern, especially for early career teachers are: working with colleagues and parents /
caregivers (Castro, Kelly & Shih, 2009), planning for students with exceptional needs (Fantilli &
McDougall, 2009), and working as a casual or substitute / relief teacher (Jenkins, Smith &
Maxwell, 2009; McCormack & Thomas, 2005). Dewey (1933) provides some ‘reflection-enabling’
attitudes that are worthy of consideration as you continue to develop your capacities as a
teaching professional, including being:
open-minded – this is where you examine the rationales (fundamental principles and reasons)
that underlie what you may initially take for granted as right and natural in schools, and then
actively question your own views and reaction; responsible - carefully consider the consequences
to which an action may lead, remembering that in the school community context there are many
stakeholders upon whom actions have an impact; and whole-hearted - being genuine and
prepared to put your ideas into practice rather than not acting for fear of making mistakes, being
criticised, disturbing traditions or making changes. "
 "SMART goals may also be aligned with technical, practical and critical levels of thinking
(Marland, 2007)
Levels of reflection
Technical reflection – the means teachers use to achieve certain ends or goals, concerned with
efficiency and effectiveness of those means
Practical reflection - the goals (or ends) of the activity, the assumptions underlying the practices
(or means) and the actual outcomes of the activity
Critical reflection - Consideration of the ethical and moral issues (e.g. drugs, violence; selection
of novels or stories)
The importance of goal setting for learning has been known for a long time and is central to the
concept of self-regulation. Self-regulation “refers to processes students use to activate and
sustain cognitions, behaviors, and affects, which are oriented toward the attainment of goals"
(Schunk & Zimmerman, 1996, p.154). Self-regulated learners are proactive and show personal
initiative, resourcefulness, persistence, a sense of responsibility and are self-motivated
(Zimmerman, 1998). The qualities listed here can be seen to be similar to the personal qualities
or resources that can enhance an individual’s capacity for resilience. As Tait (2008) indicated,
resilient teachers are not only able to rebound after a difficult experience and learn from it, they
set new goals for the future."
 "When focusing on professional goal setting for ongoing learning, and aligning this with your
understanding of your role as a teacher, consideration of the ACARA General Capabilities may be
appropriate.
These include: Literacy, numeracy, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), thinking
skills, creativity, self-management, teamwork, intercultural understanding, ethical behaviour and
social competence."