Episodes
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Context Statements for stories of practice seem long and tricky...
Context statements are a staple requirement when creating your teacher portfolio for highly accomplished or lead teach status. HAT can be tricky canât it! Well, the thing is, thereâs a structure you can follow to make things even easier for you. If youâre currently feeling overwhelmed by the idea of 700 words of context then worry no more. Edufolios members from all over the country have been using our platform to sail through stage one of the teacher accreditation process.
In this episode, weâre going to share with you what weâve learned from working with them AND how you can apply these lessons at any teaching career stage.
Here are seven tips to help you create amazing context statements
In this episode of The Reflective Teacher Podcast, Selena shares seven simple (and yet very effective) tips that will remove the headache of getting started with the stories of practice for your HALT application.
As thereâs plenty to go through sheâs even created a freebie with examples of HALT application best practice to guide you through it all. You can download the example by adding your email address to the box at Edufolios.org/073 (Itâs a great companion to this episode!)
This episode has all the structure, guidance and sneaky, time-saving tips you could ever need to turn your informal stories into practice into the beginnings of a polished, very formal, evidence set for your accreditation assessment.
Let us know how you go by tweeting us, sending us a DM or dropping us an email! Weâd love to celebrate with you!
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I have to create a teacher portfolio about these seven standards...
Youâre creating your portfolio for university, full registration (or proficiency), to achieve the accolade of Highly Accomplished or Lead teacher, to reflect and grow. In front of you, is a huge document called that Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and youâre feeling a little overwhelmed.You know that you have to talk about these seven standards and youâre not sure where to start.
Doubts fill your mind. Can you even meet these standards? What do you have to do with them? What if, when you start looking at them, you realize youâve not met them?
Those standards are broken into 148 small bites of info, but they feel alien and oh so judgmental.
Let's shift your focus from standards to practice...
The truth is, the reason it feels so overwhelming is that you, my friend, are focusing on the wrong things.
Thereâs no way youâre being asked to write about the seven standards. If you did, you wouldnât do very well with your portfolioâŠ
Curious about what I mean?
Tune in to this weekâs podcast to hear:
Three reasons why starting with the standards will damage your portfolio (and your practice) Some tips on how to refocus your thinking so you can move from overwhelmed to confidently growing in your practice. A challenge (and a way) to get started with your portfolio right now. With no judgement or overwhelm⊠(sounds good right?)Show notes and freebie at edufolios.org/072
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Missing episodes?
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Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. Even in your classroom
Seriously, itâs there⊠even if you hadnât realised and in this episode, I want to show you where youâll find it (And more importantly) weâre going to discuss what you can do with it.When I first saw AI assessing students and it was suggested to me that it could âreduce my workloadâ by it doing some of my job, I got defensive. How could a machine possibly mark as I do? If I donât mark it myself, how will I be able to interpret what Iâm reading and then make changes to my planning (5.4)?
Machine Learning can give us time to increase our impact where it matters.
AI canât be used for all things. But, when it comes to Yes/No, Black and white, closed questions it can be really useful. Let me explain why I changed my mind. In todayâs episode, Iâm going to share the work of Dr. David Kellermann, lecturer in the school of engineering at the University of New South Wales. He has taken AI to a whole new level and really got me thinking about what that might look like in our classroomsWeâll talk about Microsoft Forms and itâs self-marking tools. These simple tools can be a nice introduction to assessment with AI and Iâll even introduce you to Presenter Coach in PowerPoint.
If you want to have a go with Presenter Coach, enter your email address over at edufolios.org/071 and it will wing itâs way over to you đ
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Every time I work with an online learning environment, I see teachers do the same thing...
It becomes a space for sharing files. A virtual filing cabinet full of worksheets, readings, links to youtube and more. The focus always seems to go to content. Whether weâre using Moodle, Google Classroom or Teams.. the first thought goes to the resources weâll be sharing. The thing isâŠIf I was to ask those same teachers whether teaching was all about delivering content and getting it to stick in a students mind, theyâd likely be a little taken-a-a back. Of course, teaching and learning is about so much more than that.
Teaching and learning requires culture, routine, boundaries to test, relationship building and so much more..
Student participation (4.1) Managing Classroom activities (not stuff) (4.2) Managing Challenging Behaviour (4.3)
and thatâs why, in this weekâs podcast, Iâm asking you to look not just at standard two.. but also at standard four of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. What, about your online learning environment, helped you with:
In this episode, we dive beyond the digital filing cabinet to explore how online learning connects to all of these touchpoints and more.Show notes and freebie to support episode available at Edufolios.org/070
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"2.6 - Information Computer Technology" - So I talk about computers right?
Focus Area 2.6 of the Australian Professional Standards for teachers, appears to be talking about all things computing. At least when you take a first glance at the focus areas title.Many educators quickly respond to this focus area by providing evidence that their students are using computers in their classroom. I often see phrases like âI frequently use the interactive screen with my studentsâ or âWe are lucky enough to have access to a class set of iPads which we use frequently in our classroomâ. On the surface, phrases like these (perhaps accompanied by a lesson plan talking about using the devices, or a photo of them in use) seem to tick the âInformation Communication Technologyâ box.
In reality, however, these statements fall woefully short of the actual requirements for this focus area.
It's all about the students NOT you or the tool
Listeners of this podcast know by now, that the secret to the focus area is NEVER the title. Itâs in the descriptor itself. In this episode of the Reflective Teacher Podcast, we explore this focus area in detail. Reflecting on the ingredients that make up its Verb, What and Why (see episode 003 for more on that little gem!).The word technology means something that solves a problem. So, if 2.6 isnât about computers, iPad and interactive screens, itâs about how that tool is solving a problem for your learner. What barrier to understanding or progress did you identify and how are the features of the app, software or technological tool, youâve asked them to use helping them to overcome it?
We explore this question in relation to the recent use of remote learning tools such as Teams, Google Classroom and more. We delve into why you are most likely to have an oversupply of evidence for this focus area in your portfolio right now AND how you can make sure that when you DO write about it, you hit every single aspect of the 2.6 like a pro.
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How many professional development hours do you think you clocked up, over the last few Months?
I donât know about you, but in the last few months I have been super busy both running and learning from professional development sessions. It feels like whole days of my life have gone into learning things really quickly and then getting them out there, working, as fast as I canEven as an expert in things like Teams, the rate of change in features and capability of that software has had me scrambling to new knowledge for weeks! Itâs been a real challenge, hasnât it?
Are you going to leave it until the end of the year to tally it all up?
In this episode, weâre talking about a mindset shift around professional learning hours and the recording requirements we all deal with. Whatever state or territory you are from, we all have to show that weâve been attending learning sessions.
What are the alternative ways of recording and creating professional learning hours? Shouldnât it be more about what we learnt rather than what we attended?
Letâs dive deep, as I share my story around how my mindset has shifted around PD Hours. With the help of Edufoliosâ automated Professional Development log and Standards Guide, Professional Development is part of my evidence base. Killing two proverbial birds with one stone is easier than you think.
Full show notes and links here
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"Where do we go from here? The world's our oyster!"
s we prepare to go back to our brick and mortar classrooms, I wanted to start capturing the stories of Aussie educators over the past 6-8 weeks. Iâm very privileged to be a part of the Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert community and when I put out the call I was flooded with offers to share. The five who took part shared stories that made me seriously shiver with excitement.We really have grown so much over this short time.
Has what weâve experienced created a ripple effect that will impact what we do in our classrooms in the coming weeks and months?
As the "quiet ones" begin to engage more and learning barriers are removed, increasing learning opportunity immeasurably... what can we learn?
Tune in to hear Andrew Battese, Anne Mirtschin, James Jenkins, Michelle Dennis and Peta Jorgensen as they share their experiences. From how they rolled out Teams in as little as three days, how they overcame technical issues and onboarded their teams to how much of an impact their new learning environment had on their learners, their parents and their community as a whole, this episode is full of reflection and growth. Itâsâ a true moment of celebration and a reminder of how much weâve all learnt in these difficult weeks.Listen as we talk about:
How pedagogies and structures (like timetabling) were impacted, effected and grew How the community responded and how the changes made are already impacting the way school events are held What this has meant for students and their ability to work independently and think critically How access to quality internet makes all the difference
What their favourite apps are. What theyâll be continuing to do differently when things go back to ânormalâ -
As We Emerge From this Season of Remote Learning, What Should we Take Forward?
Most states and territories have declared dates for teachers and students to return to their brick and mortar classrooms. We are about to emerge from a time that saw unprecedented growth and learning for our entire profession. As we do, we must take time to explore the pros and cons of the environment weâre emerging from. We simply can not waste the lessons that have emerged for all of us.Some educators have enjoyed the freedom to eat a proper lunch, have HOT coffee on their desk and visit the loo when ever they like. Theyâve revelled in the freedom to be creative and explore new options.
Others have struggled with the lack of routine, finding themselves working more hours than they ever did in their face to face environments.
However, we have responded itâs time to stop learning for a moment and breathe.
What have we learnt About Ourselves?
There is no new content from me this week. Instead, this weekâs podcast is all about questions.I encourage you to take the time to pause before diving back into your ânormalâ classroom routines. To be honest, Iâm not sure that ânormalâ will ever be the same now. Itâs time to take stock. Itâs time to stop, listen and grow even more.
Weâve gone through a massive period of growth and change. Letâs reflect on whatâs happened and how it has affected our relationship with our school community, our students and our profession
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Got questions and concerns about safeguarding kids online?
Standard four of the Australian Professional Standards talks about âCreate and maintain supportive and safe learning environmentsâ. Weâre all used to doing that in our traditional, face to face, learning communities.
As we experiment and work (at lightning speed) to get to grips with online learning, keeping students safe is something that deserves our attention. Itâs super important that we safeguard the safety of the students (and the teachers) as we work together in this new way.
Weâve spent a lot of time focusing on what weâre going to teach and how weâre going to deliver it. In this weekâs episode, I want to talk about the spaces students need to exercise their connections with each other.
Safeguarding doesn't necessarily mean "Turn it off"
Letâs remember that our students are also required to learn some skills around community engagement. They too, must be able to demonstrate that they can use ICT safely, ethically and Responsibly. Itâs all there in the ICT general capability.
In this episode, we touch on copyright and sharing IP as well as the work that needs to be done to give our students the space to have a community in which they can continue to grow their relationships with one another and stay truly connected.
We discuss the boundaries and expectations that need to be in place and check-in with whatâs actually happening when we turn off these features. -
It's the start of a very strange Term. Things are crazy. Should you be making time for reflecting and collecting evidence of practice?
I get it, right now the idea of stopping and taking time to reflect and (maybe) collect some evidence of practice may well feel like the straw that broke the donkeyâs back.There is a LOT going on in Term 2 of 2020 and, as weâve already talked about, thereâs a lot to reflect on too.
For some of us (me included if Iâm honest), this is a time to finally be able to experiment with all of the technologies and tools youâve dreamed of using and for others, itâs a complete nightmare.
Whatever emotional response youâre having to the workload, the safety, the new environments, the uncertainty and the school community, there has never been a better time to stop and reflect
Reflection helps us to connect with the why behind all of this work.
Iâve said that before and Iâll say it a million times more.The more overwhelmed you get, the more tired, the more excited, the more emotional you get, the more you NEED to stop and reflect.
We know that reflection helps us to connect with what weâre doing, to get rid of the things that stand in our way and to make a real difference in our classrooms
Itâs especially important when weâre trying something new and taking risks.
Thatâs why, in this episode, we walk you through 5 things to consider right now. Weâve even created a handy dandy workbook to support you through the process.
Whether youâre reflecting for connection, peace of mind or to gather evidence, this weekâs episode and that awesome workbook will help you to use the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers to make sense of whatâs happening and (most importantly) what it means for you and your students.
Full shows notes (And that awesome freebie) at edufolios.org/064
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What strategies do you currently use to build relationships with students?
How can you use (or adapt) these to work online too?
We all know that successful classrooms are built on relationships. How do you feel about working with those relationships when youâre working in a predominantly online environment?
Iâve heard many times that online learning could never replace face to face learning. I know that itâs NOT the same. We shouldnât even pretend it is.
Surely though, there are some ways in which we can build and foster great classroom relationships using the tools and features of the platforms weâve chosen to work with?
Let me share my top three online features for maintaining your class relationships
In this podcast, I explore a number of handy (and easy to implement) strategies for building and maintaining those precious classroom relationships.The whole conversation is wrapped neatly into an article from John Hattie (linked to below) and involves having some fun with social features, chat and polls.
Tune in to hear some of my top tips and to discover what really matters when it comes to relationships and online learning.
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Kids online! They just don't behave as they would in my normal classroom!
Kids interrupting your carefully planned online learning. Adding emojis and strange noises as you chat, pressing buttons and disrupting your video broadcasts. Not turning up when youâve asked them to and attending classes that they shouldnât even be in.Itâs already hard enough working in this new online environment. When the kids seem to have found a million loopholes around the system and doing things that they just shouldnât be doing. What can you do? Itâs just no like it was in your classroom face to face, is it? Behaviour was so much better when you could see each other and hold space together in a real room.
I get it, I really do. Youâve trained and spent years working with one thing in common. A physical classroom environment with walls, extra teaching staff and the support of your colleagues and this feels so alien!
What makes you think you can't have boundaries and support in an online classroom too?
Be honest with me for a moment. In all the flurry of preparation for online learning exactly how much time have you spent considering how your behaviour management strategies and school policies are going to translate into your online environment?If itâs little to none.. then you arenât alone.
This is something Iâve spent time talking about with many schools in the last few weeks. In this episode of the Reflective Teacher podcast, weâre talking behaviour management strategies in an online environment. What do we need to consider? What do we need to prepare and how on earth can we use support staff and our colleagues to help us with behaviour management issues?
Tune in to find out how. Full show notes at Edufolios.org/062
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Things are changing so fast in Education and it's hard to keep up!
Right now, the usual education rug has been pulled right from under us. Thereâs a high chance that, when we meet again in Term 2, there will be no circle time on that rug and that the majority of our students will be in their own homes and not with us in our classrooms.What, a few weeks ago, would have felt like an unrealistic, highly impossible task is not a top priority as teachers everywhere scramble to take learning out of their classrooms and into their students' homes. The word âimpossibleâ just doesnât seem to be allowed and, now, more than ever, educators across the country (well⊠no actually, around the world) are feeling an immense amount of pressure to upskill and move forward into something that unclear and undefined. New territory for all us; students and teachers alike. Change is hard. Especially this rate of change!
Do you know what else Change is?
Change is also an opportunity for growth.This episode is all about acknowledging that growth.
Right now, millions of educators all around the world are removing their perfectionist armour, entering the unknown and battling it out⊠TOGETHER.
Something amazing and powerful is happening not only for our profession but for you as an educator.
Can you feel it? Have you acknowledged it?
Tune in to connect with all of the good⊠no great stuff thatâs happening to the teaching profession right now.
Show notes are found at Edufolios.org/061
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If I'm not with them, in my Classroom, how can I ensure my students are really learning?
I get this question, I really do. Weâve been used to work ing in one particular way for a very long time and, as our government is keen on saying. Weâre being asked to make changes in 10 days that would normally take 10 years.If weâre not in our classroom, working face to face with our students then we canât use our usually professional âspidey sensesâ to guide us as we go.
Now, our students are sitting in their own homes with countless distractions, heightened stress-levels and technology doesnât feel the same as your usual, safe, comfortable classroom.
Online teaching has been used successfully for a very long timeThe online teaching and course creation community have been working using the internet for a long while and with proven success.
More important than the technology we choose to use, is the need to be clear about how we measure the impact of our new teaching and learning style.
We need to be able to make judgements as we enter this new way of working, which help us to ensure that the kids are getting the quality education they deserve.
In this episode of The Reflective Teacher Podcast, we explore some ways in which you can select pedagogies and activities that will help you to validate the impact your new learning and teaching is having on your students. Itâs really important right now, that you know that all of this work is worth it!
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Parents, and their new role in your new class mode.
We used to see parents at the beginning and end of the day. We took pains to make sure that we involved them when we needed to but, they mostly left us to it.Thatâs all changed now. With the coronavirus forcing schools around the world to close a new reality has arisen. Parents are now partners in teaching and learning.
The context in which we are working has changed and, as a result, so has the context in which we work with our parents and community.
How do we manage these "relevant opportunities for parents/ carers to be involved in their childrenâs learning?" (3.7)
In this episode, I delve into focus areas 3.7 and 7.3 as we explore how and what we need to do to work effectively with this new reality.We touch on:
Boundaries and how you enforce them. The usual cues of bells, timetables, walls and classroom doors have vanished. What measures can you put in place to establish new ones in this online, digital environment? How might the time you spend with your students be different? Will we still have a timetable? How might the technology at home impact on who you can work with when? What support do parents need to support their students? What tools are out there to help you see student work, mark it and send it back⊠whilst still using pen and paper?Tune in as we consider all of this and more.
Scroll down to access further reading and support.
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When I say âThe Australian Professional Standards for Teachersâ what emotion does that conjure up? Now letâs add the word âAccreditationâ or even âPortfolioâ What kind of response did you experience? Was it excitement? Intrigue? Empowerment?
Probably Not...
and that's a problem for me...
In this episode, I explore a NEW way of viewing that little (ok so it's quite large..) rubric we call The Standard.
I know the title says they're' FOR teachers but they don't have to judge us.
They don't have to be hoops we jump through
and they don't have to be stressful.
Tune in to find out why.
Head to Edufolios.org/058 for show notes and links
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Online learning. A solution for temporary School Closure
Are you ready for that?
This is a very special episode of the Reflective Teacher Podcast and itâs the focus is a little different to usual.I have been an Education Technology specialist for many years. I may even have worked with some you in your schools integrating technology into your curriculums.
Edufolios was born out of that edtech knowledge because I knew that technology could solve the problems I was experiencing with accreditation and registration.
And it seems, right now, that Edtech is being called about to solve a problem of distance learning during temporary school closures.
On FB, Instagram and Twitter millions of educators around the world are grappling with suddenly having to think about online learning.
Theyâre using it to mimic what they would do in their usual teacher life. To deliver lessons via webcam so they can reach isolated students, to share files via online repositories (instead of handing them out) and even recording hours of video to share information with their students.
The thing isâŠ
What we do in our Face to face classroom doesn't necessarily work online
We can already see those who have been teaching online for 6 weeks in China asking questions about how to keep their students connected with each other, how to validate that theyâre doing the work set, how to ensure that the or students are engaged in the work and not the tech.Itâs not that weâre doing it wrong!
Not at all
Itâs that weâre being asked to do something that (for a lot of us) is completely alien and pretty intimidating
Hands up who loves to be on camera?
I thought so đ
If youâre facing planning to work online with your students or youâre in the thick of it all right now then I want you to tune in.
Iâve brought Professor Eddie Blass (creator of The Inventorium) back to share what she has learnt about
The features and tools that help you reach your students more effectively Resources you can use to save you time How to support students as they get to know this new space too How long online lessons should be The surprising ways in which learning becomes evident in these spacesTune in to gain her insights and add to your tool kit. She has some amazing ideas for you!
Scroll down to find resources, professional development opportunities and other things mentioned during our time in the interview
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You know, by now, that I think making mistakes is a very important part of the learning process. However, I am 100% behind the idea that if you can skip some of the bumps in the road, you totally should!
When it comes to sharing my mistakes whilst building my online portfolio, I am an open book. Thereâs plenty of things I wish that someone had told me earlier.
Of course, all of these mistakes taught me something. Something valuable about my practice, my mindset and (dare I say it) my ego too.
Want to know 6 things I wish someone had told me sooner?
Well, this week Iâm digging deep and sharing some simple (but soo powerful) reflections. Reflections that I really hope will get you on your way sooner.I let my ego get in the way of actually understanding what the standards mean. Years of service DOES NOT = highly accomplished
Evidence joy is the easiest things to gather and the hardest thing to ask for
Reflection makes you vulnerable and that takes practice. Here my tips for getting used to being in the reflection arena
I wish Iâd found a buddy sooner. Someone who could check in with my evidence and help me find the wood for the trees
Iâve said it before (and Iâll say it a few million times more), the standards always come second to your practice. Sounds so obvious right? Well, let me explain what I mean.
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In this weekâs episode, we are joined by very recent graduate Kerry Gray.
She recently completed her portfolio for the Graduate standards and did very well. 49/50 in fact!!
I asked her to share her secrets to success with us.
If youâre a pre-service teacher who knows you need to get your portfolio done, a uni. lecturer asking them to complete it or a mentor working with someone on their prac. then this special case-study episode will have some invaluable insights for you.
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