9 Responses

1. Reposting as advised by Pauline as I believe it was in the incorrect feed.Scenario: In my team, I have a 3rd year teacher who is struggling at the moment with a student in his class who is not engaged in their learning and is struggling academically. Since I work in an open learning environment, I often observe this student being not on task and disrupting others. Even though he hasn’t mentioned this situation to me, I am aware of it as he has talked about this student to other staff members.Ethos (based on credibility): I am an experienced teacher, been a mentor, a team leader and now an Assistant Principal. I have firsthand knowledge of the challenges students face when it comes to staying engaged. My experience working with students from diverse backgrounds, coupled with ongoing professional development in classroom management strategies, has provided me with insights into how different strategies can motivate students to remain focused and succeed in their studies. Moreover, I am his Team leader and have built a good relationship with him so I believe I am in a good position to offer him advice to help in this situation.Logos (logic): By providing the teacher with specific strategies to address the disengaged student, I can help him create a more inclusive and productive classroom. In my teaching career, I have seen that the issue of students not staying on task can often be traced to a lack of clear expectations, insufficient motivation, or difficulty understanding the material. To address this, my solution incorporates three key strategies: (1) establishing clear routines, (2) differentiating instruction, and (3) encouraging student accountability. These are some of the strategies that I have used in my classrooms and which I will offer to him:
   Clear Routines: A well-structured routine will help this student to know what is expected of them and thus minimize opportunities for off-task behavior.
   Differentiated Instruction: We all know that not all students learn the same way or at the same pace. Differentiating instruction by providing varied learning activities that cater to this student’s learning styles will allow this student to engage with the material in a way that suits them best.
   Student Accountability: I would encourage the teacher to incorporate self-monitoring tools, for him to set goals for this child, and also provide opportunities for peer feedback that motivates this student to remain on task.Pathos (emotional appeal): As the team leader, it is my duty to make sure that the teachers I am leading feel supported in helping achieve student success and well being. I am also aware that I must remember to make sure the teacher is also able to feel successful in his teaching and that his well being is at the forefront of what he does as well. This solution I will present is based on values of inclusivity, fairness, and empowerment. By offering him these solutions and by showing him how I have also used these strategies in my classrooms over the years, will help him to see that he is not alone in what he is facing. It is my belief that by offering these solutions will help him feel supported.

   Well thought out and effective, Kalpana. (Just a small logistical point, could you please post this again under the Piwakawaka group? That way all ‘our’ people can review. Ngā mihi). I think the links have gone a little haywire

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2. We currently have a Team Leader who is seriously under performing. She is new to the role this year and has just come back from leave. She had no planning and a student teacher in her class. She also has a beginning teacher in her team. Because the teams are relatively small, for the rest of the year I have combined 2 teams so the underperforming team leader can observe quality Team Leader Practice.

   Ethos – In a sentence describe why you are a credible person to be suggesting this solution
   As the leader of the school it is important for us to follow our school values, one of which is excellence. It is crucial that Beginning Teachers and Student Teachers are exposed to quality leadership. Our students also deserve the best planning for teaching and learning. I have been a Team Leader, Deputy Principal and now Acting Principal with high expectations of myself and my colleagues.

   Logos – What is the logical connection between the problem and your solution – why will it work?
   The team that they will combine with is a high performing team with an exceptional team leader. The underperformer will observe, learn and model her practice on her observations. She was given this role with no training so it makes sense for her to have some time observing what is expected as a Team Leader.

   Pathos – What values or needs are connected to this solution? How does it reveal what is important to you?
   Our Beginning Teachers and Students Teachers deserve to be exposed to excellence as per our school values. This is to ensure they are given the best possible start to their lives as educators. It is also part of Our Code, Our Standards and being a Leader at a school.

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3. My scenario as team leader is proposing that teachers in my team collaborate more during meetings by sharing lesson plans, observing each other’s classrooms, and exchanging ideas. This is to enhance teaching practices and create better learning outcomes.

   Ethos: Having worked closely with a variety of different teachers over the years at different schools throughout my teaching practice I have experienced the benefits of collaboration. Everyone has different strengths and this should be used to everyone’s benefits. By sharing resources and observing others, I’ve seen how much we can learn from each other to improve our teaching.

   Logos: Sharing lesson plans and ideas will save time and effort for all team members, allowing us to focus more on our students. Observing each other’s classrooms will help us discover new strategies that are already working within our team, so we can apply them in our own practice as well as support the BTs. This collaboration will strengthen our teaching as a whole and benefit all students in the cohort.

   Pathos: We all care deeply about our students’ success and want to be the best teachers we can be. By working together and learning from one another, we can grow as a team and support each other. This collaborative approach not only makes our work easier but also enriches the learning experiences we provide to our students.

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4. Scenario:
   In my team, there was tension between a mentor and a beginning teacher because feedback hadn’t been consistently acted upon, causing problems. My solution was to organise a meeting where both the mentor and the beginning teacher could discuss these challenges openly, allowing the beginning teacher to share their experiences and perspectives so we could identify areas for improvement.

   Ethos:
   As a team leader committed to fostering open communication and collaboration, I was able to bring both people together to facilitate a productive dialogue to resolve this problem.

   Logos:
   A meeting focused on open dialogue provides an opportunity to address misunderstandings and create a mutual plan of action. By ensuring both perspectives are heard, we can resolve issues at the root and encourage the beginning teacher to act on feedback moving forward.

   Pathos:
   This solution reflects my belief in the importance of professional dialogue, empathy, and mutual respect. It highlights my commitment to creating a supportive environment where both mentors and beginning teachers feel valued and able to share any problems or concerns that they might be facing.

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5. Scenario: Our team leader meetings, led by our dean, frequently go off task. Some team leaders dominate the discussions, voice their opinions in, at times an aggressive manner, and steer the conversation away from the agenda. Another team leader and I have discussed our concerns and feel that something needs to be addressed to ensure our time is used efficiently and productively and that our voices are still heard despite not being the loudest voices. I am going to speak to our dean about what we can do to help avoid our meetings being derailed.

   Ethos:
   I recently finished Legacy by James Kerr. The book discusses a concept he refers to as ‘go for the gap’, which emphasises the importance of time management, staying focussed on objectives, making quick, decisive actions and ensuring that discussions are purpose driven to make the most of the time available.

   Logos:
   I suggest that team leaders read the minutes before the meeting so they can come prepared with their thoughts. Additionally, we could allocate a suggested time for each agenda segment. If a discussion takes significantly longer than planned, we can decide whether to table it for another time or conclude it at the current stopping point.

   It should work as both of these suggestions will mean that all people involved will be on the same page when it comes to expectations around what the meeting should look like and hopefully keep us more aligned.

   Pathos:
   The values that are connected to my suggested solution are: Efficiency, respect, accountability, collaboration, and clarity—showing that something extremely important to me is my time and how productive I am during that time. I liked the ‘wondering concept’ which Aaron spoke of, and feel that this could be a good way to approach this situations – with hopes that in our next meeting I will see my ‘finger prints’ in the final outcome 😉

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6. Scenario: I have a newly qualified BT in my team who it has come to light is underperforming. I had not wanted to step in before because he was being mentored by another teacher (not in our team) as a BT and I did not want to overwhelm him. A side issue is that we have undergone considerable professional development for mathematics and structured literacy in recent years but his mentor teacher has been resistant to change. I want his buy-in for me to support him with planning and developing pedagogy that is more aligned with our school-wide mathematics and structured literacy research-based approach without pulling the “because I’m your team leader and the Principal wants this to happen, card.”
   Ethos: I have completed a considerable amount of PD and research around mathematics and structured literacy and have delivered training for teachers in these areas. I am an experienced mentor for beginning and student teachers. I have a proven track record of planning and delivering engaging lessons for all students.
   Logos: Observations from the Principal when covering CRT, the teacher aide and myself reveal that he needs help and support. He is beginning to acknowledge that for himself. I would be the logical support person because I am developing a relationship with him as he is in my team and I have good credentials. We co-taught in his class last week and it went well for him (and his students).
   Pathos: When reflecting on my own feelings and values regarding this scenario, I acknowledge that I am passionate about education for both adults and students and want the best for all concerned. At the moment a newly qualified teacher is struggling and losing confidence which is impacting negatively on his students. I believe that he has a lot of potential and that I have the necessary skills to support him more fully to grow and develop his pedagogy and confidence. This in turn will have a positive impact on his students and our wider team.

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7. Kia ora team,

   Scenario is having a difficult conversation with one of our long term relievers about the disrespectful tone she was continually using towards my staff.
   Ethos – I am credible due to being their department leader and listening to how they feel when getting spoken to by this reliever. There had also been multiple times when students have also been upset by the way this person speaks to them. I have lots of restorative training and am also in a position where I need to support my staff. I also feel ok about having uncomfortable conversations.
   Logos – the connection is to talk to this reliever to let her know that harm has been caused. Sometimes people don’t see the impact of their own tone/way they talk to others. Solution is to not have her speak like this to other adults (and ideally not to students either). Aim is to keep her mana intact and to also listen to her point of view.
   Pathos – the values behind this is we are a restorative school, where people are treated with respect. It’s important to me that my staff are not mistreated. Tone is also about 50% of communication – many people forget this 🙂

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8. Tēnā koutou,
   Challenging scenario – Discussion around whether our school values are still fit for purpose
   Ethos – Credibility as I had been in the hui with our mana whenua iwi representatives and our BOT iwi rep discussing alignment and future planning and could share with staff the next steps that came from that hui. I referred also to how we Te Tau Ihu (top of the south) kura were gifted a document also from all 8 tangata whenua iwi of their aspirations for ākonga at the beginning of 2023, and the importance of taking these voices and making it fit for purpose within our kura and working with our mana whenua iwi to design our aspirations.

   Logos – The connect between what voices have been missing from the previous development of school values and the potential opportunity we have as a kura moving forward. Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Partnership – Participation – Protection. We have current appointment of a new Tumuaki in process alongside, a new MOU with mana whenua and cultural strategy being developed. Timing of looking at our school values seems a logical and natural process to come from this where we can build on what is important to our community, us as a school and find our shared ground.

   Pathos – Connections to their role and responsibility as a kaiako and sphere of influence within upholding and role modelling our school values, and the opportunity to be part of the redevelopment of these in the future. This is important to me as seeing your place and the value you bring into the mahi at every level is so important for whole school community culture. “The right idea is the one that meets the needs of the most shared values”.

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9. Kia ora koutou Piwakawaka crew,
   My scenario for this reflection is a conversation/ mentor meeting with my PCT Mentee. This is a follow up from a series of lesson observations of a senior class that have flagged some issues around creating a “learning focused culture”.
   Ethos – I’m credible because of my teaching experience. Also because I have observed several lesson (not a one off). I have completed micro credentials around best practice Mentoring and Coaching for beginning teachers, so I feel confident about my role in this scenario to encourage reflective practice.
   Logos – The logical connection between the problem and the solution is that this teachers already uses solid strategies, routines and ‘checks and balances’ in their junior classes. So the evidence it works is there, it just needs to be applied to a different cohort. This will allow us to construct an action plan.
   Pathos – The values that are connected to this solution are doing the best for learners and their learning, and approaching problems in a mana-enhancing and strengths based way. I can bring empathy to the situation, as I remember being a beginning teacher and sometimes being guilty of assuming that senior learners don’t need as much management. The shared goal is for learners to be using their remaining time productively (only a matter of weeks) to be as way prepared as possible for their assessments and exams.

   Ngā mihi,
   Claire

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