Getting organised!

Sometimes, I wonder where all my time has gone!

I am entering into my tenth year of teaching - my first was made up casual work and blocks, the next 8 were in a permanent position (I have been Head Teacher for 2 years moving into my third). I am astonished at how much I have fit in, but also, how much more I still need to learn, and how much I want and need to do within my teaching practice and for my faculty!

The thing many teachers work on consistently, is work/life balance. I will be the first to admit that I totally love being busy and whilst I don't love being totally frazzled, I like working under pressure. My mantra is, 'Bite off more than you can chew, then chew like crazy!' I am always looking for more efficient ways to organise myself and the administrative aspects of the job, but frankly, it is so I can fit more in and do things in a more effective manner, not exactly have more balance!

So in an attempt to remember everything and complete all assigned tasks I have devised a few organisational strategies for 2016:

1. Class Organisation: One of my pressure points is balancing the needs of my students with the needs of my faculty. I worry sometimes, that I am not putting as much time into my teaching as I used to, so acknowledging that I need to balance these needs, I ensure I spend the time needed to develop the resources that I know my students need. To keep on top of my teaching I am utilising an A4, loose leaf 'Createl Publishing Management Daily' teacher chronicle for my class rolls and lesson planning. I will store film viewing permission notes, late slips, student information (not the confidential items - these will stay in the staffroom), reminders of when students will be absent for extra-curricular or family reasons, upcoming notices and copies of assessment tasks and anything else that may be useful.

I utilised the Management Daily last year and it was quite helpful having reminders of what needed to be done on the left hand side and I could also fit extra notes, like things I needed to tell students about in the left hand column http://www.createl.com.au/buy/tpd-management-daily-w/2555.

2. Missed Work: Students are sometimes absent from class and I am yet to come up with a foolproof method to provide them with the resources they miss. I am reluctant to leave them in a spot for them to collect themselves because I am conscious of paper wastage and I need to know students have been given certain resources for assessment preparation. I had a few expanding files around so I grabbed one and labelled it 'Standard English' and the other, I labelled 'Advanced English'. I chose the alphabet stickers out of the vast array of sticker options, so now I can just write the absent students' names on the resources they are unable to collect and then I will pop it in the file where their last name falls. I will (hopefully) check it every lesson and hand out missed resources for students to catch up. Here are some pretty expanding files http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/colourhide-my-trusty-expanding-carry-file-pink-acexpcflpk.

3. Resource Organisation: I have tried to colour code my classes a little - Year 12 Advanced English is pink, Year 12 Extension 2 English is red, Year 11 Standard is purple, and Year 10 English is blue. I have my resources in colour coded folders on my computer, in hard copy folders, and I also have plastic document wallets in each colour, on the wall. I store spare copies of upcoming assessment tasks on the wall. I try not to reprint too many resources for students - if they lose their hardcopy I refer to them to the soft copies I upload to Edmodo or Facebook. Though, with assessment tasks, I always print extra copies for students. I gently admonish for not being organised, and I give them a new copy as soon as I can, if a student is aware that they need a copy, I am not going to stand in the way, I want to support them with their assessment tasks as much as possible, until they develop their autonomy and responsibility. The document wallets that expand somewhat, are much easier to staple to the wall and they have more room for documents, http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/j-burrows-document-wallet-a4-button-closure-pink-jbdwba4pk.

4. The Year Ahead: After doing some searching on Pinterest, I came up with a possible way to give myself a bit of a 'heads up' for upcoming tasks and requirements - like entering report outcomes, providing the Senior Executive with BOS information, NAPLAN dates, and other things like staff birthdays.

Firstly, I purchased a pretty pink Crystalfile Carry Case, 10 red hanging files and 50 pink manilla folders - who doesn't love a good stationery shopping expedition!

I then allocated two hanging files per term and left the last two from the pack for miscellaneous items. I labelled the hanging files Term 1, Term 2, Term 3, and Term 4 and then placed 5 pink manilla folders in each hanging file, one for each week of the term. I labelled each pink manilla folder with Weeks 1 - 10 and then added blank folders for first and fourth term - for the 11 week allocation we have this year. I then popped a copy of the Teachers Mutual Bank Planner for 2016 in the front. I am not using this as a planner, as such, but as a fast date reference so when I get a due date, I know what week to pop a notice in (here it is: https://www.tmbank.com.au/~/media/community/pdf/school-planner/2016/nsw-2016.ashx). I devised notices to fill in when a job comes up, so eventually, I will have an entire 'Year in the Life of an English Head Teacher' box. I am going to use this system as an almost notebook of happenings, but also as a way to store things needed at particular times in the term, such as birthday cards for staff and NAPLAN organisation.

Here are the job cards that I intend to use to log the tasks I complete day to day:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByEC3f0f7OHrNjk5QWd3bHVVQzA/view?usp=sharing I am going to have these printed and I will hand write details and file straight away - any organisation system needs to be simple and fast!

http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/crystalfile-carry-case-assorted-ac8007799

Eventually, I hope to take some leave, so hopefully this will be support the staff member taking on the Head Teacher role as well.

5. Management and Leadership: I purchased a 'Createl Publishing Compact A5 Daily' http://www.createl.com.au/buy/tpd-compact-a5-secondary-l/2568 for the management and leadership side of the job. This compact diary has space to write in what is happening throughout the day - such as what lessons I have as well as duties and regular meetings. I will also be using this diary to keep track of PDP meetings and other meetings with staff, lesson observations, meetings with Senior Executive, parents, and students. I will not be using this diary for lesson planning, instead it is going to be my whole school kind of document. Where school events, staff Professional Learning, staff absences and other important items are written.

6. Faculty Newsletter: Late last year I started an 'English/History Faculty Newsletter' (soon to be the 'English Faculty Newsletter'). My aim is, to attend the Executive Meeting on Tuesday afternoon and type notes directly into the Newsletter Template I have set up (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByEC3f0f7OHrUGU4c3hvTnhMRFU/view?usp=sharing). Anything that needs to be discussed at the Faculty Meeting will be typed into the Agenda Template. I will then email the newsletter to staff along with student information that I do not want to be floating around in hardcopy. I will provide the Faculty Meeting Agenda to staff on Wednesday evenings. Any general business for discussion raised with me in person or via email during the week will be added to the agenda as well. Hopefully this makes the Faculty Meetings more efficient and ensures staff time is not wasted.

So, along with my giant wall calendar and my general 'To Do List' book, hopefully these strategies will help me keep on top of everything and hopefully, I am super organised!

A few ideas for Google Docs!

Late last year I began experimenting with Google Docs.

It is an application I have utilised briefly in the past - usually when a colleague shared a useful document, but besides from having a few things sitting in my personal account, that was about the extent of my involvement.

Teachers seem to have really gotten on board with Google Docs in the classroom though, and through  speaking to colleagues, and perusing Twitter, the ETA Facebook and Yammer, I began to realise that Google Docs had a greater capacity than that of a document repository. 

Many schools, including Department of Education schools, have professional Google accounts set up and the ease of access at school really gave me an opportunity to experiment a little. To ensure I keep Google Docs in my mind, I keep a page open continually on my laptop so I can easily add things to the documents I am working on. I haven't had any login issues, occasionally I have to go back to the portal and log back in, but that is not too much of an inconvenience really.

I was excited to set up access on my iPhone and iPad, however, I had immense difficulties until I found out (from my spouse) that the email handle for access was not @det.nsw.edu.au but in fact was, @education.nsw.gov.au. Success! I have now got access to both my personal and professional accounts on my devices. I think the success of an ICT tool is how easy it is to access, and so far, Google Docs is excellent.

So, a few of the uses for Google Docs:

1. Firstly, I set up a document and sent 'Share' requests to my two Extension 2 students. In the document I added links to all of the Syllabus and support documents that they need to have access to, I typed up the ideas they were discussing with me and then, when I had a little spare time, I did a quick internet search to locate resources, the names of texts that explored similar concepts, canonical texts that would assist with their research, extracts from texts to expand their access to writing , poetry, images and anything else that I felt could inspire them or require them to expand their thinking. The students add ideas to the document in class and in their own time, and the fact that they can access the page anywhere they have internet connection is very handy.

2. Secondly, I utilised a very detailed research task for my Advanced English class so they would further their understanding of the context of Module A: Comparative Study of Texts and Contexts Elective 2: Intertextual Connections - 'Nineteen Eight-Four' and 'Metropolis' (http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/english-prescriptions-2015-20.pdf). The task was something I used with a previous class, but it took quite a while. To develop the teamwork capacity of my current class I decided I would approach the task differently, instead students would complete the research in pairs/groups of three, and they would upload their information to our class Google Doc. Twenty individuals can edit a Google Doc at the same time, so it meant that students were busily working on the same resource, in their teams, at the same time. There was some novelty, at first, with editing each other's work/deleting things and then undoing, but I moved each heading onto its own page and before too long the activity was flowing nicely. The research task was really helpful and using Google Docs meant time saving and the creation of a resource I could then download and upload to Edmodo and the class Facebook Group (a closed group with no profile access) and I could print copies for those who requested. The task available in the Into English Student Book for 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' and 'Metropolis' (here: http://intoenglish.com.au/hsc-english-student-books/1984metropolis-student-book-ebook).

It did take some time to email students to invite them to the page but it has been completed now and I can continue using it for the rest of the year. I found an amazing array of resources online for the new Area of Study: Discovery so I have popped the links into the document under headings so students can view them in their own time, when needed.

3. I have undertaken programming with a colleague and to share ideas, when not in the same place, I set up a Google Doc. I hope, that when I am next able to assist her with the development of resources, that I will be able to upload activities so they are readily available without having to save items on a flash drive or email items that then inevitably change in formatting between computers.

4. Developing 'Mini-Lessons' for writing instruction has been something that I have been working on intermittently over the last term and a half. Nancy Atwell's, In the Middle: A Lifetime of Learning About Writing, Reading, and Adolescents is a fantastic text that advocates for explicit, bite-sized, writing instruction. My faculty has been fortunate enough to be working with a professor from Western Sydney University who introduced us to Atwell, and our plan for 2016 is to shake up the teaching of writing and develop a series of Mini-Lessons to target the needs of our students. Google Docs has been my notepad, where I pop ideas, where I type up things staff have suggested, and where I drafted a funding request for my faculty to have time to spend on developing aspects of this project. Being able to access the document anywhere meant it was just easier to get things done.

Atwells most recent edition of In the Middle: https://booko.com.au/9780325028132/In-the-Middle-A-Lifetime-of-Learning-About-Writing-Reading-and-Adolescents

An older version of the text (a little cheaper), still jam packed with wonderful ideas, is available: http://www.amazon.com/In-Middle-Understandings-Writing-Learning/dp/0867093749

I have really enjoyed my foray into the land of Google Docs and I think the next thing I will try is Google Classroom!

WH Auden's 'Shield of Achilles'

Last term I attended one of Glen Pearsall's sessions on Module C: Representation and Text, Elective 1: Representing People and Politics. The session, provided by Teacher Training Australia (TTA), gave me so many great ideas that I was immediately struck by how much time I wanted to put into the unit, how much time I wanted to spend on each poem, how much I could do! 

I am not sure I have done the Module justice so far and I could honestly spend a year studying Auden but I thought I would share a few ideas that I think assisted students with their understanding of the poetry.

The first idea I utilised with ‘Shield of Achilles’ a beautiful poem about the horrors of war and the impact upon the people. This was one of the ideas from the TTA Workshop but you can find it, and many other great ideas in Glen Pearsall’s ‘The Literature Toolbox’ book. The ‘Instant Picture Book’ was an instant success with my students. They really engaged with the ideas in the poem and chose poignant moments from each stanza to illustrate. I decided I would also complete one as an example for those struggling, but also for myself – as this is the first time I have taught the poetry. Students sometimes dislike drawing in English class, I tell them that we are doing ‘English’ drawing, rather than ‘Art drawing’ and they need to focus on developing the symbols and ideas in their work. This usually works and helps them overcome their reluctance.

So far I have found that students are enjoying the ideas in the poetry and are making connections between the poems and the rubric requirements as well.  

I have no affiliation with TTA or Glen Pearsall - I am just thankful for their existence! I have attached a few links; to the TTA Module C course outline, the link to 'The Top 10 Strategic Questions for Teachers' - a free Glen Pearsall publication, and a link to other texts that I have found helpful.

TTA Course Outline:

http://tta.edu.au/products/1530/3219

Glen Pearsall's FREE eBook - available for TTA Members:

http://tta.edu.au/free-ebook

Publications from the Teacher Learning Network:

http://www.tln.org.au/tlnshop

Ruminating on teaching the HSC...

I have taught HSC Standard English for several years and have been fortunate to mark Paper 1, Section III twice. I was excited and nervous to learn of the new prescriptions for 2015 – 2020 just when I was about to take Advanced English for the first time. It is now Week 6 of Term 3, which is Term 4 for the current Year 12, and I have almost worked through the first year of the new Prescriptions.

As a first time Advanced teacher (almost a year ago now) my principal was very supportive and allowed me to attend PL sessions to get acquainted with the Stage 6 Advanced syllabus and content, and learn approaches to the course. It has been a very busy year – deciding on texts, Electives for each Module, and programming resources for new Electives – and the old (all new to me!).

My marking kit...

AOS: Discovery Classroom Display

I purchased resources from Into English, the English Teachers Association, Barbara Stanners, Excel and from publishing houses – I was happy to pay for resources for another viewpoint, a different approach, teaching ideas, summaries and to ensure I didn’t miss anything with my programming. I have also picked up bits and pieces from teaching blogs, Pinterest, the English Teachers Association Facebook and our resident English tutor at school – all of which supplement my resources and will help me put together a revision program for the holidays before the HSC. All in all I am confident that I have provided enough for my students, I have poured myself into this year and hope that it pays off. I do wish that my students had spent more time revising and practising their writing during the year – but I think most HSC teachers would be thinking this!