Urban+Middle+Schools

Urban Middle Schools - Generalisations
 * Getting to know the picture so that the dynamic static and flexible/emerging materials developed and distributed suit teachers activities in their particular context.

Add your Middle School story in a different colour. **

1.  Urban High, now Middle School > ** Do teachers work primarily in teams or by themselves? **
 * Describe the education context you are most familiar with. **
 * How do the teachers currently use the current NTCF? **
 * Pockets of use of the NTCF depending on individual teacher or faculty senior. NTCF often used to match existing teaching activities against the outcomes.
 * The school has strategically employed the CeTool process to engage teachers in the active use of the NTCF to inform planning, assessment, moderation and reporting.
 * Teachers are beginning to work as teaching teams. Middle Years teachers teach across Learning Areas i.e. Maths & Science.
 * Limited curriculum integration. Limited curriculum integration.
 * There are currently Middle Years Coordinators and Faculty Seniors. There are currently Middle Years Coordinators and Faculty Seniors.


 * How is technology used across the school and in the classroom? **
 * Little use of the portal. Last year Middle Years teachers had a taste of using the portal as a core space to disseminate and create info across the teaching teams. Discussion board was used when a “topic” was hot such as the introduction of compulsory physical activity sessions per week.
 * No wireless technology or laptop trolleys. Pods of computers available across school. No wireless technology or laptop trolleys. Pods of computers available across school.
 * Most classes were recently allocated Webmaster Interactive White Boards (IWB). First in-service in set up and use of IWB’s happened at end of Term 1, 2008.


 * How do teacher access Professional Development?**
 * Teachers tend to be released for centralised PD such as "Maths in the Middle Years"
 * Middle Years Education Officer provided onsite professional learning opportunities from April – Nov 2007.
 * Middle Years coordinators organised PD across the year groups e.g. CeTool. Faculty seniors organised PD in Learning Areas

Challenge would be to promote and follow-up on: Attitudes and perceptions (these are the stories told over the photocopier, over coffee and Friday after school drinks) around:
 * What do you envisage as the opportunities in how the teachers and the leadership team incorporate and use the materials provided? **
 * links between processes already in place such as CeTool and materials developed;
 * teachers ongoing contribution to these materials ;
 * capitalising on the growing awareness that curriculum mapping (lots of content is an old paradigm) is not the way to go. A move to teachers gathering evidence of students work to inform assessment tasks, moderation process, and teachers, student and parent interviews;
 * a focus on Assessment for Learning could be seen as useful;
 * supports teamwork to develop assessment, planning and reporting; supports teamwork to develop assessment, planning and reporting;
 * available in multi modal formats – i.e. posters that provide info at a glance, interactive CD-ROM, online spaces for content and discussions with colleagues in school and across schools;
 * materials support blended professional learning opportunities – i.e. face-2–face on site, working with teachers, faculty seniors and coordinators and virtual communities.
 * What do you envisage as the constraints in how teacher and the leadership team incorporate and use the materials provided? **
 * another "thing" to do. Not convinced that the original NTCF met needs - what if we ignore this one as well?
 * ownership - only one teacher is involved in the NTCF renewal process. This teacher is having a negative experience.
 * Time poor - curriculum is getting bigger and bigger
 * Leadership - if executive aren't on side, don't bother

Bandwidth
 * Technology availble now and into the future**