Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College received a grant from the Sidney Myer Foundation to build capacity in teachers. This grant enables the school to ensure that teachers are continually improving what we do. The project is called “High quality teaching through peer observation”.
OLSH College is working with education consultant John Corrigan from Group 8 on building a culture of coaching based on evidence. It is a form of observation and reflection on practice that simply asks us, as educators, to look at what we do, celebrate the positive and plan for future development.
The school is also working in collaboration with St Gabriel’s and St Brigid’s to undertake training at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Boston, USA in an observation tool called Instructional Rounds. Principal, Maria Urbano, Deputy Principal, Simon Stevens and our Assistant to the Principal – Curriculum Initiatives, Sonia Venour, Stuart Baker, Principal of St Gabriel’s, Vicki Rubino, Deputy Principal at St Brigid’s, Nicole Laube, Deputy Principal at Cabra and John Corrigan, to build a team to develop the project.
Instructional Rounds are inspired by the concept of medical rounds so often seen in movies. As in the movies, the focus is not on the Doctor’s work with the patient before them, but on the interns’ collective response to the situation before them. By observing practice in a range of situations the viewers come to reflect on practice across a whole school, not just in one class or with one teacher.
There is a diverse range of teaching methods across Learning Areas and in both primary and secondary settings so the aim is to build the network for team observations across the K-12 continuum. By collaborating with local Catholic primary schools to build a culture of coaching and conduct the peer observations the network aims to build capacity.
Peer observation will build on the foundation of the coaching framework by developing the culture of collaboration and observation as a tool for improving approaches to teaching and so student outcomes. While Instructional Rounds is practised here in South Australia and in other states across Australia, Harvard is the source of the protocols and most importantly provides 2 days of experience in schools, providing the observation as a part of its training. At OLSH College staff are committed to exploring a range of strategies to enhance teaching and learning for the success of students.
Intergenerational playgroups are truly something special — an experience that enriches the lives of both the young and the older members of our community. These playgroups are more than just a space for children to play; they are a vital platform for different generations to come together, share wisdom, and build meaningful relationships.
