Home
Value of the Week
About Us
Engagement Audit
Blog
TPL
The Blog...
Here is where we put our thoughts, ideas and published pieces that we have put together in our work with families and schools.

Make sure you come back regularly to keep up with the latest tips. Ideas that will have you creating even more engaging moments for the children in your care.
The Power of Collaboration  23rd Aug 2017
Every informed educator knows the benefits of collaboration in the classroom, yet too many of us forget to utilise this important tool in our own development.

Collaboration between our students results in an almost limitless list of positive outcomes. Working together encourages critical thinking, enhances social interaction, develops alternative problem solving and so much more, however, too often teachers fail to find the time to embrace this in their own professional lives.

It is a reality that there are never enough hours in the day. Add to this expectations placed on educators and it is no wonder most feel stretched to the point of burn out. But failing to learn new ways of learning or reminding ourselves of the importance of the work we do makes our jobs even more difficult.

Rather than the prevailing “work harder” expectation the time has come for educators to start working smarter.

We know that exhausted, depleted and over worked students don’t retain new learnings to the best of their abilities yet we ask that of ourselves every single day.

While attending professional development requires mountains of effort, the benefits can pay for themselves. A problem prevails though, it is essential that teachers are selective when it comes to choosing the course that is right for them. There is nothing much more frustrating that getting approval for a day of professional learning, submitting the variation of routine form and preparing the work that is left behind for the day only to waste your time with ineffective and irrelevant experiences.

Here are a few tips that will ensure you get the most out of this important investment:

Be selective
When it comes to choosing the right course make sure it is the one that most directly applies to your needs and the needs of your students.

Networking
Make sure time has been allocated to connecting with other participants. No one knows more about what you go through every day of the working week than other dedicated educators. Conspiring with like minded, driven educators helps to create greater opportunities for your students

The right facilitators
If the presenter hasn’t been in the classroom recently there is a high likelihood they have lost touch with what is happening “at the coalface.” You will get more out of your time away from your students if you go back with easy to implement, tried and tested strategies that make immediate improvements.

The follow-up
It is one thing to be a part of a great day and a whole other idea to have the support you need to put these ideas into action. It helps to look for professional development that continues to support you as you hit the ground running back in your classroom.

Getting the most out of this precious time is so important. There is too much at stake to waste your time and energy in the wrong spot. However, reflective and well structured learning has the power to make a huge difference in the essential tasks you perform.

No matter how long you have been in the classroom, there is always more to learn, new ideas to explore and a different viewpoint that will transform the understandings happening for your students.

The Student Engagement Institute conducts professional development for teachers. We are best known for delivering powerful, targeted and practical TPL. To find out more and to book in to the next inservice go to www.studentengagement.com.au/tpl

 
SHOW ME MORE
16.2.17
Don't blame the teachers
Megan Blandford, from Essential Kids interviewed the Student Engagement Institute's Tim Heinecke about the things parents can do to help improve the findings of the recent Grattan Report. Take a look at this thought provoking piece HERE
12.2.17
The Student Engagement Institute partners with Awards Victoria
The damning findings of the report released last week from the Grattan Institute are alarming for anyone who works with young people. The report found that 40% of students are disengaged from their school journey. Click HERE to READ MORE...
21.10.16
Seize the Day
What would you do if I promised, just by reading this article, I would give you $1,440 to spend today and then each and every day after? What would you do with that money? Would you go out and buy something that you have been saving for, or would you spend it on the essentials like groceries and bills? READ MORE...
12.10.16
Attitude is EVERYTHING!
Life would be a dream if it worked out how it’s supposed to! Surely it’s not too much for any of us to expect things could start to go our way for once, right? Well there is a way for this to happen and it comes without any strings attached, it’s completely free because it’s already inside you. READ MORE...
5.10.16
Bouncing Back
There’s a never ending list of things that keeps parents awake at night. For new parents it is the nightly feeds and nappy changes, however it doesn’t end once they finally sleep the night through. Ask anyone with kids, questioning your parenting, wondering what else you can do to make sure that your child is happy and healthy is the norm. It’s difficult because your child didn’t arrive with a ‘how-to’ manual. READ MORE...
29.8.16
Hitting the Right Benchmarks
From the moment our children are born, their development is measured and analysed. Right at the very start of life they are observed and given a ranking according to how well they take their first breaths and this sets the scene for a seemingly endless range of evaluations that continue their entire childhood until they graduate from high school. READ MORE...
[bot_catcher]