NSW Secondary Deputy Principals Association Inc.

Whether fears over job security, increasing workloads, finances, learning new skills or just being taken out of your comfort zone, people often resist change. After all it is easier to do nothing than to do something. What most people don’t realise is that these reactions play a key role in the success of any change initiative.

So how do you convince people to change their behaviour? What do you do if they listen to you, say they’ll change and then don’t? What about the people who change for a time and then revert back to the old ways?

As a manager we have to manage individuals not homogenous groups. We need to be able to give feedback and sell the need to change their behaviours. Although many people have never been taught how to give feedback or prefer to avoid the confrontation. However, if your people don’t hear they are doing something wrong, they assume they are doing everything right. This is called implied approval.

This session will show you how to prepare objective and effective feedback. It will show you when to give feedback, how to tailor it to the individual to ensure behavioural change and how to reinforce positive behaviours sincerely. Participants will work through real life examples of the communication skills that underpin and support any change initiative.

Robert Randall (General Manager, Curriculum, ACARA): "Towards an Australian Curriculum"

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is responsible for the development of an Australian Curriculum from Kindergarten to Year 12, initially for the learning areas of English, mathematics, science and history.

This presentation will outline the curriculum development process for the first and second phase of the learning areas to date, followed with an update on the development of the whole curriculum in the third phase.

During the workshop, Robert will also provide an overview of the online curriculum for the first phase learning areas in years K-10, the process for development of the senior secondary Australian Curriculum in English, mathematics, science and history.
The workshop will conclude with a discussion on implementation of the Australian Curriculum, in the context of ACARA’s national coordination role to assist state and territory authorities with their implementation plans.

Dr Di Bloomfield: "Exploring productive overlaps between teachers’ own professional learning and their mentoring of student teachers."

Teachers are experiencing increasing pressure from universities to support the Professional Experience of student teachers. This is commonly experienced as one expectation too many on top of expanding teaching commitments. Yet quality teachers are needed to help produce the next generation of teachers.

Within a climate of increasing pressure for accreditation and accountability, another expectation for teachers is to engage in presenting a case for higher levels of NSW Institute of Teachers’ professional accreditation, for example at Professional Accomplishment and Leadership. These professional standards in fact mirror those required by the Graduate Teacher.

This workshop aims to explore ways in which teachers’ work in supervising or mentoring student teachers during Professional Experience can positively contribute to their own professional learning and more explicitly form the basis for an application for higher levels of professional accreditation.

Participants in the workshop will work with the NSWIT Professional Standards framework in ways to productively map relationships between the standards at Graduate level and those at Accomplishment and Leadership levels.

Kevin Schipp: "EPAC - Managing Staff"

This presentation will focus on issues related to managing staff performance and conduct in schools.

The presentation will have an overview of DET policies and procedures, discuss practical issues when implementing these and look at recent changes to the processes.

Dorothy Hoddinott (AO Principal, Holroyd High School): "Refugee Support"

This presentation will look at the ways that schools can meet the needs of refugee students within mainstream secondary education, and achieve outcomes appropriate to student needs and expectations.

It will look at strategies and programs in use at Holroyd High School, where over forty percent of all students are refugees, and where forty-nine percent of 2009 HSC students gained university entry in 2010.

It will also examine the government agenda to increase the participation of low SES students in tertiary education, and the implications of this for student preparation.

Vladimir Ostashkevich (Academy): "Period x Period Web based roll marking"

With the advent of teachers receiving laptops for use in class rooms, Academy Attendance Systems has developed the latest Web Based roll marking system. This module allows for teachers to mark period x period rolls quickly and easily.

The system can be used for marking unexplained absences, lateness and out of uniform along with any other reason that the school may need. The system is based on using the schools intranet and messages can also be sent to the teacher when they log in.

With the ability to import student timetables, this system has become an invaluable tool in tracking fractional truants. Teachers can also look at student absences from previous lessons at a push of a button.

I-phones and similar devices can also be used with this web application for roll marking.
The presentation will go though all the features and benefits that the Academy system provides plus our new modules to further enhance the Attendance system incorporating welfare and N-awards into the web based product.

Dr Tracy Barber, Kerry Edmeades, Frances Plummer, Claire Essery: "Smarter Schools National Partnerships: Implementation models, achievements and lessons learnt"

The National Partnership Agreements on Literacy and Numeracy, Low Socio-economic Status School Communities (Low SES) and Improving Teacher Quality were agreed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) on 28 November 2008. The Partnerships align with the COAG National Education Agreement, where States and Territories agreed that 'all Australian school students need to acquire the knowledge and skills to participate effectively in society and employment in a globalised economy'. The three schools National Partnerships target key areas that are crucial to achieving this goal.

In New South Wales the National Partnerships will impact on: 24% of schools; 21% of students; 48% of Aboriginal students; 60% of remote schools, and 42% of first phase English as a Second Language students in NSW Government schools.

This session will briefly discuss the Smarter Schools National Partnerships within the context of COAG’s vast education reform agenda. For each of the three Partnerships, an overview of the model of implementation will then be discussed, to provide the contextual background of support for schools participating in the Partnerships. Specific achievements to date will be outlined and lessons learned shared.

Jacqueline Lyons: "Dealing with challenging people in your workplace"

The work of Deputy Principals is often highly stressful and interpersonal conflicts in the workplace contribute to this. This workshop examines some different ways to look at challenging people in your workplace, and how to reduce anxiety and conflict.

The workshop is very interactive and looks at school cultures; the psychology of happiness; hints for conflict free conversations and some commonly faced scenarios. The scope of the workshop now includes both challenging staff and parents. An appendix of helpful resources will be given out with the workbooks.

Please come prepared to share your expertise and experience.

Page last updated July 2010