Survey Summary

The data collection for the Survey Summary is now complete. This data will now be used with the PBS team as well as whole staff meetings to determine the movement forward for 2008. The beauty of this system is that we are able to celebrate our achievements in a relatively short time (2 years), sustain these whilst planning priorities for the future. 

Effective Behaviour Support (EBS) Survey

We are now approaching our third year using the principles of PBS. It is an opportune time to survey staff and use the data gathered to move forward and build upon the work already done. The information gathered has been organised into graphs looking at the areas and categories of:

• School Wide Systems - Current Status

• School Wide Systems - Priority for Improvement

• Non Classroom Setting Systems - Current Status

• Non Classroom Setting Systems - Priority for Improvement

• Classroom Systems - Current Status

• Classroom Systems - Priority for Improvement

• Individual Student Systems - Current Status

• Individual Student Systems - Priority for Improvement

What are we doing?

Today I was working with Year 6 on technology projects. The whole task is directed toward making a "package" for grades across the school about Global Warming and sending a very positive message about Earth Hour in 2008. The Teacher-Librarian and I were discussing the engagement of these children in the task and the freedom they have had in deciding themselves how to present their work. It has led to students using lunchtimes voluntarily to continue this work. My point here is, what are we doing that is allowing for Year 6 in week 6 of term 4 to still be so engaged and not displaying inappropriate behaviours that we often see in this age group at this time of the year? Something is succeeding. And I dare say that the behaviour structures in place as well as teacher planning and instruction has something to do with it!

The role of school leaders in developing a caring community

Recently I read an article in the ACEL journal (Volume 13 Number 1). The article was written by Sue Roffey from UWS and looked specifically at research about emotional literacy within schools. It was most interesting in that it gave a perspective of school leadership in behaviour management. It aligns well with the basic principles of Positive Behaviour Support.

Some of the key points taken from the reading include:
• Leadership is about relationships
• Key qualities of effective school leaders:
- Emotional intelligence (personal)
- Emotional intelligence (interpersonal)
- Intellectual abilities
• Leadership is about first and foremost ideas (Sergiovanni – 2006)

The research showed that, when delivering the process of change around emotional literacy, leaders need to take into account that the foundations for positive relationships and a caring community are values, knowledge, skills, and practices. The findings of the report placed importance on the following:

• Values
• Vision
• The processes of change
• Communicating values and expectations
• Staff wellbeing
• Leadership Style
• Power and influence
• Inter and intrapersonal competencies of school leaders
• Being positive
• Sustainability

Interestingly enough Michael Fullan, along with Duignan and Sergiovanni, have written about the ‘moral imperatives’ of school leadership. This is reflective of the discussion I had with colleagues the CEO meeting – The Art of the Possible.

“… having a system where all students learn, the gap between high and low performance becomes greatly reduced and what people learn enable them to be successful citizens and workers in a morally based knowledge society.”

Emotionally literate principals, assistant principals and school leaders, need to make the way people feel about themselves within the educational setting a matter of high priority in order to achieve some much broader social outcomes.

Three Basics

Michael Fullen talks about 3 basics in learning

1. Literacy
2. Numeracy
3. Student Wellbeing

His research shows that student wellbeing means involving students in the learning agenda and in self assessment. As teachers we need to allow students to achieve and then praise them. The creativity of students should be just as important as Literacy. This idea is similar to our own agenda. We have seen a decline in student misbehaviour which we can generalise to be because of:

1. The implementation of Positive Behaviour Support and
2. Engaged Learning Environments.