Catholic Congregational schools and Nida
Schools context
The participants came from 14 different Catholic Congregational schools from across NSW. All participants were encouraged to involve school mentors in the program of communication skills development. The schools also formed professional communities with other participants and their mentors from the same school. Of the thirty participants only one was from a primary school whilst all KLA groups were represented amongst the secondary teachers. There were up to eighteen new scheme teachers who took part in this project.
Project outline
This project, Teacher presence in the learning environment, focused on new scheme teachers in Catholic Congregational schools. The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) worked with the teachers to investigate and develop communication skills as implied and described in element 5. The intention of the project was to concentrate on communication as a tool of classroom management.
The project involved two workshops separated by two months where teachers had the opportunity to practice and observe the skills under development. Follow this link to view a Sample weekly log book During this period teachers met to discuss the development of skills and their relationship to achieving the range of elements required as a professional educator.
NIDA provided the initial
instruction/workshop
Follow this link to view the Conveying Instructions
and storytelling in the classroom worksheets and support for the teachers during the `practice’ phase the teachers were brought together to
share, record and evaluate their learning.
Follow this link to view Goal setting sample and
2006 action plan
Collegial team approach
Personal reflection has the greatest impact when linked to professional dialogue. Follow this link to view the Final report Ownership of principles comes with verbalising them for colleagues to support and challenge. New scheme teachers involved in this project were highly commended for their willingness to engage in professional dialogue and their acceptance of challenges from peers and workshop tutors.
For more information about the program at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) visit the NIDA web site Follow this link to access the NIDA web site. Three brief video interviews with NIDA staff on the program can be viewed below. Follow the links to see various aspects of the program discussed by NIDA team members.
- Clarence Dany: Physicality of Communication. Clanence talks about Physicality of Communication and its impact in the classroom
- Lyn Pierse: Story telling. Creating an appropriate atmosphere improvisation. Lyn talks about story telling as a tool
- Natasha McNamara: Voice. Natasha talks about the use of voice in a school environment
Project outcomes
Project outcomes include:
- increased value in the documentation provided as part of the delivery, especially the record of practice, reflection and professional dialogue
- an experience that was equal to six months of a Dip Ed
- an experience that was challenging but also a great way to learn
- improvement in confidence in the classroom
- broadening of communication techniques that can be used as a means to address classroom management issues
- an improved range of pedagogy
- being provided with a language that enabled new scheme teachers to converse in the area of advanced communication concepts
- a professional understanding provided by the teaching standards, that enabled participants to engage with, and support each other in the endeavour of enhancing the basic critical skills of the teaching professional
