TeachXpo 2015

What a great day!  I've heard about Joan before and feel sure I must have been to one of her workshops at the conference we went to in Rotorua with Nik and Carol and Rob that time - not ULearn but something similar.  She was an engaging and structured as ever and boy did we learn!

She mentioned a man called, Patrick Lencioni and his books the Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Advantage which sound really interesting. Wow!  What can I say!  Joan Dalton - wow!
This lady has impressed me more than words can say.  If I can be just half as influential as she can in my lifetime, I'll be happy!

This is one of her talks and can give a little insight into how amazing she is.  And, at some point in your life, you need to be in the room with Joan.  Her amazing presence is calming and resonates so well with how I feel about empowering education.  I feel very strongly that this workshop with Joan will change the way I view myself, my learners and those around me.  She has helped me on my journey to seeing how I view education and to create the change I wish to see.  Wow.



Conversations for improving and transforming learning from EDtalks on Vimeo.
Takeaways from the course: Great structured collaborative activities: Donut - with drinks partner. Pinwheel - numbered off 1, 2, 3 and move on when time to go on. Number 2 is gatekeeper (gives them a job) Final Word - choosing something to talk about - everyone else speaks in turn first, then final word person says why they chose that one. Great idea - gives a chance to share and everyone has a turn before the person selecting can speak and explain their selection. Sharing someone else's idea Using post-its to list what we hope to learn (or will choose to focus on) that day and return to that later to see if they have achieved their goal.

What will you Continue, Start and Stop now that you know that?

 Continue: I'd like to continue looking at Joan Dalton's books. She has done some vital research around Learning Talk and after spending two days in her 'classroom' I want that for all my learners. I love the way that she uses language: Take the next five minutes to talk over what you've learned through this process. As you turn to the board you'll see.... So we're ready for head outside into the sunshine for morning tea, there are a few things it's time for us to do, how might we best do that? Return to our classroom covenants and encourage students to identify what learning we need to do in order to help our learning. Come back to Circle Time and use this time to restructure our understandings. Do this in partnership with Joan's Learning Talk books, so that our Important Conversations are filled with Joan's wonderful nurturing and Growth Mindset language.

 Start: Speaking in ways that demonstrate trust for my students. Start speaking in ways that ask more questions. Creating laminated prompt cards to encourage active listening (pause, reframe, prompt, probe, inquire) Using the structured collaborative activities that mix up our learning community for greater collaboration. Start speaking about students again with promise and potential.

 Stop: Picking up on all shortfalls in attention. Focus instead on positivity. I can't MAKE students learn and I can't MAKE them watch or join in. I know all this but somehow the 'power' in our room is becoming a problem and how perhaps this is adding to the way I feel that students feel that learning is my business not theirs. If I want their agency to improve, I need to show them that I know it's their job, I feel it's their job and I can leave it to them to be responsible for that behaviour. And if it's not happening? Then we need to follow up later with an Important Conversation that asks of that child what's not happening for them and what thoughts they have on it. (See Joan's notes on important conversations).

 I can't even put into words how often subtle habits of mine were highlighted throughout this process and how unsettled that left me feeling. They say though that dissonance is the catalyst for change. So change is inevitable then, I think. Joan's new book - Book 5 is out about September and focuses a lot of the Important Conversations we need to have. In the meantime, I'm excited about what her current books can do for me. So exciting! Roll on the growth!