EPDP project overview
This EPDP project was designed to reduce the isolation of teachers in small schools.
Duration: 03:00
Benefits of extended networks and learning together
In this story principals Verity Harlick and Megan Odgers describe how they tapped into external expertise to support their project. They also discuss the value of learning links they built within the cluster.
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We developed a network of principals, (who) work very well together. We’ve carried on this network this year looking at numeracy. We looked at different schools. We took a trip to Nelson and looked at different schools. We worked with Jean Edwards in inquiry learning and thinking skills, which was of great value. It’s good to do it as a cluster because you can then refer back. You’ve got other people who’ve been involved in the same work, and then you can bounce ideas off, try new ideas, but have someone to fall back on and question if you’re not sure about certain aspects.
One of the features that I’ve found while visiting a school in Nelson was to see the discovery time where on Fridays they try new things. We’re introducing this, this week. (It) could be a bit chaotic but hopefully it will all pan out. I also visited a school in Naama, Vancouver, spent a lot of time with the principal looking at their written language. Interesting to see the similarities they’ve gone through to actually formulate what they see as good writing, how they use exemplars (the examplars (are) set out very similarly to ours) and what they do to actually improve written language in their schools. Spent the morning in a classroom of seven year olds, read them books from New Zealand. They then wrote letters back to our children and now we’ve started up a pen pal idea with the children over there which we will then develop into emailing, improving literacy through emails. Posting letters takes an awfully long time. Seven year olds can’t wait two or three weeks for a letter to arrive.
One of the things through this project was the confirming of what we’re doing in our school, in relation to what other schools are doing, how we’ve become more confident in assessing and moderating children’s work. It also puts you on a level playing field with other schools. It gives you the chance to reflect back on what we did, how we did it, what we did to improve. It’s a checkpoint for making sure the progress is still continuing. We have noticed a great improvement in children’s writing and the enthusiasm that they write and are keen to share work with other children.
