What the survey data showed:
Out of the 17 responses gained, it was really interesting to see how colleagues rated their confidence level to deliver their classroom program using an integrated approach.
(Scale: 1 = not confident and 10 = very confident)
- 7 out of 17 ( 41.2%) staff members rated themselves at 8 or higher. (Highly confident)
- 8 out of 17 ( 47.2%) staff members rated themselves between 5 - 7. (Middle level confidence)
- 2 out of 17 ( 11.8%) staff members rated themselves below 5. (Low confidence)
This had me wondering...what are some actionable steps that can be taken to overcome these barriers when a) teachers are feeling time constraints to connect with each other to plan collaboratively and b) limited curriculum resources available for their utilisation? Sommerville has a wonderful wealth of expertise that exists across the school network, so how can we intentionally connect these teachers as valuable resources themselves to plan using an integrated curriculum approach.
My wonderings for potential ways forward:
- Deliberately using termly "Team Release" days to plan collaboratively in our pathway teams.
- Using release days to visit expert teachers across the wider school network who have a strong expertise in a specific area of the curriculum, so that we take advantage of these expertise within our school.
- Connecting with our Curriculum Leaders to explore how their different areas can be taught in a way that allows planning to be merged effectively for our student outcomes.
- Reaching out to other Specialist school in Auckland and across NZ to see how they deliver the curriculum in their school settings.