AARE Teachers Day Conference 2013 Report

Mairead Hayes
The sessions I attended as a part of the AARE Teachers Day Conference were the SA Teaching
for Effective Learning Workshop and Professional Development Communities. The step-by-step
explanation and approach to the SA TfEL Online Compass tool was informative and interesting.
Margot Foster was at ease in her delivery and explanations of why the Online Compass was of
use to educators. As a pre-service teacher I found the session very beneficial to understand
some of the self, peer and student evaluation and development tools to assist and enhance my
teaching practices. At this stage in the BED(M/SS)/Arts degree we have not had such a
thorough explanation and immersion to such a toll which we will be required to work against,
TfEL Framework, and how to continually evaluate and improve upon our practices. The second
workshop I attended focused on Professional Development Communities for Teachers. Our
group had an interesting discussion on the problems such as a school referring to times of
professional development but what occurs is often hardly innovative or to the benefit of
teachers or students. A presentation was then given by the Principal of the Australian Science
and Mathematics School on the development that their schools teachers partake in. The
consensus in the workshop that was group collaboration and a sharing of resources in most
cases developed the learning for students and the development of teacher skills.
Both workshops and the discussions I had with fellow participants reinforced the need for
meaningful and supported teacher collaboration. The quality of lessons developed, professional
understandings and sense of belonging that teachers can gain through collaboration is of vital
importance. This understanding reinforces the use of group work and other forms of
collaboration in the Education Degrees offered at Flinders University. A piece of information
that I have taken from the conference and have already shared with my peers was the
innovative and transforming approaches used by two schools in South Australia. Although I did
not attend the session discussions with fellow delegates at the Hilton enlightened me as to the
attitude we sometimes need to have as educators. I was informed that these two schools are
implementing courses as a part of their curriculum that include alcohol brewing certificates
and individual selections of lecture style classes; under which students are now more engaged
and successful than previously. This reinforces an attitude that I like to have. First you figure
out what you want to do and then look at the supposed requirements and limitations that
stand before you. The insights that I will most certainly share with peers are to let your mind
be wild with ideas for the classroom and then figure out how to tie it in with the curriculum
and plan out how it enhances student learning. The conference was a very interesting
experience as the session were beneficial to the real needs of teachers and also the opportunity
to discuss ideas with educators in the profession and peers.