There is POWER in a VOICE.

I continuously promote a growth mindset to my students-take risks, learn from your mistakes and failure promotes resilience. You know when you are at a point in your career or life when you think, 'Why not?'  Last Saturday my goal was to initiate a #SatChatOc on Voxer group. I did ask myself, what if…it doesn’t work, what if… nobody joins, what if… it fails! Then I thought, what if it’s successful and I introduce a new learning platform to some Australian (and maybe even global) educators. I knew how much I had gained from being on #satchat Voxer. Why not share the learning?

Over the last year I have been inspired by @bradcurrie who continually challenges me. Yet he doesn’t even know it. When Brad first approached me to moderate #SatChatOc I responded with, “I’m sorry I don’t think I’m techy enough and it’s a bit out of my comfort zone”.  Next I knew, I was included in all the emails from the #satchat family. I have come to learn that I thrive when given a challenge or an opportunity to learn something new. But it also helps having someone believe in your ability. Brad created a Smore for #satchat, so I created one for #SatChatOc. Twitter has brought new life to my learning. I appreciate all the information shared on Twitter and the many educators in my PLN.

Over the last month, I have been fortunate to be part of the #satchat Voxer group. I listen to administrators and teachers (mainly USA) share their experiences, failures & triumphs. I listen intently to their stories and do not feel an urgency to respond, retweet or favour. Voxer allows me time to think and also provides the flexibility to learn in my own time. I listen to Voxer on my drive to and from work. It’s like having an audio book of people’s experiences and real life stories. The advice and experiences are always current and authentic and I listen attentively while thinking to myself. This creates some very deep reflecting.

On Saturday, I created a Google spreadsheet-something I’ve not done before. I direct messaged my friends for advice & feedback. @cybraryman1 was quick with his advice and the #SatChatOc on Voxer group soon began. Within three days we had quite a few members (from Twitter) and we’d covered numerous topics-trust, leadership, school culture and mentors. Listening to your own voice & analysing your presentation skills is another benefit of Voxer. I am attempting to decrease the number of 'ums' when I talk. The other benefit I see with Voxer is the ability to replay entries and speed up messages. 


This makes your learning flexible and autonomous yet supported and unrestricted. While I have felt connected to many of the educators in my PLN through Twitter, Voxer has created a deeper level of learning and my professional relationships with others has become stronger. Learning has become more personal. Daily, I am inspired by these people and enjoy being surrounded by passionate, enthusiastic and generous educators. Voxer has brought learning, reflecting and being connected to a whole new level. Twitter, like emails, do not convey emotions. Vocal inflection, gestures and sarcasm (an Aussie favourite) are at most times lost in a text or 140 characters. 

There is POWER in a VOICE.

Imagine the possibilities…

Andrea

Voxer is a San Francisco based mobile app development company most well known for its free Voxer Walkie Talkie app for smartphones. Voxer Walkie Talkie is both a live "push-to-talk" system and a voice messaging system. Other features include the ability to send texts and pictures.
http://voxer.com/faq/

Give me quality over quantity every time!

I remind my students before they commence writing, 'Remember, I prefer quality to quantity'. Produce two pages of writing that incorporates many strategies - show don't tell, ellipses, internal thinking, onomatopoeia etc., instead of six pages of waffle. They have come to accept my expectations. Give me quality over quantity every time.

At times, students may compare themselves to each other and it's usually over quantity. Highest marks, grades, more ribbons, chosen as class captain. I encourage students not to compete against each other or even compare themselves to others. Aim for personal best in academics and sport. Where were you and where are you now? Let's embrace and acknowledge growth.

Our grading system does not highlight growth or progress. It shows a static moment in learning and we know learning is not static. A student who begins with large amount of knowledge may demonstrate little effort, resulting in insignificant improvement. Now compare that student to a student who showed limited knowledge but worked extremely hard and exhibited enormous growth. How do they end up with the same grade? Our reports should highlight progress. I find when you get swept up in a competitive situation, it creates some defensiveness and insecurity. Comparing yourself to others can be detrimental to your self-esteem and self-efficacy. While I accept some people require competition to achieve their best performance or results, I believe it is important to always run our own race. Again, let's embrace and acknowledge growth.

If you ask me about friends too, I would say I prefer a handful of friends who know and accept me as I am, than a large number of acquaintances who don't really know me at all. I'd rather people know me, than know about me. Give me quality friendships over numerous acquaintances any day.

On twitter, I am satisfied with a smaller number of followers with whom I connect and respect. Twitter, for me is not about the number of followers you ascertain. In my humble opinion, some may see followers as a badge of honor or an achievement. Personally, I see it as a pat on the back indicating that your efforts are appreciated. Usually, if you follow me, I don't automatically follow back because I want to connect first. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the pat on the back but I won't ask or seek people to follow me.

Our #SatChatOc team aims to connect and welcome all to the chat. We want to keep it personal and not be about the number of tweets per minute or our trending record. As long as educators are connecting, sharing, learning and feel like they belong, then we are happy. We do not seek guests to increase numbers but we kindly ask them to moderate because we believe Twitter enables great professional learning. If we can provide an inspirational educator to share their knowledge or generate a discussion, then we've achieved our goal. Our goal is to facilitate quality conversations. A friend once said that you should be acknowledged for the quality of your tweets, not the quantity of your tweets. This is a something I am working on.

Lately, I have learnt the benefits of really listening to others. By using Voxer, you listen to comments and while you can immediately converse with someone, this does not usually happen. The way Voxer works is you listen to comments or questions and you can respond in your own time. What I've notice is that I listen more attentively as I'm not preoccupied with my response. I give quality time to just listening. I need to develop these skills when having face to face discussions.

Students need to understand that popularity does not equal respect and that true value cannot be measured in a single, fleeting number or grade. I encourage students to be true to themselves, celebrate personal growth and remember that quality trumps quantity every time.

And the learning continues,

Andrea
stringer_andrea

The 3 Rs of Education.

Friday afternoon… 3.30pm… and my school puts on a ‘social’ event. Friday afternoon-you know the time when you just want to go home. It’s been a big week! But isn’t it always? There’s always something-staff meetings, excursions, parent conferences, reports, assessments, marking, book week, grandparents', father’s or mother’s day. And then there's the arts program-dancing, drama, sports, musicals. The list goes on but kudos to my school. They understand that ‘relationships’ are key.

Last week I listened (on my way to and from school) to my #satchat Voxer group give advice to new administrators. Everyone repeated the same sentiment. 'Relationships, relationships, relationships!’ Take time to get to know your staff. Make the effort to connect. You will not build trust if you don’t create a relationship and this takes time. Interesting to hear it from the experienced administrators' point of view. I know this is important from a new teacher’s point of view. And when I say ‘new’ teacher, I mean beginning teachers or teachers to a new school. Relationships are the key to a successful school and to the student’s education.

But I have to question: Do universities highlight the importance of relationships? Do education ministers appreciate the importance of establishing relationships with students, parents/care givers and colleagues? Do schools allocate time to build and sustain these relationships? Do our National Teaching Standards value relationships? Well, yes the National Standards do. And they do so quite explicitly!

1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

Develop teaching programs that support equitable and ongoing participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students by engaging in collaborative relationships with community representatives and parents/carers.

6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice

Initiate collaborative relationships to expand professional learning opportunities, engage in research, and provide quality opportunities and placements for pre-service teacher

7.3 Engage with the parents/carers

Establish and maintain respectful collaborative relationships with parents/ carers regarding their children’s learning and wellbeing

When I worked in Marin County, California, there were times when I noticed colleagues needed a ‘pick me up’. When a parent had spoken abruptly to them - I gave them flowers. When they had supported me - I gave them flowers. When they had ‘a lot on their plate’ - I gave them flowers. I don't think it was the flowers that boosted their morale. I believe it was that I recognised and related to them.

 

When we returned to Australia, I worked in a Catholic School in NSW,  and on occasion I brought flowers for my team members. Once I placed a chocolate in every teacher’s top drawer. You know the chocolates that pop in your mouth and always seem to make you smile. No one knew who it was, because I got one too! 

When I moved schools, I spent the first 6 months in my classroom working. If I wasn’t on duty, I was usually in my classroom marking or preparing for the next lesson. And then I realised what I was missing. You cannot work with people if you do not connect with them. Yes, work is important but so is building relationships. Relationships are why we come to work and why we teach. We have relationships with students, colleagues and administrators. These are the five elements Seligman found essential to human well-being: 

As social animals, humans have a need for connection, love, physical and emotional contact with others. By building strong networks of relationships around us, with family, friends, co-workers and all the other people in our lives, we enhance our own well- being (http://positivepsychologymelbourne.com.au/PERMA-model#e)

The last few years have taught me the importance of relationships in education. When we moved back to Australia, I had to start all over again-both professionally and personally. I have my wonderful family (who totally get my passion for teaching) but most of my friends were back in the US. It was Twitter that opened my new social circle. My mentor in the US once stated, “You will find that most of your friends will be teachers because they just get it." How right she was.

Although I haven’t shared my relationships with my students or parents, just know that they are why I go to work (sometimes the drive is over an hour). I would say that the majority if not all of my parents have witnessed my passion, and trust that I have their child’s best interests at heart. While we don’t seek acknowledgement, nothing beats a positive comment from your students, parents or colleagues. I have to be honest and tell you that I have saved emails and placed them in my feedback folder. These are great for those times when you need a little motivation or reassurance in your ability.

Relationships are vital in education. You cannot place a value on them. You cannot think that they just miraculously occur. You cannot believe that the skill of relationship building can be explicitly taught. I believe one learns through experience and it takes work, tenacity, compromise and time. But when relationships work, it brings an experience that is immeasurable. What are the 3 Rs in education? Relationships, relationships, relationships.