examines skills and collaborative and inclusive ways to reframe the purpose of inquiry. “We’ve been on this journey for the last couple of years, working on coaching methods and frameworks,” says Nicole, “but it’s challenging now to have Tabitha to take us even further. “In a way, it’s an innate progression. The idea of teacher inquiry is teacher driven, it’s about them thinking ‘I need to develop a skill to improve myself for my students’.” With three visits planned in all, Tabitha is challenging the Heads of Teaching & Learning in other ways, too. “Now we’re doing work on active listening, for example.” Nicole says once she and the Heads of Teaching & Learning have completed the sessions, the idea is to spread the method to all teaching staff. “Our goal is to have inquiry as a way of being. It will be about
asking the teachers to reflect on their styles and values, and to continually develop. Asking them to recognise what they do well, and helping them to leverage that to build capabilities in areas where they might not feel as confident. “Our aim at College is to have each boy at his best, and through the work of the CTER we aim to have each teacher at their best as well. Every one of us is a teacher who has different things to offer. Tabitha’s work is about teachers being authentic, getting better every day.” Nicole says the silver lining of the lockdown experience was the opportunity it gave for teachers to think about things differently. “Teaching life is intense during term time, and it was wonderful to have some space when pedagogy was a priority. “Lockdown was a leveller. It helped people see there can be something positive in reconsidering things sometimes.”
“ Our goal is to have inquiry as a way of being. It will be about asking the teachers to reflect on their
classroom teachers to build their capability and capacity as inquiring practitioners. She has developed a strategy which provides an opportunity to consider different ways teachers gain insight into learning in the classroom. Her course teaches how to leverage shifts in both teaching pedagogy and student learning, and styles and values, and to continually develop .” Nicole Billante
College Issue 39 2020
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