Innovative Practices in the Senior Centre 2013-2014

1. Innovative Practices in the Senior Centre 2013-2014

2. Background and Context • Ocean View College is a B-12 category 2 school, with an enrolment in 2013 of approx. 780 students. 146 in year 11 and 12 were catered for in the Senior Centre. • Innovative practices examined focus on: • Learners: grouping of year 11 and 12 students • Teachers: primarily the impact of 3 Study Managers • Resources: including the shared Senior Centre space and a ‘bring your own device policy’

3. Research Method Focus question: ‘What impact have innovations in the Ocean View College Senior Centre had on student engagement and achievement?’ Associated questions include: How has the appointment of Study Managers helped to improve student engagement and learning? How has the ‘bring your own device’ policy changed how students use their study time? To what extent do teachers provide online access to curriculum materials?

4. Method (contd.) Qualitative and quantitative data collection: March 2013 - student and staff Google drive online surveys September 2013 - year 12 exit Google drive online survey September 2013 - year 12 sample student interviews March 2014 - staff and leadership interviews Additional data: Stage 1 and 2 attendance data 2012-2013 OVC Behaviour Management data 2012-2013 SACE completion data 2012 – 2013 SACE results 2012 -2013

5. FINDINGS • Innovative practice 1 • The impact of the ‘bring your own device’ policy on student engagement and learning. • March 2013 survey responses showed 54% of students used their own device, 29% borrowed school provided devices • By September 2013 over 68% of students regularly used their own device • Student perception of the advantages provided by using devices had shifted markedly with 94% of responses indicating they had helped with their learning

6. FINDINGS • Online curriculum • March 2013 only 6 of 26 senior subject teachers (23%) provided students with access to online resources • After only 7 weeks this had increased to 19 (73%) • By September 84% of students had accessed online curriculum resources in a wide range of subjects • Responses in the March staff survey indicated that the majority of senior staff felt comfortable with providing up to 90% of their curriculum online

7. FINDINGS Improved use of technology ( September survey)

8. FINDINGS • Future focus on the how and what of curriculum delivery: • ‘ I think the focus would really be about curriculum delivery….the ‘how’ of teaching and the provision of curriculum online to increase the transparency of learning.’ (Leader interview 2) • Improved communication and student/teacher partnerships • By September 68% of students used either Facebook or Edmodo • 52% of these used Edmodo to communicate outside of lesson time • Communication tools need to continue to be a focus for discussion and further development

9. FINDINGS • Innovative Practice 2: • The Learning Environment • ‘The old space [2013] was a great start…we began with changing practices and the culture first.’ (Leader interview 2) • Physical space utilised traditional structures • Minor refurbishment of learning spaces • Areas became a shared learning space for year 11 & 12 • Traditional groupings of students no longer occurred • Encouraged greater independence and responsibility • 87% of students felt that the Senior Centre • spaces met their learning needs • Student survey September 2013

10. FINDINGS • Innovative Practice 3 • Teachers: The appointment of 3 Study Managers • Student Perception • Data reflects a perceived change in the amount of support provided to senior students: • By the September survey 97% of students felt they had been well supported by Study Managers • Common comments include: ‘I ask for help when I really need it and there is [sic] always plenty of teachers around’, ‘I am extremely happy with the amount of help I am getting from teachers, there is always someone there if I need to ask for help’, and ‘I am receiving plenty of individual help with my subjects.’ (Student survey March)

11. FINDINGS • Similar positive perceptions were evident when students were asked if Study Managers provided consistent rules and expectations • Again 97 % of provided favourable comments • One student’s perception was: • I loved having Senior Managers up there. I compare it to before to year 11 in the library…I couldn’t tell you any of the teachers. The biggest aid we had this year was not the room but having all the teachers from lots of subjects up there…there was always someone up there…it was the best resource.(Student interview 3)

12. FINDINGS • Staff perception • One staff interviewee observed that ‘ As an early career teacher, last year was my first year teaching a senior class. I was amazed at how organized and seamlessly the senior school ran … it [the Senior Centre] gives students 3 managers that they can build trustful relationships with’ ( Staff interview 1) • Other benefits of the current Senior Centre model include: • Study Managers provide students with a more personalized service • Provides subject teachers with 3 managers they can liaise with • Managers can work together with subject teachers to obtain the best results possible for our students • Managers provide a supportive, motivational and collaborative environment for students and teachers

13. Assessing the Impact of Innovative Practices on Student Learning and Engagement • Improved attendance rates • Year 11 from 80.9% in 2012 to 83.8% in 2013 • Year 12 from 80.7% in 2012 to 87.0% in 2013 • Behaviour Management Data • Year 11 incidents reduced from 333 in 2012 to 262 in 2013 • Year 12 incidents reduced from 198 in 2012 to 134 in 2013 • SACE Results • Increased number of As from 13 in 2012 to 21 in 2013 • Increased number of Bs from 86 in 2012 to 125 in 2013 • Decreased number of Es from 3 in 2012 to 0 in 2013

14. Further developments 2014 • Relocation to new space ‘one stop shop’ • Delivery of Research Project in a shared environment • ‘tag team’ approach to curriculum delivery • All staff provided with Windows 8 tablet • Regular staff workshops • Proposed trial of Learning Management System to provide live access for teachers, students & parents

15. Conclusion • The findings examined in this report illustrate that ‘You don’t have to be a lighthouse school with extra resources to be innovative, you just need to allow and intelligently foster what is already emerging.’ (Fullan and Langworthy 2014:ii) • They do however demonstrate that what is needed, is a site with shared leadership, where innovation has multiple champions. • As one school leader explained: • Where we are now is based on teamwork. I don’t think you could actually say that any one person has ownership of the senior school model. There’s definitely not one person who can say ‘I thought of that model’ because that’s not the case. It’s been a team approach where an idea has been seeded and developed to the point where the outcomes for our students we believe…will be highly successful. (Leader interview 1)

16. Conclusion What needs to continue is a commitment by senior staff at Ocean View College to further develop, deep learning tasks that restructure the learning process towards knowledge creation and use. Is our work finished? Certainly not, as one leader explained: I think the most dramatic improvement in the 2013 Senior Centre model was a change in culture which was significant for our students, as well as our staff…Students were more accountable for their study and learning outcomes. Did we get it 100% right? Probably not, but I can guarantee that we were hitting the mark on 80%. (Leader interview 1) ‘We can never sit still….senior schooling will always continue to evolve, especially here at Ocean View College.’ (Leader interview 1)

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