Albany Senior High School/Professional Learning and Appraisal Overview

Inquiry is at the centre of professional learning and Albany Senior High School. Inquiry enables you to learn about students and learning from students about the effectiveness of your teaching.

Inquiry is:
 * Agentic (you are in charge of your research)
 * Collaborative (you share your knowledge with teachers and students)
 * Embedded (part of your teaching practice)
 * Timely (so that it makes a difference to student learning)
 * Iterative (for ongoing learning)



Single loop learning has often been compared to a thermostat in that it makes a "decision" to either turn off or on. Double loop learning is like a thermostat that asks "why" - is this a good time to switch settings? Are there people in the room? Do they all have coats on? Is it 40 degrees outside? Double loop learning looks at context and questions its own underlying assumptions in order to make the wisest decision. Coaching  Coaching supports learning about and from students while providing rich opportunities for teachers to learn from one another. You will have one appraiser but you may choose your coach and/or mentor to be the "best fit" for your inquiry. Your Inquiry Your inquiry should be based on the Teaching as inquiry model (New Zealand Curriculum, p35). You should research your inquiry through:


 * A focused observation linked to your inquiry
 * Student feedback
 * Products from students (student work and/or assessment data)

Findings and their significance should be discussed with your coach, mentor or appraiser.

Reflection  Your reflections on your inquiries and what you have learned from them should be recorded in your (e) portfolio. You should also include reflections and learning from courses, conferences, training and professional readings.

The Appraisal Cycle