Star Performer - Kathleen Roach - St Albans Catholic Primary School

Earlier this month  I met with E- Learning Leader, Kathleen Roach from St Albans Catholic Primary School. Kathleen has recently completed her Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice and I was keen to find out what the benefits are for busy classroom teachers.

This programme is important for teachers as we are preparing students for a world that we cannot imagine. The way they (students) will earn their money are in ways we haven't even thought of yet. The programme focuses on a shift from knowledge to the skills students will need and how to apply these skills to a situation. A specific area of my classroom practice that I developed was my focus on the Key Competencies that are embedded within the curriculum. It is important to highlight that although we had hands on time in the 'techie areas' of robotics, Makerspace and new apps, the emphasis was on the pedagogy and best practice  based on the research in the use of these tools.

In a recent article by the Washington Post, Jeffery Selingo highlighted three key areas that companies are looking for in new graduates. These are:

1. Applying knowledge and skills to the real world.
2., Being innovative and creative.
3. Critical/ Analytical Thinking.

This change in thinking is heightened in Christchurch due to the new schools that are being created and the pace of educational change. Many schools are starting to review their purpose around the classroom in this format:

• Strengths of our school?
• What's shifting in our school - outside/ inside.
• Vision - is this shared among staff, students and community.
• Bridges or steps, puzzle pieces of development we need to plan for.

These thoughts led me to discuss with Kathleen the requirements of the programme and how to complete it while teaching full time.

Overtime, you gain confidence in completing assignments whilst meeting the demands of full time teaching. I believe it is also about  setting the right time aside to do it. I was part of a study group and we would meet every Saturday to discuss our coursework. What was exciting about this group is that it involved  people from different backgrounds working together to achieve a shared goal.

Congratulations to Kathleen on her completion of this programme and her commitment to such worthwhile professional development.