ULEARN 2008

It was a great few days in Christchurch. Most of the breakouts Tony and I selected were very worthwhile. We started off with Tony Ryan's Transformational teachers which was very motivating. He spoke about the 4 roles being;
The Energiser
The Ethicist
The Entrepeneur
The Environmentalist
Lyn Ross delivered the Thinking Toolbox which was really useful in finding some great resources. Her "www.ebest.co.nz" website is well worth a look and has many practical ideas and resources.The Blooms framework is really easy to follow with a variety of planning templates too.
Decisions that Matter was a practical dialogue that gave an opportunity to share thoughts as to what schools willl look like in the next 10 years and investing in infrustructure. It was certainly thought provoking.
Tony Ryan's "thinking about thinking" was also practicle with 5 key ideas:
Self talk
Quality classroom thinking facilatating
Focus questions
Digital assessment tasks
Engaging thinking strategies
It was useful for Tony and I to attend the same breakouts to reinforce ideas and thinking. Next year I would like to take all staff if possible. We came away with some excellent practical ideas.