Journal for Josef Heinrich

An Introduction to Stronger Smarter

9 Jan 2017 End of Part 3

through the stronger smarter module i have gain a great understanding of the
needs of the students and the importance of developing meaning strategies to
help with the development of their cultural identity within the school environment.
the range of meta strategies lay out help form a more complete picture of the
different aspects which help to promote high expectations within our students, on
both a classroom level and a whole school level. the importance to working
together and building relationships is a key element throughout, whether it is
working with the school leadership, follow teachers and pears, parents and carer,
or members from the community, the positive relationships we build can have a
substantial positive impact on our classroom and school environments. being
able to have a positive impact on a students self identity through the
incorporation of cultural elements into the curriculum is one main aspect which i
will personally take to heart in my own classroom, as well as including community
members within the class through interactive activities. the encouragement of
leadership to include these community members within the school is a key
element which i hope to encourage within my own school community. in the future
i hope to further develop my own knowledge and teaching pedagogies to
incorporate more elements for the betterment of all my students, so that they are
able to reach the high expectations i set out for them, free from any prejudice.

9 Jan 2017 Compare results

the stronger smarter module has given me a lot of insight into the needs of the
students, and the large importance community plays in the development of
students self identity. community plays a pivotal role in indigenous education.

9 Jan 2017 Self assessment

Self assessment

How much do I currently understand about the philosophy and beliefs of the Stronger
Smarter philosophy and approach?

Rating - Five/Five

How much do I understand and use the common language of Stronger Smarter?

Rating - Four/Five

How aware am I of my own assumptions about Indigenous students, their families and
their education?

Rating - Four/Five
 How well do I understand myself as a cultural and unique being?

Rating - Four/Five

How aware am I of enabling and disabling practices at my school?

Rating - Four/Five

How aware am I of my own engagement with enabling or disabling practices?

Rating - Four/Five

How much effort am I putting into changing my own disabling practices?

Rating - Four/Five

How much effort am I putting into changing the disabling practices in my school?

Rating - Four/Five

To what extent do I explicitly engage with data to track Indigenous student performance?

Rating - Four/Five

9 Jan 2017 Part 3 Summary - Strategies for change

better and more deep understanding incoroporationg of culture intot he
curriculum is one main way i personally see being applied in a way which can
help promote a positive sense of identity for the students, through this
integration, community could also be involved allowing students to develop a
sense of friendly culture within the school.
while long term change requires large amounts of time and support from the
leadership it is important that we act and build a strong school community for the
long term health of education as a whole

9 Jan 2017 School models

it is important that we work with the community and be flexible in how we work to
achieving the expectations we set out for the children. we need to integrate the
community within the school and classroom environment and build meaningful
relationships with their parents and carer in a way which the students understand
that they are a welcome part of the school community. the differences in culture
can lead to a range of different circumstance which clash with the perspectives
and ideals set out by the government and school, but it is our job as educators to
work with the communities to overcome these aspects in a positive manner.

9 Jan 2017 Schooling starts at birth

education does not stop when students leave school, as teachers we need to
understand students constantly learn while at home, what we need to strive to do
is blend these ideas of learning and encourage students to learn while engaged
at school.

9 Jan 2017 Staffing approaches to address complex challenges

it is important to use the available resources and work well as a team with
support staff. how well you work with the community and support staff sets an
example to your students and builds another level of rapport with the students
 and community. developing positive relationships will have a positive impact on
students reaching the high expectations set out for them

9 Jan 2017 Meaningful connections with community

it is important to work with communities and also educate them on the practices
within the school, as well as including them in meaningful ways within the school
community

9 Jan 2017 Meta-strategies 4 and 5: Innovative school models

it is important that the leadership of the school understand the challenges and
help with the development of whole school action, to truly bring about long term
sustainable change

9 Jan 2017 Summary: High-expectations leadership

students within my classroom understand the high expectations set for them,
these expectations are communicated to their parents or carers. support from
the leadership allows for more targeted develop of expectations through the use
of school data, and the develop of rapport within the classroom allows for the
continued development of these outcome.

9 Jan 2017 Monitoring performance

data is a valuable tool in helping to develop high expectations within the school
environment, it also acts as a tool to help determine the success of strategies,
and the achievement of goals. it is important to include community and parents in
development of these goals and interpretation of data to better overcome any
problems as well as communicate any success.

9 Jan 2017 Supporting Teachers

the support of leadership is important in the development of positive school
culture, without this support it is difficult to intact change on a school scale.
leadership needs to allow teachers to develop their knowledge, create
relationships with community and to discuss and share their expertise to truly
develop and support high expectations within their class and school environment

9 Jan 2017 High-expectations relationships

the way we connect with the students and community is an important part in the
development of high expectations. the building of rapport with the students and
parents allows for more open communication and development of support
relationships. supportive relationships plays a key role in teachers being able to
create and achieve high expectations within their classrooms

9 Jan 2017 High-expectations classrooms

high expectations can come in many forms, it is important to be explicit and
consistent with the development of these expectations. when developing high
 expectations for your own classroom it is important to develop it to suit your own
differentiated classroom environments

9 Jan 2017 Meta-strategy 3: High-expectations leadership

as teachers we need to overcome any unconscious prejudice that may have
been developed through exposure to negative stereotypes, it is important that we
develop ourselves so that we can have genuine expectations of high
achievement for our students

9 Jan 2017 Summary: Embracing positive Indigenous leadership

engagement with the community is a important aspect to allow parents and
carers to develop a trust with the school community, their input with the
development of their children is valued and needed for the sustained
development of high expectations. community involvement can be achieved
through the inclusion of key community representatives into the decision making
process, as well as creating an ongoing integration of community support within
the school itself

9 Jan 2017 Working with the community

it is important to involve the community in decision making as they can have
valuable and important insight into problems which may only be brought up due
to the difference in cultural values.
the working together to make decications create a bond of trust and embraces
the value of indigenous cultural integration into schools. this active engagement
allows the community to feel comfortable working with the school to overcome
any problems which may arise

9 Jan 2017 Meta-strategy 2: Embracing positive Indigenous leadership

the interaction with the wider community plays a key role in the development of
high expectations of students. when the community becomes active parts of a
students learning, it enables them to have the cultural support needed to excel

9 Jan 2017 Summary: Positive student identity

the development of a students self is key in the development of a positive
environment. students need to understand that being indigenous and being able
to achieve in school are not mutually exclusive and that their culture and
experiences are important part of their identity and adds to their strength as a
learner. it is important that during a students learning that we make more efforts
to integrate indigenous links throughout the curriculum so that students are
better able to link their cultural identity to the schools

9 Jan 2017 The curriculum

curriculum can play an important role in the development of a students positive
cultural identity. the integration of aspects of indigenous culture and societies
through interactions and learning students are better able to understand the
 importance of their identity and link their identity with one which not only exists
outside of school but one which exists inside the classroom.

9 Jan 2017 The school environment

when students have a positive cultural identity, it allows them to better
understand their place in the world, and feel like they belong. this link between
their culture and themselves helps to drive their confidence in being able to
succeed in their endeavors

8 Jan 2017 Meta-strategy 1: Positive student identity

developing a students cultural identity allows them to feel more comfortable with
who they are, which in turns allows them to feel comfortable at school and
learning without the fear of rejection. the development of a students identity is a
key part in the development of a positive school environment.

8 Jan 2017 Part 3: Strategies for Change

the main areas which interest me as a teacher are, positive student identity,
indigenous leadership, and high-expectations, since these three strategies can
implemented inside the classroom without requiring large amounts of support.
these strategies can allow for the development of my teaching toolkit and make
me a more effective teacher overall.

8 Jan 2017 End of Part 2

to better understand the school culture more collaboration across different
departments needs to take place, within some schools it can be very difficult to
interact with a range of different teachers from across the departments, this
difference has effect on the overall school culture as teachers are individuals
with their own cultural perspectives, and the collaboration between this large
body of individuals can allow for greater more effective change as a whole
school.

8 Jan 2017 Summary - Understanding school cultures

this section has highlighted the need to challenge assumptions, as teachers we
need to change our thinking. we need to make sure we don't get caught up in
negative thinking where we think students are not worth the effort or time, we
need to develop ourselves and create positive learning environments where the
individual and different strengths of the students can shine through

8 Jan 2017 Deficit conversations

having these low expectations for students which are derived from our perception
of them leads to a spiral of student under achievement.
it personal makes me sad to see this happen inside the classroom. all students
should should be given the opportunity and chance to learn to their full potential
and seeing students excluded due to how the low expectations imposed by their
 teacher is something which we need to overcome to develop quality teaching and
a positive teaching environment

8 Jan 2017 Intercultural understanding

in the implementation of change through stronger smarter it is important to work
as a group and community within the school to reflect on our practices. the
leadership needs to allow for the teachers to engage in learning and discussion
and develop their understanding, so that they can better work as a team to shift
the culture of the school into a more positive direction.

8 Jan 2017 Intercultural understanding

since our own perspectives play such an important role, it is important that
before undertaking change that we first look inwards and disassemble the
different ideals our own culture imparts on my perspective in the world and how i
can change any negative practices into positive ones

8 Jan 2017 School culture

while i am currently still a student, it is important to be aware of these factors and
develop my thinking in a way which can later help me engage with any negative
cultural practices and develop myself to be an effective teacher

8 Jan 2017 School culture

it is very important to overcome this stereotyping of cultures as it can change our
perceptions on student achievement. it is important we develop high expectation
free from prejudice and assumption so the students are able to develop their
knowledge and understanding to the best of their ability

8 Jan 2017 School culture

it is important as teachers that we recognise and address the cultural differences
which may be more hidden, but still have a impact on how the student learns and
interacts with the world. it is important that we as teachers learn about and
understand these differences and overcome them inside the classroom to create
an environment which is not negatively effected by our assumptions of culture.

8 Jan 2017 Part 2 - Understanding school cultures

The current school culture and practices have an important effect on how
successful the implementation of stronger smarter ideals. it is important to
change the culture of the school to promote positive practices

8 Jan 2017 End of part 1

it is important as a new teacher to understand the differences cultural of not only
students by my own cultural differences and endeavor to create a class room
environment which acknowledges these cultural differences. it is important to
maintain high expectations for all our students and help them to achieve the best
 they can through development of our teaching and teaching pedagogies.

8 Jan 2017 Part 1 Summary - The Stronger Smarter approach

The stronger smarter approach;
is about whole school action,
requires cultural understanding and awareness,
shares knowledge,
will create a more inclusive and stronger learning environment,
honours the commitments of coming together,
embraces the differences,
welcomes change.

8 Jan 2017 Changing the tide of low expectations

It is important as teachers that we understand that all students are able to
accomplish and achieve at school, we need to as teachers examine and
implement pedagogy which allows all students to engage actively and learn,
achieving the outcomes that they deserive

8 Jan 2017 The background to the Stronger Smarter approach

influenced and shaped by past actions stronger smarter started through a
combined effort of both school and community, as a initiative to build stronger
ties with indigenous students and their cultural identity as a way to promote
better educational outcomes

8 Jan 2017 The Stronger Smarter philosophy

the aim of the stronger smarter program is to not only educate students and
teach knowledge, but to help students develop their own personal identity, both
as individuals and as members of a diverse cultural background. having these
differences in cultural knowledge s important to allow Australia to grow as a
country and society.

8 Jan 2017 End of Introduction

while i am currently not situated at a school teaching, since am i still undertaking
my teaching degree, the stronger smarter module looks to be a great resource in
expanding my knowledge, and professional practice, helping me to develop the
skills needed for quality teaching in the diverse environment of Australian
schools

8 Jan 2017 Self assessment

Self assessment

How much do I currently understand about the philosophy and beliefs of the Stronger
Smarter philosophy and approach?

Rating - Three/Five

How much do I understand and use the common language of Stronger Smarter?
 Rating - Two/Five

How aware am I of my own assumptions about Indigenous students, their families and
their education?

Rating - Three/Five

How well do I understand myself as a cultural and unique being?

Rating - Four/Five

How aware am I of enabling and disabling practices at my school?

Rating - Two/Five

How aware am I of my own engagement with enabling or disabling practices?

Rating - Two/Five

How much effort am I putting into changing my own disabling practices?

Rating - Two/Five

How much effort am I putting into changing the disabling practices in my school?

Rating - Two/Five

To what extent do I explicitly engage with data to track Indigenous student performance?

Rating - Two/Five

8 Jan 2017 Changing deficit conversations

deficit conversations have an important impact in the maintaining of negative
cultural practices within the school. if we accept or ignore these deficit
conversations we promote their meanings and can subconsciously bring those
ideals into our own classrooms.
as a teacher it is important to work with others to discuss the deeper meanings of
deficit conversations and work with others to overcome and change our way of
thinking to both benefit the school community, and the students learning.

support and time need to be given to teachers so that they are actively able to
reflect and discuss, so that they are able to more effectively able to take the
learning of stronger and smarter and incorporate them into their teachings

Stronger Smarter Institute and AITSL