21 February 2024

This episode offers insights into the teacher to leader transition and the vital role of high-quality professional development. Join us as Kurt Ferguson from Taparra Primary School (previously South Downs Primary School) shares how Orbis professional learning programs, including Middle Leadership, supported his leadership growth. Meanwhile, Sarah Edwards from Loxton High School discusses how transitioning from a teaching role to leadership expanded her skills and network, and why she’s loving working at regional schools. 

Show Notes

• Orbis Exemplary Learning
• Middle Leadership program
• Leading Future Learning program
• Mathematics 6 to 9 program
• Mathematics 3-5 program
• Mathematics R-2 program

Transcript

Dale Atkinson: Hello and welcome to Teach, a podcast about teaching and learning in South Australia. My name is Dale Atkinson from South Australia's Department for Education. And today we are talking about professional learning programs and specifically about the professional learning programs provided by Orbis, which can boost your career development and opportunities as an educator and a leader. And we're talking to two people who have been boosting their opportunities as educators and leaders in Kurt Ferguson from South Downs Primary School, and Sarah Edwards from Loxton High School.

Welcome to you both.

Kurt Ferguson: Thank you.

Sarah Edwards: Thanks. Thanks for having me.

Dale Atkinson: So first of all, Kurt, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your current role?

Kurt Ferguson: Sure, so I've been out for a little while now teaching. My current role is a senior leader for curriculum pedagogy that really involves system-wide processes for our school around kind of our data collection and how we use our data. And then kind of building evidence-led practices at our site and supporting with effective teaching learning behind that as well.

Dale Atkinson: Yeah, I'm sitting across from you and you look like a reasonably young human being. [00:01:00] What's that career journey involved in terms of going from teacher to leader in relatively rapid succession, I assume?

Kurt Ferguson: Yep. It's probably taken a fair bit of adjustment. I think probably early on I had to really grapple with kind of my own knowledge and building my confidence around that and really backing myself in and realising that, obviously, people have put me in the position because they also see something in me, believe in me for that. So, that's probably taken a little bit of adjusting, but I'm kind of finding my feet with it now and obviously nothing worth having is without its challenges.

Dale Atkinson: Absolutely true. In terms of Orbis' role in your professional learning, how have you engaged with the programs there?

Kurt Ferguson: Yeah, so I think my first one was Instructional Leadership. So we actually had at the time at my previous site, my whole leadership team went in and that was really nice way to find, dabble my feet in with the Orbis work. You're actually doing a lot with your current site and I found that a lot of the Orbis PDs had us doing a lot of things that we could actually take back and action at our site.

So that was probably a really nice way to dabble into it. And then probably more recently I've [00:02:00] been engaging in Middle Leaders PD, and that's probably been a little bit more on my own personal development and myself as a leader; and talked a little bit about building my own confidence and resilience as a leader. And that's probably had a bit more of a role in that there.

Dale Atkinson: Yeah, it is a nice mix, isn't it, of learning some of those leadership capabilities that you're looking for, but also some of those practical tools around pedagogy and classroom experience.

Kurt Ferguson: Absolutely.

Dale Atkinson: Now Sarah, you're a teacher who's worked at various country locations across South Australia. Can you walk us through your experiences?

Sarah Edwards: Well, my experiences have been a bit of a whirlwind, to be honest. I've also been out of uni for a little while now and I was teaching for a couple of years and then, before I knew it, I was in a leadership role and I was like, oh what is going on? And what I can really accredit it to is living in country areas.

Like, being in country schools provides such unique opportunities that you don't necessarily get in those metro schools. And there's ample opportunities, there's some really broad opportunities, to [00:03:00] demonstrate your capacity as a leader and that's anything from organizing camps, excursions, you can coach sporting teams, and then of course you go right through into those official leadership positions within the school.

And I think I was quite lucky being in a country secondary school. Sometimes those cohorts were a little bit smaller and the teaching teams are very close-knit. So I was working quite closely with a leader, and then he retired and it just seemed like that natural progression to step into his role. It wasn't as easy as what I'm making it sound like.

I initially applied for the job and didn't win it, but sought lots of feedback, particularly around how I could work with other people and how I could develop my skills. And I worked really hard as being a leader in like running PLCs and chairing committees. I really tried to set myself up and then I applied for the job again, and I won it. Flash forward and yeah, here we are.

Dale Atkinson: That's really good, isn't it? 'Cause it's that combination of kind of structured professional development and learning that you want to engage with as, as an educator and as you go through your career. But then there's also the self-propelled stuff that you do on your own.

That's right. Isn't it [00:04:00] Sarah?

Sarah Edwards: Yeah, absolutely. I was only having a chat to my principal this morning; I was chatting to her and I'm like: "remember when there used to be written reports? And it'd always be like, Such and Such talks a lot, or Such and Such is this. Mine was always: Sarah always has leadership opportunities or she's always a leader of a group".

So I guess it was kind of there and I've always wanted to be a leader in some capacity. It just probably happened a little bit quicker than the plan, but I love it. I think it's fantastic. I, I think teaching is a great job and I think that these B-band or middle-band leadership roles have that really great balance between the leadership and that teaching as well.

Dale Atkinson: And so what is the, what's the role of Orbis been in drawing out some of those sort of natural leadership tendencies in you?

Sarah Edwards: Orbis has an extensive opportunity for me to, or not just me anybody really, to network and work with people who are like-minded and just as passionate about what you do. I really like the Instructional Leadership that Kurt mentioned earlier where you actually do get to work in a small group of people and you, you get to really build on your strengths within that team that then is [00:05:00] reflected nicely and directly into schools.

Dale Atkinson: Now, Kurt, is there anything that you've been surprised about yourself or something unexpected that you've learnt through the Orbis programs?

Kurt Ferguson: Definitely. I think probably in the last one, the Middle Leaders, really getting engaged for like who I am as a leader and actually starting to, you know, you've got professionals that are actually there who are well-skilled in leadership everywhere and all the different facets that it has and actually kind of understanding that there's so many different layers to what leadership can look like, what kind of leader you can be.

And I think probably in that Middle Leaders you really get the chance to grapple with your own identity as a leader and, kind of, what your values are and what they mean for, you know, if you've got certain traits or characteristics that you lean into when you're feeling pressured or when you're feeling that you're under a certain level of stress and, kind of, ways to manage that and mitigate, kind of, your responses as a leader to make sure you're still the most effective leader.

I think that's something that certainly surprised me and has been, you know, really powerful for me as a leader to, kind of, move my own learning forward.

Dale Atkinson: That does sound really powerful.

[00:06:00] Sarah, you mentioned this a bit earlier in terms of professional learning communities and those sorts of things. How have you been sharing what you've learned at Orbis with your colleagues?

Sarah Edwards: The thing I really love about the Orbis professional learning, and I will continue to rave about this, it is that it's so relevant to what's actually happening in South Australian classrooms at the time. Like, I'm sure we've all been involved in some professional learning that isn't provided by Orbis.

And you kind of go, 'oh, does this really fit my context? Why am I here?' What I really love about Orbis is I walk in going, 'this is gonna be great, and I know I'm gonna walk out, I'm gonna be walking out with resources and strategies that I can directly implement into my classroom. And if it's not in the classroom, in that leadership space, depending on what the professional learning was about.

I rave about this so much that when I did the Orbis 6 to 9 Numeracy last year I was like, 'right, this is great. I had direct impact on my own pedagogy in the classroom that when I started at a new school at the beginning of this year, I was like, 'I need my maths team, my maths [00:07:00] teachers, to be participating in this because I know how valuable it is. And if it's impacted me and my efficacy in teaching mathematics then it is certainly gonna have an impact on them.'

So we've had three teachers do the same program, and I could confidently say that they've all had the same experience. That they can take exactly what they've learned and bring it straight back into the classroom.

Dale Atkinson: Now, Kurt, you were nodding along to a bit of that. Is that a similar experience that you've had?

Kurt Ferguson: Yeah, very similar experience.

I've really enjoyed, kind of, everything that I've engaged with and, as I said earlier, like the Instructional Leadership, kind of, my first little chance to engage with Orbis was very much, you know, taking what you're doing into practice and taking it straight back to your site. Spread out over a year, you know, it was really intentional in that, you know, you're working with your entire team on quite literally your site. It wasn't just something that you do on a day and you bring back. And the reason I was nodding is, I've had a couple of our staff sent off to the Orbis Maths this year and it's always a glowing review when they come back. There's evidence-based practice that they can bring straight back in that's gonna provide the, the best bang for buck in classroom practice. So yeah.

Dale Atkinson: That's really [00:08:00] good feedback. How has that impact filtering down to students? What have you seen in that area?

Kurt Ferguson: Yeah, I think all of the Orbis PDs and trainings that both our teachers and our leaders have been able to go along to, we started to see that trickle-down effect. So it might not be that we're directly, it's not the students that are going along to these PDs, but their educators are making sure that you're putting best practice in front of those students and then, in terms of leadership, we're making sure that all the different things that we're implementing as a site and our school-wide practices and processes are so streamlined and tight. It, it falls hand in hand that by the time it gets down to the students, we're, we're very confident in that, you know, there's the most evidence-backed, research-based practices happening in there and there's engaging pedagogy and, as a result, you're gonna see your students move from that.

Dale Atkinson: And you're seeing something similar at it to Loxton, Sarah.

Sarah Edwards: Yeah, for sure. I'm lucky, I'm sitting on the end of the phone 'cause I'm also nodding away. I think, Kurt, really, now that they're talking about that evidence-based approach to lots of the, the teaching and the [00:09:00] learning strategies that Orbis presents and that, that we can take directly into classrooms.

I found as a teacher and somebody who engaged with the 6 to 9 Numeracy program, that it really consolidated my understanding of the maths curriculum. I found it rather affirming and that when I came back to class, I noticed an increased engagement level with my students because I wasn't spending all my planning time unpacking the curriculum because I learnt so much of that at the Orbis that when I was planning for these lessons, I could focus on making it more engaging for my students and that I could differentiate for them more confidently because I just had, I guess, almost one less thing to worry about because Orbis had gone through it so thoroughly.

Dale Atkinson: Yeah, that's a huge step change for, for any teacher in terms of workload and other things.

Kurt, you mentored early career teachers. Can you tell us a bit about the benefits of mentoring for yourself and, and the mentees?

Kurt Ferguson: Sure.

Yeah, I've been lucky enough to have a few early career teachers that have gone through the Orbis early career stuff with me as well.

I think something [00:10:00] that has been really powerful for me is, I mean, schools are a very busy place, as you both would probably understand. It's not often you get the opportunity to kind of set aside some time to really unpack both: one, how your early career teacher's going; and two, actually getting the opportunity to work through those things with them.

I think a lot of the time you feel like you have a really strong grasp on how things are going, but it's not until you get to a day like the Orbis Early Careers, the first intensive you do where a lot of the work is around, kind of, their perceptions of how everything's going. And I think in the times that I have done that, it's been really like, 'oh, I really needed to probably take a bit more of a step in the direction of actually getting the information I needed from you to see how I can best support.'

I've done it twice now and both times I've walked away feeling more confident that I can support my early career teacher better and vice versa. That, you know, they have a stronger affirmation that I can be the leader that they need.

Dale Atkinson: Yeah. That does sound like a really powerful kind of exchange of, of interest really.

Sarah, you mentioned earlier today that you're out on a beautiful spring day in Loxton. Best [00:11:00] time of the year, according to you, up in the Riverlands. So you started your teaching career out at Roxby.

Sarah Edwards: Mm-Hmm.

Dale Atkinson: You've been all over the country. What advice would you give to new teachers considering starting out in country areas?

Sarah Edwards: Oh, this is so easy for me. I love when I get these questions because I'm so passionate about education, particularly in country areas. And I get that I can respond to this question really easy 'cause I grew up in regional areas and so for me it was a no-brainer that I was gonna teach in a regional area myself.

I really didn't have any interest in going to Adelaide schools because I just think the country is the best. Like we have the most beautiful state, and I might be a little bit bias-y, but I think we actually have one of the most beautiful states and some of the pristine holiday locations. So, heck, why not wake up every day in these beautiful locations and get to work and live in that community?

But for me, I guess I just really wanted to use this to address some of probably the worries that some teachers may have about moving out [00:12:00] into the country. It, it can be really daunting for some people, but rest assured, the department has plenty of supports in place. You have access to government employee housing with subsidised rent which is always a, a win there.

And then, of course, the department also supports you in moving by organising a removalist and you don't have to pay for those kinds of things as well. So it's a wonderful opportunity. And I guess I'll also take this opportunity to give a bit of a plug for all of us here that quite often if you are in a country school, they will pay for your accommodation or your travel costs to head down to Adelaide.

So I think that's a win-win win all round.

Dale Atkinson: We'll take all those wins.

So lastly, for those who are aspiring to step into leadership roles and are maybe considering Orbis professional learning, what is your advice in, let's say, fewer than five words to them?

Kurt Ferguson: I can give you a few over.

Dale Atkinson: Go. Start with a few over.

Kurt Ferguson: Don't be afraid of what you don't know. Just remember that you're gonna grow.

Dale Atkinson: That's pretty good. That's not bad. Sarah?

Sarah Edwards: Aw man, that one even rhymed!

Dale Atkinson: You've gotta try and top that.

Sarah Edwards: How am I gonna beat that? [00:13:00]

Dale Atkinson: Do your best.

Sarah Edwards: Take every opportunity and grab it with both hands 'cause you just never know where it's gonna take you.

Dale Atkinson: I, I'll take both of those. They were excellent. Thank you very much to Sarah and to Kurt.

Kurt Ferguson: No problem.

Sarah Edwards: Thank you.

Dale Atkinson: And Orbis professional learning programs, they can support you and your career from graduate teacher to leader and everything in between. You can enrol in a professional learning program that's right for you on the Orbis website, which is www.education.sa.gov.au/orbis.

Or you can just look in the show notes underneath where you access the podcast.

Thank you very much for joining us. See you next time.