This is the slideshow presented at the Twenty-First International Conference on Learning at Lander College for Women, Touro College, New York City, USA, July 2014

1. Pulling No Punches:
Change Management at Oakhill College
Shani Hartley
Melissa Carson

2. Who are we? The Innovative Learning Team
Image source:Oakhill ILT

3. Background – Oakhill College
Image source:Oakhill Website http://oakhill.nsw.edu.au/pages/default.aspx?pid=5

4. The Report - ICT and Active Learning
Image source:Oakhill ILT (Glen Waverley Secondary College)

5. Interviewing ex-students
Video source:Oakhill ILT

6. Report findings
For learning to occur in a deep and meaningful way
there needed to be a pedagogical shift by teachers to
incorporate:
•the demands of a technology rich world
•a reduction of the delivery of content and an
increase in concept based, skill driven student
activity
•authentic learning embedded in real-world
connections
•integration of subjects
•assessment tasks less about knowledge/content
and more about active learning
Image source:Oakhill ILT

7. The origin of REAL
One of the main aims of REAL was to
disrupt the majority of teachers out of
their comfort zone of maintaining control
from the front of the room so they could
learn to have the courage to relinquish
some of that control, thereby allowing
students to take more responsibility for
their own learning.
Image source:http://winehouse.com.au/categories.asp?cID=1371&cN=Rockford%20Basket%20Press&c=165329

8. The aims
● Promote critical thinking by incorporating student centred learning
● Support student engagement with relevant resources, tools, learning outcomes
and a positive, appealing working environment that offers variety in learning
opportunities in flexible learning spaces
● Showcase and support teacher development by facilitating a concentrated
approach to best-practice in the classroom, allowing for collaborative teaching,
transparent processes and communication, reflective professional dialogue and
personalised professional development

9. The aims continued
● Design, a cohesive, strategic Year 7 Curriculum underpinned by UbD, centred
around transference of skills and concepts linked to the Australian Curriculum
General Capabilities using a matrix
● Facilitate open communication between all stakeholders in the educational
process, students, staff, parents via a virtual environment offering continuous
online access to curriculum documents and student work
● Track student development in a longitudinal study

10. The aims continued
• Truly differentiate the curriculum by supporting students with special needs
directly, as well as extending the gifted and talented through access to
project based learning opportunities and connections to tertiary institutions
and global partners

11. “If you build it…” Field Of Dreams (1989)
Image source:http://www.into-the-dark.com/film-review-field-of-dreams-1989/

12. The birth of REAL
• Leadership clearly articulate and model pedagogical goals
• Grassroots implementation of pedagogical change
• Transparency for all stakeholders through technology
• Professional development for teachers
Image source:Oakhill REAL Website http://real.oakhill.nsw.edu.au/
GOALS

13. The Technology
Image source:Oakhill ILT

14. Disruption
One of the main aims of REAL was
to disrupt the majority of teachers
out of their comfort zone of
maintaining control from the front
of the room so they could learn to
have the courage to relinquish some
of that control, thereby allowing
students to take more responsibility
for their own learning.
Image source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vujraZVYrzU

15. DIY Research
Image source:http://www.incrowdnow.com/2013/07/3-benefits-of-do-it-yourself-research/
● GOAL: Longitudinal Study
● Discussions with universities for
help with research failed
● DIY ‘Active Research’
● Lacks rigour and in-depth
statistical analysis
● Nevertheless, provides useful
feedback

16. Observations
1. Timing of direct instruction versus student-centred activity.
2. Students each lesson asked three questions:
 What are you learning about this lesson (what is the big idea?)
 What do you understand about this task/topic/activity OR tell
me what you understand about this
 What task are you doing now?
3. Teacher feedback (instruction coach role)
Image source:http://www.psychology4a.com/science%208.htm

17. Survey of teachers
● I have never seen so much authentic collaboration in the classroom
● It has forced more reflective practice and a re-think of pedagogy
● I am more conscious of the amount of "teacher talk" and teacher centred
activities in the classroom and make more of an effort to minimise these in
favour of a student centred approach
● The opportunity to see how others are working in my own and other
[faculties] provides chances to reflect on my professional practice
● I like the fact that as a department head, we as a group have had to have
some real discussion and forethought about our programs, assessment and
teaching practice.

18. Survey of teachers
● Finding new ways of connecting with and engaging with students - lessons have
become more interactive and dynamic. Finding myself taking this into other grades
(with varying degrees of success)
● Programmes are substantially more coherent and purposeful
● A more thoughtful process in designing and delivering lessons
● a) Planning the lessons pretty much one by one, and preparing resources, knowing
students and their parents will be accessing this material and plan, has made me
think more specifically than abstractly. b) I have learned more ways to use Google
Docs. c) I have had to 'let go' to some extent of controlling and 'drip feeding' every
step of student progress as students have access to material to keep going. Of
course this is good because students can set their pace accordingly.

19. e-Portfolios
REAL program in action at its best
Today 18/6/14 we had a great practical example of the
REAL program is action.
In their PDHPE workbook p67-70 students have to do a group
activity. We asked them to move into groups of 6 at their
tables and before we could explain the activity, they were
already assigning topics and starting the activity.
We were trying to get them to stop and listen to an
explanation….but they didn’t need it, so we shut up.
Not one student asked a question or hesitated starting, they
just worked it out. Halleluah!!
Added bonus ….they are doing it correctly and
collaboratively.
We even have some mixed tables from the 2 classes.
Image source:http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/File:FAIL-Word-art-300x187.png
Except for Nickie:

20. In summary - leadership
Diagram created using Lucidchart. Image source:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:3D_Team_Leadership_Arrow_Concept.jpg
● GOAL: Clear message and modelling
good practice by leadership
● REAL has the support of leadership
● Perception by teachers that REAL is
not endorsed by the leaders
● Advantage: ownership
● Disadvantage: some teachers don’t
see REAL as whole school philosophy
and thus justify their resistance

21. In summary - grassroots
Image source:http://www.grassrootslawnandlandscaping.com/images/grassroots4.jpg
● GOAL: Tapping into grassroots
innovative pedagogy
● REAL has created conversations
about pedagogy
● Observable changes in teaching
have occurred
● Survey results reveal teachers
are changing their pedagogy

22. In summary - technology
Image source:Oakhill ILT
● GOAL: Transparency
● Successful driver of change
through being held accountable
by other stakeholders
● Successful driver of change
through forcing teachers into an
online environment
● Has made cross-curricular
opportunities obvious

23. The future
Image source:http://www.annholm.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/road-sign_future.jpg
● 2015: Years 7 and 8 will be REAL
● 2016: Hope for whole school
approach without REAL branding
● Improve our research methods
● Apply for a grant to fund further
research
● Connect with other schools to be
more collaborative

24. To finish...
REAL website: http://real.oakhill.nsw.edu.au/
Contact us
Melissa: mcarson@oakhill.nsw.edu.au @kookykevinc
Shani: shartley@oakhill.nsw.edu.au @shhartley

25. References
•ACARA. (2011). NAPLAN. http://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/naplan.html
•AITSL. (2012). Australian Charter for the Professional Learning of Teachers and School Leaders: A
shared responsibility and commitment. http://www.aitsl.edu.au/professional-growth/australian-charter-for-
the-professional-learning-of-teachers-and-school-leaders
•Armenakis, A. & Harris, S. (2009). Reflections: Our journey in organizational change research and
practice. Journal of Change Management, 9 (2), pp.127-142
•Authentic Education. (2012). What is Understanding by Design? Retrieved from
http://www.authenticeducation.org/ubd/ubd.lasso
•Baum, H. (2002). Why School Systems Resist Reform: A Psychoanalytic Perspective. Human
Relations, 55(2), pp.173-198. DOI: 10.1177/0018726702055002182
•Bernhard, H. (1990). Managing for Change or Stability? Journal of Organizational Change Management,
3(3), pp.25-28. DOI: 10.1108/09534819010135344
•Burnes, B. (2010). Call for Papers: Why Does Change Fail and What Can We Do About It?, Journal of
Change Management, 10(2), pp.241-242 .

26. References
•Gurr, D. and Drysdale, L. (2012). Tensions and dilemmas in leading Australia's schools, School
Leadership & Management: Formerly School Organisation, 32(5), pp.403-420, DOI:
10.1080/13632434.2012.723619
•Hartley, S., Carson, M., Cook, N. (2013). Dragging the Digital Chain: Planning the Pedagogical and
Digital Direction of Oakhill College. ICERI2013 Proceedings, pp.6271-6279. Accessed from Proceedings
CD: http://library.iated.org/publications/ICERI2013
•Holmes K., Clement J. and Albright J. (2013). The complex task of leading educational change in
schools, School Leadership & Management, 33(3), 270-283 DOI: 10.1080/13632434.2013.800477
•Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. 2008. Melbourne Declaration
on Educational Goals for Young Australians.
http://www.mceecdya.edu.au/mceecdya/melbourne_declaration,25979.html
•NSW Department of Education and Training. (2010). Action Research in Education Guidelines, 2nd
Edition. https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/proflearn/research/actres.htm

27. References
•Priestley, M., Edwards, R., Priestley, A, and Miller, K. (2012). Teacher Agency in Curriculum Making:
Agents of Change and Spaces for Manoeuvre. Curriculum Inquiry 42(2), pp.191-213.
•Saka, A. (2003). Internal change agents’ view of the management of change problem. Journal of
Organizational Change Management, 16(5), pp.480-496. DOI 10.1108/09534810310494892
•Saunders, R. (2013). The role of teacher emotions in change: Experiences, patterns and implications for
professional development. Journal of Educational Change, 14(3), pp.303-333. DOI 10.1007/s10833-012-
9195-0
•Thursfield, D. (2008). Managers' learning in a UK local authority: The political context of an in-house
MBA. Management Learning 39(3), pp.295-309. DOI:10.1177/1350507608090878