Q&A: Creating impactful professional learning

Over the last 30 years, the National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA) has awarded more than 1,000 teachers (and provided more than $1,300,000 in professional development grants, prizes and endowments) across Australia and New Zealand. The annual ceremony recognises the excellent and inspirational work of teachers in K-12.

In today’s Q&A, Teacher speaks to 2024 winner of the Founders’ Principal for Leadership Award, Angela Phillips from Westminster School in South Australia. Phillips discusses her work to establish engaging and effective professional learning opportunities, increase the number of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers (HALTs) at Westminster, and her latest initiative – a Micro Rewards program for recognising staff achievements.

Congratulations Angela, how does it feel to be recognised as NEiTA’s Founders’ Principal for Leadership Award?

Even now, it doesn’t really feel real. Our Principal, Simon Shepherd, nominated me, and when I received the nomination, I was a bit like ‘oh my gosh, there are heaps of people who have done way more than me!’ I look around at the work of others and I think that education is a profession where everybody gives so much. I feel really grateful. I’m really humbled by this achievement.

Before we get into some of the work you’ve been doing, can you tell us a little about you and your background?

So, I’m from Yorkshire in the North of England. I’m dyslexic and when I was at school, I was good at maths and wood tech (I was the only girl in my class!) but I struggled my way through English. But I was really lucky that I had a teacher called Keda Cowling who ended up being one of the UK’s best for helping people with dyslexia – she wrote Toe by Toe. She completely changed my life because I couldn’t read.

By the time I did my GCSEs [General Certificate of Secondary Education in the UK] I’d caught up to where I should have been at that stage. When I saw the careers advisor, she was like ‘oh you’re good at maths you should be an accountant’. It wasn’t for me, it was dreadful! Later I went to help out at a Cub Scouts camp and somebody told me I would make a good teacher and I thought, yeah, I reckon I would!

And how did you end up at Westminster?

Mid-life crisis! Me and my husband, we’d never been to Australia before but decided we’d emigrate. When we got here, I was trying to get a job with the Department of Education, and I didn’t even get interviews! I interviewed for Westminster, but I had never been in an independent school before and thought it wasn’t really my thing so withdrew my application. But I received a call from the school asking what I ideally wanted. My kids were pretty young at the time, so I said, ‘3 days a week’ and, I’m full-time now, but I’ve been here ever since!

At that time, this is my 13th year now, Westminster was a bit more traditional – now it’s really forward-thinking. That’s largely thanks to our principal Simon, who identified me as someone that could help him bring changes to the school’s approach. I’ve just been really fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. I was Head of Maths at the time and then became a Pedagogy Coach and am now the Director of Teaching.

The job and school I left in England was my dream job. So, for lightning to strike twice and to land a job I love just as much, I feel really fortunate.

The NEiTA award highlighted your work around professional learning (PL). How do you ensure teachers have the time for PL, that the PL offered is beneficial to them, and that it’s something they want to do?

As teachers, we differentiate what we do for our students all the time. We change our lessons plans, we make them relevant for different kids, we run sessions at lunchtime or after school, we get students in little groups, we go out of our way to meet students where they’re at along their learning journey. I don’t see why professional learning needs to be any different.

There’s no point running a whole school PL session where you give the same information to everyone, and you stand there and lecture them. It’s no different than if we stood and lectured at our students, they wouldn’t feel engaged.

So, we have lots of opt-in PL, we call them ‘choose your own adventures’. Everybody can select what sessions they want do and they’re all workshops, we don’t have any lectures, and we have experts come in to share and facilitate. That’s been really popular. We find it more beneficial than just sending one person to a conference and then they come back and it’s all forgotten.

We have 18 instructional coaches who work with our teachers in their classroom. The teachers record their lessons and then watch it back with a coach and come up with some goals and how to put it into practice. They’ll then film the classes again to evaluate changes. It isn’t a lot of extra work for the teachers, they’re just filming their lesson, but once they start seeing the impact they soon start getting on board.

It’s vital to model the learning behaviours we want to see in others. Our leadership team strives to show vulnerability and a commitment to continuous learning and growth, making it easier for others to do the same.

And you now have a program for pre-service teachers too?

Yeah, I feel that schools like ours, who are fortunate in having the required resources,  have a responsibility to the education professions to support our up-and-coming teachers, wherever they choose to work.

So last year we took on 48 pre-service teachers and we employ them 2 days a week and we have our Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers (HALTs) mentor them. They work alongside our teachers and we do lots of observations and help them feel classroom-ready. We lose so many early career teachers because the job can be so overwhelming and they’re like ‘I can’t do this for the next 30 or 40 years!’ so we’re trying to counteract that. Also, because we employ them 2 days a week, they prefer doing it over working in a bar or nightclub and trying to fit that around their studies.

You mentioned Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers (HALTs) – I know you were the first one at Westminster and now there are 16. Can you tell us about that?

Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers (HALTs) are educators who have demonstrated exceptional teaching practices and leadership skills. To become a HALT, teachers must undergo a certification process. I think it’s some of the most impactful professional learning I’ve ever done. You have to reflect so carefully on your practice, how you’ve impacted student engagement, their wellbeing, academic results. It’s all about student outcomes and as educators that’s why we became teachers in the first place. 

It’s also about supporting your colleagues to improve their classes, so it’s about getting that spread across the school, not just your own class. 

I provide targeted support for teachers pursuing HALT certification, which includes things like coaching, running workshops in term breaks, and providing opportunities for aspiring HALTs to work with pre-service and early career teachers. At Westminster, all the HALTs do a targeted action plan with me once they’re accredited, and it’s in their area of passion and for the teachers that’s a great thing because it gives them permission to go work on the things they’re really passionate about. It also provides career progression while still being in the classroom. I think we’ve actually kept a fair few of our really amazing teachers because they would have looked for opportunities elsewhere. It allows them to keep doing what they love.

Lastly, I know you’re very excited about your Micro Rewards program. How does that work?

I was talking to someone about love languages and how everyone gets positive affirmations in different ways – acts of service, gifts, words – so we started looking into ways our staff can recognise each other. We designed a process where you can scan a QR code or click the link on our intranet to nominate a colleague, what they did for you, and how it links to one of the school values. You can keep it anonymous or put your name to it.

I then go through them and hand out a little gift and postcard letting them know they’ve been nominated and at the end of term everyone gets a card with all their nominations included on it. It just gives everyone all these beautiful comments that people have shared about them. We have a staff of around 140 and we got 3,000 nominations last year! With support from our School Foundation, when staff members get 10 micro awards, they get a free coffee voucher, 20 for a $25 voucher, 50 and then $75 and so on.

To learn more about the NEiTA awards and read about the other winners, click on the link.