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Building Learning Communities

Northern Territory Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme (NT AGQTP) 2008 Building Learning Communities Grants were awarded in February. If you have the beginnings of a professional learning community that would benefit from funding please watch this space in October for grant applications for 2009.

Learning Community Readings:

Building Learning Communities (BLC) fosters and sustains Professional Learning Communities through school-based grants. BLC adds value to the professional learning already provided in the Territory and draws on expertise of local education professionals from within the sectors or from organisations such as tertiary providers and professional teaching associations.

If you have any questions about the NT AGQTP BLC Grant program please contact Lynley Baker on (08) 8999 5966 or at lynley.baker@nt.gov.au.

The BLC Action Learning Grant Model

Grants of $3000 - $10000 are offered to groups of schools or groups of teachers within one or more schools:

  • Focussing on a professional learning need from each of the following areas: curriculum area, targeted learning area and cross curricular. The school-based grants will be context specific.

Project must include one (1) element from each of the following priority areas:

Curriculum Area
(What)		 Targeted Learning Needs
(Who)		 Cross curricular / whole school
(How)
Literacy / English Indigenous Students Explicit Pedagogy
Numeracy / Maths Boys Literacy
Science Gifted and talented students Numeracy
Civics and citizenship ESL Education Whole school innovative teaching approaches
Information and Communications technology (ICT) Students with learning difficulties and disabilities Professional standards and leadership
Health Education ESL students Innovative use of ICT across the curriculum
Languages Middle Years Middle Years
Vocational Education and Training Early Years Early Years
Music / Arts Senior Years Senior Years

Eg: project focussing on Information and Communications technology > Middle Years > Explicit Pedagogy in Numeracy

Eg: project focussing on Literacy / English > Indigenous Students > Whole School innovative teaching approaches

Twenty projects were selected in 2008 to receive NT AGQTP funding to assist in meeting the Professional Learning needs of Northern Territory Teachers. Groups of teachers worked together through an action learning cycle to improve Professional Practice in an identified area. See the summary below for further details of these exciting projects.

Timelines

New 2008 NT AGQTP Building Learning Communities Grants

March Enabling Practices Workshops held in Alice Springs and Darwin.
Friday 30 May Progress reports due from every project. (See ‘Useful Links’ below for progress report proforma and ‘cheat sheet’)
Monday 17 November
(Week 7 Term 4)		 Acquittal of funds and final reports due from every grant.

Layer 2 (2007-2008) NT AGQTP Building Learning Communities grants

Friday 1 February Funds distributed and projects continue
March Enabling Practices Workshops in Alice Springs and Darwin
Friday 30 May Progress reports due from every project (See ‘Useful Links’ below for progress report proforma and ‘cheat sheet’)
Monday 17 November
(Week 7 Term 4)		 Acquittal of funds and final reports due from every grant

What is the date for completion?

All funds must be expended within one year. Projects are to conclude and reports written by 17 November 2008. Hopefully your project will continue and your Learning Community will thrive beyond this funding stage.

Useful links

Relief Teacher Costs

To claim for costs for relief teachers used in order to attend the Enabling Practice workshops in March and November complete this form, attach a school invoice and send into the NT AGQTP Manager for processing.

Progress Reports

Financial Acquittal

DEEWR Questions

Ongoing evaluation throughout the year is required for reporting at the end of the year. In your original application you will have chosen two outcomes of the 4 available as the focus for your project.

Outcome 4: Teachers will have engaged productively in collegial networks that extend and support knowledge and skills

Outcome 12: Teachers will in their interactions with students have an increased capacity to measure, analyse and report learning outcomes to build future learning directions

Outcome 14: Teachers will have worked with their colleagues to create sustained interaction across learning areas to strengthen the relevance of learning for all students

Outcome 16: Teachers will have worked with their colleagues to strengthen continuity of curriculum within the school and between schools as students progress through the stages of learning

Choose the correct evaluation form for your project from the outcome number combinations below to use after each significant event, stage or influx of new people in your project’s life. This will ensure a smooth reporting process in November.

Useful resources for planning any Professional Learning

Acknowledgement

This project was funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) as a quality teacher initiative under the Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme.

Disclaimer

The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations