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2006 Knowledge Bank Rich Picture Case Studies
The Kew Cluster - A Learning Journey

Name: Ernie Pietsch
School: The Kew Cluster
Postal address: Hawthorn West Primary School, Wood Street, Hawthorn, 3122
Telephone no: 9818 2233 or 0423 774 239
Email: pietsch.ernie.e@edumail.vic.gov.au

The Kew Cluster - A Learning Journey

"It became obvious that the cluster needed a clear organizational structure, a strong emphasis on communication between the various cluster components, and a means of recording the learning journey of these teams and to store their resources. Above all the cluster needed to build its own sense of itself and its own identity." This case study follows the development of a Cluster Website to facilitate and support cluster management, and the learning journey of the cluster action learning teams.

Case study focus

The Kew Cluster is currently developing a cluster website which is being used increasingly to aid with the management of the Innovation and Excellence network. There is also provision for the eight cross Cluster learning teams to utilize a team site to report on their pedagogical investigations, store teaching resources they have developed and to become a resource for cluster schools and beyond. The case study follows this journey, identifying strengths and improvement areas within the initiative and shows the effectiveness of this learning tool which allows teachers access to this information online.

About the Kew Cluster

The Kew Cluster of schools was formalised as a result of the cluster entering Phase 2 of the Innovations and Excellence project. Prior to 2004 the school leaders had worked jointly and co-operatively on a number of leadership programs and especially so within the Principals and School Development Program. Through this interaction schools adopted a number of common focus areas to facilitate improved pedagogical practices within the cluster schools, with all schools targeting enhanced student engagement leading to improved learning outcomes as a school priority.

The Innovations and Excellence project was a catalyst for the cluster to create a formal structure and provide the resources for schools to work together on common areas of need and the pedagogical responses to those needs. Building on the model already established by the school leaderships teams, the cluster agreed to investigate the impact of developing cross school action learning teams, aimed at enhancing teacher capability, changing classroom pedagogy and raising student engagement across the middle years.

Due to the need to address the range of agendas at each individual school, the cluster successfully sought to participate in two research projects - The Middle Years Research and Development Project and The Improving Middle Years Maths and Science project.

Each of these projects used Component Mapping of Teachers and Students to provide baseline data and to provide improvement focus areas within the components of effective teaching. The current DE&T initiative of introducing the Principles of Learning and Teaching (POLT) had its genesis within these projects.

Guiding Principles were established for the cluster, focusing on the development of action learning teams across the cluster based on data identified needs, the allocation of time for teachers to participate within collegiate learning forums, and the appointment of a cluster co-ordinator to facilitate this learning.

It became very obvious that the management of a cluster operating a range of teams needed a clear organizational structure, a strong emphasis on communication between the various cluster components, and a means of recording the learning journey of these teams and to store their resources. Above all the cluster needed to build its own sense of itself and its own identity.

It was on this broadly defined basis that the cluster approached "Boojum," a website development provider, to work with us to create a website structure which would meet these needs. This has not been a simple process, either technically or administratively. There have been a number of reinventions, and the cluster is still working on some of the capabilities of the site in order to make an assessment of their worth to us as a group of schools working together.

Sustainability is an important focus for the cluster, and as resources and funding become more problematic, the cluster sees the website as an important element in the development of a sustainable cluster model. This is especially relevant as the cluster widens its influence to areas of schooling within the cluster beyond the middle years.

When you enter the site, you will note that there are four sections. Sections 1 to 3 are the management tools the cluster has developed to assist in the management and co-ordination of the cluster. Section 4 is devoted to facilitation of the learning journey of each team.

• Firstly, the home page which provides contextual background for the cluster. It is in this introduction that a short video outlining the case study is included by way of explanation as to the intent, and purpose, of the site.
  
  
• Secondly, the cluster management page which is essentially a storage facility for records of the meetings of the Principal Management Team, the Cluster Implementation Team, as well as copies of newsletters and reports on cluster initiatives.
  
  
• The third section is the calendar of events and outlines meetings, professional development activities and important dates. There is a capacity to place meeting agendas and minutes along side relevant entries, and for members of that team to be notified for their attention by email.
  
  
• The Learning Section (Section 4) is the biggest of the site and is used by cluster teams to record their action plans, reports on their initiatives, teaching resources which they have developed and examples of their work

A short introductory video is included as a link within the home page. This video is included by way of explanation as to the structure and functions of the site, provides a synopsis of the available information, and gives a guide to navigating your way around the various topics and pages.

Please go to www.schoolnet.com.au/kew and feel free to browse…

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