The sharing of knowledge and experiences is the aim behind many conferences and seminars in many fields. Good practices are recognised and passed on for others to make use of. The momentum created by sharing these practices encourages others to follow stead.
The sharing of good practices gains important ground in the field of education, especially in a time where the school management team is open to discussion and the voices of students are being listened to.
A large collection of good practices have been put together in a book and DVD, entitled Converging Paths: Sharing Of Good Practices In Maltese Schools, edited by Christopher Bezzina and published by the Malta Society for Educational Administration and Management, in collaboration with the University Student Teachers' Association.
The book, launched recently, is a success story in itself due to its important role. Thus it is a mine of resources for teachers, heads of schools, student teachers, and all those involved in school development planning. The DVD makes the publication even more successful, because it contains an electronic version of the book, as well as interviews with practicing teachers on various topics, which presentations were carried out by first and second year B.Ed. (Hons), primary and secondary students.
In his introduction, Dr Bezzina, who was also the project leader, describes the book's aim. It is the result of an 18-month period of collaborative effort between many educators.
"This collection of good practices helps us appreciate attempts at transforming education, schooling and teaching. It is an expression of what matters and what works, or has worked in our schools. It has been an opportunity to share and disseminate these practices so that schools are not only aware of what others are doing, but an opportunity to consider such options themselves.
"We were not after a collection of sporadic and disjointed efforts but ones that were clearly thought out, which demanded leadership, work which was inclusive and broad-based and grounded in the day-to-day realities of school life," Dr Bezzina writes.
The good practices are grouped under seven-key areas - management, leadership and quality assurance, curriculum, learning and teaching, attainment, support for students, ethos, and resources - that constitute various domains of school improvement, as set out in the document Knowing Our Schools (Education Division, 2004), which the book's editor encourages schools and education authorities to revisit.
For example, one of the good practices emanating from the support for students key area is about the Ekoskola Students' Committee at the St Joseph, Mater Boni Consilii School, Paola. The committee consists of pupils, teachers, cleaners, caretakers, parents and governors, but it is run by the students who have been elected by their peers. Commenting on the committee's impact, the school said that initially, both the school management team and the children were unsure about its effectiveness, and that most believed that the children, unable of making "mature" decisions, would be given "token" leadership.
"However, the coordinating teacher soon realised that the children learned quickly from one another and were ready (in a relatively short period of time) to take up their responsibility. The role of the Ekoskola Committee in school leadership rapidly evolved from a relatively marginal one to a central one, particularly in environmental management issues. Nowadays, the majority of the tasks related to Ekoskola are conceived, planned, implemented, monitored and evaluated by the Ekoskola Committee," the school writes.
Another example of good practice, under the learning and teaching key area, teachers from Madonna tal-Mensija Primary School A, of San Gwann, gathered all their work, which they felt lacked structure and uniformity, into theme workbooks, which are reviewed every year and updated as necessary.
"This allows for teachers to assess their own work. Thanks to this method, pupils are having all their work collected in several workbooks and bound up in special files. Parents are in a better position to help their children where needed," the school explains.
"These theme books are making learning more fun since they are targeted towards our pupils' needs. These books do take time to produce but the level of satisfaction gained, once the book has been completed and used is extraordinary. Since we are now meeting more regularly, teachers are sharing more resources and distributing their work and effort instead of duplicating work."
The schools have made a big contribution by sharing action plans they have undertaken, revisiting practices to follow on their development, and recording the impact these have had on the schools, the educators, and most importantly, the students.
No two schools are alike, and the realities of each vary. However, as Education Division director general Cecilia Borg states, "though situations are never similar, yet they inspire others to create the required impetus to embark on similar action plans."