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Port
Augusta
Monday June 18
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June 19
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Spencer
Blinman
Wednesday
June 20
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& Jordan
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Community
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Leigh
Creek
Thursday
June 21
Nicole
Slater and Laurie Cowan
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Fee
Visitor Information
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Warta
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June 22
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June 23
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June 24
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Anderson
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Monday
June 25
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Year 7 Class
Women of the Outback
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Wilson and Bev Kemble
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Woodforde
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Plate
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Tuesday
June 26
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Springs
Wednesday
June 27
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Tennant
Creek
Thursday
June 28
Alderman
Peter Davenport
SOTA Students and Parents
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Katherine
Friday
June 29
Bill Daw
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Pine
Creek
Saturday
June 30
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Moar
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Sunday
July 1
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Children
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Katrina Fong Lim
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Repeater
Station - Forum Archive
Chats and Forum Archives
| Biographies
| Special
Dates
Forum:
Our Work As Itinerant Teachers
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Teacher
Safety
- Ann Clancy - Sat, 23 Jun 2001, 09:23  |
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How
do you ensure that you are safe when you're driving
in such remote regions. Do you ever travel alone?
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Communication
on board ... - Hugh Lord - Fri, 22
Jun 2001, 15:42
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Hi
- what communication tools do you have access to on
board of your 4WD.
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Re:
Communication on board ... - Laurie
Cowan - Fri, 22 Jun 2001, 18:27 |
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Hi
Hugh,
We are fortunate that we have fairly sophisticated
and generally reliable communications, in case of
emergency. Each Itinerant Teacher's car is equipped
with a
1.High Frequency (HF) radio which is capable of communicating
over very large distances - over 1000km.
2.an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) radio that is generally
short distance / line of sight unless operating through
a repeater - distances up to 100km.
3.Satellite telephone - operates anywhere in the country
through either multiple low orbit satellites or through
a geo-stationary satellite situated over the north
east of Australia depending on the type of phone.
There should be no excuse for not being able to contact
an IT when they are on the road....unless they have
forgotten to turn them on!!
Cheers,
Laurie
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What
about tests...? - Anna Pasini - Thu,
21 Jun 2001, 17:40
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Hi
Nicole and Laurie! I'm an Italian teacher and I 'm
really interested in your way of teaching. I also
visited the School of the Air in Alice Spring, last
summer...I love OZ, as you can imagine...But every
time I tell my students about the School of Air they
always ask me a silly question: "What about written
and oral tests, and homework?" They say: "If Aussie
students stay at their home, they can copy from books
or somebody can help them, when they do a test."
My students of course hate doing tests and they are
worried about them...they don't study for themselves
and their future, but because they are afraid of tests
at school and bad marks, you know.
So, could you please tell them how you organize tests?
When you visit your students, you also prepare some
tests, useful to write your report?
Thank you
see ya ron
anna
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Re:
What about tests...? - Laurie Cowan
- Mon, 25 Jun 2001, 15:04 |
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Hi
Anna,
Sorry about the delay in this reply.
The South Australian education system relies more
on ongoing assessment than testing. In the School
of the Air situation it means that the teachers receive
sets of work from the students every fortnight and
regularly discuss the progress both with the student
and the parent / supervisor. Of course the teacher
has to rely on the honesty of the family however our
students are all aware that there is no benefit in
cheating as you will always be found out eventually.
In addition to the assessment there are benchmark
tests in Literacy and Numeracy for all year 3, 5 and
7 students each year. These tests are conducted by
the family but in accordance with the test instructions
and then sent to the school. The students are aware
that any large discrepancy between the test results
and the ongong general assessment will br questioned.
Hope this helps your class,
Laurie
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Re:
What about tests...? - Laurie Cowan
- Fri, 22 Jun 2001, 18:42 |
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Hi
Anna,
The South Australian education system relies more
on ongoing assesment from work submitted each fortnight
than on formative testing. If students are involved
in tests they are monitored by their parents or a
paid supervisor who will follow the testing guidelines.
However we do have to rely on the honesty of the parents
/ supervisor and the students who all are aware of
the fact that any incongruence in test results and
the general assessment will be questioned.
There is now a system of benchmark testing called
the Basic Skills Test introduced in SA. This involves
students sitting a benchmark test in years 3, 5 and
7 in Literacy and Numeracy.
When on a visit to a student I will do any follow
up testing for staff but only if requested to do so.
Generally my visits are to support the supervisor
and student with areas of need (if any) and to support
areas of the curriculum that are harder to deliver
by radio eg. drama, physical education, art or science.
Cheers,
Laurie
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Re:
What about tests...? - Laurie Cowan
- Fri, 22 Jun 2001, 18:42 |
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Hi
Anna,
The South Australian education system relies more
on ongoing assesment from work submitted each fortnight
than on formative testing. If students are involved
in tests they are monitored by their parents or a
paid supervisor who will follow the testing guidelines.
However we do have to rely on the honesty of the parents
/ supervisor and the students who all are aware of
the fact that any incongruence in test results and
the general assessment will be questioned.
There is now a system of benchmark testing called
the Basic Skills Test introduced in SA. This involves
students sitting a benchmark test in years 3, 5 and
7 in Literacy and Numeracy.
When on a visit to a student I will do any follow
up testing for staff but only if requested to do so.
Generally my visits are to support the supervisor
and student with areas of need (if any) and to support
areas of the curriculum that are harder to deliver
by radio eg. drama, physical education, art or science.
Cheers,
Laurie
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Re:
What about tests...? - Nicole Slater
- Thu, 21 Jun 2001, 18:23
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Hi
Anna,
Laurie and I don't usually set tests, as that would
be the job of the teacher at SOTA. We just write a
fairly informal report of what we have seen on a visit
and let the teacher know what sorts of activities
we have done while we are visiting. If there are tests
to be carried out, the student is supervised in their
schoolroom by their parent or whoever usually works
with them. The same as in a classroom, the supervisor
wants the child to be assessed correctly and to succeed
in school, so they don't allow cheating. Oral testing
can take place over the telephone or radio to their
SOTA teacher. Homework is not really set, as it is
all done from home, but children do read to parents
or complete activities in the evening if their supervisor
requests.
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Re:
Re: What about tests...? - Tam Nguyen
- Fri, 22 Jun 2001, 20:18 |
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Hi
Nicole,
I've loved following the forum. It's so interesting
and completely different to the way I went through
my schooling.
It has been demonstrated in studies that students
from public schools often fare better in university
becasue they have had to be more independent learners
in high school. Do you think the necessary element
of self motivation and independent learning in your
students advantages or disadvantages them? Do many
go on to tertiary study and how do they cope in a
classroom environement after having studied independently
for so long?
Tam
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- ann ann - Thu, 21 Jun 2001, 11:00
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tell
us your most exciting outback adventures
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Re:
- Nicole Slater - Thu, 21 Jun 2001,
12:28 |
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Hi
Ann,
My most exciting adventure was possibly my very first
trip, when I heard the rain come at about midnight
and lay awake all night wondering what the heck I'd
let myself in for in this job. The following morning
I tried to head home and, after much slipping and
sliding along the driveway found myself sitting at
a flooded creek radioing the station owner to let
him know that I could go no further. He came and met
me there (because he wasn't sure that I hadn't over-reacted)
and decided that I'd better head back to the homestead
and give up on getting home for a few days! Well,
later that day I decided to try again and was escorted
the first few kms and then forged ahead alone. It's
virtually impossible to control the vehicle on the
mud and clay, so it was a slow trip home....never
getting out of second gear! I finally arrived home,
white knuckled and very relieved after taking 4 and
a half hours to travel what is normally a 2 hour trip.
I then worked in the office for three weeks while
the roads dried and on my next trip managed to get
bogged to the axles on another station....not a good
start! But thankfully since then I've had no problems
and have had to make no other calls for help.
Seriously though, every day has been a great adventure
learning about and being a part of life on the stations
that I visit. Having never been to a station before
taking on the job, I'm constantly learning.
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Daily
Routines - Laurie Cowan - Tue, 19
Jun 2001, 16:19
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Hi
Kay,
Daily routines for me vary considerably, but an average
week will see me in at School on Mondays, ringing
families that I will visit for the week, catching
up with teachers here in Pt Augusta and at Marden
in Adelaide and writing follow up reports to the teachers
about the students I visited the week before.
Tuesday sees me on the road before sunrise to visit
a family somewhere. On arrival I work with the student/s
following up on any concerns that the teachers have...if
any. I also try to incorporate activities that are
hard to do by radio / phone such as PE, Drama, Art
and Science. I have also made short films and after
school helped with mustering and branded calves. It
is not uncommon to see the students and I still in
the school room until dinner time. After dinner is
often games time and then I usually have a discussion
with the supervisor and parents about student progress.
The following morning is spent in the schoolroom before
heading off to the next station to repeat it all over
again until I get home on Friday. I'm lucky that the
families I stay with are all wonderful and as I visit
the same people each term year after year we have
a very close working relationship. It is also exciting
to see the continual development in the students over
the year.
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Re:
Daily Routines - ann ann - Thu, 21
Jun 2001, 10:59
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I'm
not sure how your work relates to the work of the
teachers of teh school of the air - is it SOTA students
that you are visiting?
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Re:
Re: Daily Routines - Nicole Slater
- Thu, 21 Jun 2001, 12:45 |
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We
are basically a link between the school and the remote
and isolated students. The teachers at School of the
Air are only able to visit their students once a year,
so we provide more regular visits and give updates
on progress. South Australia is currently the only
state to provide the Itinerant Teacher service and
our families enjoy the extra link that they get with
a face to face visit on a regular basis. As Laurie
wrote, it also allows the students to access PE equipment,
computers, musical instruments etc. as we travel to
them.
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Re:
Daily Routines - beth gaba - Wed,
20 Jun 2001, 12:38
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i
don't think i'm really suposed to be in here but you
routine seems very interesting and most fulfilling
no doubt. i guess you have to ride a horse to do your
job
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Re:
Re: Daily Routines - Nicole Slater
- Thu, 21 Jun 2001, 12:49
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I
haven't yet learnt to ride a horse, but it is a goal
of mine before I leave this job. Obviously a lot of
the people who I visit are pretty amazing on horseback,
so I'd love to have a lesson sometime. Thankfully
the Landcruiser is a much more comfortable way to
get around!!
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Re:
Re: Re: Daily Routines - beth gaba
- Mon, 25 Jun 2001, 14:33 |
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thanks
for the reply but i guess it is archived now
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More
rain - kay raymond - Tue, 19 Jun
2001, 15:31
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Hi
Laurie
I'm a teacher - at the moment doing TRT work, hopefully
a contract next term - at Townsend School for Vision
Impaired Children. You must lead a great life up there
in the outback. Our school is very small - less than
50 children ranging from vision impaired to blind
children who learn Braille. I guess my particular
interest in this website is that my daughter, Karen
was involved in its setting up - working for Complete
Jaba!
How about letting us know something of your daily
routine?
Kay
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Re:
More rain - Karen Raymond - Wed,
20 Jun 2001, 17:47 |
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Onya
Mum!
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Do
you like driving? - Laurie Cowan
- Mon, 18 Jun 2001, 10:46
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In
order to visit all the students in my 'footprint'
I average more than 1000km per week, often leaving
well before sunrise to get there in time for an air
lesson.
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Re:
Do you like driving? - Kate Jones
- Mon, 18 Jun 2001, 13:26
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Hi
Laurie - What is a footprint? That is a lot of driving
- 1000 kms - do you break up your trip? How many students
would you visit per week?
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Re:
Re: Do you like driving? - Nicole
Slater - Thu, 21 Jun 2001, 12:54 |
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A
good question. The Footprint is what we call the areas
of the state that we visit. There are five Footprints:
Pt Augusta, Gairdner, Leigh Creek, Burra and Coober
Pedy. The Footprints are basically determined on the
Itinerant Teacher who is closest to the student (as
we all live in different towns)but this sometimes
changes, depending on the numbers of students we are
trying to visit. Our Footprints overlap in parts and
there are no set borders. Of course each Itinerant
Teacher believes that they have the BEST Footprint....although
my vote is for Leigh Creek!
1000km a week is a lot, and sometimes it is considerably
more than this in a week too. We do get used to the
driving and for me it is a time to be alone and get
my head together before arriving at the next station,
where I'll be busy for another 24 hours. It sometimes
pays to stop and look at the wild flowers for a while
and have a break, as with only 37km of bitumen in
my whole Footprint, the roads take some concentration
to navigate safely.
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It's
been raining! - Laurie Cowan - Mon,
18 Jun 2001, 10:41
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Have
you thought about what an Itinerant Teacher does when
there has been a lot of rain? South Australia has
had the best general rains for many years. This has
all the pastoralists smiling, but plays havoc with
the roads, most of which are closed. What do we do?
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Re:
It's been raining! - Karen Raymond
- Thu, 21 Jun 2001, 11:01 |
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What
do you do? Guess video conferencing isn't quite there
yet?!
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Re:
It's been raining!
- John Hector - Tue, 19 Jun 2001, 16:12 |
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What
has been the total rainfall for your area so far this
year
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Re:
It's been raining! - Kate Jones -
Mon, 18 Jun 2001, 13:28
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Not
go? Would be dangerous? Do you talk to the kids on
the radio instead of going out? Do you have to go
out another time? The kids would get disappointed
if you only visit a few times a year?
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Re:
Re: It's been raining! - Nicole Slater
- Thu, 21 Jun 2001, 12:40 |
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There
isn't much that we can do if the roads are wet in
the bush. We re-schedule visits and usually manage
to still get there. We visit each student once a term,
so that's four visits a year, and we usually stay
for 24 hours at each station.
It is a disappointment when we can't get there, but
the families love to see the rain, so they don't complain!
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Created by Kate Dibben, Open
Access College, South Australia, Australia
email:
kdibben@oac.sa.edu.au
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