Making the most of a classroom release day

Yesterday I was lucky to be involved in a panel discussion on tutor teachers and support for beginning teachers.  Part of the discussion went into how to make the best use of release days as a means of becoming a better teacher and to stay on top of things.  The Teachers Council has some great information on this topic, which I believe is relevant to all teachers, not just those who are starting out in their careers.  I am sure that anyone who does the following will be delivering quality programmes to their students.

• Observing other teachers and students in your own or another learning centre.
• Having your supervising teacher or another colleague observe your own teaching.
• Working with individual students or a small group.
• Monitoring and assessing students' learning.
• Discussions with parents, whanau, community resource people.
• Discussions with other teachers such as guidance counsellors, senior staff, or with advisers or specialist education services.
• Becoming familiar with the library, teaching resources and records of the learning centre.
• Finding out about the policies and procedures in your learning centre.
• Studying professional material, analysing your own professional needs and development, and planning for better teaching.
• Participating in courses and meetings, which require release from your teaching duties

One point that is a stand out for me is 'Becoming familiar with the library, teaching resources and records of the learning centre'.  Schools are a wealth of resources, many of which are almost forgotten about by most of the staff.  Take the time to have a good look around in the resources room cupboards; you never know what you'll find!