QTU Members' newsflash No. 4-23, 04 May 2023 | Open PDF
TO: QTU MEMBERS
Addressing emerging professional issues with members
Labour Day celebrations over the weekend saw thousands of QTU member across the state take part in an important tradition that reflects the union movement’s commitment to social justice and workers’ rights.
We marched to celebrate the contributions that workers make to society and to raise awareness of the ongoing struggles that our diverse membership face.
Thank you to all QTU members who came along to a Labour Day event. The strength of our Union lies in the power of the collective – which has never been greater.
This year, the union movement also chose to make history by campaigning for a “Yes” vote for constitutional recognition for First Nations Peoples.
For more information about the Voice campaign, follow the link here: https://www.qtu.asn.au/voice-vote-yes
CRoSR survey
As a result of EB10, the department has committed to conducting a comprehensive review of school resourcing [CRoSR]. As a key stakeholder in the review process, the QTU has provided an interim submission with our concerns and ongoing regular feedback to the CRoSR Stakeholder Group. You can follow the progress of the CRoSR through the Journal and QTU School Leader Updates.
The QTU has been advised that the department intends to release a short survey at the end of this week (5 May) to gather broad-ranging feedback from school communities and other stakeholders (teaching and non-teaching). We understand that the survey will be accessible through OnePortal and will be anonymous.
We encourage all members to access the survey and provide comprehensive feedback to inform options for improving state school resourcing.
P–10 Australian Curriculum
The QTU continues to advocate for TRS resourcing and support to allow for familiarisation with Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum (V9AC). Meetings with DoE about the roll out of curriculum support resources and timelines related to the familiarisation and implementation phases are ongoing. The department has provided a timeline schedule for the resourcing developed to date, which can be found at the Curriculum Gateway.
The QCAA is offering a suite of professional learning enabling schools to begin the familiarisation and planning phases. These one-hour sessions cover P–6 English, P–6 mathematics and all year 7–10 learning areas and subjects. A further 50 statewide workshops designed to help curriculum leaders and teachers understand V9AC will be rolled out this year.
P-6 schools are encouraged to claim back TRS funding from QCAA for any teachers who have attended QCAA PD. The QCAA will reimburse the cost for a relief teacher who covers for a regular class teacher attending an eligible activity. Teacher Relief Scheme (TRS) claim process and rates explains the process you should follow. Claims should be submitted as soon as possible after each event to ensure reimbursement without delay.
Visit the QCAA website for more information and to register for QCAA V9AC professional development.
Schools have the flexibility to implement the year 7–10 curriculum in a way that best suits their needs, through consultation with their local consultative committee (LCC). This is especially important for schools preparing to implement redeveloped applied syllabuses from next year and general syllabuses in 2025. It’s important to consider the range of applied and general subjects offered within your community and to balance your implementation of the year 7–10 curriculum accordingly.
Queensland Virtual Academy
The QTU continues to raise concerns with the Department of Education regarding the consultation and piloting of initiatives within the Excellence and Equity strategy pillar: Digital Innovation - In Teaching and Learning.
A virtual academy would be a space offering blended modes of delivery, but how this would work in practice is still very much in the early phases of discussion. The QTU has participated in the Virtual Education Services Review and has been invited to participate in the Queensland Virtual Academy (QVA) Review, and the P-12 Framework Update and Digital Learning Model Review.
To enable the Union to participate fully in the planned roadmap to a virtual academy, the QTU has now established a working party made up of QTU members, which will help the Union draft a position statement. The working party will also make recommendations for any virtual and online learning initiatives.
The first meeting of the QVA Working Party will be on May 11, with regular updates to be provided to Executive.
In the interim, school leaders attending forthcoming DoE QVA consultation sessions can use the following weblink to help inform their feedback: https://www.qtu.asn.au/QVA-information
QLearn roll out
After ongoing QTU advocacy, the department has created a collection of helpful resources that are available to teachers and school leaders via the dedicated OnePortal page: https://intranet.qed.qld.gov.au/Services/InformationTechnology/elearning-training/qlearn
As part of ongoing QTU feedback, the department is also planning to further curate these resources into logical, easily consumable, micro-learning online courses, which will be easy to find for teachers and school leaders. The department is also in the process of developing an extensive EDTV series dedicated to the different features and uses of QLearn and finalising the procurement process for TurnItIn (originality checker). More information will be available in the coming weeks – including an updated procurement guide.
Professional development sessions continue to be offered around term schedules, covering platform features and updates relevant to digital learning in schools. Thanks to the QTU, TRS funding is still available to enable attendance at these PD sessions. Any questions about professional development and TRS funding should be addressed to: QLearn@qed.qld.gov.au
The QTU has developed a short QLearn member survey, seeking feedback from members about the barriers and enablers, and the resourcing required to support the continued roll out of the QLearn platform.
Scootle survey
Scootle is seeking feedback from teachers about its resources and what the next steps should be in terms of the maintenance of its site and future development.
The survey will take around 10 minutes to complete and will be open until 5pm Sunday 14 May.
Click here for more information and to start the survey: https://www.qtu.asn.au/scootle-survey
Have you had your say?1. Don’t miss your chance to win an iPad Pro. The AEU State of Our Schools survey closes this Friday 5 May. www.ir-surveys.com/cgi-bin/10-166AEU-SoS.htm 2. Help shape the QTU’s response to behaviour management - the QTU’s behaviour management survey closes at 4pm on Monday 8 May. www.research.net/r/QTU_PBL_Survey 3. Have your say about the QLearn platform in our short member survey. http://www.research.net/r/QTU_QLearnSurvey Trouble shooting survey links: if you are having trouble accessing these links directly from this Newsflash, copy and paste the above links into a web browser, or try accessing the above link on a personal device. |
Kate Ruttiman
General Secretary
Authorised by Kate Ruttiman, General Secretary, Queensland Teachers' Union
21 Graham Street, Milton, QLD, Australia, 4064