About the authors

Joan Dalton and David Anderson are highly respected Australian teachers and educators who work nationally and internationally as consultants, staff developers and project development specialists.

Co-directors of Hands On Educational Consultancy, they have worked by invitation across Australia, New Zealand, the USA, in Canada, and with international schools and teachers in Turkey, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines.

David and Joan's major commitment is to their long-term work with schools and educational systems, where they engage with school leaders and teachers to build effective professional learning communities and authentic student learning communities, grounded in learning and teaching practices that prepare today's learners for tomorrow's world.

About Joan Dalton

Joan's internationally successful books and videos include:

• Adventures in Thinking (thirteen reprints)
• Becoming Responsible Learners
• Extending Children's Special Abilities
• I Teach
• All in a School's Work
• Among Friends: classrooms where caring and learning prevail

Among Friends was commissioned by the Developmental Studies Centre in the United States of America, where Joan worked for more than a year as Director of Professional Development Services.

About David Anderson

Founding editor of Connections, the national magazine of the Australasian Association for Cooperative Education, he has contributed to a range of practical products linked to state, national and industrial projects.

National and international keynote presentations

• Thinking ICT, Apple Conference - New Zealand, 2001
• First National Conference of National-Plus Schools - Indonesia, 2000
• Japan Council of International Schools, Japan - 1997

Joan Dalton

• Navcon2K2: navigating innovation in learning - July 2002 - New Zealand
• Multi-age learning and teaching conference, Australia - 1999
• Australian Council for Educational Administration, Australia - 1999
• Australian Primary Principals Conference, Australia - 1997
• Early Childhood Conference, Australia 1998,
• International Schools Services Leadership Conference, USA, 1996
• EARCOS School Leaders and Administrators Conference, Philippines - 1996
• National Symposium on Cooperative Learning, USA, 1995
• Fifth International Thinking Conference - Australia, 1992
• National Conference on Mainstreaming, New Zealand, 1990

In addition to these national and international examples, they have, separately and together, over many years led numerous keynote presentations in every Australian state and territory focusing on educational leadership, professional communities and classroom pedagogy.

Major publications

Dalton, Joan, A companion on your journey: effective learning and teaching Practices. Guidelines for the Diocese of Wagga Wagga, NSW (in press, 2002 publication)

Anderson, David & Dalton, Joan, Today's Children: Tomorrow's Adults. Learning & Teaching Policy, Diocese of Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2000.

Dalton, Joan & Watson, Marilyn, Among Friends: classrooms where caring and learning prevail. Developmental Studies Center, California, 1997. Distributed in Australia by Eleanor Curtain Pub, Melbourne.

Dalton, Joan & Boyd, Julie, All in a School's Work: a collaborative approach to improving disruptive classroom behaviour. Video/professional development package. Eleanor Curtain Pub, Melbourne, 1993

Dalton, Joan & Boyd, Julie, I Teach: a guide to inspiring classroom Leadership. Eleanor Curtain Pub, Melbourne, 1992.

Collis, Mark & Dalton, Joan, Becoming Responsible Learners. Eleanor Curtain Pub, Melbourne, 1990

Dalton, Joan & Smith, David, Extending Children's Special Abilities. Ministry of Education, Victoria, 1987.

Dalton, Joan & Smith, David, From 'Me' to 'We'. Video publication. Ministry of Education, 1986.

Dalton, Joan, Individual Differences. Ministry of Education, Victoria, 1986.

Dalton, Joan, Adventures in Thinking. Nelson, Melbourne, 1985. (reprinted thirteen times)

Dalton, Joan, Smith, David & Mc Gaughey, Patricia, Children with Special Abilities. Video/professional development package. Ministry of Education, Victoria, 1983.

Joan has also revised major American publications to make them suitable for Australian teachers.

• Blueprints for Thinking in the Cooperative Classroom Fogarty & Bellanca, 1992.
• Among Friends: classrooms where caring and learning prevail Dalton & Watson, 1997.

In addition to these major publications, Joan has contributed numerous articles to national and international professional journals and publications. Some examples include:

• International Association for Cooperation in Education
• Australasian Association for Cooperative Education
• Thinking: International Interdisciplinary Perspectives
• National Teacher Network, Australia
• Curriculum and Research Bulletin

Testimonial from a Principal

It is with pleasure that I provide testimony to the professional development program provided by world acclaimed educators Joan Dalton and David Anderson.

In reviewing the teaching practices at our school during 2000 the leadership team recognised considerable talent within the teaching staff. We felt that we were well placed to move our teaching and learning practices to an even higher level if we were able to engage some appropriate professional development.

Fortunately we were able to become involved in a major PD program within our district targeted at four secondary and four primary schools. Joan and David were engaged in 2001 to work with these schools over a three-year period with the goal to develop a professional learning community focused on quality pedagogy.

All eight schools have been thrilled with the progress to date. They report that learning and teaching practices have improved considerably.

In conjunction with the project Joan and David have developed an outstanding professional development product to be available online for teachers. We have had the privilege of trialling a number of modules from this program. Staff have found the units particularly user friendly. Joan and David's business Hands on Consultancy is very apt. The material developed is 'tried and true.' As educators they both work regularly in classrooms alongside teachers.

Their resources are pertinent and enable users to develop and grow at their own pace.

Impact on staff

Our school has staff at varying levels of their teaching career. All staff involved in the 'Plot PD' have embraced the program. Considerable individual and personal growth is evident. A bonus for the school has been the collective growth that the staff as a team has undergone.

Staff have been given:

• Tools to reflect on the purpose of their teaching methods and effectiveness.
• Support to develop more effective methods:
  • Quality rather than quantity
  • Depth rather than coverage with students building skills and responsibilities for their own learning.
• Language and confidence to engage in, and value professional dialogue.

Recommendation

I would recommend PLOTPD program to any school or teacher looking to improve their performance. I believe its influence on staff individually and as a whole will powerfully refocus what people do. It will also highlight the power of learning.

The program is very timely as schools move from an overcrowded content driven curriculum to a process that engages the learner in tasks utilising life skills and attitudes.

Peter J Williams
Principal
Irymple Primary School