Thinkalot

What learning Matters?

2012-02-12T23:47:00.000-08:00

As a staff we have been pondering a question that David Perkins asks 'What learning matters?, now in 10 years, 20 years and the future?' A rather straight forward question - yet as we are finding no easy straight forward answer.

We are working to develop a conceptual curriculum that highlights the universal understandings that all learners should acquire. These macro ideas form the overview of powerful understandings that enable our learners to develop a concept of self, interact and contribute as an active community member, value diversity, make sense of the world they live in, acknowledge the influence of change and ultimately experience personal fulfillment.

Our very initial ideas have been drafted into the following conceptual frame.

A bit too two dimensional at this stage however a starting point to critique.

We welcome your thoughts.

Student Voice, Making Next Steps Visible.

2011-09-17T22:32:00.001-07:00

Our team sat down last week to discuss the growth we had recently observed after collecting another round of student voice on video. We have been dialoguing and wondering ever since about how might we effectively provide individuals with feedback that would continue to 'Build their Learning Capacity' Chris suggested we have a go at videoing individuals watching themselves being questioned about what they do to be a successful learner. It was my task to to interview a few individuals to see what would happen. I was quite amazed at what then happened. I started with a 6 year old girl her sat and watched a 1 minute clip of herself describing what good learners do. She explained that they're determined and don't give up amongst other things, then she said they connect. I said what does it mean to connect? She paused and said I don't know. When she had finished watching herself on video I asked her what she thought she did well as a learner. She immediately said I didn't know what connect was and now I do! She proceeded to give me quite some explanation on what learners need to do to connect. She had been videoed probably 10 days prior, what struck me was she didn't need intervention to inform her last step, rather the opportunity to listen to herself and reflect on what might be her next learning. This has seriously got me thinking as to how we provide more opportunities for learners to get feedback from themselves by viewing where they were and where they have come from to inform what might be their next step.

What Should our Learners be Learning?

2011-09-17T22:04:00.001-07:00

David Perkins Interview from 21Foundation on Vimeo.

A refreshing clip of David Perkins questioning what's worth learning? What's worth learning now, in the next 10, 20 years? A critical question that deserves much thought and pondering.

Student Voice

2011-08-29T01:48:00.000-07:00

Quite recently our team spent some time capturing another round of student voice around strategic goals areas. We asked questions like What makes a good learner a good learner?, what do you do when you get stuck in your learning?, what is your reading learning goal?, what is your next learning step?,
We were reminded what a powerful thing it is to spend time doing. It clearly highlighted progress made since capturing baseline student voice, it quickly highlighted next steps and illuminated assumptions made.
In summary It is fair to say we would believe it to be one of the most powerful things you can spend time doing. It causes and enables change.

Learner Led Conferences

2011-08-09T01:37:00.000-07:00

It's been some weeks since our Learner Led Conferences and a promise to communicate how they went. Now that our community feedback has been received, via survey monkey, we can be evidenced in feeding back how they really went. The survey confirmed that 85% of conferences lasted for at least an hour. Children were in the driving sheet to share their learning and achievements. Each hub had created agendas of 'must dos' and 'can dos' to help structure the conference. It was wonderful to walk through the learning hubs and see a variety of learning experiences in action, these included experiences such as learners teaching their parents a maths games, using Success Criteria to do an observational drawing or self assess a writing sample using criteria together. Regardless of the power-cut and internet dropping for a period of time the learning continued to be shared.!

We value our parent feedback and voice - a glimpse of some feedback ...

'It was nice to have our childs input & ownership on the evening. We found we left knowing & understanding were our child was at, instead of attending a 15 min interview still unsure of what we needed to do to help improve his learning.'

'The interaction with our child, seeing him explain to us where he is at and what his goals are to get to where he needs to be'

'The time to spend in the Hub, moving around, led confidently by my child, having some one on one time with the guardians, it was interactive, interesting and insightful. We were really impressed, thank you.'

As a staff we have reflected on the process and thought about how we might continue to further improve the process to ensure that our learners truly led their conferences and parents leave feeling totally satisfied about 'how their child is going, and what their next learning steps are.

Learner Led Conferences - Encouraging Student Ownership

2011-07-02T22:40:00.000-07:00

We are leading up to our first round of Learner Led Conferences this week and I am told by the Guardians in Hub 1 that the children (5 years old) are really looking forward to it. The children can't wait to show their Mums and Dads all the wonderful learning they have been doing this term. Their agendas are set with what they want to share with their families over the hour they will be in the learning hub. Each individual shares with pride how they are going in their reading, what goal they are focused on and where they want to end up on the Bee Hives. I love nothing more than having one of the learners bounding up to me and saying Miss M I've moved hives!

We have incorporated the mid year reporting in the Learning Management Space that most of our parents are already an active part of. The call on whether an individual is at, above or below is placed in the artifact box,the student reflection beneath, each teachers comment focuses on the progress made, what has been achieved and next steps. At the Learner Led Conference there will be an opportunity for the parents to connect with the Guardian and decide on the best way to help at home. This will sit in the Parent box. This report can be printed, it can also live beyond the Student ed Conference and be a virtual environment where the learning continues beyond the event. Ww will watch with interest.

Modern Learning Environments - Some more benefits

2011-06-18T22:07:00.003-07:00

Some of the benefits of working in an open, modern learning environment we have started to surface are;

The shared ownership of the learners. Pooling strategies and ideas to further support learners, bouncing ideas to better meet targeted students needs.

The learning happening between adults that has a direct impact and influence on ones practice is remarkable. We have termed this incidental professional learning. The environment is so visible and transparent that much is learnt from ones colleagues operating in he same space.

I heard a teacher say some days the bell goes at 9.00am, I'm on duty, getting the next learning set up at lunchtime and before you know it it's 3.00pm and I haven't spoken to another adult all day, it can be lonely. The interactions and celebrations that can occur day to day between learners and adults in open, collaborative spaces are numerous. You are not alone.

We tend to be grouped according to age two times in our lives, to be educated and when we are on our way out in retirement villages! Open office spaces are becoming more of a reality globally. Individuals and groups selecting a space or environment that it fit for the given purpose. We learn so much more with and from others. Shouldn't School be more aligned with this approach. I got a fright when I googled classroom images last week. Try it!

Having recently gathered as a staff to moderate mid year achievements against expectations it became quickly apparent how easy the task was when you were making judgments with the other professionals teaching the same children. The collective ownership over all the children in the learning hub was evident.

PLG - Modern Learning Environments

2011-06-18T21:35:00.001-07:00

It was great to kick off our first Professional Learning Group dialogue for Schools using more open environments and collaborative approaches to teaching and learning. We had three Schools represented at our first gathering on Thursday. We began to surface the expected and unexpected positives in working in modern learning environments. It was also refreshing to share some of the challenges. The biggest challenge seemed to be our own mental models. Thinking beyond the industrialist educational model that has lived for so long. In challenging how we have always done things quite innovative practices have come to the fore for each School.

We are keen to grow the PLG community and welcome anyone interested in attending the next dialogue.

Modern Learning Environments - Open, Social, Real

2011-06-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

What a buzz it was this week to walk through one of our learning hubs during 'Break Through' time. The depth of engagement, range of learning occurring and student ownership struck me as I walked from group to group.
A robot was being programmed by one group, a guitar being strummed by another, a website created on the history of Stonefields, video animation being learnt from an expert, an individual absorbed in learning about the splitting of the atom, research into the local wetlands and the list goes on. Each knew what stage of the inquiry process they were at and the thinking and learning they were involved in to progress their learning. The learning was real for the individuals as they had ownership over what they were learning about. The learning was open - individuals and groups had access to the necessary resources, IT tools and space to enable the learning. The learning was social - only one individual was pursuing their inquiry on their own. The interactions, dialogue and negotiations between group members was apparent.
Our Break Through essence statement is;

Learners who Break Through are self aware of their talents. They are determined self starters who are motivated and committed to achieving mastery or personal bests in learning.
They feel fulfillment by actively seeking break through opportunities and realising future learning possibilities.

Our students look forward to break through time. The time being invested once a week to Break Through learning is paying dividends. If we get lost in time doing the things we are naturally good at, intrigued by and have autonomy over surely that leads to fulfillment and happiness in learning.

Our wonderings continue - How do we get as much leverage as possible off this 'Break Through learning'? to benefit other aspects of each individuals learning.

Open Spaces - You are not alone!

2011-05-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

It struck me this week when I was working with a group of students in maths just how neat it was to be working in an open learning space with other adults. I was really proud of the progress this group was making, Miss Rennie happened to walk past and I asked if she had a minute to celebrate with these learners achievements. Well these kids smiled from ear to ear as they proved to Miss Rennie just how great they were.

There are many other positives bubbling to the surface as a result of working in these shared and open spaces. The incidental professional learning opportunities occurring day to day is significant. Teachers are learning from observing their colleagues in action because the learning is so visible and transparent. A shared ownership of all the students is apparent, discussions within each learning hub are focused on moving individuals or groups of students and collectively thinking about how their needs are best met. The teachers expertise is pooled to best move the learning forward. Why has teaching been such a lonely task in ones single cell classroom for so long!

Timely Assessment Information

2011-05-03T01:26:00.000-07:00

We have had lots of fun over the last few months thinking about how to share timely assessment information with parents and caregivers. We pulled out Julia Atkins (What, Why, How) model to surface our beliefs (What) about assessment, the principles (Why) surrounding those beliefs to make informed decisions about the assessment practices (how) we might use. What became apparent was we believe the learner needs to be at the centre or heart of any assessment practice. Hattie's top effect size (1.4) is self grading - how are we utilising this knowledge in our current practices?

Much of our dialogue of late has been to question how the mid year summative call on achievement is presented to learners and parents. We asked a group of year 5-8 students about what they liked about their previous School reports. One individual said 'I like the general comment because it says nice things about me'. That made me think should students have to wait until half way through the year and the end of the year to hear nice things about themselves? Another comment from a year 6 child was 'I like to know if I am where I should be'. You can't argue with that, however why again should students wait till half way through the year to know if they are on track. We have listened to parent voice too to understand what they want to know and how they like that information presented. The general consensus is I want to know if my child is where they should be, putting effort, had friends and is happy at School.

So how timely is our assessment information to parents? Is it ok for parents to wait several weeks for the hard copy portfolio to go home at the end of a term?

Recent changes to the way we report to parents is the inclusion of next steps and ways parents can help their child at home. The challenge is to ensure these types of conversions last beyond the event of sending the report home or co-constructing 'ways to help at home' at a student/parent conference. We believe the space for such reporting needs to be online. All three relevant parties have a view and edit capability to add to the report. If a hard copy of the report is required it can be simply printed. If the conversation needs to continue it can continue and more next steps and ways home is supporting the learning added as time goes on.

Sincere Collaboration - Got me Thinking

2011-04-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

During the Emerging Leaders Conference a group of interested participants got thinking about the notion of Collaboration. It was certainly a theme that arose from the time spent with people at the two days. Our group looked at the potential of scaling Collaboration to create positive momentum for Educational change across Schools and sectors throughout NZ. We surfaced some barriers that often disable collaboration. Competition between Schools is an area that we felt needed to be addressed and overcome.

Some of the potential ideas shared to increase collaboration were;
Term or year Sabbaticals between Schools for teacher leaders.
An add on to tki or the likes to share and pool tried and true resources. (There are some legalities around Creative Commons that need to be addressed here).
What about TOD or non contact days, Afternoon PLGs across Schools on shared themes to share successes and narratives around what different Schools are doing, what's working. (I am now motivated to start a PLG on the use of more open learning spaces - so that we can learn more from Collaborating with other Schools who are in the same boat.)
A collection of digital stories exemplifying success stories in the classroom
Having expectations tied up with Teacher Standards around teacher, leaders Making a contribution. Dan Pinks The Surprising truth about what motivates people suggests it's something that drives most people.

I think the world as a whole is just starting to move beyond accepting the power of collaboration to sincerely valuing it. What I have observed in one short month at Stonefields School in the learning hubs where teachers are having to work visibly and intimately work along side one another in the same learning space, great things are happening. Let us learn, let us share beyond our School gate. NZ is small, together we have the potential to achieve greatness.

Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline. Jim Collins

Emerging Leaders Conference

2011-04-30T02:12:00.000-07:00

It was wonderful to be able to attend the Emerging Leaders Conferences organised and held at Albany Senior High on Thursday and Friday last week. There were many highlights, I have reflected a little further on the format of the two days.
The structure and dialogue techniques used throughout the 2 days were incredibly engaging, far more than the many conferences I have attended that present at you. I found I left the two days sincerely knowing participants at a deeper level and now feel more inclined to continue the contact and networking due to the nature of the conversations that were encouraged. There were unconference sessions (opportunities to share and dialogue on topics on shared interest, pecha kucha technique, and what Albany Senior High terms 'Speed dating' (a way of talking one on one about the challenges, thoughts and reflections individuals had following the pecha kucha presentations. I also lost time dialoguing with many interesting and knowledgeable people from different sectors during the 'World cafe' session on effective leadership. I can see many uses for the 'World cafe' and are keen to try it out with our staff and students.
Why is it that so many conferences seem to talk at participants yet we know the brain learns best when being active participants.

Just wanted to say thanks to all the people at Albany senior for making it happen.

Future Learning Spaces - The benefits

2011-04-10T01:50:00.000-07:00

We have been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting throughout the term to surface what are some of the added bonuses of having more open, fluid and social learning spaces. There have been many positives, however one that was not necessarily realised as being so powerful was the incidental professional learning that occurs within the space that two or three teachers reside in. The daily ongoing professional learning is becoming more apparent as the learning is so visible throughout the space. One teacher might be a support teacher in a learning session and one taking more of a lead role the bouncing off one another is wonderful to watch. Teachers are openly learning from one another as they for example watch how a shared book is introduced or observe their peers questioning. It is a powerful learning environment for not only the students but the teachers themselves.
Another positive bubbling up from working within more open and agile spaces is this notion of 'they've got my back'. Teachers say they feel more supported in the space as there is always another adult if needed. Be it an individual who needs that little extra one on one learning time or an individual you can't quite get to the bottom of a learning need, there is a community approach to inquiring into what the individuals next steps might be.
Pooling teacher strengths and talents is another positive - in a space students get the best of both worlds as they are taught be any of the two or three teachers in the learning hub in a given day.
There are some key structures and scaffolds that sit behind the design of the learning hubs to ensure their success. More about that next time.

Think Big, Be Brave!

2011-02-12T23:53:00.000-08:00

I have been reflecting about what stops us from being brave? As a leadership team one mantra that was at the fore front to aid much of the thinking and planning of Stonefields School was 'Think Big and Be Brave". An example of where this came into play was the process we went through to select and decide on the furnishings for the learning hubs. It would have been quite straight forward and easy to order 5 tables and 28 chairs for each teaching space. Instead we began to read, reflect and think about the furniture that would ensure learners were comfortable, that the furniture was fit for the given learning (fit for purpose), agile, allowed for individual quiet space, collaborative spaces and large spaces to dialogue and ensuring that the environment as the third teacher was maximised.

We were influenced by an incredibly timely trip to Melbourne where we saw 3 Schools that were challenging the industrialist, single cell model of Schooling. These visits indeed added to our bravery, particularly the time we spent at Silverton Primary. Mary Featherston a friend of Julia Atkin helped us to understand the complexity of ensuring space is partitioned appropriately, caters for the various learning scenarios and has sound flow in and between spaces. We left appreciating that less can be more. We have observed many over furnished learning spaces in our travels.

Our investigations resulted in cafe height tables, taller tables, knealers, tables that could be pulled apart for smaller groups, beanbags, stools that wiggle, high stools for the learners who like to survey, ottomans and soft furnishes to add comfort to the learning environment.

Now we have our learners we are enjoying seeing where individuals gravitate for certain learning. The teachers are experimenting with their learners about what furnishings are fit to best serve the learning being undertaken. I am looking forward to gathering more student voice this week.

I am pleased we were brave, although it's early days I can already see it's paying dividends. Learners appear engaged.

Dialogue or Discussion - What's fit for purpose?

2011-01-23T23:14:00.000-08:00

It feels refreshing to post my first blog for 2011 on a strategy that has certainly helped our staff make some important decisions in the last few days. I hope I acknowledge the source correctly - Joan Dalton talks about being clear about flagging the type of conversation you intent to have. A dialogue is used when surfacing everyones ideas and are wanting to have an open conversation around a topic,problem or decision to be made. A discussion is about arriving at a decision.
An example of how we have flagged whether we were entering into a dialogue or discussion last week was when we attempted to collectively agree on what the dispositions would be under the School vision principle of 'Building Learning Capacity'. We began by using open ended questions to surface individuals ideas around what makes a good learner? We started the conversation by saying that this was a dialogue and that it would continue over the next few days before making a decision on the dispositions for Stonefields School. Today we flagged that the conversation had transformed into a discussion as it was decision time.
A helpful strategy as we continue to move forward in ensuring the conversations we need to have, have the airtime they require and deserve.
I think this could be used just as well with our students.

More food for thought! Sir Ken

2010-12-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

Great food for thought! Go Sir Ken

2010-12-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

Mobile Technology - So easy! Testing pix from phone

2010-11-13T22:26:00.000-08:00

Progress continues on site. We are set to open 3 February, 2011

Learning

2010-11-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

We recently took our foundation staff on a retreat to begin the induction process. It was a fabulous few days. The sense of team was apparent as we began to collectively make sense of the vision principles and define what learning is going to be like at Stonefields School. Jeremy Kedian would argue that Doctors, Dentists and many other professionals are clear at defining what that do. Gaining this clarity is as essential as activators of learning I believe. Jeremy Kedian has played a critical role in challenging our leadership team. He took the three of us through a process of defining our core business of learning. We each spent 15 minutes defining what learning is ... and then came together to analyse and synthesise a definition we were each happy with.
As learning is our core business we believed it was important to collectively define this as an essential piece of our educative purpose. We worked through a similar process with our entire staff to arrive on the third day with a definition we were all happy with.
The definition stands;
“Learning is a dynamic, fulfilling process of actively building on what we know; by questioning, thinking and connecting to make meaning, expand knowledge and deepen understandings.”

We look forward to reflecting on our definition in January where we continue our professional learning together and watch it evolve as we set forth on our exciting journey together.

How story telling has changed

2010-09-28T21:18:00.001-07:00

21st Century Story Telling. Interesting change through the years. Worth a look.

Haven't Things Changed

2010-09-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed seeing this clip again at John's session on 21st Century Learning Spaces. Haven't times changed!

Worth a watch! thought provoking.

2010-09-12T02:04:00.000-07:00

Future Dispositions Required?

2010-08-31T02:02:00.000-07:00

What Core skills do we need to develop in our students to ensure they are future fit?
The team enjoyed a reflective and provocative session with Jeremy Kedian today. The following core skills were deemed essential
*Ability to communicate – interpersonal skills
*Need to develop entrepreneurial skills
*Managing here and now and future. Know how to learn and be equipped with a process of learning
*Adaptability, attitudinal open mindedness

What are your thoughts? What should we be equipping our students with?
We were challenged by a colleague recently to think about the language that had started to emerge within the team to highlights what we stand for and believe in. Interesting as a team how often the words 'mindfulness' and 'learner centred' have bubbled up today. Fascinating observing this shared language emerge quite organically.

Future trends

2010-08-08T01:27:00.000-07:00

What education will look like in ten years time: Andre Malan from terrytalks on Vimeo.

Interesting to reflect on the implications of these messages for the primary sector. What stood out for me is that education will be more social, open and real. What is very much on my mind currently is how do we design the school environment to allow for this? How do we design the environment so that it becomes the third teacher or enabler of learning.

Exemplifying slowness with learners

2010-07-25T02:07:00.000-07:00

How might this be used as a starter to get our students talking about slowness?

Praise of Slowness from Didier Weemaels on Vimeo.

In Praise of Slow

2010-07-25T01:43:00.000-07:00

Following a visit to Baverstock Oaks School, Mary suggested a good read for the team might be In Praise of Slow. I did some googling to see where we might purchase it and came across this Ted Talk by the author himself. Well worth the watch to see how we might take the messages into our work and life.

Happiness, Is That It?

2010-07-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

What is the ultimate outcome we are aiming for in education? Many educational visions have words such as Life long learning, success, achievement, making a difference etc. But why these words? What does achievement lead to? What about success? Achievement to earn lots of money? Dan Pinks book Drive would suggest quite the contrary. So what are we upon this earth for? The more I reflect on this rather large and philosophical answer is, that we aim to be happy! When happiness prevails one experiences an incredible sense of fulfillment. This has led me to then ask, what is one doing when feeling that sense of delight and happiness? I've tried asking this of myself of late. I am lost in time when I am involved in the things I am most happy doing - singing, dialoguing philosophically with colleagues, helping someone out, spending time with my nieces and nephews etc
How do we actively build a self awareness in our students around what makes them happy? If school is to be a place that harnesses and builds on each individuals sense of happiness and fulfillment then we can't leave it to chance.

Sharpening Strengths

2010-07-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

I have been doing lots of wondering about how to best build confident, connected, life long learners. I believe there is a place to actively build a learners capacity to learn. This encompasses building self awareness and self efficacy in learners, it's about knowing when to persevere and when to stop. It's building mastery and competence in foundation areas to be able to access learning, problem solve and think critically across curriculum areas. Importantly I am coming to think that it is about seeking out and identifying learners strengths and talents and being quite deliberate at setting goals in these areas to self improve and achieve fulfillment, mastery, satisfaction and ultimately happiness. All too often we over emphasize setting goals in areas of need only. Mark Tredwell once said in a conversation some months back that the world is running out of experts. Are we schooling for generalists? Can it be too soon (primary years) to hone in on strengths. What do parents know about their child's strengths and character traits that we can learn from on enrolment in our schools. I am not sure that the parents voice and historic overview is valued as much as it might be. How might this be captured on enrolment?
I believe talents can be used to leverage success in areas that don't come to easily for learners.

Go Sir Ken Robinson

2010-07-05T01:55:00.000-07:00

How refreshing to view Ken Robinsons latest Ted Talk. He shares how time takes a different course when individuals are involved in things that resonates with their spirit. Ken reinforces the importance of moving from a linear process of learning to a more organic process that allows individuals to flourish and realise dreams.

Poker Chips - Building Self Esteem

2010-07-05T01:18:00.000-07:00

The Importance of Playing to Strengths

2010-07-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

It was refreshing to view this clip again this morning in a Keynote from Denise Quinlan. It helps to reminds us how important it is to encourage our learners to identify and sharpen their strengths. "Developing our strengths reduces strengths and increases happiness" Seligman et al, 2005

Gratitude

2010-06-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Denise Quinlan for her presentation at the NZPF conference. I was taken and moved by her talk on gratitude. She probed us by asking some great questions around how we show gratitude in the workplace, our meetings, the playground. She shared how gratitude can be helpful for children as it has the potential to
*Encourage social connection
*Create upward spirals of emotion
*Promote well being
*Facilitate learning
*Can be developed

Here's a moving clip that Denise shared at the end of the session.

Stunning Queenstown

2010-06-28T01:17:00.000-07:00

You couldn't have asked for a more stunning day to land in Queenstown. It's been 18 years since I last visited this picturesque piece of New Zealand. We landed on a run way laced with snow as the grand Remarkables saluted our decent.
This picture was taken by the edge of Lake Wakatipu, a gorgeous light for taking photos. Looking forward to visiting two schools tomorrow as the New Zealand Principal Federation (NZPF) conference begins. Looking forward to this weeks learning.

The Power of Picking the Right Ap

2010-06-17T00:46:00.000-07:00

I was delighted this evening to get a call from my 7 year nephew asking me the name of the x table ap I had downloaded for him a few weeks prior. I said why do you want to know that? He responded by saying that all the aps on Mums iphone were boring and that one was helping him learn. I had a wee giggle to myself when I mentioned Mum would need $1.29 to buy it. Here he was 6.00pm requesting to play an educational game to get better at the times tables he was wanting to get better at. This phone call reminded me just how capable our young learners are at self regulating what they need to work on. Just had to share that wee pearl!

What Motivates Us?

2010-06-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

Enlightening - well worth taking 10 minutes out of your day to reflect on what motivates people. How do we actively maximise opportunities for learners to experience Challenge, Mastery and Making a Contribution. Very cleverly illustrated in Dan Pinks 'The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us'.

Thank goodness for the video camera on the iphone!

2010-05-29T01:24:00.000-07:00

Having the phone in the back pocket has been incredibly handy on more than one occasion today. Would you believe it Nan and Aunty were in charge of one family of three today and boy number 2 scores his first goal of the session. Mum and Dad weren't there but we have the evidence! Am sure his arms were in the air for more than a minute in shear glory he had scored. Captured first hand on the iphone!
I set the 5 year old up on the mac to write his own book. Dragged a few movies and pictures of him into keynote and away he went. He was hooked for the next hour sounding out words and writing his own story and stopping to read it to anyone interested in listening.
Had a blast tonight when all 6 cousins came together at Nans for dinner. The music was turned up after dinner for all to reveal their best moves! Must admit we have some real groovers amongst us. Out came the iphone to capture the moment. The interesting thing was when I showed the 3 year old just how groovy she was she was mesmerized watching herself as the movie was played back. I wonder what she was really thinking?
Loving trying out how different technologies might be used on my nieces and nephews. One thing I am learning is it's in them, intuitive and you don't need to show them much before they start teaching you!

Personalising Learning - Selecting Aps

2010-05-26T02:00:00.000-07:00

What fun I have had recently selecting the most appropriate aps for each of my nieces and nephews. The ease in which an application can be searched for, downloaded and instantly tried out to see if it is pitched at the right level is instantaneous. I am intrigued by what hooks each individual. The aps that give immediate gratification as to whether the individual has been successful or not seem to be a hit and played over and over again. A priceless moment was when my 3 year old niece whilst playing a counting game on my iphone beams ear to ear and looks up for a brief moment and says 'See Aunty it claps me'. On reflection it was so obvious she was hooked by the frequent feedback and gratification of achieving success, when she wasn't successful she tried again. The engagement levels I continue to observe are intense and sustained over long periods of time. The learning that is taking place is significant. Why is it significant I keep asking myself, I am coming to realise that the i pod touch/iphone uses all sensory modes at once, kinesthetic, auditory and visual, which we know is more likely to lead to long term memory. Loving this informal research!

ipod Touch- Engagement Continues

2010-05-19T20:50:00.001-07:00

You may recall that I got an ipod touch for my nephews to share as payment for building my deck! but more importantly as an experiment for myself to see what types of activities would sustain their engagement and if the time they spent on it was of educational benefit. I managed to pop round this week at story time. As I entered the 5 year old was keen to show me a lego city movie he had just about recited. This is relevant at the moment as the house hold challenge is to build a city out of all the lego they have. The movie adds to their creative imaginations as to what is possible. It was then story time, as I read to the 5 year old the 7 year old timed how long it took me to read the story and had great joy in reading the number decimals in all. After the story the 7 year old then proceeded to tell me that his school reader the night before was about Mr Windsor. He said it wasn't that interesting, he continued to share how he went onto you tube and looked up Windsor, this is when it started to get interesting. He told me all about how to tie a windsor knot (tie) and that he had toured the Windsor castle and explained what he saw. Dull book turned interesting as the learning then was unlocked.
I asked the 7 year old how the sharing was going as one of the rules was that if there are problems with sharing I might have to have it back. With a big grin on his face he replied none. His Dad backed that up and said I haven't taught the boys anything. I can't believe what's starting to happen.
In summary the engagement increases - no interest is lost at this point. Will keep you posted.

Mobile Technology

2010-05-08T01:39:00.001-07:00

I have returned from a fun afternoon setting my two nephews (one 5 and the other 7) up with their first ipod. After downloading itunes and setting up an account we were away searching for free aps. After several minutes there were at least ten aps that the boys took to without any tuition. I watched with interest for the next hour or so as they took turns to explore the chosen educational and recreational aps.
As they had e books read to them and touched individual words for the word to be repeated, I witnessed just how powerful this tool could be for learning both inside and outside the classroom.
I will continue to watch with interest over the next few weeks to see if this engagement sustains. How long will their interest in certain aps last? When will they be hungry for more or different? Will it develop interests otherwise not discovered?

A considerable amount of money can be spent on having the desired e learning tools, what amazes me that we continue to spend without researching the tools impact on student outcomes. There is a need to research and gather evidence to measure the impact such tools have on student learning. Interested to capture some during this wee trial with my nephews. What this space!

ITSC 2010 - 2 Day Conference

2010-04-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

Flexible display technology
Mobile devices

6 design Principles of 21st Century

"The predominant technology determines the predominant learning task in the classroom" Alan Kay

Engagement, Learning, iphone

2010-04-29T13:46:00.001-07:00

Take a look at this as an example of engagement. How does one harness this in the classroom?

Engagement, Learning, iphone from Stonefields School on Vimeo.

Powerful Professional Learning

2010-04-23T01:17:00.000-07:00

I experienced an incredibly powerful professional learning session today facilitated by John Edwards. He shared a new model he has been developing on Productive Feedback. The session was facilitated in such a way that there was considerable input (new information) however chunks of time were taken in between each input, to dialogue, question and role play to make meaning of what had been presented with colleagues.
The connections to the hub of the powerful learning model became obvious as I reflected about the day. I am convinced less in more and going deep through utilising the hub is paramount in cementing new learning.
A great day!

Google Docs - Right tool for Primary Education?

2010-04-14T01:27:00.000-07:00

I have been working between two platforms (mac and PC) over the last couple of months. The usual hurdles have been encountered - not being able to open office 2007 on my mac, backing up each computer to ensure the hard drive is up to date and I can access the documents as and when I need to.
This prompted me to give google docs a real go. For someone very comfortable in the use of Microsoft Office for a number of years I have been pleasantly surprised just how good it is. I can share the same document amongst many folders, share the document with whom I want and collaborate on documents when the need arises. It doesn't matter what platform or software I have as it all sits on the web. As long as the connection is good I can access my docs anytime, anywhere!
In thinking about IT solutions for Mt Wellington School it seems a very good option.
Anyone giving it a go in their schools?

Creating Environments Focused on Learning

2010-03-24T00:25:00.000-07:00

Teachers continue to amaze me at just how creative they are. These photos are examples of how teachers are intentionally creating a culture of learning within their own classrooms by activating thinking. In sharing these photos I wholeheartedly acknowledge the individual teachers at Red Beach School who have interpreted, made sense of and actively implemented the essence of the Powerful Learning Process within the daily life of their classroom. I salute you!

Activating Thinking using the Powerful Learning Process on PhotoPeach

2010-03-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

Visit to Nelson on PhotoPeach

Shirley and I were lucky enough to be asked to go to Nelson to share Red Beach School's change story. What a privilege to come to such a beautiful part of New Zealand. From the moment we were greeted we were put on a fuss. In 24 hours we have experienced fabulous people, fine food, breathe taking scenery, marvelous markets and art works, live music. Tonight we are off to the famous Boat Shed for dinner to try out the delectable seafood. There is no doubt I will be back.

Wiki Educator Taster Session

2010-03-14T00:06:00.000-08:00

I was involved in a really valuable session this week with Mark Osbourne who ran a wikieducator taster session for a group of our senior leadership. I whole heartedly agree with the vision and principles behind wiki educator, where content is added with the intent of contributing to a wider educational audience and where sharing and collaboration is encouraged through individuals being able to add to, shape, remix and blend content so that it potentially continues to evolve.
Check out how Warrington School is using wikieducator

Planning for Powerful Learning

2010-03-10T21:17:00.000-08:00

During a visit to Point England School at the end of 2009 Dorothy Burt inspired some thinking around a planning process she had been using with teachers within her Manaiakalani Cluster. It showed how a child created digital learning object can often live months after it's creation when placed in a blog, google site or wiki where it has potential to be commented on.
We have been grappling with how best to plan for powerful learning for some time, this motivated me to think about whether we could create something similar around our own powerful learning process.
The plan above is our first go at planning to activate thinking and learning experiences at different stages of the process.

School designs - What's possible?

2010-03-09T23:38:00.000-08:00

Image taken from Stephen Heppell's site
I was told recently that a trillion dollars is spent on education a year across OECD countries. The scary reality is there has been no significant change in educational outcomes for students in 60 years. This would suggest more of the same is not the answer. Thinking 'different' perhaps is! How do we maximise the evidence highlighted in John Hattie's recent Visible Learning meta analysis, about what works? What actually has an impact on student outcomes? How do we design learning to take into consideration opportunities where students self grade (1.4 effect size) and provide opportunities for rich feedback to be integrated into everyday learning.
With this in mind I am currently grappling with what impact does the traditional school design have on student outcomes if any. How do you flip the traditional on it's head and create the new, what might be possible? I am in a privileged position currently thinking about how one might design learning environments/spaces to ensure that learning experiences, opportunities and student autonomy is increased. Has the traditional classroom contributed to the no change in student outcomes?
More questions than answers as I sit and scribble how multiple learning zones and spaces might be organised/ furnished to maximise student ownership and autonomy and ultimately increased student outcomes.
The more I search the more innovation I find. Check out this cushion hub above that looks like it helps to make learning fun, comfortable and maybe maximises student outcomes!

Learners should work harder than their Teachers!

2010-03-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

I was privileged to sit in on a session that Anne Davies facilitated at the beginning of this year. Anne is an assessment guru residing in Canada. One of the comments she made has resonated with me ever since. She said that we need to get students to work harder than their teachers.
The more I have pondered this the more I have to agree. She shared the importance of learners being involved in assessing peers learning and building their own assessment literacy to make informed judgments about progress and high achievement.
Whilst sitting in classes recently I have been thinking about the traditional mental model we hold about teachers providing the right stretch and challenge for each learner to reach their potential. To get the learner working harder we need to flip that on it's head and teach learners how to give themselves the right kind of stretch. I am wondering how one might motivate and empower learners to build a habit of extending beyond what they can already do.

Longitudinal Evidence - Student Voice

2010-02-16T23:29:00.000-08:00

How do you really know as a Primary School that you are having a lasting impact on student learning and outcomes beyond their Primary School experience? Are the competencies you instill in young learners developed to the extent that they are habitual? Do they last, continue to live beyond the Primary School experience?
Rather than wondering and making assumptions we have set about to design an online survey that can continue to gather past students reality, ideas and feedback. I am excited about the potential such feedback has in creating a broader and more informed picture of our Schools impact on learners.
Watch this space!

Snells Beach School - What a beauty!

2010-02-11T01:13:00.000-08:00

What an amazing opportunity yesterday to visit Snells Beach School, situated just north of Auckland. We arrived only a few days after the schools 1st birthday. The entrance was welcoming, gardens extensive and the greeting on arrival second to none.
Our team spent the next 3 hours asking lots of questions and exploring the learning areas, each unique in colour. The thought that so obviously must have gone into the design is to be applauded, multiple and flexible spaces open and close with ease.
A most enjoyable afternoon, certainly got ones creative juices flowing. Thanks Kathryn and Jill for your generosity in sharing the journey and your time.

Cyber Safety - Building Students Digital Literacy

2010-02-04T19:45:00.001-08:00

iphone - sending pxt to blog

2010-01-28T02:06:00.001-08:00

I have been playing around with my iphone to see what it can do. I was on a road trip during the summer break and stopped at a few schools along the way. Here is a photo of Taihape School. I was impressed with the layout and the welcoming way in which you entered the school.

Go the iphone - am imagining what students could do with this technology - amazing!

Thanks Dorothy - Another great clip worth watching

2010-01-26T14:54:00.000-08:00

Clip Dorothy Burt Shared - worth a look!

2010-01-26T14:48:00.000-08:00

Online Bridges Symposium

2010-01-26T14:26:00.000-08:00

A great bunch of teachers and leaders gathered prior to the start of the school year to be immersed in ideas around e learning, powerful learning and web 2.0 tools. For those delegates who were interested in a copy of the power point presented around Red Beach School's development of the Powerful Learning Process.

Thanks for the participation and great questions.
Just having trouble uploading presentation to slide share will persevere and get it up asap

Wrapping up 2009

2009-12-20T21:56:00.000-08:00

As I changed my profile this evening from Acting Principal to Deputy Principal many memories from the year made me smile. I giggle as I recall deliberating over ever word and phrase in my first communication email to staff, contemplating how the first newsletter to parents should read, wondering how to best introduce the professional learning focuses to the staff. I was apprehensive to start as I did not know what the role would entail. As the year progressed and the unknown was demystified the more I began to relax into the role and the more I understood my own leadership style. I have thoroughly enjoyed the year and learnt huge amounts. I have enjoyed working with a team of committed, enthusiastic and talented individuals who wake up everyday to make their difference. As I now embark on the next challenge of foundation principal in a new environment in the new year I look forward to the stretch and learning that awaits.
In the meantime it's time to recharge batteries to ensure the thinking that leads to the next phase is as creative and forward thinking as it can possibly be.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all

Shirley and Sarah what can the iPhone do?

2009-12-14T21:33:00.000-08:00

We are trying to see what these things can do. We are not sure why Shirley can't add a blog entry. We obviously need more sandpit time

iPhone test 2

2009-12-13T00:19:00.000-08:00

Gave the phone to my nephews to play with. They had it down pat in moments. We took a voice recording, test two is to see how easy it is to upload. Here goes ...

iPhone test

2009-12-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

Finally managed to get myself a much wanted iPhone. Was keen to see how easy it would be to do a blog entry. So far so good! Can see that kids would love using these. Would be great to capture e reflections as they happen. That's all for now just testing.

Challenging Thinking - Julia Atkin

2009-11-28T23:31:00.000-08:00

Always refreshing spending time with Julia. She has built up an incredible wisdom over the years she has worked in education. She has the most incredible ability to question and probe that bit further. I jumped in the car on Friday to head north for the weekend. Great to clear the head and gain some head space to ponder the depth of what Julia was getting at.
We have been working of the front of the New Zealand Curriculum for around 4 years. This time has been spent focusing on developing a learners capacity and disposition to be a Life Long Learner, Relate to Others and Inquire. This focus was deliberate to try and pull away from the traditional curriculum dominated instruction that was occurring. We are now digging into the back of the New Zealand Curriculum to think about the conceptual understandings we would like our students to leave our school with. Julia critiqued our start by stating that 'I think you have depth but not breadth'. As we started to unpack a bit more what she meant by breadth I felt we could quickly again go down the coverage track rather keeping her infamous questions in balance 'What is powerful to learn?' and 'What is powerful learning?'
It got me thinking about the purpose of primary school - what is our place and role in the learning pathway? Is it exposure to surface interests and talents across a broad range of learning experiences, Is it setting up individuals with important conceptual understandings to make sense of their world? Is it to develop curiosity and wonderment and nurture learning capacity so that when the authentic learning opportunity presents itself the individual will embrace the learning and take it beyond what we could imagine? The later suggests that the teacher pedagogy required is some what different to what the majority students would experience today. There must be a sweet spot in the middle I believe, where students develop the necessary dispositions to know what to do when they don't know what to do and to grow some conceptual understandings to help make sense of their world. Anyway great to get away for that bit of head space, your thoughts?

Artifact to stimulate a Learning Conversation

2009-11-22T13:59:00.001-08:00

Just the sort of resource we continue to look for to stimulate learning conversations with students. Perseverence, Self Motivates, Sets goals and plans etc all come to mind.

Seriously - Why e-learning?

2009-11-21T22:03:00.000-08:00

I don't think we have the artifacts, stories, evidence and convincing argument to sell Why e-learning to our students, teachers or parents. I am sold on the direction that needs to be taken and in my heart of hearts know that we should be headed in this direction. I do however get a bit stuck beyond my usual arguments justifying the WHY when the spend to mobilize our students and get them into this space is so costly. Moore's laws predictions weren't wrong stating that tools and devices would quickly become considerably cheaper. When this cost is rolled out across nearly 700 students is remain significant.
I am becoming convinced that maybe the spend, once excellent connectivity is in operation, should be on good wireless. Students are encouraged to bring mobile devices and hook into the wireless and away you go. High end machines for Indesign, movie making and other publishing are then placed in pods within classrooms to meet that need. The question comes what about the students and families who can't afford such devices. An alternative option certainly needs to be made available whether that is through lease.
If prices of the Asus eee's continue to come down then I believe we are not far from this reality.
What convincing arguments have you got around justifying the spend on e-learning tools and hardware? Did you know v4.0 is the most significant one I know of?

Educating Parents - Getting the Balance Right

2009-11-18T00:50:00.000-08:00

I had a pleasant afternoon today welcoming around 15 new parents to our school with Shirley. Their children were on their 3rd of 4 preschool visits and it was our turn to talk about the school vision and how things are 'done around here'. The highlight of the afternoon would have been listening to 2 of our students share their view on the value of the vision and unpacking what it meant to them as learners. As I intently listened to each child's words it was clear these children were speaking from their heart and that indeed the vision lives within them. They showed a depth of understanding of how they use quite intangible learning dispositions such as reflects, makes connections etc.
I feel satisfied that we seem to be getting the balance about right. We are certainly building key knowledge and understandings that students need to know to make sense of their world and be able to learn on their own, this to is kept in equilibrium by the emphasis placed on building each learners learning capacity.
I felt satisfied walking away from our session together today that we are getting better at communicating the importance of getting this balance right with parents.

Pt England School = Deep, Engaging Learning

2009-11-03T00:27:00.000-08:00

I left Pt England School this morning looking at my watch in disbelief. The time had flown. In the 2 and a half hours spent there, I was totally absorbed by watching and talking to students about their learning. The depth of learning and engagement was to say the least, impressive. We were warmly welcomed by Dorothy and Russell and then bowled over by an address from six year 6 students passionate about sharing how they had been using different e learning tools in their classrooms.
As a partnership both Russel and Dorothy have a futuristic vision that is enabled by their beliefs, drive and passion to meet the needs of their students and wider community. In touring classrooms at all year levels it is clear that the 'rubber hits the road' and what is shared in concept, lives in practice.
I believe the positive results that have come out of the research within the school need to be shared widely. We have much to learn from the courageous use of e learning and the positive impact it has on student engagement and learning.
Hats off to what you have been doing, you are leading a legacy. I feel humbled by experiencing such greatness!

Us and Them - Surfacing a Traditional Norm

2009-11-01T01:22:00.000-07:00

Have been thinking of late that the education system has perpetuated an 'Us and Them' barrier between parents and teachers. Why is it that so many parents report a fear of approaching the school grounds. When you dig a bit below the surface you reveal that, we often use exclusive education speak with parents that adds to the divide. Parents nod in agreement at conferences for fear that they may look silly. As a breed some of us are more approachable than others! The kids can tell you who are the scary and not so scary teachers.
I advocate that a child's success at school is maximised through a 3 way partnership, the child, parent and teacher. Deep down I am sure you would agree that all a parent wants for their child is the best. I think as a system we can afford to get better at letting down the guard to sincerely show that, that is what we want too.

Asking Why Are We Headed in This Direction?

2009-10-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

Have been thinking about the way we might convincingly justify the WHY behind where we are headed in education to meet 21st century learners desires and needs.
What resources have you found to be useful in shifting traditional views or old mental models?
Did you know V4 is out now - that is always a good starting point.

Blog Action 09

2009-10-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

Red Beach School Conference - Great Buzz

2009-10-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

What a thrill to share with delegates yesterday from near and far. We had over 100 attendees who asked great questions, talked to our students and heard about the journey we have been on since the beginning of 2005. As we shared in the initial address we by no means believe we have all the answers, rather we saw the day as an opportunity to share in the highs and lows of our own journey. We too feel privileged to have talked and visited many colleagues and shared in others journeys too. We felt it was our turn to give back and contribute to the greater good of education and continue the dialogue and debate.

For any conference participants - this link takes you to the
Powerful Learning Presentation
Teacher Effectiveness Presentation

Look forward to continuing the dialogue.

John Hattie - Encouraging us to ask ...

2009-10-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at an Auckland University leadership seminar day John Hattie advocated for leaders in schools to grow a disposition of asking. He posed the following questions.
A disposition to asking ...
How do I know this is working?
How can I compare this with that?
What is the magnitude of the effect?
Do I share a common conception of progress?
What evidence would convince you that you are wrong?
What is the merit and worth of this influence on learning?
Where have you seen this practice installed so that it produces effective results?

Change - It's a Constant!

2009-10-18T00:11:00.001-07:00

I have been taking some time to reflect on why the need to change. We are aware that times are certainly changing. Is it another bandwagon or good reason for real change. What are the real benefits of e learning? technology? How will they benefit our next generation of learners.
Pleased I stumbled upon this in youtube

Leadership - cool youtube video

2009-10-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

Red Beach School Conference

2009-10-14T00:40:00.000-07:00

Thrilled to hear this evening as I left school that 61 people are booked in to attend our first conference. Shirley is doing a stunning job of coordinating and organising this event. It shows just how much we are willing to learn from one another across the education sector.
Have been thinking about how we could use a similar model with sharing what we are doing with our parent community. Wouldn't it be great to present to our community why we are headed in the direction we are headed in and then provide parents with a variety of breakouts where they could select areas of interest. Holding a conference during school hours has the added bonus of talking about what we do and then getting parents into classes to see it in action.
Like many schools we are always thinking about ways of informing parents about what we are doing. The reality is, it is different to how we were educated.

Weighing Up Competency vs Content

2009-10-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when we are looking for teachers to fill positions for 2010. The whole process has got me thinking.
Firstly what questions do you ask to reveal an individuals beliefs, competencies and skills in a 30 minute interview?
Secondly what sort of responses are you wanting to hear? Are we seeking individuals who have broad content knowledge or are we looking for the individuals who exemplify dispositions of being a learner, who are positive, risk takers and clearly passionate.
If it was an either or scenario who would you pick? Why?
My third wondering is do you pick people who fit the culture or those that may not because they may bring something that rubs a bit and adds a new dimension and value add.
All good thoughts, it's important the right choices are made.

top 100 tools

2009-10-12T01:04:00.000-07:00

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009

View more documents from Jane Hart.

RBS Vision Live and Well?

2009-10-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed presenting with Shirley this morning. We had an enthusiastic group of educators, who smiled, participated and asked great questions. We value the opportunity to articulate the school change process and journey because it causes much thought. As we look back on the journey we are reminded of how much we have learnt along the way. Having to say it out loud certainly makes us take stock. There are things we would do differently if we started the process again. I feel heartened that collaboration is on the increase in education. There is much more sharing of ideas, strategies and processes that enable change . We are all in the game to make a difference to kids!
Browse the right hand navigation bar if you are wanting to view the presentation.

Elizabeth Gilbert - Ted Talks

2009-10-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

Was thrilled to stumble upon this Ted Talk by Elizabeth Gilbert the author of "Eat, pray, love" Thoroughly enjoyed her book - Laughed, cried and reflected!

Mark Tredwell - Presentation Ulearn

2009-10-07T15:19:00.000-07:00

Developing understanding is a precursor to creativity. Marks diagram illustrates this really well. It makes me reflect on what are the necessary environmental factors that ensure students are free to be curious and imaginative to create and innovate? A culture of learning where not knowing is ok is a pre-requisite to ensuring students learn powerfully.

Mark talks about developing a learners Capability, Competency, Creativity, Personality and Potential.
Mark spent some time sharing the latest brain research. Mind boggling!
Hopped onto google docs to take some more notes
"Why are passionate teachers always good teachers - get a hormonal response which is the optimal response for learning".

Click on the link to view other presentations he is currently presenting on. Mark presented to our EHSAS cluster recently was a fantastic session.
Thanks Mark - once again.

David Merrill demos Shiftables - Awesome

2009-10-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

Derek Wenmoth's Keynote Ulearn

2009-10-07T13:15:00.001-07:00

Derek shared some amazing ways Technologies are being used. Have linked a few up.

8 Ways cloud computer will change schools - See Derek's Blog. Derek's blog is always worth a read.
Skoolaborate - ways schools are collaborating and learning together
NEN Evaluation Project
Cooliris great presentation tool - free download
WikiEducator - Teachers share and collaborate. Open Education.

Great to have ones eyes open to examples of how technology is being used creatively locally and more globally. Thanks Derek
As Derek's presentation title stated "The future is not what it used to be!"

Yummy Breakfast - The Crumpet Club

2009-10-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

Big thanks to Jenny T who this morning took us on a tour to find a winning cafe. We hiked some distance, it was well worth it. We arrived at 'The Crumpet Club', nice ambiance, fine service and delicious food. Certainly recommend to anyone visiting Christchurch.
Andrea, Chris and Lucy enjoying their breakfast.

Managing Change: Herding Cats is Easier

2009-10-06T20:52:00.001-07:00

Here is Cheryl Doig's Presentation - Great session
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Managing Change: Herding Cats is Easier

View more documents from Cheryl Doig.

Leading Change - Cheryl Doig Ulearn

2009-10-06T20:32:00.000-07:00

Cheryl's Website - Think Beyond
Herding Cats is Easier!
Rata Teachers Support Cheryl shared about her experience in South Africa. She shared how she had to take a good look at herself. The photos said it all - These people lived in harsh conditions.
Managing change is about the attitude we bring with us. It starts by knowing oneself. What are the Hidden Areas, Unknown Areas, 'Blind Spots'. Cheryl commented on the key way of knowing self better is to get feedback. Importantly she asked who do we actively seek feedback in our own organisation, from family, friends etc.
Shirley made me laugh - she is sitting next to me and stated a good way is have a glass of wine with Sarah!

Change Enablers Some of Cheryl's messages
Mobilizing people
If Learners are to Thrive - Why are you trying to herd cats? How are you allowing teachers to thrive, create, innovate from the floor, find the joy.
Can you change others? - think of it as working with the people to change the practice.
If we think there are things we need to change in others first we should look at ourselves.
Build a culture where people can raise issues, Building Leadership Capacity
Thinking about - What is it like in the shoes of the other people. This rang true with the recent experiences I have had being present in classes and office spaces to get a sense of different peoples realities.
How do we encourage others to take informed risks? Again another great question that made one think about What do we specifically do in our organisation to encourage this?
Building Team - Trust, Fear of Conflict, Lack of Commitment, Avoidance of accountability, Inattention to results. Patrick Lencioni, 2002
Using Evidence - Here's what, So what?, Now What?
Asking what is essential to preserve and what is expendable?

A thoroughly enjoyable session - many thanks Cheryl

Did You Know V4

2009-10-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Great to have a look at the latest Did you Know movie on You Tube and look at the updated statistics and future predictions.
What does this mean for us in educating our students?

DK talking about MEDIASNACKERS

2009-10-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Loved this image DK shared with us - he said replace the word business with schools!
How Social Media has Changed the Game!
It's all the funky stuff you can do online that you couldn't do before - web 2.0 etc.
One of the biggest barriers is the fear out there about it all. It's not inherently bad - it's what you do with it, you are in control. Whenever, Where ever, Whatever
"The world has changed and it's not turning back!"
What's the learning outcome now if it's not knowledge due to the birth of wikipedia etc?
Our 19 years olds don't live without blogger, flicker, skype, twitter, social networking etc.
DK shared 'Kids are tooled for involvement - have the phone, MP3 player, Internet' Let's get them out and use them.
Using the tools to show rather than tell people - use of mobile phones to capture images, narrate and publish.
What are people doing online? Are they Creators, Critics, Collectors, Joiners, Spectators, Inactives?
The web makes me feel ...
Fascinating to view how kids responded to this question - check out the summary on the website link.
The unfinished Swan - take a look at this creative play on gaming.

The Unfinished Swan Tech Demo

David Anderson & Mel Stoppard - PLOT Education

2009-10-06T15:37:00.000-07:00

A couple of memorable quotes from the session on Facilitation skills were
"Your content is not nearly as important as (learners) interaction with the content" Garnston
'Are you listening to speak or learn?'
We spent the session working in various groups prioritising attribute cards to highlight our leadership qualities/dispositions in different situations.
The exercise certainly highlighted how leadership is so often situational. How you respond or what qualities are required in crisis, challenging situations or big picture thinking are different. It made one think and reflect about personal leadership strengths and weaknesses.
Mel and David were well worth listening too and facilitated a great session. You can find out more about them and PLOT by clicking on the link.

Gary Stager - Ulearn Keynote

2009-10-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

Gary's Blog
Gary's Website
'Less us, more them'. Putting the students at the centre

The Pattern on the Stone: The Simple Ideas that Make Computers Work - Daniel Hillis
Computer enables self expression, we can make things that we haven't been able to make before because of the availability of construction material online.
'Software determines what you do and what you do determines what you learn'
'To understand is to invent' Piaget
10 Things to do with a Laptop
Write a novel - write more, write better, write differently, writing for different media - podcasting, Research.
Share your Knowledge - The changing nature of memory - no need to remember when you can google it. Wikipedia - distributed nature of expertise, breaking news, passion = accuracy, talk to authors & other experts, publish to authentic audience, access to 'current' info. Schools have created the 'I'm done' attitude in students. How do schools reinforce the importance of comparing info from different sources.
Answer Tough Questions, Access to Primary Resources. Use the movie clips, photos etc. Guess the key is if the learning is purposeful and authentic, students engage.
Make sense of Data, google earth, plotting data, looking at trends.
Design a Video Game, not just consume them. In designing students are involved in animation, narration, number, space, etc.
Build a Killer Robot, building something and refining it, problem solving having a hypothesis and trying it out then tinkering some more. Allow for Computationally-rich learning
Lose Weight, ipod technology students set up virtual running clubs.
Direct a Block Buster, 'your video should be shorter', it should be edited at least one more time', mirrors the writing process.
Compose a Symphony, authentic problems, real construction materials
Change the World - Be a mathematician, a scientist, anything is possible.

Technology Matters - Allows kids to engage with a broader range and depth of problem solving. It allows intellectual stimulation and opportunity.

Ulearn - The Hype is Building

2009-10-06T01:53:00.000-07:00

Our team lined up at the registration desks this afternoon to get our conference packs and information. Bumped into lots of colleagues, everyone enthusiastic and looking forward to the next 3 days. It it heartening to see many teachers gathering (predicted 1800)in their holiday break to further develop themselves professionally. Looking forward to reflecting through this blog on the keynotes presentations.
Will keep you posted.
Ulearn 09

Effective Teacher

2009-10-05T02:03:00.001-07:00

Here is the presentation Shirley Cope and myself are presenting at Ulearn. Looking forward to it.

Effective Teacher

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What really spins your wheels?

2009-10-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

If there were no obstacles what would you do with your life? I have been pondering many such questions over the last wee while. My brother often giggles as he asks 'What do you want to do when you grow up Sarah?'
I feel fortunate in that I loose time doing what I do. I get great satisfaction out of inspiring others and innovating. I guess in life's journey you discover more of the things you loose time doing as it unfolds. Was neat to pull out a few paint brushes and even paint the pictures I have been saying I will get onto!
Feel privileged to have had a few days break over the holiday period to take stock and have a good reflect. Have enjoyed having some time to catch up with dear friends.
Getting ready to head to Ulearn in Christchurch really looking forward to soaking up some more learning and catching up with Colleagues.
A more interesting blog entry next time.

Aligning Practice and Belief

2009-09-28T00:21:00.000-07:00

A life's work could be ensuring that ones practice is aligned with ones belief. When our collective direction was collaboratively created it clarified our organisations purpose and underlying beliefs. As we began unpacking and implementing our vision principles what became apparent was that there was a miss alignment between our beliefs and what was happening in practice. Listening to student voice was one of the ways this mismatch was illuminated. We have learnt that we often have the talk and can quite eloquently articulate what we are doing. However the rubber hits the road with our students. If our students talk a different talk then our practice is not aligned. Aligning belief with practice is a constant review process, reflecting back and forth to uncover practice that may continue to be implemented due to it being a historical practice something that has always been done. This is no longer a good enough reason.

Effective Teacher Continuum

2009-09-22T02:05:00.001-07:00

Teacher Effectiveness

2009-09-21T01:02:00.001-07:00

So what is it that our star teachers actually do? What makes them stand out from the rest? How can this practice be exemplified to grow teacher effectiveness across all teachers? How do you make tangible the often intangible teacher effectiveness practice? What practices are foundational and need to be developed first?
The attempt at constructing a Teacher Effectiveness Continuum was to attend to some of the questions outlined above. We wanted to create clarity for teachers and ensure that our vision beliefs lived within our teachers and transferred to our students. The role of the teacher is complex, we wanted to be able to create a model that was all encompassing of the role. You will see two parts to the continuum. The teachers professional responsibilities and the Teacher effectiveness practice.
The main benefits of the continuum are that it is a useful reflective tool for teachers to think about how they are going? Where they are going? And what their next learning steps are. The goals teachers set for themselves are increasingly rigorous due to the Teacher Effectiveness hub.

Change Drivers

2009-09-21T01:02:00.000-07:00

There have been a few key words and phrases that have certainly enabled and influenced the change to happen in our organisation. Two important words have been EMBED and ABANDON. Before any change can be implemented something needs to go (be abandoned) to allow the space for the change. Change after change continues to be rolled out and added to the already complex load of a classroom practitioner. We have learnt that change can be adopted more readily and at a faster pace if time and thought is put into what is being abandoned. What practices are redundant? What do we do just because we have always done it like that? What practice has a positive impact on student achievement? Does collecting loads of assessment data actually inform students next learning steps? To make room for the change to happen we started by critiquing the current assessment practise. We questioned why each piece of evidence was collected. Our 20 page assessment profile on each student fine tuned to 4 pages. These decisions created time for the intentional teaching of Life Long Learning competencies to happen.
Other key change drivers that have certainly aided the change process would include
Creating a shared language – building on a common language
Alignment – synthesising trends and information to create simple models
Split screen – helping to keep process/competencies and content knowledge in balance through a split screen approach
Less is more –giving permission to slow the process down
Going deep – taking the learning from surface to deep and then profound levels
Developmental progressions – providing scaffolds for learners so they can talk about how they are going, where they are going and what their next learning step is.
Using Metaphors and Images

Integral Learning - Conceptualising Curriculum

2009-09-20T01:04:00.001-07:00

Found this old presentation when I was searching for files about curriculum development and programming. Still has some merit. The challenge is to keep everything in balance. That is keeping both Julia Atkins questions in critical tension;
What's powerful to learn? &
What's powerful learning?

Integral Learning

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Leading Through Boundaries

2009-09-15T02:21:00.000-07:00

I attended one of Auckland Universities Centre for Education al Leadership Professional Learning Days. It was titled Thinking Differently about Educational Leadership. I must say it was one of the best presentations I have experienced around leadership. The day provoked much thought and deep reflection about ones leadership work and practice.
The opening task was to describe in 10 sentences what our leadership work is right now. Brigid Carroll then skillfully used metaphor and narrative to highlight the command, manager and leader paradigms of leadership. She suggested that we need to operate in the leadership or what Grint terms the WICKED zone, that is to;
Listen, Facilitate, Coach, Question, Be open minded, Delight in new ideas, Be Curious, Risk take, Gather perspectives and be Collaborative/collective.
She suggested most people function only 10% of their time in this space, because it's complex, hard work, chaotic and about thinking in the unknown.
We were encouraged throughout the day to identify and find the boundaries in ourselves and our work. Pushing through the boundaries and thinking and talking at the boundaries is where the WICKED work can happen to solve complex problems.
Go get into the wicked space the Command and Management work needs to be achieved efficiently to create time to do the more messy, unpredictable WICKED thinking.
We left today being challenged how we prioritised time and space to allow this boundary pushing thinking to occur.
I feel refreshed and revitalised after hearing the complexity of leadership so eloquently articulated.
Long blog entries are not so fun to be continued ....

Leadership - So You Want to Lead Conference

2009-09-12T01:35:00.001-07:00

So You Want To Lead - The Leadership Ladder
APPA Management Conference 2009

Leadership Final

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So You Want to Lead - APPA Conference

2009-09-12T00:55:00.000-07:00

What a great bunch of people attending the APPA Senior Management Conference today. It certainly says something about the nature of the leaders present when they are continuing their professional learning on a Saturday. I enjoyed the dialogue in the group I was presenting to today.
We started by defining leadership and then exploring what effective leaders do. I am currently uploading the presentation to slideshare so I can embed it in the next blog entry.

Organisational Culture - Surfacing Norms

2009-09-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Surfacing the hidden often hard to talk about stuff has been a deliberate act in our organisation over the past few years. Building a collective understanding of culture and establishing norms that help us to function as a healthy learning community and organisation has been essential. The vision principles again became the filter. If we believed in Life Long Learning and community as our vision suggested, what were the conditions that would allow staff to be active Life Long Learners and community members. Everyone needed an opportunity to to identify the barriers that were holding us back from living out and achieving our vision. Again it was important that every voice was heard.

‘Go to the source’
‘No question is a silly question’
‘Everyone is someone’

These are examples of some of the catch phrases that have helped to create a safe environment and work place people want to belong to.