tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261247342024-03-09T19:13:38.889+11:00A piece of me in the worldOpening thinking about education today for tomorrow:
imagining possibilities and solutionsAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-57643123200894971792012-09-29T21:47:00.001+10:002012-09-29T21:47:20.581+10:00Pasi Sahlberg and Jane Caro (uncut)<a href="http://soundcloud.com/nswtf/pasi-sahlberg-and-jane-caro?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=blogger&utm_content=http://soundcloud.com/nswtf/pasi-sahlberg-and-jane-caro">Pasi Sahlberg and Jane Caro (uncut)</a><br />
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Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-3069666759627129202012-08-25T21:16:00.000+10:002012-08-25T21:16:02.175+10:00Learning Futures<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a break I'm back on here. A fair bit is going on in education here in Australia.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I might start with this video from the <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3772276" target="_blank">Paul Hamlyn Foundation</a> on Learning Futures.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/28194098" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="500"></iframe> <a href="http://vimeo.com/28194098">Learning Futures</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3772276">Paul Hamlyn Foundation</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
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Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-76499366944811489752011-03-20T10:24:00.001+11:002011-03-20T10:25:27.565+11:00Recognising and Measuring Teaching Effectiveness<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBY4j4lz08X5wqMm0g3ExvNpDJfUhCh11TrP1SVAutGa5sJMQLlXjkHKumNtyKu3hzauhc06FHB6Ufv-Z-xZoaCEOvgnYTaX67_U77zCJFLxw7TdAeyMyBvjQHK048VecvNJj/s1600/4688182943_f95e05168f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBY4j4lz08X5wqMm0g3ExvNpDJfUhCh11TrP1SVAutGa5sJMQLlXjkHKumNtyKu3hzauhc06FHB6Ufv-Z-xZoaCEOvgnYTaX67_U77zCJFLxw7TdAeyMyBvjQHK048VecvNJj/s200/4688182943_f95e05168f.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the areas of responsibility for my team is building capacity of teachers across the system. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To support our learning as a team in doing our work I have established a work blog that is used to share and develop thinking and ideas related to the work of the Professional Leadership and Development Unit of the Catholic Education Office Sydney.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I posted the following for members of the team to engage with and thought that it may be worth sharing more widely.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is currently some serious discussion and thinking being put into the connection between teachers' pay, the quality of teaching and student performance. </span></span><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/mediocre-teachers-cant-expect-topclass-salaries-20110316-1bx96.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(See Sydney Morning Herald 17/03/2011</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Much has been made of the 2007 McKinsey Report, </span></span><i><a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/App_Media/Reports/SSO/Worlds_School_Systems_Final.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How the world's best performing school systems come out on top</span></span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, as has been made of Hattie's 2008 work, </span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Visible Learning</span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> particularly concerning teachers and what they do.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This research has often been reduced to a simplistic mantra: "It is what teachers do that matters for students and their learning."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the areas that is on our agenda is building the capacity of teachers: those graduate teachers who are commencing their careers, but also experienced teachers who wish to engage with the higher level </span></span><a href="http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/Main-Professional-Teaching-Standards/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">professional standards for teachin</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">g</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Linked with this are a number of issues:</span></span><br />
<ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What works in developing the early career teacher? (Types of induction? Use of mentors? Reflective practice?)</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Capacity of supervisor in recognising teaching standards in practice? (Use of standards? Understanding standards? Own practice? Who should be a supervisor?)</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Locating accreditation processes into a career long learning framework rather than a compliance exercise.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Developing higher level skill in teachers to benefit the profession.</span></span></li>
</ol><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Linda Darling-Hammond poses a challenge of getting a good teacher into every classroom. Defining "</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">good</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">" and recognising "</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">good</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">" in practice is a challenge.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If we are to lead the thinking about building the capacity of teachers we need to address the question of building capacity from what towards what; and in what context and for what purpose.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Simon Breakspear earlier this year posted the following on his </span></span><a href="http://www.simonbreakspear.com/?p=138"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">blog</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">:</span></span><br />
<blockquote><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is some increasingly interesting research coming out of the States which is seeking to investigate the ‘black box’ of successful schools – what do effective teachers do?</span></span></em></blockquote><blockquote><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Harvard’s Tom Kane backed by Gates Foundation funding is conducting one of the most remarkable projects yet. Launched in the fall of 2009, the Measures of Effective Teaching Project is the largest effort of its kind to collect video, student perceptions, and assessments of student achievement and teacher knowledge. The project’s goal is to learn what effective teaching looks like.</span></span></em></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The website for </span></span><a _mce_href="http://www.metproject.org/welcome" href="http://www.metproject.org/welcome"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Measures of Effective Teaching</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is worth having a look at.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your thoughts and experiences would be welcomed.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51023923@N07/4688182943/sizes/m/in/photostream/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/51023923@N07/4688182943/sizes/m/in/photostream/</a></span></span></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-16170490403686030942011-01-13T10:22:00.000+11:002011-01-13T10:22:41.644+11:00Trying to meet the future by doing what we did in the past<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today I stumbled onto an <a href="http://www.thersa.org/events/vision/animate/rsa-animate-changing-paradigms">RSA animate</a> of a speech given by<a href="http://www.sirkenrobinson.com/"> Sir Ken Robinson</a> last year on <b>changing paradigms</b> in education. In this speech Robinson believes that in education we're trying to meet the future by doing what we did in the past.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is because it's in the <i>gene pool of education</i>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Public education is a product of The Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. The Enlightenment constructed a view of the mind, and as such the learner and also the curriculum. The Industrial Revolution provided an economic reason for public education. Our present model of schooling is modelled on the interest and the image of industrialism.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Robinson argues that models of learning (and therefore schooling) need to go in the opposite direction to standardisation; standardisation reflected in curriculum and testing. This doesn't imply a lowering of standards.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Below is the RSA animation to the talk (11mins 40 sec).</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zDZFcDGpL4U?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zDZFcDGpL4U?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The full version of the original speech is below (55mins 20secs).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mCbdS4hSa0s?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mCbdS4hSa0s?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are a number of questions that arise that perhaps require some divergent thinking!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What are our new models of learning?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How can education best meet the future?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What leadership is needed?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How can this change be brought about?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is needed to make this change last?</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all schools are remarkably resilient places in their present structure.</span></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-32620104851064255402010-12-31T10:16:00.004+11:002010-12-31T10:27:42.413+11:00Born Creative ...<img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodlg15x8L5y77tpdBA6uocBzJbbtxUGbaxvuFQf1-n9qnOMRhwrovzfQntyBFkoZBKMQGUNzantW3G7vv51rXFIDMrRdEMztG97MabTgb0z8V6-6sGITo-saq_p_W2qUKr-gh/s200/borncreative1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556618946724562210" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><i><b><a href="http://www.demos.co.uk/publications/born-creative-">Born Creative</a></b></i> is a new publication from <a href="http://www.demos.co.uk/">DEMOS</a> (the London-based think tank).</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">This publication is a collection of essays focusing on creativity and arts in the early years education.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, Garamond, serif;font-size:130%;color:#32434E;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-46840097962774241042010-12-01T12:50:00.004+11:002010-12-08T16:07:47.625+11:00Australian Educational Policy – Starting to Listen?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The following Blog Post was placed on the <a href="http://innovationunit.wordpress.com/2010/10/17/australian-educational-policy-starting-to-listen/">Innovation Unit blog</a>. An interesting view on the Australian situation from an English perspective written by David Price. For more see <a href="http://davidpricesblog.blogspot.com/">David Price's Blog</a>.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(65, 65, 65); line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;">Having now spent 3 weeks working with Australian Principals, teacher trainers, teachers and student, and talking to press and media people, I feel like I'm starting to get a handle on the issues currently at play. The debates around education, for a Brit, are similar to almost all aspects of Aussie life: familiar and yet, unfamiliar, at the same time.<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 18px; padding-left: 0px; ">I wrote <a href="http://davidpricesblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/if-it-friday-it-must-be.html" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(108, 140, 55); ">earlier</a> about the Australian take on the 'accountability framework' – it seemed like publishing student/teacher results on a national website was bound to lead to league performance tables by any other means. A week later – and I'm sure my post had nothing to do with it – state Education Ministers were in Canberra, meeting to discuss 'school performance'. I happened to be in Parliament House at the time they were discussing it, and joked with colleagues that, if they'd let me in, I'd tell them to avoid league tables at all costs. Lo and behold, they seem to have reached that conclusion anyway, according to t<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/my-school-changes-aim-to-stop-league-tables-20101014-16lwq.html" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(108, 140, 55); ">his article</a> in the Sydney Morning Herald. The problem was familiar, the solution, unfamiliar – prevent the aggregation of individual school reporting into a national blunt instrument. Minister Gove, please take note.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 18px; padding-left: 0px; ">And then there's the development of the National Curriculum. With the best of intentions, the Federal government had aspired to create a Finnish 'pared-down' curriculum, which would encourage flexibility. The consultation process, however, has spawned too much elaboration leading to criticisms of the draft curriculum as <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/f-for-fail-overcrowded-incoherent-national-curriculum-panned-20101014-16lwc.html" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(108, 140, 55); ">'overcrowded and incoherent' </a>. Amazingly enough, the government seems to be listening, and the intention is now to scale back in future drafts.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 18px; padding-left: 0px; ">So, from a UK viewpoint, a familiar set of issues. But an unfamiliar response, in that people seem to be listening to school principals, teachers and – as in the event I attended last week in Melbourne, courtesy of Musical Futures school, Trafalgar Primary – listening to learners themselves. We (including our popular press) could learn a lot from the way schooling is publicly discussed in Australia.</p></span></span></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-84371807553683338132010-09-25T09:11:00.001+10:002010-09-25T09:13:20.889+10:00Imagine if ... just because ...<div style="text-align: center;"><object width="580" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qybUFnY7Y8w?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&hd=1&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qybUFnY7Y8w?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&hd=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="580" height="360"></embed></object></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-28878340340675143132010-07-10T08:39:00.008+10:002011-04-30T11:17:10.914+10:00Conversation from Penn State with Sir Ken Robinson: Education Innovation - Learning the true meaning of creativity<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDa4Ki9u5y0-nU_315dhqYOFHIFq1SOl-bCEdRt9F4ByaNLnowOAjrMFYBY3XLMqgibGO1SR3TEAHzUysT5Wahia3ELgCmlu52Ror8OLGM0VqTsqndMoubagNGAIYo37-39S9b/s1600/sirrobinson_profile.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDa4Ki9u5y0-nU_315dhqYOFHIFq1SOl-bCEdRt9F4ByaNLnowOAjrMFYBY3XLMqgibGO1SR3TEAHzUysT5Wahia3ELgCmlu52Ror8OLGM0VqTsqndMoubagNGAIYo37-39S9b/s1600/sirrobinson_profile.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><blockquote></blockquote><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492041200800542546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDa4Ki9u5y0-nU_315dhqYOFHIFq1SOl-bCEdRt9F4ByaNLnowOAjrMFYBY3XLMqgibGO1SR3TEAHzUysT5Wahia3ELgCmlu52Ror8OLGM0VqTsqndMoubagNGAIYo37-39S9b/s400/sirrobinson_profile.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 135px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 240px;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I woke up this morning to find I'd received the following email from Stephanie Williams from </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">WPSU/Penn State Public Broadcasting</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">:</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">As I'm sure you're aware, many experts believe the education system in the U.S. needs significant restructuring. WPSU-TV recently interviewed Sir Ken Robinson on a series called “Conversations From Penn State” where he discussed the problems facing the education system and suggests ways to improve it by promoting creativity. After reading through your blog, I think you and your readers may be interested in the interview. It can be found at </span></i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL0WW3tR8Kc"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL0WW3tR8Kc</span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"> and I have provided the embed code at the bottom of this message if you wish to share the video. Please let me know if you have any question or if you decide to post the video.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"> </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">Sincerely,</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">Stephanie Williams</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
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<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As regular readers would know, I resonate strongly with Sir Ken Robinson and what he has to say about education.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Often times teachers and leaders in schools are hamstrung by an education system that is focused on reforming and teacher-proofing, resulting in standardising students and de-professionalising teachers.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">However, There are many people in education for whom teaching and education is their passion. </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">is</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> where they are in their element.</span></span></i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Video: Conversation from Penn State with Sir Ken Robinson</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This conversation draws on Ken Robinson's work, </span></span><a href="http://sirkenrobinson.com/skr/the-element"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Element</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. During the conversation he makes the following points:</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #993300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">People underestimate themselves</span></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #993300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The problem is the education system, not teachers and principals</span></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #993300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Transformation is what's required, not reform</span></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #993300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">There's an obsession with Standardised Testing</span></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #993300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Schooling is resulting in "standardising" kids</span></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #993300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Reforms are focused on teacher-proofing.</span></span></span></li>
</ul><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After viewing the video I'm left with the opening question that was put to Ken Robinson:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">What sparked your interest in education?</span></span></blockquote></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I'd be interested in what your thoughts on the conversation are. I have placed my own summary, comments and thoughts after the video.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://conversations.psu.edu/transcripts/207sirrobinson.doc"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A transcript of the conversation is also available</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/w0pQzuPnAaA" width="640"></iframe></i></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;"></span></i></span></div><i></i><br />
<i><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My summary, comments and thoughts on the conversation</span></span></b></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I have been working on my PhD studies which has involved me interviewing many primary and secondary teachers. As part of the interviews teachers commented on their view of schooling and themselves as a teacher. Several of these teachers, primary and secondary, commented that teaching is more than content and subject areas. Teaching <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"></span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">is about students realising their full potential</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">These teachers seem to believe this, yet an outcome of the education system, according to Robinson, is people underestimating themselves. Robinson highlights this when he comments that there is a view that </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">only special people are creative or are good at Maths</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">For me it raises questions as to what we might mean be "full potential".</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></i></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Robinson indicates that systems of mass education are the result of mass industrialism. The education system has been crafted in the image of industrialism. The education system is linear and based around supply and demand. It's a system that is about </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">conformity, standardising and a presumed workforce </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">and </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">less about diversity</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. The system is founded on the </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">IDEA of UTILITY</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">: that is what will be useful in gaining employment and making a living.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">For Robinson, education systems are</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> obsessed with standardised testing</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. This </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">culture of testing </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">can result in narrowing the curriculum and teaching to the test. This comes at a price for students and teachers. Robinson believes that in attempting to deal with a culture of standardised tests the education system is </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">standardising students</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. It also results in a </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">stripping away of teacher professionalism</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
Many Government policy makers invest huge amounts of time, money and energy in attempts to </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">teacher-proof the system</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> through public accountability resulting in standardisation: teacher standards, leadership standards, standardised testing, public reporting of results comparing schools, common curriculum.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Teacher-proofing won't work. Why? Because teaching is more complex than standardised solutions. Scotland discovered this. Improvement processes can result in </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">isomorphism</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - where it all starts to look the same, no matter the context. Robinson states that students don't comment on the curriculum or the testing regimes as making a difference to them at school.<br />
<br />
Students regularly comment that it is the teachers who were significant to them at school. It's teachers (or other mentors) who can result in students realising their passion, and perhaps their full potential.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Many leaders and teachers are grappling with the issues of transformation. Just the other day I was having a conversation with a secondary teacher around the need for things to be different in schools. The teacher, a very competent and successful teacher teaching in a highly complex secondary school, commented on the challenges she was faced with on a daily basis. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The world isn't changing - it has changed.</span></span></span></div></i></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-4625800774757071952010-06-30T14:39:00.003+10:002010-06-30T15:27:48.447+10:00Maths needs a makeover<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Dan Meyer is a young Maths teacher from the U.S. He recently presented at the <a href="http://tedxnyed.com/">TEDx New York</a>. It is a refreshing look at the teaching of mathematics.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Dan Meyer raises a number of points that are worth considering.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">He identifies 5 symptoms that you are doing maths wrong in the classroom. Part of the issue, he argues, is that students expect simple problems that can be resolved simply. He argues that the way text books present mathematical computation and <i>patient problem-solving</i> reinforces this. It conditions students to solve problems in a particular way - simply decoding, and applying given information within a very short time frame.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I like his notion that the <i>maths serves the conversation, not the conversation serving the maths</i>. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; ">Real problems either have too much information or not enough information. Students need to be engaged in deep thinking and</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; "> in the formulation of the problem as well as the solving of the problem.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">He proposes 5 actions for maths teachers:</span></div><div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">Use multimedia</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">Encourage student intuition</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">Ask the shortest questions you can</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">Let students build the problem</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">Be less helpful.</span></li></ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">"Maths makes sense of the world. Maths is the vocabulary of your own intuition."</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">"We need more patient problem-solvers!"</span></blockquote></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The ideas presented in the video are timely given the development of a <a href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Documents/Mathematics%20curriculum.pdf">National Curriculum for Mathematics</a> in Australia.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; ">Here is Dan's TEDx talk:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><object style="background-image:url(http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/BlvKWEvKSi8/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BlvKWEvKSi8&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BlvKWEvKSi8&hl=en_US&fs=1" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Dan's blog is also worth checking out: <a href="http://blog.mrmeyer.com/">http://blog.mrmeyer.com/</a></span></div></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-28518807904004525262010-06-04T17:40:00.008+10:002010-06-04T18:35:20.763+10:00Imagining Possibilities<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Recently I presented a keynote at the <a href="http://www.acel.org.au/fileadmin/user_upload/affiliates/nsw/2010_NSW_Conf.pdf">State ACEL conference</a>. ACEL is the <a href="http://www.acel.org.au/">Australian Council for Educational Leaders</a>. I am working with a cluster of schools focused on Numeracy. One of the questions that is a focus of the work is how leadership can influence learning.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">The conceptual model for the project draws on the work of Vivianne Robinson and Helen Timperley from Auckland University.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">To support leaders in exploring their leadership we are working with the <a href="http://www.acel.org.au/index.php?id=989">ACEL Leadership Capabilities</a>. These capabilities provide a comprehensive framework for reflecting on and developing leadership as an individual, as a group (such as principals) and as a team at school or system level.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">The presentation (see below for movie format of powerpoint) were my reflections and learnings from engaging with the framework. It has only been a few months but the potential is great. The challenge I am finding (drawing on Pfeffer and Sutton, and DuFour etal. is moving from <b>KNOWING</b> to <b>DOING</b>!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">I'm more than happy to provide further information or answer questions people may have.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy4hdfsJCunvKfLGH-9XcfDlJ_GQwczHtIv6oemDiO2a5r5nnUftMJSR20fFgvX7iRhzoyQ-AW79j0' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-32949693278607555752010-06-04T16:11:00.005+10:002010-06-04T16:46:11.386+10:00Bring on the Learning Revolution<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Many people would be familiar with Sir Ken Robinson's 2006 TEDTalk, <i><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html">Do schools kill creativity?</a> </i>This is the "follow-up" 4 years later at the <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html">2010 TEDTalk</a>.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">Some key points from this TEDTalk are:</span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">Education dislocates people from their natural talents.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">Reforming education systems is of little use because it's trying to improve a broken model.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">What is required is a revolution that transforms the system into something else.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">Innovation is fundamental to the required transformation.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">We need to challenge what we take for granted.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">The <i>Tyranny of Common Sense</i> works against transformation.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">The Narrative of Linearity in education (ie. it starts here and finishes here) is an example of what is taken fro granted.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><i>"A three-year old isn't half a six-year old!"</i></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">Education results in conformity through a fast food model.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">Passion is what excites the spirit and gives energy.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">Does education feed people's passions?</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">Human flourishing is organic not mechanical.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><i>"Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." </i>-W.B. Yeats</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;">Everyday, education treads on children and young people's dreams.</span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, serif; ">The video of the talk is below.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(255, 42, 6); white-space: pre; "><!--copy and paste--><object width="446" height="326"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param> <param name="flashvars" 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flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/SirKenRobinson_2010-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/SirKenRobinson-2010.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=865&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution;year=2010;theme=the_rise_of_collaboration;theme=whipsmart_comedy;theme=master_storytellers;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=how_the_mind_works;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=a_taste_of_ted2010;theme=how_we_learn;event=TED2010;"></embed></object></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-67569926226183810752010-05-20T17:08:00.016+10:002010-05-20T22:42:23.834+10:00Innovation and Teaching<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Over the last couple of weeks I have presented two workshops/presentations to staff at Macquarie University on </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Innovation in Teaching</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> at part of the programme offered by the</span></span><a href="http://www.mq.edu.au/ltc/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></a><a href="http://www.mq.edu.au/ltc/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Learning and Teaching Centre</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> of the university.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Below is a copy of the present</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ation (in movie format) developed and used in both workshops.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='532' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxaSbzZ-_HQmEnfKnKF1zVbTg68fbs1BbTSKsrXHxZ9kqTFtnrNpDFpbtQoTugRassWP9Konj2EVq4' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Innovation can be seen as being </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">radical</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> or </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">incremental</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> as outlined in the slide below (taken from a presentation given by </span></span><a href="http://www.innovation-unit.co.uk/ourpeople"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Valerie Hannon</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">).</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3I_j8wtoWLrXQ7tN-bD0iim2egi05k8AOQytLuRdCyRUCq_kNQgaqPbzpGcrPXSDTsowqslVQhfi_uq-yGHMf266KA1nWtsT3aZ4ISf-4OSrLw64gMpZU_MP10aCBLUED-Bg/s400/Slide1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473309497012773810" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Th</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">e notion of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Next Practice</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> was presented. The model presented is based upon that developed by the </span></span><a href="http://www.innovation-unit.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Innovation Unit</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> in London.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGDwbB-lMAnx6J_X3eQ76cQRcH85b37X_vr-xgM9Prlz2WGf0USh9w_ajWSOBYD4AeCKi9RP6868PIEVB4vZseQbeY4YXqhTEgcJnYEeANwc246hT2hYOUxLU41hSiwtnyFmh/s400/Slide2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473309240368210722" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The following framework was presented as a scaffold for developing innovation. It has been developed from frameworks developed from <i><a href="http://innovation-exchange.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/Learning-Paper-2_Innovation-Exchange1.pdf">Next Practice Programme: Third sector development through brokerage</a> </i>(2010) and <i><a href="http://www.innovation-unit.co.uk/listoftools">Innovation Self Evaluation Activity</a></i> (2008).</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 425px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6t4S6hKN0RZWY6PIyZM0XR1jZDAPt-qxGQIIFS9OIgRoJP9J_WQ6_T9UpFBhuGAjJipkumIDUeCwnhqdJQXT9DT8eLml23LAbNEUJ_ISD6f2933xskQU8vqyxTjuhKL5Ey3Nm/s400/Opportunties+to+Innovate.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473324145980601570" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> found the</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> conversation stimulating and encouraging. I'm always interested how people take forward ideas they are presented.</span></span></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-45472076984981876632010-05-07T13:38:00.002+10:002010-05-07T13:48:58.353+10:00Mac vs PC ... and Ellen DeGeneres<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I stumbled onto this tongue in cheek "commercial" from The Ellen Show:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre; "><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CTMC_yjhYww&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CTMC_yjhYww&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></span><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I thought it was pretty funny. Apparently the folks at Apple didn't find it so funny. They thought it made the iPhone look difficult to use.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sort of got me thinking about the Mac vs PC ad campaign. It seems similar in style - except one was for marketing purposes!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre; "><object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GQb_Q8WRL_g&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GQb_Q8WRL_g&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Oh, and I am a Mac user!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-72903678695788731862010-05-07T12:01:00.006+10:002010-05-07T12:45:08.758+10:00Leading Learning: Our Principle Purpose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtr3BluTX5SiWR7CatYbP8iZWImy7H-NX0OWsB-Ao9k2rcwl8cQATxfag4p3TtEURDjcQmJ2n4-y5flW-Phg5UkmzGQ3ReezxC0agiHAiS9ZOoReYJyAxMUsIgbMgiY81R86KW/s1600/plc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtr3BluTX5SiWR7CatYbP8iZWImy7H-NX0OWsB-Ao9k2rcwl8cQATxfag4p3TtEURDjcQmJ2n4-y5flW-Phg5UkmzGQ3ReezxC0agiHAiS9ZOoReYJyAxMUsIgbMgiY81R86KW/s200/plc.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">A part of my work this year has been working with the principals and assistant principals of 14 schools. These schools have been working together as "</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">learning community</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">" for a number of years. This year they have wanted to up the ante around learning, including their own learning.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The groups thinking has been informed by the work of </span></span><a href="http://www.education.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/viviane"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Vivianne Robinson</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> on </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">l</span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">eadership that has an impact on student outcomes</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> and <a href="http://www.education.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/helen-timperley">Helen Timperley</a> on </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">professional learning that improves student learning (teacher inquiry and knowledge building)</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">This learning meeting followed on from a successful staff development day for all the schools in the Learning Community. The principals and assistant principals brought along their thinking as to the goals for the year and key strategies the intended to use.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The meeting aimed to support these leaders in clarifying their goals, think about what their </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">theory of action</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> is to bring about the desired change and identify their learning needs as leaders.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">My own reflections and learnings from the meeting are that:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"></div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Developing precision around vision and expressing this as a couple of goals that are clear and unambiguous is hard work;</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Monitoring the effectiveness requires deep thinking in the planning stage; and</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">engaging in open to learning conversations requires new skills and a shift away from monitoring, compliance and accountability mindsets.</span></span></li></ol><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Below is a copy of the powerpoint used in movie format:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: -webkit-xxx-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); white-space: pre; "><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/e91HYvy9YTI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/e91HYvy9YTI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:x-small;">Image from: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://psalter.edublogs.org/task-1-part-1/" style="color: #0000cc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">psalter.edublogs.org/ task-1-part-1/</span></a></span></span></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-2646145054456537832010-05-01T10:09:00.006+10:002010-05-02T19:33:43.255+10:00Looking for opportunities: Systemic reform, system learning? (Part 2)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfNDiOhfFQMqVKaIkkTeCbuNi5X899OSKPhCBPdB3uTJh5FnuD_r6mHyuzLhzxFq906SvxDNdyNKuEbUKM8RLbKF88zoe_s6d1TRUf0dYsM0rIcertgiK0kmHBkaSVU1i3en8/s1600/brain-neurons_849_600x450.jpg"><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfNDiOhfFQMqVKaIkkTeCbuNi5X899OSKPhCBPdB3uTJh5FnuD_r6mHyuzLhzxFq906SvxDNdyNKuEbUKM8RLbKF88zoe_s6d1TRUf0dYsM0rIcertgiK0kmHBkaSVU1i3en8/s200/brain-neurons_849_600x450.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466087903064373586" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This isn’t the Part 2 I had intended – but I thought that it is an example of how the system may actually be getting in the way of improvement and transformation.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "></span>Yesterday I picked up a series of </span></span><a href="http://twitter.com/gregwhitby"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tweets from Greg Whitby</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> about a recent policy talk from NSW opposition leader, Barry O’Farrell on proposed education policy. It had all the usual suspects:</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Real choice for parents</span></span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Flexible system</span></span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Evidence-based policy reporting</span></span></span></li></ul><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And light on detail.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The identified policy problem was </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">that there is</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"></span></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“one in five Year 9 students at or below the minimum [Australian National] standards in reading, writing and maths; it’s time to change our approach towards literacy and numeracy.”</span></span></i></span></p></blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#515151;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#515151;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; "></span></span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#515151;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10pt; line-height: 20pt; "><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">More of the same. So what have we learnt?</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10pt; line-height: 20pt; "><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The proposed </span></span><a href="http://www.startthechange.com.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=tag&tag=education"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">O’Farrell plan for NSW</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> focuses on investing in early intervention in literacy and numeracy and commitment to </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ensuring</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10pt; line-height: 20pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "></span></span></span></p><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“children develop the foundations for success in literacy and numeracy at an early age.”</span></span></i></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10pt; line-height: 20pt; "><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">No one can really disagree with this. It’s common-sense. And it's been a focus for improvement for nearly two decades now. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(see </span></span><a href="http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/student/hillcrev.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hill and Cr</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; "><a href="http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/student/hillcrev.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">é</span></span></a></span><a href="http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/student/hillcrev.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">vola (1997)</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">; </span></span><a href="http://www.principals.on.ca/cms/lucre.aspx?itemID=180&itemType=2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Fullan, Hill and </span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><a href="http://www.principals.on.ca/cms/lucre.aspx?itemID=180&itemType=2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cr</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; "><a href="http://www.principals.on.ca/cms/lucre.aspx?itemID=180&itemType=2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">é</span></span></a></span><a href="http://www.principals.on.ca/cms/lucre.aspx?itemID=180&itemType=2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">vola</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (2006); </span></span><a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Realization-Change-Imperative-Deepening-District-Lyn-Sharratt-Michael-Fullan/9781412973854-item.html?pticket=cfwirzvmf3uw1cjdfgkakfix0Tk5lSGKrZwqsx21CTRZIkpH%2bVU%3d"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Fullan and Sharratt (2010)</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10pt; line-height: 20pt; "><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "></span>The proposed policy solutions appear to be about doing </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">more of the same</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">: providing more intervention teachers, more accountability, more measuring, national and international comparisons.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10pt; line-height: 20pt; "><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">An old model, no structural change.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10pt; line-height: 20pt; "><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There is also an assumption that a focus on the early years and establishing strong foundations will solve the literacy and numeracy issues in later years.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10pt; line-height: 20pt; "><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How does this thinking contribute to the student learning outcomes we have? </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Where is the learning for the system? How have policy-makers, politicians and political cycles contributed to the educational outcomes we have? What have we learnt?</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10pt; line-height: 20pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#515151;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Are we asking the right questions?</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At the school level we have come to understand what makes a difference to student learning:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"></p><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Teachers do make a difference. Some things make a bigger difference - use of data, feedback, explicit teaching (</span></span><a href="http://www.education.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/hattie-books"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hattie (2009), </span></span></a><i><a href="http://www.education.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/hattie-books"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Visible Learning</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">; </span></span></i><a href="http://works.bepress.com/stephen_dinham/4/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Steve Dinham (2009), </span></span></a><i><a href="http://works.bepress.com/stephen_dinham/4/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How to get your school moving and improving</span></span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">).</span></span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Particular approaches to professional learning that are focused on student learning outcomes, teacher inquiry and knowledge building (</span></span><a href="http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/Educational_Practices/EdPractices_18.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Timperley (2009), </span></span></a><i><a href="http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/Educational_Practices/EdPractices_18.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Teacher Professional Learning and Development</span></span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">).</span></span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Particular actions of leadership focused on student learning (</span></span><a href="http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/60180/BES-Leadership-Web.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Robinson (2009), </span></span></a><i><a href="http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/60180/BES-Leadership-Web.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">School Leadership and Student Outcomes: Identifying what works and why</span></span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">).</span></span></span></li></ol><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I have started to frame questions around these understandings.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What is it about my teaching that leads to those student outcomes?</span></span></i></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What is it I do as a leader that leads to those student outcomes?</span></span></i></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#515151;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What can I change in my teaching and leadership to achieve better outcomes and opportunities for students?</span></span></i></span></li></ul><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#515151;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I use these questions when working with schools to open up reflection, thinking, analysis of practice and conversations about learning.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The same questions I think can be asked at higher levels:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What is it I do in my work with schools that contributes to those student outcomes?</span></span></i></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What is it I have done as a policy maker that contributes to those student outcomes?</span></span></i></span></li></ul><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#515151;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">New thinking for new solutions</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Doing more of the same, but more intensely, won’t address the issues of improving learning for all students; nor will it create the solutions we need.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Part of the problem is partisan politics within short-term political cycles. There has been very little inquiry into how policy-makers and politicians contribute to "</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">one in five Year 9 students at or below the minimum [Australian National] standards in reading, writing and maths</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">."</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The complexity of the issues that face schools in the first decades of the 21</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">st</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Century requires long-term solutions focused on deeper change. There needs to be a stronger focus on learning across the system - learning for students, teachers, school leaders, educational bureaucracy leaders and administrators, parents, policy-makers, politicians, and researchers.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(75, 138, 178); "></span></span></span></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(75, 138, 178); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">T</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(75, 138, 178); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">he answer has to be deep engagement with other colleagues and with mentors in exploring, refining, and improving their practice as well as setting up an environment in which this not only can happen but is encouraged, rewarded, and pressed to happen.’ (</span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Turnaround-Leadership-Michael-Fullan/dp/0787969850/sr=1-1/qid=1160753447/ref=sr_1_1/701-6188407-4498724?ie=UTF8&s=books"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Fullan, M. 2006: 57, Turnaround Leadership</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#515151;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i></i></span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#515151;"><i><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(14, 44, 63); "></span></span></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(14, 44, 63); "></span></span></span><!--EndFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></i></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Shouldn’t policy create those conditions that are necessary for the educational professionals to engage in inquiry, innovation, development and research that is focused on improving outcomes and opportunities for all students?</span></span></i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color:#515151;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:20.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#515151;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Image: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><a href="http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/photos/brain/#brain-neurons_849_600x450.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/photos/brain/#brain-neurons_849_600x450.jpg</span></span></a></span></span></p><!--StartFragment--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-USfont-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;color:#515151;"> </span></b><!--EndFragment--> <!--EndFragment-->Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-33875478624874524232010-04-29T20:52:00.005+10:002010-04-29T21:14:32.255+10:00Looking for opportunities: Wide-open opportunities to invent or build (Part 1)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-IW0DfsJTqMpXfVPKJWP1w1Lkb_-bxYjhn0hQRp4nyhOzOvbikU8rz11LbARIiJPLqPT1n2PSbaHTCCwEv3P_I2ROXG_KIZW6xR9KxTEORPlgnndr_tG3ILLF7pN1bp9FRwJ/s1600/rotary-dial.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 396px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-IW0DfsJTqMpXfVPKJWP1w1Lkb_-bxYjhn0hQRp4nyhOzOvbikU8rz11LbARIiJPLqPT1n2PSbaHTCCwEv3P_I2ROXG_KIZW6xR9KxTEORPlgnndr_tG3ILLF7pN1bp9FRwJ/s400/rotary-dial.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465514629380065842" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Sometimes things are serendipitous!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Innovation has been on my mind. Not that it is never too far away from my thinking; but recently I have been thinking about innovation in schooling and why it might exist in individual sites and pockets but not systemically.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I work with leaders in a networked learning community. It seems to me that intuitively these leaders of schools and the principals’ consultant know what it is that needs to happen to not only improve schools but to transform them. The strength is in leaders working together to solve the problems that they face together.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Traditionally we tend to isolate school sites, their leaders and their teachers and expect them to find solutions to the professional problems that face them. System level support is more often than not isolated to individuals working in individual schools. Efforts to de-privatise practice seem to not deliver the improvements and transformations we might have hoped for.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">This got me to thinking: <b>P</b><b>erhaps it is the system that gets in the way of improvement and transformation</b>.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Schools are expected to improve and even transform to deliver learning for today; and yet systems don’t look to themselves to radically change. There might be external reviews leading to restructuring, but somehow things don’t change. Maybe schooling systems are more resilient than schools.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Yesterday two things happened that fed into my thinking:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; ">Firstly, I met with one of my former Directors from <a href="http://www.ceosyd.catholic.edu.au/">Sydney CEO</a>, Seamus O’Grady. In the course of the discussion we got onto talking about strategic management and annual team achievement plans that consisted of lists of what individuals might do to contribute towards the year’s strategic plan for the system.</span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana, serif;"><div><br /></div>An alternative might be a more collaborative approach focused on projects and initiatives rather than individual contributions.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Secondly, I had dinner with a leadership team I worked with a couple of years ago. In discussions with the principal we talked about the inadequacies of system support being controlled by the system. We discussed the position I have arrived at in my thinking:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px; "><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">That systems should provide structures and scaffolds that allows for the leaders across the system – school leaders and system (office) leaders - to work together as </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">system leadership</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> with a focus on system improvement rather than school improvement.</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"></span></span></div><div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">One of the ideas I have been playing around with is the notion of schools being held accountable to each other through peer to peer accountability such as principals being accountable to each other for the educational opportunities and outcomes of their schools.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Coupled with this is a re-thinking of accountability as being not just achievement based and competitive, but rather a </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">for schools, by schools</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> approach where it is as much in my interest for you to be successful as is for you to be successful.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">This is counter-intuitive to market forces thinking. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Imagine schools working together for the good of our kids and society rather than competing for enrolments, achievement levels and funding!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Part 2 tomorrow: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> Looking for opportunities: “Greenfield” schooling.</span><o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <!--EndFragment--></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-43522954941762930472010-04-27T11:12:00.003+10:002010-04-27T11:18:27.845+10:00Value adding in education: Most Likely to Succeed: newyorker.com<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://twitter.com/gregwhitby">Greg Whitby's recent tweet</a> alerted me to this interesting article in <i>The New Yorker</i> by Malcolm Gladwell from December 2008.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px;font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 233px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4mK8fRzV3qS47-kMOIyaEcHAsnnl_vRUzyxahxwperjvHqqwyYD1hKs4Mw9C03mqjXjRjn78ul8GJXUfTc8WB2_eyl1Y9ImSX19xUXoEEXyVjLe8b_4VQTn89L5lUNAtyFzH/s400/081215_r18037_p233.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464619370092303666" /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003300;">Effective teachers have a gift for noticing—what one researcher calls “withitness.”</span></i></blockquote></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The link to the article is below:</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/12/15/081215fa_fact_gladwell">Annals of Education: Most Likely to Succeed: newyorker.com</a>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-29837119422118947952010-04-09T10:58:00.004+10:002010-04-09T11:18:55.887+10:00The power of Twitter<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFek53LHnMB8kw0U94TLcVTBVAikmxdMEmoM3NkjZraHKaw1WcHjdoSsSV998gkfVcTg-xToKAXsJ68C9gKPkeEXq0iQyibIpHYrM0LJLsOz92mpGM6jtYm-Rgv-5ZCmhwZfw/s1600/twitter-85.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457940262668900882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 85px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 67px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFek53LHnMB8kw0U94TLcVTBVAikmxdMEmoM3NkjZraHKaw1WcHjdoSsSV998gkfVcTg-xToKAXsJ68C9gKPkeEXq0iQyibIpHYrM0LJLsOz92mpGM6jtYm-Rgv-5ZCmhwZfw/s400/twitter-85.png" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;">I recieved a tweet yesterday from Frank Crawford (from HMIe) in Scotland. I met Frank a couple of weeks ago when he was in Sydney. Since then we have "met up" on Twitter. His tweet caused me to reflect on the power of Twitter for me professionally.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">I've been using </span><a href="http://twitter.com/Andrewjafraser"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Twitter for a while</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and have found it a valuable professional tool. As someone who values networking for learning, Twitter has allowed the ongoing connection with others.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">It has allowed me to:</span></div><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">maintain connections with colleagues</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">forge new professional connections across all sectors in education and beyond education</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">keep up with developments in education and beyond</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">be part of conferences when I couldn't physically be there</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">share my own thoughts about conferences and forums that I have attended</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">put questions out there about professional problems and get instant responses</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">access key thinkers that influence my thinking</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">put my own thinking out there and get responses.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">The power of Twitter and the accessibility it provides has been quite significant for me. Twitter has given me access to people, knowledge and learning in a way that was not possible 5 or so years ago.<br /></span></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-4348722687051297102010-04-07T15:16:00.008+10:002010-04-07T15:50:20.333+10:00Come and Play - Video gaming<div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Whilst following up on some of the <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks">TEDTalk</a> links referred to by <a href="http://edupln.ning.com/profile/FrankCrawford">Frank Crawford</a> (Scottish Chief Inspector of Schools) in a recent presaentation, I came across a TEDTalk delivered by <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/david_perry_on_videogames.html">David Perry</a> on video games. This is a contentious area for education, yet it has huge potential for learning.</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;">In his presentation, David Perry uses a video, <em>I'm a video game addict </em>that was created by <a href="http://www.michaelhighland.com/">Michael Highland</a>. The video is quite stimulating and thought provoking. It caused me to think about the blurring between what is virtual and real with the real becoming virtual and the virtual being real.</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;">It challenges what schooling, teaching and learning could (and even perhaps should) look like if gaming were used in learning.</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span> </div><div align="center"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_IznAvaJb5Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_IznAvaJb5Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">David Perry concludes his TEDTalk by highlighting that Michael Highland's video showed that video games can impact and move individuals. His closing comment was that the new paradigm of video games can <em><span style="color:#993399;">open up new frontiers for creative minds that like to think big!</span></em></span></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Imagine schools that did that.</span></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-20396578113592318052010-03-04T19:51:00.011+11:002010-03-04T21:08:21.637+11:00The Australian National Curriculum. Back to the future?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlhZZfPk84mk-uT_2pdSqF21Yv7SCF1acfKogcLKjDlBHa3LVNNWtKLnUfy8HYFtzpWOOBvo_WsP7-2usvevNQGUNSjxO8sq6Dx0U74FqyycnMa0Tvr_1JxAUwkQyX4FQRRqJ/s1600-h/schoolexamREX_468x360.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlhZZfPk84mk-uT_2pdSqF21Yv7SCF1acfKogcLKjDlBHa3LVNNWtKLnUfy8HYFtzpWOOBvo_WsP7-2usvevNQGUNSjxO8sq6Dx0U74FqyycnMa0Tvr_1JxAUwkQyX4FQRRqJ/s200/schoolexamREX_468x360.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444714806948584610" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Earlier this week </span></span><a href="http://www.acara.edu.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">ACARA</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> released the </span></span><a href="http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">draft Australian National Curriculum</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> for English, Mathematics, Science and History for general consultation.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Like my colleague, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://rampantred.wordpress.com/">Helen from Rapantred</a>,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> I was somewhat underwhelmed by the political rhetoric surrounding the release of the draft curriculum.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I attended several forums on the proposed National Curriculum that ACARA held. One of the key messages at these forums was about developing a curriculum for this century that will take Australia forward. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Shape_of_the_Australian_Curriculum.pdf">The Shaping Paper</a> from ACARA reflected this:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US"></span></b></p></div><blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Changed context</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Schooling must not only deal with these remarkable changes but also, as far as possible, anticipate the kinds of conditions in which young Australians will need to function as individuals, citizens and workers. These future conditions are distant and difficult to predict. We expect almost all young Australians who begin primary school in 2011 will continue their initial education until 2022. Many will go on to post-secondary education and not complete their initial education until the mid-2020s and later. However dimly the demands of societies in the mid-2020s can now be seen, some serious attempt must be made to envisage those demands and to ensure they are taken into account in present-day curriculum development.</span></span></span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A curriculum for the 21</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">st</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> century will reflect an understanding and acknowledgment of the changing nature of young people as learners and the challenges and demands that will continue to shape their learning in the future. Young people will need a wide and adaptive set of knowledge, skills and understandings to meet the changing expectations of society and to contribute to the creation of a more productive, sustainable and just society.”</span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Shape_of_the_Australian_Curriculum.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Shape of the Australian Curriculum (2009)</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span></div><div></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was impressed with Barry McGaw, and believe him to be a man of integrity, with the <a href="http://www.acara.edu.au/about_us/board_membership.html">ACARA Board</a> seeking to deliver a curriculum for Australia's future.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The political rhetoric is less inspiring.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The Government has been focusing on rhetoric about about a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2010/s2833597.htm">Back-to-basics</a></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> curriculum (with a hint of the future):</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Verdana;mso-bidi-font-family:Verdana;color:#222222;"></span></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333399;">JULIA GILLARD: Kerry, this is basics and beyond. I think the Prime Minister is using the description basics because this is returning to some traditional styles, some traditional curriculum content that has been lost in the last few years in education. So for example, children are learnt to read by sounding out letters - "cuh, ah, tuh: cat" - and of course children are going to be taught grammar at every level - sentence construction, nouns, verbs - all of those things that perhaps you and I were taught when we were at school which haven't been common in teaching of late. But this is curriculum for kids from the first year - prep or kindergarten; it's called different things in different states - through to Year 10, so we don't have kids in year 10 going, "cuh, ah, tuh: cat". By then, of course, we hope that they are studying rich lit</span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333399;">erature works, but this curriculum does continue to have literacy support through each year level. So rather than saying we teach literacy to young kids and if you miss the bus, well, too bad, even for the older children, if they still need literacy support, it will be there.</span></blockquote><o:p></o:p></span><p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As Helen points out, the basics (phonics, grammar) have been a part of the English syllabus here in New South Wales for a while.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Meanwhile we have an opposition attempting to generate </span></span><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2010/s2833407.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">old debates</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">: Black arm band views of History and over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture at the expense of British traditions and British heritage.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "></span></div><blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">CHRISTOPHER PYNE: I note that there are 118 references to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.</span></span></span></span></div><div></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Curriculum development is always contentious. But I'm not sure how this sort of rhetoric leads to the development of a world-class education system for the future.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlwE95VXCXSA3pelnnwHmT0rDOMoyy0dWTbpK80GDZuxjc1RmZHB_1wQE5ervJs046JiMbdoCaQL0USZOKDNhyphenhyphen3sYNRuWSvPpLzSNDUKP1woqVL1UrfG2j6570qkRuAk2Lklv/s200/aap_students_465x288_100609_t325.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444714324716829586" /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:medium;">It seems that the more the Government develops its <i><a href="http://www.deewr.gov.au/schooling/Pages/Education_reform_agenda.aspx">Education Revolution</a> </i>the more things stay the same: testing, school halls, laptops. Perhaps all good for what is today - but it seems to be a case of <i>the more things change the more they stay</i><i> the same</i>.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:medium;">Maybe that's what revolutions are about - finishing up where you started.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Images:</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; line-height: 18px;"><b> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/06_02/schoolexamREX_468x360.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/06_02/schoolexamREX_468x360.jpg</span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://media.apnonline.com.au/img/news/2009/06/10/aap_students_465x288_100609_t325.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://media.apnonline.com.au/img/news/2009/06/10/aap_students_465x288_100609_t325.jpg</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </b></span></span></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-70081153163442259512010-01-15T15:07:00.011+11:002010-01-15T16:36:06.309+11:00What to read??? Post 23rd ICSEI conference 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mFyIkNAhYbhbAQTO61bbsjFSFY9tNJKLfds2OgNtcFOt4OOnJVFX3dZz2cI6XJjjZ8-WpLdzCmv7Pjueo5Y941GUqiALoSwuu7HBEdAWNpm4ngoyELy_4z8DEJ0MjzVUAllf/s1600-h/free_books_online.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mFyIkNAhYbhbAQTO61bbsjFSFY9tNJKLfds2OgNtcFOt4OOnJVFX3dZz2cI6XJjjZ8-WpLdzCmv7Pjueo5Y941GUqiALoSwuu7HBEdAWNpm4ngoyELy_4z8DEJ0MjzVUAllf/s400/free_books_online.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426835171584877858" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm often asked by leaders and teachers what's on my list of professional reading. So here is my list from the 23rd ICSEI conference 2009. One of the things I like about conferences is that I come away with a reference list that keeps me thinking for the next year or so.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The descriptions are thanks to </span></span><a href="http://www.shelfari.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Shelfari</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (except for </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Strategic Leader).</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Images of the covers can be found in the Shelfari Shelf on the right hand side.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Happy reading!!</span></span></span></i><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><!--StartFragment--><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Future of Education: Reimagining Our Schools from the Ground Up </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Kieran Egan, 2008)</span></span></span></span></b><!--EndFragment--></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(13, 11, 10); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This engaging book presents a frontal attack on current forms of schooling and a radical rethinking of the whole education process. Kieran Egan, a prize-winning scholar and innovative thinker, does not rail against teachers, administrators, or politicians for the failures of the school. Instead he argues that education today is built on a set of mutually exclusive goals that are destined to defeat our best efforts. Egan explores the three big ideas and aims of education—academic, social, and developmental growth—and exposes their flaws and fundamental incompatibility. He then proposes and describes a process called Imaginative Education that would dramatically change teaching and curriculum while delivering the skills and understanding that we all want our children to acquire. His speculative narrative of education from 2010 to 2060—executed with wit and verve—shows how we might very well get there from here.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(13, 11, 10); line-height: 18px; "><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; "><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Building Strong School Cultures: A Guide to Leading Change (Leadership for Learning Series)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (Sharon D. Kruse, 2008)</span></span></span></span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Standing on the back of their groundbreaking research on school culture, Kruse and Seashore Louis provide an insightful and very practical guide that should be a must-read for anyone preparing to become a school leader." -Kenneth Leithwood, Professor OISE/University of Toronto "A manageable, well-rehearsed plan for discussion, research, and lots of reflective thought for any school leader willing to develop their own leadership and the culture in which they desire to lead." -Teresa P. Cunningham, Principal Laurel Elementary School, TN Develop an integrated school culture that engages educators with their colleagues and communities! As a principal, you realize that effecting positive, long-lasting change requires support both within your school and in the wider community. This practical handbook shows school leaders how to build a climate of collaboration with staff, teachers, and parents as well as how to develop connections with foundations, business groups, social service providers, and government agencies. Sharon D. Kruse and Karen Seashore Louis call on principals to create a viable, sustainable school culture using organizational learning and trust to involve the professional community and to affect teaching and learning. This addition to the Leadership for Learning series presents a leadership approach that integrates teachers, parents, and community members into a coherent team. The authors examine schools that have achieved lasting cultural change and present practical strategies for: Diagnosing and shaping a school culture Revising leadership functions to broaden decision-making processes Rethinking organizational structures Supporting continuous improvement while ensuring stability Building Strong School Cultures draws from business and psychology research on motivating and organizing people to provide school leaders with the skills they need to promote effective change.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><div><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So Much Reform, So Little Change: The Persistence of Failure in Urban Schools </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Charles M. Payne, 2008)</span></span></span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This frank and courageous book explores the persistence of failure in today s urban schools. At its heart is the argument that most education policy discussions are disconnected from the daily realities of urban schools, especially those in poor and beleaguered neighborhoods. Charles M. Payne argues that we have failed to account fully for the weakness of the social infrastructure and the often dysfunctional organizational environments of urban schools and school systems. The result is that liberals and conservatives alike have spent a great deal of time pursuing questions of limited practical value in the effort to improve city schools. Payne carefully delineates these stubborn and intertwined sources of failure in urban school reform efforts of the past two decades. Yet while his book is unsparing in its exploration of the troubled recent history of urban school reform, Payne also describes himself as guardedly optimistic. He describes how, in the last decade, we have developed real insights into the roots of school failure, and into how some individual schools manage to improve. He also examines recent progress in understanding how particular urban districts have established successful reforms on a larger scale.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; "><h3 style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: 500; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.235em; color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(13, 11, 10); "></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; color: rgb(13, 11, 10); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Strategic Leader: New tactics for a globalizing world</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(John Pisapia, 2009)</span></span></span></b></span></h3><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); "><span><span style="color:black;"><span style="color:black;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 0); "><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Strategic Leader</span></span></strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">provides the </span></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">tools, tactics and levers of change to enable managers and leaders at all levels of the organization to become more strategic in defining the ends they seek, the means they use, and the actions they take to overcome the crucial errors some leaders make in </span></span></span></span><span style="color:black;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">times of ambiguity, complexity, and chaos.<br /></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This book exposes the secrets that have worked in the dynamic conditions facing leaders today. it is </span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">framed around six habits gleaned from leaders who have successfully answered the following questions. (from the website:</span></span><i><a href="http://www.thestrategicleader.org/content/about-strategic-leader"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Strategic Leader</span></span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">)</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#181818;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#181818;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(13, 11, 10); "><div><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Elusive What and the Problematic How: The Essential Leadership Questions for School Leaders and Educational Researchers </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Tony Townsend and Ira Bogotch, Eds., 2008)</span></span></span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For the authors in this book, there can be no valid excuses for ignorance in any aspect of education as theory/practice. That is: - If we come to learn that all educational problems involve knowledge of complex systems and processes, then quick, simple solutions should not be an educator's first or only expedient option. - If all education requires a measure of cultural and contextual understandings, then uniform, standardized programs and lessons will not meet the needs of all children or communities. - If educational change takes time and strenuous efforts to take hold, then why do we abandon and restart reforms efforts year after year? - If educational practices are best performed by those closest to the problems, then why do we not prepare and continuously develop teachers and administrators to grow intellectually and politically to make wise decisions? - If who a person is culturally and intellectually shapes who they are as educators, then why are our recruitment, selection, induction, and retention policies not influenced by this assumption? - If today's best practices have not taken careful note of successes in the past, then how do we validly measure best practices in use today? - If one-time, standardized test scores are not adequate measures of a person's worth, a teacher's competency, or a school's value to its community, then why do our policies and practices say otherwise? Unfortunately, our ignorance of the "what" and the "how" of education and educational leadership has persisted across contexts and history. Why? This book provides both theoretical and practical answers to these elusive and problematic issues.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><h3 style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: 500; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.235em; color:initial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Realization: the change imperative for deepening district-wide reform <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">(Lyn Sharratt and Michael Fullan, 2009)</span></span></span></span></b></h3><h3 style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: 500; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.235em; color:initial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Written </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px; font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">by an experienced district administrator who accomplished reform and an internationally recognized expert in large-scale educational change, this book offers 14 key parameters for realizing districtwide improvement.</span></span></span></span></span></span></b></h3><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Leadership Mindsets: Innovation and Learning in the transformation of Schools</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (Linda Kaser and Judy Halbert, 2009)</span></span></span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The evidence is clear - school leaders make a difference to the learning of the pupils they serve. And yet, not all leaders have the same degree of impact. What are the factors that make the difference to student learning? Why are some leaders able to raise student achievement in schools in the most challenging circumstances whilst other leaders struggle to simply maintain the status quo? Drawing from international case study research over many years, from the experience of hundreds of school leaders serving widely diverse communities, Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser argue that there are six distinct mindsets that characterize the way successful, learning-oriented leaders operate and make sense of their professional world. These leaders are: motivated by intense moral purpose knowledgeable about current models of learning consistently inquiry-oriented able to build trusting relationships evidence-informed able to move to wise action. This book outlines an alternative way of thinking about school leadership. It examines research evidence that leaders will find most useful and suggests how they might use this evidence to maximise their learning and the learning of their students. Leadership Mindsets has been written specifically for aspiring to newly-appointed school leaders who are determined and motivated to create quality and equality for learners in the schools they serve, through networks of inquiry, learning and support.</span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></b></div><div><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How to Change 5000 Schools: A Practical and Positive Approach for Leading Change at Every Level </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Ben Levin, 2008)</span></span></span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Not long ago, public education in Ontario, Canada, was in deep trouble. Student achievement was stagnating, labor disruptions were rampant, and public satisfaction with the schools was low. In 2003, a new provincial government initiated a series of reforms that embodied a positive, outcome-focused agenda for public education. Today, student outcomes have improved, labor disruption has vanished, and teacher morale is high. In this book, Ben Levin, former deputy minister of education for the province of Ontario, draws on his experience overseeing these and other major systemwide education reforms in Canada and England to set forth a refreshingly positive, pragmatic, and optimistic approach to leading educational change at all levels.</span></span></div></span></span></div></span></span></div></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div><!--StartFragment--><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Improving Schools and Educational Systems (Contexts of Learning)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (Alma Harris and Janet H. Chrispeels, Eds., 2009)</span></span></span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(13, 11, 10); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">School improvement has become a dominant feature of educational reform in many countries. The pressure upon schools to improve performance has resulted in a wide range of school improvement programmes and initiatives which can provide both inspiration and advice to everyone involved in school improvement. This book draws together the most effective school improvement projects from around the world within a comprehensive overview by including detailed comparative analysis of a wide variety of school improvement initiatives. Drawing on examples from the UK, the USA, Canada, South Africa and Australia the book gives both an international snapshot and a coherent synthesis of initiatives that have given tangible results.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; "><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Distributed Leadership: Different Perspectives (Studies in Educational Leadership) </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Alma Harris, 2009)</span></span></span></span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This book argues that the educational environment in many countries has shifted so dramatically and so permanently that we urgently need to re-consider what we understand by educational leadership and educational leadership practice. The book focuses on distributed leadership and focuses on the emerging evidence about the possibilities and shortcomings of this form of leadership. The book will draw upon the latest empirical findings from studies in different countries that have focused on the relationship between distributed forms of leadership and organisational change. The main aim of the book is to offer contemporary, comparative and challenging accounts of distributed leadership practice. This book outlines current understandings, findings and limitations of the concept of distributed leadership. It brings together different international perspectives on distributed leadership as well as looking at distributed leadership through three major lenses–the empirical, the interpretive and the critical. The book aims to offer challenge, debate and critique, as well as presenting the latest empirical findings about the impact and effects of distributed leadership on organizational change. Leading writers in the field will offer contemporary analysis and reflection on the theme and will also consider the future issues, challenges and directions for distributed leadership.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><!--StartFragment--><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Teacher Professional Learning in an Age of Compliance: Mind the Gap (Professional Learning and Development in Schools and Higher Education </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Susan Groundwater-Smith and Nicole Mockler, 2009)</span></span></span></span></b><!--EndFragment--></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Teacher Professional Learning in an Age of Compliance: Mind the Gap examines ways in which practice-based inquiry in educational settings, in a number of different countries and contexts, can transcend current ways of working and thinking such that authentic professional learning is the result. The authors contend that education policy, under pressure from a number of quarters, is retreating into a standardized, audited, and backward-looking arena, with the advances of more progressive educational philosophy being rolled back. In an age where practitioner inquiry and action research have often been ‘hijacked’ for the purposes of broad-based policy implementation, this book offers a rationale for reclaiming the critical edge so fundamental to inquiry-based professional learning. It examines the potential of inquiry-based forms of teacher professional learning to contribute to the growth of professional knowledge for and about teachers’ work. The authors intend that the book will assist in building new forms of professional knowledge that go beyond the current compliance model – engineered from less enduring materials – to inform a new model with its foundations in a strong ethical and moral framework. They also believe that this new model, if implemented, will help to reverse today’s conservative educational trends and make teacher professional development a force for genuine progress once again. They have consciously moved away from the celebratory tone of much of the academic reporting of teacher professional learning, adopting instead a genuinely critical edge. In covering a wide range of policies and practices from across the international spectrum, they have allowed themselves the freedom to engage in serious epistemological arguments about the nature of professional knowledge, as well as how it is constructed and employed.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#0D0B0A;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:11px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#181818;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><!--StartFragment--><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Teachers Under Pressure</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (Maurice Galton and John MacBeath, 2008)</span></span></span></span></b><!--EndFragment--></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#181818;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(13, 11, 10); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What is it really like to be a teacher in today's demanding classrooms? The authors of this book spoke to teachers, parents and students in the UK, Asia, America and Australia and had some shocking responses to their questions. By looking at highly topical issues within teaching, such as teacher stress and teacher workload, they uncover an often bleak picture where individuals are frequently stretched to breaking point as they endeavour to 'make a difference'. Issues examined include: " the frustrations facing those trying to make inclusive education work in practice " the effects of constantly changing policies on the staff required to implement them " the loss of status the teaching profession has experienced " why so many are choosing to leave the job " what happens to those who stay and fight This fascinating read will be of interest to anyone involved in teaching, school leadership and educational policy.</span></span></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Image:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://educhoices.org/articles/Online_Libraries_-_25_Places_to_Read_Free_Books_Online.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://educhoices.org/articles/Online_Libraries_-_25_Places_to_Read_Free_Books_Online.html</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></div></span></span></span></div></div></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-85921192976428544912010-01-07T11:49:00.005+11:002010-01-14T07:49:22.613+11:00ICSEI: Day 2 - some thoughts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kfSAu9qJ4SFmc1TthyO3e3HBpGeTa4X3WEUN-rqkvPjamMJ-oLQkUn8SbFxbexHmlKDcTHff_kppb-wRI13ppnhRtYDrc7UFe-d1OlfV_SL8iHwuqcrilCPbzXB4nDmDeqCv/s1600-h/icsei2010.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kfSAu9qJ4SFmc1TthyO3e3HBpGeTa4X3WEUN-rqkvPjamMJ-oLQkUn8SbFxbexHmlKDcTHff_kppb-wRI13ppnhRtYDrc7UFe-d1OlfV_SL8iHwuqcrilCPbzXB4nDmDeqCv/s200/icsei2010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426328332942174562" /></a>A very stimulating and provocative day!<br /><br /><div>Some of the key themes emerging included:<br /><ul><li>the development of school cultures focused on learning at all levels of the school.</li><li>the importance of trust and building relationships.</li><li>the significance of practitioner inquiry, and creating cultures of inquiry. The place of appreciative inquiry and the need to develop skills to do so.</li><li>the role of networks in building innovation and professional learning.</li></ul>More later ...</div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-24096314455099048192010-01-06T11:21:00.003+11:002010-01-14T07:44:46.848+11:00ICSEI Day 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyjtt7FvZ14lTjOT21FS2KLRpEO6VtudZcPKt0w8CGYSYxW_vAfSpBYkzb-o0Grn0zWlCo5vO3SyAzJw5V28kowIorm1qnYvb77RW3np9nyhMjhMAaX-PvLTzrDFlQSh2iA37/s1600-h/icsei2010.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyjtt7FvZ14lTjOT21FS2KLRpEO6VtudZcPKt0w8CGYSYxW_vAfSpBYkzb-o0Grn0zWlCo5vO3SyAzJw5V28kowIorm1qnYvb77RW3np9nyhMjhMAaX-PvLTzrDFlQSh2iA37/s200/icsei2010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426326899797454866" /></a>Day 1: Some random thoughts (sent from my iPod touch).<br /><br /><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">Usual suspects:</span></i><div><ul><li>raising standards</li><li>improving teacher quality</li><li>assessment and accountability</li><li>principal leadership.</li></ul></div><div><br /><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Emerging suspects:</span></i></div><div><ul><li>early years and pre-schooling</li><li>establishing curriculum standards for early years and pre-schooling</li><li>distributed leadership.</li></ul></div><div><br /><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">Of interest:</span></i></div><div><ul><li>Do we measure school effectiveness based on school effectiveness of previous years, rather than for contemporary learning?</li><li>Are we working towards sustainability of obsolete models of schooling?</li><li>Are policy makers adequately trained to do their work?</li><li>Is the <i><a href="http://www2.bc.edu/~hargrean/documents/TheFourthWay-EdLead.JournalOCT2008.pdf">Fourth Way</a></i> more about the need to think and act both globally and locally in improving schools?</li></ul></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-77108803302825550402010-01-04T09:02:00.006+11:002010-01-14T07:39:21.095+11:00Empowering Schools for Learning: From Improvement Policy to Effective Practice.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7Pjs9H75zUO-ZG7HEeY9uGwNaGHcg25uH66tOvE6UZOzkGGv2R9rJkzzLv7dHN17vlOCGX1jR6dTOn56YwIiJruAjSmbtJaBDx1fWKp6bcHykZg-9ntAlOcqg1n15ITpbDBA/s1600-h/icsei2010.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7Pjs9H75zUO-ZG7HEeY9uGwNaGHcg25uH66tOvE6UZOzkGGv2R9rJkzzLv7dHN17vlOCGX1jR6dTOn56YwIiJruAjSmbtJaBDx1fWKp6bcHykZg-9ntAlOcqg1n15ITpbDBA/s200/icsei2010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426326536115199858" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The </span></span><a href="http://www.icseimalaysia2010.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">23rd International Congress of School Effectiveness and Improvement</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (5th January - 8th January). The theme for the congress is </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Empowering Schools for Learning: From Improvement Policy to Effective Practice. </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I particularly like this cross-cultural aspect of this conference.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I have chosen to attend the following sessions throughout the conference:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Signposts: Research points to how Victorian Government schools have improved student performance</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> (Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, Dahle Suggett)</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Transformation through innovation and networks: Structural change for school improvement in the most challenging settings: Rhetoric or reality? </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">(Daniel Muijs, Mel Ainscow, Christopher Chapman)</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The role of the "knowledgeable other" in improving student achievement, school climate and teacher efficacy: Case studies from a Canadian and Swiss perdspective and experience </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">(Lyn Sharratt, Giorgio Ostinelli, Angela Cattaneo)</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Networking schools for learning - going deeper</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> (Louise Stoll, Lorna Earl, Steven Katz, Judy Halbert, Linda Kaser, Helen Timperley, et. al)</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Data-based decision making around the world: Challenges and opportunities</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> (Stuart McNaughton, Lorna Earl, Steven Katz, et.al)</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Innovating leadership development for system transformation </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">(Tony McKay, Valerie Hannon, David Jackson)</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Leadership development that makes a difference: The research and the experience </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">(Tony McKay, Graham Marshall, Barbara Waterston)</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I will post a summary of the conference upon my return.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span></div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26124734.post-35246493726390225482009-12-02T20:20:00.027+11:002009-12-23T16:13:49.259+11:00If teaching and learning are relational how come I can’t use social networks at work?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We are </span></span><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WNyUpDEsl5rhBLBfUstl2-JW2LsK2c2-KGrrOCIrRHgGm886_smEc3hoLO7qeWb6EYZyRlqNzg4SLab-LvnkbW8I4bWuYkRvwfMoaK0EgE1yPWPr2QH7PrhSfl5TSubf024M/s200/TS_Classroom-Teacher.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410576447900995186" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">coming towards the end of the first decade of the 21st Century.</span></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What has changed in </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">schooling over the last decade?</span></span></i></span></span></p><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv26Z6XArn9Y5naG3D6ZSapjSW3Aau2ezK6gPJKd0YVM1nmOb1bsffTTHpx-F_hq7jC1uA3JrwMjStMV0c9NeOFrljItDVWTEp8QblSEOODZsng2jI5VNxhk8d0TuiOl6UySIp/s200/classroom1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410589042191901506" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I’m not sure if that much has really changed.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I work at the educational authority/system level. My own experience is that I can’t even get a del.icio.us button added to my desktop because it is a social networking site.</span></span></p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViXkHcgZOsZG5EE8b7jlCPw2QeBBJ0y-tQoNi-FaJiVlGUE0mUbnxgAFVyAJ5OFq82ekun7plBs9jJe4N08lo89k-CpnGIsyFv1QL_aynx0RXNhl8mFR-Uf_pg1_C3BJvaH8J/s200/delicious+button.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410574142424699410" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The fact is that </span><a href="http://delicious.com/andrewjfraser"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">del.icio.us</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, along with </span><a href="http://twitter.com/Andrewjafraser"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">twitter</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/andrewjfraser"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">facebook</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and </span><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/in/andrewjfraser"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">LinkedIn</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> have become tools that I have used in my work. They allow me to connect with other professionals.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Unfortunately, the bulk of my professional social networking occurs outside of my work place and official work hours. Yet it is a powerful professional tool and reflects new ways of working and learning.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In school education the practice of erring on the side of caution is very strong. I feel at times that we are still tinkering around the edges.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">For me it reinforces that education authorities, school systems and schools continue to be at risk of being obsolete - a point I </span><a href="http://andrewjfraser.blogspot.com/2007/10/are-schools-becoming-obsolete.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">blogged</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> about over 2 years ago.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Ewan McIntosh recently blogged about </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2009/10/why-backward-socialnetworkbanning-education-authorities-are-wrong.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Why backward social network banning education authorities are wrong</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> It is an interesting read and highlights the frequently overlooked professional benefits of social networking.</span></span></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">At the recent </span><a href="http://www.wise-qatar.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">World Innovation Summit for Education</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, Lord David Putnam, the Chairman of </span><a href="http://www.futurelab.org.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">FutureLab</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> talks about possibilities for education in the next decade. I love his story of the teacher directing the class to copy the set homework from the blackboard (or perhaps an interactive whiteboard) and the student who used a mobile phone to take a photo of the board.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><i> <!--StartFragment--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Arial; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-USfont-family:Arial;font-size:10.0pt;"><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DRLflRhGlCo&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DRLflRhGlCo&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object></span><!--EndFragment--> </i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Is it a case of "the more things change the more things stay the same in schooling?" </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I hope not.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:x-small;">Images:</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Interactive whiteboard: </span><a href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sysimages/Environment/Pix/pictures/2007/08/31/classroom1.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">http://static.guim.co.uk/sysimages/Environment/Pix/pictures/2007/08/31/classroom1.jpg</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Blackboard: </span><a href="http://www.easygraphics.com/images/uploads/Polyvision/TS_Classroom-Teacher.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">http://www.easygraphics.com/images/uploads/Polyvision/TS_Classroom-Teacher.jpg</span></a></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670659741006930595noreply@blogger.com2