Enough of reviewing - let's put the energy into improving

I've had the opportunity to have spent 3 days working with leader colleagues from across the Parramatta system of schools facilitated by Michael Fullan.

It was refreshing to focus energies on possibilities of improvement by building capacity that is beyond formulaic reviewing and measuring school effectiveness. I love the phrase that I picked up in Scotland when visiting there in 2006: "Weighing the pig more often doesn't make it fatter!"

Achieving improvement
Michael presented a framework that focused on improvement through PRECISION and SPECIFICITY around what works in moving things forward with a clear focus on a small number of goals. To achieve improvement three things are needed:
Transparency of results and practice + Non-judgementalism + Good help.

I think that this is what Tim Brighouse did to bring about the change in Birmingham under his stewardship.

The challenge
The challenge for me, and for all interested in school improvement is to engage in authentic ways with schools communities, the teachers, their leaders, the students in exploring the issues that challenge the school.

A theory of action
The way forward inovolves developing a Theory of Action that has the dual effect of improving learning outcomes and life opportunities for students as well as building the capacity of the school. With this would come increased satisfaction in teaching.

An unrelenting focus on learning
What is required is an unrelenting focus on students and their learning, with a precision and specificity focused on Pedagogical Synergy - the alignment of curriculum, assessment and pedagogy(teaching/instruction).

Are schools becoming obsolete?

Recently I came across a headline: Schools in developing nations adapting faster to 21st century than rich ones, OECD says.
The claim is made that, in some developing countries, schools may be adapting faster to the changing needs of today.

I have maintained for a number of years that schools and schooling, as we know it (certainly here in Australia) risks becoming a quaint oddity. Schools are places where students go during the day, between set hours, and do particular types of learning at set times.

Somehow the learning is not connected to the reality of how children and young people learn and engage in the world. We know that rich learning happens before kids commence school; that much significant learning happens outside of school structures.

Schools risk becoming fine examples of how learning used to happen in an industrial era.

In many ways schools are becoming obsolete – worn out but still in use (if they aren’t already). This is a term used by Hedley Beare in a publication from iNET entitled, How we envisage schooling in the 21st Century. Much of the political and system energy around schools and schooling goes into public reassurance that obsolete schooling is somehow able to deliver now and into the future.

We are trapped into old imaginaries of school and breaking out of these imaginaries is hard work. The way forward is through networking people, ideas and learning and moving beyond the confines of building, teacher, subject.

Creativity and Innovation: Beyond Best Practice presentation

The responses to my presentation at the recent ACEL conference have been very positive.

I am always interested in what others take away with from presentations and am happy to receive correspondence to explore ideas further.

From the emails I have received since it would seem that the following were key messages taken away:
1. Teaching should be seen as the Learning Profession - this my catch phrase at the moment.
2. Teaching, as a profession, should claim learning as its territory.
3. Best Practice should be seen as indicative practice rather than prescribed practice.
4. The challenges posed by the concept of Next Practice are worth exploring further.

The Innovations Unit in England has been pioneering the way with Next Practice in schooling and education.

I have included in the Links for this Blog some of the useful references developed by The Innovations Unit on Next Practice.

Thinking a way forward

Today I presented to a group at the Australian Council for Educational Leaders. The presentation was entitled, Creativity and Innovation in Education: Moving beyond best practice. I was surprised by the fact that the workshop paper session was attended by over 100 people.

There appears to be a some serendipity and convergence of thinking. As a profession I think that teachers and educational leaders are looking for ways forward.

For me there are some key things.

An increasing awareness that schooling (as it is largely practiced in Western, English-speaking countries) is largely obsolete. It still functions, but not as well as it could. Many policies related to schools are more about public assurance from this position of obsolescence.

For me, finding answers to the problems that face the profession lies with the profession. I believe that teachers can play a significant role in providing solutions to the problems facing education. Part of this movement forward requires teaching to view itself as the learning profession.

One of the limiting factors in moving forward are the views of teachers and teaching held not only by others outside of the profession, but by teachers themselves. These views can see teachers as implementers of policy reforms and initiatives of others outside of the profession. There is a perception that teachers also require stronger accountability and tighter standards (to give public assurance).

The challenge is to make a difference to the learning outcomes and life chances of all students. Seeking public reassurance may lead to superficial differences for students.

The challenge is to find authentic ways to engage teachers in improving their practice.