Tuesday, July 22, 2014

NZSTA Conference Presentation

A small team of BOT members and staff attended the NZSTA Conference held at Auckland's Sky City Conference venue over the weekend. It was not quite as big as the Eductech Conference in Brisbane but was pretty big by New Zealand standards - 870 attendees. We were invited to present a seminar at the conference about our take on 21st century learning. The topic was, "21st century learning - fad or forever?" (Note the nifty alliteration!).We spoke to about 160 board and staff members about the thinking that sits behind our approach to delivering education at Amesbury School and then we went on to talk about some of the systems and structures we have developed or are developing that enable this approach.

We have presented to a number of audiences recently - Ministry, APs/DPs, Principals, Teachers, Board of Trustees - and we have noticed a significant increase in the drive to create change towards 21st century learning or, as we call it, humanising education. What people are particularly interested in is that we are not focused on technology and we are not focused on the modern environments but that our approach is first and foremost focused (note... more alliteration) on pedagogy - the theory of teaching and learning. This interest is particularly noticeable in the Professional Learning Community that we are in the process of setting up. People from all over the lower part of the North Island and as far afield as Te Karaka near Gisborne and Hawkes Bay are looking for others to collaborate with around future-focused pedagogy. It is such a privilege to be a part of this growing interest.

There is a growing sense that with the requirement for 5 out of 5 students to be successful in school (Minister Hekia Parata), a different approach is not a choice but an imperative. In the traditional way of delivering curriculum there was the expectation (and acceptance of the fact) that some students would not be successful in our school system and that is, of course, exactly what happened. Some students still leave the school system with no qualifications. In the thoughts of Einstein, it would be insanity to think that the same system and way of doing things would produce a different result. Therefore, if the expectation is that all students will leave school having experienced success at school, then we have to change the way schooling is done. This is the journey we are on.

At the beginning of my presentation I gave the one-to-two minute explanation or summary of the presentation - so that people who felt they had got the idea from that short explanation could leave and go to another seminar. Here it is for you..... (Btw, I don't think anyone did leave).

1.     21st century learning is a massive, paradigmatic shift that needs to take place in order for our students to be prepared for the future they will face. 
2.      The traditional/industrial age model of education which still significantly characterises schools of today is no longer able to meet the needs of its 21st century students and, as a result, there is a growing gap between the education our students need and the education they are receiving. Change is an imperative.
3.      Do not underestimate how difficult this shift is to make. It is HUGE! And as a result do not over-estimate how much progress we have made towards it as a schooling system. There have been some shifts made but these are largely shallow and there is little evidence of deep change.
4.      Creating deep change will require some quite different ways of thinking and acting and relating by all stakeholders associated with schools – teachers, students, parents, school leaders, trustees and the Ministry.
5.      No one stakeholder group can make this change on their own. It will require all stakeholders working together, thinking in new ways to create this change. More than this, it will require wider networks to be forged including between schools and schools and ministry. To move forward we will need each other.
6.      As the kaitiaki – the caretakers or the governors of schools– you – have an absolutely pivotal role in leading this change – not just supporting it. We think this will mean a significant expansion in what you see as being in your purview as board members. You will need to develop significant knowledge of 21st century learning and the challenges of shifting towards it.

7.      The thing that we want most from the session is for you to go away empowered, excited and more confident about your role in creating your school’s and NZ’s educational future.































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