Pedagogical Activist

I recently attended a 2-day conference on the topic of ‘Capabilities’ at the Association of Independent Schools. Capability refers to the higher level of ability that an individual can achieve or improve to, whereas capacity is the ability that exists at present. Some may get caught up in the various labels used such as capabilities, dispositions, 21st century skills, global skills, competences, non-cognitive or soft skills, 4Cs, 6Cs, 7 Cs etc. My view is that educators and leaders should focus not on the label but on the purpose. Why do we value these skills and abilities and how do we design learning experiences to develop these in our students? Presenters spoke of a balanced approach to learning. 'Don’t fall for false dichotomies-progressive versus traditional, content versus skills'. It’s a balance of both. We need to develop knowledge (brain) and character (heart).

While I could comment on the keynotes and workshops I attended and how I’ve been inspired, this post is focusing on one single tweet. One that I collated from slides provided by Charlie Leadbeater @LeadbeaterCh and added a simple comment.

The biggest problem I find in education is that we never ‘drop’ anything. We keep adding new but don’t replace. Is it about taking a risk? I’m wondering ... #aisnswcapabilities

 

The responses this post generated provided some wonderful analogies.

Matt Johnson @MattJohnsonNet

For every ‘implementation’ what do you take away? Pruning works for plants, axons, dendrites and overall growth. We need to look to nature to grow children and schools. Don’t water the rocks. 

Gilbert Halcrow @gilbert_halcrow

I spent many summers on my family’s orchids and love your analogy - still worried we might be pruning an unhealthy tree 

Nat Littler @nat_lits

We never have anything taken off the table. Just added to. When does the table collapse? 

David Simpson @MrSimpson07

The analogies here are great! Add to them a multi-layered cake... Eventually it becomes unstable, unhealthy and too complex to eat (where do you start?!) 

Karen Schoff @KarenSchoff

Yes, we are so scared by compliance. I love seeing my Ts as risk takers and designing & implementing an innovative learning program. 

Adam Lear @Adam_Lear

I like to think about it as making visible the approaches that are already there, perhaps they are subversive influences (for good or bad). How do we tweak/challenge or amplify what's already there, perhaps subconsciously. Must go deep!

One person, one political party, one organisation cannot design a dynamic learning culture; it needs to be a collective effort. A collective review and renewal of our curriculum and assessment practises to allow organisations/schools to design, facilitate and lead dynamic learning opportunities for our students. Students, teachers and educational leaders need to have more influence and be more involved in the decision-making process. As the tweets and analogies above highlight, maybe it's time we rethink education in Australia.

• What isn’t working in our context?
• What is working well and how do we know this?
• What can we learn from research, data and evidence?
• What can we learn from other countries and contexts?
• How could we adapt what we learn from others for our context? (not replicate)
• How can we give all stakeholders a voice in the decision making process?
• How can we promote and recognise educators as the 'professionals'?
• Who is prepared to take a risk for our students' education?
• What should we drop, retain or introduce?

As Dr Katherine Hoekman expressed and tweeted - Let’s be Pedagogical Activists.

Always asking questions...

Andrea

Celebrate the Collective

Earlier this week I attended Renaissance Women Leaders’Network and it was nearly a year ago that I had contacted Dr Kirstin Ferguson to invite her to be our guest presenter. I had watched and followed Kirstin on Twitter @kirstinferguson recognising that she is a woman that is making a difference. The evidence lies with #CelebratingWomen and her new book 'Women Kind', coming in September. At #RWLN, I finally got to meet Kirstin in real life. You connect with people on Twitter and while you may catch a glimpse of their life or personality online, when you meet in person, the connection becomes authentic and personal. Enthusiastic, energetic and empowering are three words I would use to describe Kirstin. While Kirstin is inspiring and her achievements amazing, I’ve been wondering about keynote speakers and their effectiveness in the professional learning realm of education. Upon reflection, Kirstin's presentation provided some clarification for me. Keynotes can inspire and if you are fortunate, they can also provoke questions, promote reflection, and inevitably develop self-awareness. The days following this event, I also focused on the questions posed by Kirstin for #celebratingwomen. 

What did you want to do at school?

In primary school, I wanted to choreograph ballet. In high school, being a teacher was my goal. It wasn't until I had few other careers, that I finally became a teacher.

What are 3 words to describe your life to date? 

Evolving, Ever-changing, Connected

Who do you hope to inspire, and why? 

While I don’t view myself as inspirational, I do hope my story helps others realise that if you are passionate and dedicated, you can achieve.  And if you are fortunate to have support, embrace it and be appreciative.

How would you describe what it is that you do? 

I create opportunities where educators feel empowered to build their teaching and leadership capacity. 

  

Part of my role is to organise the placement of practicum students and this week, a very experienced teacher and a first-year student teacher shared with me some activities they had collaboratively created. The experienced teacher had previously implemented sketchnoting into her history classes, after Tracey Ezard introduced it at our professional learning day. She kept me updated on her use of sketchnoting and recently introduced and explained the concept to her student teacher. By the end of the week, both we excited to share their students’ work. Accompanying these sketchnotes were smiles and a sense of satisfaction. We had a conversation about visible learning and the importance of not focusing on artistic talent. While colour and pictures may be aesthetically pleasing, the purpose of sketchnoting is to develop the ability to visually interpret information that may assist with student learning.

Their passion for teaching history and introducing sketchnoting to their students was evident in their speech, facial expressions and actions. The conversation later turned to the tech tools of Kahoot, Socrative and the historical knowledge and experience of the highly accomplished teacher. This was collaboration at its best! Respectful and appreciative for what each other brings to the table, this team has collective efficacy. Collective Teachers' Efficacy (CTE) refers to the staff's shared belief that through their collective action, they can positively influence student outcomes, including those who are disengaged and/or disadvantaged. This reaffirmed that very experienced teachers have much to offer preservice teachers and vice versa. When teachers share their strengths, respect the collaborative process, and focus on a common purpose (improved student outcomes), we all benefit. 

Whether the collective are women, teachers, leaders or students, having a common purpose is central.

 Always learning...

@stringer_andrea