What could be made possible if schools were driven by empathy? Leadership: A consultative culture prevailsTeachers: Focus on learning design not content deliveryStudents: Feel like they belong and their voice is valued, become co-designers Imagine the scene, I’ve found the perfect sofa. Colour and style matches with my dream for the space. I’ve sat on […]
Category Archives: Culture
Four Important Ideas: Learning Environment as the ‘Silent’ Contributor Student Wellbeing
“The physical space influences behaviour and ultimate wellbeing of every member of the community” Dr Helen Street (2018) Student wellbeing is not well-served as an extra program, an add-on to the crowded curriculum, as Dr Street argues in her book, Contextual Wellbeing: Creating positive schools from the inside out, it needs to be part of […]
Destination Christchurch NZ: An immersive professional learning experience.
Disruption has characterised this city. In February 2011, the land was disrupted by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake, causing significant loss of life and severe damage. Then in March 2019, there was ‘human’ disruption, with significant loss of life once again. I see a great sense of community and optimism in the people of Christchurch, where […]
CLD Tour 2018: Wish you were here!
CLD: Culture – Learning – Design These three words were the compass guiding this uniquely rich professional learning experience Culture: How might we challenge our own paradigm regarding the people, the content and the context of learning? Learning: How might the experience of school be enhanced and deepened through learner-centred practices? Design: How might we […]
Paradigm shift: from solo-teacher to teaching team
My professional focus is the future of learning and learning environments. I see that the design of the spaces where learning occurs, plays a significant part in providing the context for the education our students need today. The innovative learning environment (ILE) enables an array of opportunities for student learning, supporting a variety of learning […]
Relic or really important: Should students call their teachers by their first name
“Sara”, the student shouted down the corridor, “do you have a key to this classroom?” Often when I visit schools in Europe, we are hosted by students who show us around and tell us about their school. On this particular occasion, we faced a locked door. The student noticed the principal at the other end […]
Growing a team culture for collaboration
I always ask myself the question… Are you sure you need to spend so much time on this section? The Design/Engage workshop is based on the idea: Design <insert> to engage <insert>. For example: Design professional learning to Engage teachers Design strategy to Engage your team Design a presentation to Engage your audience And of […]
First things first: Principal as change agent
Before we even begin to think about teacher being a change agent, we first need to ensure the conditions are in place for the principal be an effective agent of change in the school. What do teachers think about the change styles of principals? You may be surprised by what they think. The article “The Relationships […]
Innovating learning environments: 4 ways to think about sustaining change
We love the photos of cool learning spaces with funky furniture They are captivating, inspiring, but it is impossible to know the full story from a tweeted photo. Recently I’ve had numerous opportunities to talk about the context for change and several resonating themes are emerging around people and change: That chair/table/tech won’t be the silver bullet It’s […]
Does context & culture play a part in the Finnish education story?
After writing the post on phenomenon-based learning in Finland there was a great discussion, comments on the post and a LinkedIn thread. It really makes ideas come alive when we engage in discussion. So thanks to Seetha, Bernadette, Kristina, Rebecca and Matt. The emerging themes were: Curriculum review has collective responsibility and ownership 15 minute […]
