I presented a talk at the CEFPI NSW seminar that reflected on what we can learn from Scandinavia. It is an amalgam of my trips there over the last couple of years, to see what ideas, philosophies, learning spaces and systems that are in use and are successfully engaging students in their learning. (There is alsoContinueContinue reading “Nokia, Ikea & Pickled Herrings: Learning from Scandinavia #CEFPI #SCIL (Part 1)”
Category Archives: Culture
Reflection on the Finnish education system: More questions than answers #SCIL
Having spent a little time in Finland I have gained an impression of the educational culture and the system’s achievements. Educators from all over the world are travelling to Finland to learn from their PISA success. Some to try and improve their own country’s outcomes, while some nations are keen to topple them from theContinueContinue reading “Reflection on the Finnish education system: More questions than answers #SCIL”
Don’t just look at schools: inspiration from The Design Factory at Aalto University, Finland #SCILFinland
“Less space for individual territory and more space to share” “Investment in people, not walls” We had a few hours to spare and were invited to spend the morning at The Design Factory, a project centre located within Aalto University, and providing a place for interdisciplinary collaborative projects, from industry and well as student-based. AaltoContinueContinue reading “Don’t just look at schools: inspiration from The Design Factory at Aalto University, Finland #SCILFinland”
The imperative: Paradigm shift for school (The world is changing…it always will) Part 2
Who would have thought a camera in a mobile phone would bring down a household name? Longstanding business models, like Kodak, can’t assume that the way things have always been, is the way things will remain. In the same way, the longstanding ‘business model’ that is school education needs to look at the times andContinueContinue reading “The imperative: Paradigm shift for school (The world is changing…it always will) Part 2”
The imperative: Paradigm shift for school (how to convince family, friends, colleagues & strangers) Part 1
Like me, you may be an early adopter on the change continuum. We are excited by the new, we are intuitive and see that throughout history change, as the point was once made, is the only constant. This was particularly brought to mind in the last week with the bankruptcy announcement of Kodak. The mostContinueContinue reading “The imperative: Paradigm shift for school (how to convince family, friends, colleagues & strangers) Part 1”
Reflections of Rwanda: 3. Where are the girls? #Rwanda2012
A highlight of my time in Rwanda was meeting Joy. She was a three year old when the genocide took her father. A recent graduate of Sonrise School in Musanze, Joy is warm, articulate and intelligent. I was taken by the professional way that this young woman showed us around the school. She recently finishedContinueContinue reading “Reflections of Rwanda: 3. Where are the girls? #Rwanda2012”
Reflections of Rwanda 2012: 2. Pressing the ‘reset button’ on culture #Rwanda2012
We are one people. We speak one language. We have one history. ‘Culture change’, is usually considered an ongoing, medium to long term process of transformation. It recognizes that some people will be slower to adopt new ways and some will resist the change and each of these elements need to be effectively managed. WhatContinueContinue reading “Reflections of Rwanda 2012: 2. Pressing the ‘reset button’ on culture #Rwanda2012”
Reflections of Rwanda 2011: 1. You can dream big #Rwanda2012
This generation of young people in Rwanda can dream bigger than their parents could ever imagine. In the Musanze region in Northern Rwanda tourists come to Kinigi see the gorillas, the home of the ‘Gorillas in the Mist’. On the short drive from our hotel we traveled through villages, where Rwandan people were going aboutContinueContinue reading “Reflections of Rwanda 2011: 1. You can dream big #Rwanda2012”
School education: What can we do to make 2012 a tipping point for irreversible change?
2011 has been a fantastic year for me and I am excited about what 2012 will bring. I left teaching about 12 years ago, disenchanted with a system that was bogged down in traditional thinking, I didn’t know the term ‘industrial-era’ back then. I could see that school was becoming disconnected from the real worldContinueContinue reading “School education: What can we do to make 2012 a tipping point for irreversible change?”
Become an educational innovator & disrupt! 5 key skills to develop
This week I briefly spoke to our key leaders about innovation, an integral part of the DNA at SCIL. A culture of innovation is essential to achieving our vision and values. Our 21stC life is a result of innovation. Innovation differs from improvement because it disrupts. It messes with the way we do things, itContinueContinue reading “Become an educational innovator & disrupt! 5 key skills to develop”
culture | learning | design 