The last post (I think…)

The first post on this blog was written in 2009. It was titled ‘Disturbing the Calm’, a concept which underpinned my vision and my work long past the original context. Despite the obstacles in the way of radical transformation of education, I believe that change can happen one idea at a time, one conversation at a time, as long as we are open to reimagining possibilities.

Over the years I have kept to the commitments I made at the outset. My blog would primarily be a space for sharing my own reflections and practice; I would write in my own voice and minimalistic style; my blog would reflect my inquiries so I would often have more questions than answers; it would always be about learning.

While I’m not especially proud of some of the posts that have been most popular with readers of this blog, the ideas behind the most enduring posts remain meaningful and relevant. I wrote ’10 Ways to encourage students to take responsibility for their learning’ before agency became a buzzword and I really understood its nuances. ’10 ways to gain your students’ respect’ was an instinctive response long before I explored the notion of contextual wellbeing. I wrote about ways to build a reflective culture in students and teachers before I knew the power of coaching and reflective conversations.

There have been times along the way when I lost the writing habit, second guessed myself, wondered if I had anything left to say… and then got back on track albeit less and less frequently.

I feel honoured to still receive appreciative messages from educators who read my blog even though I haven’t posted in almost a year. Online content is often fleeting, but apparently some of the things I have shared still hold value and provoke thinking.

For months I’ve been thinking about writing a final closing post and this might be it… I think.

Edit: A long time reader and friend has messaged to ask if I’m ok. Deciding to stop writing on this blog is not an indication to the contrary! I’m retiring from my school role and heading into other things 🙂

A way of being…

In my coaching with Z, it’s interesting for me to notice the interplay between the three layers; our coaching conversations, the meetings she leads for teams of teachers in her school, and the teaching and learning in their classrooms. The eight cultural forces are at play in all three layers and these reflective questions might influence both culture and way of being, as a coach, a leader or a teacher…

Language

What sorts of questions will encourage and invite thinking? How will our choice of language clarify, provoke and lead to action?

Interactions

How might the tone of our interactions influence the outcomes? How will we build relationships on the basis of trust, empathy and non judgment?

Routines

How might we build in routines that encourage creative and critical thinking and support different perspectives? How might tools and protocols be used to scaffold thinking?

Time

How might we ensure time for thinking? How might we use time productively based on what we notice?

Expectations

How might we create clarity around future outcomes and goals? How might we establish clear beliefs that influence our efforts towards desired goals?

Modelling

What kinds of values might we model, consciously and unconsciously, through our actions and words? How might we model techniques, processes and strategies that might be transferred to other contexts?

Opportunities

How might we create the conditions for thinking, learning and change? How might we notice opportunities for growth?

Environment

How might we create an emotionally safe space where authenticity, honesty, vulnerability and courage can live? 

Contemplations on coaching #3

Back to school…

Prior to returning to school after the longest lockdown, we came together as a staff for dialogue and decision making about what matters to us in the transition back to face-to-face learning.

We explored the following questions:

• What might children have gained from the remote learning experience? 
• How might we ensure we continue or amplify those things?
• What do we see as the most important things children have missed out on? 
• How might we work towards maximising opportunities for those things?

Our vision is based on that shared discussion. Keeping in mind our belief in contextual wellbeing and our focus on aligning our practice with our values and beliefs, the ideas have been synthesised in the context of our learning principles.

Vision for returning to school

We value cohesion, relationships, community, social interaction, play, joy in learning, optimism, growth, kindness, autonomy.

We believe:

Learners need to feel secure, valued and able to take risks, so we will

• Build cohesion and a sense of belonging.
• Support learners, academically, socially and emotionally.
• Create space for expression of  feelings, thoughts, and ideas.
• Establish routines to provide certainty and safety.

Learning takes place in different ways, depending on abilities, preferences and interests, so we will

• Understand that the transition will be different for each person.
• Acknowledge that needs will vary for different people at different times.
• Respond with empathy to social and emotional needs.

Learning is active and social and is enhanced by collaboration, interaction, so we will

• Encourage social interaction and collaboration.
• Model and practise kindness, communication and mutual respect.

Learning takes place through inquiry: questioning, exploring, experimenting and problem-solving, so we will

• Plan responsively, depending on what the students reveal.
• Continue to focus on the process of learning, rather than the product.

Learning includes acquisition of skills and knowledge, constructing meaning and transfer to different contexts, so we will

• Ensure  opportunities for learning and practising the ATL skills, in particular social skills, communication skills and self management.
• Encourage learners to construct meaning by engaging actively with others.

Learning needs to be challenging, meaningful, purposeful and engaging, so we will

• Meet learners where they are at and focus on growth.
• Ensure all learners are actively engaged in the process of learning that’s meaningful for them.

Learning includes metacognition and reflection, which support learners taking ownership of their learning, so we will

• Provide opportunities for reflecting on strengths, challenges and goals while celebrating successes.
• Encourage learners to reflect on  their learning and on themselves as learners, and to make decisions about how to move forward.

Evidencing learning…

Here are some thoughts from a recent PYP Evidencing Learning workshop, supporting teachers to shift from a traditional model of  ‘Pre test – Teach stuff – Post test’  to a model where assessment is integrated and iterative. 

• Learning is not linear.
• Planning and teaching are in response to what learners reveal.
• Learners can be reflective self adjusters, able to drive their own learning.

(Note: Start anywhere, move back and forth as required, always pass through the centre.)

Aligning actions with values and beliefs…

“School culture is a manifestation of the relationships, beliefs and values of a learning community. It shapes the ways members act and interact, and expresses the principles and values that underpin thinking and communicating.” (IB PYP Principles into Practice 2020)

We know what we value in the members of our learning community (the attributes of the IB learner profile) and we know what we believe about learning (our learning principles). This year we have chosen to revisit those and focus on alignment of actions with values and beliefs.

‘Live it, don’t laminate it’, has long been our mantra, but it’s time for a deeper exploration of what it means to walk the talk, using the eight cultural forces as a lens for exploring, and a means for enculturating, the attributes of the Learner Profile and our Learning Principles. We launched the focus in our first day workshop for K-6 educators.

LEARNER PROFILE
Keeping in mind the cultural forces of time, language, modelling, interactions, expectations, routines, opportunities and environment, the following questions were explored.(Try it!)

Inquirer
How might we (continue to) build a culture of curiosity?
Knowledgeable
How might we build a culture that encourages engagement with local and global issues?
Open minded
How might we build a culture where exploration of different perspectives is valued?
Caring
How might we build a culture based on empathy and compassion?
Thinkers
How might we build a culture of critical, creative and ethical thinking?
Communicators 
How might we build a culture of respectful communication and collaboration?
Principled
How might we build a culture that encourages honesty, integrity and sense of justice?
Risk takers
How might we build a culture that encourages experimentation, innovation and resilience?
Balanced
How might we build a culture that strives for intellectual, physical and emotional balance?
Reflective
How might we build a culture in which we thoughtfully consider our strengths, ideas and experiences?

LEARNING PRINCIPLES
In order to revisit our learning principles in context, teachers shared examples of meaningful learning through powerful inquiries they have led or experienced, while others identified the learning principles that were evident. The power of teachers sharing learning, their own and that of their students, is energising and inspiring; noticing and naming beliefs in action adds another dimension!

Then, keeping in mind the cultural forces, we revisited and unpacked each of the learning principles.

• We learn in different ways, depending on abilities, preferences and interests.
• Learning takes place through inquiry: questioning, exploring, experimenting and problem solving.
• Learning occurs by acquiring skills and knowledge, constructing meaning and transfer to other contexts.
• Learning is active and social and best takes place through collaboration and interaction.
• Learning takes place when we feel secure, valued and are able to take risks.
• Learning needs to be challenging, meaningful, purposeful and engaging.
• Learning includes meta-cognition and reflection, and requires learners to take ownership of their learning.

The plan is for teams to engage in collaborative action research underpinned by these beliefs, as the year unfolds.

LEARNER FOCUS
While the theme of ‘walking the talk’ will be integrated into student learning in the younger years too, the central idea for a year-long unit for our upper primary students is ‘Our actions reveal who we are as individuals and as a community‘. The conceptual understandings below could well invite lifelong reflection!

We can reveal our values through our actions

• I can make connections between my values and actions.
• I can make decisions about actions based on my values.

Our actions affect the way people perceive us

• I can think critically about my assumptions and perceptions of others.
• I can engage in reflective conversations about my own actions.

Through action and reflection, we can grow and change

• I can describe changes and growth in my actions and values over time.
• I can decide who I want to be every day.

Apparently we’re not the only ones thinking about this currently… (Sign spotted locally by one of our leaders)

What does it mean to be ‘assessment capable’?

I used to think being ‘assessment capable’  just implied things like setting tests, planning summative tasks, grading and giving feedback.

A thought provoking conversation the other day with @YuniSantosa and @MKPolly, in relation to various workshops we will lead in the new year, highlighted the following questions assessment capable teachers and learners might ask ourselves:

How might I observe and notice my students’ learning?

What is revealed through what students say and do?
What skills and dispositions are they demonstrating?
What skills and dispositions might they need to work on?
What have they understood? What misconceptions do they have?
How have they moved forward? What’s holding them back?
What is their behaviour communicating?
What questions might I ask to reveal what students are thinking?
How has their thinking changed? What prompted the shift?
What patterns do I observe in individuals, groups or the whole class?
How might reflecting on evidence of learning guide my teaching?

How might I support students to move forward in their learning?

How might I provoke their curiosity?
How might I respond to what they reveal?
What might I offer that could take them to the next level?
How might I push their thinking further?
How might I further challenge them?
How might my questions clarify their understanding and help them notice misconceptions?
How might I help them notice and identify skills and dispositions?
How might I encourage them to build on their strengths?
What feedback and feedforward will be valuable?
How can I target my teaching to meet specific needs?
How might modelling my own thinking and reflection encourage theirs?
How might I ensure learners feel empowered to drive their own learning?

How might students be empowered to drive their own learning?

How might the teacher’s language influence the way students see themselves as learners?
Is how we learn as much a part of the conversation as what we learn?
How is ownership of learning encouraged and fostered?
Are students invited to co-construct success criteria?
What experiences, mentor texts and examples will help build their schema?
What opportunities are there for students to demonstrate their thinking and learning?
Are students encouraged to take risks and make mistakes?
What opportunities do they have to grapple with productive tension?
Is failure viewed as an opportunity to learn and grow?
What opportunities are there for students to make their own decisions?
How is the environment organised to maximise independence and agency?
How might students use their own and others’ strengths to move their learning forward?

What reflective questions might support assessment capable learners?

What new understandings do I have?
What connections have I made?
What am I still wondering?
What new skills have I mastered? What skills might I need to work on?
What strategies have I used? What strategies have I learned that I can use in future?
What patterns have I noticed? How might I apply what I learn from them?
What might my next steps be?
How might I approach things differently next time?
What strengths have I noticed in myself and others?
What challenges might I need to overcome?
Who might be able to support me? How might I support others?
What have I noticed about myself as a learner?

What else would you add?

What if we liberated the learning from report cards

Every time we’ve thought about how we might improve our reports, we’ve failed. The barriers to major change have somehow seemed insurmountable. Parental expectations, government requirements, technical restrictions, constraints from within and outside of the school and our own heads… all of these have stood in our way.

And then came COVID, along with weeks of remote learning, and the chance to reimagine our reports, at least for this semester. The only barrier was time, and this turned out to be an advantage. No time to seek perfection, just the opportunity to take an inquiry stance, dive in and produce something both meaningful and practical, as quickly as possible.

How might we create a report that aligns with what we believe about learning? What if we report on what we really value in learning? What if we elect to report only on transferable skills? What if we let go of expected ‘levels’ (real or imagined) and pay more attention to who each child is as a learner? What if we focus on assessment FOR and AS learning, rather than only assessment OF learning? How might we support students and parents to value and reflect on skills that really matter?

So we created a written report which views the whole child, addressing the development of a broad range of skills and dispositions including social, self-management, communication, thinking and research skills. These ‘ATL’ skills, as we call them in the PYP, are the building blocks that support our learners in all areas of learning and of life.

How might we best observe, assess and reflect on these skills? We considered the possibility of creating a grade by grade continuum but the development of these skills is neither age dependent nor linear. Is developing and reflecting on these skills, in fact, lifelong learning? How best might they be learned? Some influencing factors include the language we use to notice and name them, how they are modelled, opportunities for them to be demonstrated, expectations and routines around practising them. Once again, we see Ron Ritchhart’s cultural forces at play. What if, rather than seeing them as being ‘taught’, we consider how most of these trans disciplinary skills might be enculturated?

Our written report will be accompanied by in-depth conversations between students, parents and teachers. Together, the written report and the conversation will focus both on growth and on potential next steps. I’m conscious of how the Growth Coaching approach has influenced this vision. Some years ago, we shifted from performance appraisals for teachers to a growth model, in which teachers, in partnership with leaders, are encouraged to identify strengths and set goals for further development. Why should students be measured against arbitrary age based standards? What if the focus for student reporting was on growth, too? What if  strengths were highlighted and students were supported to reflect on future action they might take to further their development?

Are we there yet? No. Have we come up with a starting point that (mostly) addresses expectations and requirements, while coming much closer to aligning our beliefs about learning with the way we report on it? Yes. Are we still struggling with some aspects as we explore how to improve on and sustain these changes? Absolutely. But embracing the power of ‘what if?’ is how we drive change and how we grow.

I’m certain that many of you are reporting in this way already. We’ve been on the road for a while now but, somehow, we needed this period of remote learning to give us permission to see a potential new way forward.

Thoughts on remote learning…

Much of what I know about distance learning, I learned from the Granny Cloud…

It’s been ten years, on and off, of connecting virtually with children in a range of disadvantaged contexts, mostly in India. Ten years of ups and downs, of being disappointed when things didn’t work and delighted when expectations were surpassed; disheartened when children were unresponsive and uplifted when they surprised me with their curiosity, confidence and creativity. The children ‘on the other side’ came to every session, unfailingly enthusiastic, open to new ideas, willing to experiment and be challenged, excited by an opportunity so different from their reality of life and school.

I’ve engaged in virtual interactions where the sound didn’t work and all we could do was make faces at each other or where the children spoke no English and simply stared at me. I’ve planned, what I thought were, interesting sessions that fell flat and I’ve gone into sessions with no plans, that turned into powerful learning experiences for both the children and me. I have often marvelled at the simplicity of an idea that is so powerful in its implementation, and wondered what Jayesh and Digvijay, Anshika and Farheen will be doing years from now and who they might become in the future.

Yet in these most challenging of times, as I apply my learning from the Granny Cloud in the context of distance learning with privileged children, it saddens me that those children from whom I learned so much, are currently unable to connect…

The most valuable messages you can take to your current experiments with remote/ distance/ emergency  learning (whatever you choose to call it) are these:

• Children are capable, competent and creative.
• Personal connection matters more than content.
• Focus on relationships rather than curriculum.
• Don’t try to replicate school.

Circle of viewpoints…

A colleague of mine has three daughters. One says when school shuts, she will follow her daily schedule and stick to the school routines. Another says she will finally have time to work on her personal projects. The third says that she will see how she feels when she wakes up each day.

As we prepare for school closure in Australia, emotions are heightened and interactions are fraught as individuals struggle with their particular anxieties and uncertainties. It’s a time for empathy, for pausing to remember that everyone’s reality is different and, for many, stories they don’t choose to share might be impacting their very way of being. What seemed right when we started preparing our guidelines for remote learning (was it really only the week before last?) has already been adapted several times and is still changing, as the sands rapidly shift.

If ever there was an appropriate, authentic time to practise the Circle of Viewpoints thinking routine for exploring different perspectives, from Project Zero, this is it. What might different teachers need right now? How might parents be feeling? How will we meet the needs of our diverse learners, as students and as human beings?

What will our students need?

• a sense of community and connection with peers?
• daily checkins with their teachers?
• similar routines to usual?
• plenty of opportunities and ideas to keep them busy?
• lots of choice?
• not too much choice?
• no expectation that stress them out?
• clear expectations that keep them focused?
• time to work on personal projects?
• time and space to just be with their families?
• more work?
• less work?
• different work?
• no work?

What will our parents need?

• clear guidelines for schoolwork?
• asynchronous opportunities only, to relieve pressure?
• synchronous opportunities to maintain routine?
• more work?
• less work?
• different work?
• no work?
• regular checkins from the school?
• not too many checkins from the school?
• appreciation that they might have several kids to care for?
• recognition of their financial concerns?
• understanding that they are worried their children will miss out on their education?
• time and space to just be with their families?

What will educators need?

• plenty of support from leaders?
• tech support to ensure they can manage online learning?
• a sense of community and cohesion?
• clear expectations in terms of their roles?
• understanding of their challenges and fears?
• appreciation that they too might have several kids to care for?
• recognition of their financial concerns and insecurities?
• time and space to just be with their families?

As we plan for school closure, the most important thing to remember is that one size will not fit all. Awareness of the myriad factors, other than school, currently impacting lives, is paramount.