'Seeking, using and creating' -education for a creative age .Tapping the intellectual curiosity of the learner.

The title of this interesting book sums up what learning ought to be all about - students as explorers of their world.I would like to think that creative teaching is alive and well but I am not sure I believe that anymore.Being creative has always been a hard road to follow particularly since the introduction of the curriculum and accountability and assessment demands imposed on school in the mid eighties. And this has only escalated with demands for schools to focus on the 'three Rs' leading up to the most recent reactionary concept of National Standards - themselves one step away from National Testing and League Tables.Creativity can only develop in environments of trust and adventure that favour the trying out of new ideas. Surveillance...

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Posted in: Big Picture,Creative Schools,Creative teaching,inquiry learning,project based learning,teaching and learning

It is about the right kind of leadership.Some questions to ask yourself.

Are YOU a Committed “Learning Leader”?Prove it! In The Paradigm Debate.This has been adapted from the article to be found on Tony Gurr's All things learning blog. It was written for CEOs but Tony also wrote that it applies equally to principals or teachers. With this in mind I have replaced CEO with school principal.Two Principals walk into a bar and…Sounds like the start of a very bad joke…but let’s run with it for a minute.They sit down and, being worried about how their schools are doing, they each have a question and decide to pick the brains of the other:Principal #1: What should I do to dramatically increase the performance levels of my staff?Principal #2: How can I dramatically increase my school’s ability to learn?Both questions are...

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Posted in: Big Picture,change,Creative Schools,Leadership,Rants and Raves,School Vision

Will the real leaders stand up so others can join you! Real leaders know what is worth fighting for!

Churchill spent a lot of his energy pointing out the dangers facing the United Kingdom to people who didn't want to know before World War 2. A true leader he stuck to his guns until the time was right. His leadership and oratory provided the necessary hope in dire times: 'we will never surrender'. Such leaders are rare -very few principals fit the description but it is such leaders we need now. It is time to stand up and fight for what is important. At least identify potential leaders and get behind them.Excellent article about leadershipLeadership is about change and transformation and this is at best a risky business involving what scientists call ‘enlightened trial and error’; there are no road maps for the future.The leaders of change...

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Posted in: Big Picture,change,Leadership,Rants and Raves,School Vision

Wounded by School

It is disconcerting to appreciate that schooling , usually seen as a positive experience, is seen by many as damaging to young people. Many years ago a Senior Inspector, of the then Department of Education, asked a group of advisers how schooling had benefited them. He was surprised when many said that little that they currently now thought important had been gained from their schooling. I had the same thoughts. And we were all 'successful'. Made me think, at the time, lots of students must see school in a different light. Of course no one listened then to their voice then - and mostly they were blamed ( or other factors outside the school) for their own lack of success! Things haven't changed.Success in life is all too often determined by...

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Posted in: Big Picture,change,Creative Schools,Educationalists,Leadership,Personalized Learning,Rants and Raves,teaching and learning

Schools can only change from within -and by networking with others.

A photo from the beginning of an exciting class study developed with the class by Deborah, a creative teacher. It is to such teachers we should look towards for inspiration not 'experts' from outside the school. Principals need to value such individuals and link them with other such teachers in other schools. Real change emerges from the 'inside out' not top down as is the current model.For almost three decades schools have been bombarded by change initiatives from outside the school 'led' by 'experts' who have no experience of what they are talking about.It is time school leaders worked out it is over to them ( if they are leaders!) to develop their own change model - led from the 'inside out'.Current change model have made little difference...

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Posted in: Big Picture,change,Creative Schools,Leadership,Personalized Learning,Rants and Raves,School Vision,teaching and learning

Poster Schools and Principals

We need more black sheep leaders prepared to make their own tracks into the future not ones meekly following a standardized pathway.Kelvin Smythe's last posting is too important to post only once so here it is again .But first a few words: It has aways been a concern of mine that over the past decades, for all the leadership courses, there seem to be so few true leaders prepared to stick their necks out. Plenty of compliant managers getting on with doing the wrong things right. A phrase that was used few years ago was that our schools have been 'over managed and under led' still holds true.The trouble is leadership is something that arises due to a combination of timing, need and personal courage. In war time leaders arise like General Montgomery...

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Inspired Impact Keynote (and workshops)

A number of people have asked for copies of my keynote PowerPoint 'A view From the Edge' and my two workshops PowerPoints presented at the recent highly successful Inspired Impact Conference attended by 1400 teachers.I have reduced them down to the key slides for each and they are now available for viewing or downloading. One idea is to download and the edit yourself down to key slides.Keynote: 'A View from the Edge'Workshop One: 'The Art of Teaching'Workshop Two : 'The Craft Of Teaching'I would be interested in your comme...

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Mavericks - our only hope!

Since Tomorrows Schools of the 80s we have relied on distant experts and, worse still, politicians to determine what goes on in our classrooms.We seem to have lost more than we have gained. And most of all we have lost the insight of creative teachers past and present. And no one trusts Ministry experts.As I was gathering material to write an article ( on the importance of the arts) it brought to my attention the importance of creative individual in any areas of human endeavour.And as well, by gathering up resource material, it also made me reflect on the creative process - a very messy one indeed. Not a process liked by the technocrats who like to define and measure predetermined progress.The creative process begins with some kind of vision...

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Posted in: Big Picture,change,Creative teaching,Leadership,Rants and Raves

Sir Ken Robinson - amazing clip

On the 26/27 of January I gave a keynote address to the 2011 Inspired Impact Conference organised by Ross Kennedy Principal of College Street Normal school Palmerston North. Over1400 educators attended.The major draw-card was to be creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson but, at the last moment, Ross was informed Sir Ken could not attend due to Sir Ken having had a heart attack. After the shock Ross arranged for Sir Ken to appear as if live through satellite link up. It was, perhaps, better than real life as sir Ken was screened onto two large screens and was able to take questions from the floor.Click on the video link to get an idea of Sir Ken's message. Admire the cartoon graphics that run as Sir Ken is talking. And, if you have time, take a...

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Posted in: Big Picture,change,Creative teaching Educationalists,Personalized Learning,Talent Development,teaching and learning

A lesson around Waitangi Day.

A wise teacher should take advantage of important events in New Zealand history such as the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.As the celebration comes early in the year it is a good opportunity to introduce the students to how they will be expected to learn in the class; how to work together to develop critical thinking; how to value their own ideas; how to deepen their understandings and how to apply lessons learnt to their own class.The message teachers need to give is that in all learning students need to follow up their own questions, to learn how to make use of whatever resources are available and, as a result of their efforts, to gain a deeper understanding.Such a study could begin before the day and conclude the days following.The first...

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Posted in: Action Plans and Lessons,Creative teaching,project based learning,teaching and learning

Learning: from 'novice' to 'expert' from John Edwards

This is one of the key slides from John Edward's keynote presentation to the 1400 educators who attended the recent Inspired Impact Conference held in Palmerston North.For principals, teachers, and their students who are beginning a new year, this particular slide has an important message -a message for anyone helping another person to learn anything. The white horizontal line at the bottom shows the growth of a learner from 'novice', to 'beginner', to 'competent', 'proficient' and finally 'expert'.The vertical line at left shows the appropriate basis for the level of help ( rule governed behaviour).When anyone undertakes new learning ( including first appointment as a principal or teacher)one starts in the 'novice' position. At this point...

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Posted in: Big Picture,change,Creative teaching,Educationalists,Leadership,Personalized Learning,teaching and learning