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fractal imagination

What are we reading 2016?

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Paula Eskett

If you are what you eat, what does your reading selection say about you?

In a world where the feeling of information overload resonates with nearly all working in education, some of CORE Education’s most ferocious readers have reviewed their best professional read of 2016 in the hope we can help with any feeling of ‘infowhelm’ you may have.

Our curated What are we reading — the best of 2016 professional reading list is a snapshot of recent and current literature which has been added to our CORE Library collection. This collection — a mix of print, e-readings, and research — supports our CORE whānau to keep current and innovative, as we work across Aotearoa’s schools, kura, and centres.

Your local public library can get you a copy of any of the books reviewed here, if your school library’s Professional Development Collection doesn’t.

Happy Reading!

 

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable — Patrick Lencioni, Jossey Bass. Wiley, 2002.

The five dysfunctions of a team Every organisation within and outside of education faces, at some point, the need to address issues around trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, or results. In fact, these are areas we continually work on, in, and across our teams. Lencioni’s work promotes these five areas as the necessary components of a successful, functioning team. If any are absent, a team will not be successful in achieving its common goal or desired results.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is an easy-to-read fable created by Lencioni to illustrate his theory in real terms for leaders, or for anyone working in, or with, collaborative groups or teams. The fable follows the efforts of a newly-appointed leader who has been introduced to an organisation with several dysfunctional practices. She uses Lencioni’s theory to observe the staff and then to slowly address their areas of need in terms of working successfully as a team. There are challenges along the way — as there always are when working with other people — and the fable shows practical ways to introduce the model and then address the five dysfunctions. At the end of the fable, Lencioni provides a series of chapters outlining the five dysfunctions in detail, along with some strategies for leaders.

CORE facilitators use this book to support CoLs, Clusters, teaching teams, and many other groups, both within the CORE Whānau and with our clients. Facilitation, teaching, and educational leadership are all human-centred professions, and this book shows you in clear, easy-to-understand ways how to ensure that you can be part of, or lead, highly collaborative groups. Combine this theory with your organisation’s cultural values and with our tikanga Māori — for example, using a wānanga setting to build teamwork — and you can build powerful, connected teams. (Also available on Audible as an audiobook)

Reviewed by Rebbecca Sweeney

Coherence: The Right Drivers in Action for Schools, Districts, and Systems — Michael Fullan & Joanna Quinn. Corwin, 2016

coherenceBefore I had even started Chapter 3, I had pulled several valuable quotes from Michael Fullan and Joanna Quinn’s book, Coherence (2016), for proposals and papers! It is deceptively easy to read, with a framework, detailed examples, infographics, and guidelines. The book, I feel, would support facilitators, kaiako/educators, and leaders/kaiarataki to work with demanding political requirements, while also building the conditions for genuine change, shared aspirations … and learning — with the learner very firmly at the centre —  “…through purposeful action and interaction, working on capacity, clarity, precision of practice, transparency, monitoring of progress, and continuous correction“.

Some of the recommendations for leaders include:

  1. Engage as a co-learner;
  2. Support the growth of leadership from the middle
  3. Recognise that “shifting practices” will come from all areas of an organisation;
  4. Balance push and pull strategies;
  5. Create “safe places for risk taking”; and,
  6. Encourage the growth of human capacity in every way possible.

Fullan and Quinn define coherence as the “[s]hared depth of understanding about the purpose and nature of the work“, as opposed to structure, alignment, and strategy. Their framework for coherence making is based on 1) focusing direction, 2) cultivating collaborative cultures, 3) deepening learning, and 4) securing accountability. To achieve coherence, all four need to be “addressed simultaneously and continuously”. There is plenty of room built in for the human factor within the change process, including the recognition that many in the education profession are working “under conditions of overload, fragmentation and policy churn“.

There are also, for me, some insightful ‘myth busters’, including a sometimes misplaced notion that to “gel under the reality of action” collaboration is the key. However, although important, “collaboration as an end in itself is a waste of time”. To make sure that collaboration is effective it also requires the “discipline and specificity of collective deliberation”. The people who are involved in the collaboration need to have a clear idea of why they are collaborating, to the point where everyone in the kura / school / centre or region can “talk the walk” (i.e., articulate the key ideas and actions behind any initiative for change).

By the time I had finished reading the book, it was bristling with the little stickies I use to mark nuggets of ‘idea gold’. The picture presented by Coherence grew as I read it and the pieces all started to gain detail and colour. I would highly recommend this as a quick read — and then something to return to for a follow up read!

Reviewed by Hazel Owen

 

Change: Learn to Love It, Learn to Lead It by Gerver, Richard (2013) Paperback — Richard Gerver. Portfolio, 2013.

change An interesting year indeed, for me, in terms of reading. I have borrowed more books than ever before and read less. I refuse to enter the ‘busyness-trap’-type discussion, I just think I am changing as a reader. I skim and scan, I read online, I devour magazines and articles, and I enjoy reading for pleasure, losing myself in a book that is as far removed from my real life as possible. Having said that, I have a stack of partially read books that I can’t wait to dive into as the end of year chaos settles…

Our educational landscape is undergoing change at a fast rate of knots, and my reading choice of late aligns with the change theme:

Change: learn to love it, learn to lead it by Richard Gerver is a great easy read. It reads as if Gerver is speaking directly to the reader, inspiring, empowering, and encouraging. Following a carefully woven path; from exploring change, to questioning change; to developing and leading change, this book is a refreshing read in changing times. Sharing and reflecting on his journey, Gerver invites us to welcome change.

This book speaks to me as a facilitator, an educator, and personally; encouraging and embracing change with a hunger for continuous improvement.

Whatever you are grappling with now, I thoroughly recommend that you read Richard’s Change, to help you reflect on where you’ve come from and maybe set some new pathways and goals.

Reviewed by Anne Kenneally

 

Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable — Seth Godin. Penguin, 2005

purple cow - set godin I came across this book when I was in the States and it seemed very apt for where CORE is as we transition from a company focused on Ministry of Education contracts, to one operating in an increasingly competitive environment.

The main premise of Godin’s argument focuses on the need to be remarkable or become invisible in a hectic marketplace. Godin has taken the 7 P’s of marketing principles (price, product, promotion etc) and added the ‘Purple Cow’ as a way of standing out in a crowd.

For Godin, though, it is deeper than how you promote yourself — it isn’t about painting any old cow purple, it is about developing something so fundamentally different it will become a purple cow. It’s about pushing the boundaries right from the conception of an idea.

The book is quite small, and at first glance seems like an easy read, but it is packed with great insights and examples of modern marketing which certainly get you thinking. In fact, I think it is worth a second read after a few months to ensure you have digested all those ideas and mulled on how you could adapt them.

A couple of key takeaways to whet your appetite:
“It’s much riskier to be safe and blend in with the masses, and it’s safer to be risky and set yourself apart from the rest” – whilst it is scary to be brave and take risks, it should be safer for the business in the long-run to take some well thought-out risks.

And then there are the sneezers — someone who spreads an “ideavirus.” They’re more than willing to tell the world about an awesome product or service, and every market needs them. — our role is to find and woo sneezers.

It is an enjoyable book, and one I would encourage anyone to read if they are interested in how we need to position ourselves in this challenging new market.

Reviewed by Ali Hughes

 

Simple Habits for Complex Times: Powerful Practices for Leaders — Jennifer Garvey Berger and Keith Johnstone. Stanford University Press, 2015

simple habits for complex timesThis book has a simple and practical message —  ask different questions; seek multiple perspectives; and understand the system. The writers suggest that developing these habits helps leaders move from ‘managing the probable’ to ‘leading the possible.’ I’d suggest these habits of mind are useful for everyone. I had to buy my own copy of the book as I had so many yellow stickies in the first few pages of the CORE copy. Now I’ve got a well dog-eared version.

The book powerfully uses storytelling, and is a bit of a page turner as you get involved in the lives of the protagonists. Their story is interwoven with the lessons about putting the simple habits into practice — by knowing yourself, breaking the old habits, and trying something new (all not so simple). The chapter headings are also wonderful draw cards. For example, ‘Make rational use of human irrationality’, ‘Grow your people to be bigger than your problems.’

The writers know their stuff — all theory is referenced; and they know New Zealanders — they have worked closely with government and industry leaders. They are kind to each other and kind to the leaders represented in the book. I’m recommending this one to everyone at the moment.

Reviewed by Carolyn English

 

Design Driven Innovation: Changing the Rules of Competition by Radically Innovating What Things Mean — Roberto Verganti. Harvard Business Press, 2009.

design driven innovationInnovation in industry has focused broadly on two strategies. One is the radical improvement in product performance pushed by breakthrough technologies. The other is improved product performance based on users’ needs. Both strategies focus on improving a product or service. With its user-centred approach, however, the latter strategy sits within the realm of ‘design-thinking’.

In his book, Design-Driven Innovation, Roberto Verganti suggests a third strategy: the radical innovation on the meaning of a product. This approach, he suggests, creates ‘disruption’ in the market. Think of Apple with its design and release of the first smartphone (the iPhone). Apple innovated on the meaning of an existing product. In doing so, it pushed the possibilities of technology and created a new market. People embraced this change quickly. They then viewed, used, and engaged with their mobile phones in a completely different, new, and ‘smarter’ way. It was unexpected and it ‘disrupted’ the mobile phone market. An entire industry then followed Apple’s lead.

In terms of education, design thinking, can be a useful strategy to change and shape the systems that have a direct impact on policy-making and educational practice. With its user-centred focus (student, leader, teacher, parent…), it enables innovative, but often incremental change. However, Verganti argues that it is limited by the parameters that are defined by a user’s current beliefs, values, knowledge, and experiences. Incremental change in education has real value, but, with its reliance on a user-focus, do we only design different ways of implementing change based on old systems and processes, improving upon our own and others’ outdated ideas and beliefs? Is this type of change too slow? Is it truly effective? Is it enough?

Even though Design-Driven Innovation is not an educational book, it really made me think about the ideas presented in the context of education. The world around us is changing rapidly. For our children’s sake, do we keep relying on an incremental approach to changing education? Can we afford to rely on a user-focus? Or do we design something that is totally out of people’s realm of thinking? Like Apple did with its innovative new products introduced in 2007, disrupting the mobile phone market. Should educators and policymakers break away totally from past and present ideologies to disrupt the status quo? Are we too busy innovating on the form and function of products and services within education, and have we neglected to look deeper and innovate on the meaning of education? Furthermore, if we were to do this, what would it look like? Is the education system ready for disruptive innovation? Do we have a choice?

Reviewed by Fionna Wright
http://www.core-ed.org/about-core/our-team/content-design-and-development/fionna-wright

 

Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone — Mark Goulston. Amcon, 2010

just listen - mark goulstonEvery day we talk to different people about different things, but actually, how effective are we at understanding other people’s needs, and helping them to understand ours? This book was definitely my ‘best read of the year’. Once I finished it I started again at the beginning. I wanted to be able to remember each page word for word. I wanted to be able to remember each strategy and each occasion to use each strategy.

This is a very easy and engaging read. You will find yourself thinking of different people as the author helps you to look at yourself, and how your communication style may not actually be helping you get through to the different people you need to communicate with. Whether you are engaging with adults or children, in business, in schools, or in your personal life, this book will have something for everyone.

Reviewed by Jane Nicholls

 

 

The Innovator’s Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity — George Couros. Dave Burgess Consulting, 2015.

the innovator's mindsetIf you are familiar with Carol Dweck’s concept of growth mindset, and the power of ‘not yet’, or perhaps John Hattie’s mind frames, then The Innovator’s Mindset is for you. Starting with questions, with the learner firmly at the centre, Couros challenges educators to consider:

“What is best for this learner?”

The book is clearly structured, with questions for discussion at the end of each chapter. These serve as critical self-review, and opportunities to identify next steps. A taster of topics covered include: relationships, leadership, culture and overcoming barriers to innovation in education. One thing that resonates well with me is the ‘Less is more’, a concept that we need to address if we want quality education that empowers our future learners. Couros starts with knowing WHY we must change, and identifies eight characteristics of an Innovator’s Mindset:

 

8 characteristics of the innovative mindset Image: @gcouros @sylviaduckworth

As an aside, I took the opportunity to participate in the inaugural #Innovators Mindset MOOC #IMMOOC earlier this year. I highly recommend this as Couros is planning to run round two from February 2017. You may wish to read more here. Also, subscribe to George Couros’s blog here.

In summary, the by-line of the text summarises why you might want to add The Innovator’s Mindset to your professional reading. Educators and leaders — what are you waiting for?
‘Empower Learning, Unleash Talent and Lead a Culture of Creativity’

Reviewed by Joanne Robson

 

UDL in the Cloud!: How to Design and Deliver Online Education Using Universal Design for Learning — Katie Novak & Tom Thibodeau. Cast Professional Publishing, 2016.

UDL in the Cloud!: How to Design and Deliver Online Education Using Universal Design for Learningudl in the cloudAs a facilitator of blended learning, I found this book a MUST Read! I particularly liked the daughter/father team approach, and the practical nature of the book, with useful tips throughout. For example, to build engagement online, offer multiple ways of getting to know your learners. What about a 6-minute video, or an online survey where learners can share goals; how they might manage their time, and ways to measure the impact of their learning.

‘UDL assumes learner variability’ (p. 165)

To ensure we are motivating, engaging, and connecting all our learners, Novak encourages us to explore learning in a meaningful, authentic way, to ensure learners are encouraged to think critically and be creative. Facilitators need to consider their social and cognitive presence in an online environment, alongside the learners themselves. Novak asks us to consider:

What do you want your learners to remember in two years’ time?

I highly recommend this book for those embarking on online/blended facilitation, developing online courses, and anyone who wishes to ensure that their learning environment is inclusive, for all.

Reviewed by Joanne Robson

 

 


Feature image: Fractal-imagination — CC0 Public Domain

 

 

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digital natives

I am a citizen of Facebook

Posted on December 14, 2016 by James Hopkins

I have been a member of Facebook for longer than I have been in New Zealand. I have had a wonderful, career-defining seven years in Aotearoa and continue to love it with as much passion as the day I arrived. It has been seven years of pedagogy, intense learning, and exploration. However, I have been part of Facebook, posting, sharing and connecting since 2006. It has become part of my everyday existence, checking my feed and catching up with friends all over the world. If anything, I feel more a citizen of Facebook, than I do any country I am from or have lived in.

Why?

BritainAlthough I hold a UK passport, I’m not really part of the system anymore. Of course, I remain proud of where I come from, and happy to laugh when declaring myself a ‘Pom,’ but when you do not live the experiences, you never really feel part of them.

New ZealandLikewise, I’ve only been in New Zealand for seven years. I do not hold a New Zealand passport, nor am I a full citizen of this country. I’m proud to be associated with New Zealand education and New Zealanders, a people who have embraced me into their culture and whānau, however, I am not really a Kiwi.

FacebookI feel very much as a citizen of the real world, but perhaps more importantly, a citizen of Social Media. So, if I don’t really ‘fit’ as a citizen of the United Kingdom or New Zealand, what am I left with? Seven years on Twitter and 10 on Facebook, connecting, collaborating and sharing with people from all over the world.

As I hit my mid-thirties, I remind myself that I am not a digital native- a wonderful noun, defined as:

digital native
noun

  1. a person born or brought up during the age of digital technology and so familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age.
  2. “the digital tools that are reshaping our economy make more sense to young digital natives than to members of older generations”

I, like many of you, remember a time before the Internet, when email didn’t exist in the mainstream, and long before the days of Skype. I most certainly do not look back at those times with a rose tint. Technology has not only made my life easier, it has enabled me to connect with friends and family ‘back home’ effortlessly. However, this has been a process of growth and adoption, pushing boundaries, and learning from online mistakes. Throughout, Facebook has been a constant. Not native, but still, very much at home in a digital world.

There is certainly a distinct difference between being at home in a digital world and being digitally native. And so, I think of the students we work with every day. Those who have been on social media and using apps like Snapchat for as long as their memories can recall. In 2011, ABC News reported estimates of 7.5 million Facebook users under the age of 13-years-old, with almost 5 million under the age of 10. What’s more alarming is that these figures come from a survey of just 20 million users under the age of 21 in the United States. This equates to 37.5% of users on Facebook being underage. My point is that guiding the use of social media and the many associated challenges, does NOT just fall into the realm of secondary teachers, it’s everywhere.

We are operating in a world of digitally native students. Just recently, I watched a SoulPancake clip on Youtube. It opens with the following:

“Our generation is stuck in this unique position of trying to create ourselves. As if growing up and making sense of the world wasn’t enough, we have this second space where we are forging our identities. One where no generation before us has set the rules. I am as much a citizen of Snapchat as I am of New Zealand.” (Soulpancake 2016)

It is this mind frame we cannot ignore. The sense of belonging felt by the learners of today towards online communities is equal to, if not greater than, their sense of belonging to a country. Coupled with the global transience of people, many of the students we teach now simply do not have the same affinity to their country of birth, because they no longer live in it! Many teachers I have spoken with recently struggle to understand this. How can a student feel such pride in being part of an online community? But they do.

Social media is the norm

We are gradually moving into a time of communication and interaction via social media becoming the norm. A small town in Granada, Spain has dropped their traditional customer service in favour of interacting via social media.

“Around the world, governments and citizens are engaging on social media. For instance, the town government in Jun, Spain has famously ditched its traditional approach to municipal customer service and replaced it with Twitter interactions.” (Toscano 2016)

They are not alone. Post Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast United States, Twitter became an essential lifeline for those waiting for emergency announcements and information as to how to stay safe.

Whether it’s celebrities, TV show accounts, or popular online personalities, our students of today rely heavily on their interactions with social media. As they tackle the minefield of social development and interactions, they crave information to keep up with their peers. And so, it’s logical that they turn to social networking to achieve this.

Social media as a laxative for the brain

Surely, it, therefore, falls to us as educators to instill the same offline boundaries into the learners of today?

Quite recently, I heard Dane Baptiste (a British Comedian and writer) describe social media as a ‘laxative for the brain.’ For the first time, my social media and networking world stopped to reflect on what I’d just heard. With the recent US election overflow on Twitter, I realised very abruptly that he was right. Please do not misunderstand me. This didn’t mean for one moment that my love of online connections, collaboration, and sharing dwindled in any way. However, scrolling the rhetoric and diatribe from both sides of the electoral parties, it is easy to see why such a metaphor works. The ‘flamers’ were all too apparent. Their conviction and language use appeared to often be without forethought or reflection, and the conversations often spanned multiple time zones and countries. Digging in a little deeper, it immediately became obvious that much of the internet noise was not coming from 13 – 25-year-olds, but from those who could be judged to know better. Is this the message we want to send to learners and social medias of tomorrow? The evils and perils of online interaction will always exist; however, the Key Competencies must be extended to online interactions and behaviour. If we cannot manage ourselves and relate to others effectively, the hateful noise will simply never cease.

Finding the balance

Whether you see social media use as a problem or an incredible resource, there can be no denying that it is firmly entrenched in our society. Learners of today value their online interactions as highly as their offline conversations. Our role as teachers and educators has never been more crucial in helping them find the balance, behaviour, and beauty that exists in all their lives.

Sources

Soulpancake. 2016, Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZAkZ4TzSEA

Toscano, James. 2016, Retrieved from: http://theconversation.com/does-social-media-help-the-government-citizen-relationship-depends-who-you-ask-58481

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story hui class

Capturing the ‘voice’ of the learner…

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Anne Kenneally

“A picture is worth a thousand words” is an English idiom. It refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image or that an image of a subject conveys its meaning or essence more effectively than a description does. Wikipedia

Indigenous cultures from around the world have used pictures and art forms to express a moment in time or tell a story for centuries. For Māori, this has/is often in kōwhaiwhai, whakairo, and tukutuku.

As we approach the end of our school year, we pause to reflect on our journey, our progress, our challenges, and successes. For us, as facilitators, we have the privilege of working alongside educators, supporting them to reflect on their inquiry. One tool we use, is Story Hui.

“Story Hui is inspired by ancient forms of storytelling incorporating speech, sign, gesture, and simple drawing”. Story Hui allows us to capture an image (or sketchnote) of a learning journey. It enables us to dig deeper into how learning was before an intervention, explore the inquiry or action, and reflect on the outcome or evidence. We capture this in pictorial form, and in brief notes during a five-minute sharing slot or session. A further five minutes is dedicated to digging deeper into the story, being mindful of supporting the storyteller to articulate the journey, and reflect on progress. The audience are the people in the room. The story told impacts on educators. As the audience, they are drawn into the story, invited to question and go deeper into the story. This interaction celebrates the journey, and allows the storyteller to dig deeper into their story of practice. I always conclude the Story Hui celebration with capturing an image of storyteller and artist.

Today, for the first time, I completed a Story Hui with an educator and her class as the audience. The benefits were numerous. The students listened intently to the learning journey of their teacher, hearing her challenges, successes, and “aha!” moments. They heard themselves in the story, as participants in the journey. The students could dig deeper into the story during the questioning session, carefully phrasing their questions to focus on the teacher’s journey. Acknowledging the progress that they have all made — feeling the celebration and success of the journey —was very rewarding. They were immensely proud of their teacher and themselves. Next steps for this teacher might be to capture a Story Hui of some of her learners’ journeys.

story hui assessment

What is it that sets Story Hui apart? The focus is entirely on the storyteller and their journey. There is no place for ‘hijacking’ the journey and slipping it to the story of another. It focuses on a change/action/inquiry that an educator has undertaken, looking at the progress to date. It concludes with where we are at NOW. Sure, you can reflect on it and use it as a guide to shape the next part of your journey, but it is a story of progress to date. It is interactive. It is captured visually and via notes. It demands the attention of the audience. It is a celebration, a ‘warts and all’ celebration, is not prepared for, and is directly from the heart, mind, or soul of the storyteller. It is not judged or challenged, and it is valued, acknowledged, and celebrated.

I wonder if Story Hui will see itself adding to the reshaping of reporting?. I wonder if learners will create/share their own Story Hui, unpacking their ‘holistic’ progress?. I wonder if learners are able to feel the power of progress they make?.

As Vicki Davis says, “Sketchnoting is not just an attractive way to take notes, it can improve retention and learning.”

Karen Spencer’s keynote at uLearn16 was captured by Mary Brake of http://www.reflectiongraphics.com/. I had the privilege of hearing this keynote. Revisiting this image enables me to revisit the learning and reflect on many of the key points. A wondering I have is, how can we use sketchnoting with learners to maximise impact? If you capture a learning journey in sketchnote form, it has passed through your filter; you have synthesised the message. If you visit the sketchnote of another, it alerts you to recall poignant messages, and maybe go further, looking at what has been included, and what has been left out. How could a culture of sketchnoting/whakaahua enhance your class, school, learning journey as you unpack your inquiries? My colleague, Janelle Riki, explained to me the deeper essence of the word whakaahua, (which is often used in Māori for picture or photograph) to emanate the essence of someone, something in a picture form.
“Stories are embedded into every aspect of our daily lives like a finely woven korowai cloak. I think it’s exciting to be able to measure the shifts in learning outcomes, teacher practice and whanau and community engagement through the myriad of stories that are just waiting to be told.” – Jason Ruakere

Karen Spencer story

I have previously blogged about mindfulness in a post titled You Matter. A book I am currently reading has a section of mindful art quotes. How could we use this skill in class to empower our learners to explore, adopt, unpack, and ‘own’ their own story in quotes? Could the art of creating imagery or artwork around a quote or phrase, support in adopting or automating of it, and the behaviour associated with it? I am thinking of this with regard to values, vision, anchor charts, and learning phrases, or quotes.

Recently, as TEDxChristchurch came to a close, we were offered a taonga. Poet Sophie Rae returned to the stage and offered a piece entitled, “Things we are confused about now”. Sophie captured sound bites from each of our TEDx speakers, making connections, offering challenges, and gifting us an opportunity to go deeper, and make a difference. This got me wondering. So often we capture a learning journey visually, using a tool or framework such as Story Hui. How often do we capture a journey using sound bites, capturing key ideas, making connections and going further? Just as sketchnoting works for some learners, I am sure ‘sound biting’ could work for others. The talent and skill of Sophie captured the day for me in phrases, one liners, provocations…. Will I remember more from her summation than I will from the TED talks? For others to summarise and capture a journey, it has been through their thought process, their filter, and interpreted by them. What if we all made our own sound bites? What if learners captured their learning in sound bites, promptly, if not immediately after their learning? How could we make this a regular part of our learning journeys?

“Inspiration occurs when ideas collide.” TedxChristchurch

Yesterday I captured sketchnotes, well, more like notes really, from the talks. Today, I am going to capture sound bites, from the five talks that impacted deeply on me, phrases that I will speak and record as I attempt to embed my ‘ideas colliding’.

Starting with Sophie Rae — Poet: Always tell your story, tell it from your heart, tell it, retell, in written language, oral, or in images.

Lucie Ozanne — Researcher: Care networks are all we have. We must CARE. We must make a difference for those around us at all times, so that in times of crisis or adversity our networks sustain and support us. I must explore the concept of Time banks!

Dame Diane Robertson — Missioner: The Family 100 Day Project Demonstrating the complexities of being poor; an empathy tool.

Barry Vercoe — Digital Musicologist: The future’s not ours to predict, it is ours to design! Support the crazy ideas!

Grant Ryan — inventor:  We need the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) of being predator-free soon!  We need the return of the cacophony of bird sound!

All of the talks were livestreamed and will be available on the TEDxChristchurch website soon.

I heard and saw the talks. I captured them in sketchnote form and sound bite. I used the sketchnotes to create the sound bites. I know many of these messages are staying with me, shaping me, causing me to think and behave in new ways.

Just as no one-size-fits-all, no one-style-of-capturing, synthesising, and recording, or journey works for all. How can we maximise learning in our classes, schools, and clusters by modelling, inviting, or even demanding, regular reflection in a variety of methods? How can we whakairo the learner story?

Please share in the comments below how you are capturing the learning journey…

 

Resources:

  • Story Hui – A design for Social Good Liz Stevenson
  • Kathy Shrock’s Guide to Everything – Sketchnoting in the Classroom Kathy Shrock
  • e-Tools for Language Teachers Sylvia Duckworth
  • EPIC SKETCHNOTING RESOURCES: HOW TO GET STARTED TEACHING SKETCHNOTING Vicki Davis
  • Sketchnoting for Learners Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano
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boys in education

Let’s hear it for the boys — engaging boys at school and home

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Rochelle Savage

the ways boys learn

Growing up, I was surrounded by Girls can do anything stickers (bright yellow with pink writing) to encourage and motivate me at school and to do as well as males. Times have changed — when I went to University, over twenty-five years ago, females already accounted for over 60% of the students in the Marketing Department and in my year the honours class was 80% female.

Now, as the mother of two tama, I want to start the conversation — sharing stories and resources of how teachers and whānau can support and engage boys at school and at home, to be all that they want to be.

How can we make sure all our tamariki fulfil their potential?

Anaru White (a teacher for many years, and now a CORE Education facilitator) and I have started this ongoing discussion and asked for ideas from colleagues (Jo Robson and others) as well as on Twitter.

Podcast: Let’s Hear It For The Boys — encouraging boys to succeed at home and school

Show transcript of podcast

Let’s hear it for the boys — engaging boys at school and home – Anaru and Rochelle


Anaru: Kia ora tatoa! My name is Anaru White. I work for CORE Education, and I’m here with Rochelle Savage, who also works for CORE. Kia ora Rochelle.

Rochelle: Kia ora Anaru.
So, today, we decided to discuss how teachers and parents can teach and support and encourage boys at school. And, my perspective is mainly that of a parent, and your’s, Anaru is someone who has worked as a teacher and also who works as an educator.

So, when you were teaching, or working with teachers in school, what do you think works to encourage and support boys?

Anaru: Well, Rochelle, I think that one of the most important aspects is finding what motivates students. And, probably, one of the best place to start is about those relationships with your students, and in this case, obviously with boys in the classroom. And not just in the classroom, but also outside of the classroom as well. And, for me, those relationships, they need to be genuine; it’s about finding those genuine interests that boys have. And that’s just taking the time, to listen to them, to be patient with them. And also, just creating those opportunities to be able to form those relationships, and for me, it’s especially those opportunities, the ones that empower them for them to show what their interests are for them to really grab something, and take the lead as well. And, there’s also there’s been a bit of talk about boys needing boundaries, and yeah, I kinda get that as well, but I bring that up as a bit of challenge for us, Rochelle, as we talk about boys in this podcast and podcasts to come, and, also, those out there as well around those boundaries that boys need, or perhaps don’t need as well within the classroom.

Rochelle: Excellent! I just wanted to expand upon what you were saying with regards to genuine interest. It’s something that in my observation as a parent is that I’m really impressed with my children’s teachers when they suggest challenges to them, and give them enough time for them to rise to the occasion, which has been great in terms of— one son’s teacher had asked him to be an MC for the talent competition. And, he really liked the idea. She gave him enough time — he decided to write his own links, what he was going to say, and he practiced them —, and he loved it. And I just applauded her because it came from her observation of him, and it also enabled him to embrace a challenge. Another example, in terms of a lot of boys that I’ve seen, is presenting in assembly. Like, something that is fantastic nowadays at school is that children present at assembly from 5-years of age, and there’s the two of them together, like there’s notices from people, introducing songs — all of those aspects, and the girls do a brilliant job, but my goodness, the boys, I have just seen them shine in a way that I don’t often see in other aspects of schooling. And, they often have people in the palm of their hands. Like, it’s just wonderful to see. The challenge is that we don’t want to generalise about all males or all boys or all girls, but, a lot of boys seem to, when they’re given the opportunity really are great orators.

Another example is, my tama’s teacher has introduced inquiry projects that the student chooses the topic and the boys have just excelled at that. They’ve just absolutely embraced it. And, the other week at assembly I saw three boys getting awards for their assignments, and they were things like Minecraft, they were soccer stars, they were Ford cars, they were things that interested them —

Anaru: “Yes, tapping into those interests”

Rochelle: Absolutely. And sometimes also, you can suggest them (as a parent) to the teacher. Another example is that my son’s in a rural school, so they’ve got what would classically be intermediate as part of the school, and so, when they go off to Technology, he’s left in his years 6–8 class, and the teacher has set them projects to work on. And one project that she set was working on a Jurassic Park idea, which involved him and another boy basically creating this park (Jurassic). So, they had a set amount of money, and they had to buy these dinosaurs. And he showed it to me, and said, “Mum, I’m going to bring it home!” And looked — What are you going to spend on dinosaurs? What are you going to spend on amusements? What are you going to spend on kai? How are you going to set it all out? And he talked all the way home, when we were walking home, and just talked non-stop about it — and that’s quite unusual for him. Like, normally, with him, it’s the classic trying to get him to talk about his day. Every single Thursday when he did this, he would just talk non-stop about it. And he was keen to bring stuff home from school. And, again, that’s the teacher thinking, What might inspire, what might interest, what might connect? And again, it comes back to those relationships and knowing that interest.

Anaru: Exactly. And willing to take risks is a big thing, I believe as well.

So, Rochelle, the supporting of boys by knowing them is also important by parents as well?

Rochelle: Absolutely. For me, it is a balance in life, but it is also trying to walk the talk, isn’t it, in terms of, it’s not just saying, “How was football?”, it’s, if you can, going along to football. This weekend was a classic example of — we had my oldest son’s football game; we ended up having an adults vs the children — or me and the dads — as I like to say it. But, I know that he enjoyed me giving it a go and me being on the team, and being actively involved in things that matter to them. So, we go and shoot hoops, and we go and kick a soccer ball, and sport is something that I do enjoy, but I’m not particularly great at hoops, I’m not particularly great at things, but it’s giving it a go. Or, something we’ve also been doing recently, is playing an online game together. And I’m not particularly good at it, and I don’t particularly enjoy — I’ve never been a gamer, and it’s not particularly my thing, but my children love it, and, actually, what I do is, I build up my army, and get my youngest tama to do my battles for me, because he’s really good at it and he enjoys it. But it also opens up those discussions about —

Anaru: Dialogue.

Rochelle: Yeah, exactly. So, it’s something we’ve got in common. So, at the moment, apparently their friends think it’s quite cool that I’m doing it. I’m just waiting for when that changes, but at the moment that’s a good thing…

Anaru: …Roll with it.

Rochelle: And also it means that we can have those discussions in a natural way about safety, because, what it is, it’s a very small local group, which, a local man who’s a grandad set up, and the only people that can be in the group are if you know someone. So, it’s all children my children’s age, a little bit older, it’s some of the parents whose children are playing. And we talk about why you don’t let anyone else in. I said, you know, If someone came to our door, and knocked on our door, would you just let them in without asking questions, and, if you didn’t know them, would you let them come and sit in our kitchen? And they were like, Well, probably not. And, I said, It’s the same thing.

So, if you can actually find … I guess, it’s trying to find things, even if they’re not your things, interests, and engage with them, because they are then more likely to engage with you on things that you want them to engage in as well.

Anaru: Exactly.

Rochelle: So, what else, Anaru, works well to support boys at school do you think?

Anaru: Well, probably building on what you’ve just said, Rochelle, and also, I suppose, in the unique and also grateful position that I have to, as a former teacher, working alongside schools and obviously boys themselves, is the importance of relationships, taking those risks, looking at those opportunities, and being genuine, but also, what falls out of that are those authentic learning contexts, which you’ve just talked about as well. And from there, when boys see the purpose, and see the Why?, from there they will be able to get engaged and to be motivated. And I think that self-motivation is a big thing as well. And from there comes all that kind of discovery and sense of purpose and achievement as well.

And another thing that I really like to talk about is the whole idea around silence. To me, silence is golden, and when a boy is asked a question — or, when a male is asked a question — and, again, we can fall into generalisations here, but a lot of the time I know from my experience, there’s a bit of a process when there’s science, and that process is important, because it is a cognitive process, and what’s happening as well. And it’s also a good idea when you have those discussions and have those dialogues in your classroom or learning situation, Who is doing the talking the most? Where does the balance lie within the classroom? Teacher talking vs the students talking, etc. Likewise in group work. And, I think, Rochelle, I think it’s one of the things that you are going to talk now about the kind of work that Celia Lashlie has done…

Rochelle: Āe! I think you raise a really good point where something I’m trying hard in all aspects of my life is to have those gaps. I think, it is again a broad generalisation, and I don’t want to – not all women – but, I think a lot of women work things out by discussing them, while men sometimes can do that, but they’ll often go away and have a think and then come back to it. And some practical suggestions that Celia Lashlie’s book, “He’ll be Okay — Growing Gorgeous Boys into Good Men”, which a lot of parents I know of boys have bought and read, and I highly recommended it if you haven’t read — I’ve re-read it again recently, and she’s just got some great practical suggestions. One of them is, like what you’re saying, If you ask your son a question, she suggests, preferably when driving or doing an activity, and one thing is, just wait for the answer as long as it takes.

Anaru: Wait time.

Rochelle: Absolutely. And, I think her example in the book is: she sort of said to her son, “What’s your favourite fruit?” And, she thought he hadn’t heard the question, and it was like, to her, this crazy length of time, and she desperately wanted to jump in, and say, “Is it apple? Is it banana?” — offer suggestions. And I think, as women, we need to pause and allow them to have the time, as long as it takes. And, in the end, her son said (I think it was), “Pineapple”. And that’s the thing I’ve noticed with my tama, when you’re driving along, and if you do ask a question, sometimes, just also wait and wait and wait, and if you’re patient, they’ll answer.

The other really practical advice she gives for parents is, to talk about the day at night. And she was saying, for whatever reason, boys often don’t love that whole let’s sit down face-to-face and have a big discussion. Like, that’s not a thing that’s just not a good time if you’re a boy. However, at the end of the day, and it’s all dark, and this is something that I try and do usually nightly — it doesn’t always happen, but I try really hard to make it happen — where, turn the light out and we lie in the dark, and we talk about their day. And sometimes it’s prompted where I sort of say, Tell me something really interesting about what happened? Was there anything bad, or frustrating, or annoying, or something you want to talk about? And we also do, Is there anything else? And, something I also love is that my sons also ask me about my day, which is just really nice. It’s a lovely healthy relationship thing. But the best thing about that is that I actually find out more in those five or ten minutes at the end of the day than I do at the whole rest of the day. And I find out the really crucial stuff: Who did they play with at lunch time? Was there a lunchtime that they actually spent by themselves. I found out about the emotional health of my children, and really, that’s what parents want to know. I think that most parents are much more interested in, How is my child feeling than, how is my child doing academically at school. So, that’s such a great practical suggestion.

And, I know that you’ve read the book. What practical suggestions for parents or for teachers did you like?

Anaru: Well, it’s exactly that: the book was really practical. And, I guess that it comes from Celia’s background. And, within the book, she talks about the different stages that boys go through, as well, and also what to expect at these stages. They’re just common behaviours etc. And, also, she relates it back to stories with her son, but also reacting with some other males and boys obviously from her prison background working within prisons and the stories from there. And also, part of the project that she did with a number of boys’ schools up and down New Zealand as well, which is good, because it’s obviously targeted, which is what we’re talking about here, and it’s also New Zealand-based as well. It’s also good to have those New Zealand stories as well, that we can relate to.

Rochelle, any other suggestions?

Rochelle: I’ve thought a lot about why girls often excel above boys at school — and, again, not all girls, but this is an observation of mine on how can we better support boys at school. As we’ve discussed, there’s not a simple answer, and for this podcast, our key aim is, opening up the discussion, providing resources we’ve found helpful, asking those out there, What are some other resources, and people have very kindly shared some of their thoughts and their resources. For me, I think, a critical aspect is trying to encourage a love of reading.

Anaru: Yes.

Rochelle: Something else that has worked, and I’ll put a link also below this podcast, to something I’ve written previously, in a blog with regards to — how do you do that? How do you encourage a love of reading? And the latest things that are working really well, particularly for my tama potiki, he is really enjoying audio books. He enjoys reading, and he’s now getting into Harry Potter, and books like that, but really, he sometimes just wants a break from actually reading. But, it’s that love of stories, and it does so much, I think, academically. And this is something that we can do. And it’s hard; it’s not always for a lot of parents who say, I’m trying, I’m trying!. But, I guess, the main thing is, don’t give up; just keep on trying. And, parents and I share authors that our sons love. I go into bookshops and tell them, this is what my son’s like, this is his age, what do you recommend? For me, this is something that can help academically, and also, it’s a lot of fun, to have a love of reading.

Join the conversation

Anaru and I would like to continue gathering ideas on how parents and teachers can continue to support boys to fulfil their potential. If you have a resource or a story to share – or an issue you would like us to explore — please leave a comment below or tweet us: @rsavagenz or @anaruwhite. Or, join the conversation on #BoysInEducation.

 

Some resources:

Book: http://www.celialashlie.co.nz/boys-work
Blog: https://eduwells.com/2016/03/19/helping-boys-learn/
Audio interview: Parenting with Joseph Driessen — girls vs boys
Blog: 11 Ways to grow great readers: A parent’s perspective

 


Image: boys playing on Kaikoura beach — by the author.

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iceberg showing underside

The iceberg of outcomes

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Greg Carroll

This is the time of the year when both good practice and legislative requirements have schools focusing on their achievement and other student outcomes data. We are looking to see where we have made the biggest impacts so we can celebrate this. We are also looking to see if there are groups of students, or areas of our programmes, or parts of our school that are not making the progress we had hoped for. School leadership teams often spend a lot of time crunching numbers and making the huge mass of collated information meaningful and enable colleagues, staff, teachers, Boards, and sometimes even students to make sense of it. The question is: Are we focussing on the right things?

iceberg showing underside

When we are looking at data we need to consider some important factors

Student Management Systems (SMSs) are making the analysis process a bit simpler if they are used effectively, and if the information being stored and collated is numerical. But, often SMSs are simply repositories for demographic information and a place to keep test scores, NCEA data, and Overall Teacher Judgments (OTJs). A basic understanding of spreadsheets certainly helps make sense of data on scale, and means different theories can be explored and views of data used to try and understand what it really means.

Being “data literate” also means being able to choose appropriate presentation formats for the kinds of data being shared. A table may show everything, but can be confusing and significant things can be lost. A graph is good for showing differences, but attention should be paid to using an appropriate scale, for instance.

Lack of experience with data analysis can lead to making incorrect assumptions. For example: the assumption that a numerical difference is a significant one. By this, I mean, ensuring that the differences in the numbers could not simply be attributed to chance. If numbers are small then the so-called margin of error can be quite large. Think about political polls, for example, that often quote a margin of error of plus or minus something like 3.5%. This means that the actual results could be expected to vary by up to 3.5% bigger or smaller. This is with surveys of over 1000 people. In the school context, we may well be talking about samples of less than 10% of this size. With a sample of 50 or less, the variance of 20-30% in scores could, in fact, be expected simply by chance. This is particularly true if the confidence we have in the accuracy of the measure being used is not that high.

In the school context, we also know that comparing one year group with another is not comparing like with like. Different year groups can have completely different compositions and the students can vary wildly in their engagement, confidence, and ability in different components of the curriculum we may be assessing and tracking.

Positioning assessment data in the decision-making process

‘Data-driven practice’ and ‘data-informed decision-making’ have become real buzzwords in recent times. Both these things require consideration of the factors outlined above. They also require that we position assessment data in a way where it is not the sole determining factor in what we do.

In the same way that good assessment practice means a single-test score is not the only indicator of an OTJ, analysis of OTJ data is not the only indicator of schools achieving successful outcomes for their students. Or, indeed, of teachers being successful in their settings either. Any assessment should be a point-in-time litmus test of the outcomes being aimed for, not the only criteria. Effective schools and individual educators know a lot more about their students collectively and individually than can ever be captured in a single number, or set of numbers. Student outcomes over time are not always well represented on a graph.

I like to think of the things we can put the number on and, therefore, ultimately turn into some sort of graph or table as the proverbial tip of the iceberg. There are so many other things that make up student achievement, outcomes, and success that are ‘below the surface’, but nonetheless hugely significant:

iceberg outcomes

These factors below the waterline are things that the ‘tip of the iceberg’ factors can point to, but often the link may not be a very strong one. They may also be things that the whānau or culture that your students (or a group of students) come from are valued more highly than those above.

As a parent, I am way more proud of my own kids being good people than I am of any of their academic outcomes. I would think many families take a similar perspective.

So, I guess my challenge in this blog post is to consider several different things. As we begin bringing our focused attention onto the year’s data and information to begin making decisions about where we need to focus for next year in our programmes and improvement efforts:

  • Are we examining data in an appropriate way?
  • Are we reading too much into the numbers?
  • Do the numbers show what we are claiming they do?
  • Are the important things captured in the numbers, or, are there other key things that cannot be shown by numbers alone?
  • Are we using the best data and information that you can in your decision-making processes?
  • Are the conclusions we are drawing true for all students and groups of students?

If you would like support thinking about these things more deeply, and/or planning your PLD response to what you have found, do contact us at CORE Education.

 

Image sources

Iceberg photo (top and featured on home page): Image: By AWeith (Own work), CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Iceberg of outcomes graphic: by author under CC-BY-ND-SA

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