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Change, beliefs, and the ‘F’ words

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Derek Wenmoth

ulearn education conference

The annual uLearn conference is over for another year, and as the new term begins it’s worth taking a little time to reflect on the ‘big ideas’ we came away with — the overarching themes and messages that persisted through the various keynote, spotlight, and workshop presentations. I had the privilege of doing a quick summary at the end of this year’s conference, and want to share that in this blog post as an ‘aide memoire’ for those who are interested.

For me, there were three ‘big ideas’ that kept surfacing (four if you count my two “F” words) which are expanded on below:

Change

“Do not raise your children the way [your] parents raised you, they were born for a different time.”
― Ali ibn Abi Talib

The theme of change was overwhelmingly present in all of the keynote presentations. And not just any change — we’re talking exponential change. Change of such unprecedented proportion that it is becoming impossible to predict the future with any certainty at all, and where our ability to cope is severely challenged. The message was clear, we need to do more to understand the significance of this exponential change for our schools, our learners, and our society. It is time to recognise that our linear ways of dealing with change in the past are simply inadequate when it comes to preparing our young people for their future.

As educational leaders, we are extremely well-versed in the linear approaches to change and change management. We settle in for months, and sometimes years, of sequential interventions designed to help us adapt to the latest change in curriculum, assessment, or pedagogical approach. The problem is that we’re constantly feeling like we’re ‘behind the eight ball’ and never achieving anything before the next wave of change is upon us. This is what happens when we attempt to respond to exponential change in a linear way.

If there was one key message from each of our presenters, it was that we need to set aside many of our traditional approaches to change, particularly if we see ourselves as leading the change, or worse, managing it (now there’s an oxymoron). Linear approaches to change are premised on the notion of certainty — that by doing x and y in sequence we’ll end up in the changed state of z. The problem is, the world of exponential change is characterised by uncertainty — and that is a state that is almost impossible to manage in the traditional sense.

Coping with uncertainty requires everyone involved to accept that they may not have the answers, and more importantly, to realise that the answer is more likely to reside with the collective rather than in the mind of a single individual (i.e., the leader).

As educators, we need to move beyond seeing ourselves as the ones who are passing on our knowledge to our students, or even, facilitating them to discover that knowledge for themselves. We don’t have all of the answers, and the uncertain future our learners will face will present them with challenges that only they will be in a position to solve. This requires a level of humility in our actions as educators, and a growing emphasis on the development of competencies as distinct from domains of knowledge. As one of our keynotes observed; “I want my students to stand on my shoulders, to solve problems I/we can’t yet solve”.

Beliefs

“Focus on changing beliefs – it’s the only thing that matters”
– Eric Mazur

Through the conference we were repeatedly reminded to ask the ‘why’ question — to examine the beliefs that lie behind our actions, be they the things we do as individual educators, or the systems, structures, and processes we adhere to and defend with such vigor.

Understanding how our beliefs shape behaviour is central to understanding how we can respond to change. We see the impact of change in practice without the change in belief all too frequently in our current system — be that the move from single-cell classrooms into open, flexible learning spaces, or the adoption of new forms of assessment. Unless they are underpinned by a fundamental change in belief on the part of the educators involved, the change to some of these things will, just as quickly, be followed by a change back — ending up in the proverbial ‘ping pong’ we see in so many situations – from the school level through to the political level.

Most importantly, we need to consider the notion of coherence — from our beliefs at the centre, the expression of these in terms of the values we espouse, to the practices that we engage in on a daily basis. If there is any inconsistency across these three ‘layers’, then we discover the fragility of any initiative we might engage in – however well intentioned it may be. This is where asking the ‘why’ question becomes so important. We need to be constantly reflecting on the beliefs that underpin our actions, as this is the only way we will build a unified view of the purpose and value of what we are seeking to achieve in our schools, our Kāhui Ako, and our system.

The “F” words

“Fail Fast, Fix Fast, Learn Fast’ is a leadership maxim I advocate”
— Kevin Roberts

If there’s one thing our education system isn’t easily disposed to embracing, it’s the notion of failure. We simply don’t have time for it. Having to deal with failure will simply hold us back from ‘covering’ everything we need to get through, or cause too big a gap to emerge between those who can and those who can’t.

The big issue here is that we live in a time where innovation is being celebrated as something we need more of in our education system – we’re constantly being told how we need to encourage innovators and entrepreneurs in our schools, and yet, for these people, the one thing they have in common is failure. More than that, they have learned through failure. They understand how to confront failure and to learn from their mistakes.

The secret is to heed the advice of ex-Saachi and Saachi CEO, Kevin Roberts, whose maxim is to ‘fail fast, fix fast, and learn fast’. In other words, don’t despair when things go wrong — use the opportunity to find a solution, and to ensure you learn from that so that you can avoid the same mistake in the future. If we are to succeed in coping with change in this exponential future, we need to make sure that our teachers and our learners are given permission to fail, and from that failure come to a position when they gain both success and insight as they turn their failure into an opportunity for learning.

Finally – one more “F” word that was prevalent in our conference – FUN!! As educators, we can become overly serious at times – to the point of being morose, at times. Amid the excitement, the learning, the challenges of the conference, it was good to see people simply having fun! This is something we do well to recall as we return to the work we do on a day-to-day basis in whatever context we come from. If we lose the sense of fun, we lose an important ingredient in what motivates us to do what we do, and what attracts others to work and learn alongside us.

derek wenmoth

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pasifika leaders' forum

Pasifika Language Weeks – Why should we celebrate them?

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Aiono Manu Faaea-Semeatu

The last New Zealand Census conducted in 2013 recorded the following information for the most common languages spoken by multilingual people. There are distinct regional differences and the rise of European and Asian languages. Despite more French-speaking people in Wellington and Christchurch, Hindi has replaced French as the 4th most spoken language.

language stats new zealand

Source: Statistics New Zealand.

The most commonly spoken languages in New Zealand are:

  • English – spoken by 3,819,972 people (96.1 percent of people who stated at least one language)
  • te reo Māori – 148,395 people (3.7 percent)
  • Samoan – 86,403 people (2.2 percent)
  • Hindi – 66,309 people (1.7 percent)
  • Northern Chinese (including Mandarin) – 52,263 people (1.3 percent)
  • French – 49,125 people (1.2 percent).

Every year the Ministry of Pacific Peoples launches various language weeks from the Pacific. The reason for this may not be clear in terms of the origins of these weeks. You would be correct in guessing that the language weeks celebrate the different indigenous or heritage languages of those Pacific nations who have made their home in Aotearoa New Zealand. But, probably what is not commonly known, is that the purpose of these language weeks has a wider vision that includes the Pacific Languages Framework.

The Ministry of Pacific Peoples has a vision that the Pacific Languages Framework is a commitment to ensuring that Pacific languages are flourishing. This vision will be realised by evidence of more people using Pacific language with skill and fluency in everyday situations, particularly children and young people. Those Pacific languages now at risk will be revitalised, and their future assured. Pacific people’s sense of personal and cultural belonging in New Zealand will be enhanced by the support given to Pacific languages. New Zealanders will appreciate and value Pacific languages as a source of pride in New Zealand’s rich cultural diversity. The government and Pacific communities will be working in partnership to maintain and promote Pacific languages.

Samoa, Cook Islands, and Tonga have celebrated their Pacific languages in May, July, and September this year. And just this month, October, the following have celebrated their languages:

Tuvalu – Sunday 1st October – Saturday 7th October

Fiji – Sunday 8th October – Saturday 14th October

Niue – Sunday 15th October – Saturday 21st October

Tokelau – Monday 23rd October – Sunday 29th October

Did you celebrate any of these weeks?

Challenge:
How can we ensure that our Pacific Languages will continue to be spoken, to keep them alive in our communities?

If you are interested in learning multiple languages, why not make one of them a Pacific language?

To celebrate the Pacific Language Weeks in your centre, school, or organisation in future, or to carry the point of these “Weeks” further, seek further information from:

  1. NZ Online
  2. Coconet TV
  3. Your local library
  4. Your local city council
  5. Pacific Education Centre

The Pacific Language Weeks are a great way to start recognising, valuing, and celebrating Pacific nations in Aotearoa, but you might be asking yourself, how can I offer some meaningful and practical support that will enhance the work we are doing in our team, in our school, and in our communities? How can we offer support beyond the Pacific Language Weeks? This would involve being able to help people who have yet to develop a disposition for working with people of other cultures, different to their own. This process is called developing your “cultural intelligence”.

I have blogged about this concept in a previous blog post about Multiculturalism. If you would like to attend a CORE Breakfast seminar and workshop, there is the final one for the year in Auckland on Friday 10 November. Be sure to register as places are limited!

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te reo Māori safe place

The limits of my language mean the limits of my world

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Jane Nicholls

(Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, 5.6)

te reo safe place

Recently I listened to the Radio New Zealand interview with Te Taka Keegan and something he mentioned opened an avenue of new thinking for me.

“When you become fluent, you can see things through a different lens.”

In 2007, I was privileged to be a CORE eFellow. The quote by Wittgenstein in the title of this post informed my eFellow research, which looked at podcasting as a tool to help students develop their oral language capability. My findings revealed that some students needed time to develop and become confident in their use of oral language within a safe space. In this way, they can develop the necessary skills before being expected to use those skills combined with standing in front of an audience. With podcasting, students could record and listen to themselves, and practise, and improve. They could then tentatively put this recording out to the world for others to engage with through a podcast, but still be one step removed from the oral presentation. Emboldened by the positive feedback of their peers, they could take the next step of using those oral-language skills within a real-time presentation to the class or school.

The key learning was that we needed to enable those who couldn’t speak in front of people to continue to develop the necessary skills in a different environment. And, in this way, I felt that I had supported these students to extend the limits of their world.

Now, the same quote has come to mean something more to me as the limits of my world expand.

There is a debate in New Zealand at the moment about the inclusion of te reo Māori as a compulsory subject in schools. Te reo Māori was given official language status in New Zealand in 1987, and te Tiriti o Waitangi is a founding document of this country. New Zealand is a bicultural society — so, let’s look at Keegan and Wittgenstein again:

“When you become fluent, you can see things through a different lens.”

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world”

If we are truly to live the vision of being a bicultural society, shouldn’t we all expand our world and see this country through the lenses available to us? Shouldn’t we truly be able to ‘talk’ to each other and bridge the barrier that is in place through these limits? Don’t our children deserve to be able to see the world through as many lenses as possible? Especially if one crucial lens was taken away from some of our children through draconian policies that banned the use of their language in the first place.

jane nicholls

I am in the privileged position of having the choice to be part of a bicultural society. I can make the choice to see through another lens. Many of my friends do not have that choice — as someone once revealed to me:

“When my children and I open our door in the morning to head out to school, we don’t have a choice to be bicultural. We have to step out into the dominant culture and look for signs of our own culture within that world.”

I am taking the time to learn and practise my reo in a safe space, which is my very supportive workplace. Through its support and encouragement, I am emboldened to begin to expand my language as I step out into different parts of my world. Our schools can be that safe place for our children to learn and practise.

Have you found your safe place yet?

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ulearn education conference

Getting the most out of uLearn17

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Anne Kenneally

education conference

School holidays are upon us. Time to relax and recharge. It is also time to take up professional learning and development (PLD) opportunities.

uLearn is CORE Education’s annual professional learning conference, suitable for teachers, facilitators and school leaders alike, from early childhood through to tertiary.

Across three days of continual PLD (or four days if you also attend the pre-conference), you will get the opportunity to connect and collaborate with like-minded New Zealand and international educators as you develop practical solutions to innovate in your teaching practice.

But wait, there’s more! You can take part in uLearn even if you are not coming to the conference!

The #notatulearn hashtag offers you the chance to follow along and experience uLearn virtually this year. There are two live streamed sessions available to you in our Connected Conversation series:

Connected Conversation 1: Student learners at the centre

Live-streamed on Wednesday 11 October 2017, 11:15 am – 12:30 pm

Panelists:

Juliet Revell @Juliet_Revell — Connecting with Kids #KidsedchatNZ

Melanie Matthews @melaniem8 and Olivia Graham @zlivz — Connecting to expert teachers virtually

Bronwyn Joyce @JoyceBronwyn (virtual) — Learning beyond the walls

Connected Conversation 2: Connected conversations going global

Live-streamed Wednesday 11 October 2017, 1:30 pm – 2:45 pm

Panelists:

Grant Lichtman @GrantLichtman (virtual) Moving the Rock: Seven levers we can press to dramatically transform education now

Christine Trimnell @TrimChris1 – Global Projects — 21st Century learning in a Digital World

Dean Shareski @shareski (virtual) — How to be Generous in a Connected World

(Maybe this will tempt you to join us in Auckland for uLearn18.)

So, whether you are joining us face-to-face or taking part in #notatulearn … Here are some quick steps to get the most out of uLearn17.

Before:

  1. Get organised! Join Twitter and follow the hashtag #ulearn17 and #CENZ17
  2. Join edspace uLearn group, introduce yourself and tell us what you’d like to get out of uLearn17.

 

Connected Educator (CENZ) Team

connected educators nz

  1. Come and see us at the Connected Educator Stand for Flipgrid challenges, connecting, photobooth and more — including the release of our revitalised Starter Kete. In the Connected Educator Room, we’re running practical, hands-on sessions to support you in getting connected Breakouts 1–5
  2. Find out about the keynotes: Eric Mazur,@eric_mazur Dr Ann Milne,@ann_milne  Brad Waid, @Techbradwaid  and Abdul Chohan, @Abdulchohan. What do you know about them already? What do you wonder? Have you followed them on Twitter?
  3. Check out the spotlight sessions, aligned to the conference strands.
  4. Think now about how you are going to capture your new learning. Are you going to blog it, tweet it, capture it on Evernote, set up a group/school google doc for collective gathering of insights? Take notes using shared Google Docs where possible and share in uLearn discussions.
  5. Bookmark links in uLearn discussion groups.
  6. Pack comfortable shoes, and clothes. You are going to chalk up some steps at uLearn. Have you got your personal fitness wearable charged and ready to go? Have you got a suitable backpack to carry all you need for the day? And, don’t forget to label your belongings — just like camp!
  7. Sign up for Night at the Movies ‘the heART of the matter’ and an interview with the producer on Wednesday night.
  8. Organise your Op Shop Ballroom costume for the gala dinner.

During:

  1. Find your tribe. Take the time to meet new people. The friendly tribe you’ll meet at uLearn17 can be your support network going forward. Follow them on Twitter, find and follow their blogs, share and connect beyond the face-to-face event.
  2. Be charged! Pack the ‘right’, fully charged, device for you. Can you capture all you need on your iPad, tablet, or phone? Do you need to bring your laptop or chromebook? Make sure you have all your charging cords with you, but travel as light as possible!
  3. On your own? It’s okay to hang out at the Connected Educator Station, ask questions, and, hopefully, meet up with others. Also, when in workshops, join someone else who looks like they are on their own and introduce yourself. If you are alone, choose workshops that are interactive, because then you get to talk to people.
  4. Keep an eye on Strea.ma
  5. Don’t forget to allow time to visit the Trades Hall and talk to the vendors. Don’t forget the various competitions and prizes being offered there. You need to stay to the end for the draws. Use ShowGizmo, scan QR code posters on exhibitor stands to go in the draw to win.
  6. Visit the CORE Education stand (inside the exhibition hall). Meet the team, explore our 2018 professional learning solutions, and purchase resources.
  7. Spin the digital prize wheel and be an instant winner! Prizes include a complimentary uLearn18 registration plus flights (within NZ) and accommodation.
  8. Join in the Conference Showcase Rātu / Tuesday 5.00pm
  9. Take some time to enjoy the culture and arts around Hamilton in your evenings or early mornings. There are lots of places to walk and explore.
  10. At uLearn17 and uLearn Changing Spaces (the pre-conference day at Rototuna Junior High School focussing on ILEs), you will have the opportunity to collect He Tohu Oranga (CORE’s digital badges). Digital Badges are an evidence-based certification of learning to provide a record of your achievements.

After:

  1. Continue the discussions via social media, on Twitter #ulearn17, #CENZ17, Facebook, edSpace
  2. Share your learning:
  1. Plan a date in your calendar to follow up with team or staff meetings
  2. Plan for ‘uShare’ experience where two or more schools get together for

face-to-face staff session to discuss their action plans

Now that you’ve read this, come along to the Connected Educator station at uLearn, and share the ‘secret message’, which is, “Learning is sweeter when you are connected’’, and receive the first free offer. Then find out how to work towards the set…

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