We should be striving to achieve a state where there is a future focus to everything we do in our curriculum design -where a future focus is in fact an essential learning disposition. Continue reading Future Focus – left to chance?
Photo by Ben Wicks on Unsplash He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata he tangata he tangata!What is the most important thing in the world? It is people it is people it is people! The image at … Continue reading Know Your Students
Photo by Rodion Kutsaiev on Unsplash In my previous post I shared the responses made to five questions asked by my friend and colleague, Nick Billowes, about hybrid learning as he was pondering the future for schools in 2023. I can now reveal the truth behind these responses… they were 100% generated by the AI, ChatGPT Having read much about ChatGPT over the past two months, Nick and I decided to actually give it a go and see just how easy to use ChatGPT is, and how accurate the information provided is (particularly given the many reports about the limitations of this technology). … Continue reading Hybrid Learning and ChatGPT
Photo by Rodion Kutsaiev on Unsplash My friend and colleague, Nick Billowes, recently asked five questions about hybrid learning as he was pondering the future for schools into 2023. Here are his questions and responses: What is the potential of applying practices of hybrid learning within a schooling educational context as we look to new ways of rekindling learner engagement? Hybrid learning, which combines in-person and online instruction, has the potential to rekindle learner engagement in a schooling educational context. By utilizing online resources, such as videos, interactive activities, and virtual simulations, students can have more control over their learning … Continue reading Hybrid Learning pt.1
Photo by Wang Whale on Unsplash What if 2023 is more disrupted than 2022? What if there are more of these empty desks? Would we be prepared? Most who know me regard me as an optimist, someone who looks on the ‘bright side’ of things. Certainly, throughout my career I have had the privilege of being involved in a wide range of innovative and ‘hope-bringing’ initiatives. Some may say it’s a result of how I’m wired, and there’s bound to be truth in that. But another reason is that I’ve always had a fascination with emerging ideas and innovations, and … Continue reading Resilience Required NOW!
Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash Please complete the simple survey at the bottom of this post to help me understand more about what is driving and what is getting in the way of transformational change in our educational system, at all levels from government to the local school context. Over recent months readers of this blog will have noticed that I have focused a lot on the issue of transformation and change in our education system. My last post titled ‘the time is now‘ highlights the strength of the call for some fundamental shifts towards a more radical and … Continue reading Roadblocks and Drivers
It would appear that there are many education systems around the world that are beginning to think this way – perhaps finally realising that our education systems are no longer fit for purpose, despite decades of attempts at incremental change and policy re-alignment. There appears now to be calls for a fundamental shift towards a more radical and transformational view of what education could be and can become. Continue reading The Time is Now
I was struck the other day by a tweet from Michael Fullan calling for a ‘resurgance of humanity’. As the end of year fatigue gets interrupted by staff Christmas parties and replays of Home Alone on TV, it’s definitely worth taking a moment to look for ways we can end the year with an optimistic perspective ahead of our entry into the new year. Continue reading Seize the Season!
It seems to me that the sea of opportunity in education is littered with shipwrecks. Each represents a particular change initiative or strategy implementation that has foundered or sunk before reaching its destination. Each has set off with the best of intentions and sights fixed on the distant horizon, only to find themselves beaten back by relentless waves of resistance, merciless winds of discontent, a craft that is not fit-for-purpose or a crew that is inadequately prepared or trained for the journey. Continue reading 3 Signs of System and Organisational Distress
Image: Derek Wenmoth This week marked the conclusion of the Tai Tokerau Hybrid Learning project involving a number of schools in the Far North. I’ve had the privilege of being involved throughout the project since its initial design earlier in the year. The image above was taken yesterday as the teachers involved shared their experiences over the past months, highlighting the things they’ve learned from the experiments they have tried. The Tai Tokerau Hybrid Learning project was an initiative of the Northern Region Ministry of Education who invited two schools to explore and report on strategies that support the work … Continue reading 8 insights for achieving resilience