My world on the web
We absolutely have to listen to our students and it will take a lot to convince me that school isn’t still designed for adults. However, I’ll be more hopeful if the next educational conference I attend has students as our co-presenters and co-participants.
There’s an old African saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’. Today we speak of a child learning in the context of a connected community in which parents, teachers and numerous community members and agencies work in collaborative partnership. It is not an academy, it is our village and it needs wise cultural leaders.
Beyond this, it also means that schools become points of engagement for the broader adult community who may wish to engage in post-school study. At its core, a P-P model recognises schooling as more than 9-3pm and K-12. It aims to amplify the transformative effect of education on individuals and communities.
I understand that in some schools, such as Templestowe College, there is a lot more fluidity in regards to participation across year levels. The question/concern I have is that TC is still very much a secondary school.
I once visited a large K-12 (2000+ students) and they seemed to operate like three distinct schools. In many ways the system sets things up like this. In my own experience in a P-9, there were some activities, such as timetables, that primary schools had to accept from the secondary. The concern is that in a fluid environment, the current way of working does not seem to properly support anyone, without additional resources, which seems counter-intuitive.
I am reminded of Matt Esterman’s question of education revolution versus renaissance. A part of me thinks that from a structural perspective to achieve a ‘pre-to-post’ outcome we are going to need a revolution to accommodate some of these changes. Whether it be applications, data frameworks or industrial relations, there is significant work still required.
I am happy to be wrong and appreciate any thoughts on the matter.
TC is not the solution for how we provide quality learning and teaching. The staff at TC will tell you that it is the best approach for their learning community. Schools like this become an example of what can be done and what’s possible. We cannot extract the intellectual rigour, analysis and innovative practice from TC – they’ve learned the work by doing the work. What the rest of us can extract is that change can and is happening so let’s take control of our learning.
What impresses me most about the blogosphere is just how generous people are with their time and ideas. Their intent is never about personal gain but how small contributions can lead to transformational change. We can all make a difference somewhere through our circle of influence
I wonder Greg how your blog has developed? Are any ‘changes’ that stand out to you? Has your practice over ten years always been the same? Would love to know.
I believe the bigger question is how we as a society, respond to the seismic shifts happening. Since we can’t ignore the digital age, we must find ways of navigating the new frontier including what we deem as acceptable and appropriate use at home, at work and at school. Banning mobile phones is not a solution, it’s a reaction to the massive waves of ever-changing technologies. There’s an air of anti-intellectualism in all of this – a fear of the new sciences that was just as evident in the time of Galileo.
